DRAMATIS PERSONAE
This is a complete list of the significant characters introduced in the Hyper series. Some are only in Book One, others I haven’t even introduced yet.
SFx = Strength Factor. Someone with SF10 is as strong as ten average men. An SF in () means SF under special circumstances; usually in powered armor.
HFx = Healing Factor. Someone with HF8 heals at eight times the normal human rate.
Arthur Steele: Brother to Doctor Steele. In powered armor, stuck in fourteenth century England. SF1(5); HF4
Colonel Zurina Browne: Commander of the original HIPR military project. Head of the Hyperhuman Affairs Department. Dead set on recruiting the supers into her own private army.
Denise Akins: Senior Researcher at the DEA.
Doctor Steele (Doctor Adrian Steele): One of the world’s leading cyberneticists. Trapped in a wheelchair by a severe degenerative disease, he took hyper to help ease his pain. It enabled him to transfer his mind into a powerful android body. He loves being an android and has no desire to be human again. He refers to his old body as “that pain-wracked prison of meat”. SF 10; HF50
Daniel Fox and Kathleen Mullins: FBI field agents assigned to investigate the reports.
Edgar Winston III: Martial artist/fencer. Acquired superhuman speed. Has a much higher than average healing factor: SF2; HF250
Emily Stone: head research scientist working under Colonel Browne.
Erik Hunter: The scientist who originally created Hyper. He experimented with it on himself and has some accelerated healing ability; no other manifestations – yet. HF4
Jack Hammer: His real name! Amateur wrestler and boxer. His pro-wrestling school trainer sneaked hyper into his training regimen. Strong, tough, heals quickly, even by hyper standards. Incredibly resilient; can absorb vast amounts of punishment. Kind of a ‘good boy’; never swears. ST30 ; HF400
The Mortician (Mark Walrath): A pro wrestler whose schtick was ‘undead guy’. Hyper made the play-acting all too real. Doesn’t breathe, eat, or drink. All but unstoppable. Can talk, but rarely does. SF9 ; HF8000
Nemesis (Dominic Williams): A high-school nerd, Dominic Williams was the victim of bullies most of his life. His only escape was identifying with cinematic karate masters, until a dose of hyper turned him into his own action hero. Has pronounced sociopathic tendencies. Years of pent-up anger; he never dared mouth off to anyone before. Now he dares; a lot. SF6; HF100
Ogre (Otis Gordon): Joined a local biker gang at 19; ten years ago. Took hyper at a party while at the peak of a steroid cycle. The strongest known superhuman. SF200; HF50
Powerboy (Gary Guang): A senior in high school, pursuing physics. A human rechargeable battery; can absorb vast amounts of energy, then release it as various forms of electromagnetic effects. However, he is dependent on absorbed energy to survive. If it drops too low, he will die. SF1; HF2.
Shadow (Noah Boddie): His parents had a sense of humor and should have been slapped. Infiltration specialist. Tends to fade in and out of view, shows up in such a way that nobody remembers how he got there, can impersonate almost anyone, other ‘sneaky’ powers. SF2; HF8
Shaman (No other known name): Did he have his spirit-magic powers even before hyper was created? Nobody knows. SF and HF unknown, possibly immortal.
Sir Helix: Walter Wilson’s only joy came from playing his powerful Paladin character in his weekly role-playing game. Hyper turned him into his own heroic avatar, complete with magic armor and weapons, at least some of the time. It’s not clear whether he understands which world he is in: the real world of the 21st Century, or the fantasy realm of wizards, orcs, and dragons. SF 3; HF2000 (from ‘magic’ ring of regeneration – can it resurrect him? Ain’t tellin’).
Starhawk (Steven Hawk): Took hyper during a vision quest. Tapped into the rage of generations of slaughtered Navache Indians. The most powerful known hyperhuman; his lances of starshine energy can disable Apache helicopters. His forcefield can withstand 25mm autocannon rounds, at least. SF100; HF100.
Steele (Kenneth Steele): A fan of the heavy metal group Blast Radius, and good-for-nothing son of Doctor Steele. A dose of hyper during a drug raid turned him into real heavy metal. Composed of solid metal, and almost invincible. SF20; HF1
Tank: Marvin Potter was a junkman. With the help of hyper, he constructed a working suit of powered armor. SF 1(9); HF4.
Thor and Loki: Two hyper-enhanced squirrel monkeys, usually found in the company of Erik Hunter. SF40 and SF10; HF50
Thunderbolt: Jack Hogan wrote and drew the adventures of his superhero character. Hyper turned him into his own creation. Actually wears a silly superhero costume. SF8; HF8