Prism

From Axalon RPG

PRISM

Aliases: None

Faction: Predacons

Sub-Group: Unicron's Mercs

Function: Frontal Combat

Type: Transmetal 2

Beast Mode: Firefly

Third Mode: Flight assault

Gender: Male

Size: Large

Theme Song: "Meaning of Life" by Disturbed

Quote: "There's just one reason you aren't dead right now. It's because you get to live with the knowledge that I could have killed you, but I didn't need to."

Beast Mode: A firefly. In Beast Mode, Prism is shaded in dark orange and shiny black, same as his Robot Mode. His head retains the optic bar, but antennae sprout out and his mouth visor slides down and transforms into a firefly's mandibles and tongue. He has two large elliptical wings that fold out, and have complicated patterns of orange lines on them. His torso folds into a cylindrical thorax and sprouts three pairs of arms/feelers as his normal arms fold into the thorax. The glassy abdomen slides off his back and connects together into a hexagonal prism shape composed of extremely thick glass. Within the abdomen is a powerful lamp mechanism that gives off light, from a faint glow to a blinding searchlight. He usually only uses this during the night, but during the day the prism abdomen can refract sunlight into beautiful colors. Prism brags about how beautiful this is to no end. While in Beast Mode, Prism can fly in a darting, flitting kind of way.

Robot Mode: Prism is a muscular Bot whose body gives off the impression that he can and will kick your skid. This is pretty much the truth. He has broad shoulders, bulging biceps, well-developed legs and a large torso. His shoulders and general chest area, plus his gauntlets and boots, are a dark orange, and the rest is a lustrous black. He has gauntlets on his wrists, which are connected to powerful hands with a strong grip. His feet are large, with the front divided into two large gripping toes. His wings are folded up on his back. When not folded out for his Beast Mode, his glassy abdomen bisects and slides up over his back, so if one were to look under the folded wings they would see a glassy shield over his back. Prism's head is compressed into a semi-cubical shape that abruptly ends flatly where his neck begins. He has a moving mouth with a protective visor that can be slid over it, and instead of the standard dual optics, a single bar (kinda like Cyclops from X-Men) that starts at each temple and wraps around Prism's head. The bar is a glowing green and if one looks closely they can see small lines of code scrolling vertically within. The codes are too much to fully decipher, but decoding bits and pieces has revealed it to be self-diagnostics, thought patterns and the like. Prism doesn't walk so much as he struts, and his face is constantly affixed with an arrogant grin.

Third Mode: Prism's Beast Mode is primarily for quickly getting from point A to point B, rapid escapes, and damage regeneration. On the occasions when he needs to fight while in flight, his firefly form undergoes a secondary transformation- his wings separate into two sharp halves that allow him to carry his greater Third Mode weight without too much reduced maneuverability, and two of his feelers are replaced by rapid-fire laser turrets- these fire searing long-distance lasers at any point in an 180 field below him and in front of him. His thorax opens a hatch to release small missiles- these missiles aren't extremely damaging, but he has quite a few of them and they can be made to either free fall or be fired as projectiles.

Statistics:

Strength: 9

Stamina: 10

Speed: 5

Skill: 10

Aim: 7

Firepower: 6

Intelligence: 8

Discipline: 4

Luck: 3

Skills:

Non-Combat-

Flight: Winged

Endurance

Tactics

Technical: Basic

Athletics

Combat- Firearms

Melee Weapons: Axes

Autofire Weapons

Hand-to-Hand Combat

Heavy Weapons

Traits: Firefly Searchlight (Beast Mode only) - He is capable of illuminating objects to varying degrees with his firefly abdomen. It is possible for him to fold it out in Robot Mode, but if you'd ever tried to walk around with a four-foot prism sticking out of your avatar, you'd not want to do it again anytime soon either. The light runs off of Prism's own internal energy, and when he uses it he is draining twice the energy he is without it. It recharges automatically during stasis lock.

Visor - Prism’s optic visor comes with a few built-in functions to make life and living that much easier- he can mentally adjust it to compensate for low lighting or intense lighting, dimming or intensifying light intake. The visor also comes with a night vision mode, as well as a zoom lens that can magnify objects up to 500 feet away.

Winged Flight - Prism can fold out his wings in Robot Mode as well as Beast Mode. They can propel him quickly through the air, and while flying can be seen to be humming rapidly to keep him aloft. They allow him to dive and swoop with ease, and the wings give him more strength for lifting large objects.

Armament: Steel Axe- Tiring of utilizing a whip for melee combat, Prism spent some time training with bladed weapons and found this to his liking. Roughly three feet long in the handle and with a 1 1/2 foot by 1 1/2 foot steel blade, this axe is a brutal but strong weapon that can cleave weaker objects in half and leave enemies going home with one or two less limbs than they left with. The handle is made of steel with a curved ridge pattern ideal for gripping it. The blade is sharpened to a razor edge and is seamed in select places for a reason detailed later in this description. Prism wields the axe in two hands, one near the bottom of the blade and one at the top, and is more than strong enough to wield it efficiently- he can pull the axe out of an object it may be stuck in with little to no pause, and can effectively face down swordsmen and knife-fighters without giving up too much speed to them. When not in use, the axe is placed over his back and the blade folds up with the press of a button, so as not to hamper Prism.

MAG 80 Automatic Pistol - This is a half-foot long, easily concealed blaster that fires bullets capable of piercing weak armor. Instead of a standard single shot, the MAG 80 fires tri-bursts of bullets, with little recoil and relative silence. The magazine holds up to 50 rounds, and the pistol has a range of up to 50 yards. It has a fire rate of 6 rounds- 2 tri-bursts- a second. It is held in a holster on Prism’s right hip.

Pulse Rifle - Despite Prism's dislike of using weapons exclusively, he's not stupid- the Pulse Rifle is uberpowerful and his quick route out of a bad situation. This rifle is about three feet long and shaded a dull black, and has an open stock, a trigger/magazine combination and a telescopic lens on the top. The barrel extends four inches out from the gun and is cylindrical with a screen steel cap. The lens can see up to 150 feet away and have a crosshair embossed on them. The rifle fires a barrage of armor-piercing bullets that impact and barrage on a Bot's armor, playing hell with weak to mid-strength armors. After being fired upon, a victim's armor can take upon a pockmarked, scraped look. To an outside observer, the rifle vibrates noticeably but not distractingly while it fires- the pulse. The range is only as far as the lens. The pulse rifle uses a magazine of 80 bullets, and Prism keeps extra supplies of these in his belt. When not in use, the pulse rifle is kept on his back.

Flashbangs - These are small, cylindrical tubes, only about six inches long and gray, that are stored in compartments on Prism's belt. Upon being thrown, they detonate with a blinding flash that will temporarily daze an enemy. The stun period differs depending on the enemy's proximity to the flashbang and whether he has some protection, like averting his eyes or whatever. Prism's optic visor has internal light receptors capable of instantly altering light to standard levels, so he can look directly at a flashbang's explosion with no adverse effects. If when thrown they impact with the enemy, they have a searing, burning effect that will char and singe weak armors. Prism keeps them in pouches on his belt.

TM2 Power: Kinetic Storage/Expulsion- Since his upgrade to TM2, Prism's body has been modified with a network of storage batteries all along his frame. The function of these is to absorb wide-spread kinetic energy, than to expel it however Prism sees fit. They don't appear on his external armor, but a look at Prism's inner circuitry would reveal hundreds of little glowing batteries strung along his frame- the legs, the arms, the hands and feet, the head, the chest, the back, the wings, etc. What they do is absorb any wide-spread blanket source of kinetic energy, like an explosion or a fire or a barrage of lasers, and store the energy within the batteries. As Prism absorbs more energy, he begins to glow brighter and brighter, and when he has absorbed the maximum amount of energy, he enters a kind of Super-Prism mode where he can release energy blasts from various parts of his body at will until his stored kinetic energy is depleted. Depending what or how much he does, the process can take from an hour to seconds. Various energy expulsion methods include power blasts from his hands, a rocket boost from his feet, optic lasers, a crackling energy shield, or the most expending of all, an explosive nova blast that will drain all his energy (requiring the complete maximum to begin with) and leave him momentarily unconscious while his systems reconfigure to make up for the massive expenditure. This kinetic energy absorbency does not work on bullets or blades or cold or anything non heat-based.

Personality: The Magnificence, the Quintessential Savior, Primus' Gift to Femmebots, the Most Enervating Bot in Cybertron Today- Prism. Prism has a tendency to refer to himself in third person, and utilizes a recorder on his bodice to record every word he says and every action he makes so he can review his performance later on, possibly to show others, just for the sake of basking in his own glory. Prism gets a kick out of big entrances and stunning comebacks. Ever since his upgrade to TM2, he's experienced a resurgence of self-confidence (even more so), self-esteem (again, even more so), and rebelliousness (even more so once again).

Prism loves to date women, and has in the past enjoyed several girlfriends from both factions of Cybertron, but they all left him due to his incessant self-praise and less than PC treatment of them. That less than PC treatment used to be the case- after his extended relationship with Lightspeed, and having seen her in action, Prism was forced to abandon most of his sexist issues, and in fact isn't even aware he has. He no longer views women as inferior just because they're women- I'm happy to report that he now views women as inferior because they aren't him, the same inferiority he labels men that aren't him with. Prism: An equal opportunity egotist. Prism's ego is prodigious and requires daily stroking (dammit, stop giggling), so basically the worst thing you can do to Prism is embarrass him. Which is a bad, bad idea. Shoot at Prism, he'll beat you up and consider it finished. Insult Prism, he'll insult you right back and consider it finished. But you hurt his ego, and he'll make you his new worst enemy. Being number one on Prism's hit list is a bad place to be- he doesn't kill often, but he'll do it if he feels he has to, and he has no compunctions with beating an offender until they're spare parts lying on the ground. There's one notable exception to this rule- Sphinx.

Prism's rival, Sphinx, fuels his ego and gives him a constant target to let loose his frustrations and newly concieved insults. He dislikes her because she refuses to accept him as the better soldier and better Bot, and finds her acute masochism/sadism disgusting. She hates him because he was a sexist pig and is now just a jerk, and worse, he simply doesn't understand her- not that this bothers him. Although their rivalry was initially in word only, he believes it was she who made the rivalry physical and holds her to that. She often ignores his verbal barbs, but that won’t stop Prism; he’ll keep up the assault when he’s in the mood to. Prism relishes the rare occasions when his rival rises to the bait. When that happens, they go all-out, stopping just short of physical harm to one another- apparently there is some manner of unspoken agreement that the first one to strike the blow may be considered the “loser”. Prism fervently wishes for this rule to be lifted someday so they can simply have it out. What's odd, though, is a strange grudging respect that began to slowly bloom between them when they found themselves on the same team a few years ago. They've held non-insulting conversations before, they even drank together on one occasion. Prism will vehemently deny this and claim Sphinx is still a thorn in his side, and she would probably do the same, but one must wonder...

On the other end of the spectrum, but possibly even more annoying, is Prism’s longtime girlfriend Lightspeed, a Predacon firefly with a taste for domineering and baby talk. Prism does not date Lightspeed so much as he is haunted by her. She dislikes him for the most part, but stays with him for sexual gratification and occasional real-life love of him. Ditto for Prism. He insists that he despises Lightspeed, and this is true 98% of the time, but in fact he would just as easily rip her arms off as he would snuggle her to sleep. Their relationship is rather complex. Prism and Lightspeed argue constantly, but can be seen to be on the same page while on the battlefield together. Also, they are known to experience violent mood swings when dealing with each other- mutual indifference, crazed shouting matches, unchecked promiscuity, tender administrations- they can kiss or they can brawl, Prism and Lightspeed can do it all. On a side note, Lightspeed never ever calls Prism by his name- it’s always “Prizzy”, “Prizzykins”, “Prizzypoo”, or other variations thereof. This annoys Prism to no end, especially since he can’t think of any equally humiliating modifications to the name Lightspeed. He's occasionally given to romantic rendezvouses away from Lightspeed's optics, usually with the flirtacious medic Vamp, but not only do these excursions usually wind up being found out by Lightspeed, Prism never carries them through to their adulterous conclusion. Guilt from the guiltless? Odd. Love between a bitch and a braggart? Odder. It helps that Lightspeed is fabulous in bed, tho.

There is one other thing that will enrage him beyond belief, though...you guessed it. His face, his body, his general Look, must never be hurt lest he fall into a destructive frenzy. The slightest nick or scar to his magnificent body and face will cause him to erupt with rage, and wildly attack the perpetrator or any other foe nearby. Due to his low luck, this can be a tad frequent. Once bloody revenge has been exacted, Prism will seek out the nearest mirror and proceed to try to repair his face, muttering angrily to himself. "How dare that fiend damage my perfect cheekbones, this will take hours to realign, I oughta descrate his grave and slap his mother, that damn fool..." I need not say what he does after repairs are complete- Prism's flexibility in the face of disparagement is well-documented. When on a mission tho, he can be very reliable and competent. Well, competent isn't the right word for it, according to him and some of his superiors. More like exemplary. Prism is a fine, fine soldier and a hardcore fighter. He has troubles obeying authority, however- in fact, he has a natural tendency to challenge anyone who tries to order him around. Yes, especially Lightspeed. Over time, Prism has osmotically absorbed an instinctive understanding of tactics and operations, that may come in handy should he ever find himself with a family of military children to bring on operations. Like that'll ever happen, right?

History: Prism's early life is unknown, nor has he released any information about it. It is known he was born into a military family of just himself and his parents, both of which are currently dead. Prism seems to be deeply touchy about his father, but won't explain why. It is known that following his father's death, and his mother's subsequent mental breakdown, Prism entered the military to gain himself wealth and fame as a Predacon hero. He was the standout of his unit, being stronger, faster, tougher, smarter, and just plain more prismatic than the other soldiers. He rose in the ranks quickly, but decided he was just too good for the rigid protocol and deference to authority that the militia demanded. Prism took an office job for a few months, using it as a springboard to embezzle enough money to buy a small ship to get off the planet, using a false name and new credit line to complete the transaction. He piloted the ship, and rather haphazardly at that, out of the system and off into vaguely charted space. It was readily apparent that he was way out of his league, but ego prevented him from entering despair. Prism was determined to get out of this. But after a while, the fuel ran out and the vessel started drifting. Not good. In a fit of pique, Prism sent out a random subspace signal (an act of weakness he would lament for days afterward) and hoped. Fortunately for him, the signal was picked up by a gang of Predacon thugs, of which Sphinx was a member, who happened to be in the sector. The gang agreed to take Prism in, in return for an oath of loyalty. Prism didn't mind- he figured by joining he was doing them a favor.

The initiation rites were brutal, actually worse than Predacon military basic training- which is pretty bad.. Most normal Bots would have succumbed after the first week- but Prism isn't really normal, for one, and he was determined to finish it through, for Sphinx. He had seen Sphinx passingly while on the ship, and while he'd had yet to even talk to her, developed a definite crush on her and decided to become a crew member just to show her what an all-around stud he was. The ceremonies and rites lasted a month, not for any tradition but just for the hell of it, and by the end Prism was an even more hardened Bot and his ego triplicated for it. Immediately following his induction into the gang, Prism tracked down Sphinx and struck up a conversation with her. At first she was cordial enough, if a little impersonal, and Prism simply figured she was the silent come-and-get-me type. Big mistake. His ego was screaming at him to make his move and he did. Sphinx took it in stride and, smiling sexily, invited him to her quarters that night. Prism smoothly agreed, and showed up that same night. His screams of pain remained in the dreams of the crew for weeks afterward.

Sphinx had let loose her special brand of punishment on him, and as soon as he got out of the CR lab, Prism found himself the gang's laughing-stock. He was embarrassed. He was humiliated. He was infuriated. He found Sphinx and drew his pulse rifle, intending to kill her, but the other gang members stopped him and warned him of one of their base provisos- no violence against fellow gang members. Prism reluctantly shouldered his rifle, but he remembered the infraction- and would always remember it. He and Sphinx degenerated into full-blown arch-enemies, and would do everything from simply contradict each other to attempts to undermine each other in the gang leader's eyes, everything but actual violence. That was the golden rule. Do what you will- but no violence. Just as well on Sphinx's part- her code of honor barred her from such- but only the threat of future repercussions and his own rampant sexism prevented Prism from trying to or actually killing her.

Then, the ship crashed on the deserted world that would inspire Sphinx's love of death forever afterward. The abandoned buildings, the lifeless corpses, the empty air- Prism found it alternately depressing and invigorating himself. Only he, Sphinx, and a few select gang members had survived the crash, and it was very possible for Prism to up and finally kill Sphinx, but he didn't. One wonders whether some of Sphinx's code had rubbed off on him, or if he had learned to respect her, or if he simply didn't think of it- Prism just didn't try anything. After about a year on the morbid planet, Sphinx, Prism, and some others were checking out an empty building when some supports gave way and the building began to collapse. The gang made it out all right- but Prism was nowhere to be seen. Knowing her dislike of the guy, Sphinx was questioned over his disappearance. She had nothing to do with it. The loss was chalked up to pure accident, and the gang went on with their lives.

Even as Sphinx was holed up in a Maximal prison with a new sort of company, Prism was still very much alive and had somehow escaped the death planet, to be later located on a Cybertronian colony world. He was badly injured, and raving about insects and organics, when a young Secret Police officer on off-world assignment found him. Her name was Lightspeed, and she was a firefly like Prism. The two automatically took a liking to each other once Prism regained normalcy, and started dating. Too bad for Prism; he soon came to know the full scope of Lightspeed’s personality. He dumped her unsuccessfully on several occasions, always finding himself coming back by virtue of open sexual need or hidden loneliness. Lightspeed pretty much hated Prism as a person, but stayed with him for physical gratification and a tiny bit of actual affection. Prism just tried to get through life without killing her or himself. But he eventually grew weary of Lightspeed’s mind games, and hatched the penultimate plan to free himself forever. Details of this grand opus of breaking up are largely unknown, but it is theorized that Prism hired an arsonist to set fire to Lightspeed’s favorite restaurant, and hired a mechanic to construct an exact replica of a dead and charred Prism. You can figure out the rest, I think. Prism hopped a ride and made his way to Cybertron, where he quickly gained word that Sphinx was serving on a Predacon rebel team led by the ancient Unicron, against the evil Tigress and her legions of Predacon Loyalists. Prism joined up quickly and resumed his standing rivalry with Sphinx. All would have been well, but in an interesting incident, Lightspeed returned to reclaim her man during a diplomatic dinner with a team of Maximals- just as Prism was about to score with one of the Maximal femmes, to boot.

Prism and Lightspeed, Loving Couple of the Year as usual, spent their time bickering and fighting in between missions, but over time, a sense of cooperation set in. Predacon Loyalists and terrorists and bad guys in general on all sides trying to kill you tend to give one a new perspective on life with their significant other. Prism was subconsciously dragged kicking and screaming from his younger sexist, self-dependent self- fully unaware of it- and made to accept the fact that A, certain women could in fact get the job done, and B, he would never have any chance in Hell of escaping from Lightspeed, not for lack of trying, so he would have to accept it. Even worse, he was cordial on rare occasions with Sphinx! Prism began to fear he was going soft, losing his drive, especially after Tigress was defeated and Unicron apparently killed and he was left with no official calling. He and Lightspeed started a bounty hunter service of sorts, accepting money for jobs, and Prism lapsed into a shell of his former self. Sure, he appeared the same, but he didn't feel the same. He grew irritable, irreverent, deferential. Then, he was summoned along with Lightspeed to serve under Backlash for a new mission to Earth. Ho-hum, he thought, but went anyways...and there, a strange incident took place to grant him Transmetal 2 status and new powers, and a new mindset to go with them. More abrasive and rebellious than before, Prism is back.