Generational Villain mecha man. Ages are a bit screwed but I'll explain as I go.
Robbie meets Elliot during college (he was only being Mechaman part-time but wanted to finish college first because that's what Bobby wanted). Now maybe Robbie loved Elliot and maybe he wanted to use him but eventually he turned socially awkward but well meaning Elliot Connors to villainy. after his augments were deemed too 'unsafe, costly and awkward by FDA to use for civilian public use to help with powers control and mitigation of issues they cause. Regardless of how success the test trials were during college.
Elliot hacked the servers to find out why and learned they were worried about not being in control of the augments like they were with medical suppressants (can cause severe harm) and collar power suppressor. The fact they can be used to enhance or suppress is also worrying. This helped Robbie in the long term.
They make the Brave Brigade named as a slap in the face to the hero community. Mostly people with powers exploited by government (vitalia), dangerous powers or just bad people and start causing havoc.
They had Robert (test tube/surrogacy but both are his genetic parents) during this time. But not long later their relationship gets rocky and soured. Robbie does not want Shroud having a more active role outside of planning and administration. Elliot wants to help more. Elliot is mostly moved out by the time Roberts 8 but still helping Robbie maintain control as proof that he can, making the Astral pulse and caring for Robert (Elliot nicknames him Robin)
Robbie controls a large portion of California with the rest of the Brigade and Elliot helping. Heroes cannot catch the Normie villain.
Until Shroud shoots him dead one day. And calls SDN on himself.
Shroud offers SDN want they want in exchange of a spot on the new recent made phoenix program.
What they get: all of Shrouds knowledge of the villain community, his augments and help with tech and I.T and teaching his dispatching talent (he dispatched villains under Astrals control) to others. Finally the A ranked villain Mechaman out of the villain community.
What Shroud wants: a second chance with the program, full custody of his son and giving another villain (trackstar) whos been trying to find a way out for awhile now a second chance. Community service in that he could use his augments in emergency medical situations and research.
The higher ups agree but Elliot is not allowed custody over Robert for at least a year until he reaches certain benchmarks. Both as a way to maintain some control over him and concern for Roberts development.
Trackstar who babysits Robert regularly and always had a soft spot for the little gremlin and felt bad for him. Why because Robbie was training him to take over both his and Shrouds responsibilities. Robbie who regularly beat his son for weakness (crying when beaten, when Robbie killed the puppies Robert had been secretly caring for (then made Robert kill the runt) and simply not reaching his standards). Basically conditioning Robert to take over Robbies empire.
Robert still gets the ear scar the same way, the difference is it makes Robbie look weak and that's why the training started when he was 6 and Chase was 15.
This is when the twos relationships got worse and lead to Shroud moving out. They shared custody (Robbie was too busy to take care of Robert properly the only time they had together was training or conditioning, Elliot tended to forget Robert when he got too lost in his head in his projects and experiments but tried to make things right (in an awkward way: arcade, handmade gifts and occasionally just Elliots time and full attention) . Babysitter Chase to the rescue. Villain only because he needed money for his family cancer treatments and eventually he did not see a way out and got use to it. He actually likes babysitting little Robert who helps him with his math and science homework and is basically his little brother and the cash he earned from it. (taught him the wrong way to smoke and gave him the worst alcohol he could to make Robert avoid the stuff for longer)
Shroud kills Robbie after he showed up at the house to pick up Robert (13) for his time and walked in on Robbie beating their son for a bad grade. Well technically Robbie had beaten Elliot a few days before because Elliot snapped and tried to fight him for a real position on the Brigade. So he had the gun really to shot him and their son (maybe he wasn't really thinking at the time) and when he saw their son on the ground not moving with Robbies hands covered in his blood his control snapped.
Instead of one shot it was 5.
Elliot picked up his bloody son and carried him to the living room then called Chase and Vitilia. Once arrived he sent Vitilia to heal Robert once done he paid her using Robbies money and she left not having seen Robbie dead on the ground in the next room (not uncommon for the house to smell like blood). Then he told Trackstar his plan of joining the phoenix program asking if he still wanted an out. Trackstar is a bit surprised he knew but agreed and Elliot asked him to care for Robert for awhile.
Elliot then hid the Astral pulse to prevent Robert doing something stupid (the probability was over 70% too high).
Chase and Elliot entered the program.
Elliot was denied unsupervised access to Robert. Elliot understood why and asked to simply be allowed to help choose a foster family after Robert ran away from the third one (Robbie had Elliot place a tracker in their son in case someone tried to kidnap him when Robert was only about 5: isnt aware of the tracker until the second foster family). Elliot and the ones in charge choose a family in the country with minimal computer access and limited transport.
Chosen partially because Elliot saw they were experienced with troubled youths and had a high success rate with helping them turn their lives around. He quietly interviewed some of their previous fosters to see if there was any dark secrets and couldn't find any.
The couple was nervous taking in a kid from a villain family raised to inherit a criminal empire but did their best. Made expectations clear from chores, behaviour and how often he and his dad could be in contact. Elliot begged and bribed Robert into behaving as this was going to be his last chance before being sent to either juvenile detention or a heroes household to be monitored. Robert believed it was a test to see if he could manage to fit in a normie situation and obeyed.
They had Robert in intensive therapy including behavioural after he sliced his hand open while clearing up a glass he broke and didn't make a sound. While Elliot had given them some files on things he and his ex did to their son and what behaviour they conditioned and encouraged, they were shocked and disturbed by what the normie teen was like.
They would describe the young teen as numb, unemotional and sometimes feral but intelligent.
Robert slowly learned to act like a regular normie teen but barely had friends too nerdy for the 'jocks' and too 'jock' for smart kids. A straight up weirdo to everyone as they all knew what type of foster kids his foster parents usually took in.
Robert had broken multiple bones within a few weeks of those student that were bigger and stronger than him and most learned to fear him. The school had cameras and always caught the attacks as self defence by fools who thought they could harass the new kid who hadn't gone to proper school since he was nine removed by Astral when teachers started questioning the bruises.
A year later Elliot was allowed a supervised visitation and brought a runt dog with the foster families permission. The visit was cut short after only a few minutes by the programs demand he return to work after a major villain attack. Afterwards Robert remembering how often Robbie killed the pets Robert snuck in and some Robbie made him kill thought it was a test from his dad.
His foster parents tried to calm him from a panic attack from being unwilling to kill the pup before calling the program and asking to let Elliot talk to him. After a while of back and forth they agreed.
Elliot after learning what he had done explained he got a pet for Robert to care for and maybe relearn empathy. He did not expect Robert to hurt or kill the pup. He found it on a job and took it back because he remembered when Robert was little and wanted a pet. Elliot wanted to give him a friend because his therapist said it might be good for him.
Robert calmed down slowly hearing his pops talk. Robert cried into the pups (beef) fur for the first time in years.
After two years with the program after Elliot had managed to hit all the set milestones and obeyed his own therapist sessions was slowly allowed more custody until they were living together again.
Robert was a bit more settled although still in the middle of puberty so the two had issues. The foster parents and family therapist they had to attend helped mediate between the two. Learning the two were very similar in most things: sweet tooths, very smart, temperment and trouble communicating.
Robert has always known that Robbie was going to die and he would take over. He did not expect it to be from his pops hands but he also wasn't surprised in hindsight. He misses the nice moments he had with his dad (very few) but from what he could remember from his fuzzy childhood he honestly had more good memories about his pops.
[He isn't as angry because he was raised a villain and killing was normalised from a young age. He's more willing to kill people than animals though. He is learning though.]
Elliot makes dinner most nights going from 16 hour workdays to 9 hours so he could take care of Robert. He gifts Robert a laptop that SDNs tech department can monitor and tells him so and asks him not to hack anything outside of games. Robert shrugs and accepts the limit. Robert missed hacking, he was banned from the school computers and only allowed supervised computer use.
They had talks with therapists mediating over the last year and charge so they both know where they stand with each other. (Love each other in their broken way and learning how to say and show it).
Shroud knows Robert misses Chase even if he wouldn't admit it (Chase like Elliot was only allowed to contact Robert by letters so they could be monitored.)
)Chases powers are still aging him and they're are talks that they should remove him from active duty. Elliot is struggling to find a cure since it's a genetic issue and stem cell research is still in early stages and he's a super so it changes his DNA when compared to normies. )
Chase arrives for dinner and Robert is admittedly shocked that mid twenties Chase looks like he's reaching forty. He learns why quickly. Robert isn't sure what to do except mock his old man look. Chase fires back and the two reconnect in person as Elliot feels both jealous and relaxs at the sight of the two acting like they were never separated.
Roberts put back into school although he spends a lot of time alone to the concern of both SDN, and his father. Chase straight up asks him about it. Robert shrugs saying he knows people don't like him and doesn't really care enough to change besides he has Beef as a friend. Chase makes him try sports and Robert enjoys them enough that he begins to make friends with others including a Robotics club, track and field and mixed martial arts although he leans a bit more into boxing.
SDN approves of his new efforts and hobbies although it's more for Chase.
Robert actually slowly becomes popular especially with the female students but he's known to beat up anyone who bothers his friends and makes it worse for anyone he deems needs it.
Robert is college level (A.P? How does it work) in math's and science (Stem), a little behind in social studies, knows some Korean from his grandfather on Elliot's side who died when he was 8, English is fine that he's passing and likes P.E so highschool is fine enough. (not American do not know how school works there).
Robert not a genius like his parents(he thinks) but he is very intelligent and likes what he likes (computer genius although Robert doesn't think so as Elliot tries very hard to keep up with him)
Elliot is told after 3 months to bring his son to SDN, although unhappy and calculating the reasons why he can't risk making them take him from the program and him lossing Robert again.
The higher ups immediately tell them that Elliot has failed to fulfill his promises of making more Astral pulses. Elliot has been trying and failing as he's on prototype 1,983 and has been fully cooperative with everything else same as Chase.
(Robbie liked keeping secrets about his part of the research. The one they made was partially an accident they tried to reproduce multiple times before giving up to focus on other things)
Instead they demand 15 year old Robert take on mechaman part-time as a hero instead. Why? The suit is locked to Robertsons DNA and the pulse works better for Robertsons and Elliot. (Why? No idea I thought it would be cool).
Elloot tries to argue that he joined up to prevent his son dying in the suit but he's ignored (SDN has control over his augment in that they can turn it on and off as part of his parole) and Robert is told they will make Chase continue to work and age if he doesn't replace him and Connors will be put on death row.
(BSing as they are having issues with customer retention and want to show they have made the terrifying Mechaman a hero and have him under control.)
Robert agrees not wanting to lose his father and brother again. So Robert starts working a few hours on weekends as a heroic Mechaman. Chase is removed from active duty to dispatching (he's decent at it better than most but hates what it took to get them to remove him from field duty and regularly uses his money to buy Robert as many twinkles as he can and take him to stuff he couldn't before like the Zoo and beach)
A few heroes in the know apologise to Elliot that they have been trying to convince the higher ups that this is a bad idea and would make Elliot despise them but were ignored. Elliot focuses on making a new Astral pulse to have a better standing point to have Robert removed from working.
It takes a while for California to relax at the sight of a new Mechaman in blue and softer looking armour instead of the predecessors greys and black and sharp look with SDNs support. Shroud nicknames him 'Blue' on TV and it sticks. (Another nickname but from Chase because of how much Robert liked the colour blue as a child and still does)
California believes Shroud after killing Astral gave the suit to SDN to find a new pilot and put the war machine to better use.
Villain community isn't happy and are aiming to kill the new pilot to get the suit back or make sure it can't be used against them and keep failing as Robert has his father as his personal dispatcher and more support (SDN covers repairs and pays him minimal wage)(Eventually Elliot is removed from dispatching his son because it causes tension and strain in their relationship. As Elliot is terrifed of losing his son. Chase sometimes does it but it causes him a lot of stress as Robert quickly develops his all in attitude and Robert gets hurt a lot. Hes quickly focuses on organised crime and leave the suit for recon and gains a reputation-Robert is allowed a bit more free regime as hes a normie fighting supers and such out of the war machine). He goes through dispatchers like crazy until he's 16 when SDN decides he needs to do a few weeks as a dispatcher to teach him a lesson.
Robert outranks most dispatchers in two months with a 94% success rate and the same with his duties as Mechaman. Shroud is the only one who outranks him with a 97% success rate dispatching when he's on office duty. Shroud is very proud and hopes this will encourage SDN to have him working more dispatch than field work. Although no-one knows he's Mechaman or Shrouds and Astral kid making him an heir to what little remains of the criminal empire. Just know that the two can't be in the same room. Everyone tried to keep them separated not realising it was stress and concern at seeing each other risking their lives for each other. (Thinks Robert is a juvenile offender working off some low level crimes. Maybe? Or Robert had a bad interaction with Shroud back when he was a villain?)
Their family therapist is not happy with what SDN has done. They're trying to help the two and prevent them from failing back into old bad habits (old villain habits). Elliot is forced to take some down time to spend with Robert.
As tensions ease Elliot realises Robert actually likes helping people but is unhappy at being so restricted and refuses to admit it out of fear. When he brings this up with his therapist they encourage him to tell Robert he is proud of him but worried for his safety. So Elliot does.
Robert being a teenager thinks his father doesn't think he can do the job and leaves to stay with Chase who after a few days makes them attend an emergency session.
It takes a while but they manage to stabilise their relationship and Robert moves back in with his dad.
At 17 after he graduates high-school a few months early and is awaiting his acceptance to California Institute of Technology (Caltech). SDN agrees to allow it only because he's not allowed to leave the state without permission. Shroud is very proud and delighted Robert wants to both go to college and stay close (Robert was told he would not be allowed to leave the state without restrictions by SDN. Elliot knows this but they talked and agreed Robert could stay at student housing but had to come home on weekends and holidays. Only when possible and wouldnt cause unnecessary stress)
(They have a small party with a few Sdn heroes he and Elliot are close to, Chase is of course invited. The heroes are surprised that Elliot is Robert father but accept it, although a few ask about Robert other parents and they refuses to say. Considering Elliot is a mental power super and Robert is a normie they imagine his mother was a normie and either died, was murdered, left or something.[mental power supers are a more recessive gene than physical power supers]. Some think the Brigade did it, maybe even Astral himself so Shroud killed him and got himself, His son and his kids babysitter out of villainy. (wasn't that a surprise to learn the asshole dispatcher was the superseded thief Trackstar, who had never gotten caught)
However a SDN higher up who does not believe in the phoenix program makes things difficult for the three increasing their workloads to make them snap and making sure Robert has to drop out (plus if they loss him to college they could increase Shrouds workload but even he has his limits having the two makes it easier to get more work done). Chase and a few heroes they made allies with (at the party) make sure Elliot can't do something impulsive when Roberts acceptance gets revoked and the higher up admits he was making sure they knew their place.
Roberts disappointed, as a child Robbie and Elliot had encouraged certain crimes such as hacking, murder and such . So he technically had a criminal record but he was deemed to have been coerced by his parents and had been in therapy for years obeying every rule and order placed on him. And something he had actually wanted had been taken because of who his parents were.
Elliot feeling terrible contacts a few of his former teachers explaining a little of the situation and asking only for copies of the teaching material for his son. Some agreed some refused. But Elliots trying to help even if Robert couldn't have the full experience of college life. (Robbie had dragged him along to parties and gotten him drunk so many times, d**gs he did once and swore never again-bad reaction with his powers)
Heroes learn their best dispatcher (they tolerate Elliot for his results but dont really like him) lost his college spot and was rejected from others. Unsure of why and no-one is saying anything about it. Other than Chase who only curses about an @hole taking away Robert opportunity .
Robert gets a lot of twinkles that week.
A little later (nearly 18) a new hero Blonde Blazer (19) arrives on scene and has a few troubles with her publicity and then legal issues due to a bunch of Karen's leading her to join SDN with low confidence and be placed on Roberts team. She quickly regains her confidence as Robert knows what they have planned for her to become their poster girl and warns her, teaching her to lead. He's feeling a bit petty so helps with maintain her civilian life and they grow close. (She learns he's the new mechaman but nothing else for now)
Blazer is still struck in a contract but she isn't forced to me Blazer all the time.
A few know what Robert did but when questioned he fires back that they wanted her to regain confidence and he did that.
Blazer is still considered a golden girl but Robert helps her maintain a life as Mandy. Leading to her developing a crush which Robert returns but won't act on as his therapist says he shouldn't until he ready to tell her everything about himself.
Eventually while hanging out at his place playing video games. Elliot returns from work.
Robert remains calm making it clear he's mean to be there and calling him dad. Robert only looks up when his dad doesn't respond.
He was expecting a greeting and they both agreed to tell Mandy, not like this but maybe his dad's tired and forgot (not uncommon
Robert looks at him and Mandy looks between them confused.
Elliot is paler than usual, eyes bloodshot but unfocused.
"Fuck!" Robert says immediately rushing to his side and lowering the older man just as he begins to have a seizure. Robert tells Mandy to clear the area around him and takes his phone out to time it. Getting worried as the time reaches over 30 seconds.
He tells Mandy to call the director now. Once on the phone Robert tells him Elliot is seizing and its nearing two minutes.
They say okay and hang up. Mandy takes the phone beginning to call 911. Robert takes the phone back. They wrestle for it as the augment blinks on with red light.
Elliot groans, Robert tosses the phone away. Bending to help his father up and onto the chair asking Mandy to get some cold water and a straw from the kitchen. As she does Robert leaves to the bedroom belonging to his father Mandy had been told.
She tried to hand the water to the ex-villain but he just waved towards the little stained covered coffee table. She obeyed the silent request before steeping out of Roberts way.
She watched as he began to talk asking questions about how he felt and what were the chances of a bank robbery tomorrow.
Mostly the enhancement super grunted or used thumbs up or down.
"Mandy, he's okay but it'll be a long night you have second shift tomorrow if you want to go" Robert offered, looking resigned.
Mandy tells him she'll stay. A part of her is worried, a part annoyed that he never told her about his father but now wasn't a good time to ask.
Robert tells her if she gets tired she can use his bed, the room locks from inside and he has a change of clean bedsheets at the foot of the bed.
Otherwise he talks slowly and in near whispers with his father until Elliot responds then he takes the water and the medication Robert gives him.
Elliot looks at Mandy greets her, apologies for what happened and to Robert that he didn't remember he was having a friend over. His tone reminds her of Roberts disinterested in what happening and only following a script.
She asks if he's alright. The father nods as Robert shakes his head. Elliot looks at him, Robert looks back.
Robert admits that its related to Elliot's powers side effects- seizures, migraines and some others. Augments do not only enhance powers but also alleviate side effects. Since SDN controls the augment they control if its on/off or enhances/suppresses, not them so its not easy to maintain the limits of his brain.
Mandy feels bad about this not knowing about this.
Elliot tells her its fine this is what he signed up for when he joined the Phoenix program. He tried to move to his room on shaky feet. Robert pushes him down telling him they were sleeping in the living room.
Mandy knows this is a two bedroom apartment: it has a bathroom, a living room/kitchen room and nothing else.
She guess Elliot/Shroud doesn't have access to the funds he once did as a B/C Tier villain.
She glances at Robert, a normie who is the hero Mechaman and wonders what that happened. Why Robert became Mechaman when Shroud was his father not Astral.
It was late so she decided to stay taking Roberts offer, he leaves to change the bedsheets and she is left with Connors.
"You can be annoyed he didn't tell you. But he and I have only agreed to tell you recently. Now wasn't the time but it happened. I believe you wont take it badly but as our therapists says I cannot predict everything."
She knows about his powers, he's close to omniscient sometimes, everyone knows luck is something he hates. She does believe this was an accident but he's probably calculated that she might get mad at Robert for not telling her about his father and is trying to beg he not to be in his own way.
She knows Robert, knows he doesn't talk about his family much. She's heard around the office that he has one parent death and the other is complicated.
She needs some time to think.
Robert has good timing as he walks out of room with two pillows and blankets handing one of each to Elliot and saying the room is ready when she is.
Connors seems to sleep the moment his head touches the pillow only the red light form his augments shows he's still alive.
Mandy thanks Robert before leaving, locking the door. She's been in here briefly a few times and she thinks its kind of empty a few posters and few schematics and some books and mechanical parts on the desk. It just seems empty to her.
She trusts Robert and respects the work Shroud has put into rehabilitation but she still locks the door. Just for peace of mind.
The bed smells of Roberts 3 in 1 and preferred deodorant. Its comforting after everything.
She just wants some time to think. Robert is her friend regardless of everything else.
She trusts him. Mandy wants to know what happened with Astral and the Connors.
Getting long so more parts soonish!
