Bixir
Cape Connoisseur
Name
Dr. Atomic Robo Tesla
Universe of Origin
Atomic Robo
Gender
N/A (Male Pronouns)
Species
Robot
In 1923, the famed Nikola Tesla finished what would become the crowning achievement of his lifetime, second only to alternating current: a functional, fully sentient robot, powered by a one-of-a-kind nuclear reactor. This robot would be unlike any other in existence, not only for its nuclear reactor, but for its "automated intelligence", the closest thing to a soul and humanity that a robot could have. This robot, that came to be known by the media as "Atomic Robo", was a sentient, independent entity, capable of living his own life for himself. Atomic Robo quickly became a household name overnight among inventors and scientists everywhere, to his bubbly ignorance. His early years were spent as a wide-eyed assistant, albeit isolated from the vibrant life of New York City. Much to Robo's chagrin, Tesla confined him to his office building, wary of the mischief he would get up to if he were allowed to wander.
In 1926, though, adventure came knocking at his door, in the form of two very curious men claiming to know his "father". In 1903, his creator and numerous scientists from across the world had come together to stop a hostile excursion from an entity that existed outside reality, which resulted in what had become publicly known as the Tunguska Event. These two men - Charles Fort and Howard Phillips Lovecraft - relented that it had only set the creature at bay, and that it would inevitably return. After this timely explanation, the “creature” in question manifested at that moment through Lovecraft’s head. It grew to tremendous proportions once it fled to the streets, and threatened to devour reality itself as it had twenty-three years ago. After a heated car chase with Fort, Robo ended the threat after he launched himself into the creature, with a lightning gun primed to its most catastrophic setting. The details of how one stops a creature not defined by time, space, or conventional reality is something best left to the imagination.
As one might expect, the American military was desperate to get Robo to help them when they joined World War II, even if they couldn’t get their hands on any of the insight of his creator. Robo was incredibly reluctant to directly insert himself into a global crisis like this, but he agreed with Tesla that it would be irresponsible not to do his part, even if it meant doing things he wasn’t comfortable with. This took him across the globe, going as far as the Chinese-Manchurian border and as near as the western front, each time triumphing against would-be world conquerors masquerading as mad scientists, pale imitators of the mind that had given birth to him.
Robo went on to form Tesladyne, a part company, part “Action Science” agency that used the legacy of Robo’s creator to solve crises around the world and help make it a better place. His adventures are as varied as they are more or less unbelievable to the average listener. Not the least of his concerns, though, was that persistent creature from beyond reality. Not once, not twice, but four times did it re-emerge with the intent to swallow his reality as it had back in the 20s. On one of these occasions Robo had the fortune of having Carl Sagan on hand to assist him with putting the menace to rest in the 70s, only for it to come back for one more time in 2009. On each time that Robo had encountered the monster, though, an “instance” of himself had slipped through the cracks of space-time, which allowed him to meet other versions of himself throughout time that had encountered the creature in similar circumstances without causing a paradox. Together, the four Robos from each encounter with the creature were able to invent a new field of science in this removed dimension which Robo later described as “higher mathematics” that would allow them to come up with a solution to the impossible problem of defeating something that didn’t play by any rules that he had been using up to this point. The important takeaway from this is that Robo fought Cthulhu and lived to talk about it.
Some of Robo’s adventures didn’t involve saving his reality from existential peril. Some of them involved unleashing the jurassic spawn of Satan itself. The case of Dr. Dinosaur, or whatever the hell his name really was, was the latter. It had started as a harmless survey of Taravai Island, a remote island in the South Pacific that was suspected to be conducting black market genetic experiments for any number of paraterrorist cells. He found that kind of creature there, but it was convinced of its purpose in something far more ludicrous. Not only was it a time traveler (impossible), its world was destroyed by “mammalian energies” (not real), and powered all of its technology through “crystals” (actually goddamn stupid). And yet, in spite of these things, this obvious science experiment gone horribly wrong got the better of Robo on several occasions as they matched wits across the island, until he was finally able to corner the bastard… at which point he got away by using a crystal-based teleporter. Ugh.
So far, Battleworld hasn’t been that different from the usual routine. Tesladyne remains based inNew York CityNew Tokyo, albeit in a modified Titan missile base located on a bordering island. That, and they are on again off again affiliated with the Future Foundation and often do joint operations, though Robo isn’t usually involved with them. He’s far more interested in doing his own thing, pursuing Action Science and daring-do adventure wherever it can be found in this sprawling mega-city, leaving the formal stuff to the rest of the Action Scientists. The more things change...
Atomic Robo Tesla began his life as something of a wide-eyed huckster youth who had his eyes buried in pulps while his brain soared in the clouds. Frankly, not too much has changed. He still has a love for adventure, and never shies away from excitement, even at the risk of mortal peril (aside from the fact that “mortal” doesn’t exactly apply to someone like him). This is especially evident in his obsession over old-timey pulp heroes that hasn’t declined in the slightest since he first fell in love with them in his early years. As much as Robo has matured over the century-plus that he has been “alive”, he makes sure never to stop having that same youthful optimism and curiosity. This is compounded by Robo’s deep fascination with science, owed entirely to the brilliant man that created him, a fixation that has persisted long after his passing. Science is Robo’s greatest passion, the atomic-powered robot never holding back from his fascination with just about every field of science known to man and some known to dolphin.
In spite of being older than most humans have lived, Robo is a chipper, enthusiastic robot, unafraid to crack wise at even the most inopportune times. His sense of dry wit and pointed quips will prove familiar to anyone who knows a certain webhead in the center, wielding it as a coping mechanism as often as a blunt instrument to taunt his foes with. Beyond the roguish charm and pulpy heroism lies a soul determined to fight against injustice and corruption. Robo takes his job as a self-made Action Scientist very seriously, and doesn’t hesitate to step up and challenge authority when it rears its head unjustly. He has big problems with government overstepping its bounds, and even bigger ones with corporations that think that they can throw their weight around without paying the consequences. He is a staunch defender of the freedom of information, and understands the importance of sharing ones inventions with the world to help make it a better place. Anyone who thinks otherwise is going to have a problem with him.
Nuclear-Powered
Aside from being a robot, Atomic Robo, as his name suggests, is a nuclear-powered robot. Built with a highly experimental nuclear reactor as his core, he has all the benefits of being powered by nuclear energy, with virtually no radiation emanating from within him. This also gives him perfect longevity, as the reactor - provided it remains undamaged - is capable of sustaining itself theoretically forever.
Genius
Robo is a qualified genius in numerous fields, most of which are based in mathematics, electricity and electrical engineering, computer science, and physics (applied, theoretical, quantum, and so on), many of which he later went on to acquire official doctorates in. He is among the smartest individuals on Battleworld, and especially one of the most technologically proficient. While Robo’s expertise is in robotics and robotics engineering, he is particularly knowledgeable on applied physics, especially the field he describes as “higher mathematics”: in order to more effectively track and combat a creature that existed outside of space, time, and all other fundamental forces understood to man. This discovery, conducted by four instances of Robo during a non-linear incidental foray into the “Exoverse”, the native dimension of this creature, is considered to be the most important cartographical discovery since longitude. Needless to say, Robo is also an expert on battling eldritch and otherwise paradimensional menaces.
Superhuman Physique
The simplest of Robo’s capabilities as a nuclear-powered super-robot is his incredible strength. While certainly not on the level of the more higher-powered entities such as Superman or Thor, Robo can apply incredible forces of weight on the same level as Iron Man (if not more). In addition to being incredibly strong, Robo can take punishment from most things one would expect to run into in a city like this, going as far as Iron Man and other high-end power tiers in Valpan.
Quick Reflexes
Despite being a walking metal man, Robo’s systems allow for a keen awareness of his surroundings, along with the ability to react to something in split-second moments. He is surprisingly dexterous, and has little issue when it comes to being acrobatic.
Expert Marksman
Robo is a highly skilled marksman with a variety of weapons, ranging from the various military-grade weapons he used in World War II to the more sophisticated weaponry he has become familiar with through his work at Tesladyne. He is able to become proficient with pretty much any type of gun in record time, a proficiency that is not limited to human designs.
Electricity Gun
Nikola Tesla’s signature alternating current made manifest, and Robo’s personal weapon of choice. This custom rifle channels electricity and unleashes it as destructive energy in either concentrated bursts of fire or a continuous stream. These guns run off of self-sustaining batteries that charge over time, or, in Robo’s case, can be recharged through a direct input of energy.
Transdimensional Gun
An exceptional weapon that allows Robo (and anyone trained to use this thing) to combat monsters from other dimensions, or, as the case originally was, outside of such concepts entirely. Given how experimental and situational its use was, however, Robo has made a note of keeping it in the Tesladyne vault unless it’s absolutely necessary to pull it out; that being every other week, if the gods are kind.
Regular Gun
Guns of the usual variety. Robo tends to go out into the field with basic firearms, usually only a pistol, and maybe an assault rifle if he thinks things are going to get especially hairy. Explicitly for monster-killing purposes only.
Nuclear Reactor
Unsurprisingly, an atomic-powered robot comes with some dangerous quirks. Not only would Robo become lifeless if his reactor was removed, but it could be used as one of the most powerful nuclear weapons, period, by any number of people smart (and mad) enough to use it as that sort of thing, or any other number of uses for the most invaluable technological asset of the twentieth century.
Bugs
Robot
Being a robot is nice and all, but it does prevent Robo from some of the finer things in life that most fleshy people can take for granted. Being intimate with another person, the joy of eating and drinking, being considered someone with an identity that they can respect, and, worst of all, magnets. Really powerful magnets.
Dinosaurs
- Atomic Robo is approximately the same height as Wolverine, and weighs somewhere around 500 pounds.
- Atomic Robo is voiced by Josh Keaton in this RP.
