Re: Australia Squadron (Team)
Sulfur
Alex Ledue
http://www.uber-world.com/sulfur.htm
Background
Alex Ledue couldn’t wait to get out of a backwards town like Langdon Fork, Louisiana, so he lied about his age, and joined the army. Alex was always a troublemaker, looking out for number one, and he didn’t change when he left his hometown. In the army he was constantly in trouble; not that it bothered him. Eventually the army and Alex had a falling out. It was over some stolen weapons that Alex had sold to some warlord in Africa. However, before the army was able to arrest him, Alex got on a cargo ship and headed to Africa. Alex’s days in the army were over. He never looked back.
In Africa, Alex became a soldier of fortune, working for any two bit tyrants or dictators in their endless struggle for domination of the Dark Continent. Years of constant fighting worked themselves on Alex. When he thought he’d be rolling in the riches, he found himself working for despots who cheated him or occasionally try to kill him. One of the last jobs that Alex did was for the Witch Doctor. Alex along with many other mercenaries, some of them superpowered, helped the Witch Doctor carve Azambia out of the African landscape. Things should’ve calmed down, but once again, Alex wasn’t satisfied with his share of the loot.
One day while running an errand for the Witch Doctor, Alex came across some papers in the Witch Doctors office. Always looking out for number one, Alex ran them through a nearby photocopier and took them back to his quarters. Alex was amazed with what he had found. It looked like a secret report from World War II, that indicated hidden Nazi caches around the world. Alex just knew that meant gold. Alex loved gold. He also knew that it would only be a matter of time before Witch Doctor set about gathering these lost Nazi gold caches. Surely Witch Doctor wouldn’t miss just one. Leafing through the papers, Alex came across one that mentioned a cache in the Southern Alps in New Zealand. Surely that was far enough away from Azambia, that Alex would be safe from the Witch Doctor? Raiding the Azambian treasury for travel funds, Alex was again on his way. He never looked back. His fortune awaited in far off New Zealand.
The Southern Alps were a lot colder than any place Alex had been in Africa, so it took quite a while for Alex to find the exact place where the Nazi gold was hidden. Alex debated hiring a guide, but didn’t want to share all that loot with anyone.
The climb in the mountains were difficult, but eventually Alex found the spot. A door camouflaged to look like the side of the mountain was Alex’s only barrier. Nothing a few explosives couldn’t fix. It was a muffled boom that shook the mountain as the barrier disintegrated. Alex didn’t wait a moment and rushed in; thoughts of all that gold driving him on.
Disappointment on top of disappointment. There was no gold! Alex searched and searched, but there wasn’t anything but barrel upon barrel of chemicals. Heedlessly Alex threw the barrels out of his way in his mad search. Some of the chemicals had become quite volatile over the decades since the Nazi’s had hidden them in New Zealand, especially as they mixed together. Alex was at the back of the cave when the second explosion occurred. He had only a second to scream as several tons of chemicals, mostly sulfuric acid obliterated the cave.
It was the cold that eventually woke up Alex. He hurt like he had never hurt before. Craning his head he saw that he had been blown clear of the cave and was lying face down in the snow, and all his clothes were gone as if melted. Trying to prop himself up, Alex discovered something else. All the hair on his body was gone as well. He passed out a few seconds on this discovery. However, Alex was a fighter. He wasn’t going to let the cold and possibly hypothermia kill him. Struggling to his feet, he head down the mountainside.
Alex was never sure exactly how he got back to his car, but he was thankful for it. However, when he tried to open the car door his hand burned through the door as if he were made entirely of acid. Looking in amazement at his hands, Alex could see that his skin had become yellow, and a mist was forming around him that was a similar color. With effort, and not without destroying the rearview mirror Alex was finally able to get a good look at himself.
At first he was horrified, after he calmed down a bit Alex came to realization that he had just gained superpowers. Also with this realization came the idea that now he could more money as a super-villain than as a mere mercenary henchman. The possibilities were endless.
But what to call himself? Nothing was really coming to him, until he got a smell of the gases he was producing. Sulfur. Yeah that would fit perfect. So where to start his new career. Certainly not back in the States; he’d be just one of many super-villains trying to get a chance at the brass ring. Not Africa either. As powerful as Alex felt, he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against Witch Doctor and his minions. No it would be safer here in New Zealand and Australia. A fellow could make a name for himself down under.
Personality
Alex has been fighting war for far too many years. He has seen and has participated in so many acts against his fellow man that Alex has so little respect for anyone, even himself. Alex doesn’t trust anyone. He has been betrayed or betrayed others for his own ends, that he doesn’t even believe in the concept anymore. For Alex, either he is using someone, or someone is using him.
The one guiding principle in Alex’s life has always to get paid, and his pay has never been enough. For Alex there is just one more job, one more heist that will put him on easy street. Alex has never actually made a score like that, but even so he’d probably think it wasn’t enough. Alex has never had second thoughts about using anyone to his advantage, for him it’s the way the game is played; dog eat dog.
Alex is very much a mercenary. For Alex it’s always about being paid for a job, and won’t budge to do anything until his price is met. Also as a mercenary, Alex isn’t above switching sides if the opposition is offering a better reward. Of course, most super-heroes won’t have anything to do with Alex, but this doesn’t bother Alex in the least.
Quote
"Great, just great."
Powers
Alex’s exposure to the chemical in the cave, and his latent uber-gene has granted him two power and distinctive powers. The first is the ability to become a cloud of acid vapor or mist. Almost all attack pass through him when he’s in this form, and most objects will be eaten by the acid that makes up Alex when he’s in this form. Needless to say those physically attacking Alex when he’s in this gaseous state are similarly harmed.
The second major abilities of Alex’s is that he can create a fogbank like effect with his acid cloud. This bank covers a wide area, and anything and anyone in it will be consumed by the acids in the cloud. Alex is immune to either of his own powers.
Alex when he’s in his cloud-like state, he can fly after a fashion. He’s also able to use his acidic powers to form a shield of sorts that protects him from almost any kind of attacks.
Appearance
When transformed into Sulfur, which only takes a moment for Alex, he becomes a vaguely humanoid shaped person. His skin takes on a yellow cast, and Alex becomes surrounded by a cloud of acid vapors that are also yellow in color. The only color on Sulfur that isn’t yellow is his eyes, which become pools of red.
When Alex transforms back into his human state, all of his clothes have been eaten by the acidic transformation. Whenever possible Alex likes to stash some extra clothing for when he becomes human. Otherwise Alex is of average height and eye with the only distinguishing characteristic in that he has no hair on his body.
