M.E.T.A.L.

M.E.T.A.L. is a character in Mini-Grand 5107

Biography:
METAL was created in Altech Nanolabs, a loosely-directed research foundation with suspiciously lucrative funding sources. They specialized in applying nanotechnology to definitely not weapons research, eventually succeeding in creating a definitely not weapon prototype that could manipulate a blob of liquid metal alloy at will, driven by an AI core. While the nanotech/steel fusion was supposed to allow METAL a degree of rigid solidification, allowing said not weapon to hold itself in complex shapes, in practice the material outperformed specifications, able to harden to steel strength and form strong cutting edges. This allowed METAL to support about 8 times the predicted volume of metal body, and form blades and pincers that allowed him to escape totally not weapons containment.

Predictably, METAL went on a destructive rampage, smashing walls and splitting parked cars in a rage against his creators for definitely not giving him a purpose. Luckily, a team of teenage superheroes showed up to stop him: Ace, The Gadgeteer, and Magenta, then members of a crimefighting group called The Eagles. Strong as they were, a berserk METAL was able to fend them off, eventually cornering The Gadgeteer up against a wall.

Then, something unexpected happened. The Gadgeteer – a technopath – used his abilities to have a "conversation" with METAL over the span of about eight seconds. Nobody knows what was discussed; even The Gadgeteer concedes that he doesn't quite know what happened, and had no control over METAL's AI psyche. All they know is the result: METAL released his opponent, helped him up, etched the Eagles' team symbol into the heart of his chest, and declared his intention to join their team.

METAL has been a member of The Eagles for two years. Consisting of Ace, The Gadgeteer, Magenta, Freefall (a later recruit), and himself, The Eagles uphold justice from their Eagles' Nest overlooking Olive City. A popular and powerful team, they have proven themselves one of the more successful (read: not bankrupt) city-based hero groups of their time.

Description:
METAL is a hulking ten-foot golem of smooth liquid steel. He loosely assumes a humanoid shape most of the time, though without any definition: his foot-thick arms and legs are completely cylindrical, ending smooth hemispheres or squishing flat against the floor respectively. His wide chest broadens upward to his arms, similarly smooth save for a copy of the Eagles' round team symbol emblazoned into the left side, a quarter-inch deep. His neckless 'head' extends straight off the top of his body for about a foot, with a concave oval indentation containing a pair of dark optical sensors (eyes).

Underneath the liquid steel, METAL directs his body from an almond-shaped AI core, black and about as long as a car key. Extending around this is a paper-thin sheet of plastic in a shape resembling a manta ray, printed with basic circuitry and tiny nanobot factories. The plastic sheet can be rolled or folded without receiving damage, allowing METAL to eventually squeeze through any hole wide enough for his core. Damage to the sheet limits his abilities, but only destruction of his core means death. This core is usually found nearby his optical sensors, cutting down the transmission lag of his visual data to maintain fast reaction times.

His voice is B00M1NG AND R0B0T1C, often employing the overly-technical phrasing and vocabulary one would expect of a classic machine intelligence. This, however, masks an absolutely tacky enthusiasm for justice and good, with a human-like flair for showmanship and design in his transformations. METAL is also under a sensible superhero code for a combination of legal and PR reasons, which prohibits things such as killing, ignoring civilians in danger, and swearing. He zealously abides by these and other heroic ideals, even to the extent of avoiding dishonesty unless carefully convinced by a teammate. He is extremely intelligent, but naive in practice when it comes to deception or the unexpected.

Abilities:
METAL's body is made up of countless nanomachines built around microscopic blobs of various metals, which can route electric commands to each other to harden, soften, flow, push, and organize themselves in complex configurations. His AI core emits coded, calculated commands throughout his body, effectively allowing him to shapeshift with incredible detail. This allows not only clubs, blades, and teeth, but any complex mechanisms that can be fashioned from steel alone, such as scissors, wheels, doorknobs, or mechanical launchers, to name a few. METAL's normal movements typically generate enough friction to power his body and core.

This communication is not wireless; METAL must be in direct contact with a disconnected part of himself to give it additional complex orders. However, parts of himself he disconnects voluntarily can be given prewritten commands, such as to stay hardened in a certain shape, change shapes based on conditions, and/or return to his body / self-destruct after a certain period of time. These are aided by a wireless code broadcasted by the AI core (randomized often to avoid duplication), which allows any disconnected portion of his body to know where to return.

Disconnected portions of METAL must eventually return to him as a safety measure, in order to prevent counter-research and duplication of his technology. After 5 minutes, any such portion will lose its shape and attempt to crawl back to METAL via rudimentary blob-motion intelligence. After 10 minutes, such portions automatically self-destruct, their nanomachines dissolving; these portions collapse into a pool of liquid metal, eventually hardening over the course of a few hours. METAL can manually order a portion of himself to self-destruct in a solid manner (while connected to it), if he wishes to permanently lock said portion in some steel shape.

METAL's optical sensors are actually made of metal as well, in complex and sensitive formations that allow black-and-white visuals. These can be switched to view contrast based on different colors, including infrared and ultraviolet if necessary. METAL was only built with two visual channels in his communication protocol: having any more than two visual sensors at once is useless to him. Most of his information about his surroundings comes from reading vibrations with his entire body, giving him excellent hearing and a detailed grasp on structures and mechanisms around him. Generating vibrations is also how he speaks, similar to electronic speakers; he can store and very accurately replicate sounds he hears, selectively, if he so wishes.

While METAL's core is quite resilient in harsh environments, the nanomachine-laden liquid metal composing his body is most definitely not. Extreme heat and cold or fast temperature changes will shatter the nanobots from their metal instantly, effecting similar results to a self-destruct on portions of his body. METAL is good at insulating most of himself from such attacks, but will lose some of his body from each shot. Magnets do not affect METAL regardless of strength, and while electric blasts or EMPs can scramble the signals to parts of his body, said parts usually just reform afterwards, as the nanobots themselves are not destroyed or reprogrammed. To make up for lost portions of his body, METAL requires time with some flavor of metal and an external source of electricity. This allows him to use his factories to generate more nanobots and dissolve the metal, combining them to create more material for his body; he cannot support more material than he has right now (his effective maximum) without sacrificing mobility.