Apex, the Alpha Mutant

Name: Aleksei Smirnov

Occupation: Mutant Extremist

Allegiance: Anarchist, Communist (formerly), The Liberators

Status: Active in Russia, active with the Liberators

Nationality: Russian

Age: 42

Languages spoken: Fluent Russian, Weak English

Origin:

In the year 1984, a young Russian who had grown up in a small village for all of his life discovered that he had the innate mutant power to absorb, and violently re-direct, energy. After a week of desperately trying to control his newfound mutant abilities, he inadvertently laid waste to the entire village with a deadly, uncontrollable blast, leveling the countryside for miles and incinerating all who dwelt within. Alone and a danger to all people near him, he wandered the countryside, on the run from the Russian government. He had been hiding on a small farm, nearly mad with shock and grief, when he was found by another, much older mutant, who possessed the superhuman ability to locate others with genetic mutations. Taken in by the mutant, whom he called the Instructor, he became the first student of a secret academy that would train mutants in controlling their powers and using them for the betterment of mankind. After learning to cope with his grief and move on, he displayed a gift for teamwork and strategy, and he was unanimously elected by the other students to be the squad leader of a team that would aid in the apprehension of mutant outlaws and the prevention of natural disasters. Three years after Aleksei met the Instructor, the team was deemed ready for action.

Within seconds of the team's first public mission, two members were killed by bullets fired by the Russian police force.

In another thirty seconds, another fell out of the sky, poisoned by tear gas released by the authorities to combat the perceived "Mutant Threat" in the battle that later became known as the Moscow Incident.

The final death came when another was knocked out and subsequently beaten to death by panicked bystanders.

The remaining three members of the squad, including Aleksei, were taken into government custody. Tortured, one revealed the location of the academy and the Instructor. The academy was razed to the ground, and the Instructor has not been heard from since.

The other two captives, including Aleksei's then-fiancée and fellow mutant, died in custody following a classified period of intense experimentation. Aleksei was held for over twenty years, kept in suspended animation when he was not being forced to demonstrate his catastrophic powers for Russian scientists. His memory eroded by the constant experimentation, he even forgot his own surname, remembering only his former team, the destruction of his village, and that his first name was Aleksei. Fitted with a visor that would monitor his energy outputs and containment levels, Aleksei even forgot the look of his own face. Only a simple, red "X" replaced his former features in the mirror.

And after twenty-five years and thirty-two days, Aleksei escaped. Having built up enough focus to reach his maximum output at will, instead of over a long period of time, he released all of his energy at once, annihilating the research facility and all others within. Stumbling through the snow, with only willpower to keep him going, Aleksei eventually reached civilization. Taking the last name Smirnov to replace his forgotten surname, he carved a new identity for himself amongst the Russian underworld. Encountering other mutants, he quickly proved his dominance, in both sheer power, and in charismatic charm. Now known as Apex, Aleksei soared to the positions of both mutant icon and Russian Public Enemy Number One. He continues to amass his forces, advancing his own agenda, and fulfilling his vendetta against all homo sapiens, one life at a time.

Superhuman Capabilities:

Optical blasts: Apex is a Class-A mutant with the power to absorb energy of nearly any kind. Once he has absorbed said energy, his body amplifies it, and alters it, transforming the captured energy into precise, but deadly, blasts, fired from his eyes. Apex can control the effects, range, and width of his attacks, able to emit wide waves of devastating energy, or needle-fine shots that are accurate enough to burn the lock off a door. Aleksei's power is completely intuitive; he can control the location of his blasts as easily as he breathes. He can decide whether or not his blasts emit heat or not; some are purely concussive, and others are fine laser "beams" as wide as a pin. This alteration to the blast is determined based on the type of energy absorbed by Aleksei.

His blasts will emit heat if he chooses to release heat energy had absorbed. Otherwise, they will be purely concussive in nature. He can "feel" whether or not he will be releasing heat along with concussive energy. Should he choose, he could emit only heat energy, for use in cauterizing wounds or starting fires. This drains his supply of thermal energy more quickly than a single blast would otherwise.

Due to the Newtonian principle of equal-and-opposite reactions, Aleksei simultaneously releases energy behind him as well when firing a beam. It is weak enough to do no damage, or sometimes not even be seen, but just strong enough to prevent him from flying backwards every time he lets a blast loose. Should he choose to do so, he can negate this effect, propelling himself backwards at high speeds. This is not a strategy he employs often, however.

Concussive charging: Aleksei can cause objects to explode at will by touching them. By releasing a portion of his captured energy into the object, it will become highly unstable, eventually blasting apart, or, in some rare cases, completely disintegrating.

Extreme durability: Because he can absorb energy of any kind, many attacks will not hurt Aleksei, instead only strengthening him. Blunt attacks, such as thrown punches, will not even faze him. He can absorb the kinetic energy found in bullets, rockets, and explosions, using them to enhance his own energy-based attacks. Piercing projectiles, such as fine darts, will still penetrate his skin. Aleksei has no resistance whatsoever against telepathic attacks, other than a strong, single-minded will.

Skills:

Combat proficiency: Apex is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, with a style that is a mix between brawling and using his optic blasts to eliminate opponents. His fighting style is reminiscent of heavy brawling, but with attacks that target the joints of his foes. Strong enough to body-slam human enemies, he has used Russian grapple-boxing when fighting as well. Wrapping his arms around his foe, he will proceed to attempt to make them lose their balance, forcing them to the ground. Should this fail, he would switch to a more convenient brawling form of combat.

Apex is aware that there are foes with the capacity to remove or negate his powers. Thus, he has trained himself to remain a threat even without his mutant abilities.

Marksmanship: Apex has taught himself how to shoot various firearms and how to predict the locations of moving targets. This not only aids him in aiming his optic blasts, but in calculating the trajectory of various projectiles. He can use most conventional ranged weapons with ease, should he choose to do so.

Master Tactician/ Insurrectionist: Apex is a gifted leader, able to plan ahead and predict the outcomes of fights. He is a master anarchist, using tactics that disorient his targets and create fear in the ranks of his foes.

Paraphernalia:

Mutant Jumpsuit: Made of reinforced Kevlar, Apex's jumpsuit protects him from glancing bullets and other minor injury. It's function is primarily cosmetic; his mutant power protects him from nearly all impacts that the suit would negate. It does offer a degree of protection against piercing weapons, which Aleksei's powers would not mitigate. The suit is watertight and insulated, allowing Apex to operate in hot or cold climates.

The suit is designed in mind to protect Apex should he lose his powers, a countermeasure against growing research into X-Gene negation.

"X" visor: The visor disguises Apex's face, as well as monitoring his power levels. Should they grow too strong, his visor will inform him, so that he may vent extra energy. The visor contains a communicator, allowing Apex to contact his allies should the need arise.

Field Belt: Apex wears a utility belt that contains medical supplies, small extra communicators, and a grappling hook.

"Suicide" bombs: Apex wears a series of small explosives on his jumpsuit. Linked directly to his powers, he would normally detonate them via a secret switch on his suit, only to absorb the energy found within, recharging his power supply. Should his powers fail, the bombs are immediately deactivated by the suit, which monitors his metahuman activity. Should this happen, they would have to be manually re-armed. They are removable from the suit, and can be strategically placed elsewhere to be detonated remotely.

Twin pistols: Apex has acquired two pistols for use in emergency conditions; should his powers fail, or be negated by an opponent, he will resort to using these guns instead.