Neal Shaara



'"Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." '

- Jonathan Nolan

History
Neal was born to a modest family in Calcutta, India to Deviraja and Ila Shaara. Deviraja was a respected cop within the city. He and his brother honestly didn’t think much in regards to anything outside their immediate family considering how well protected and essentially oblivious. Neal and Snajit attended private school and were brought up with the most that his family had to offer until his abilities came out. After a heated argument with his older brother that resulted in the explosion of the couch while they were at home. With the threat of mutation being more of a threat considering the height in population, Deviraja suggested the only solution for his son. Sadly, that solution was “stop it”. So, in order to preserve his father’s image as well as keep those around him safe, Neal started focusing on averting a situation where he could “get out of hand”. It did not last long, however, as Neal did want to explore his abilities more. In private he would study the nature of his powers. Small groups of mutants had started to form in India and it was when Neal went to one of these meetings that he met the woman that would soon be his wife.

Her name was Aditi Gowri and she was beautiful. With a power similar to his own, she found the somewhat newcomer to the mutant movement to be endearing in his naivety. Her abilities resided within amplifying kinetic potential energy within an object until they exploded and with what she’d learned whilst embracing her abilities, she helped Neal gain control of his own. When he brought her home for the first time the fact she was a mutant that enraged Neal’s father, it was the fact that the young woman was a Muslim. It was in that night that Neal was kicked out of his home. As a result, he and Aditi moved in together and were married in a few short months and just before Neal started training within Calcutta’s police academy.

Whilst in the academy, he did his best to keep his powers under wraps; only using them when at home and necessary. He wanted to avoid the backlash of revealing his mutant status; not only for the sake of his estranged family, but also because he didn’t want to draw more attention to his wife, who was also Muslim (a union that was most certainly frowned upon in an extension that was further than his family). While some of his fellow future officers knew of his genetic plight, there was no fear inspired by his peaceful nature. It drew attention to him, unfortunately. Despite his attempts at keeping his anonymity whilst within the academy, all it took was one person to know to let it spread like wildfire. Towards the end, it was a surprised that Neal didn’t arrive home with fresh scrapes and wounds from a scuffle. He would feign it as nothing but it was certainly the beginning of a resentment that would fester beneath his peaceful nature.

Finishing the academy, more worse for wear than going in, he dove right into work; putting in several years into the force as he rose amongst the ranks at a speed that most likely rivaled his father’s progression. It wasn’t until a dispute between the two in a meeting that Neal’s status as a “filthy mutant with a muslim whore” was revealed. At first, nothing happened. Perhaps it was the shock that one of their younger ones had the gall, as a mutant, to become a part of the law or perhaps it was to create a plan that was deeper than anything that he could have expected. The two Shaaras within Calcutta’s force started to butt heads; the years of being shunted out of the family coupled with the harassment he’d gone through in training starting to show.

It wasn’t until Neal’s brother, Sanjit, went missing that his attention shifted elsewhere. Impatient with the lack of progress the force was making, Neal set out on his own to find his brother. Sanjit had been running along with the mutants that helped Neal gain perspective on his powers; hoping to write an article in regards to the mutant struggle. Unfortunately that ambition was his undoing as anti-mutant supporters found Sanjit Shaara. By the time Neal had... it was too late.

Deeply disturbed by these actions, Neal closed in. While he had always been a peaceful young man with an independent streak that sometimes outweighed his duty, something darker was finally starting to boil. He started becoming rougher at work; turning to violence quicker than he would. It was clear now that Neal Shaara was letting things affect him and that there was a side to him starting to surface that he hadn’t really shown before.

Flying off the handle at a fellow officer that was anti-mutant and actually displaying his powers the first time, Neal had no idea the ramifications that would follow. Still furious, Neal went out after work to avoid bringing his temper home considering Aditi had been acting odd; moody, getting sick often, along with seeming a bit more private. It was unnerving to see his wife potentially so disturbed. So, after he’d cooled off and headed home he hadn’t expected to see his wife hanging in front of his home as it burned to the ground. After that, everything went numb as he tried to process what had just happened. Some say he blacked out, others claim that he set fire to the house. Neal doesn’t know himself. He just remembers feeling nothing until the coroner stated that his wife had been with child.

That was the moment that Neal Shaara finally snapped. Neal went through, with revenge and targeted the police station. In an elaborate display of fire, he pushed his powers to their pinnacle, taking out a half city block in an explosion. He sank to his knees, some residual feeling of humanity left within him that begged to stay until any other authorities got there. He was taken into custody. It was one of the events that sparked mutant registration within India. That incident among many others, coupled with the growing mutant population within their massive numbers was enough to finally force the issue. Already in custody, Neal was one of the first mutants to be branded. “Mutant” was burned into his shoulder and he was kept in a prison; a place reserved for those that were deemed a threat.

For months, Neal said nothing; seldom eating or flicking his gaze away from the wall. Even as the guards dragged him out and took out their fear on the man, the pain was a distant flicker to the loss he’d suffered. He had nothing left. Beaten and bloodied regularly within the prison, all Neal could think of was what he’d lost. It festered and consumed him until the only thing he could do was seethe quietly with a religious hatred for human kind. He’d paid too much of a price for being born and having abilities, so had his wife and unborn child. After sixth months of silence, Neal Shaara spoke his first words.

“I would like to leave now...”

The guards didn’t know how to react. In fact, they almost found it funny. Neal, however, simply repeated the request; calm as ever. “I would like to leave now,” he said. They laughed harder. When he focused his energy on his constraints to reduce them to a molten puddle, a slight smirk glinted across his lips as his hands flared up with plasma energy. “I would like to leave now,” he repeated; again without a smidgeon of rage or humor. His guards’ eyes widened and they started to scramble out of his cell. Like many things with Neal and fate, it was too late for them. He burned his way out of the prison, melting the bars and blasting escapes for the rest without so much as a word.

Along with the other mutants, they travelled towards the mountains. They took to traveling at night and keeping a low profile the best they could. For months they travelled until approached by members of what would soon be the the Brotherhood in regards to their aid in taking a small island off the eastern coast of Africa. When he spoke to those that Neal found more competent and learned the philosophies of this group. Finding a new purpose, Neal agreed to lend his aid. While some of the mutants he travelled with refused, Neal and a select few aided in taking the island by force.

Since then, Neal has sworn himself to the mission of the Brotherhood in promoting the domination of mutants over humans and serves as a member of the inner circle due to his dedication to the cause. He has sworn off affections; finding them to be weak. All that remains is a hateful shell of a man that only has one goal which is to make the species that cause his pain suffer in every way imaginable.

Personality
Neal had once been a relatively peaceful man. He was on the track to being a high-ranking police officer, had a wife, a child on the way. That’s gone and so is that Neal. Now, there is nothing but a lot of deep seeded hatred within the man. He has taken a great deal of his cunning and resourcefulness and re-channeled it into the goal of domination over the human race. It was never his initial goal and if someone said that was what he would be doing with his life ten years ago, he would have punched that person in the face. Regardless, Neal has gone through more than enough to change him. He emotionally, he is distant; not wanting any distractions from the Brotherhood’s supposed goal. He reserves his emotion until the last moment where he finds his reactions to be in the prime position to strike and get the most effect. His passions are held only for his hatred and even less does he consider his relations with people considering his sense of affection died with his wife and unborn child. His loyalty runs towards destruction, if he were to sense a fool’s quest, he would strike out on his own until he found those that were truly like-minded.

Upon first impression, Neal comes off as calm, confident, and a relatively sophisticated individual. He actually carries this illusion as much as he can. But the festering wound that was once his affectionate and ultimately peaceful nature seemed to dissipate the moment he thinks is right. While his soft-spoken nature and generally intellectual shell seem disarming at times, it is a facade. He shares some wits about him, yes, but there is nothing soft about him. Now if he requires company, it is to serve some sort of purpose and those that fill his bed and dismissed when their usefulness has been worn out. The world now seems almost like a fog to him. Things that would be considered sweet or caring are simply puzzles to him that he gazes at with only a faint recognition.

He faces situations in a diagonal. He won’t go head on, seeing as a straight on attack towards anything is just cannon fodder and an ultimate failure. Rather the way he approaches just about anything is with a sharp mind and a sharper arsenal in store for whatever stands in his way. He tries to see as many sides as he can before striking, unfortunately it comes off as not only cowardly, but lazy; which is anything but the case. His actions are all intentional and with purpose. When he does act, he acts not only violently but to send a message. The hobbies he had are gone as he has found them to be just distractions. Due to his powers and his cause, Neal forces himself to be constantly focused. This said, he neither comes off as personable nor does he find relating to his teammates to be something he wishes to do. This distance said, there is a constant conversation in his head that only seems to fuel the fires of the fact that he failed to see this way of life before and that those around him have to pay for the way he and his family suffered.

Likes

 * Violence
 * Being right
 * Bollywood films
 * The quiet


 * The supposed message of the Brotherhood

Dislikes

 * Those that rush in without a plan
 * Humans
 * Human nature
 * Those who waste their (and his) time in trying to forge a relationship
 * Peace

Skills
F@#% the Po-Lice: Neal Shaara’s former life was that of a preserver of justice. He was a former police officer and while that sense of duty has long since left him, the skills he’s learned, however, have not. He has been trained in combat, firearms, as well as a handful of other methods in regards to forcing a person to submit. Due to his time in training as an officer he is also versed in interrogation. If he weren’t a terrorist now (and certainly not wanted by the Indian government), he would be able to still go back to India and pass his re-certifications with flying colors.

Torture: Thanks to methods of interrogation he learned through the police force, torture turned into a very special hobby of his when he went off the deep end. He has studied several methods along with the human body. This little passion has only seemingly grown since his move to Genosha.

Athletics: Neal is a well-rounded athlete. Now that he has a new purpose, he has been priming himself to serve the Brotherhood better. He is at his peak physical condition.

Tactician: Due to his obsession with the domination of homosuperior, Neal has redirected his resourcefulness into being a tactician of sorts. While he hangs back in battle, he is constantly evaluating plans and re-evaluating them to make them work.

Powers
Neal takes the energy around him and redirects it into his body’s molecules, causing them to collide quickly to create massive amounts of heat, thus creating a solar plasma reactor out of his body that creates thermodynamic energy in portions. With this energy he can either cover himself in a forcefield, create focused plasma blasts, energy flares of light as well as explosive plasma spheres (which he calls “grenades”). If he were to redirect these plasma blasts behind him, he can propel himself forward to subsonic speeds (roughly at about Mach 3). Thanks to this reaction, Neal is essentially a human heat engine; burning at a temperature of 9010 degrees Fahrenheit at the maximum before the application of combustion. On a molecular level he combusts parts of his body to create this form of energy that he must speed up, concentrate, and redirect in order to get them to do work towards his will. This all takes a great deal of focus on his part, not to keep from turning these abilities on, but to get them to work in the quantities that he wants.

Weaknesses
While most can assume that this is a pretty nifty power, there are a few drawbacks. One of which is how much he keeps these abilities in check. If he overshoots his powers,it could be incredibly destructive. He has to make sure that his goals are possible and is still somewhat learning the extent of his powers. He has to keep in mind the four laws of Thermodynamics. His powers are able to be neutralized either against powers of the same nature, or the opposing power type (which is extreme cold). Should he be exposed to temperatures that of the human limit, it is hard to focus, and should he come up against the likes of absolute zero, he is essentially useless. Also while he can fly at increased speeds, his mach 3 speeds are only applied when in flight. His body is designed to accommodate the nature of his powers, he can not control the powers of others. He can help accelerate another pyrokinetic’s temperatures or combustions, and possibly redirect a blaze out of that control, and withstand his own, but he won’t absorb fire considering that is not the base of his powers. As such, he cannot receive the same aide from another’s powers. There also needs to be available oxygen in order for the molecules he shifts to combust and burn properly.

Personality wise, Neal’s inability to work on a team of idiots (which he constantly thinks the Brotherhood is full of) never proves well for his patience. When he sees such a blatant flaw, unless ordered to by a superior, he does what he thinks is the best move. Sometimes he lets his sadism get the better of him and prolongs the suffering of his victims a bit more than he’d like. Also, he is obsessed with making people pay for the sins committed against his wife and unborn child. His hatred for humanity will sometimes outweigh his logic and he an get carried away despite how disciplined he tends to be.