The A.R.C.’s apes are creatures of chaos and want to exploit the current situation to the fullest. They are also their own biggest enemies, with constant leadership struggles, and the A.R.C. is facing a certain division. The dividing line runs clearly along that of their origins. Guerilla and the more primal apes and monkeys believe that only through physical prowess and destruction will their survival be ensured. They have no ulterior motivation – just the supremacy of the strong.

Those members most closely associated with science follow a middle path – learning as much about the world as possible and brokering their power. They want to become dependable and less prone to animalistic outburst as this is the only way to guarantee a steady cash flow from prospective employers. Red Bella and her little coven are true believers to the ancient teachings of the monkey prophets, and they want to reunite all Awakened primates and build a great society. Their pursuit of all-things-mystical and current Awakenings worldwide leaves them blind to what is happening in Pulp City.

It is hard to assess how this situation will end. This division of A.R.C. power is certainly making some other players in the greater game very happy.

Code-name: Red Bella

Full Name: Red Bella

Faction: Ape Revolution Committee (A.R.C.)
Red Bella’s journey to Pulp City was long and strange. One of five primates who survived the crash of Module 2, Red Bella awoke alone amid wreckage in the mountains of China. Desperately searching for her crew-mates, she stumbled delirious for days before finally collapsing outside an ancient temple. There she was found by an unusual group of monks, and with them a band of academics who called themselves the Midnight Scholars, and with them the remnants of her crew.

Red Bella quickly learned that the Midnight Scholars were a secret international society of academics and scientists researching occult history. Well-funded and supported by old money from Europe, they sought to unearth ancient artifacts of power and preserve them to ensure the world’s safety. With the monks, they nursed the injured Bella to health and explained their purpose. Bella absorbed lore and history like a sponge, eagerly asking questions. After a few months the team was ready to move on. A voice deep within Bella told her that her place was with them for now. She and the other primates from Module 2 all agreed to travel with the Scholars.

The monks of the mountain promised Bella that the debris from her craft and the knowledge of the survivors would be protected. They and the Midnight Scholars concluded that it was dangerous information better left on the mountain. With solemn vows a pact was made, and the company departed for Hong Kong. The inner voice, which was not her own, commended her decision.

Over the next couple of years, the adaptable Bella learned to read, write and speak a dozen more languages. Her own research helped uncover lost artifacts including the Wyrd Colt, once carried by an American adventurer who travelled to China. Her expeditions and exploits earned her the trust of Hong Kong’s own Supreme Iron Cloud. Iron Cloud soared through the skies using a jetpack he himself had designed and battled injustice, a popular local Hero. He trained Bella in the use of the bullwhip, and listening to the Midnight Scholars’ concerns he joined their party. Despite Bella’s newly acquired skills, her recent accomplishments were not what she was truly seeking, simply a means to an end. Her passion, and soon her obsession, greater than that of her simian companions, became the great Hanuman, the Monkey King – a being she now believed spoke to her and had guided her to the temple and her journey.

Finally, after years of searching the globe, Bella uncovered what she believed to be Hanuman’s temple, hidden high in the Himalayas. She returned to Hong Kong to consult with her allies in the Scholars and plan her expedition.

Unbeknownst to Bella, her tomb raiding exploits had brought her to the attention of the Green Emperor. Realizing the danger that the Midnight Scholars represented to his own plans, he unleashed his greatest assassins. Upon returning to the Midnight Scholar’s quarters Bella found nothing but death, and even the mighty Iron Cloud could not stand against the Emperors’ fury. Of her remaining simian companions, she found no trace.

Bella fled the scene, grabbing as much as she could, including Iron Cloud’s jetpack. Soon arriving in the lower reaches of the Himalayas, many days of climbing frigid peaks followed, as she wanted to preserve what fuel remained in her flying device. The very air seemed to confound Bella, many times she found herself going in circles. She persevered despite the setbacks, the cold, and the blinding snow. Her food supply was almost exhausted, and she was convinced something stalked her. Bella found peculiar footprints that matched nothing she had ever seen or heard of. Noises split the night; yowling singing that chased her even in her dreams. Tormented day and night, she refused to turn back.

Then Bella heard the voice again. She followed it even when it urged her to walk places that seemed unsafe. She took leaps of faith again and again. In a deep ravine near the summit she at last found what she sought. The temple was nothing more than a shallow cave with a simple dulled-brass idol, set with glowing red rubies. The idol was strangely warm to the touch and free of ice and snow. The gems glowed brighter as she approached and the inner voice rang out stronger than ever.

“For an age have I waited for you, Bella. The faithful is first and others will follow. Take this token and it shall be part of you always. Heed my words and know that my children are not forgotten.”

The voice sounded clear in her head and as she reached for the idol it seemed to reach for her. They embraced like long-separated mother and child. In that moment Bella saw visions of great and terrible things. She knew that a larger destiny lay in store for her and the other Awakened. And then the Yeti struck. Appearing out of the snow like a giant terrible phantasm, it struck Bella down and dragged her to the Green Emperor.

Bella endured months of torture before Chimp Chi found and freed her, returning her gear. Never though had she despaired, never was she broken, for she had found the Ruby Idol and awoken the Primates of Power. She, Bella, had opened the door to save her kind. Now all she had to do was get the others to listen. How hard could that be?

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Full Name: Le Murtiple
Allegiance: Ape Revolution Committee

“¡Viva la Revolución!” shouted the little lemur wearing a purple top hat. His dress uniform was immaculate, crisp and clean, for the little lemur was nothing if not attentive to detail.

The bold lemur surveyed the scene before him. Novaragua’s capital city was awash with revolutionary zeal as its military junta was under increasing pressure from the fighters of the Luminous Way. President for life Sendero had to know very well that the ‘for life’ aspect was no guarantee of longevity in these times of serious civil unrest. That much was clearly symbolized by the burning of the presidential palace. Of course that it was the lemur’s own home-brew bombs that had caused the palace to burn was simply emblematic of this strange little revolution. The leaders of the rebels in the Luminous Way had kept any mention of their intelligent talking primate ally from their followers, wary of his links to the despised governments of the region, and especially to Sendero himself. Everything he had done for the revolution had been under a cloud of secrecy, and that included this latest direct action.

The flickering flames of the burning official residence of President Sendero cast an amber glow onto the lemur, but insufficient warmth. Despite the fire, it was a cold night and the little primate pulled his cape closer around himself. Just then his sharp senses detected foot-steps coming towards him. Several men he estimated and they lacked the rhythmic step of trained soldiers – fellow revolutionaries he surmised.

“Ah, Vazquez. How are you comrade?” asked the lemur in his friendliest manner to the leader of the group. He had not arranged to meet his contacts at this time, or at this location, so his suspicions were raised. He cast a quick glance at the six men that drifted around him, surreptitiously sizing them up.

“Your time is done here, I think,” said the overweight and unshaven Vazquez, his words tinged with a veneer of warmth. The lemur understood the implication, but was not quite ready to show his hand yet.

“I don’t understand, I thought we were comrades in the glorious fight together?” said the lemur.

“Yes we were, but times change. While you were El Presidente’s special pet you were a valuable ally, our inside man, spreading misinformation and killing when we needed you to do so. And in the early days of the revolution you were very useful, making bombs and gathering intelligence. But times change little monkey. It would not do for the revolution to be associated with one of the symbols of El Presidente’s corrupt regime. And this is a human revolution, no monkey’s needed,” said Vazquez, spitting at the ground as he finished.

“There is one thing about me I never told you or the leaders of the revolution,” began the lemur, “You know about my skills, with a knife; my skills with making bombs; my skills as assassin and intelligence agent. But there is one last thing that I never told you, nor did I ever tell El Presidente. Every man who has learned this secret has died at my hand. This night will be no different.”

With that the little lemur became three. One of lemurs drew a butterfly knife, revealing its blade in a fluid motion.  Another of the identical lemurs drew a chemical flask from the folds of its cloak, while the third drew a stick of dynamite from a trouser pouch, deftly lighting its fuse as he did so. The half dozen men looked on in shock. It was the last thing they ever saw.

Dead men behind him, the little lemur fled into the jungle. His time in Novaragua was done; he was now an enemy to both sides, with the blood of men from both factions on his hands. However his conscience was clear; he had done what he felt was just and right and his actions aligned with his principles.  So he travelled into the thick jungle, to place distance between himself and his foes. He was startled then to stumble upon an orangutan wearing a lab coat, stood beside a beefy-looking gorilla wearing combat fatigues and toting a minigun. He was surprised that he had not sensed them sooner, but then his mind had been on other things, and this pair was an unexpected sight.

“Going somewhere?” asked the bespectacled orangutan in English, with a smile that revealed vicious looking teeth.

“Somewhere better for my health, I think,” replied the lemur, in accented English, warily eyeing the two big apes as he spoke, “And who are you?”

“We are fellow travelers, drawn here by your reputation.  It seems to my friend and I that you need to leave Novaragua in a hurry. We think we may have the perfect destination for you. Have you heard of Pulp City?”

The lemur nodded in affirmation.

“There is a revolution coming to Pulp City,” growled the big gorilla, briefly pausing before continuing, “And we want you. What is your name, what do we call you? Where did you come from?”

The lemur thought for a moment, weighed his options and his principles, and made a decision.

“You may call me, Le Murtiple”, said the little lemur, a broad grin across his face, “And as for where I came from? Well, that is another story…”

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Code-name: Silverager

Full Name: Silverager

Faction: Ape Revolution Committee

Dr. Red and Guerilla were angry once more, engaged in one of their frequent battles of will. Spittle flew as both alpha males leaned towards one another, voices raised, each ignoring the proclamations of the other as they made their own demands. Their latest conflict was yet another example of them jockeying for position. Each favored their own brand of militant action, and neither would fully endorse the request of the other. Along with other ARC members, Silverager watched on warily, wondering where this most-recent explosive dispute would next take the team.

After several minutes, and with the threat of imminent violence looming, Silverager coolly stepped in. With calm demeanor and a few brief words of rational interjection from the mighty cybernetically-enhanced silverback, order once more prevailed. With both ARC leaders placated, the team dispersed allowing heads to cool.

Silverager returned to his workshop-lab, accompanied by the diminutive Virus. As they walked, Silverager’s bionic foot rang out a familiar clanking rhythm. Of all the ARC members who survived earth-fall, he had been the most seriously injured. His own expertise combined with that of Virus had made him something more, an amalgam of ape and machine and something quite different to his comrades in the revolution.

As they walked, the little monkey explained that he had some ideas he wanted to use to upgrade Apebot, and he valued Silverager’s technical expertise and input in implementing them.

Silverager was glad for the company, and quietly pleased that his technical capabilities were recognized. Reaching his lab Virus and Silverager began to study the schematics for Apebot, mapping out Virus’s proposed changes. This quiet moment of technical contemplation was broken with the stormy arrival of Guerilla. Silverager had thought the ARC leader becalmed, but obviously some of the gun-toting primate’s legendary fury remained. Guerilla had decided that they needed to make another supply run, which could be a euphemism for many types of mission in Silverager’s experience. In this instance it meant ripping off an illegal Coven weapons shipment under the cover of darkness. They had a tip-off of what was headed where, and so Guerilla quickly set to gathering a handful of troops. He had arrived to insist on the presence of Silverager.

“I don’t think Red Bella would approve, nor Dr. Red” said Silverager flatly, as he carried on his work, hoisting up a piece of armor plate using his cyber-arm grapples. He was not seeking to inflame the notoriously volatile Guerilla; not from any feelings of fear, but simply deeming it unnecessary and wasteful of time and energy. He had to be careful; he knew that despite their respect for him, Guerilla and Dr. Red were suspicious of his motivations and his clear allegiance to Red Bella; that they regarded him as her strong right-arm. He suspected their cautiousness stemmed from the fact that he had been first mate on the second Andryshnikov satellite, aboard with Bella and the others, separate from Guerilla, Dr. Red and their crew. Selected as the calmest example of his silverback troop, at the hands of Dr. Andryshnikov, Silverager had undergone an experimental pharmacological treatment to enhance his combat capabilities. This was before joining with Bella and the rest of the simian crew of the second satellite. What followed – the crash of the satellite to Earth-side and their subsequent journey to the West from the mountains in the East – was what brought him into the ARC fold.

“She is not here, and Dr. Red knows we need more munitions to wage our war for equality!” was Guerilla’s firm retort. At this Silverager knew there was no denying the choice of mission: he was in, like it or not.

In due course Silverager found himself alongside Guerilla, Howler and Chimp Chi at a dockside loading bay washed by a cold sea breeze. They waited patiently for the delivery to arrive – two trucks brought in at speed to be stripped down and their contents scattered to where the Coven wanted them to go. Guerilla had other ideas. He launched the strike, lightning fast, with Chimp Chi dropping from shadows to surprise a couple of Coven soldiers as Howler rushed forwards to spray gunfire at a third.

Silverager waded in, brushing aside the Coven paramilitaries. A Dead Guard struck suddenly from the shadows and thrashed at the mighty ape, wounding his arm. With a roar Silverager wrenched the Dead Guard up and slammed him across his knee, snapping his spine, before discarding the seemingly broken body to the ground. However, the ruined Dead Guard quickly stirred and struck at Silverager once more, glancing the ape’s shoulder, before the primate struck a final telling blow, letting out an enraged roar as he did so. Neurons in Silverager’s brain flared, forever altered by exposure to those experimental combat drugs so many years ago at the hands of Dr. Andryshnikov. Those neurons triggered a massive hormonal release, further fuelling his fiery battle-rage. Tunnel vision followed, and absolute focus on fight or flight – and fight was the only option for an enraged Silverager.

Silverager turned then, and subsequently barreled into the remaining Coven operatives, muscles straining with red-rage-fuelled power coursing through his every fiber. He barely recognized the reptilian Francis Gator before the two were locked in combat. Gator hurled a rusty dumpster at Silverback who caught and threw it back with interest, knocking the alligator-man into the cold waters of the bay with the force of his blow.

The battle was soon done as the big cyborg silverback rampaged through the Coven ranks. Guerilla eventually signaled that they had what he wanted and Silverager began to reassert his self-control, primal rage dissipating from his mind and body. He understood then that as much as the ARC leaders valued Silverager as a genius technician and rocket scientist, they valued the raging beast within him more. That duality gave him worth. Grunting to himself, he headed towards their vehicle, to return home to their base with the team. He had a place with them, with the ARC, and that gave him some comfort. The old ape smiled inwardly at that, wondering how things would play out when Red Bella truly returned to make her mark.

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Code-name: Dr. Red

Full Name: Dr. Red/Red Alpha

Faction: Ape Revolution Committee

Some beings are born to lead. The problem for the Ape Revolution Committee is that they have a few too many alpha-primates in their ranks.

When Channel 4 mentions the bravado of A.R.C., Guerilla is usually the one mentioned most. However, only a few outsiders to the A.R.C. are aware that most of the progress made by the primate Supremes in the last few years was sparked by the twisted mind of their alpha orang-utan; the self-proclaimed Dr. Red. Although his first attempt to take over the group while still in the space ended up with Guerilla beating him to a bloody pulp, Red has since plotted his ultimate rise to power, mastering the art of patience.

Well, at least temporary bouts of patience.

There are two things that the Red Alpha loves in life. Firstly, is when his actions affect the world indirectly; he considers the act of pulling the strings to orchestrate events to be far beyond the simple reasoning, understanding and appreciation of most of his comrades, especially including Guerilla.

The second thing that Dr. Red loves is watching things blow up; and to do so, again and again. Red still remembers the first time he admired Pulp City’s massive 4th of July celebrations, only to quickly decide that it was all a pointless display of misplaced power. He likes the pretty sight of fireworks, but even more he hates the aspect of pointless symbolism that he perceives in celebrations when there is war to be fought. When Dr. Red blows things up, it is always spectacular to behold and with purpose, at least to his own cause.

Red has learned a lot about explosives but rarely follows the safety instructions of the U.S. Army ordnance which A.R.C. steals and trades for with shadowy parts of Pulp City’s underworld. When he drags his giant body across the battlefield, explosive charges literally fall out of his pockets. When he throws his custom-made grenades, he never quite knows what result will be. Usually the outcome is at least as good as expected, even if his comrades are sometimes in his firing line, subject tor unexpected friendly fire.

Beneath a mask of a crazed and random primate, there is a very apt brain that constantly plans, constructing strategies to pay off in Red’s favor when the time is right.

While not many of his comrades will directly agree with the statement, most of them would consider Red Alpha their foremost mentor and tactician. The simian brethren of A.R.C. calculate that with each passing year they will see more and more incursion into the human supremacy, based on the indirect approach to things championed by Dr. Red. And while Guerilla still triumphs in most of the missions he undertakes, when he crashes, he crashes hard. Over the last couple of months this has happened increasingly, usually when facing smarter rivals like C.O.R.E. or Dr. Tenebrous, and the various new Supremes that have been emerging since the Fall.

If it ever came to a day where the team would have to split because of different visions of the revolution, the A.R.C. will stand divided, and Dr. Red will aim to stand above all.

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Code-name: Howler

Full Name: Howler

Faction: Ape Revolution Committee

Howler – the poster-boy gun-ape of the Ape Revolutionary Committee.

Many would probably call him an ‘early adopter’ since while his Team-mates have more recently begun appreciating the convenience of wearing clothing, as well as using guns and explosives; Howler truly enjoys life as it comes. Guerilla has turned a blind eye on Howler’s new Walkman, fancy shades and such distractions, but his absolute love for action movies and human damsels in distress has placed the revolutionaries in frequent danger.

Howler could easily be the role model for all those teenagers whose mothers constantly complain that watching TV and mindless movie violence gets you nowhere and nothing. In his case, it got him cool guns, cool Ray Ban sunglasses and other cool things. When watching Howler fight alongside his A.R.C. comrades, viewers can pretty much tell what was on the TV or in the local movie-house the previous night.

This possibly coolest primate in Pulp City loves high-octane action-filled TV shows and blockbuster movies, and all of the twisted creations in them, with a special place in his heart reserved for the biggest action heroes.

Howler wants to be just like them. In fact, some commentators claim that he carries a check-list with the twenty most heroic actions culled from his favorite entertainments penned down. Skewering the alien head hunter using its own spear? Check. Escaping the skyscraper in wreathed in flames? Check. Stopping a murder cult? Check. Driving a motorcycle at high speed while listening to Kiss? Check. Dating a human babe, well, that came later.

Howler’s actions very often fall out of sync with A.R.C.’s plans and objectives. This is mostly because his heroic approach (even if only mimicking his small and big screen hero idols) puts him in dangerous situations where his primate allies do not want to participate. In this regard, he is even more of a solo operator than Chimp Chi.

The rest of A.R.C. treats Howler as a useful annoyance. Many of them would probably be very unhappy if they knew that their ally hangs out with June Summers and lets her know about pretty much everything that happens on the Team. Worse still, most of them would call it an appalling aberration that runs counter to the revolution if they knew he actually started dating the human a few months ago.

However, as long as Howler’s foolhardiness wins the day, they do not seem to notice or care.

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Code-name: Guerilla

Full Name: Guerilla

Faction: Ape Revolution Committee

The year is 1973.

The place is the Soviet Union.

The man is Prof. Yuri Andryshnikov.

The first meeting had not gone well, he must succeed in this one. It was the only way to redeem his family’s position after his father’s betrayal so many years ago. That act, before he was even two years old, had hung over his life and his career. That he had come this far was only down to his iron will and his fervent belief in the ultimate triumph of the workers’ revolution. He had the key to insure its success, now he just needed to convince this vision-challenged party hack to approve his experiment.

“I tell you it WILL work. Our glorious ideals are inborn; they are imprinted in our DNA. We can have our perfect community of equals, free from the pollution of the West’s capitalism and morality. We need to send a group of apes and monkeys into space, away from the corruption, with nothing but Lenin’s writings, and of course enough food and water to survive. When the world sees the triumph of our technology and the perfect communist society that they create, people will abandon capitalism like rats leaving a sinking ship.”

Apes in space, what nonsense, thought the party representative, who was also the Chairman of the party. He had granted this interview for his own amusement, to see what time had brought to pass. He had arrested Andryshnikov’s father so many years ago, and that act had set his career on an upward trajectory. He knew this foolish plan would never work, but its failure would bring him a final victory over the Andryshnikovs. So he approved it.

The first tiny colony was in orbit eighteen months later, and within in a week, it was clear that a community of equals was not encoded within the apes’ genes. To Andryshnikov’s horror and dismay, a male gorilla quickly fought his way to dominance and imposed his will on the others. The ground crew saw the bloodshed that followed, declared the experiment a failure, and pushed the ‘destroy’ button. The explosion lit up the sky, and the station plummeted to earth like a blazing comet, prompting the Americans to go to DefCon 4. Frantic calls on the hotline between the two great powers prevented any further escalation, even as the station crashed in the southern United States. The party leader sent Andryshnikov to Siberia to research the social structure of arctic rabbits.

Years later, a group of mercenaries reported being ambushed and nearly destroyed by a group of well-armed, ape like commandos. Nobody believed them until a news crew from Pulp City’s Channel 4 was captured by a group of intelligent, talking apes, and forced to record its leader proclaiming his manifesto:

“Guerilla is FURY unchained! The Ape Revolutionary Committee will see that Pulp City becomes a community of equals! Even if that means razing the city to the ground, all will be equal in the ruins!”

While Guerilla’s position as head of the A.R.C. has more recently been challenged, first by Red Alpha, and later the presence of Red Bella and the avatars of the Ape Spirit, for many who look on he is the figurehead of the primate revolution.

Guerilla quickly became one of the most dangerous mercenaries in town, and his plan to make his manifesto manifest was to play both sides off against the other. Combining human intelligence with a powerful frame (and a deadly minigun!), Guerilla is not a typical hit man: when he hits, it is hard and loud and bloody. Hitting only where it hurts the most, Guerilla will pound and pound his target, until the only thing left is a red smear on Pulp City’s sidewalks.

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Code-name: Chimp Chi

Full Name: Chimp Chi

Faction: Ape Revolution Committee, The Way

Mishka: a name you don’t want to mention around Chimp Chi.

Well before his consciousness was developed the way it is today, Chimp Chi was a regular lab rat; well, a lab chimp to be precise. When their experimental shuttle was shot down and the future A.R.C. apes and monkeys started developing human traits, most likely due to their exposure to cosmic radiation, each of them began specializing in one area of expertise. For Chi it was different. He was quiet and shy, always getting out of the way of others. And that was as far as his talents went.

Guerilla was annoyed by a chimp that would not handle a gun nor win a fist fight and teased him mercilessly calling him ‘Mishka’. “I’m no lab rat”, Chimp Chi thought, and his resentment grew each time he heard Guerilla’s booming voice mocking him with that name.

Soon, Guerilla decided to send Chi on a wild-goose chase, hoping that this experience would either bring out the best in the chimp or overwhelm him completely. Chi’s mission was to verify the rumor that the Soviets launched a second spacecraft full of apes and recruit any surviving passengers for the A.R.C.

His journey was long and arduous. Chimp Chi used the estimated crash coordinates handed to him by Virus, the A.R.C.’s own technical genius. The tracking device Virus created took Chimp Chi to the Far East. High in the mountains lay a monastery where monks strove to achieve an equilibrium of body and mind. The crashed shuttle, now adorned as a shrine for some obscure reason, was there, but the passengers were long gone, their tracks lost in the deep snow.

The monks knew the secrets of the shuttle but would not share them with a stranger. Chimp Chi, for the first time in his life instead of getting out or getting away, decided to join their ranks to obtain the information he needed.

Chi trained hard for long hours each day of many weeks to pass the Three Trials of the Brotherhood.

The Trial of the Unspoken Evil sent Chimp Chi to a mountain village. Days passed, and the chimp could not figure out why he had been sent there. So he waited patiently in hiding until it became obvious that something wrong was going on in the peaceful settlement. It turned out that the leader of the community had been closing her eyes to the fact that the elders were offering first-born daughters to a Yeti. Chi spoke to the council and managed to convince them he would take care of the bloodthirsty creature of the mountains.

Next, the Trial of the Unseen Evil took place in a complete darkness of the cavern, far below the monastery. Chimp Chi had to recover an object from the monks’ treasury stolen many decades earlier. Descending the stairs into utter blackness, he relied on his sharp hearing and sense of smell. Hearing snoring and smelling the Evil, he crept past it to the deepest level of its lair. There he searched by touch the Evil’s loot until he felt the markings of the monks’ property. When he returned to the light, Chi saw that he held an ancient ninjaken that felt like feather and cut like a razor.

Armed with his new weapon, Chimp went searching for the Yeti, to complete the Trial of the Unheard Evil. The quest took him to Yeti Mountain. When he was nearing the summit, the howling winds rose and snow fell in thick flakes. Silently, the creature attacked for the first time, the weather its ally. The thing of the mountains was a true hunter, leaving no tracks behind and striking out of the blizzard and retreating like a ghost behind the curtain of ever falling snow. The cuts from the icy claws bit deep into Chimp Chi’s back and the chilling gusts of the storm froze his blood into red icicles. Weak and vulnerable, Chi closed his eyes and forced the sound of the blizzard to fade in his mind, switching to his instincts. When the Yeti attacked again, he was ready; one swift slice from the ninjaken severed the beast’s head from its body. The fallen body faded into an icy mist, and then in the far distance Chi heard the Yeti’s plaintive roar.

The monks were impressed with Chi’s prowess and gladly told about a group of five apes and monkeys led by Red Bella that headed towards Hong Kong. When the chimp made it there, his quarry was already long gone but left many enemies bent on finding them.

Traces of Red Bella showed up here and there around the world, now and then. Chimp Chi was always there, seeking any sign of her, believing that one day he would find Bella and her adherents and prove his skills to Guerilla. That day has come, and Chi is no longer called Mishka by Guerilla, as the A.R.C. has been changed forever by the little chimp’s quest.

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Code-names: Apebot & Virus

Full Names: Apebot & Subject 046

Faction: Ape Revolution Committee

If a person was able check the research logs detailing Professor Andryshnikov’s primate experiments, and if they looked for any entries about the A.R.C. Supreme today known as Virus, they would find quite a few records, starting with a sentence that would highlight the small monkey’s future capacities: ‘Subject 046 appears to be highly interested and proficient with hand-held electronic games.’

A long time before the ill-fated shuttle plummeted to Earth, Subject 046 had mastered all the primitive electronic games his era could muster. His technological capabilities were evident in a number of areas, but he seemed to above all focus on the electronic diversions made available to him.

In time, Subject 046 and the other young primates were launched into space, eventually crashing to Earth, and surviving only by some miracle.

While in South America, when the nascent A.R.C. was salvaging all of the precious items they could from the shuttle wreck, the skilled spider monkey discovered that the ship’s main computer had several games loaded in its memory. Pong, Space Invaders, and Asteroids immediately captured the imagination of the A.R.C.’s technological genius in-the-making. Not willing to part with these treasured delights, he quickly redesigned a training bicycle into a motorized three-wheeler that would help him to drag the computer and other necessary components to his destination.

A few years later, with the A.R.C. and its loot smuggled into Pulp City, Guerilla assigned the task of researching new means of combating enemy Supremes to Dr. Red and Virus. Since “da teknology” was more or less black magic to the fierce leader, they could do whatever they wanted. First on their agenda was the creation of advanced weaponry. In a frenzy of development they constructed plasma guns, new types of ammunition and grenades, all to aid the cause of the A.R.C., and possibly more likely Red’s own agenda within the Team. But the little spider monkey wanted something bigger, more fearsome, something to test his ingenuity and expertise, something that could be A.R.C.’s trademark.

Virus posed himself a question: if in a game of Pong a paddle would be used to chase the ball, why couldn’t a robotic body be programmed to chase real enemies?

Thus, the first Apebot was born, or rather constructed. The simple gaming algorithms that Virus prized so highly were built into its computer brain, and shortly afterwards, the mighty beast of steel saw its first action. Everything was fine to begin with; Apebot (the paddle) chased down stray a Grimm (the ball) and repeatedly kept smashing its opponent against the asphalt. The faulty and simplistic programming saw its demise when many more Grimm arrived, and Apebot’s brain circuitry fried as it was not able to process so many ‘balls’ that needed to be ‘paddled’.

The second, driven by more advanced programming, crashed after a month of steady work, when Apebot was overcome by swarms of Heavy Metal Sentry Bots, failing to attack Androida who controlled them. Virus noted that Apebot performed well against many ‘balls’ but failed to recognize and eliminate ‘the opposing paddle’. More work was needed.

The current Apebot programming still retains some faults as Virus has not been able to overcome every bug, but nonetheless he has created a primitive form of artificial intelligence. The robotic hulk freezes every time it fails to complete a series of complex patterns. However, as long as Virus is near to Apebot, able to override its programming directly, the steel gorilla performs wonderfully. It is able to process increasingly more advanced commands and make simple tactical decisions.

What has been even more important and absolutely unexplainable through the basics of its programming, is that the bond between Apebot and its creator Virus is much more than one would expect from more than three tons of steel and a little over fifteen pounds of spider monkey.

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