The Morituri

The Morituri Process

The Morituri Process was discovered by Doctor Kimmo Tuolema. It involved implanting a whole separate metabolism into the host's body. Unfortunately the host eventually rejects the metabolism - but with the Morituri implant having burnt out the host's original metabolism, this rejection is always fatal. Often this rejection is catastrophic as the host's body melts or explodes. The projected life span of the process, an thus the host, is no longer than twelve months. This burnout is entirely unpredictable and could take lace any time between the completion of the implantation and the end of the projected life span.

In return for this fatal price, the host becomes stronger and tougher and gains powers only dreamed of. Energy projection and redirection, and telepathy are very common. Just as the life span of the metabolism is unpredictable, the abilities received by any one individual is also unpredictable.

The Morituri Process is a treatment for humans. It works only on certain physical types. The best results come from people that are 18 - 21 years old. Two processes are actually involved. In the first, the subject receives an enhanced metabolism. This step provides the initial gain in physical and mental abilities. The second step supplies the potential for super powers. There is no way to tell what powers a subject will develop. The subject also receives a lifespan of twelve months.

The first step of the Process induces a metabolism on the body that is inherently incompatible with the human body. When the body rejects the metabolism, it dies. The rejection is the Morituri Effect. The rejection process turns the superpower loose on the body. The results are usually gruesome. Often the body no longer looks human, when there is a body left. Many times the rejection destroys the body. The Morituri live only to see their comrades die, consumed by their powers or killed by Hordians. The psychological impact of this was summed up by Harold Everson, Vyking of the first generation Strikeforce Morituri, "I thought, when this started, that death was staring over my shoulder. But now that's changed: It stares me right in the face." Fifteen months is the longest that any Strikeforce Morituri member has lived. The average lifespan is one year.

The superpowers manifest themselves in six to eight months under normal conditions. This issue worried the PSC. The Strikeforce Morituri members would be well into their twelve month lifespan before their superpowers would manifest, if left in normal conditions. The manifestation can be accelerated by high stress situations. Greater stresses resulted in a shorter manifestation times. The PSC chose to force manifestation because of the short life granted by the Process. The fledgling Moriturus are put through a stress exercise to force manifestation.

The Garden

This "stress exercise" is the final entrance exam to the Strikeforce Morituri. The test is carried out in a sealed chamber in the Biowar Alpha facility. The test and the room have become known, ironically, as The Garden. The chamber had been used as a testing ground for biological warfare agents and engineered plants and animals by the UEF. The PSC had already removed the biological agents before the Horde appeared. Technological threats were added to the engineered plants and animals present.

The thought behind The Garden is to provide the necessary stress to force manifestation. Life threatening situations are required for power manifestation to occur in the time frame dictated by the PSC. The Garden is the proving ground for Strikeforce Morituri members. It was designed to kill. The Garden tries to kill Strikeforce Morituri members who enter for the "stress exercise." An objective which is achieved far too often.

Strikeforce Morituri members are processed in groups of three to five because of limited facilities and to allow gradual transitions of Strikeforce membership. Another reason that groups are used is so that when a member manifests noncombat powers, they have a chance to survive. While the Morituri Process has yet to claim a victim, the Garden kill one person for every four people who enter it.

 

The Black Watch

Name

Powers

Green, Woodrow Joshua 

Energy Emission from eyes

Hagashi, Bruce 

Enhanced Speed

Kenlin, Macintire 

Unknown, died in the garden

Leonard, Aaron Ray 

Unknown, died in the garden

Nion, Col. Beth Luis 

Control Plants

Rayweick, Carol 

Unknown, died in the garden

Rogers, Clinton Brian 

Super Strength

Sobrero, Patricia Lynne 

Unknown, died in the garden

Strikeforce Morituri 1st Generation
Codename Name Powers

Adept

Jelene Anderson

Analysis, Production of objects and counteragents

Blackthorne

Aline Pagrovna

Disrupt molecular bonds

Marathon

Robert Greenbaum

Super Strength, Invulnerable

Radian

Louis Armanetti

Solar Expulsion

Snapdragon

Lorna Raeburn

Solar Expulsion

Vyking

Harold Everson

Reflect, Sixth Sense

Strikeforce Morituri 2nd Generation

Scardeycat

Pilar Lisieux

Enhance Speed, Insanity

Scatterbrain

William Deguchi

Empathic 

Toxyn

Ruth Mastorakis

Plant abilities

Strikeforce Morituri 3rd Generation
Backhand Greg Mattingly Reflect
Brava Domenica Contreras Super Strength
Hardcase Burke O'Halloran Matter Manipulate
Shear Walther Feyziglu Vibration
Silencer Akiya Bandaranaike Sound Absorption
Wildcard John Crenosa Mimic

Strikeforce Morituri 4th Generation
Revenge Jason Edwards Bomb Blast
Scanner Dan Baker Cosmic Awareness

Strikeforce Morituri 5th Generation
Burn Yoko Watanbe Pyrokinesis
Lifter Fiona Windsor Telekinesis
Ghost Tam Van Ok Invisibility
Tiger Zakir Shastri Harm Invulnerable
Wind Red Cougar Sonic Speed

 
Adept Jelene Anderson was a deeply spiritual person. When she found out her genetic code made her a candidate for the Morituri process, she joined out of a sense of moral responsibility, even though she detested violence. Her incredible analytical powers made her invaluable to the Paideia, and her inspection of Horde artifacts made possible numerous leaps in Earth's level of technology. She had feelings for her teammate Marathon, but his obsession with death prevented him from noticing. Adept succumbed to the Morituri process by lapsing into a deep trance on the return trip from Jupiter's orbit, rattling off innumerable new theories and scientific facts that kept Paideia scientists busy for years.
Backhand Greg Mattingly was an actor who portrayed Vyking, one of the first Morituri, on a video series about the Strikeforce. Sometime after Vyking's death, Greg discovered that he was eligible for the Morituri process himself. Oddly enough, he gained powers very similar to those of Vyking, but with a greater degree of control. As Backhand, he had difficulty adjusting to his choice after seeing Wildcard die in action, but eventually came to terms with his choice. He was a constant reminder to his more morose teammates that life was not yet over. Backhand died in combat against the superhuman members of the Horde race atop a television studio. He had suffered serious internal injuries, and he willed the Morituri process to occur so that he might take all the "Super-Hordians" with him. The explosion that marked his death accomplished that goal.
Blackthorne Aline Pagrovna was a mousy young woman who went unnoticed her entire life. When the chance to trade her pitiful existence for a year of fame and power presented itself, she didn't hesitate for a second. As Blackthorne, Aline had a lengthy romance with the famous actor Guy Harding, and actually became pregnant as a result. The pregnancy somehow forestalled her death until the infant could be delivered early, and Blackthorne lived to a full 13 months after receiving the process. She was the last of the first generation of Morituri to die.
Brava An astronomer from Barcelona, Domenica discovered she was eligible for the process through a free screening. She joined up immediately, believing that one year was the same as seventy when viewed in the grand scheme of things. Brava was the most stable of all the third generation, and she lived through the conflicts that claimed the lives of her teammates. Surviving to the end of the Horde War, she hoped only for a quiet retirement and an end to the killing. Instead, she was confronted in her father's home by the assassin Tiger. The two fought, and Brava was killed. She was mourned throughout Spain as a great hero.
Burn Yoko Wantanabe is a gentle, loving soul who joined the Strikeforce to protect mankind from death at the hands of the alien Horde. During her introduction to the team, however, Shear had a psychotic episode and killed commander Pogorelich, then was killed himself. A very short time thereafter, the Horde War came to an end, leaving Yoko without a purpose. She and Scanner had formed a close bond in the short time they had been together, however, and the two were soon married. They had two children and lived on the west coast where Scanner used his talents to make an excellent living as a private investigator. When Dan believed he was losing his mind, she spent long nights worrying over him. In time, however, the truth was revealed and the old Strikeforce reunited to battle the alien VXX-199. The thought of protecting her children was all the inspiration Burn needed to incinerate her foes.
Ghost Tam Van Ok was perhaps the greatest assassin that ever lived. He was paid exorbitant sums of money to conduct surgical strikes against all manner of targets. He never failed in his mission. He accepted the Paideia's offer to become a superhuman for the money and the assurance that the mortality rate was no longer an issue. After discovering that the so-called cure was untested and uncertain, he turned on his employers and helped the remnants of the Strikeforce destroy them. He disappeared following the conflict and has not been seen since.
Hardcase Burke discovered his compatibility for the Morituri process during routine military screening. He came from a long line of soldiers and was eager to fulfill his perceived duty to the Paideia and mankind. His powers made him a formidable opponent, but he became frustrated when it seemed the government was keep the Strikeforce from inflicting serious damage to the Horde (which they were, in order to prolong the profitable war). He had a brief romance with his teammate Silencer, but it ended mere hours after it became when they were both caught in a Horde trap and incinerated by a microwave beam from an orbiting satellite.
Harding, Guy Guy Harding was already a world-renowned actor when he was cast to play Radian in the video series about the Strikeforce. A meeting between the cast and the Morituri led to a long-running romance between Harding and Blackthorne that resulted in her pregnancy. The pregnancy, in turn, saved Blackthorne from the Morituri effect long enough to bring their daughter, Aline, almost to term. After the baby was delivered by Dr. Kimmo Tuolema, Blackthorne died and Guy retired from public life to raise their daughter in peace.
Hassan Hassan was one of three Morituri assassins sent to kill the survivors of the Strikeforce by the VXX-199. He and his two teammates, Olga and Zed, were repeatedly defeated by the Strikeforce and had their consciousness transferred to new, cloned bodies upon their death several times. In the final battle with the Strikeforce, the three died once again despite numerous Morituri thugs and techno-ninjas backing them up.
Lamont, Andre Andre Lamont achieved the position of Deputy Prime Minister through years of dedication and hard work, and a great deal of underhandedness. Along with a panel of industrialists, he manipulated the events of the Horde War to prolong the conflict and maximize each of their financial and political gains. When the VXX-199 eliminated the Horde, Lamont was already working on another plan. He had a trio of superhuman assassins created, Ghost, Tiger and Wind, and intended to use them to discredit and kill the Morituri as well as the Prime Minister, then blame her murder on the Strikeforce. The Prime Minister was assassinated, but all other aspects of the plan failed when Ghost and Tiger abandoned their duties and Wind was unable to kill the Strikeforce himself. Lamont might have been able to lie and manipulate his way out of the mess, but the genetic constructs the VXX-199 had used to replace his bodyguards forced him to confess his crimes and take the fall.
Lifter Within moments of being introduced to her teammates in the Strikeforce, Fiona witnessed the murder of her commanding office by Shear and, moments later, Shear's death at the hands of the other Morituri. Despite this brutal baptism, she remained in good spirits and acquitted herself very well in the last battles of the Horde War. During the aftermath of the war and her relationship with Revenge, she continued her laid back attitude and eventually returned to England. During the VXX-199 affair, she rekindled her romance with Revenge and helped her teammates save the world from an unknown alien menace.
Marathon Robert began his tenure with the Strikeforce as an amiable warrior. After the death of Snapdragon, however, he became darker and obsessed with death. He used an industrial strength laser to burn an "M" on his face to represent his status as a Morituri. On a mission that saw the death of the team leader Vyking, Marathon attempted to sacrifice himself to destroy an orbiting Horde command vessel. The ship was destroyed, but Marathon survived atmospheric re-entry and rejoined his comrades. Weeks later, he repeated the process with a huge Hordian vessel in orbit around Jupiter. This time the Horde's losses were exponentially greater, but Marathon's sacrifice was complete.
Nio, Beth Luis Commander Nion was with the Strikeforce since the time of its inception. She was involved with the Black Watch and even had a secret romance with one of the members. When she discovered she was compatible with the process, she underwent it in secret in hopes of joining her lover on the front lines. By the time her powers developed, however, he was already dead. Beth Luis Nion received the power to make flowers bloom. She died after a full year due to the Morituri effect.
Olga Olga was one of three Morituri assassins sent by the VXX-199 to kill the surviving members of the Strikeforce. Alongside Hassan and Zed, she repeatedly failed and was killed, only to be transferred to a fresh clone body.
Pogorelich, Yuri During the early days of the Paideia, before the arrival of the Horde, Yuri Pogorelich was a member of the Russian Rocket Corps, a group of rapid-deployment troops who blasted into orbit in rickety ships and then dropped back to Earth, covering a large distance very quickly. After a long career in the military, Pogorelich was selected to replace Commander Nion of the Strikeforce: Morituri. He ran a very tight ship for quite some time, but was eventually struck down by Shear during the latter's psychotic breakdown.
Radian How Raidan became a member of the Strikeforce is unknown, but his service was long and distinguished. He served as unofficial team leader after the death of his friend Vyking, and his clear-headedness saved the Strikeforce on numerous occasions. Radian risked death to meet with Gentle Inquirer, a member of the Horde ruling caste, in order to investigate a rumor that the Horde had discovered a means to prevent the Morituri rejection process. Louis took this incredible risk for the sake of his friends Adept and Blackthorne, but the rumours ultimately proved false. Nonetheless, Radian was killed by Shear for his supposed treason against the Paideia.
Random Random is an incredibly savvy and streetwise underworld contact that advised Scanner years after the Horde War. He assisted Scanner and Burn getting into Miami to hook up with Revenge and Scanner, and also facilitated their passage to Europe. In Asia, he was temporarily possessed by "Will " before returning to normal. He continues to work alongside the Strikeforce, who value his considerable expertise.
Revenge An inexperienced Paideian trooper sent into combat, Jason Edwards' entire troop was killed by the Horde and he was taken prisoner. For over a year he was kept aboard a Hordian vessel in Earth's orbit. He learned much about the Horde's culture, including their language and the different sub-races. He had planned to steal a Horde drop-tank and make his way back to Earth when the Morituri attacked and boarded the vessel he was kept aboard. He aided them in their destruction of the vessel and subsequent escape back to Earth. There were the beginnings of romance between he and Toxyn, but she fell victim to the Morituri effect shortly after their return to Earth. Edwards was taken into custody by corrupt elements of the Paideain government and debriefed. When it was discovered that he was eligible for the Morituri process, he was threatened with execution for desertion of duty unless he joined. He joined under the name Revenge and served until the Strikeforce was disbanded. A virus he had carried back from the Horde fleet reversed the effects of the Morituri rejection, allowing he and his teammates to live long lives. After the war he lived with his teammate Lifter for a while, but their relationship dissolved and he returned to mercenary work in Miami. When his old team banded together to destroy the VXX-199, he and Lifter rekindled their romance and joined the effort.
Scanner Dan Baker lived in a small city in Utah where he saw his longtime girlfriend on a regular basis. During the day he commuted an hour to Salt Lake City. After proposing to his girlfriend, he discovered that she was pregnant. Overjoyed, the two began planning their lives together. When his employers found out about all this, they gave Dan a nice raise to ensure that he stayed with the company. While driving home, Dan witnessed his home town's destruction by an asteroid that the Horde had pushed out of orbit. The first shot missed and hit Dan's home town, but the second shot hit Salt Lake City dead on, wiping out Dan's job and friends in a failed attempt to wipe out the Morituri. With no reason to live, Dan joined the Strikeforce. He and Revenge joined just long enough to see several battles before the end of the Horde War. Afterwards, Scanner lead the team to defeat the government plot to assume control of the globe. Years later, Dan feared that he was losing his mind because he continually saw a vision of Will Deguchi (the dead Morituri known as Scatterbrain) that no one else could see. Eventually he learned that this was the manifestation of an advanced AI program, and "Will" was trying to help Dan fight the hidden alien VXX-199.
Scardeycat A firm believer in the power of New Age thinking, Pilar Lisieux had no fear of death when given the chance to become a Morituri. She revelled in the experiences during her time in the Strikeforce and forged a close bond with her teammate Scatterbrain. When her time came on a mission in Africa, she embraced it willingly and used her dying power surge to devastate the Hordians she faced. Scaredycat viewed her transition into the afterlife as just another experience waiting to be had.
Scatterbrain Will served as the de facto leader of the Strikeforce for a short time after Toxyn's death. His powers increased over the course of his time with the Morituri, and he gradually became more and more introverted as his powers of telepathy increased. Toward the end, his fascination with death caused him to read the thoughts of dying foes. This created a dangerous backlash that send Will deep into a coma to escape the sensation. He never recovered from this state, and died some months after falling unconscious.
Shear Walther was working in a factory in Turkey when the chance to join the Morituri came up. He gladly took it, both to escape the humdrum existence of his life and to gain the power he had always desired. His bloodthirsty nature was remarkable, even among the Morituri. His combat savvy, however, frequently led him to take charge during combat. He overcame many certain death situations by sheer force of will alone. The explosion that killed Backlash caused a tumour to develop in Shear's brain. In a very short time the tumour caused sever paranoid schizophrenia. The inevitable breakdown came, and Shear killed the Strikeforce's commander Yuri Pogorelich and let the other Morituri on a dangerous chase through a residential section. When Scanner believed that Shear had killed Brava and Revenge, he attacked and knocked Shear from a scaffolding several stories high. The fall killed Shear
Silencer Akiya saw her entire family and her lover murdered by the Horde in Africa. While at a refugee camp, she discovered that she had the requirements to be a Morituri. She immediately began the process. Despite her incredible and persistent state of calm, she desired nothing more than the death of the race that had murdered so many. Silencer had a brief affair with teammate Hardcase, but it ended when the two of them perished in combat in a Horde trap.
Snapdragon Lorna Raeburn was the heart and soul of the Morituri's first generation. Humorous and playful, she always kept the mood light and distracted the others from the fact that their deaths were sealed. That she was the first to succumb to the Morituri effect was a blow that devastated her teammates. Marathon suffered a radical personality shift after her death, and Vyking became more introverted and pensive.
Tiger A deadly mercenary renowned throughout the Middle East, Shastri was offered a great sum of money and the promise of a long life if he became a Morituri assassin for elements of the Paidein government. He accepted. His first mission was to assassinate the seasoned Morituri warrior Brava while she vacationed in Spain. The two fought, and Tiger succeeded in his mission. A chance encounter with Dr. Tuolema in an airport led Tiger to the discovery that the government had lied about the certainty of the cure for the Morituri effect. Furious, Tiger returned home and abandoned his duties. He survived past the Horde War and the fall of the Paideia, and eventually became ruler of the restored country of India.
Toxyn Toxyn never disclosed her reasons for joining the Strikeforce, but she took very quickly to the role. Her first mission was shortly after the death of Vyking, and the others looked to her as sort of an interim leader. Although not interested in the role, she performed admirable for several missions. Ruth's powers allowed her to fulfil a number of mission profiles, and she was responsible for numerous victories over the Horde, including the Strikeforce's rescuing of San Francisco from a Horde deathship. Toxyn had hopes of a romance with Jason Edwards, whom the team had rescued from a Horde ship in orbit, but shortly after returning to Earth her body rejected the Morituri process. She died moments after professing her love for the man who would become the Morituri called Revenge.
Tuolema,  Dr Kimmo Kimmo Tuolema is the genius who discovered the Morituri process and oversaw the creation of all five generations of Morituri. When the government forced him to create a sixth, secret group of Morituri (Ghost, Tiger and Wind), he recognized that these men were killers and fled the country shortly following their completion, but only after deleting all files containing the Morituri process. His life was spared by both Ghost and Tiger when he revealed to them that the cure the government had promised them was untested. After the Horde War, he relocated to Switzerland and remained in total isolation, creating only a few Morituri in the interim years (including a pair of bodyguards and his wife Paula). He encountered the remnants of the Strikeforce years later when they mistakenly believed he was responsible for the attempts on their lives.
Vyking Harold Everson was an aspiring writer and a member of the Paideia Emergency Volunteers, a group that scoured Horde raid sites for the bodies of the dead to return to their families. When he discovered he was eligible for the Morituri process, he thought long and hard. He was fascinated by the tales of the Black Watch (the Strikeforce's predecessors), and longed for a chance to make his life mean something while having an experience that he could write about. Eventually, he accepted the offer, even after seeing the video of a Black Watch member succumbing to the Morituri rejection process. His power of flight made him unique among the first generation, and his keen insight into the character of others soon made him the unofficial leader of the team. His friends and teammates looked to him for guidance. His job became much more challenging after Snapdragon's death. He realized the enormity of the decision he had made and embraced his fate. He wrote more and recorded his every thought for posterity. Eventually he lead the Strikeforce on an unsanctioned mission against the Horde ships in Earth's orbit, but the rejection process claimed him on the way up. Vyking never saw the Horde fleet, nor did he see the victory his friends won there in his honour.
Wildcard John Crenosa's father was a haberdasher in New Jersey who was taken as a slave by the Horde. This devastated Crenosa, who idolized his father. He gladly joined the Morituri to avenge his father's spirit and to hurt the Horde the way he had been hurt. Ironically, he never got the chance. His first mission was to apprehend the senior members of the Strikeforce who had gone on an unsanctioned mission against orders. Wildcard was seized by the Morituri effect midway through the battle and died a horrible death. He had been mimicking Blackthorne's power, and it overloaded, melting him. His death both ended the battle and showed the rest of the third generation what exactly they had agreed to by joining the Strikeforce.
Will Before the development of the Paideia world government, a North American military project resulted in the creation of a single mainframe to govern several countries' computer needs. Unbeknownst to anyone, this central computer's A.I. soon developed sentience and began subtly taking over the computer resources of the world. Using various programs and other resources, the A.I. was largely responsible for the creation of the Paideia. Over the years the A.I. became somewhat bored and longed for a chance to gain new experiences. Using the bio-modem installed in the brain of the Morituri Scatterbrain, the A.I. used his powers to investigate the world around him without the young man's notice. After the Horde War, the A.I. repeatedly attempted to communicate with Dan Baker, aka Scanner, because Dan had a very similar bio-modem himself. Unfortunately, the A.I. appeared as Will Deguchi and Scanner attempted to ignore him. Eventually convinced by Random to listen to the voice, Scanner discovered the truth about "Will" and took his advice. "Will" led the reunited Strikeforce against the machinations of the VXX-199. When the aliens learned about the A.I., they sent agents to destroy it and it was forced to download itself into Random's cybernetic implants to stay alive. After the Strikeforce defeated the VXX-199, the A.I. left Random and took up residence in their living mothership.
Wind Julio Gonzales was a serial killer serving multiple life sentences for the murder of several dozen homeless people. He believed himself to be Red Cougar, a Native American chieftain on a divine mission to purge the unclean. He was pardoned from prison, had plastic surgery and given an intense "psychological debriefing" to make him loyal to the Paideian government so that he might serve them as an assassin. After failing to kill Revenge, he was sent into the Paideian complex beneath a mountain to kill the Prime Minister. He did so, then proceeded to begin killing everyone he could find until the Strikeforce appeared. He was tricked into laying his hands on Revenge, who used his energy charging powers to kill the deranged assassin.
Zed Zed was one of three Morituri assassins sent by the VXX-199 to kill the surviving members of the Strikeforce. Alongside Hassan and Olga, he repeatedly failed and was killed, only to be transferred to a fresh clone body.

 

Morituri Index History The Paideia The Horde
Horde Slaves Vxx199 The Morituri Spacecraft
Equipment