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*Steam Name: landon
*Discord Name & ID: Landon#2591
*Timezone: CST
I am in the Short Stories Discord Server : [ YES ]
Is this character from the Main Server : [ NO ]
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*Character Name: Dr. Kirby Brassington
Character Rank: Senior Researcher (If possible)
*Why do you want to play this character?: The event premise is cool, and I'd like to flesh out my (now dead) Short Stories event character through this prequel.
*Character Backstory:
Kirby Brassington had been born in the heart of London, to wealthy parents hailing from a long line of doctors and medical practitioners. Luckily for the boy, he had been fascinated with anything relating to the study of science-- albeit a bit strayed from the conventional healthcare that his parents were so adverse in. He reached top marks in his classes, and when given the opportunity he quickly applied to the University of Cambridge-- a college both of his parents had advocated for, as they had been proud graduates from there as well. He was quickly accepted after a thorough examination of him as an honor student, and he was set on track as an Environmental Science major. His parents gladly paid for everything there was to come in the way of fees, and while they were generally disappointed he did not pursue a career as a traditional healthcare doctor-- they were more than glad he had shared an intense passion with science as they had when they were Kirby's age.
Kirby had reached the top of his class, and eventually found a close friend bonded over their love for the game of chess-- a man named Hayden Howards. Kirby and Hayden took little to no time before becoming close friends with one another, and it soon bled out of school hours-- with them almost seeing each other every day. It was not to say Kirby hadn't had friends during his pre-college years of school-- he was no popular student, but he was generally liked by his peers... albeit many were envious of his intelligence. However, Kirby had never shared this likeness with his peers and found them to be too mundane-- and didn't feel any interest in them, as much as he could kindly put it. However, with Hayden, he felt like chemistry was finally formed-- and eventually, they moved in with each other as more than just simple roommates-- but instead partners.
They both passed with flying colors, and had eager aspirations of getting a job settled with their newfound PhDs-- and eventually settling down and starting a proper life with each other. They got a high-paying jobs at the local science center and quickly climbed up the ranks with their combined intelligence and prestigious degrees. Buying their own house, they lived together for a handful of years-- until disaster struck in the form of the Resonance Cascade. Their life flipped like a coin, and life unfurled from the seems as portal storms rained hostile alien lifeforms onto Earth. Kirby felt like their own well-being needed to be prioritized, but Hayden had urged him to think of the lives their research could be saving.
"We owe it to the people who got us here, to at least contribute what we have to the cause," Hayden told him. Reluctantly, Kirby agreed-- for his partner. They were soon in the grit of the chaos, joining alongside research squads donning yellow hazmat suits to collect samples and specimens for research. Kirby and Hayden saw first-hand the destruction that Xen wrought, and this motivated them further to put an end to it as quickly as possible. About one or two years into the Resonance Cascade, a certain day would live in infamy in the mind of Kirby.
They had been set out with some soldiers of the National Guard and fellow scientists on a top-priority overseas expedition to a long-since evacuated town in Norway. Their mission was clear-cut and dry, to collect live specimens of headcrabs-- for research and development into military helmets that could very well put a stop to their reign of head-latching terror. Once they had arrived in the town, the damage was much worse than any of the soldiers-- or scientists-- had imagined-- with the entire area being a Xen-infested nesting ground for the vile creatures. The soldiers prioritized dispatching the abundance of the former residents of this town, those left behind by the evacuation crew, now turned into shambling husks of zombies-- while Hayden and Kirby focused on incapacitating and caging various species of headcrabs. They had some close calls, primarily with the larger variants-- such as the poison and fast ones.
However, it had proved fruitful, and they were positive the number of specimens they had relocated would be enough to fund this research project. On their way out, however, they were met with blinding flashes of green light-- and gunshots rang out. In what seemed like seconds, the crew had been struck with an ambush on all sides-- alien grunts impaling through bone and armor with their fast-paced hornets while Vortigaunts sent searing bolts of electricity through the air. Kirby had ducked into cover and unfortunately turned just in time to watch green electricity strike Hayden's center mass-- sending him flinging against the side of a crumbled building, sparks sputtering in the night sky. Before he could run to his assistance, he was grabbed by what remained of the soldier task force-- and informed that Hayden was officially KIA.
They fled the scene, being chased far out in their vehicles by the deadly pursuers. Barely escaping with his life, Kirby was absolutely devastated-- and, the fact, that the soldiers had the nerve to just abandon Hayden like that. Kirby quit from his position and spent his days wallowing in one of the evacuation zones of Norway. He couldn't head back to England, due to the flight restrictions, but that was the least of his worries. He spent restless nights, thinking about Hayden's rotting corpse-- one which would never get a proper burial, and one which would never get closure.
Eventually, though, he willed himself to go through his partner's abandoned things-- old birthday cards, books, and an old chessboard they used to play together. He thought of this and thought back to what Hayden had said many years ago-- about owing it to the people that brought them there. He knew he could never forgive himself for abandoning Hayden, but he felt like it wouldn't be right to abandon humankind because of it as well. He soon got back to work but had been initially lost mentally and job-wise-- until he found the White Point Corporation. He quickly got a high-ranking job due to the massive demand and lack of living souls to work, and was back into the mix... but this time, more hollow.
Kirby is well aware, love is a fickle thing-- he knows it can make, or break, a person. Kirby believes both have happened to him, in a time-span way too short for his liking. He isn't sure if he's ever able to recover.
He still sees Hayden in what little sleep he gets.
