Pulvis et umbra sumus : We are but dust and shadow
Name: Anton Nero Tereshkova
Age [appearance]: 30
Age [actual]: 38
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Hair: Medium brown, cut short back and sides with a touch of length on the top.
Eyes: Medium blue with flecks of greys and browns.
Frame: Slender but not skinny; he has a jogger's physique as this is his workout routine.
Tattoos/Distinguishing Marks: Often he has the beginnings of a beard showing as he doesn't tend to shave regularly and his facial hair grows fairly slowly. A few tiny freckles on his face and body from being in the sun. He uses sun protection religiously, now.
Personality: Serious, studious, intense, obsessive, ruthless, egotistical, arrogant, perfectionist, idealist, ambitious.
History: Born Anton Nero Tereshkova, his family has close ties to the Russian mafia, though they would deny this vehemently and focus attention on their familial connection to the first woman in space. Anton latched onto his middle name 'Nero' early in life, after learning that Nero was a famous Roman emperor. His visions of grandeur were encouraged by his wealthy family who imagined great things for their intelligent son, who was gifted with academic ability.
Going to the best schools and gravitating to both engineering and science, Nero became fascinated with how things worked; from machines to biological anatomy. Once in University, he studied to be a surgeon, though it wasn't broad enough a scope for him. It pleased his parents though he knew his interest in it would only be temporary. In his spare time he became consumed with the question of life and death. Where did the energy come from that gave people their spark and could it be harnessed and placed into something else?
His interests alienated a lot of his fellow students except for one man; Emmanuel Briggs. The pair of them would become caught in conversations after class and discover they had many interests in common - yet they didn't think quite alike, each challenging the other with new ideas and theories. Briggs was more socially outward out of the two of them, and often partied long into the night while Nero spent most of his time studying, reading, thinking or sleeping.
After graduating, the two of them applied for - and won - a research grant into the study of life energy. They purchased corpses for study and research, and attempted to inject life into them. It was Briggs who told Nero about the existence of the vampire species and impressed on Nero the benefits of their supernatural blood. Soon after, the pair were not only buying corpses but hunting vampires, justifying that any they killed were predators and murderers... and undead creatures anyway.
The first vampire they killed was a fledgling and the young woman's blood was used in multiple experiments. Over the years when the blood ran out they grew bolder, but while Briggs was seducing a young male vampire acting as a honey-trap, he ended up calling off the vampire's murder and compelled Nero not to slay any more vampires either. Nero, not quite convinced because he still believed vampires were a genuine threat to humankind, did as asked because of his love and trust in Briggs. They ended up getting their first vampire blood-donor and Nero had to admit a constant supply of vampire blood was a good idea. They now pay for vampire blood donations.
Eventually, they attracted a fae to their ranks, after some quick cash. The combination of fae and vampire blood worked at keeping small body parts alive and preventing from decay, but not a complete body. Nero worked endlessly, trying to achieve a breakthrough. They were so close - their lab littered with body parts in containers that could move on their own, but mindlessly. They needed to be able to put them all together.
And so, piece by piece, Nero began to create the perfect human - his own personal pygmalion. Briggs would joke about it but Nero could see his partner was taking the project seriously. They were very close. Unfortunately, they also quite suddenly lost their funding. When the grant money ran out and they only had twitching body parts to show for it, the grisly results were considered unsavoury. Nero dug into his trust fund to keep their work going.
Whilst on his way to getting them more funding, Briggs was involved in a serious car accident and became a quadriplegic. After almost a year Briggs returned to the lab, using a mouth-driven wheelchair to move around and typing messages using contacts and the software. It was a tedious process - one that Nero had tolerance for but Briggs didn't. Nero could see his closest friend was adamant in donating his brain to their perfect human, and the pair of them convinced themselves and each other that Emmanuel Briggs would have new life in his new body.
Nero has emptied his trust fund in order to get the right equipment and entice enough vampires and fae to donate their blood for the final piece in his Pygmalion puzzle.
Awareness of Supernaturals: Vampires and fae.
Occupation/Job: Mad scientist
