Fatman

     Fatman’s [Name: CLASSIFIED] nickname refers not to his girth, but to his incredible skills with explosives. It is taken from the name of one of the two bombs dropped on Japan in World War II. It was given to him by his peers as an allusion to the self-designed bomb he once created using ideas from atomic bomb manufacturing. An original member of the anti-terrorist organization Dead Cell, Fatman was known among his peers as the Emperor of Explosives. Born the son of a clockmaker, Fatman spent countless hours in his father’s workshop learning the functioning’s of a clock from his father, who hoped that he too would someday be a clockmaker and follow in his footsteps. He became obsessed with all things mechanical and was a natural tinkerer. A hands on learner, he assembled and disassembled everyday objects, almost anything he could get his hands on. Around the age range of 10-12, Fatten downloaded a bomb-making manual off the Internet and became captivated in his pursuit to follow to a tee every detail described. His eagerness soon had him memorizing the entire manual, which he discarded only after absorbing every word. In his quest for more knowledge, he learned volumes by scouring libraries for amateur and professional books on explosives techniques and of course, their disarmament. His young and growing intellect was mechanical in it’s thoroughness; not only did he use his ingenuity to construct the bombs, he used it to create logic puzzles to train himself against the index of disarmament procedures he stored in his head. He researched the vital ingredients used in large-scale explosives used by the military and was taking apart and collecting pieces from various machinery to create new and more powerful substances to use in his explosives.

     Fatman decided that explosives was his calling in life very early on. He applied to NAVSCOLEOD (Naval School, Explosive Ordnance Disposal) through Detachment Building 1662 at Indian Head, Maryland for student check-in. He was then sent to Florida to begin training at Eglin Air Force Base. His knowledge was already far past any of his peers upon arrival and he was by now in a class all his own. He had to be catered to by specialized teachers who taught him separate from the other NAVSCOLEOD entries. He quickly moved through the courses and received special treatment for his amazing abilities. He came under the attention of one Peter Stillman, the leading expert in the field, who took him in as his personal student. Stillman taught him everything he knew in the sessions that followed, and a close bond formed. Stillman was the closest thing in Fatman’s mind to a celebrity since explosives was his biggest fascination. Fatman, a portly and stout white student and Stillman, a black, tall, lean master of explosives were close as a father and son, despite the differences in appearance, age, and ethnic background. Stillman was an iconic hero to Fatman, everything he wanted to be and more. Yet, Stillman saw an unmatched brilliance for explosives in this favorite of his students that he knew could someday surpass even his own technique. Stillman put Fatman on a course that would mean sure success if followed through.

     All the while being a student, Fatman’s peers and teacher’s opinions toward him were mixed. While some praised him for his extraordinary ability and craftsmanship, others could not see past the often obsessive and even stubborn nature that had become his character. Peter Stillman could see it too and realized that with this great power he was giving his student, came great responsibility to they who wield it. Being a bomb disposal expert, Stillman had known many a brilliant explosive geniuses who wound up misusing their talents for their own selfish desires. Profiles of many of the bombers he’d been up against in the past had, for the most, revealed common personality defects typical in most bombers. Bomb disposal training, as well as work for the New York Police Department had trained him in the various psychological profiles of criminals. Even then, Peter Stillman could recognize those traits in Fatman, though he ignored them because of his obvious personal bond with his student.

     In time, Fatman’s skill rivaled even that of Stillman and he then began improvising upon proven techniques and creating new ones as he went, ones not found in any book or in any training session. He was breaking new ground in the field, but instead of sharing his supreme knowledge with others, as in a book or orally, he hoarded it all to himself. He had other things in mind. Egomania had teamed itself with superior knowledge; a dangerous combination. Psychological profiles suggest that his obsession with Peter Stillman began shortly before, or during this time.

     Peter Stillman, the world’s leading bomb disposal expert, was a celebrity in his field. His picture and name could be found in any bomb reference training manual. Many times he had proven his worth against his time-ticking adversaries and won the day and was well-noted for his accomplishments in some very serious threats. Fatman’s obsession with Stillman bordered on a love-hate relationship. He admired the man for all he had taught him and for all their time together doing what both of them loved doing best. He hated him for his celebrity status and humble approach to being called “the world’s greatest bomb disposal guy”. Fatman’s egomania demanded of him that he make himself better by erasing the label of “protege” from his relationship with Stillman altogether. He longed to become even greater than Stillman at his craft, which he by now had considered himself superior. He wanted to prove to the world that Stillman was not as great as he seemed, that he should receive the honor that was bestowed upon his former mentor. He only had to challenge him.

     It was around this time, during the end of Fatman’s days at NAVSCOLEOD, that Peter Stillman became involved in the scandal that destroyed his career. While trying to rescue children from a church that had been rigged to explode, he panicked and ran to save his own life. Running away as the last seconds ticked, the bomb went off, destroying the church and everyone that remained inside. Stillman narrowly escaped the blast and was not injured, though he played it up for the camera by walking with a limp and a cane out of his guilt for the innocents he let die inside. Fatman was overjoyous with the news, though he kept it to himself. Stillman had flaws, and now everyone knew it. He realized he really was better than Stillman, and had only to prove it to the world now.

     Following his meritous graduation from NAVSCOLEOD, Fatman was approached by the President of the United States, George Sears, to join the ranks of an elite group of anti-terrorists put together by the President to run terrorist ops against. The name of the group was Dead Cell, led by Colonel Jackson of the United States Armed Forces under the supervision of the President himself. Dead Cell had heard of the highly skilled bomb technician and wanted him for their own uses. He was a valuable asset among Dead Cell and welcomed with great respect into the fold. After Colonel Jackson’s imprisonment and the liquidation of Dead Cell by the U.S. government, Dead Cell went rogue and began staging true terrorist strikes. Fatman was at first hesitant to assist his comrades, not wanting to harm those he considered innocent, but his egomania had the better of him and he fooled himself into thinking that being the world’s greatest explosives master at any cost was his true goal. He no longer cared for anyone or anything but furthering his “fine art” and how to gain notoriety using it. Fame at any price; immortalization was his only desire.

     When Fatman learned that Dead Cell planned to take over The Big Shell, he wanted nothing to do with it. He was not interested in their revolution and tried to submerge himself in his work and focus solely on that which interested him. As the plans for The Big Shell siege came to an end and the exercise in thought was nearing reality, Dead Cell desperately needed Fatman as a resource to cooperate. He was putting the entire mission at risk by not wanting to join in. Replacements were considered, but none could handle the job like Fatman. For him, there was no substitution. Money and other niceties were offered as a bargaining chip, all of which he declined out of disinterest. Most important to him was besting Stillman and proving himself, a useful lever which Dead Cell discovered was the key to his cooperation. When the day for The Big Shell exercise to be executed dawned, Dead Cell made a special summons for Peter Stillman to come out of retirement to stop his former protege - one which he couldn’t resist. If he could stop this major incident, Stillman’s life and integrity would be restored and even glorified once again. He couldn’t say no. Learning that Stillman would be a part of the counter-operation, Fatman agreed without hesitation to lend his skills to the team and was perhaps even the most eager to tackle The Big Shell.

     The Big Shell went according to plan, and Fatman created what he considered his “masterpiece” by rigging The Big Shell’s structure in such a way that, using the smallest amount of C-4 explosives possible, would topple the facility into the water. With speed and careful planning, he rigged a setup so complicated and clever that not even Stillman would be able to see through. He would have his moment of glory at last! Hiding dummy caches of C-4 in Shell 1 and Shell 2 as a distraction, he designed his masterpiece as a trap to lure Stillman into a dangerous predicament he could not survive. The “dummy” C-4’s, though live, were connected via wireless network to another set of C-4’s, the ones which would do the actual structural damage. It was set up so that when all the “dummy” C-4’s were disposed off, the more dangerous ones all became activated at the same time. Even further complicating the matter for Stillman, the last set of C-4’s was rigged with a proximity detector, meaning the bomb would be set off if anyone within a 7-10 foot radius interfered. The bomb was untouchable, and all Fatman had to do was wait.

     As expected, Stillman made his appearance and with the aid of Solid Snake and Raiden, managed to dispose of the dummy C-4’s using a scent-spectrum detector to “sniff out” the C-4’s where they lay. Another personal touch and a poke in the eye for Stillman, Fatman had left a touch of his cologne on each block of C-4 he laid, which Stillman was able to use the scent-spectrum detector to uncover the locations of each. Just as planned, the real danger began for Stillman when the first round of C-4’s had been removed. Having more knowledge and Fatman being his own student at one time, he took it upon himself to free himself of his past guilt and to stop the madman cold. The last set of explosives proved too much for Stillman’s expertise and he knew he’d been beaten. All he could do was wait for the countdown to seal his fate. Shell 2’s destruction announced the death of Peter Stillman and Fatman’s ultimate triumph.

     Shortly after the explosion, Fatman sent a message which was to be relayed to Raiden. He had challenged the operative to a face-off which would put the cap on his crown, making him truly the “Emperor of Explosives”. Raiden tracked down Fatman, who was basking in his own glory and ready to prove himself again. A mountain of man in his Bomb Blast Suit, he was fanatical in his ecstasy over beating Stillman. Raiden was not impressed and deeply offended Fatman, who was shocked to learn that he was still not seen as the greatest master of explosives that ever lived. His anger and contempt drove him to try to kill Raiden with a mixture of explosives and gunfire. Raiden succeeded in putting a stop to him, but not before he armed one final bomb, a backup. Before it’s location could be forced out of him, Fatman died due to injuries amassed in the battle. Upon his neck, the dog tags that had once belonged to Peter Stillman hung. The bomb was found and disposed of and the threat neutralized.