Value is the belief that something is needed or wanted. Since the dawn of civilization, men have bartered services and goods. Things have not changed so much since those first days. It's still the same supply and demand evolution. Except now men purchase goods and services with currency and credit. Their belief in the value of their money is greater than ever. Money is more than power, it's the lifeblood of all society. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an idealistic fool. Politics can be boiled down to who you take money from and who you give it to. People get wealth taken from them all the time. So they end up in debt trying to make ends meet. The credit system is a dangerous game everyone plays, but it serves Bruce and the Syndicate marvelously: society puts faith in wealth that isn't even there! The belief in this wealth keeps life going, fuels all visions and dreams, and empowers the bold and strong. A great soldier is nothing without the funding to pay for his arsensal. A great politician will never get elected without the capital to spend on campaigning. Money makes the world go around.
But wealth exists beyond the gold-founded currency of modern capitalism. Beyond the knowledge of the Masses, Primal Energy flows like oil. While value was assigned to gold, the vitality of Quintessence is obvious to the Enlightened. Though hardly the purpose behind the Ascension War, the capture and sanctification of all Nodes and Primal centers are key to the Technocracy's victory. And the Syndicate views Primal Energy as just another form of currency. It can be traded, sold, and loaned out. Quintessence makes the Hidden World go around, Technocrats and Reality Deviants alike.
While some theorize economics and some negotiate matters of wealth, Bruce enforces. The values assigned to the wealth of gold and Quintessence alike must be respected. When debtors renege on their loans, the trust in the currency altogether deteriorates. Everyone suffers. So for the good of the many, the deadbeats must be punished and kept in line. That's where Bruce comes in. Thus, like many Magic Men, Bruce received front-line training once he was Empowered. His Adjustments remain subtle and shrewd like all Syndicate agents, but where other Syndicate agents circumvent and negotiate, he intimidates and pulverizes. The Spheres he learns are just measures of the trust Sleepers give to the society that the Syndicate helped craft after all. And Enlightened Science was a value to be protected and respected, too. Superstitionists threaten those values with their conflicting beliefs and the Quintessence they hoard. But in so doing, they endanger the lives of the Masses who depend on science, security, and stability -- not their magical mumbo-jumbo! Of course, his apparati are all necessary to his Adjustments. Adjustments, Enlightened Science, is nothing more than modern science with advanced theories propelling it a step further and Primal Energy fueling the whole schpiel.
But as a consequence of the Ascension War, the continued existence and rebellion of these so-called Tradition mages is the primary reason for Paradox. Paradox derives as a clash between Empowered values and intents. The superstitionists' ways are infectious enough to thrive in the modern world that Paradox acts as a neutral referee, punishing either side when they threaten Consensual Reality. Unfortunately, to maintain that status quo freezes progress. Even the Syndicate appreciates the growing power of technology, after all. But Quintessence is like anti-Paradox. It can be channeled to counter the effects of Paradox. So one day when the Technocracy defeats all of its deviant foes, it can counter out Paradox entirely with Primal Energy.
However, Quintessence is finite in quantity and very high in value. It's worth taking and hoarding. He knows it to be almost immeasurably tiny energy particles, supercharged with subatomic energy, that modern Sleeper science just hasn't identified yet. Whatever its nature, Bruce knows its inherent value: it's the greatest treasure of all on the planet! It's the real currency of the Hidden World. So he agrees with his Manager, Taylor Providence, when it comes to the idea of tithing Reality Deviants of their Primal Energy. It's that or exterminate them all. And yet many of them generate their own Primal Energy. Why let that go to waste? So long as they know their true place, ground under the Technocracy's heel... It's a dangerous theory the Providence company pursues. But Bruce is behind it 100% and he takes great pleasure in "taxing" RDs who step out of line but don't qualify for the Pogrom's (lightened) extermination protocols.
To that end, Bruce adopted a variety of techniques into his subtle arsenal when it comes to enforcing his Syndicate tasks. To observe friends and foes alike, Bruce developed Correspondence through the understanding of how advanced surveillence equipment functions. Standard "bugs" and A/V cameras join hands with satellite surveillence. And Bruce is well aware of how these tiny wormholes work scientifically. He knows he can't yet control or design devices to effect proper "teleportation" techniques. But through his tracking and A/V apparati, Bruce is able to keep tabs on his subjects as if he were right there beside them. Surveillence has never been clearer or more intimate.
Meanwhile, Life -- advanced biology and biochemistry -- for Bruce at this time is just a matter of practice. More advanced practitioners of Life theorize and discover new ways to enact its Procedures. But Bruce rallies to the most basic and essential of Life. He sticks to special diet and exercise regimens. Special breathing routines also help him in maintaining his own biorhythms. He may one day go further to manipulate others' biorhythms through the same ordeals. But he's still growing accustomed to controlling his own.
The Sphere of Mind is the essence of Adjustment and Bruce's specialty. To Bruce, this is simply a matter of financial psychology. What people believe and trust will be fact provided they are given a few little...reinforcers. And for this innocuous Syndicate agent, that's as simple as a few paper forms or special IDs he may present. In fact, the suits he wears can effect the desired Adjustments. He must carefully color-code and choose appropiate tie and pin designs, of course, but it's nothing fancier than that.
Finally, the Sphere of Prime is nothing more than the study and appropiation of Primal Energy. Vital to his field of work especially, Bruce recognizes Quintessence as nothing more than empowered capital. Much like the rest of his Convention, Bruce approaches Primal Energy as a unique form of currency. Unsurprisingly, he feels it is best accessed through the special hi-tech credit card he was assigned. Any ATM can yield Quintessence or give an idea of local "savings accounts" by cross-wiring into those computers' inter-connected services and channeling the sub-particles to Bruce bioelectrically. All he needs to do is plug that special credit card into the machine.
Genius
Life is a battle, an endless struggle between conflicting beliefs and values. Bruce believes that quite simply might makes right. If you want to assert your beliefs, you must assert them. So Bruce sees his life metaphorically: he's a fighter in a boxing ring. Opponents change, the rules of fights change, the way to win the fights change, and he doesn't always win despite what he wills. Sometimes when he imagines this metaphor (because it's just his way of looking at life, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo Seeking), he loses. But win or lose, he always looks for the meaning in the fight and what he learned from the match: the better to improve himself for the next fight! Perhaps because of this aggressive Genius, Bruce is perfectly fine aiding Taylor Providence in her drive for a more aggressive yet non-violent Pogrom plan. Whether it becomes policy or not, Bruce knows he has an instrumental part to play in its beta-testing.
Resonance
Static (Commandeering)
Compelling and resolute, aggressive and unwavering, Bruce is the man society loves to hate. He is the quintessential debt collector, here to break kneecaps until currency is exchanged. And of course, in this capitalist credit economy, everyone owes everything. And he's here to claim. Socially, Bruce suffers a +3 difficulty when trying to be friendly with people due to his tyrannical-seeming veneer. But he also gains a -3 difficulty when trying to frighten people into submission when he's there to take what he or his representative body is owed.
When making Adjustments, Bruce has observed, he finds that it's easier to take -- whether that's Primal Energy from a Node through Prime, or life savings from someone's bank account through Correspondence. He gains a -1 difficulty to the rolls for such Effects. But when he attempts to negotiate acquisitions through fair or fair-sounding ways, he suffers a +1 difficulty to the rolls for such Adjustments. Bruce is the ultimate Enforcer and probably always will be.
Device
Quantum Collector
Level: 4
Enlightenment: 4
Primal Energy: 20
Origin: On semi-permanent loan from SPD, the QPEC-d (or just Quantum Collector) aids Bruce in the performance of his "Magic Man" work in regards especially to the beta-testing for the Providence Tithe Program.
Description: About the size and weight of a car battery, this device is vaguely oval in shape. Its titanium shell casing is faceted smoothly, nothing at all on the dark-gray metal. Its base and top are flat. The top contains a keypad to electronically program this sub-atomic reserve containment system. But it's more than a Primal Energy battery! Connected to the device is a coiled wire tube that acts as a vacuum, drawing it the subatomic particles of Quintessence from one designated target at which the tube is aimed. It is a fairly sturdy device despite its highly advanced purpose, probably due to the danger of the sudden release of all that energy at once.
Effects: 1) Suck "free" Quintessence from any supernatural target and store it
Energy Costs: Collector: 3; 1) 0
Activation: A physical key actually turns the device on. Then it must be programmed on its operative keypad.
