Clive Cullin was a scientist in the Sigma Program, and a pawn of the Infernal Host.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Cullin was born in the 21st century. Even in his earliest memories, he always felt alone. He grew up in the tight academic quarters at the university where his parents taught, and spent most of his time in his bedroom. As Earth got closer to the Brink, the anxiety of Earth's ecological collapse constantly tugged at Cullin's mind; all the more so in his teenage years. His father saw this restless energy as intellect, and his parents refused to discuss the root of Cullin's fear, only the possibilities of his genius. To Cullin, the situation seemed hopeless, and by 2070, despite the efforts of the Sigma Initiative, the efforts to stave off the Brink seemed hopeless. He figured that Sigma was like every other institution that he knew—inherently corrupt and made for the benefit of the wealthy donors and world leaders who led its council.[1]
University Life[]
Skepticism over the global push for survival didn’t make him many friends, especially during graduate school, which he attended on the west coast of the United States. He wrote for the university's science journal. Everyone around him seemed obsessed with acquiring a Sigma research grant. All Cullin wanted was a quiet lab where he could be alone with his thoughts. His studies ran the gamut from genetics to quantum mechanics, as he forever chased the question of what laid at the heart of the universe. Uncertainty both taunted and compelled him. He decided that if time was truly running out, he would spend the rest of his days living the life of the mind. In the midst of preparing a dissertation on the possibilities inherent in quantum tunneling, Cullin's days were consumed with obsessive thoughts about particles breaking impossible limits. It was like the rest of the world no longer existed.[1]
All of that changed one smoggy autumn morning in 2097 as Cullin trekked to campus. He saw a fellow student give a speech, and found himself attracted to her because of both her appearance and words. He discovered her name was Marilyn Sumner, and pushing himself out of his comfort zone, began attending any activist gatherings he could find, both on campus and in the city across the bay. Whenever he managed to spot her at an event, he couldn't muster the courage to approach. While Cullin felt like a giant in his own mind when no one else was around, he shrank in public. Conversations flowed around him with ease, as everyone dissected the flaws of the world, so assured that they knew how to turn it around. All of his opinions dried up under the harsh light of others' certainty.[1]
Weeks later, Cullin bumped into Sumner (literally) inside a warehouse. She revealed that she knew him; that she'd seen him at past meetings, and had read his work in the university's science journal and an op-ed where he'd criticized Sigma's approach to genetic engineering. Their conversation kept going, as evening set in and the gathering cleared out. Together, they braved the rain and walked until sunset was nearly upon them. Sumner led Cullin up a hill at the park that overlooked the bay. After discussing the sun, they had their first kiss.[1]
Sigma Program[]
Sigma Three[]
Over the next few years, Cullin and Sumner's work converged and fueled their deepening bond, as they united science and social activism. She encouraged him to speak at rallies, just as she did, spreading his ideas further than he ever thought possible. Her connections earned him an interview for a position at a prestigious new program known as Sigma 3. He’d nearly turned it down, but Sumner refused to let him. Thus, he caught a mag-rail from the west coast to Sigma Central. Onboard the train he met Julian Nassar, and the two hit it off. Cullin was awarded the position, and came to lead Sigma 3's genetic engineering project. Sumner joined him at Central, and acted as the department's 'face.' Cullin was interested in using genetics to expand the human mind, but the brass was more focused on the creation of superhuman physical specimens who might survive in deep space with fewer constraints or–as Cullin always suspected and feared–super-soldiers to head off simmering conflicts around the world. Cullin had no desire to create the next great weapon, and an early discovery that held promising results for adrenaline-boosting effects was shelvedby Cullin's own orders, hidden away from the top brass in the fear that it could be easily exploited for genetic hackjobs by wannabe commandos.[1]
Cullin and Sumner married in a quiet ceremony with only a few guests in attendance, including Nassar and Lilla (a friend of Sumner's). Cullin later reflected that the day they married was the happiest day of his life.[1]
However, his happiness didn't last within the context of Sigma's work. In what became known as the Reed Incident, Cullin's trial of his mind-enhancing genome set went haywire, killing the subject. The MEG testing was abandoned in favor of PGG and RRG experiments. Cullin and his team created specific retroviruses for each genome set. Over the course of a year, these subjects were injected with these sleeper-agent viruses, with the goal of bonding them across the adult subject’s entire genetic make-up. From there, hypothetically at least, the viruses could all be switched “on” at the same time–setting into motion a rapid transformation of the subject’s former genome. Despite Cullin's unease, Nassar served as an RRG subject.[1]
The experiment was deemed a failure—Nassar survived, but all he gained was a small healing factor. While the top brass promised they would find him a new project soon, Cullin was certain that he was being put out to pasture. Nassar told him not to worry about it, but both he and Lilia resigned from Sigma. Cullin later learnt from his wife that Nassar and Lilia were starting a family, and Sumner began to make hints that she wanted to do the same. Cullin refused however, given the state of the world. Over the next few months, while Sumner lobbied for a new joint-venture within Sigma, Cullin remained in their domicile in Sigma, flipping through his old journals in despair. Things changed when Sumner told him that Sigma benefactor Preston Swift wished to meet with him.[1]
As good news as that was, Cullin could tell that his wife was suffering, and she was rushed to Sigma's hospital wing. She told Cullin that he had to go see Swift, despite her condition. Cullin obliged, despite his misgivings.[1]
Cullin and Swift met at the latter's private retreat off the coast of the Salish Sea. Swift showed him an artifact recovered from the Cape Flats in South Africa. The object blinked in and out of reality depending on Cullin's proximity. Swift explained that through quantum flux, the object was entangled with another location in spacetime. Despite this, the artifact was clearly ancient. The object, called "the Artifact," was in fact thousands of years old, and not of human origin. Cullin laughed it off at first, until he realized that Swift was telling the truth, and that he was terrified. Swift explained that ever since he found the artifact, he'd been hearing whispers. That he'd started a new program, Sigma 6, to find more of these artifacts, and he wanted Cullin to lead the team.[1]
Putting the pieces together, Cullin realized that the artifacts, if properly studied, could unlock quantum teleportation. A means of escaping Earth, of making the Exodus Armada obsolete. Cullin accepted, but on the way back to Sigma Central, learnt that his wife had contracted a terminal illness, rendering her comotose. It was at this point, in his lowest moments, that Cullin heard the voice of the Whisperer.[1]
Sigma Six[]
Cullin worked for Sigma 6, leading numerous digs across the world in the search for more artifacts. As time wore on, Cullin realized that the Whisperer wasn't a figment of his imagination. Cullin tried to suppress the voice. Pills, alcohol, meditation, none of it worked. Whether he liked it or not, his mind was now occupied territory. Because of his grief over his wife, Cullin had little will to resist it.[1]
Following the voice of the Whisperer, he was led to a site in Canada, which held alien fragments, all in a quantum state. Cullin realized that the Whisperer was a member of the species that had created them, and was speaking to him "from beyond." The Whisperer revealed that it was, in fact, trapped on Earth, and was looking for a means of escape. The next site was in Mexico, and then, the Amazon—each the site of an ancient human society, and each the location of another artifact. As the months went by, and Sigma 6's capacities grew, Cullin slowly pieced together the Whisperer’s history. Much like the other Artifacts, it was a quantum phenomenon–but a psychic one too. The Whisperer was merely a piece of a much larger whole somewhere out there in the universe...and it desperately needed to reconnect. For centuries, the Whisperer had drifted from host to host, a silent witness to all of human history, and left disappointed by it. Cullin found little reason to disagree, and began to wonder how long it would take humanity to find its next self-destructive discover, even if he succeeded?[1]
The first two artifacts were smaller than the one Swift had shown him, but the Amazon site was a temple. Inside, Cullin found a glyph that matched the artifact he'd seen at Swift's office. The Whisperer explained that the temple had once been a place of great importance.[1]
Funds were mobilized, a larger team permitted, and the Amazon dig kicked into motion. Whatever this temple was, whatever it held, Cullin was tasked with uncovering it. Cullin requested that Sigma 6 be given its own security force (which was obliged), said force led by Major Carl Barclay, as Cullin didn't trust the Allied States. The team was joined by Julian and Lilla (now married) and their infant daughter, Amara. The Whisperer urged him not to waver. To find the gate, and open the path.[1]
Seven months into the Amazon dig, they finally found something more significant than a fragment. Beneath two collapsed walls of what was once a ceremonial chamber, the team–cautious but excited–dug out a space around this new artifact. They slowly revealed the edges of what appeared to be an imposing metallic object. During a celebratory bonfire banquet, as indulgent as the jungle could allow, Nassar raised a toast to Cullin–and beckoned him to speak with his team. It was time, Julian said, to understand the greater vision. "We’re all getting restless, doc. Give us some hope." Cullin reacted with disdain, as thanks to the Whisperer, his disdain towards humanity now included Nassar himself. He delivered a speech to those assembled, while the Whisperer revealed its far darker plans for humanity, while also promising that if he opened "the gate," his wife would be cured.[1]
After recovering an alien chestplate, the Whisperer fell silent. He spent hours down in the dig, now fully fenced off since they realized the enormity of their discovery. Cullin examined the armor from every angle. It was the closest thing that Sigma 6 had to a fully intact piece–except for the blackened blast scar that marred it…where the heart might be found. This led Cullin to deduce that the Whisperer's species was humanoid, though Lila suggested that given the chestplate was different in the quantum and aesthetic sense from the other artifacts, this armor might belong to a second alien species. By this point, only a handful within Sigma knew of these discoveries, and one of them was Edgar Fletcher, whom Cullin despised, though like Lila, he suspected that these artifacts were evidence of two separate alien species, and that they'd come into conflict in Earth's distant past. It was at this point that the Whisperer returned, along with the Nassars noticing the darkness growing behind Cullin's eyes.[1]
The Amazon dig was shut down due to a breakdown in negotiations between Sigma and the Allied States. The remnants of the temple were packed away and shipped to Swift. As for the piece of armor, he and the Whisperer decided that they would arrange for its storage in a more secretive location–a far flung Sigma site where prying eyes wouldn’t wander. It took some doing, but Cullin managed to convince Swift to ship the Salish object to the Amazon–still flickering within its quantum containment unit. Lilla and Fletcher helped him prepare the experiment, though he refused to explain himself fully until he was ready. He chased his thread of intuition like a white rabbit–sustained only by a deep faith in his conception of the world. Through their experiments, they detected a network of artifacts spread across the globe, all of them in quantum flux.[1]
Sigma Polar[]
"It is too late, my friend."
"What the hell does that mean?"
- Julian Nassar and Clive Cullin just before the opening of the stormgate(src)
Through the influence of the Whisperer, Cullin led Sigma 6 to the Arctic Circle. An entire year was spent preparing for the dig. Sigma 4 drills were shipped north at great expense, to the point that Central threatened to shut down Cullin’s wild goose chase. In turn, Cullin cut a deal. Knowing just how corrupt Sigma upper ranks were, he offered to dedicate space within the future research base to a bioengineering division. This time, he would open up his full catalog of genetic code–including his long-hidden files on the adrenal-rush genome set, allowing Sigma to create the supersoldiers they always wanted. Despite his prior objections, Cullin was now past caring, as no supersoldier could stand against what was to come.[1]
The Whisperer explained that beneath the ice was a device called the Suppressor, which was the 'lock' that separated Earth from her kind's homeworld/home dimension. The drill head pierced through what seemed to be a hollow cavern within the ice. Cullin ordered a special team sent down to finish digging by hand, Julian at the helm. They were equipped with tuning devices that would allow the team to listen to the infrasound of the hidden artifact as they probed the depths. They discovered it, and unlike the other artifacts, this one wasn't in quantum flux. The Whisperer told Cullin that they had to destroy it. And so, at the dawn of his team’s second year in the north, Sigma Polar was built around the Suppressor's pit. Their drills moved through the frozen ground, tireless, hollowing out a burrow that Sigma 6 filled with billions in high-end equipment: a residential wing, bioengineering labs, and beneath the artifact chamber, a reactor system that kept them all alive in this inhospitable land. Playing dumb, Cullin called the artifact "the Key," rather than its true name.[1]
Cullin explained to the team that the Key was a quantum resonator. If they could power it up, perhaps it could open a dimensional doorway. In truth, the Suppressor was already active, and the power boost would be used to destroy (or at least disable) it, breaking the lock it held on Earth. However, one energy source after another was attempted, all of them failing to damage/activate it. Losing patience, Nassar talked with Cullin, concerned about the hazards of the energy tests. Cullin realized that there was no human technology capable of destroying the Suppressor, until he remembered his conversation with Sumner about the sun all those years ago. Thus, Project Stormgate was born; through an ICME and Cullin capacitors, the energy required to destroy the Suppressor would be harnessed, courtesy of coronal mass's interaction with Earth's magnetosphere. A dynamo relay would capture the energy and direct it.[1]
The first attempted was sabotage by Lilia. Cullin tracked her down, but was ambushed by her. She could see that some kind of influence had come over Cullin, and based on the Whisperer's words, a second, opposing force had been influencing her to opposing ends. Lilia detonated the capacitors, preventing the Suppressor from being destroyed, and sacrificing herself in the process.[1]
Project Stormgate Mk. II was initiated, and three years later, a second ICME was ready to be harvested. His pierced lung never fully recovered. His skin grew more sallow by the year. Yet Cullin never gave up. Following the sabotage, he seized full control of Sigma 6’s operation. The top brass were so frightened by the high-level infiltration of an enemy agent that they allowed full lockdown at Sigma Polar. No one in, no one out. This heartbroken family was trapped together, whether they liked it or not. Nassar refused to believe that Lilia had betrayed them, and his relationship with Cullin fell apart. Cullin, for his part, cared not, as he was done with humanity. However, while the Whisperer urged Cullin to exile Nassar from Sigma Polar, Cullin refused.[1]
Fifteen minutes before the initiation of the project however, as Cullin stood before Sumner's cryochamber, Nassar attempted to reconcile with him. He assured Nassar that he would shut the device down were there any signs of danger. However, he reneged on his word, and kept the experiment going despite exceeding the safety threshold. Nassar attempted to contact him, but Cullin ignored him. As the seconds ticked down, Cullin thought of that time he'd spent with Sumner under the sun...[1]
Cullin observes the stormgate
Nassar burst into the chamber and ordered Cullin to shut the stormgate down. Cullin told him that it was too late. Perturbed, Nassar drew his pistol on Cullin, but at this point, the Suppressor went inert, and the stormgate fully opened, unleashing a horde of shadowflyers. In the chaos, Cullin walked forward to the edge of the stormgate and prostrated himself before the figure emerging from the portal.[2]
Personality and Traits[]
Clive Cullin
Cullin was a cynic at heart, and an introvert, though his relationship with Marilyn Sumner made him more outgoing, and more adept at picking up on body language. He was a "city kid" at heart. Because of the baleful influence he had with the Whisperer, he developed misanthropic beliefs towards his own species.[1]
Notes[]
- Cullin is described as an unreliable protagonist within the context of Beyond the Brink. The above information has been taken from his POV, but is not definitively accurate.
- Cullin's appearance shifts noticeably between Beyond the Brink and Stormgate.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 Bentele, Jack. "Beyond the Brink" (March 5, 2024). Frost Giant Studios. Beyond the Brink.
- ↑ 2024-06-07, Stormgate - Official Opening Cinematic. YouTube, accessed on 2024-06-19