Name: Phillip Clark

Superhero Name: Mach

DOB: July 19, 1984

POB: Colorado Springs, CO

Age: 29

Gender: Male

Species: Desert Coyote

Nationality: American

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 150 lbs

Eye Color: Yellow

Hair Color: Blonde

Physical Appearance:

• Moderate height with a very lean build. Has short blonde hair that he spikes while in costume and yellow eyes

Occupation:

• Colmaton BOS Agent
• Sound Technician/Boom Mic operator, contracted

Outfits:

• A grey full-body costume with intercrossing blue stripes, the outfit is extremely elastic and able to endure Mach’s high speeds without tearing

Areas of Operation:

• Colmaton

Weapons/Items:

• 2x 6” steel fixed-blade knives
• Zip Ties
• BOS Communicator
• First-Aid kit

Personal Transport:

• Civilian -- Red 2002 Ford F-150 SuperCrew
• Hero -- None, runs everywhere

Powers/Abilities:

• Super Speed -- Able to run at speeds of up to Mach 10, his gift also applies to his senses and mind as well allowing him to perceive and react to information even when traveling as fast as he can

Strengths:

• Mach heals from minor to moderate wounds quickly and is nearly immune to sedatives and other lethargic devices
• His accelerated mind is capable of formulating multiple strategies and evaluating them for a current situation almost instantaneously

Weaknesses:

• Mach relies on his speed almost entirely in fights and will be at a major disadvantage if his powers are blocked
• Due to his enhanced metabolism Mach will collapse from exhaustion if he has to continuously use his powers for long durations
• Extreme cold can dull or otherwise limit Mach’s powers

Bio:
Phillip Clark is the second child in a military family. As one might expect, much of his childhood was spent moving around every few years as his parent’s assignments took them all around the country. Phil never really minded moving though, as he always had his older sister Jackie to play with. Shortly before starting Kindergarten, Phil began to notice something strange happening to him. Every now and then everything would seem to slow down for him, and he would find it difficult to concentrate or understand what anyone would say to him.

What Phil didn’t know at the time was that these were the early stages of his latent super powers beginning to form. His mind was already beginning to accelerate to cope with the fantastic speeds he would one day be capable of performing. Unfortunately no one at the time could have understood what was happening, and his parents took him to several doctors to determine what was wrong. Eventually Phil was diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and spent many years on medications and special psychologist sessions.

Phil eventually stopped taking the medications after graduating high school, being sick of the drugs and sick of thinking that something was wrong with him. Gradually over the following weeks he began noticing the symptoms he had experienced so long ago, but at this point his abilities had begun to take hold of all aspects of his being rather than just his mind. It was one fateful evening when he was walking home in the rain that time once again seemed to slow. Phil was fascinated with the spectacle before him, rain still falling and yet at a fraction of the time it normally would. He was so focused on the rain that he almost didn’t see the car coming towards him in time. Snapping out of it he tried to move out of the way, and suddenly found himself five blocks away from where he had been standing.

Not wanting to be seen as a freak or an outcast, Phil rejected his powers and did his best to block them out. For many years after that incident he proceeded to do just that. It wasn’t until after college and he was working in Colmaton that it became harder for him to ignore, surrounded by heroes and heroines that operated openly in the city.

During one afternoon while he was waiting in line at a bank, the building was attacked by the supervillain known as Bruiser. Civilians were herded to the side while the security officers were badly beaten in the villain’s attempt to secure the cash from the bank’s vault. Several opportunities presented themselves to Phil where he could have intervened, but he continued to reject his powers. Eventually Bruiser left with his ill-gotten gains and fled the premise. A week later Phil was driving his sister around town showing her the sites, when suddenly a massive figure smashed into their van. Limping out of the wreckage, Phil was horrified to see his sister unconscious and bleeding badly. Even worse was the figure that had smashed into his car was none other than Bruiser, being hotly pursued by several heroes.

Fortunately Jackie survived, but sadly she had been paralyzed from the waist down. Blaming himself, Phil finally realized that his powers gave him a responsibility, and it was time that he owned up to them. Confiding in his sister, she surprised him by not only saying she didn’t blame him, but also that she encouraged him to get out there and make a difference.

Several months later and Phil had passed his examinations for the Bureau of Superheroes and was now a registered Colmaton agent. Going by the name Mach, he has finally unleashed the power he held back so long and now a crimefighting blur in the city. Better watch out villains, because you won’t see this guy coming.

Personality:
Being raised in a military family, Phil has a very strict adherence to the rules. While he doesn’t blindly follow orders, he’d need a very good reason not to follow those given to him. He is very professional and courteous towards his superiors.

Phil has a small, close circle of friends, but aside from them doesn’t tend to socialize much. He’s also something of an introvert and enjoys nice, quiet areas.

Despite his good intentions, Mach is initially going to have a bit of an ego problem given that he’s confident no villain is a threat so no one can catch him. As time and experience march on he’ll realize there’s more to a fight than the physical realm and as such he’ll end up maturing a bit more.

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Bureau of Superheroes by mojorover
Bruiser and Colmaton by train

Picture by fcsimba