Zenith

Zenith
Department	Extraction Team
Layer	Atziluth
Assignment	Nothing There CENSORED Blue Star The Queen of Hatred Melting Love
Equipment
Equipment	E.G.O Weapon - Mimicry E.G.O Suit - Da Capo E.G.O Gift - Lamp E.G.O Gift - Sound of a Star E.G.O Gift - Cobalt Scar
Titles
Level I	Frivolous Newbie
Level II	Frivolous Employee
Level III	Frivolous Analyst
Level IV	Wacky Analyst
Level V	Wacky Slayer

"Fancy meeting you 'ere, Mr. Manager. Say, how's it feel bein' here in Extraction where all the magic happens? Whaddaya say? Wanna look in a Well? Aren'tcha curious about where all these Abnormalities are comin' from? Don't worry now, I'm here in case you go cuckoo!"
― Zenith

Zenith is an Employee and Captain of the Extraction Team under Binah. The player meets them on Day 26 shortly after meeting Ezra, picking up all the damaged EGO to bring back for restoration in Extraction. On Day 40 onwards, Zenith will be available for Deployment as the Extraction Team Captain.

Zenith is an individual of above average height standing at 5'10. They are well toned and muscular. Their face is oval in shape, their eyes are ochre, and their hair a dull, almost mauve pink. Without the Cognition Filter, Zenith is shown to have tanned skin.

Being the Captain second only to Ezra, Zenith is one of the Senior Employees whose assignments fall under high risk WAW and ALEPH classifications. They work with the infamous Nothing There as their main assignment, with other assignments such as Blue Star, The Queen of Hatred and Melting Love. Zenith stands as one of the most mentally resilient Employees, being able to handle CENSORED with ease.

Personality

Off the bat, Zenith is one huge oddball. They are unbothered by the environment, and their very friendly and casual attitude makes them stick out like a sore thumb. They do not seem to act with any underlying ill intent, and just seem to not care about any consequence. Formalities are all but "fancy schmancy" to Zenith, who makes strong impressions with their more outlandish attitude. They do not have the makings of a Captain, one can see, but it is their expressive exterior that often draws others to them.

They do not act like it, but Zenith is extremely jaded to the point of having cracked. They are always excited, and during stressful events, borderline euphoric. They no longer feel fear, and in fact become excited during suppressions. Zenith is one who will revel in the violence and push themselves to see just how strong they are, and if their opponent can amtch up to them. They will not hesitate to become gruesome, and even would do things that other normal people could never imagine doing. They have cracked so much that they are unbothered by even the most mentally destructive Abnormalities or brutal Employee deaths, not really flinching even when witnessing a kill from CENSORED.

If there is one thing that Zenith values above all, it's their freedom. Not physical freedom, but the freedom to do whatever they please, and they feel they have found that freedom in the confines of Lobotomy Corporation. This is a result of their cracked mentality, being caged for most of their life and not being allowed their own personhood has caused them to act only in self-interest. With no sense of permanence, Zenith could jump from one thing to another if they feel like it, with little regard to others if they will only die soon. Not their death, not their problem.

Zenith wastes no time in expressing their thoughts and ideas, even going as far as to talking to themselves while they work. One would see that they have such a bizarre line of thinking, but with how they flawlessly execute their plans with pride and confidence with spectacular results will reveal that Zenith is nothing short of brilliant. They; however, are surprisingly not demeaning nor boastful, but rather simply passionate about their projects and will explain to anyone who will hear. They don't speak in jargon either, sharing their passions and enthusiasm in simple language that even the non-tech or science savvy may understand.

Zenith is not without their soft spot, but it is very rare for Zenith to show genuine care for others in a way normal people would approach such issues. They are, in fact, surprisingly emotionally attentive to their fellow Captains. Attachment is not something very common to them; but being in Lobotomy Corporation with the same set of Captains as constants in their life for a good decade, they developed an attachment and value to these lives. However; if they do die, it will be easy for Zenith to move on; as they never truly had a sense of permanence.

A sense of justice is not something a wide majority of people associate Zenith with, but they absolutely have one. In particular, with children. They have a more sensitive attitude even with children abnormalities, strangely knowing how to handle them without setting them off. Zenith never speaks of their past, but one can clue in on their experiences growing up when they witness Zenith sympathize with children, and even going as far to protect them. This is the most one will ever see from Zenith's more humane and sensitive side.

Story

History

Unbeknownst to others, Zenith is not who they say they are. They have long forgotten their birth name and much of their early memories. The once nameless child was born in the Backstreets, among Rats and resorted to thievery and cannibalism to survive. Whoever they came across, they took the name given to them, even just descriptors like "girl", "boy", "child" or "brat". All they cared about was survival, and even if it meant tricking people to steal their food, rob their houses or even kill them while they slept only to have a place to live.

The child was only around 9 years old when they were taken by a supposedly kind Nest Organization that offered to bring Backstreets children into the Nest. Being a young child, they took their chances, and fell right into the Organization's trap. A chance at living comfortably was better than nothing. However; not everything was what it seemed. They, along with many other children, were taken to a 'family' who fed them lavishly. While they were being cared for, each child was given a number, and this nameless child identified with the number they were given: 013, and almost cherished it because they were given care that was so alien to them. Little did they know they had been trafficked.

013 was among 40 children taken by this organization and lived under this huge 'family' only known among the Nest denizens as the Tetzel Family, known for their "philantrophy" and "giving opportunities to the children of the Backstreets to become well contributing citizens." However; underneath the ruse of philantrophy was something much more sinister: the Tetzel were also known in the upper echelons for hosting exclusive, battle royale style entertainment events that only the richest were allowed access to. Said events were usually how they chose their next 'child' for their 'family', taking in the last one standing as they were 'strong enough to become a great contribution to the City'. These 40 children, 013 included, were the stars for the new season of this event. The children were all pit against each other, almost in gladiator fashion, where they would fight to the death with whatever they could use in the arena. It was a nightmare for 013, who had to trample on and kill every other contestant. 013 was not the strongest, and used their head to actually come up with ways to survive the onslaught on the fly. To the spectators, this was incredibly entertaining, and to them was one of the better shows they have seen in recent years. 013, surprisingly, did not care much that they had to kill everyone in the arena. The nightmare, they thought, was the thought of one of the other children outsmarting them. The experience; however, caused the child to crack. With their victory, they were given an actual human name: Maike.

Maike was celebrated by the spectators, soon after being showered with gifts as they were being congratulated for being the strongest contender. They were told that they would be a great contribution to the City, and with such an outstanding performance, they would set off to do great things. Now Maike Tetzel, the child was showered with love as if they never went through that traumatic experience. They were now the new youngest child among many past victors they came to know as their 'siblings' growing up. Maike was educated in not only the general academic fields, but other extra subjects that would enocurage them to already figure out what they wanted to specialize in. They were never left wanting, the organization's way of keeping their victors in line and indebted to them. The child proved to be incredibly bright and thought out of the box, a good sign that the victor of the event had great potential. On top of that, they were an incredibly fast learner, and was able to rapidly advance in their studies and accelerate. Maike was not directly abused, but to a point, they were being conditioned to follow in the footsteps of the Tetzel, being told that "there could not possibly be anything more for them outside of the family." Despite this, Maike did find some passions, and eventually years later would end up in University taking up Microbiology because of it; which was encouraged by the family for them to be able to focus on a new event they were planning. With such an expertise and a bright child, they held hopes for Maike.

However; Maike became to grow bored and stifled by their life among the Tetzel. Part of their conditioning was to be forced to watch the same sort of ordeals that they had to survive in the first place. They were never able to truly get past it, and started to develop some internal turmoil in regards to it. They would be controlled, the organization worried they were to become a loose cannon. Eventually, something snapped in Maike, unable to crawl through the drag that is to have their entire life predetermined by an organization that pretends to be a family to use children and turn them into workers to keep their pockets lined. They decided to take their on freedom one day, and it was to kill the entire family. Now, the Tetzel were huge, their 'philantrophy' praised and the truth kept secret for decades. However; that did not deter Maike. If they could kill the main family and then kill the rest of the members later, that's alright with them. Carefully, they planned each kill, and most often preferred to kill more than two people at once to make their lives easier. Every single murder was staged like an accident, and Maike always had an alibi. They enjoyed what they did, and thought that they made some good work out of it. Even with other distant members hiring Fixers to investigate, Maike already had taken an amassed wealth and faked their own death to avoid suspicion. With that, and the news of the serial murders dying down, Maike abandoned their name and returned to the Backstreets to hide.

In the Backstreets, they used their expertise in microbiology to be able to get by. They were by all means not a licensed Doctor, but they pretended to be one anyway by creating genetially modified and biological prosthetics, which they also tampered with to be considered "body enhancement". Their work was extremely risky, but they were willing to do it regardless because their services would always fetch a high price. They would hunt down healthy Nest people, most especially those who fell under the likes of the Tetzel, and harvest them. Their supply of biological prosthetics had to come from somewhere. Eventually, they were called "Doc of the Backstreets" for their services, but that also made them a target for other competing workshops. Maike, now going by many different names as they wasnted to disassociate with the Tetzel, thought of protection and safeguarding. In this, area, they were well aware that they were in Index territory, and did some work for them from time to time. They didn't mull over it too much, and simply decided to join the Index if it meant they'd have more security. They didn't want to die, after all they've been through.

In the Index, they refused to be called Maike, opting to be called Tin, like the metal. They offered their biological prosthetic services and even told the Index that they would genetically modify their members to become even stronger. They wouldn't have to wrestle too hard with other Syndicates if they would be too strong for them. Of course, to have a known name in the Backstreets would prove beneficial to the Index, and it could possibly grow their influence. They agreed to take in Tin, and inducted them into the Index. Working with these prescripts was a time of adjustment for Tin, but they settled for this because the Index were very lenitent with them, much to their surprise. Even more to their surprise, they got along well with many of the members, and even caught the affections and babying of their superior, Gloria, who would dote on them and tell them how talented they are and how much better it is to have them around. Somehow, it was comfortable for Tin, and from "Doc of the Backstreets", they became "Doc of Index", and a feared manhunter who would harvest dozens of people every few days and suddenly Index would come out with even more powerful Proselytes. Tin made a name for themselves, and their face would be come to feared in the Backstreets. However; they grew weary and bored doing nothing but Prescripts. They weren't terribly fazed by what these Prescripts told them to do, they just didn't want to keep following these for the rest of their life. So, they escaped Index and intended to change their identity to be able to find security in the Wings. Their escape, unknown to them, was assisted by an old friend of theirs they would meet again years later. Leaving Index wasn't much of a big issue to them, because they at least didn't have to resort to killing their former comrades.

With their connections and a little bit of threatening, they changed their documents, now listing their name as Zenith Agnes Strazzer, and falsifying any record that could track down their past identities. There was no real deep meaning to their naming choices, but they simply felt like being fancy. The name Zenith, they felt, was a little more permanent than their old ones. No longer tied to anything and free to do whatever they want. Zenith now aimed to find a job in Lobotomy Corporation, a Wing they heard did not require lofty qualifications. Still; their falsified documents would have allowed them to enter any Wing they so wished, but Lobotomy Corporation was the first that came to mind, and the most accessible to them as far as they knew.

Plot

Coming to Lobotomy Corporation almost felt like a dream for them. Zenith found themselves where they can experiment however they pleased because of the presence of Abnormalities. There was no need to go manhunting, as there would always be breaches. They took incredibly well to the culture of the workplace, and the dread was something they deflected no problem. The results Zenith got in the Training Program for new Employees immediately landed them in the position of an Agent. Initially, they were put in the Disciplinary Department with their qualifications and results. Even as a Level I Employee, they showed exceptional ability in handling Abnormalities, and felt like they just belonged there. With their numerous skills, they would be switched between Disciplinary, Welfare, and Extraction. Either way, Zenith became a popular name in the lower floor of the Facility, and eventually got some rumors and urban legends of their own in a matter of months.

Zenith would always find themselves gravitating to the work done in Extraction. Even if they were in Disciplinary or Welfare, they would find themselves working on EGO, extracting them from Wells and managing to enhance and spilce up new EGO (at the cost of its instability). It was a whole new world for them to explore, and with the limitless amount of materials and energy, they would spend days in Extraction just experimenting. Eventually, Zenith found themselves wanting to permanently transfer to Extraction, where they would always be. It was also convenient because their specialization helped them more with EGO than anything else. The Transfer Request was approved, and after only three months in Extraction; Zenith proved themselves to be incredibly capable as both a Researcher and an Agent. Their hard work was rewarded with the position of Captain, which gave them even more leeway to do whatever they wanted and only answer to others when there was a need for assistance in Suppressions. For their Captaincy, they still had to undergo training from their previous Captain, Ezra. According to Ezra, all Zenith needed to work on was a little bit of self restraint, elsewise she didn't actually need to show Zenith the ropes at all, acknowledging their capabilities for the role. In only six months, they had become Captain of the Extraction Team. They were compared to Ezra, a former Colored Fixer, in feats.

With Lobotomy Corporation having Employees from all walks of life and the different sectors of the City's Society, Zenith's presence struck fear into many from the Backstreets. These people recognized them as "Doc of Index", and while Zenith acknowledged and addressed that concern, they also mentioned "Doc" is now far in the past and they just shrug it off at that point. With this knowledge spread out to the facility, it was no surprise that Zenith was where they were at such a short period of time. They were stellar in their Suppressions and did impeccable work even if their methods were incredibly outlandish methods. Eventually, people would forget "Doc", because they were no longer being faced with whom they feared, but a Captain of the Facility.

A highlight of Zenith's work in Lobotomy Corporation was their incessant project pitches. They would draft projects such as EGO Splicing, Abnormality Splicing, etc. their magnum opus, they believed, was a continuation of their work in Index, which they now would call EGO Prosthetics. While their projects were indeed useful in a way, most of them; and EGO Prosthetics in particular, were rejected. The most they were given leeway for was Abnormality Splicing, which meant there would be more ways to produce energy for the company. However; just because only one project was approved doesn't mean they didn't work on the others. The Facility's Secretary, Angela, often gave them warnings for their actions; but their Sephirah, Binah, would disagree with Angela's actions and tell her that what Zenith is doing could prove helpful to her goals in the long run.

Trivia

• Zenith is currently 32 years old and has been an Employee for 7 years. Their birthday is March 3. As Captain, they served for 6 1/2 years.
• Aside Microbiology, Zenith actually really loves plants and applies their specialty there. They have a collection of what they call "Freaks of Nature" because they spliced way too many plants into each other.
• Plant experimentation also applies to Abnormalities. They have a collection of Abnormality Succulents by injecting their biological components into plant cells. Their pride and joy is what they call the "Nothing There Cactus", which they all their companion and desk friend.
• Something to note about Zenith is that they also very much prefer to work on the plant abnormalities and study them. They have somehow befriended these Abnormalities much to the confusion of the other Employees present.
• Zenith never tells anyone their old names. They have been discarded for a reason. However; they treasure the name Tin.
• Sometimes, Zenith and Ezra would train/spar with their EGO. Being two of the strongest Employees in the Facility and able to unleash the full potential of EGO without a sweat, other Employees would watch them spar. It is a spectacle, according to most who have witnessed these matches.
• A little 'passion project' they have is trying to stop Nothing There from transforming. They would like to attempt to permanently prevent it from morphing, but the genetics are difficult as it always takes someone else's skin. Still, Zenith likes to try.
• Zenith is one of the only Employees who can hear the voices of EGO in their head. They find it odd that others can't seem to hear the voices of EGO; others have chalked it up to Zenith's mental state and their mental resilience.
• When they don on their EGO Gifts, they can still see perfectly because of Big Bird's Gift, as Sound of a Star covers their actual eyes. It is known that they use Big Bird's gift to make eye contact with others during work.
• The oddest thing about Zenith, according to everyone who knows them, is that they could look into one of the Wells, but not go insane at the sight of it. In fact, there was no need to administer Enkephalin to them in order for them to cope with Lobotomy Corporation.
• Zenith is famously known for being able to handle CENSORED with no issue at all, but it doesn't mean they like working with it. Zenith often spaces out when they are alone after working with CENSORED.
• Calling them 'Zen' or 'Zenny' will actually light them up and get them all giddy.
• Zenith speaks with a Southern Accent, similar to Nico from Devil May Cry 5.