Leonard Cushing
| Leonard Cushing | |
|---|---|
| |
| First appearance | Trust Issues, Part 1 |
| In-story stats | |
| Known ability | Acid secretion |
| Nickname | Leo |
| Gender | |
| Age | 34 (at death) |
| Date of birth | September 23, 1972 |
| Place of birth | Mesa, AZ |
| Date of death | March 2007 |
| Home | Mesa, AZ; Las Vegas, NV |
| Occupation | Agent of The Company |
Leonard Cushing was an Agent of The Company, who was also the partner of Thompson Jr.. He was an evolved human with the ability to generate corrosive fluids.
Character History
Graphic Novel:Trust Issues, Part 1
An unknown mole, in the last month, had killed three normal human agents. When a fourth is killed the previous week, inside a Company facility, Cushing was the only one without an alibi.
Thompson Jr., believing Cushing was the mole, teamed up with Gael Cruz and Devin Patterson, with them taking it upon themselves to secretly hunt down Cushing, who they thought responsible for slowly destroying the Company he grew up in and his father helped build, as well as sensing the trust the Company is based on had been broken.
Against proper authorization, Thompson Jr., Gael and Devin secretly tracked Cushing across town. Cushing switched cars three times and secured a bag at a Ridgeline Station, and then entered the Borno Industries building, with the others spotting the car of Agent Jamie Wu at the premises.
Entering with guns drawn, Thompson Jr. checked one of the rooms, and was devastated to find Cushing standing near Wu's body, now victim number five, and another normal human.
While Thompson Jr. holds him at gunpoint and accused him of murder, Cushing calmly explains he didn't do this. When Gael enters and the two men begin to maneuver to stop his escape, Cushing uses his ability to create a hole in the floor and flee.
Thompson Jr. pursues him, with Cushing soon forced to fight him. As they did so, Cushing once again insisted he didn't kill Wu, that he got a note saying to meet Wu here, that she'd name the mole and he came there to meet her. Thompson Jr. dared Cushing to prove it by coming in with them.
Cushing, getting the better of Thompson, Jr., insists he can't, as he would be "ruby'd" in under an hour, and as such refused to tell Thompson Jr. how he was involved. Powering up his ability, Cushing apologized to his friend, insisting he had to catch the mole on his own...only for Devin, having a low opinion of "specials", to grab up Thompson Jr.'s gun and shoot Cushing in the back.
Cushing dies in Thompson Jr.'s arms, his last words warning them that "Evs Dropper" is always watching.
Thompson Jr. and Devin argued over killing Cushing, but Gael put it to an end, insisting that it was over and they take care of themselves. Cushing's body, meanwhile, was left in the building with Wu's body, an attempt to separate themselves from the incident.
Later, Thompson Jr. received flows from Evs offering his condolences for Cushing's death. It is at this that Thompson Jr. realizes paranoia and distrust was thriving with agents dying, and a line steadily being drawn between normal and evolved humans. After showing the flowers to Gael and Devin, they realized Evs Dropper triceed them and set them up to kill one of their own. Knowing Bob would have them killed for it, they keep it a secret, with trust now being a matter of survival.
Graphic Novel:Trust Issues, Part 2
Donna Dunlap, having been grounded from missions and placed with Company Internal Affairs, joined Thompson Jr.'s search for the mole. To this end, Donna leads the investigation into Cushing's death (including the doctor who is autopsying Cushing's body), speaking with everyone involved and doing more research.
Donna, despite sensing and understanding (even sharing) the feelings of hatred Company agents have towards Internal Affairs, sensed something else was wrong, and the evidence didn't add up; e.g. the bullet that killed Cushing was never found, the toxicology reports were strange etc. Donna realized someone was hiding things. Donna then receives a package from Evs Dropper, who she attempted to break ties with. The package contains the missing bullet. Donna then had tests run, and matched it to Cushing's blood and unique acid signature, and ballistics matched it to Thompson Jr.'s gun.
Donna then confronted Thompson Jr. in his office with the evidence. Knowing he was beaten, Thompson Jr. explained everything to Donna; Cushing, the murders they were trying to stop, the suspicion and paranoia that was taking over the Company, and how Evs Dropper took advantage of that to "off" Cushing.
Graphic Novel:Berlin Part 1
While in Berlin, Gael and Devin argue about Gael's presence. As it goes on, Gael reminds Devin that someone inside the Company is setting agents up to die, and then points out that the last time Devin was on a case, to find Evs Dropper, he killed Cushing, an innocent person with special abilities.
Graphic Novel:Hindsight
When Donna is imprisoned when her ties to Evs Dropper are now exposed, Gael, while leading the interrogation, reminds Donna of Cushing's last words; that he is "always watching", and insinuates that Donna uses her own ability of telescopic vision to keep an eye on things for Evs, such as Cushing's death at the hands of his fellow agents.
Heroes Evolutions
A week prior to Cushing's debut in Trust Issues, Part 1, evsdropr sent out a message with a sequence of numbers and symbols, 7-!$-9-*-19-@!-3. When the symbols are matched to their corresponding number on a keyboard and the numbers are changed to letters (1 = A, B = 2, C = 3, etc.), the sequence spells out "G-N-I-H-S-U-C", Cushing spelled backwards.
Cushing's case file (password: LCtsn45p) at primatechpaper.com contains a personal history for Cushing:
Cushing was born in Mesa, Arizona, where he was raised by his father. He is not known to have any living siblings. Deviant behaviors noted throughout school records; most incidents may be attributed to lack of stable home life, and early discovery of ability.
As a teenager, Cushing made a name for himself by melting gold ore from rock in local mining towns. Company placed him on investigatory surveillance. After requisite observation period, Cushing was determined to possess the ability of secreting a highly potent acid from the pores of his epidermis.
After a prolonged and difficult recruiting process, Cushing was stationed in Las Vegas for 6 years, and tasked with shadowing persons of interest. Placement with long-term partner difficult due to Cushing's habit of dropping off the grid for months at a time. In 2007, Cushing was effectively paired with Thompson Jr.
Cushing's body was found deceased under highly suspicious circumstances. The matter remains classified as "Under Investigation." Though a formal investigation into the circumstances of his death is pending, Cushing is also suspected of traitorous activities, and may be responsible for the recent unsolved murder of five agents.
The case file also includes a psychological profile:
Cushing is classified as highly unstable. Often utilizes abilities in unpredictable and inappropriate manner. From childhood, overcharged, untrained emotions may impact control index of unique ability. In latest assessment, partner Thompson Jr. has proven to be a stabling influence on Cushing's performance and responsibility.
In light of difficulties in recruitment, sporadic unexplained disappearances, and reluctance to work with a partner, Cushing has been monitored closely throughout his association with the Company. All files now tagged for pending investigation.
Regarding this file, evsdropr said, "The Company is confused; their levels of trust are waning. The problem is with the Company."
Evolved Human Abilities
Cushing had the ability to generate highly corrosive fluids. When using it, his hand secreted a highly potent acid from the pores of his epidermis that could quickly eat through metal. He seemed to be unaffected by the fluids he created.
According to his assignment tracker file at primatechpaper.com, Cushing's control index was 65%. His data analysis shows his biological level at 80, cerebral at 30, elemental at 20, and temporal/spatial at 10.
Trivia
- According to his assignment tracker profile, Cushing was 6'3" and weighed 185 pounds.
