Deep Six

Powers:

(none)

Equipment:

Deep Sea Diving Suit, Mk 2 (a): after he stopped using his S.H.A.R.C., Malcom switched from his rather bulky, original diving suit for this more advanced, more flexible outfit. Malcom's second diving suit has all the abilities of his first, save for the rather impressive body armor. They include:

* Life Support (s): an essential ability for a diving suit, Malcom's slender outer wear also gives him the ability to breathe under the water. It offers him this power at intensity 15, giving the man enough air to breathe underwater for two full days before his supply runs out (limited to air only).

* Resistance to Cold and Pressure Variance (s): able to work properly on the ocean floor, Malcom's second suit naturally has these powers to some extent, as both threats exist so far beneath the waves. The suit has these powers at intensity 5, offering Malcom +5 protection from such attacks.

Knife (s): most military men carry a knife on them in the field, Malcom being no exception to this. He can use this handy, standard-issue blade to inflict +2 damage in melee. Also, since it is made from material strength 12 metals, it can be used to cut through items of like m.s.

Rifle (a): when he quit flying his S.H.A.R.C. around, Malcom picked up this weapon to replace its impressive firepower. It can be fired to inflict his Agility +5 damage in a short burst, +6 in a full-auto spread. Also, it has a large scope on top, offering a +1 to ambush attacks.

Hindrances:

Phobic / Crowds: though he's not scared of other humans, per se, Malcom simply cannot stand to be around them for any length of time. If he finds himself among a large group of people, he should be at zero (0) in all abilities until he returns to a solitary condition - or at least one with minimal folks around.

Skills:

Boxing (s): an essential Navy skill, Malcom has learned how to defend himself if he should find himself totally unarmed. In weaponless melee, Malcom can divide his pre-cardplay action score between two attacks, the last of which he may attempt as a contingent action.

Demolitions (a): since a large portion of his job involves dealing with underwater compounds and vehicles once he finds them, Malcom has been trained in the fine art of blowing them to bits. He should receive a difficulty reduction on any action required when setting explosives in the best place on a given target.

Marksmanship (a): a skill he gained while in training to become a Navy man, Malcom can use most guns with ease. Whether it be a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, or even a weird weapon like a shotgun or a harpoon gun, Malcom may use it at a reduced difficulty level.

Military / United States (w): serving as a handy origin for his many talents, this skill represents most of the ability granted by Malcom's basic training. This skill imparts unto him an almost instinctual understanding of military protocols and procedures, and allows him to lead fighting men into battle.

Underwater Combat (a): his primary claim to fame, Malcom is highly adept in underwater combat, since he's a deep sea diver with extensive military training in this area. This allows him to use Agility instead of Strength or Intellect in combat when applicable (to hit, initiative, etc...).

Calling:

Peace of Mind, with a secondary calling of Soldier: Malcom has no problem doing his job - he's really good at it, since it allows him to be alone, after all. He strives for this state of being more than anything else, and will go to great lengths to achieve it - only in solitude does Malcom truly feel comfortable.

Costume:

When he's not actually diving on some mission to blow up lots of Cobra subs or underwater bases, Malcom wears a simple, day to day uniform. It includes a pair of blue trousers, a thick gray turtleneck sweater with blue shoulder pads, a standard pair of black leather boots, and a sailor's cap.

Malcom's fourth diving suit is the same as his second, save for the color. It is mostly yellow in hue, with red gloves, a black belt, a red knife sheath, black pads on his lower legs, steel boots, a black connector for his helmet, and finally, a bright yellow diving helmet (again, not for stealth reasons).

Personality:

Malcom is a cold fish... really. He hates being around other people, and his inter-personal skills are next to none. Most of his time is spent on solo pursuits, like bottle cap collecting or crossword puzzles, since he just can't deal with the rest of humanity. He's loyal and hard-working... just barely human.

Real Name: Malcom R. Willoughby, grade E-7 CPO (Chief Petty Officer)
Occupation: Gi Joe deep sea diver
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Gi Joe

Height: 6' 1"
Hair: red-brown
Eyes: brown
Weight: 180 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: whenever surrounded by even small groups of people, or even just one, Malcom tends to sulk, and looks rather unhappy to be alive.

Story:

Malcom isn't the kind of guy who ever won popularity contests - just the opposite, in fact. He's not a people person, and never has been; all of his leisure time is taken up in solitary pursuits and hobbies, such as bottle cap collecting, playing solitaire, and solving the New York Times crossword puzzle.

This is one of the reasons he wanted to become a diver: to be alone. To this end, he joined up with the Navy, and his ability to focus for extended periods of time when cut off from the rest of humanity made him rather good at deep sea assignments. When the Joes needed such a diver, Malcom readily applied.

The Gi Joe team is a rather small outfit, really. Out of the 50 Navy deep sea divers who applied, only twelve were qualified - but eight of those washed out when going through the practical application. Of the remaining four, Malcom was the one who could hold his breath the longest... so he got the job.

Once accepted onto the Gi Joe team, Malcom took the name Deep Six, and began to train in the use of an experimental new vehicle, a sort of flying submarine. This marvel of modern engineering, an undersea craft that can actually go from submerged to airborne instantly, is very tricky to operate.

But Malcom has gotten the hang of it, and used it on his very first mission with the Joes. On this mission, he bailed several Joes out of a jam when they were losing a firefight with Firefly and Wild Weasel. When Wild Bill went to thank him for it, though, the man couldn't even bear to acknowledge Bill's presence.

This almost got him hit by the southern pilot, but Cutter and Airborne held him back, describing Malcom's exceptionally poor people skills to the man. Sure, Malcom is loyal to a fault and very good at what he does, but he just can't deal with other human beings more than is minimally necessary.

Nonetheless, Hawk keeps Malcom around, since he's the most qualified man in the armed forces to fill his position. This is why, after several years, Malcom was assigned to work with the Eco-Warriors for a time. After all, Cobra troublemakers work all over the world, even deep beneath the ocean waves.

Naturally, this tends to irk Malcom, since he enjoys hanging out on the ocean floor for the darkness, quiet, and solitude it provides - and wanna-be world dominators intruding on his personal space make him angry, especially when they bring toxic goo with them to pollute the water for no good reason.

For a time, Malcom worked with this small group of environmentally-friendly Joes, but he eventually returned to the Joe team proper, at least until its deactivation in '94. When this occurred, he seemed to abandon military life for a time, occupying himself by recording whale songs with his dolphin, Finback.

When the Joes inevitably became active again a few years later, Malcom reluctantly joined back up with them to continue the fight against Cobra; reluctant not because he didn't want to fight, so much as he didn't want to be around people. But he did his part nonetheless, helping the Joes save the world.

You know, yet again.

Extra Goodies:

Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Deep Six: