[Phantom]

Rayner Neriah June

Full Name: Rayner Neriah June
Pronouns: He/Him
Nicknames: Rain, Ray
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Birthplace: Arcata, California
Birthday: June 30th
Orientation: Bisexual
Status: Single
Occupation: Officer
Power: Shockwave Manipulation
Play-By: Seunggi Lee
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 167 lbs


Personality:
Rayner has an easy, natural charisma about him. He is surprisingly tolerant of most things outside of his main job (guarding the entrance). He is, usually, mature. When he can be, Rayner tries to be helpful to the subjects of Infinity- sometimes that "help" comes in the form of a knowing stare, or glance, to watch what you talk about where. He is reliable, but somehow in a way that makes him a massive pain in the ass. Rayner is a challenging personality: he wants to bring out the best in people- that push isn't always welcome though. Generally, he gets on well with others when he's making an effort, and he doesn't mind doing some heavy-lifting socially.

While Rayner has an easy-going attitude, in many aspects, he's strict. Particularly when he's on gate-duty. Rayner is a very private person- he doesn't like to talk about himself unless he's talking about the past- before he got involved in the gifted world. Most importantly, while he'll grumble about it, Rayner is a person that can never be passive. He might not act how you want him to, or how he wants to, but he will always act. He tries, especially with students, to keep things formal. That's a little easier said than done, though.

Rayner is, usually, mature- but sometimes his old personality gasps for air on the surface for a second, and he can be more than a little childish. Rayner is extremely opinionated. He has, with time and a little outside help, learned to bite his tongue in most situations. In that sense, he's more than a little repressed, and most people can probably tell he's holding back- if not by his body language, than by the look in his eyes. Rayner is fiery. Although he's more of a match nowadays than a bonfire.

Mostly, Rayner is just a confusing mix of thankful and deeply resentful. He would much rather be out in the world, with his family, but it's better to be alive than dead. While he is an officer, there is something teacherly about him. He's the type of person to just casually drop little nuggets of wisdom, out of the blue. And if you watch carefully, you'll be able to see hints of desperation in his eyes- cracks in the facade.


History:
While his mother was always a constant in his life, Rayner got used to his father being a part-timer early. The neighborhood he grew up in (in the "bad part" of town,) was actually a nice place to live, even if everyone else took the long way around. You just had to ignore the rumors- like how pizza places wouldn't deliver there after dark.

They didn't have much, but they took care of what they did. His mother always made sure that they looked as presentable as possible in the outside world- nice clothes, and not a hair out of place. His dad... Well, Chris came around, lived with them, and decided he wanted to be a parent every six to eight months or so. Then he'd get bored, pack up, and leave them on their own. Rayner wouldn't realize until later that- as the only "full time" parent- his mother unfairly shouldered not only the blame when he acted out, but everything else.

As a child Rayner was energetic, boisterous, and practically unstoppable. His mother was at work most of the time- so during the day and, when he started, after school- he'd stay next door. The lady there also had a son around his age, and a younger daughter who they grudgingly let tag along whenever they went anywhere.

At school, Rayner was a little more well-behaved. He absolutely did not want his mom to be called in during the day because of his behavior.

Circumstances aside, Rayner had a pretty normal childhood. Some behavior issues here and there, sure. But when he actually liked and respected his teacher, he usually tried to be on his best behavior. It wasn't his fault that Mark had fallen off the monkey bars after he dared him to do a flip- he's the one that did it! (Or, more accurately, failed to do it.)

Compared to his personality, Rayner's face matured quickly. By the time he was fourteen, if he didn't shave, he could get into some of the events at the local college. At his actual school, he wasn't a particularly bright or sporty student. He did enjoy being a part of various clubs though. It was fun to get to do things like decorate the lunchroom, or just bullshit with the debate club (that was fun until he started to get heated- and they'd almost throw things at each other- that definitely would have merited a call home!)

Like many teenagers his age, Rayner's blood was running hot. Shit, between teenage boys sometimes a fistfight is a bonding activity! His mouth was reckless, and his fists were usually bandaged- and not because he wanted to look tough. His mother didn't like it, but there wasn't much she could do about it unless she was actually there- and by then he had stopped giving a fuck about what Chris said or thought. Maybe if he wanted him to care, he should have actually been around for more than a few months out of a year, or paid child support. His teachers and the school couldn't do anything either, since they were smart enough to not fight at school.

And because he did so little, Rayner got a job. His mom tried (and failed) to talk him out of it, so instead, they compromised. He'd only work a certain amount of hours, and she wouldn't accept more than enough to pay the electric bill from him. (He also paid almost all his club and school fees with his money, whatever he could get away with, unless she found out about it first.)

At school he was a semi-popular tough guy. At home, he had practically replaced the maintenance man in their apartment complex.

Most of the people that lived there were old, they couldn't always safely do something like change a light bulb. Contrary to... Everything, basically, Rayner didn't mind doing these little tasks. He'd have a list of things he'd go around and do on the weekend, and he was sure to schedule extra time to talk- if an elder offers you a snack or a drink, that usually means that they want to sit down and talk for twenty minutes. He got tons of free food, and like five different cakes on his birthday.

It was probably for the best that power-wise, Rayner was a late bloomer. The kid could have sneezed and took out all the windows on a city block! Would've went to hit a kid, and smacked him into another township. Instead, he was twenty, and now that he'd stubbornly took off on his own- out of Arcata and into the wild blue yonder- his mouth was still getting him in trouble.

Rayner had, logically, skipped college. It just wasn't for him- and he didn't want to saddle his mom with even more debt. He was pretty sure Chris's credit score was in the negatives, so no hope there. Thankfully, he wasn't afraid of a little manual labor. He was also apprenticing to be a plumber- he heard there was good money there.

The first time Rayner used his power, he was pissed off. But instead of breaking windows or cracking ribs, he was clearing brush. He was alone when the irritation boiled over: bent over with his hands rummaging over the ground. Bam! Brush cleared! If it wasn't all done in one go, he might have thought there was an earthquake. When he got home that day, he was afraid to touch anything. Then, he was kind of disappointed in himself: that was literally a get out of jail free card, and he didn't use it to crush his awful boss's car!

After that, Rayner was careful to keep his confrontations verbal- who knew when he'd explode like that again? It had literally annihilated most of the leaf litter, he didn't want to know what that kind of force would do to a person.

He questioned himself, too. It was impossible for a person to do something like that outside of comic books, and maybe a few video games (he mostly watched people play them at house parties, so he wasn't totally sure on that one). But it had happened- he wasn't totally losing it. He did sometimes feel like another person when he was furious, but he was still in control of himself. There wasn't any weather phenomenon that could cause that that he knew of.

Was it a one off thing? Did he use his one chance to do something awesome to clear up some leaves? There was only one way to find out.

Turns out, it was a lot harder to do when he wanted to do it. Rayner looked ridiculous. He'd driven out pretty far into the country where, ideally, nobody would see him actively making a fool of himself. He did that multiple times over the next few months- and he wasn't able to do it again. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. He was just making an ass of himself for all the squirrels and trees to see.

Just when he was about to give up, he finally got some results. Rayner was getting frustrated, and what do you know, when he's angry apparently he gets things done- Bam! So hard he knocked himself flat.

Okay... So, this was nothing to play around with. He would be fine- so long as he didn't strike anything when he was angry.

Rayner continued living life on his tiptoes- he was still very much a punk- he just wasn't going around starting fights like he used to! That was pretty easy when he wasn't having to approach would-be bullies to remind them that this was high school, and if they wanted to fight someone, they should try him instead. He also laid off the alcohol which- for him- was practically fight juice. There were many, many other ways to have fun sober.

He was having too much fun. So much fun that he fucked around and joined an underground movement. He also joined the plumbers union, but that's much less exciting.

Rayner was a cocky son of a bitch, but he wasn't so full of himself to think that he was special for being able to do what he could do. He grew up in Section 8 project housing, and used to do his homework in between customers at his job. He used to try and sneak swear words into the margins of the school newsletter in middle school, like a crossword puzzle. He used to pass around word banks for the swear words he snuck into the school newsletter, until he was caught and summarily demoted- not exactly the story of a kid destined for greatness.

So he put on his leaky boots, fought with the straps, fucked around, and pulled himself up a class. He went from broke to okay, which was better than he ever hoped he could do. But Rayner was born destined for something- and he was at the right place at the right time to meet the person that would bring him there.

He'd heard some things that didn't quite make sense at house parties, and now that he wasn't drinking more than a beer or two, he couldn't blame it on the alcohol.

He was right, he wasn't the only one. Even sober, Rayner had a reckless mouth. Thankfully he said the wrong thing in front of the right person- who shushed him and dragged him out where he could actually hear him over the music. At first, he thought they were about to throw down with the way he had his hand around his wrist, and was basically dragging him out to the backyard.

Okay, so he'd actually been very lucky that he'd said what he said to him. He got to know that guy pretty well over the next couple of weeks. There were others, but they were a very secretive group. He'd have to earn their trust.

It almost sounded like a scam, but he wasn't having to put out any money, so he might as well go with it. Worst comes to worst, he'd have a good story about the cult he almost joined.

They were extreme, but they weren't a cult. And Rayner found out just how lucky he actually had been this entire time. At twenty five- the fact that he hadn't been snatched up within the past couple of years, despite staying semi-local, was a miracle in itself. The best way to lay low was to keep moving.

People like them were disappearing all over the country- who was taking them, and why?

He was part of a small group that was part of a much bigger group, that at the end of the day, was still kind of a small group. But they all seemed incredibly powerful to him, training their abilities almost every single day- and if whoever was disappearing people knocked on their door, they'd get much more than a 'hello'.

He believed them, it just hadn't really touched his life yet. It was hard to feel something that felt so far away, until it wasn't. There was this kid he went to middle school with- Riley- his mom was friends with his mom on Facebook.

He disappeared.

Now, that could have been a coincidence. But Rayner knew better. They were only friends for a few years before he moved away, but he had seen him do one too many "magic tricks" that he could never figure out. It wasn't any of that "where'd the nickel go?" crap. He was the real deal.

Gone. Poof! Just in case, he tried to contact him, but he never heard anything. Like he'd just fallen off the face of the Earth. He was still probably listed as a missing person somewhere.

There's nothing quite like a somewhat nerdy kid you used to know going missing to scare you straight.

Rayner joined them. He didn't tell anyone where he was going, beyond letting his mom know that he had taken a traveling position. Which was kind of true.

It was an adjustment. Rayner was still hot-tempered as ever. That helped a lot when it came to his power, it didn't help as much dealing with authority. It was clear that he was all-in, but he wasn't always the asset he could be.

Sometimes he split from the particular sub-group he was in for another one. It took a while and a (friendly) feud or two, but he finally wound up where he felt he needed to be. It certainly helped that he had something of a crush on one of the men there- he didn't seem to think he was that bad either. There was also the teenager with more than a little ambition- who he felt strangely comfortable with the moment they met.

Rayner eventually learned to use his power without knocking himself immediately on his ass, or clear across the room. Instead, they trained him to knock other people off their feet.

He ended up dating that man for a bit, but it didn't work out. Didn't hurt to try, right?

Rayner had no reason to hang out with a kid that couldn't even buy his own beer, but he found himself curious about that teenager the few times they practiced together. He also wondered why, when he first arrived, everyone seemed curious about his sign- he didn't take them for the types that were super into Astrology.

He found out the reason they were asking hands on: twenty gallons of it. Considering he was a plumber, Rayner got a little plucky and asked why he didn't just bust the pipes instead.

So they picked up and moved, and moved again as a group. Hopscotching across the mainland US. Everywhere they went it felt like they got new reports. People gone missing- bases raided - simmering panic.

Wherever they went, that kid always took care to reach out to the groups around them. Rayner thought it was odd, they were so insular, but when someone asked for help- just like he did when he was a kid- he showed up to change the light bulb.

It did get him wondering though- and he even asked once: if he thought it was unfair that he only got to sit at the kid's table. He'll never forget how he looked him directly in the eyes and said: 'I can do plenty here.'

A couple of years later, Rayner was completely devoted to the cause. It felt like the most Important thing in the world, but nobody was talking about it.

Then again, if you spoke above a whisper, you might be next.

As he got more comfortable in the group, he found himself wandering out and mingling with the world while they traveled. That was how he first met Melody. They had one of those meetings that was also kind of a date- or a meeting that started as a meeting, and then halfway through became a date. Technicalities aside, he had her number- anytime they were out together, he was already planning the next date before they even said goodbye.

When they left he called her often- sometimes he skipped out to town to see her. He'd thought he'd been in love before, but it never felt like this. This had to be the real deal.

It was interesting to see how the group shifted over the years. Who stayed, who left- who got together or broke up. Who was in charge, who had authority, and who didn't. He had been right- Zack did get to leave the 'kid's table'- but he also noticed that he was taking more meds than he had before. Sometimes he'd have a splotchy red rash form on his neck, when he was really focusing on finding a solution to a problem.

It concerned him, but who was he to tell him to rest? He just secretly checked in on him once in a while.

He was still in semi-frequent contact with his mother. She was even friends with Melody on Facebook, which meant it was really serious.

He felt torn between two worlds- the resistance that he was dedicated to and entrenched in, and Melody- and the idea of a normal life- who he was spending more and more time with.

Things were going a little too smoothly, on all fronts. So it was only a matter of time until Rayner said the wrong thing, and landed himself in hot water.

A falling out with the "leader" of their group ought to do it. They mixed together like oil and water. For Rayner who was already torn, that was the last bit of force that completely ripped the sheet in half. He wasn't kicked out, he left (on an impulse). Over the last four years, he'd gotten much stronger- to the point he even wondered how he even let himself fall when he used his power before.

He could take care of himself. There were people there he didn't want to leave behind, but they'd be fine too.

Getting integrated back into the "normal" world was easier said than done. First things first, he had to get back into the union- which was much easier than the first time. He stayed at a motel in town until he had an actual salary. He could have stayed with Melody- and he did a lot- but he had left saying he could take care of himself, so he did.

He got back into the union just in time, because he wasn't just taking care of himself anymore.

Even though they only met once every four months or so, she was pregnant. Rayner wasn't sure how to react to the news. At first he was ecstatic, he was having a baby with the woman he loved- then he was conflicted. He had a father, but he never had a father. He had five months to sort through his thoughts, and eventually he landed here: Chris set the bar low, all he had to do was be better than that. He just had to be there for his kid. He could do that.

A huge milestone like having a child has a chance of either bringing a couple closer together, or breaking them apart. Their relationship worked really well when it was held together by nebulous pining and months apart. Now that they were actually living together, they were finding out just how incompatible they were.

And that was fine.

Really, it was fine. They didn't need to be together to take care of their daughter. They got along perfectly well outside of a relationship. After they sat down and really talked about it, they broke up amicably. They also agreed that Rayner would stay there for a while. She'd need a lot of help the closer she got to her due date, and she'd need help afterwards too. She was having to take more time off of work, so he pitched in and paid most of the bills.

September 21st was a day he'd remember forever. At 5:50AM Stephanie Brown (they'd talked about that too, and Rayner really didn't care whose last name was on the birth certificate) was born. Five pounds, six ounces. Slightly under average, but a perfectly healthy baby girl.

Her vocal chords definitely were. He'd shoot up from his sleep whenever she started crying during the night. Anytime Melody wasn't holding her, he was. He knew he was biased, but she seemed like the cutest, happiest baby on the planet. He'd have spent every waking second with her if he could.

His first impression of her was a lasting one, even as she developed from a baby into a toddler. She was the sweetest, happiest girl, and he didn't care if he'd been bent over all day snaking drains and tightening bolts- if she wanted up on his shoulders, he'd suck it up and lift her up for as long as she wanted him to. If Melody needed more money for diapers- or if she needed new clothes- he always provided. Maybe he was giving a little too much sometimes, but he knew what it was like to have a stingy father. Rayner wanted his daughter to have everything he didn't.

When Melody decided she wanted to start dating again, unless he was working, Rayner volunteered to watch Stephanie. Her new boyfriend seemed like a decent guy. Sometimes he was kind of dorky, but that was fine, he just tried to bite his tongue a bit when they were all together. He was great with Stephanie, so Rayner was okay with him, even if he did make a few jokes about him.

The idea always lurked in the back of his head- that it was good that Melody was with someone else. Any day now, he could disappear. He had said that he was fine- insisted that he could take care of himself- and so far he had, but he knew from his short time with the resistance that safety wasn't guaranteed. There were only so many places he could move around town to stay close to his family.

He didn't know how he pictured it would go- maybe they'd kick his door down, and he'd hit them with a shockwave, and they'd hit the pavement. Maybe they'd grab him on his way to or from work. Maybe he'd fly under the radar for a decade, and someone unassuming would approach him, and he'd slip for a moment, and that was how they'd get him.

He probably sounded like he needed a tinfoil hat, but it was better to be cautious, wasn't it? It wasn't like he could share these thoughts with anyone else. Rayner didn't take any day for granted.

He'll remember the day he was taken forever. August 3rd- or maybe it was the fifth. He'd only relaxed for a second, and a second was just enough.

When they got a call about an old house, he always knew it was going to be a long day. When they got a call about a house that was built in the 1800's? Forget it. It was going to be a busy day, and he wasn't looking forward to it. After lots of sweat, some blood, and almost tearing his hair out, the job was done.

He'd driven out about forty minutes to the job site. On the way back, driving through the woods in the dark, the odometer started acting funky. Little creepy- but it'd be fine. Rayner just wanted to get home.

Something shot out in front of the van, and he swerved to avoid hitting it. The gears audibly clunked together, the wheels screeched. He went from the right lane to the left, spun twice, and was now facing the other direction. He was trying to catch his breath, when he saw a person standing in front of the van.

He couldn't see their face clearly, but on a country road like this, he knew he had to get moving. He knew this was the way most horror movies started, but he rolled down the window anyway, and called out to them: 'Hey, are you okay?'

One second he was fine, the next he was fading fast.

They got him.

So, that was how they did the old disappearing act. He should have been way more upset than he was when he woke up. But Rayner had no idea where he was. He needed to get home, that was the only thing on his mind. When he stood up, it felt like the ground was swaying back and forth beneath his feet- he felt sick by the time he got to the door- and it wasn't a long walk. He opened the door, and was immediately greeted with strong, salty air. He was on a boat, and they were approaching an island fast. It wasn't like he could jump off into the middle of the ocean, so he went back into his room and sat down.

It was called Infinity, and the second Rayner got there, he thought about breaking the solid glass dome. He could probably do it, but then, where would he go? Steal the boat he came there in? It left the second they unboarded.

Infinity was a school for the gifted. Despite being a grown-ass adult, he had a roommate- in room #46. There was a closet with clothes that fit him, but that he didn't like much. They had lessons. What shocked him the most about the place was that not everyone there was like him. Some of them wanted to be there.

Over the course of six months, Rayner tried his best to play along. And in that time he became stronger than he had ever been. Strong enough that he was sure he'd be able to smash the glass- the concrete- maybe even fuck up the entire landscape while he was at it. He wasn't the only one that was thinking about it, he was sure. But before they could all get together and come up with a plan, like it had dozens of times before then, Rayner's mouth got him in trouble.

His fingers did, too.

He had grown up a lot from the teenager getting into fistfights almost every day, but make no mistake, Rayner was still a punk. He also didn't take anymore kindly to bullying now than he did then. While his time in the resistance had primed him to give a little more ground to his fellow gifted, he wasn't going to sit around and take this anymore. If anything, his fuse was even shorter now that they were all grown adults.

Rayner hopped right back into that mindset like it hadn't been more than a decade. Except instead of saying 'this is high school' in an incredulous tone, he didn't say anything. He didn't even warn him- if he did, the officer's would have seen what was coming.

He concentrated the blast at his feet- blowing the concrete underneath to bits. In a second, he was on the other side of the classroom- and his fingers were making contact. He was pretty sure he heard something (or multiple something's) snap before they intervened.

Rayner was cocky, but he knew better than to get into a fight with every officer on the island by himself. He was immobilized, and treated to a nice nap- again.

When he woke up, he was in a room he didn't recognize. His hands and feet were bound together, he couldn't even move his fingers or toes. All he could do was sit there and wait.

He began to doze off again when a screen blinked on in front of him. On it was a man that he'd never seen before. He was sure this place didn't have satellite, so he had to be here, but he didn't recognize him. On an island with at most two hundred people on it, that struck him as off. The man smiled a closed-lipped smile at him, then spoke:
'You caused a lot of damage today.'
It was the same way the principal at his middle school used to talk to him, only if he warned him he was about to be expelled, he would have begged him to.
'If you can behave yourself, I'd like to talk face to face.'

He couldn't blast him even if he wanted to, so sure. Seeing that guy in person felt different than seeing him on screen. He got the feeling that even if he could, he didn't want to take a run at him. So, not like his middle school principal after all.

'I've been keeping track of your development.' He noted dryly, flipping through the file in his right hand. His file, no doubt. 'You severely injured another student. If I hadn't called you in here...' He trailed off. Rayner could fill in the blank.

'So?' He asked.
'How important is your family to you?'
His family- why was he asking about his family? 'What did you do to them?'
'Nothing. I can have someone check on them, if you like.' He didn't press the question, so his reaction must have said enough.

'My family is also very important to me.'

Rayner had literally just broken a guy's ribs, and this man didn't seem at all bothered by it. He was serious, but almost friendly. Who was he? What did he want?

They continued back and forth for a few minutes. With Rayner hastily jumping to conclusions, and the other man, Noel, placating him.

'Listen to me carefully,' Rayner was somewhat more comfortable with him, so he was listening.
'Do you want to live?'
...Yes? Was that a question?
'If I leave now, you'll be dealt with harshly.' Okay.
'Or, you can stay here, and work for me.'
This was all his fault. How had he not known?! Apparently Noel could sense his anger.
'I didn't do anything to you. My influence ends here.'
'And then?'
'And then you get shipped off on the same boat you came here in.'

It felt like making a deal with the devil. But he could only provide for his family if he was alive.

There was a catch: he'd have to change.

Rayner held very, very still when Noel placed a hand on his shoulder. He expected it to hurt, but he didn't feel a thing, physically. Mentally, Rayner felt enlightened.

Almost overnight, he became a different person.

He taught him about DUAXP9, and the origins. What he did and didn't know. A few more touches of the shoulder: and Rayner was a new man.

When his class graduated, he stayed behind.

There isn't a word in the dictionary, not even in German, that would begin to describe how it felt to send a group of people that he bonded with for a year off to their deaths. But, by himself, Rayner was powerless to stop it. Just a small cog in a large machine.

Why did Noel pick him, of all people? He simultaneously felt deeply thankful, and a massive amount of resentment towards him. He often found himself wondering what exactly his game was. He knew they were being sent out somewhere, and he knew they weren't happy about it- yet he wanted to make them stronger. If he was a sympathizer, there was no way he'd be in the role he was in, unless he was the fakest man alive.

He could use his power without the anger. And he could use his power to keep students out of trouble. If there was one thing that he did agree with Noel on, it was that they shouldn't be cutting down their own. He would drop hints every once in a while. If he had to, he'd be firmer.

Not a day goes by when Rayner doesn't think about his family. His mom, Stephanie, Melody (they were still very much family). He accepted the moment he entered the gate that he was never going back- walking through it was a literal transition between lives- but that doesn't stop him from thinking about them, often.

His heart aches. Thinking of all the moments- all the first's he missed. First time riding a bike, first day of Kindergarten. How many birthdays had he missed? How tall was she now? It felt like the time was all blurring together, the only thing that changed were the faces of the 'students'. Rayner never wanted to be an absent father- they had made an arrangement that his pay would be passed on. He wasn't sure how- and he didn't question it- dead men don't need a salary.

He drove out to work one day, and never came back. She was so young the last time he saw her, she probably didn't even remember who he was. He was probably still on a missing persons list, somewhere.

It's hard not to be a little apathetic in this situation, he's never even done anything to stop the rumors about him that seem to pop up every year.

Six years since he arrived at Infinity, hope is finally here. The Hana that he'd heard so much about was coming. And while Rayner isn't entirely sure of his motives, he could say this: Noel cares just as much about his family as he does about his.

He'll continue to play along for as long as he has to- he was given a gift, so just like his mother taught him- he can't be too ungrateful.

Other:
The Powers:
Shockwave Manipulation- Rayner has the ability to spontaneously create, and manipulate, shockwaves. On its own, his power is incredibly destructive. Over the years, and especially during his own time as a student at Infinity, he's trained to focus his power on an area as large as a room or as small as his finger. He's also learned to propel himself through the air with a series of blasts, able to move from one side of the dome to the other in a matter of moments.

Love him, hate him, wanna date him?