Heroes

If the CEO of Gray Pharmaceutical had ever had a conscience, he'd worked hard to suppress it. Business was ruthless, and so was he. Things became easier, in a sense, after he was exposed to an experimental reactor and became a walking font of nuclear energy; as his body deteriorated, so did his mind, leaving no room for concerns like morality. There was only survival.

But neither Gray nor his company's scientists, sworn to secrecy, could stabilize his new form, and his eventual meltdown almost leveled Windmill City. The release of energy temporarily cleared his mind; Gray realized that, where once he'd had the world at his fingertips, his current trajectory would only destroy himself and everything around him.

As the cycle began again and he felt his mind slipping, Gray knew he could not stop himself. So, for the first time in his life, he swallowed his pride, seeking out those who'd been most successful in stopping him before: the hero known as Vanish and the First Response team.

The team warily accepted Gray's surrender and began working to cure him. Their resident scientist designed a fission regulator, based on experimental Garotech research, but its effectiveness was limited. Sitting in a shielded containment cell and growing more unstable and impatient, Gray eventually came to his own solution: he would embrace both aspects of himself. The corrupt past, and the slightly-less-selfish present.

He broke out of containment, taking the regulator back to Gray Pharmaceutical's lab and integrating it with their imperfect early designs. The resulting hi-tech suit was finally able to keep him stable and sane.

Gray rejoined Vanish's team and began working to rectify some of his past mistakes, taking an alias to hide from the public. Still, an abundance of mistrust remains; has he truly reformed? Or is he simply biding his time until he can find a more permanent solution that no one can take from him?

Unstable promo: As Pyre, Gray found found some satisfaction in assisting his former enemies, helping them deal with greater threats. But despite all his efforts to finally stabilize his physiology, the knowledge that his true power was locked away inside his containment suit was maddening: knowing that if he simply unlocked it, he could burn away his foes in mere moments. His new associates, for reasons both altruistic and practical, helped him keep control, but he knew one day the situation would require him to breach containment...

Wasteland Ronin promo: Still mistrusted by those who knew his true identity, Pyre surprised a number of heroes by requesting their help to explore the F.S.C. Continuance Wanderer, newly returned from the future. Pyre reasoned that with some assistance he could find and absorb the timeship's power source, leaving the ship dormant and safe for the first time since its discovery. In truth, he was hoping to obtain any futuristic tech it might hold, to improve his control of his powers. During the energy transfer, his suit malfunctioned and overloaded the timeship's reactor instead of draining it, causing the ship to return to the Final Wasteland. Pyre was forced to make patchwork repairs to his suit to keep himself stable as they traversed the Wasteland...

Expedition Oblask promo: Pyre's experiences in the blasted Wasteland, along with his admiration for, and eventual friendship with, an ancient nature spirit he had once fought against, had a sobering effect on his outlook. He had no desire to see the planet turned lifeless and barren; a fate he knew he could visit on it, if he stumbled. Slowly, he became more willing to accept help, and to give it. He also began prioritizing exploration, both for the thrill and to ensure his adventures kept him away from the bulk of humanity, so that any missteps would be less dire. At least, that was the idea; the mechanical beasts of Oblask Crater soon made it clear that in their domain, Pyre and his companions would be the ones to bear the consequences of any missteps...