Dr. Viho Ciquala
Early Years
Ever feel like destiny dealt you half the cards that you were supposed to get? Viho Ciquala never felt that way. He must have been born with his father’s self confidence (to the surprise of everyone).
Chua Ciquala was a proud man. A true warrior in the Iroquois tradition. He was the high school quarterback in his younger days. He married the homecoming queen. He worked in the silver mines; dangerous as any job, but he was unafraid. Nothing could crack his hardened shell. His first son, Hastiin, was the tallest, strongest boy in the 7th grade and was sure to be a football star in high school. Maybe a linebacker judging by his girth. Chua’s daughter was the most beautiful girl in the elementary school, the local beauty queen. So it was with much anticipation that the people of the Onondaga Iroquois reservation in upstate New York received Viho the third child of Chua Ciquala on a November day in 1955.
They say that Chua never used to drink (and when they said it they always looked at Viho, and then away). By the time Viho was 5 years old, his father was the town drunkard. Maybe something snapped in Chua, the town hero. Who knows what causes a proud man to fall from grace.
Viho had a handsome face, and took after his father in that regard. However, Viho never grew up. That is to say that his final stature was all of two and a half feet tall. For this he was the ridicule of the town. Being of quick wit, the local boys called him Short Stuff, or Stumpy because his left hand was absent as part of his congenital birth defect. Viho’s brother and sister were constantly getting into fights defending him. They say that a blind man has more acute hearing. Perhaps that is why the physically stunted Viho possessed a giant intellect. By the age of seven he was fluent in 4 languages and had learned everything there was to learn from the Onondaga library and school system.
The next year he began to attend classes at Cornell University; his mother drove him 40 miles each way for classes every day. Over the next four years he earned bachelors degrees in botany, physics, mathmatics and genetic. His thirst for knowledge led him to doctoral degrees in Physics, Engineering, Chemistry and Robotics. His Robotic thesis centered on the invention of an antigravity hoverchair that appeared to defy all the laws of the natural universe.
Viho always came home for the holidays, and on one such occasion in 1970 his father, drunk as usual, was waxing on about how brave you had to be to work in the mines. Viho loved his father, despite the drinking, and didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him. So he studied the plans for the mines and realized that without detailed knowledge of the mineral and geologic properties of the surrounding earth, safety would always be a question. Within two months he devised a probe that uses ultrasonic imaging to determine the mineral density of the earth. This allowed the miners to reinforce areas where the structural integrity of the surrounding earth was the weakest. This achievement earned the respect of the entire Onondaga reservation. The increased safety must have made his father feel better, because not long after he stopped drinking.
With careful licensing and money management, Viho became a rich man. The income from the Ultrasonnogram allowed him to found Venture Industies.
Venture Industries
Venture Industries, founded in 1976, is the place to go for ultimate in custom cutting edge engineering. The brilliant inventor Viho Ciquala founded and is the brains behind the operation. It’s a small company employing 3 engineers, 5 construction experts and various support staff, including two secretaries a marketing/PR agent and purchasing officer who keeps the place stocked with various gadgets and tools. New commissions help to quench Viho’s insatiable drive to create new and amazing devices. The income also gives him the leisure to pursue other academic interests.
In the early years of Venture Industries, adaptation of the Ultrasonnogram to other applications was highly lucrative. Most interesting from an intellectual standpoint was its utility in archaeology and fossil excavation. Viho’s found an interest in ancient times that surprised him, as he was more accustomed to looking into the future. This curiosity for human history also sparked an interest in the history of the planet itself. A story which many say can be read thru the sputtering and breathing of the Earths very core.
Thus, when approached by a world renowned vulcanologist Dr. Patrick Robertson to design exploratory equipment to determine the composition of molten lava in Mauna Loa, he jumped at the chance. The resulting self contained environmental resistance pod (SCERP) surpassed Dr. Robertson’s request a thousand fold. Viho created a manned vehicle capable of withstanding extreme temperatures found near volcanic activity; it was even capable of resisting submersion in molten lava for brief periods of time. The breakthroughs Robertson made by utilizing the containment suit sent shock waves through the scientific field. Viho quickly realized that SCERP technology applied not only to extreme heat, but could also be easily adapted to resist the pressure and cold of deep sea exploration. Later, he also adapted SCERP to resist the vacuum of space. Equipped with multiple analytical sensor arrays and designed to maneuver over any terrain, SCERP is truly a versatile mobile scientific lab. Licensing the technology also made Viho even richer, but that is beside the point.
When the New Men appeared, Viho was quite interested in how people could manifest such powers. In speaking with colleagues who were more knowledgable in science and biology about it, it sounded like there must be a genetic component, but identifying it was neigh impossible without sequencing the entire genomes of normal and gifted people. Teaming up with Dr Katarina von Wolfenberg of the Jake Cannon School for the Gifted and Dr. Richard Spanos of the Genetic Research Institute at MIT, Viho designed the first automated DNA sequencing machine in 1986. Large numbers of Viho's Sequencers were made and set to work 24 hours a day. Over the next decade, the genomes of three gifted and three normal humans were sequenced, and subsequently analyzed by vonWolfengerg, Spanos and others. Unfortunately, and surprisingly, no identifiable genetic changes were identified. This may be because there were none to find, or that the changes were too few and varried to be identifiable in such a small sample size. In any case, although the primary objective was not achieved, sequencing the human genome was a feat in itself and was a huge breakthrough in enabling genetic research.
Ciquala's continued collaboration with von Wolfenberg was quite productive. Togther they devised various analytical equipment to investigate the powers of Primes. Equipment to measure energy output on multiple wavelengths were useful in dissecting at least some of the basics of mentalist activities. Although such equipment has yet to shed light on the mechanism by which telepathy or other mental abilities work, it has shown that mentalists show similar characteristic energy emmissions and that as their power increases, so do these readings. Other useful equipment were less revolutionary, but no less useful. Viho designed a small wind tunnel that the Cannon School uses to train students with flying abilities. They can thus simulate changing wind and shear forces to train students to handle flying in different weather conditions. Such training would otherwise require travel to active hurricanes and would be incredibly dangerous in real world settings. For one student who was incredibly fast, Viho designed a treadmill that could record speeds up to 300mph and a dexterity test to record reaction times down to 1 nanosecond. By 1996, most of the useful gadgets had been created and Viho's active collaboration with von Wolfenberg decreased. They remain in contact and occasionally when a new student with unique abilities emerges Viho and Venture Industries are contracted to build custom training or analytical equipment.
Through vonWolfenberg, Viho met Austin Opperman, a truly remarkable scientist proposing breakthroughs in physics that Viho could almost, but not quite, understand.
Currently, Venture Industries is working on a prototype jet engine in collaboration with Boeing to increase fuel economy and decrease the need for routine maintenance. This involves a complete redisign of the basic engine using novel custom alloys and a revolutionary fuel combustion system. The project has been ongoing for 9 months and is the major income source currently. 70% of Venture Industries effort is devoted to the jet project.
Another smaller project is to create a small electronic robotic toy pet that interacts with children. These artificial pets will resemble either cats, dogs, or fantasy creatures and are projected as the next step in the evolution of the Tamagotchi. This project is funded by Bandai and is 15% of Venture Industries effort. Developmental Psychologist Dr. Glen Chandow of Harvard University is collaborating on the project.
Viho's personal side project is to modify electromotor neural responsive robotics to forms that will be economical for marketing as prosthetic functional limbs. Viho's prior cybernetic work is far too expensive for mass production and requires custom adaptation for each individual. Viho projects that this is a high risk endeavor that will take years to come to fruition. This project is not funded by outside sources.
Some of Viho’s best inventions: Ultrasonnogram: for mineral densities deep scans 1975. Adapted for fine scans in archaeology in 1977 and adapted to other uses from 1975-1985.
Hoverchair To compensate for his physical impairments, Dr. Ciquala typically uses a Hoverchair, which enables rapid movement. It also has a satellite link to a supercomputer and a powerpoint projector. Hoverchair v1 built in 1992 and minor improvements addes since then.
Hulk mark III To facilitate heavy lifting around the lab, he created a robo-suit, which is 8 feet tall. His hoverchair docks into the chest of Hulk and his head is visible from the top. A retractable helmet will protect his head when working on a construction site. It is equipped with servomotors, which drive boosted locomotion and which permit rapid extension of the arms or legs to reach nearby supplies and tools. Hulk mk I created in 1975 was primitive in comparison to the current Hulk mk III which was completed in 1994.
Hulk mark IV An upgraded version of the Hulk is currently in progress, featuring increased servomotor power and novel alloy shell.
SCERP Dr. Ciquala’s expertise is often called upon in the scientific investigation of various earthly phenomena. Analysis of the minerologic content of volcanos, exploration of deep sea vents, observation of the giant squid in its natural habitat. He was the first “disabled” person to fly in the space shuttle to perform physics experiments in zero gravity. For such pursuits, he has created an environmental exploration suit "Scuba". Scuba can tolerate both the extreme pressure of the deep sea and the extreme vacuum of space. It is equipped with jet propulsion for underwater and airborne travel. Constructed to resist thermal extremes, SCUBA can explore lava vents as well as arctic caves. It is equipped with four manipulator arms and is capable of on the spot minerologic, radiologic and microscopic analysis. SCERP v1 was built in 1979 for investigation of lava flows. v2 for deep sea investigation was built in 1983 and v3 including modifications allowing use in space and flight in 1990.
Automated DNA Sequencer Designed with the hope of identifying genetic changes in New Men, the DNA sequencer enabled the human genome project, but failed to identify a genetic component for the New Men's special abilities.
Inspiration
Inspired by the characters Dr. Jonas Venture Jr. from the Cartoon Network show "The Venture Brothers" [[1]] and the Amazing Screw On Head [[2]].
Themes
Despite the inspiration for the character, his thematic elements are not found in either Jonas Venture Jr. or the Amazing Screw on Head.
Themes:
1) Overcoming odds. Conquering physical, economic and social limitations by the use of force of will and intellect to succeed in life.
2) Living with adversity. Despite having conquered the demons in his life and succeeded, he is nevertheless an outcast due to his extreme dwarfism.
3) American Dream. Having come from an native american reservation and with his physical disabilities he has risen to the top. This is the american dream, pulling one self up by the boot straps.
4) Pride. The correlate to the american dream. Anyone can pull themselves up by the bootstraps. Threfore, anyone who has not done so has some fault in their motivation.
Nemesis:
Emir abu-Kaliq
Venture Industries Employees
- Dr. Henry Siskawitz
Physicist (age 55)
Dr. Siskowitz had a successful career in academics at the University of Washington, a young fully tenured professor in Physics. At 30 years old, he realized that he hated writing grants and supervising graduate students. He wanted to get back to something more real, so when Dr. Ciquala mentioned his new startup, Venture Industries, Siskowitz was immediately drawn and asked Ciquala if there might be a place for a physicist with a lot of practical knowledge. Indeed, there was. He has been with Venture Industries since its inception in 1976.
- Dr. Allison Andrews
Metallurgist (age 31)
Allison entered graduate school in chemistry with an interest in blendings. In the kitchen she was famous amongst her friends for her creative concoctions. In the lab, she became famous amongst her colleagues for blending chromium, aluminum, iron III and palladium to create a new incredibly strong alloy. She was courted by Dow and Dupont, but the offer from a small company caught her attention because of the intellectual giants who headed it: none other than Viho Ciquala and Henry Siskawitz. The company of such genius was impossible to pass up. Of course the pay was not as good as in big industry, but she was more interested in the freedom of intellectual exploration that Venture Industries promised. After a few successful inventions, the pay turned out to be phenomenal. Joined Venture Industries 1989. Hobbies: riding her horse.
- Bob Seebo
PR and Advertising (age 41)
Got his MBA from Harvard. Undergraduate also at Harvard BA in Political Science and minor in Classics. Has been with Venture Industries since 1980.
- Les Jackson
Mechanic (age 55)
Motorcycle riding, handlebar mustache, the whole nine yards. Enlisted in the army in 1964 with unfortunate timing, as US troops were sent to Vietnam only a year later. Les served in the motor pool, first as a helicopter pilot, but later retrained as a mechanic after demonstrating significant innate talent performing in combat repairs. Disillusioned after the war, Les took to a life on the road. He joined the Hells Angels, traveling in those circles for several years. In that time, he garnered a reputation for doing stunning custom jobs on Harley Davisons motorcycles, which drew the attention of one Viho Ciquala. Started working for Venture Industries in 1982.
- Kanuna Polianana
Mechanic (age 45)
Kanuna Polianana has enjoyed a variety of professions. Currently he works for Viho, excercising his mechanical prowess. He was born on the Big Island in Hawaii. In his youth he eyed the heavyweight boxing champions belt, but found that he wasn't that much of a monster after all. Back on the island, he worked part time as a SCUBA guide and part time as a paramedic, tending mostly tourists with sun burns but also near drownings and more severe accidents. As he grew tired of these pursuits he went to the San Francisco Cullinary Academy and spent several years as a chef in a high class seafood restraunt overlooking the golden gate. Since childhood, however, he's loved to fix things and spent his adolescence repeatedly retooling a 67 mustang. He always took these skills for granted, fixing the SCUBA boat or repairing some equipment in their ambulance. Finally he decided to make his next career arise from his early talents, and started a shop doing custom work for antique cars. Apparently he became somewhat famous, because one day in 1985 a short dude in a leather jacket offered him a job that he couldn't refuse. 10 years later, it seems like he's finally found something he can stick with.
- Aimee Zie
Programmer (age 25)
Immigrated from China when 10 years old. Joined Venture Industries in 1994. Has a past history in some shady hacking community but has left all that behind.
- May Weathers
Engineer (age 55)
A woman engineer? What are you looking at, I’ll kick your ass! Joined Venture industries in 1978
- Joline Kelly
Secretary (age 26)
Joline and her fiance Mark love to travel, but the income of a struggling artist and a budding novelist don't really allow for jet setting. She met Kanuna three years ago, he was piloting the cesna while she learned to sky dive. Kanuna spoke gushingly of his employer who was looking for a new secretary, and who apparently travelled frequently around the world (he was actually a mechanic, and only flew the cesna on the weekends for fun). Viho was looking for a secretary/accountant/jet pilot all in one, and Joline was a well recommended administrative assistant, and her quick intellect impressed Viho so much that he hired her and sent her to school to learn accounting and how to fly a Lear Jet. Now her travels with Mark are on the job as she pilots Viho's Lear jet when he goes to conferences. Hired in 1992.
