Elsworth T. Lloyd - Background

DUTYBOUND - Believes in the law, seeks to enforce the spirit of the law.

SKEPTICAL/BLUNT/CURIOUS - He is very curious, and not afraid of offending those that hamper his efforts.

PERKS - He is capable of attaining a high level of concentration.

FLAWS - After suffering severe abdominal injuries, he has not been able to regain his strength or vigor. He has never been much of a tough guy, and can be rather delicate in a hand-to-hand fight.

HISTORY

Born Elsworth Timmons Lloyd on April 16, 2456 on the planet of Terra Sol, Elsworth's Dad was a Knight Templar and his mother a housewife. Growing up in the New Vatican district of Kansas City, Elsworth idolized his father and was a fairly well-behaved boy. He grew up watching his father, Sgt. Martin Lloyd, a member of the Knights Templar security forces, protect the citizens of the Republic of the Plains. His father made it very clear through out Elsworth's childhood and adolescence that he expected a better life for his son than the life of a law enforcement officer. The one exception to his father's ban of law enforcement topics in the home, was when he would take Elsworth shooting in a fine example of father-son bonding. Elsworth's mother Marilyn, was an extremely doting mother...and took very good care of her only child.

Elsworth grew up as a smart boy of low to average popularity, wishing he was tough and athletic. He didn't really get interested in women until he was 16, much later than his fellow students, and it is fair to say that he has never been a ladies man. Elsworth followed his father's wishes and entered college studying the fields of biology and medicine. He attended UPKC (University of the Plains in Kansas City) and lived on campus. His sophomore year he joined a fraternity and began developing his people skills. His knowledge of fairly harmless but pleasurable pharmaceuticals earned him his first real taste of popularity. David Simon was the loud and incredibly popular president of his fraternity and Matthew Schaffer was the financially-skilled treasurer. His roommate Jamal Franklin was a Talent, and helped Elsworth deal with his own Psi-talents.

Elsworth life changed drastically when he was 27 years old and in his 9th year of his 10 year expert degree at UPKC. Sgt. Lloyd had been assigned to a special unit, and had been given orders to say nothing of his activities to anyone, including his family and friends. Elsworth watched as his father began to look more and more visibly under stress. His father was away from home for days at a time, and Elsworth took to staying with his mother instead of at the fraternity house. That is when he received the call...

His father's voice sounded strained, as if he was in pain and extremely afraid. He spoke very quickly and quietly, "Elsworth, there's a hidden panel in the plas-steel of our home's basement...5 feet to the left of the power interface. Press in and hold for a few seconds...it will open...get the black box...the little black box...for God's sake don't open it...just sneak out of the house...don't worry your mom...take the Grav-Rail to Vidrickson Station 5...enter the bar called Patton's Stars...go out the back door...meet me in the alley." After making Elsworth repeat the instructions word for word, his father hung up abruptly.

Elsworth did as his father said, somewhat afraid for both himself and his father, but also enjoying the fact that he was clearly somehow involved in his father's work. He was on a secret mission and by delivering this black box he was helping his father. Elsworth left the Grav-Rail at Station 5 and found his way to Patton's Stars, a seedy veterans bar in what was otherwise a fairly well-kept nightclub district. He made his way through the bar trying to not make eye-contact with the hardened men who drank here. He paused before entering the alley and took a deep breath. He steeled his nerves and stepped through the door into the stench of the alley. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and then he saw it - the pile of blood and flesh by the dumpster. He ran to it, knowing in his heart before he had even rolled it over, that this was what was left of his father and that he had been violently killed.

Elsworth clutched the small black box close to his chest and realized he should flee. Then the pain hit. In his head...the fire...the light...the utterly devastating cutting pain in his head...he couldn't move. And then all was black. He was later told how lucky he was. Infrequently people have been known to fall under the Grav-Rail, and they almost never survive. He had been found on the tracks practically cut in half by the passage of the train, but he had held on. Twelve hours in surgery, two weeks in a nutri-tank, and 3 months in chemically induced coma-heal, and Elsworth would live. When he finally awoke he told no one that he had been no where near a Grav-Rail when he lost consciousness. He asked hesitantly about his father, and was told that he had died of a heart attack, and had been found in his crashed Grav-Car near the Plaza District. Elsworth kept his mouth shut...he knew something was dreadfully wrong. He knew better than to trust anyone, especially when he learned that his father's body had been quickly cremated and buried just days after his death. Elsworth was smart enough to know that anyone with enough influence to make his father's death seem natural and bury the truth as deep as it had been buried would not hesitate to make a second attempt on Elsworth life, if Elsworth appeared to be a threat. So Elsworth faked limited amnesia, and made it very very evident to all that asked that he had no memory of the events of that fateful night.

Elsworth followed his father's wishes and finished up at UPKC. He went on to medical school at ROPKU in the Lawrence District of Kansas City, and finished his medical degree at the age of 38...very high in his class. He remained very solitary and had few friends. Levin Goldberg was equally unhappy about being in medical school, and he and Elsworth struck up a strong friendship. But in the end, Elsworth was dissatisfied with the path he was on. He was living a lie. While his father had wanted a better life for his son, to live that life after what had happened was now impossible for Elsworth. A dire truth was out there...the truth about the black box and the death of his father. The truth about that sharp pain in his head, and the severe abdominal injuries he had sustained. And what about all the other truths. All of the families of all the murder victims whose cases were never solved. Who would seek their truth for them. No, Elsworth would never be able to have a normal medical practice...he was needed elsewhere.

Elsworth applied to the KBI, and the long hiring process began. To pay his way while he waited to learn if he would be hired, Elsworth became a street level hack. He ran a medical office out of his street-level apartment, treating criminals, illegal aliens, and those who had dropped out of the system. He got a lot of experience treating gun shots, accidental traumas, and diseases that might cause social embarrassment to the victim. It was this experience with violent wounds, especially gun shot wounds that convinced Elsworth to use a stutter gun whenever possible. He made a lot of street level contacts in order to acquire the supplies he needed for this kind of operation. Angelo Palmentare was Elsworth's pitchman, and would bring him most of his mob and criminal clients. Damon Marx, a local pharmacist, believed in what Elsworth was doing and supplied him with medical drugs and supplies. Judd Madder was a big dumb muscle bound guy who helped keep the peace in Elsworth's clinic.

At the age of 40 Elsworth was hired into the KBI. He went through the standard KBI academy, but was then diverted to the Forensic Science Division (FSD). At first he was a field forensics expert, and was out on the street fighting crime up close and personal. Within four years Elsworth had worked his way up in the FSD, and was no longer on street assignments. He had a nice apartment and a great girlfriend named Julia Plenner. Julia works in the design of new robotics systems and is more than an intellectual match for Elsworth. She seeks a normal life, with a house and children. Police work, especially field work, does not fit into her plans.

Elsworth became bored. He felt he had lost the very reason he had joined the KBI...finding the street-level truth. Though it upset Julia very much, Elsworth requested to be put back into a field position. He spoke with Jane Qualls, and convinced her of how serious he was. When threatened that he would have to take a demotion in rank to go back to the field, Elsworth did not even blink. Elsworth left his friends at the FSD labs and was teamed up with an KBI team with an especially rough reputation...the rest will be history!

CONTACTS

Sgt. Martin Lloyd. Elsworth's father, he is now legally dead. Questions remain as to whether he is actually dead, imprisoned somewhere, or in hiding.

Marilyn Lloyd. Elsworth's mother, never the same since Martin's death. She worked in a clothing store on in the Plaza district, until her recent disappearance.

David Simon. The loud, popular president of Elsworth's fraternity. He is now the knowledgeable bartender of the trendy Studio 2500 bar in the Vidrickson Entertainment district.

Matthew Schaffer. Financially-skilled treasurer of Elsworth's fraternity. He is now a financial advisor and Grid expert who is always calling Elsworth and encouraging him to trust his finances to him. Elsworth has dodged his requests so far.

Jamal Franklin. Elsworth's roommate who helped him with his Psi-talents. Jamal was one of Elsworth's few black friends. He disappeared soon after they both graduated. All efforts to locate him have failed...it is like he never existed.

Levin Goldberg. A medical school friend of Elsworth's. He was forced into med school by his family's wishes also. Levin was often in trouble for running his own experiments and seemed drawn to the "fringe" topics of medicine. Elsworth occasionally receives friendly messages from Levin, but none ever refer to his current work or his current location.

Angelo Palmentare. Elsworth's pitchman during his medical hack days. Elsworth has several times pulled strings to lessen the amount of trouble Angelo gets into. Angelo occasionally brings Elsworth information to this day, in between committing street level crimes.

Damon Marx. Elsworth's pharmaceutical connection during his hack days. Damon is no longer a pharmacist. He became addicted first to prescription drugs, and is now a street level junkie. Elsworth has tried to help him, but he is beyond help.

Judd Madder. Muscle-bound thug who kept the peace in Elsworth's hack clinic. He is now a mob body guard and has little contact with Elsworth. What little contact they have is still friendly.

Julia Plenner. Elsworth's girlfriend. She is very upset with his recent choice to go back to a field assignment.

Deputy Commissioner Shamus MacDonahoe. He's a Metro PD guy who was one of your Dad's best friends. He pulled some strings to get you your first interview with the KBI (with Jean Qualls). He still calls and takes you to lunch a couple of times a year to check up on your career.

Knight Champion Francois Duparte. He's about the equal of a Captain in other police departments. He was your Dad's partner, and has taken a very active interest in you since his death. He has become a surrogate Father figure to you.

Dr. Montgomery Wills. He was your boss with the Forensic Unit of the KBI. You hit it off well with him and he took you under his wing and taught you many of the "tricks" of forensic pathology. He was somewhat peeved when you took a demotion and went back to work on the streets. You haven't talked to him much since then but when you have he's been somewhat distant, although you get the feeling if it came to a crunch you could still count on him.

Special Agent Jean Qualls. The first person you met in the KBI (she conducted your interview) although you haven't really developed a personal relationship she has shepherded your career to some extent. You got the impression on your first few meetings that she might have some "personal" interest in you, until she found out you had a girlfriend. Since then everything has been very prefessional.

GM: Michael Cross (e-mail)