Lawrence "Ant" Kidd

Lawrence Kidd (a.k.a. Ant)

A 2nd Generation Augmented Human in the GAP Project of the Lunarian Army. Though deadly efficient when it comes to combat, he is somewhat of a pariah even in the military because of the enhancements he received at a young age. 

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

As a 2nd Generation Augmented Human, Ant has enhanced physical abilities. Be it super strength, incredible stamina or lightning quick reflexes, sometimes it feels like he is something other than human. He doesn't look like he should be as strong as he is, seeing how he is a tall, lanky guy that looks like you could fold him in half by sneezing.

Body Features

Has many scars covering his body, the most prominent ones being those he received from being vivisected whilst in the Aeternitas Project and the great burn scar from the accident in training with the GAP Project. Has many "ports" along his legs and arms, as well as behind his neck so he can plug into the Lunarian Space Ships.

Facial Features

Has many scars an burns that curled his lips in somewhat of a permanent snarl on the left side of his face. Pale blue eyes, fair skin and short black hair.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Lawrence was born in 2008 on the Moon, to working class parents. They were only teenagers at the time, freshly 17 years old, and barely had the resources to feed themselves consistently. Every day was a struggle and Lawrence mostly kept to himself. Every morning his parents would leave for work only to come back late at night. They didn't have the money to send him to school and so they taught him what little they could whenever they could. In time, Katie and Gavyn realized that they could never properly take care of the kid as they were at the moment.

In 2014, the Lunar Liberation Front was looking for test subjects for its Aeternitas Project, promising to pay those that willingly gave themselves for the Moon's Freedom. After much deliberation, the young parents sold their only child to the project, leaving with heavy pockets, but heavier hearts. They had been promised that Lawrence would be well taken care of, yet they couldn't refrain from feeling there was something sinnister behind the golden luster of the LLC.

By then it was already late september, and the first generation was already in full swing. Thus the LLC decided to put the then 7 years old Lawrence on standby as they patiently waited for the results of the first batch of test subjects. For about a year, the kid lived a simple life of simple comforts, being clothed and fed better than he had ever been before. Near the end of 2015 and start of 2016, the experiments for the 2nd Generation of tests subjects begun and he was selected as a candidate.

Every day he was pumped full of harsh gene altering compounds, the child being told that he was being treated "for the greater good". Something an 8 year couldn't really grasp fully in its implications. Lawrence was fairly resiliant to the treatments, though that did little to help him in the long run, seeing how they simply upped the dosage every time they saw he was doing fine. The scientists kept taking notes of his progress, commenting on his seemingly natural immunity to the harsh side effects.

Lawrence had already begun feeling some symptoms of the experiments. He had been enduring numbing pains and vomiting blood on the regular when people weren't watching, afraid of the consequences if he was found out. Of course this might be attributed to the general paranoia that is one of the symptoms of the experiments, as well as what little sleep he got during the night. He had also begun hallucinating quite vividly with the onset of the first signs of illness. He kept what he was seeing a pretty tightly lid secret, refusing to talk about what he had seen even after it was found out he had been hiding the effects of the experiments all along. Even to this day, only a select few individuals have had the strange honour of being asked if they were Moon Cat Warriors.

In truth, young Lawrence had been hallucinating that a mythical cat being, a divine protector of the Moon and its inhabitants, was regularly visiting him. The cat thing had presented themselves as a Moon Cat Warrior and that Lawrence had been selected to be one of them, to cultivate the ideals of safety and freedom for the people of Luna. Of course, he had to make sure that it would never be found out that he had the ability to see the Moon Cats, otherwise the divine cat wouldn't be able to meet him anymore. Lawrence had instantly promised that he would be careful, though his declining health sometimes made him unaware of what was around him and he was eventually caught.

In 2019, at 11 year old, all the symptoms he had been hiding were found out as he had his first seizure. Though the researchers were quite disappointed that he wasn't their key to a breakthrough, they had gotten quite a few new ideas from studying him. They signed the papers and prepared for the next step of the experiment. The leucotomizing procecss was thus begun and as the weeks, the months passed, Lawrence slowly stabilized. Or rather, stabilized with the symptoms of brought by the injection of the compounds, for a new set of symptoms were brought from the procedure. This of course meant he slowly stopped seeing the Moon Cat Warrior, though in his last encounter, the being had promised that they'd never be far and that they'd send humans that are proper Moon Warriors to save him. He also lost his ability to speak and developped most of the side-effects the 2nd Generation tests subjects are known for (low working memory, increased impulsivity, low self-awareness, emotional numbness, passivity, confusion, etc. See article on Genetically Augmented Pilot for more information)

In mid september 2022, he received his first vivisection by the lab personnel, the first of countless he would receive before the end of the month. Though he could hear the scientists around him talking coldly about the procedures, could hear them say that he would be euthanized and his body stripped for parts that would go to cold storage next week, he could only feel numb. In the end, the newly founded Lunar Government shut down the project and he was corraled into a new lab. The nurses and doctors kept telling the then 14 year old that he would be fine, that the horrible testing was over and done, he couldn't comprehend what that meant. In the end they simply stopped trying to encourage him. The testing didn't end anyway, though it was much more bearable than it had been under the LLC.

The GAP Project soon realized that taking care of the Gen 2 Augmented Humans was more complexe than they had assumed initially. They would forgot to eat, drink, sleep or bathe if not told to do it. They would also forget to mention if they would get hurt, or simply remain unaware of the real dangers they would be put in. Of course, Lawrence was no different from his peers. For the longest time, the Gen 2 subjects were kept in Aisle E of the labs, an hospital-like place where nurses made sure they wouldn't waste away. This proved to be quite expensive for the Lunarian Army, they needed to find a solution so they'd be more functional as soldiers. As the first batches of Super Soldiers were crafter under the GAP Project, they came to a conclusion, they would put the 9 remaining Gen 2 subjects in pairs with the newer generations. That way they could be used for training, combat operations and leave Aisle E completely, freeing medical personnel from their duties.

Lawrence was initally paired with a Gen 3 woman named Suhaila Wasem, a 34 years old Egyptian that came to the Moon to flee the horrors of Earth. They remained a pair for a year, from the 1st of May 2023 to the 2nd of June 2024. At the end of that year, Suhaila asked to be moved from this task to something more fitting of her skills. She cited that Lawrence deeply disturbed her, that there was no way she'd remain with someone she had to babysit through night terrors every day. The man was thus moved back to Aisle E as the higher up tried to find someone else to pair him with. He moved from one person to the next, remaining for a few months at a time. Kiama, Gen 3 said she hated the fact he looked at her with dead fish eyes. Makani, Gen 4, that he was impossible to train with, that he kept taking the hits with no sense of preservation. Almiro, Gen 4, that he felt uncomfortable with the fact he had to treat him like an object for him to properly react during combat simulation, saying specific things like "Combat Protocols Activated" or "Standard Protocols Activated". Luisa, Gen 5, that learning sign language to communicate with him was too much of a hassle. Carson, Gen 5, that there was no point keeping a Super Soldier if he couldn't take decisions by himself, that this was wasted time.

This reality was that of all Gen 2 Augmented Humans, this transition from one teammate to the next.

In May 2027 he was paired with a man named Hayden Fitzgerald, a brute of a soldier that was part of the failed 6th generation. Like all of his peers from his generation, Hayden was considered second only to the 2nd Gen in feats of strength and proved very promising in the beginning. Sadly, he and the others were volatile, quick to anger and impulsive. They were eventually considered to be more dangerous than the Gen 2 folks, since they were wild guns compared to the muted soldiers of the Aeternitas Project. The higher ups believed that he might be a good match for someone from Gen 2, since Lawrence could easily tolerate and survive anything Hayden would do, and the other would enjoy having a living punching bag with no complaints.

In the beginning, this arrangement worked perfectly fine, if you were to ask those responsible for the project. Hayden never complained about Lawrence, and Lawrence...well... didn't complain either, but that was to be expected. In time they started to realize that the Gen 2 man came back from training with more bruises and wounds than before. They attributed this to him having to work harder by being with someone closer to him in terms of strength, though they knew not of the reality of the situation. In truth, Hayden would often "forget" to tell Lawrence he could fight back during training. This meant he could be used as target practice by he and his friends with no consequences whatsoever.

During this horrible time, Lawrence met Sam Grant around the time the then 16 years old joined the ranks of the 8th Generation of Augmented Humans. The moment Sam bumped into him in the training halls, he simply commented on how tall Lawrence was and how easy it must have been to get the gear from the shelves in storage. He then proceeded to drag him all the way to storage so they could steal some candy he knew the higher up would stash out of sight. Sam was a breath of fresh air, someone that wasn't afraid, that treated him as a human rather than a freak show. They would meet whenever they could and Lawrence even found himself smiling sometimes. Something he hadn't done for quite a long time.

In time Hayden came to know of this budding friendship between the lobotomite and the wild card of the new generation. He didn't take kindly to his personnal punching bag living like a "real" human being outside of training. He became more vicious, harsher, hiting where it hurt and making sure the wounds would scar badly, leave a mark on Lawrence's already marred body. On the 4th of September, during training, as usual Hayden had simply "forgotten" to tell Lawrence he could fight back. What he did differently though, was talk openly with his buddies about how they were going to gang up on Sam to beat him up, to do horrible things just because he dared to befriend a freak from the 2nd Gen. Hearing that, Lawrence politely signed that they shouldn't hurt him, that it wasn't right. Hayden had just laughed and said that he'd rip all of Sam's limb and make him watch if he so pleased, there was no way he'd be abled to stop him.

Something snapped in Lawrence and he fought back unprompted for the first time. It was a blood bath, ripping to shred seven Gen 6 Augmented Humans in seconds and keeping at it until only a fine red paste remained on the floor of the training room. The scientists and higher up kept using their carefully crafted prompts, asking him to stop, to go back to being passive, but nothing would work. In the end, they had to send another Gen 2 Soldier, Katelyn O'Sheehan, to control him long enough for sedatives to be effective on him. After this event, it became nigh impossible to find a soldier who'd accept to be paired with him. Every member of the project, be they test subjects, scientists, medical personnel or higher ups, seemed to fear him overnight. 

The horrors didn't stop there, though. Soon after, the Generation 6 soldiers protested to those responsible of the project, asking Lawrence to be decommissioned on accounts of the extreme danger he reprensented. Their request was denied and the men decided to take matters in their own hands. In secret, they sabotaged the cockpit of Lawrence's ship so that a fire would break out and the door would remain clamped shut. The next morning, during training, as they had expected, the pod caught fire with the man in it. Their hopes were dashed, though, as he had proved yet again to be more resilient than they had expected. Though critically injured, Lawrence had survived the ordeal and was carted to the medical bay for surgery, in hope of saving this precious asset of the Aeternitas Project. The Gen 2 Augmented Human could quite easily hear what those responsible for the project had asked of the medical staff. He was to be saved no matter the consequences. They didn't care if he never walked again, if he had to eat liquid food for the rest of his life, they just needed him to live some more.

After surfery he was isolated in a room of the medical ward, locked in to prevent further tragedies. He was going through the motions, feeling even emptier than he had always been. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, though, as Sam wouldn't leave him alone even during those somber times. The Gen 8 teen had found a way to reach Lawrence's hospital room through the airducts and had come tumbling in one evening. He had brought warm tea and stale chocolate cookies, which they ate together as Sam asked to be filled in on everything that had happened. The younger man had come to see him everyday from that point, bringing sweets and various treats every time. After a month of this strange routine, Lawrence was released from the medical ward and sent to meet the General in charge of the project. He was surprised to see Sam there as he arrived, though it was soon explained that Sam Grant had offered to become his teammate. The same day, they were sent to a distant sector of the research labs where they'd have rooms prepared for them, and where they could be kept from the others when they weren't training or used in mission.

His mental health got slightly better with Sam around, though to an outsider it might not seem that way for they don't know the extent of his mental anguish before. Of course, as he became an adult, he now had to fight for the army and protect the denizens of the Moon, something most of the newer generations of Augmented Humans absolutely despised. He didn't really care, he preferred being told what to do rather than miss countless meals and wonder why his stomach was hurting after a few days. He enjoyed the routine, the cold calculated system that allowed him to function.

In recent years, he has been asigned with Sam to protect a scientist by the name of Maxime Rochefort. They have to follow him everywhere when he isn't in the safety of his lab in Tycho. It is boring work, according to his partner, but Lawrence rather enjoys it since he doesn't have to be hurt some more in battles. Their latest excursion with Dr Rochefort has put them on the Crystal Palace, who knows where else this will bring the two pilots?

Gender Identity

Ant has trouble understanding the difference between men and women, often using the wrong pronouns and words when adressing others. To him they all are human beings and the concept of gender confuses him greatly. He knows he is a "man" for that is what he has been told he was. He knows his partner, Sam Grant, is also a man, for that is what he has told him. He knows Beetle is a woman for that is what she told him she was.

It feels like it would be much simpler if they did without genders altogether. At least it would prevent him from making so many mistakes when adressing new people.

Sexuality

As with his confusion towards gender identity, Ant could be considered pansexual.

Education

He has received basic education from the Lunarian Military once he came to be in their custody. Seeing how he was sold to the Aeternitas Project at 7 years old, he hadn't learned much aside from basic maths and how to write and read by that time. Though with the procedures that rotted his brain, what he learned afterward was also pretty limited.

Employment

Has been serving the Lunarian Military in the GAP Project (and the Aeternitas Project) for 30 years, and probably will until the day he dies.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Though he has many accomplishments a normal human would be proud of, Ant has trouble feeling anything but cold emptiness. He doesn't even know what could qualify as achievements and so this section will remain empty. Ask Sam Grant if you want the details.

Mental Trauma

Ant would be pretty traumatised, if he could remember everything that happened to him during his childhood. He obviously has PTSD in some capacity, but is otherwise pretty emotionaly stunted. He has night terrors and has had those for decades.

Intellectual Characteristics

As a 2nd generation Augmented Pilot, Ant was subjected to multiple leucotomies. These were done in order to better control the various symptoms brought by the genetic engeneering he went through as a child (see articles on the  GAP Project, the Aeternitas Project and on Genetically Augmented Pilot for more information). As a consequence, his self-awareness and responsiveness has been severely altered. He is emotionally numb most of the time and can have trouble remembering things.

Most of the time, he'll need to be paired with one of the newer generations of Genetically Augmented Pilots in order to function properly. Otherwise, he'll sometimes just stand there waiting for orders and letting himself waste away, forgetting the most basic things like eating of drinking water. Here's a non-exhaustive list of the intellectual problems he has:

• Low working memory (attention span)
• Increased impulsivity
• Low self-awareness
• Emotional numbness
• Passivity
• Confusion

Morality & Philosophy

As a consequence of the leucotomies, Ant is missing a moral compass and will do whatever he is asked to do by his superiors. Some friends of his are trying to teach him what is good and wrong, but with little success most of the time.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Nothing really drives him forward. He's just a soldier for the Lunarian Military and follows orders. The only thing he somewhat cares about it making sure Patriot is safe and doing ok.

Likes & Dislikes

Likes:

• Cats
• The Earth (seen from space)
• Sam Grant

Dislikes:

• Spicy Food (he can't really digest it)
• Being treated like a child
• Fire

Social

Family Ties

Hobbies & Pets

He loves cats, but for obvious reasons cannot have one. He'll often be seen hanging out at the small appartment of Patriot's adoptive parents, in order to pet the family cats under the other pilot's watchful eyes. His hobbies are Patriot's hobbies.

Speech

After the geneticaly altering procedure, it was discovered that he had lost his ability to speak (like most of Gen 2 Augmented Pilots). He can utter some noises, but not much else, and will usually comunicate with sign language. When he is plugged into one of the Lunarian Military Vehicles, he'll be able to generate a mechanical voice from his brainwaves in order to speak with others. Though he forget most of the times that he can actually use this function...

Current Status

Serving time in the Lunarian Military

Current Location

Luna

Conditions

• Genetically Augmented Pilot

Ethnicity

Lunarian

Age

37

Date of Birth

12th of March, 2008

Birthplace

Luna

Parents

Gavyn Kidd

Katie May

Current Residence

Tycho Colony

Pronouns

He/Him

Sex

Male

Gender

Man

Presentation

Masculine

Eyes

Pale blue

Hair

Short black hair

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale, heavily scarred and burned on left side

Height

6'4''

Weight

190 lbs

Aligned Organization

Lunarian Army

Other Affiliations

• Aeternitas Project
• GAP Project

Known Languages

• Highrider Streetslang
• English