Sketch and conceptual art of an OC for the book.
Specialty: Organic Sabotage, Tactical Reconnaissance, and Guided Extraction.
Status: Development Phase / Operational Evaluation.
📜 Psychological Profile and Behavior
The Plague is an extremely complex and socially dysfunctional operative. He is defined by a neurotic, erratic personality and a profound apathy toward human beings. He has zero interest in fitting in, rejects casual interaction, and completely lacks empathy for his teammates: during a team mission, if someone gets left behind, he won't hesitate to abandon them if it ensures his own survival.
However, this apathy completely vanishes when it comes to his rats. To him, his swarm are not tools; they are his only family. There is a dynamic of absolute loyalty: The Plague would risk his own life or sabotage an entire V.I.L.E. mission just to save a single one of his rats, especially his "protégée" (the little white lab rat he always carries with him and keeps under his direct care).
Physically, he may appear unkempt or chaotic, but his mind harbors a fascinating contradiction: he is morbidly obsessed with order, the cleanliness of his equipment, and structure. To him, human behavior is chaotic and unpredictable, whereas the hierarchy and control of his plague represent perfection.
🏝️ History at V.I.L.E. Academy
His time on V.I.L.E. Island was full of friction. Being a solitary and temperamental individual, his behavior constantly clashed with the academy's group dynamics and the authority of the faculty. The conflict boiled over when island security discovered he had smuggled in his pet rat; the faculty wanted to dispose of the animal immediately to prevent "infestations" in a high-tech facility.
Although Dr. Bellum showed a purely scientific and clinical interest in the specimen's capabilities, she wasn't willing to tolerate a student's insubordination either. Fortunately, Bellum, who was able to see the strategic potential behind his strange obsession, gave him a conditional vote of confidence. Under this mentorship, The Plague began to formally refine his unusual theft methods to put them at the service of the organization.
The Plague breaks the mold of the traditional action villain; he does not possess great agility, he isn't good at hand-to-hand combat, and his personal stealth is lacking. His true secret weapon is that he never executes a heist directly; his plague does it for him.
Through a rigorous and flawless training and conditioning system, he has turned his rats into extensions of his own will. Together, they execute operations that humiliate the most advanced technology:
• Terrain Reconnaissance: He sends small specimens equipped with micro-cameras through pipes and ventilation ducts to map out the blind spots of enemy bases.
• Electrical Sabotage: His rats are capable of chewing through structural wiring in a coordinated manner to deactivate alarms, laser systems, and servers at the exact second they are ordered to.
• Swarm Theft: He can extract small but valuable objects by using several rats that physically cooperate to carry the loot without raising suspicion.
• Defense: Although he prefers to avoid confrontation, his rats possess an instinctive protocol of blind protection. If The Plague finds himself in real danger or is attacked by an enemy, the swarm will become dangerously ferocious, attacking en masse relentlessly to save their owner.
During his training stage at V.I.L.E. Academy, The Plague's reputation among the other cadets was terrible. The combination of his constant proximity to rodents, his appearance, and his picky, defensive attitude bred rejection. To the rest of the class, the young man was nothing more than a creep who provoked repulsion and goosebumps, which facilitated his almost absolute isolation. Nobody wanted to get close to his personal space, and he preferred it that way.
🟢 Shane (Graduated Operative / In Development)
(This character is also under development and conceptual brainstorming haha).
Relationship Status: Evolution from a strategic alliance to an emotional bond (Development phase).
Shane represents the only human exception in The Plague's closed-off world. As a fully graduated operative who is reserved, silent, and possesses an imposing physical presence (capable of neutralizing threats with a single strike), his calm energy completely contrasts with The Plague's neurosis.
The bond between them was born from an unusual event: The Plague's protected white rat managed to escape his control (a rare occurrence given the animal's strict discipline) and ran through the facilities until it naturally climbed up the shoulder of Shane, who had his back turned. Instead of reacting with disgust, surprise, or violence, Shane maintained his usual composure. With absolute calmness, he took a piece of the nougat candy he was eating and offered it to the rodent in a friendly gesture.
Witnessing this scene, The Plague reacted with a mix of hysteria and shock, approaching aggressively to demand his pet back. However, upon noticing Shane's imposing physical build, his cold, analytical mind instantly recalculated the situation:
"If I manage to win this guy's alliance, I'll have the perfect human shield. Absolute protection for me... and for my rat."
What began as a purely utilitarian and self-serving approach by The Plague (seeking a tactical bodyguard on the island) started to transform over time. Shane's silent patience and The Plague's gradual loss of distrust allowed the relationship to escalate from mutual benefit to a genuine romantic bond, with Shane being the only human capable of tolerating and soothing his neurotic episodes.
Note: It's worth mentioning that both characters are currently just conceptual ideas and under development, but I wanted to show some progress on the things I'm working on haha. I might change the design or aspects of the character later on because I'm still missing important things, like the name of his little rat, details of his suit which is still in development, etc. And regarding more of his lore, I'm actually discussing it with other artists haha.
Fun Fact: Indeed, thanks to this character, I came up with the idea of designing the V.I.L.E. Uniforms, since I couldn't decide what to dress him in haha.
