“Alan Smith” (aka Jason Fly, aka Jason MacLane, aka Steve Rowland, aka Kelly Brian, etc., etc.) is a superior fighter, commando, marksman, security specialist and intelligence agent.

It is impossible - even for himself - to identify what his training was and the full range of his skills, but he has an impressive track record that involves evading highly professional hitmen, escaping from one of the US’s most secure prisons, fighting several armed men with his bare hands and being the one left standing, winning numerous firefights, etc. If he’s trust into a dangerous situation, there’s an excellent chance that XIII has expert-level skills to deal with it.

XIII operates in a low-cinematic world in the Real Genre, where people generally have modest Attributes, Skills and HPs - and he’s clearly at the upper end of the range for his genre. He’s no Superman, and Special Forces veterans and the like are a match for him in terms of APs, but his HPs are at least twice what other elite operatives have, reflecting his luck and talent both.

His high Initiative is also an important asset in his adventures and greatly helps explain his survival against unfavourable odds. Still, people can and do fail important rolls in XIII’s world, including XIII.

One of XIII’s most noteworthy asset is his grace under pressure - even in very stressful circumstances he remains calm, resourceful and capable of brilliant initiatives. He can even project an appearance of being relaxed when the situation is extremely tense and violent - this is his way to concentrate, and it works very well.

Note the broad Weaponry Skill - XIII has demonstrated proficiency with such unlikely weapons as thrown fishing knives or improvised slings using an Army combat uniform belt.

Day of the black sun

The XIII stories occurs on a low-key parallel Earth. That is, the recent history of this world is a bit different, but that is not important for the casual reader.

The story starts in 1983. Though the graphic novels were published over 20+ years, the XIII timeline still seems to be in the mid-1980s.

The main event in 1983 is the murder of the 42nd President of the United States, a highly charismatic and popular Democrat named Wally Sheridan. The Sheridan assassination is eerily similar to the Kennedy assassination, though it was the result of much smaller and focused machination to take over the United States — that aspect being reminiscent of the Butler Plot of the 1930s, albeit competently executed and far more dangerous.

The world of XIII is still steeped in the era which, in the real world, stretches from the Watergate to the early Reagan years. It is thus dominated by complex Cold War plots and shadowy political and intelligence manipulations by operators with unclear allegiances. The war in Viêt Nam is a very recent memory - it seems to have lasted longer in this parallel history, ending as late as the early 1980s.

The Viêt Nam war lasting for several more years might be the reason why this continuity’s equivalent of Reagan, in terms of chronology and popularity, was a liberal.

History

That’s the problem.

“XIII” (so nicknamed because of a cryptic tattoo on his shoulder) was found washed ashore on the coast of Maine, his mind nearly a blank state. He could speak and understand English, identify objects and persons normally, conduct everyday activities and so on - but his higher memory was a complete blank, and he had no idea who he was, what his life had been or what he was doing there.

The amnesiac had been shot in the head, though a local retired doctor saved his life. XIII had no idea who had shot him, and why, and it seems likely that it was the damage to the limbic system from the bullet that triggered the amnesia.

Some things soon became tragically clear. ”XIII” was marked for death. He had incredible skills as a fighter and an intelligence operative, though he did not know which and why. And he seemed to be the assassin who had, months before, murdered the very popular President of the United States of America.

The amnesiac started investigating under the name “Alan Smith” — the name of the deceased son of the couple of retirees who had taken him in, which they suggested their guest use to honour their dead. This investigation led to the discovery of a plot to take over the United States. The would-be junta operated within the highest circles of power - but as he uncovered it, XIII gained the support of several mavericks and patriots within the armed forces and intelligence services. XIII’s main allies were General Carrington of the US Army, whose mysterious aide Lieutenant Jones became his lover, and the spymaster Colonel Amos.

XIII also investigated leads about his past, reconstructing the life of men who may have been him as he unearthed clues - or met people who said they recognised him. These tangled and dangersome inquiries led to what seemed to be different men, all missing and/or reported dead - a dutiful and intelligent political science student recruited by the FBI, an IRA terrorist trained in Cuba who became a Che Guevara-like figure in Central America as El Cascador, and an authoritarian hard-right American commando deeply involved in the conspiracy to murder President Sheridan and take over the US. How this all fits together remains unknown.

Description

XIII’s features have been surgically altered several times to resemble other men, but this has limits. In every case he was a handsome, athletic, healthy Anglo male.

XIII is deliberately patterned after the archetypal adventurer of Francophone dime novels and graphic novels — Bob Morane.

Personality

XIII is a calm, intelligent, competent man. He’s a white hat : any killing he does is strictly necessary, and senseless violence tends to enrage him. He’s unusually polite and charming, but tends to answer his foes with a wry smile and flippant humor when they seem to have the upper hand - for instance, when they have a gun pointed at him, or have him captured. This tactic is intended to put them off-balance, and it often works - his smirking confidence while he should be deathly afraid for his life often drives his captors into committing mistakes.

XIII is quite intellectual and reserved - he tends to remain serious, rarely relaxes, and stays focused on solving the mysteries surrounding his life. He also possesses remarkable drive, and never gives up.

XIII likes to deliver small quips in tense situations - they’re not meant to be funny (and, in fact, they’re not) but they help him concentrate. He also tended to kid with Jones as if she were a young sister or friend, and annoy her by pulling an all-macho act — but that was to help her pretend that they weren’t a genuine couple.

XIII lives in the present and in action - he doesn’t have a past, and he has little on which he could base his preferences, a personality, idiosyncrasies, etc. - except for his strong moral principles, his affection for Jones and his friends, and his burning desire to know the truth about who he is.

XIII doesn’t drink nor smoke, and works out regularly.

Writeup completed on the 13th of April, 2011.