Gray Boy

<infobox> <title source="name"><default>Gray Boy</default></title>

<image source="Image"></image> <image source="image"></image> <group><header>Basic Information</header> <label>Civilian Name</label> <label>Aliases</label> <label>Gender</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Death</label> <label>Age</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Post-timeskip</label> <label>Ward start</label> <label>Relations</label> <label>Family</label></group> <group><header>Professional Status</header> <label>Occupation</label> <label>Classification</label> <label>Unique Features</label> <label>Alignment</label>

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<label>Location</label> <label>Teams</label> <label>Previous Team(s)</label> <label>Base of Operations</label></group> <group><header>First Appearance</header> <label>Worm Debut</label> <label>Ward Debut</label></group> </infobox> Nicholas, better known as Gray Boy, is a member of the Slaughterhouse Nine.

Personality

Gray Boy seems to be dangerously unstable, even for one of the Nine. Bonesaw speculated that it would be very much like him to freeze someone just because he could, and that Jack had asked for only one clone of him because he could only keep one under control.<ref>Interlude 25</ref>

The original Gray Boy would not have known how to operate a computer, but Bonesaw's version possessed memories and skills taken from a child.<ref name="computer">A computer monitor on the desk flickered to life.

“I’m excited,” Jack said. “Gray Boy is working on getting the video up. Funny thing. The real Gray Boy wouldn’t be able to do this, but we gave this one the memories of a real child. Came with the necessary skills. I’m almost disappointed. People are so much more interesting when they’re flawed, aren’t they? Oh, here we go. I haven’t even seen this. Let’s see…” - Sting 26.6</ref>

He usually used his powers to torture people, inflicting pain that would repeat over and over. When Purity disobeyed him, he devised a "special" punishment - she was left unharmed, but trapped, with the promise that he would eventually return and trap her daughter alongside her. On one occasion, he arbitrarily demanded a victim tell him an "interesting" story while torturing them, with the promise that they would be left unharmed if he liked it.<ref name="26.6"/> He grew angry at Jack Slash when they attempted to flee the heroes together, telling him that he was making himself "prey, instead of the predator."<ref name="26.b"/>

Appearance

Nicolas is prepubescent in appearance, older than ten but younger than fourteen, with neatly parted hair and a private school uniform complete with glossy black shoes. His voice is high and clear.<ref name="26.b"/>

He has a monochrome effect surrounding him, with spots of light and shadow flickering around him. Periodically he flickered, a transparent double image momentarily overlapping him looking in a different direction.<ref name="26.b">Interlude 26b</ref>

Abilities and Powers

Nicholas is able to form stationary time loops, and his power reverts any changes made to his body. A quirk of his power is that anything affected is heavily desaturated, giving him his namesake monochrome look.

Gray Boy was the only one who could enter the loops.<ref>Gray Boy is the only person who may be able to touch her, but that doesn't mean Bonesaw can't give him a few things. - Interlude 26a</ref> During these loops, the only changes to the victim to carry over are those he inflicts on them (such as a cut or burn) and in the progression of their thoughts. Pain inflicted on the victims is repeated over and over again. Gray Boy can modify the time between loops, extending them to give victims time to speak full words or shortening them to more quickly repeat the initial burst of pain from a wound. However, he claimed to be unable to turn it off for anyone except himself.<ref name="26.b"/> The powers of anyone trapped inside them were unable to reach out of the loop.<ref>The well trapped powers within. Kayden's lasers wouldn't exit the area. Crusader's duplicates wouldn't be able to wander beyond the well's limits. - Interlude 26a</ref>

He claimed that victims would usually go insane after a few days, then work through that back to sanity, then crack again, in an endless cycle. He also claimed that they never grew used to the pain he inflicted.<ref name="26.6"/>

The loops last for an unknown amount of time, as no loop he has created has ever stopped. Gray Boy told one of his victims that it was theorized that his loops would last “Until well after the sun goes out, [...]".<ref name="26.6">Sting 26.6</ref> However, Wildbow has stated that they would not actually last forever or even until the sun runs out, though he also questioned whether that would actually matter after the first few thousand years of torture.<ref>Comment by Wildbow on Spacebattles</ref>

Gray Boy can affect an area roughly 5' across and 8' high,<ref name="IRC-1">Answer by Wildbow on IRC, archived on Spacebattles</ref> and was able to freeze a ten-foot high "wall" of air on one occasion.<ref name="26a"/> He claimed it operated at the "speed of thought", and that he believed no-one was immune to it.<ref name="26.6"/> He was able to freeze Foil's darts in midair.<ref name="26a">Interlude 26a</ref>

His power also makes him effectively immortal, constantly restoring his body to the exact condition it was in when he first got his powers. This prevented him from aging or even getting dirty. Any time he was hurt or debilitated, his power would take him back as far as he needed, allowing him to maintain his position if he wanted. He retained his memories.<ref>The corpse flickered, and Gray Boy reappeared, sitting atop the forearm of the hand that had squashed him. He hopped down.

His time loop power protected him. Any time he was hurt, any time he was debilitated, his power would kick in, taking him back as far as he needed, allowing him to maintain his position if he wanted. He'd remain conscious, retain any recollection, and with his offensive power, he could shut down any threat.

It was that same power that kept him from aging. Aging was a danger, change was a problem, so he continually retained his appearance from the very moment he'd triggered, reverting back several times an hour, or any time he even got dirty. - Interlude 26a</ref> Only two people have managed to permanently kill Gray Boy; Glaistig Uaine<ref>Interlude 27</ref><ref>Extinction 27.5</ref> and Foil.<ref name="26.b"/>

Gray Boy knew Bonesaw's name before she told him, and she believed he - like Jack - was aware she planned to betray the Nine. It is unclear what aspect of his powers allowed this.<ref>“Bonesaw,” he said, voicing a name she hadn’t programmed into him. His hand found hers, and he held it. She felt a chill. “We’ll be inseparable, I think.

...

”Gray Boy squeezed her hand. She would have jumped, if her body language wasn’t in the system’s control. She looked at him, and he winked.

Her expression hadn’t wavered, she hadn’t allowed herself the slightest tell, but somehow he fell in the same category as Jack.

He knew. - Scarab 25.x (Interlude, Bonesaw)</ref> He had no special ability to aim his attacks, and didn't receive feedback from his power regarding what he'd hit.<ref name="26a"/>

History

Background

Ignis Fatuus claimed, while trying to break the spirit of the forces arrayed against Echidna, that Gray Boy was inadvertently created by Cauldron, much like Shatterbird and The Siberian had been. They sold him powers, but were seemingly unable to control him when he went out of bounds.<ref name="19.6">We created the Gray Boy, selling him powers, finding ourselves unable to stop him when he went out of bounds. - Ignis Fatuus speaking in Scourge 19.6</ref> Doctor Mother confirmed that Cauldron were ultimately responsible for Gray Boy.<ref>“Gray Boy? Siberian? Human experimentation?”

“Yes to all of the above,” Doctor Mother said. “I won’t lie to you at this juncture.” - Extinction 27.x (Interlude, Eidolon)</ref>

The original Gray Boy was similar to Labyrinth at her least lucid; using his powers indiscriminately while staying within an area. King was effectively immune to him, as any attack used on King would be transferred to someone he had touched within the last 24 hours. His immunity to Gray Boy's power allowed him to lead him around and wield him as a weapon. He used this to introduce himself and his Nine to the world as a threat so dangerous they were essentially immune to retaliation.<ref name="SB1">King had a flimsy hold, Jack had a stronger hold. The former Gray Boy was closer to a Labyrinth in full-on powers mode than anything else. Using powers indiscriminately, staying within an area. King was effectively immune to him, and used this to introduce himself and start leading him around.

Jack cheats. He instinctively, intuitively knows how other parahumans operate, their weak points and their motivations, and was able to leverage original Gray Boy in this way, and the new Gray Boy in a similar way.

Cauldron permitted Gray Boy because he was the closest thing to a weapon they had against Scion since Eidolon. When the S9 started picking up and more parahumans started getting removed from the fiend than Gray Boy was theoretically worth, they moved in. Manuevering Glaistig Uaine into taking him over, so the power would still be in play.- Comment by Wildbow on Spacebattles</ref>

He was one of Jack Slash's "first teammates" in the Slaughterhouse Nine.<ref name="19.x">19.x (Donation Interlude 1; Blasto)</ref> King had only a flimsy hold over Gray Boy, but Jack's hold was stronger due to the thinker aspects of his power.<ref name="SB1"/>

Cauldron allowed Gray Boy to survive because he was the closest thing to a weapon they had against Scion since Eidolon. When the Slaughterhouse Nine started picking up momentum and more powerful parahumans started getting removed from the field than Gray Boy was theoretically worth, they moved in, maneuvering Glaistig Uaine into taking his power for herself, so that Gray Boy's power would still be in play<ref name="SB1"/> even with the original Gray Boy being dead.

Legacy

Gray Boy was the most feared villain to have ever been part of the Slaughterhouse Nine.<ref name="Cast">Cast (in depth)</ref> Jack Slash used to tell Bonesaw stories about him.<ref name="19.x"/>

Post-Timeskip

Gray Boy was resurrected by Bonesaw as part of the Slaughterhouse Nine-Thousand. He was the only member who she only cloned once,<ref name="20.x">Interlude 20 (Donation Bonus 1)</ref> at Jack's instruction.<ref name="I25"/>

The cloned Gray Boy had skills the original lacked due to Bonesaw implanting the body of the clone with the modified memories of an actual child.<ref name="computer"/> He stepped out of the cloning chamber fully clothed and dry; unlike the other clones, he didn't struggle before finding his feet. He greeted Jack Slash and approached Bonesaw. The two had a brief, seemingly friendly conversation.<ref name="I25">Interlude 25</ref> The cloned Gray Boy was shown to be completely lucid and highly sadistic. Due to the unique circumstances where Gray Boy's power restored his original body, it is unknown whether his power also restored his original memories and personality in addition to the new memories implanted by Bonesaw, or if his personality was purely Bonesaw's construction.

Gray Boy was sent to retrieve Aster as part of Jack's game with Theo, and he trapped Crusader, Purity and two PRT agents in loops. He told one of the PRT agents that he wouldn't torture her if she told him a story he found interesting; she chose to tell him the details of the heroes' plans to prevent Jack ending the world.<ref name="26.6"/>

He was eventually killed by Foil, but not before he turned on Jack Slash, trapping him in a time loop and torturing him.<ref name="26.b">Interlude 26b</ref>

Trivia

• In previous drafts of Worm, Gray Boy was usually an independent villain. Some versions of him would shunt people into the future, during which they experienced sensory deprivation, rather than looping them; he began sending people thousands or millions of years when he was "broken mentally" during that story.<ref name="SB1aaaa"/>
  • His power was inspired by Wildbow thinking "What's a horrible thing you can do with [time power], as a variant?"<ref name="SB1aaaa">Gray Boy is one of those characters that cropped up a lot in the drafts.
    
    Where Bonesaw sort of found her way to various teams in the drafts, Gray Boy was usually a loner. An independent who might have been in the same in-story role as Kaiser, with various tweaks to powers.
    
    So you think, just in general, "What's a horrible thing you can do with [common power], as a variant?"
    
    Fire goes out of control, that's sort of a metaphor for Burnscar. Water, Leviathan. Lightning strikes, there's not a fucking lot you can normally do about being struck by lightning.
    
    Remember the last chapter of Migration? Peaks are higher, valleys are lower. It's just a question of scale.
    
    Gray Boy was a fairly natural leap from 'time power'. I think in another variation, he just shunted you a duration into the future. For all intents and purposes, you disappeared, but you got to experience the ride in real time. In that incarnation, he was broken mentally, he started to shunt people around by thousands or tens of thousands or millions of years instead of the usual. Similar idea, less visceral, harder to get on paper. Idea gets refined, given his short appearance and need to 'show' more, and you wind up with this. -

Comment by Wildbow on Spacebattles</ref>

References

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