Barcode

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<infobox>

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   <default>Barcode</default>
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<image source="Image"></image> <image source="image"></image> <header>Information</header> <label>Alignment</label> <label>Leader(s)</label> <label>Leader(s)</label> <label>Allies</label> <label>Allies</label> <label>Status</label> <label>Location</label> <label>First Appearance</label> <header>First Appearance</header> <label>Worm Debut</label> <label>Ward Debut</label> </infobox> Barcode is a group of mercenaries operating post-Gold Morning.

Modus operandi

Barcode was a mercenary team, with money as their only goal.<ref name="10.11 1" /> They operated as hit men.<ref name="9.6 2">“Hit men?” I asked.

“Is there a term for people worse than hit men?”

“How does that work? Hit men are generally pretty bad, they’re professional, they’re about as criminal as you get. How do you get more extreme than that?”

“They don’t kill,” Byron said.

I set my jaw. Too many complicated thoughts were stirred up by that line of thinking. My first, almost hopeful thought was that he meant they were worse as in less-effective. The summary thoughts led me down a trail that made me think about my sister.

“An end worse than death,” Byron clarified, unhelpfully. - Excerpt from Gleaming 9.6</ref> They usually killed targets, but had parahuman contacts that included a striker who allowed them to inflict "an end worse than death" to targets. They were willing to sell the body parts that this striker could isolate.<ref name="9.6 3">“Barcode. Most of the time they deal in death. But they have contacts, the sort of people who might be out in one of Marquis’ cabins in the middle of nowhere, not wanting to be bothered. I don’t know for sure where those contacts are, though.”

“And?”

“And one of those is a striker. A dealer in human parts. They take people apart with physical blows as if they’re dolls. Takes an arm and a leg, literally, takes kidneys, hearts, genitals, whatever people are willing or desperate to buy.” - Excerpt from Gleaming 9.6</ref>

They were highly professional, enough to get into the circles of villains such as Lord of Loss and Marquis, but operated clandestinely, setting up contingency plans.<ref name="10.11 1" /><ref name="9.6 1" /> They were nonetheless prone to getting impatient about their jobs.<ref name="9.6 1" />

History

Glow-worm

Tristan Vera found and contacted Barcode via Parahumans Online.<ref>“How did he even find these guys?”

“Ha,” Byron said the word, humorless. The car swerved a bit on what looked like normal, not-icy ground, and he corrected. “I saw it happen and I don’t even know. I smile and it’s… it’s an expression. He smiles and people like him. He gets online and finds people we used to fight, people we threw in jail, asks how they’re doing, finds common ground in the world ending, fishes. A couple weeks later, somehow he has these guys, with a clandestine system for getting in touch. I didn’t even think it would happen, so I just let him do his thing, focused on my own things, and… surprise, it all came together, am I willing to shell out some of my own cash so it’s not one party paying the scary mercenaries? I should know not to underestimate him when he sets his mind to something.” - Excerpt from Gleaming 9.6</ref><ref>Glow-worm P.2</ref> He set up a system with the goal of keeping himself in line, where the two brothers would meet with Barcode every few days and confirm that both of them are okay.<ref>“It was Tristan?”

“He decided on it and moved forward. He does this thing where things get bad, and he sees a possible solution- he gets all gung-ho for it.”

“So he hires a fate-worse-than-death hitman?”

“He said it was extreme enough that he’d have to stay in line. I was witness to it, as I am to all things Tristan. Then it was done with.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“I’m resigned to it,” Byron said. “It happened, and by the time I wrapped my mind around it and did my own research, it was done. Too hard to revoke, and things were better. They were almost good for the first time in years.” - Excerpt from Gleaming 9.6</ref><ref name="9.6 4" /> He also used their services to collect information about possible threats to them and Breakthrough.<ref name="16.2II"/>

Post-Fallen fall

Due to Breakthrough's appearance on Hard Boil, Capricorn's scheduled meeting with Barcode was postponed until the next day. However, Capricorn's arrangement was complicated when Goddess aligned all members of Breakthrough except for Byron, which would have been detectable by Barcode's thinker, setting a tight schedule for the prison situation to be dealt with.<ref>Gleaming 9.6</ref>

After Goddess's death, Capricorn's meeting with Barcode went without issue. The brothers together, however, consulted Barcode about another job,<ref>“We’re good,” The barcode guy said. “We’ll see you soon, then? Unless you need something else?”

Tristan paused.

“What?” the guy asked.

“I was thinking we might be able to do business… but I need to talk it over with my brother, first.” - Excerpt from Interlude 9.z II</ref> to find Paris<ref name="16.2II">From Within 16.2</ref>

Post-Goddess' Takeover

When the Navigators were found dismembered but alive, Barcode was raised during the subsequent hero meeting as a potential suspect.<ref name="10.11 1" />

Members

• Dismembering Striker<ref name="10.11 1" />
• Social Thinker<ref name="9.6 4">“What’s the procedure?” I asked. “Forget the consequence- it’s bad. I get it. How do you do it?”
  
  “We meet up every few days. We confirm we’re okay, we swap. There are two or three people who show up, sometimes with backup, whoever they’re working with at the time. One is usually a thinker. They can read people. Read us.”
  
  My phone lit up, brighter in my lap than any light outside or on the dash. It was Lookout. They were close to our destination.
  
  “They read people. For altered mental states?”
  
  “Yep. Drugs. Amnesia. Brainwashing. - Excerpt from Gleaming 9.6</ref>

References

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