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History and Origins:
No one knows why the chimpanzee's metagene decided to turn when it did.
In the long run, the reason doesn't matter. What matters is this: the chimpanzee
suddenly came to the
unexpected realization that he had spent the last
three years enslaved to cruel brutes who only wanted to exploit
him and humiliate him. This so-called "circus" was
nothing more than an excuse to cause the chimpanzee to humiliate
himself by "dancing" in a hula skirt, pretending to
play a ukulele.
The chimpanzee (he refused to call himself "Bobo"
which he saw as his "slave master's name") seethed at
the uncaring tyrants who kept him locked in a cage. He was only
released to be put on display for the hideous, idiotic humans.
Didn't they realize that he was a thinking being? Didn't they
recognize his right to live free, as they did? The other chimps
in his enclosure were worse than useless. Unthinking brutes the
lot of them. But there had to be others like him out there
somewhere.
The chimpanzee who would later name himself Doctor Simian
decided that the world was empty of justice for apes. If he
wanted to live as he wanted, humans would have to be subjugated
first. And for that, he'd need help. He decided to
build an organization... no... an ARMY!... of like-minded apes.
His soldiers would be trained and equipped until they were the
match of any pinkskin military in the world. And at the
forefront would be a team of super-powered apes!
Cyberangutan was his first recruit. Rescued from the
clutches of Lord Doom, the cyborg orangutan had (and still has)
blind faith in Doctor Simian's cause. The other recruits
were swiftly found and added to the team. With the
addition of Elastorang, the team had grown to eight apes, and
Doctor Simian knew they were ready.
The world would soon learn to fear the name Prime 8.
Leader:
Doctor Simian.
Area of Operation:
Worldwide
Goals:
Officially, the sole ambition of Prime 8 is the overthrow of
Homo sapiens sapiens as the dominant life form on the planet. It should
be noted, however, that some of the members of the group (Kong,
Spider, and Brass Monkey, specifically) view the group as
a means to gain "the good life" and couldn't care less
about human/ape relations. They keep their views quiet
when Dr. Simian is listening.
Inter-Group Relations:
The members of Prime 8 are very close, almost to the point of
being family. This applies even to those members more interested
in the accumulation of wealth than world conquest. The biggest difference is each member's opinion of Doctor
Simian.
Elastorang, Kong, Spider, and Brass Monkey all see their leader
as a very smart, if completely nuts, bitter old ape. They are
willing to follow his lead because he's a nice old guy when not
talking about how the humans are to blame for everything, and
because he's never let them down before. Howler, Cyberangutan,
Silverback, and Monkeyshines, on the other hand, see Doctor Simian
as the savior of their kind: an ape who will lead his fellows
out of the darkness of human domination and into the light of
self-determination. This difference of opinion is kept
private, however, and no member of the group allows it to
interfere with the team's efficiency.
Prime 8 usually engages in very intricately planned operations
which require split second timing on the part of all members.
The fact that they so-often succeed is a tribute to their skill
at acting as a team. In combat, Brass Monkey, Silverback,
Elastorang, and Kong are used as front line
troops. Monkeyshines and Howler act as ranged combatants,
offering support to the front line troops.
Spider is used as a scout and sentry, and when
needed combat support. Doctor Simian, who feels his age and never takes to the field anymore, handles the planning and the
details.
Reputation:
Despite proving to be one of the most effective terrorist groups in
the world, Prime 8 is still seen as a bit of a joke by those who
haven't encountered them before. The attitude seems to be
"look at the cute little monkey". This is a mistake. A big
mistake. Prime 8 is far too good at what they do to be
treated as "cute little monkeys" by ignorant human beings.
Not all law enforcement agencies see them as
jokes. The Global Guardians treat Prime 8 as the threat that it is.
During its nearly fifteen years of active criminal activity, this team has a
success rate that only monolithic criminal organizations like Tarot (a group
involved in so many criminal enterprises simultaneously that its vast success
rate is a given) or overwhelmingly powerful beings like the Blood Red King
(who succeeds because there really isn't anyone powerful enough to oppose him)
possess.
The apes of Prime 8 are respected,
both as individuals and as a team, by most of the
"mastermind" type criminals. Lord Doom has
acknowledged Doctor Simian as his intellectual equal, an
"honor" he's only ever bestowed on only two other
people since he first came into the public eye as a superhuman. Tarot has issued a directive to its operatives to be
careful when they encounter with this group; this came after a
Tarot cell was obliterated by Prime 8 because of interference,
and after the "vengeance team" sent to teach Prime 8 a
lesson never reported back in.
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