The Sparkman's Questionnaire

The Sparkman is a strange one. His first reported appearance was as apart of a security detail at a black-tie gala in New Jersey. His second appearance was as apart of Museum Security for an event centered around the history and inventions of Nikola Tesla down in New York City. In both of these situations, due to The Sparkman's strange appearance and electrifying presence, some people have attempted to follow The Sparkman or figure out where he's located. Though this usually just leads to a hotel of which he stays at. In his third appearance, he appeared across the country to thwart a robbery in Portland, Oregon and then again at an event in Washington. They'd appear later on in England, acting as part of a security detail for the prime minister and then as apart of one for the president of India.

The Sparkman, to put it simply is a traveling man. Its unknown whether or not they ever had a place to live, as investigations for such a thing usually come up blank.

Some people swear that they see The Sparkman disappear into bolts of Lightning during storms, and then reappear somewhere else. Others call these people weird. Though in the grand scheme of things, most discussion about a rather recognizable rando who appears as apart of security at times, is perpetrated by a rather small number of people.

The Sparkman, as a security contractor, usually gets his money from Security gigs. People hire them, and they provide security for events, politicians, and whatever else needs protecting. Occasionally, as a contractor, he gets to go along with the local police department, if they get a whiff of them. Wherever the money is, he goes.

Now what he does with the money is another question. He's regularly been found at places like Home Depot buying... copper wiring and batteries if they have any. Of course this money also funds his hotel fees and any other travel expenses.

Currently he's gotten past TSA by getting the suit to be considered a serious disability aid. In that sense he is a rather lucky individual.

Other uses of this cash involve things such as Taser cartridges and the occasional book on gunsmithing and electrical engineering, along with things to repair the integrity of his suit if need be.

The Sparkman goes where the money is. What The Sparkman wants is unknown, though it seems his main gist is to dispense justice, as if he were some divine power. The Sparkman multiple times before has seemed to enjoy the suffering of criminals and those who would attempt to escape the arm of the law, in a rather paradoxical sense. This has earned them the occasional title of 'Electrocutioner' because of his preferred method of neutralization, and how much he'll zap a guy until he's well... at least nearly dead. This has caused a whole lot of controversy within his field and usually means that if he's there, criminals tend to avoid the area. He's had a couple scuffles with local police, though usually tends to be on fair terms with a couple agencies.

The Sparkman's life before being The Sparkman is... rather unknown. Investigations into it have come up blank, its as if they never were anyone before they were The Sparkman. Of course, there are many theories and stories, usually created by those in the Security and Law enforcement occupation in an attempt to explain such an unusual character. One rather popular one is that The Sparkman was once a cop who, in a freak accident on a stormy night lost his life to a bolt of lightning while chasing down a criminal. The criminal lucked out, getting away, leaving the cop's body to rot. But their soul... that bolt snatched the soul right out of them and they became apart of the lightning. They became a vengeful crusader of justice and power. One that strikes as fiercely as the storm and as freely as the current. Its said that on every anniversary of their death, that same great storm that killed them comes around and is the one that brings them back from the brink of oblivion.

That of course, is but a story and there are many like it.

Some have said The Sparkman is an alien from another planet, while others state that any other sightings of a 'Sparkman' are just posers, trying to cash in on the mysteriousness of the original. 

Among the stories there is but one truth, nobody truly knows The Sparkman and their existence is an anomaly.

There are few people who consider themselves close to The Sparkman, though there are some rather notable ones.

1. Harry "Briggs" Bridgeman

Harry is a fellow travelling security contractor, and for a while they had run similar security gigs, of course this was more like a co-worker who seemed to follow you rather than a truest of true friend. Despite that, Harry is one of the very few who understands The Sparkman's strange sense of justice, and acted as a voice of reason, usually attempting to keep The Sparkman from their rather shocking outbursts. While Harry may no longer exactly work with The Sparkman on the same security gigs, he still attempts to keep in touch, finding a sense of comradery in The Sparkman.

2. Teresa Monroe

Living in Galveston, Texas, Monroe is  The Sparkman has been a bit odd when it comes to romance, Monroe is one of the few who have seen under the helmet of The Sparkman. Of course, this was enough for her to...well... bring the relationship back a bit. If you were to ask her why, she'd most likely give an answer like, "Well, seeing them under the helmet really shocked me is all I can say about it. Plus, I like a partner who can alternate, but he seemed too direct for me," and then wink at you. Her sense of humor is one of the few things that broke through The Sparkman's strangeness and brought them at least somewhat together. Monroe, despite reeling it back, still has some sorts of feelings for The Sparkman and the two of them are rather playfully flirtatious if they end up going out on a 'date' together.

3. "Sackman"

It takes a strange one to know a strange one. Sackman seems to be a man wearing a sack over his head. Sackman's current identity is unknown, and he acts as a bit of a local vigilante around Edinburg. He has a seemingly endless sack of knick knacks and gadgets rather similar to Felix the Cat's bag of tricks, nabbing thugs and thwarting crime in the area and throughout Scotland. Usually he likes to send any folk up to no-good to the police, tied up in potato sacks. Though Sackman has clashed with The Sparkman's ideology and joy of electrocuting criminals before, Sackman has considered him a valuable ally in the battle against crime. If he's ever in the area, Sackman knows who to call.

Patient Log #34-SPRK

Playing Recording...

"Well, Mr..."

"Sparkman."

"Right, that's your operator name, not your actual-"

"Spark. Man."

"...right... Sparkman, wht was your childhood like?"

"Childhood?"

"You were a child before, right?"

"I was something before today, yes."

"I'm asking about your childhood, Sparkman."

"Why?"

"I'm trying to understand you here, you gotta work with me."

"There's nothing to work with."

"Are you denying that you ever had a childhood?"

"Yes."

"Why is that?"

"Because I never had one. Plain and simple, are you dense?"

"Hey, lets calm down now, I'm only trying to get a read on you and how I can help. Were your parents hard on you as a kid?"

"No."

"What were they like then?"

"I never came from anyone. I come from nothing and when my job is done, disappear into nothing."

"That's a bit of an odd response... what is it about your parents that shaped you to be this way? Or was it more something like your school life?"

"What do you want from me?"

"You're supposed to talk to me, Sparkman. Especially after that last outburst in Wyoming. I'm here to figure out why you do the things you do, and help you get through your issues. I'm a therapist, and I can't do much unless you help me understand you and where you're coming from."

"I've told you all you need to know."

"Would Teresa give me the same answer?"

"Keep her name out of your mouth."

"Alright, well... we'll continue this later, alright? I'll give you some time to think about things and we can come back later and you can talk about it, okay?"

...

...

"Sparkman?"

"Fine."

Patient Log #14-SPRK

Playing Recording...

...

"Why is this important to the process?"

"Well, it helps me understand if you have anyone you've really been close to. You seem to push a lot of people away."

...

"Once."

"Tell me more."

"She was... nice."

"You loved her though, so she had to be more than nice, right?"

"Very nice."

"I feel like you could use more descriptive wording here..."

"She didn't hate me, she wanted to see me be better, she saw something in me that others didn't. I wanted to be better for her. Still do."

"Do you think the use of excessive force is what she would've wanted for you?"

"Don't."

"You're here because you electrocuted a criminal half-to-death."

"Criminals deserve it."

"You do realize that's also a crime, right?"

"Criminals. Deserve it."

"...right... what happened between you two? It doesn't seem like you're with her anymore."

"Incompatible."

"How so?"

"Incompatible."

"That doesn't answer my question, you know that."

"Then don't ask that question."

"I think we need to calm down, alright? Just answer my questions and we'll be all good."

"Pick better questions then."

"There's no need to be so aggressive. This is a safe space to talk and understand what's going on with you, because there seems to be some underlying trauma that's causing this or something."

...

"Tell you what, I'll let you get some rest, and we can try this again later, alright? Sometimes sleep can give you a whole new perspective on life."

Patient Log #77-SPRK

Playing Recording...

...

*TZZZZT*

"AAAGH, AAAAH AAAAAH- AAAAAAAH!"

*TZZZZT*
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A-"

*TZZZZT*

"KZAAAAHHHH!"

"IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL THERAPY? IS THAT IT?!"

*TZZZZT*

"GAH! STOP! PLEASE! I- I can't feel my legszzzAH!"

*TZZZZT*

"WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?!"

*TZZZZT*

*Huff... huff...*

"DAMN IT!"

*TZZZZT*

"SPEAK DAMNIT, SPEAK! GET OFF YOUR ASS AND TELL ME WHO YOU WORK FOR!"

...

...

"God..."

"I'm so tired... of being the stranger... do you have  ANY IDEA how that feels?! To have nobody to turn to, nothing to live for?!"

...

"You rope some of the only people I actually give a shit about, the only purpose I can find, into this whole 'figuring out The Sparkman' bullshit, and you don't have the gall to tell me?"

"I hate your kind, you know that? The people who decide its okay to play with the lives of others. The ones who try to figure out what isn't meant to be figured out, get into places you shouldn't be and trifle through all the things you aren't supposed to read. Like a child looking through their big brother's porno mags."

...

...

"You aren't dead... right?"

"You aren't-"

...

"You aren't."

"You're a lucky bastard... a real lucky bastard indeed. This whole thing... its not going to hang very heavy on me, but I don't forget."

Patient Log #4-SPRK

Playing Recording...

...

"So tell me about this suit of yours..."

"What do you want to know about it and why is it important for this?"

"You never know, the strangest of information can really help with understanding a patient."

"Its custom made, helps with the whole 'Sparkman' stuff."

"Right, I hear you're quite interesting as a Security Contractor."

"I know what I'm worth."

"What about the other thing?"

"What other thing?"

"You said there was another possession of yours that was special?"

"Oh, right... yeah..."

"Would you mind telling me about it?"

"It's not much, just a little tissue paper flower."

"Is there a reason why its special to you?"

"...that's none of your business."

"I think it is."

"Fine, it was a gift, are you happy now?"

"From who?"

"I refuse to answer this question."

"Ohhhh, Its that type of special, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean by that."

"You'll understand it a bit more later when I ask you about it, but I take that its a gift from a loved one?"

...

"Please stop."

Patient Log #05-SPRK

Playing Recording...

...

"Easy question. This whole contractin' business."

"How so?"

"Listen, I dunno if you noticed, but with all this wacky BS goin' around, there's also a whole lot more criminals runnin' about. Means I get paid."

"Well if you're getting paid, how is that a problem?"

"Criminals. The fact that I'm getting paid is a problem. I should be the last call, not a preventative measure for this type of crap. The issue is that people get really used to all this random bullshit power they get, and start doing stupid shit that's going to get them killed."

"Are you also not using your power for a cause that might get you killed?"

"Yeah, but I'm not robbing people or murdering innocents. If they deserve it, they deserve it." 

"Lets talk about your most recent-"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Last time you brought one up, you defended 'em. Criminals have no place in the world, they're scum of the Earth."

"Don't you think that you might be a little too harsh on your punishments? You aren't the law."

"Yeah, I know... for now anyways."

"We'll come to that when we come to that, alright?"

"Yeah, alright."

Patient Log #02-SPRK

Playing Recording...

...

"Real simple-like, make sure the suit is functionin' and have breakfast. I shower of course, but once I get her up and running, I'm good to go."

"Is that really all there is to it?"

"Yeah, that's all there is."

"So you don't do anything else in the morning other than that?"

"Well, I do other things but they're not exactly the most important out of the ones I listed. I mean, I could tell you that I also brush my teeth, but you probably already know that by proxy. I'm normal, just like you. The main difference is that I'm a security contractor and you get to listen to people vent all day."

"Well, that and the suit. Do you drive to your contracts?"

"Walk usually, or call an uber or somethin'. Just tell 'em to not ask too many questions. I don't have much of a place at the moment so I'm pretty much a nomad."

"So, homeless?"

"Nah, I just can't settle down."

"Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea, especially with how stressful things have been for you lately.