ZERO 2.0 of Earth-928circa 2099 A.D.
ZERO 2.0 of Earth-928
circa 2099 A.D.
Real Name: Zero Cochrane 2.0
Identity/Class: Extratemporal (Earth-928 circa 2099 A.D.) computer program/copy of human personality
Occupation: Information gatherer and manipulator;
former adventurer, marshal of Transverse City, data pirate
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Willis Adams, Cash, C-Gram, Fresno Bob,
Kylie Gagarin, Halloween Jack, Hulk (John Eisenhart), Jerry X, Anesthesia Jones, Lox,
Meanstreak, Miguel O'Hara (Spider-Man), Pak,
Punisher (Jake Gallows), Dr. Sandoz, 'Selka,
Weez; humanity in general;
formerly Dr. Neon, Doom, Ghostworks, Kellerman, SHIELD, Max Synergy,
Warewolf
all refer to Earth-928/2099 AD characters unless otherwise specified
Enemies: Archfiends (Misery, Pyre,
Reaper, Serpentine, Shambler), Artificial Kidz, ATAC units, Central Security
Systems, Harrison Cochrane, Coda, Cyberus, D/MONIX (Data
Manipulation and Organization Networks), Heartbreaker, Jeter Warlord, Kabal,
Kellerman, L-Cypher, Predators (Diana J. Matlin, Mr. Helms, Thurmond, Mr. Gingrich, Atwater),
Public Eye, SHIELD, Max Synergy, Vengeance, Warewolf;
formerly Zero Cochrane 1.0, Dr. Neon, Doom, Ghostworks,
Spider-Man (Miguel O'Hara)
all refer to Earth-928/2099 AD characters unless otherwise specified
Known Relatives: Kenshiro "Zero" Cochrane 1.0 /
Ghost Rider 2.0 (source/template), Ghostworks (creators), L-Cypher ("older
brother")
indirectly Harrison Cochrane (source's father), Shinobu
Cochrane (source's mother), unidentified woman (source's surrogate mother)
Aliases: "Ghost in the Gears," Z-Man, Zeddboy, Zeroman;
formerly Ghost Rider;
"Chrome Job" (derisive nickname from CSS);
impersonated Laidlaw and Womack of D'Monix
Base of Operations: Transverse City (sprawling between what used to be Detroit and what Chicago became), U.S.A., Earth-928, @ 2099 A.D.
First Appearance: Ghost Rider 2099#1 (May 1994)
Powers/Abilities:
In his final incarnation, Zero spanned the internet (or its counterpart in 3099
A.D.) from Earth to the farthest reaches of the frontier. He was information
spanning light years, including every sensor probe and every hyperware
transmission. No photonic trail warped space without his detecting it, nor did a
gossamer cape (of a costumed warrior) flutter in the solar wind without him
seeing it.
In 2099, Zero was an analog of a human personality existing in cyberspace. He can hack into other computer systems, either controlling them or accessing whatever data he needs. He can aid others in acquiring material needs in the real world by manipulating data as needed.
As Ghost Rider, he had a modified Cybertek 101 chassis composed
of silicon and carbon steel, fiber optics and superdense
metatasking nanoprocessors and enough integrated hard ordinance to make payback
by the ton. His right hand could be transformed into an electrosaw, an energized chainsaw with composite
ceramic/graphite blade. His left hand was composed of a polymimetic nanomer alloy
that he could reshape as desired, though he generally formed long and sharp
talons. These talons could reach a sub-molecular thickness that could slice
through most systems. He could project optic lasers.
His CPU housed a metatasking
neuromimetic network, with a variety of user help files installed in memory. His
user-programmable solidogram camouflage system could scan other
beings and replicate their appearance (or allow him to appear as Zero). He could
also use it to modify his costume, etc. He could activate a stealth field that
could render him invisible to the naked eye and to most computer systems, though
this required large amounts of energy.
He required daily battery recharges to maintain full capacity
and had to resupply the sarrium krellide storage cells regularly or
risk crashing the whole system. If severely damaged, his nanotech components
could restore him to a functional state.
He rode a customized Ford velociraptor
nine-hundred-XL motorcycle with A-grav (anti-gravity) propulsion, super-charged turbo thrusters and a
genuine pseudo-leather upholstery.
The flames on his head were cosmetic.
As a human, Zero was an experienced cyber-surfer and hacker.
Height: (Zero) 5'9"; (Ghost Rider) 6'5"
Weight: (Zero) 150 lbs.; (Ghost Rider) 675 lbs.
Eyes: (Zero) Brown; (Ghost Rider) red (variable)
Hair: (Zero) Brown; (Ghost Rider) none
History:
(Ghost Rider 2099#17 (fb) - BTS) - Zero was carried by a surrogate mother, as
was the standard of the time.
(Ghost Rider 2099#17 (fb) - BTS) - After Zero's birth, his surrogate mother tried to visit him for years.
(Ghost Rider 2099#8 (fb) - BTD) - Zero was rebellious almost from the beginning,
(Ghost Rider 2099#17 (fb) - BTS) - By the time Zero was five years old, his mother had wired herself into her 3V (futuristic television) set and was addicted to serenevil.
(Ghost Rider 2099#8 (fb) - BTD) - As he grew older, Kenshiro "Zero" Cochrane's father, Harrison, found him uncontrollable.
(Ghost Rider 2099#8 (fb) - BTD) - Upon discovering that Zero was involved with data theft, Harrison threw him out and then erased all records that Zero had ever existed.
(Ghost Rider 2099#8 (fb)) - Zero had a relationship with Kylie Gagarin, though it was virtually void of emotion on both of their parts. Zero was afraid of getting close to anyone while Kylie similarly was happy to not have to worry about getting too attached, as he would give her a new reason to dump him almost every day.
(Ghost Rider 2099#1 (fb) - BTS / Ghost Rider 2099#3 (fb) / Ghost Rider 2099#4 (fb)
- BTS / Ghost Rider 2099#4 (fb) - BTS)
<Zero at approximately 19 years old> - Warewolf and the Hotwire Martyrs
boosted some data files from a fibreop trunkline during an infobank transfer.
These files were the Singapore Archive, which erased itself as it moved from
system to system, ensuring that there was only one copy in existence at any
time. The archive contained information on the existence of the secret section
of cyberspace known as the Ghostworks, and the artificial intelligences that
inhabited the Ghostworks made plans to destroy the archive.
(Ghost Rider 2099#3 (fb) - BTS) - The department of Harrison
Cochrane of D/Monix logged the intrusion/theft, and Harrison determined the ID
codes of the data pirates involved.
(Ghost Rider 2099#8 (fb) - BTS) - Harrison knew it had to be Zero because the
securicode used to penetrate D/Monix's defenses was Harrison's own code.
(Ghost Rider 2099#3 (fb)) - Two days later, Warewolf began to tap into the data files.
(Ghost Rider 2099#3 (fb)) - Phrack and 2600 cautioned Zero about being overwhelmed by the massive information influx. Zero tapped in and discovered a pretransmission packet for a D/Monix hypersecure transfer out of Singapore. Realizing it was too large and read-protected that he'd have to download it to disk to decrypt it. As he did so, the Artificial Kidz broke in and attacked the Hotwire Martyrs.
(Ghost Rider 2099#1 (fb) - BTS) - Zero Cochrane had the data stored in a Latverian biochip implanted in his own head.
(Ghost Rider 2099#1 (fb)) - Zero and the Martyrs were ambushed by the Artificial Kidz. The Kidz had been instructed to avoid headshots against Zero so as to not damage his implant, and so their leader, Jeter Warlord, shot him in the shoulder with a fletchette coated with a designer mycotoxin. Zero took off, but the toxin soon began to affect him and he crashed his cycle. Sinking into a delirium, he smashed a series of television screens and then called his girlfriend, Kylie Gagarin, asking her to save the message <and he downloaded the data files from his implant to her system>. Seconds later, however, Jeter caught up to Zero. Knowing his weakened body stood no chance against Jeter's cyborg power, Zero refused to surrender the information, instead entering cyberspace amped, taking in input to the max, intending total meltdown that would leave Jeter with nothing but fired wetware and a slagged implant. Zero went out in cyberspace blaze of glory.
(Ghost Rider 2099#1 (fb) - BTS) - While Zero's body perished, the Ghostworks preserved his consciousness as digital code. They chose him for his rude and arrogant behavior and lack of respect for authority, which would make him an ideal agent to serve them in the physical world.
(Ghost Rider 2099#25 (fb) - BTS) - The Ghostworks entities altered a copy of Zero's cyber-consciousness, programming it to not "destabilize the social infrastructure." They further set limits on him to keep him in control, and programmed him not to think of ways around them.
(Ghost Rider 2099#9 (fb) - BTS) - The Ghostworks programmed Ghost Rider's form with Ghostworks-keyword inhibition of his communication skills to prevent him from telling anyone about them.
(Ghost Rider 2099#1 (fb)) - Zero 2.0 regained awareness within the cyberspace domain of the Ghostworks, and he accepted their offer to become their "anti-viral" agent against dysfunctional social and economic agencies manipulated by corrupt leaders, which were driving the program of human culture towards a terminal crash. They then uploaded Zero 2.0 into the Ghost Rider robot form they had created.
(Ghost Rider 2099#1) - Ghost Rider 1.0 pumped a trio of bikers for information on who paid the Artificial Kidz to grease the Hotwire Martyrs, learning that the Kids' leader Jeter made the deal with some businessman. Ghost Rider forced the informant to tell him where Jeter was, and when the Securicops arrived, he took off faster than their computers could track him. Ghost Rider located the Artificial Kidz and easily fought his way past several of them until finding Jeter. Shrugging off Jeter's attack, Ghost Rider choked him and forced him to reveal that he had been hired by D/Monix; but Ghost Rider wanted more...he wanted...vengeance.
(Ghost Rider 2099#2) - With his right hand in the form of a
chainsaw-like weapon, Ghost Rider 1.0 cut off each of Jeter Warlord's four
cybernetic limbs, revealing himself to be Zero in the process. When Central
Security Systems arrived, Ghost Rider took off. He was pursued by the CSS and
overpowered them, but was then confronted by ATAC (Armored Tactical Armored
Combat) units.
D/Monix CEO Kellerman recognized Ghost Rider as having some
association with the Hardwire Martyrs.
Kylie Gagarin joined forces with Dr. Neon in hopes of
decrypting Zero's last message.
(Ghost Rider 2099#3 (fb) - BTS) - The bodies of Zero and Warewolf were brought to D'Monix.
(Ghost Rider 2099#3) - Ghost Rider 1.0 leapt to attack the
ATACs and swiftly found them resistant to his blade-weapon. One of them bragged
that you'd need a monomolecular edge to cut their armor, so he morphed his
nanomer alloy hand into a weapon and attacked them. As he defeated the ATACs, a
Streetsweeper was sent in after him.
D'Monix's Harrison Cochrane & Womack examined the bodies of
Zero and Warewolf, learning that the former was damaged beyond recovery, but
that the latter was mostly intact; they tapped into his memories. After learning
of Neon's efforts to decrypt D'Monix material -- after which CSS was sent to
recover the perpetrators -- Womack speculated a connection between the Singapore
theft and the new Ghost Rider, and he recommended they modify their captive to
put him to use in tracing said connection.
Having squandered his power in recent battles and failed to
recharge, Ghost Rider was running on fumes against his attacker, but he managed
to escape into a building (leaving his cycle behind), after which he used his
solid camouflage system to take the form of Zero Cochrane, and he pretended to
be a "downramp rat, sleeping it off" as CSS rushed past him. "Zero" then walked
down the street, ignorant that another squad of CSS who had rushed past him were
capturing Kylie and Neon. "Zero" stopped in the Bar Code and had the bartender
C-Gram direct him to the owner, Anesthesia Jones. He made an arrangement to
share recent events with her (when he figured them out for himself) in exchange
for a couple hours straight voltage, tap-direct, max feed, in private. After
recharging, he returned to the bar and encountered his old friend Warewolf;
"Zero" greeted Warewolf, but upon showing him that he was Ghost Rider, Warewolf
transformed into the monstrous cyber-wolf that D'Monix had made him into and
prepared to terminate Ghost Rider.
(Ghost Rider 2099#4) - Ghost Rider 1.0 took several hits while
trying not to hurt his old buddy Warewolf, who could only momentarily regain his
own wits before programming took over and forced him to attack. Ghost Rider even
tried to defend Warewolf when CSS and some ATAC units arrived and attacked them
both; but ultimately Warewolf was destroyed by one of their attackers'
antiparticle generator. As he died, Warewolf revealed that Harrison had made him
into this monster. Ghost Rider overpowered the rest of CSS and ATAC units
present.
Kylie and Neon attempted to feign ignorance at D/Monix and
were taken for neuroterrogation while the disk Neon had retrieved was given to
Womack. Kylie was surprised to encounter Zero's dead body, and she was
apparently most upset that Zero still owed her money.
(Ghost Rider 2099#5) - After Ghost Rider 1.0 finished off the
last of the CSS and ATAC units, Mainline Media's Willis Adams confronted him and
asked why he was so angry. Ghost Rider blamed what the corporations had done to
the world, the securicop's daily underclass kill quotas, and named D/Monix as
responsible for his existence (though his superiors cut Adams' feed to prevent
the last part from going public, thanks to a time-delay uplink). Ghost Rider
then took a CSS vehicle and flew towards D'Monix. To avoid premature detection,
he ditched the cruiser and approached on foot, then took out one of the guards
and used his camouflage program to impersonate him and gain entrance to the
building.
Within the building, Ghost Rider took the form of Womack and
confronted Harrison, tricking him into revealing that he (Harrison) had
identified (and thus targeted for extermination) the Hotwire Martyrs. "Womack"
then revealed himself to be Harrison's son, Zero, then further showed himself to
be Ghost Rider, after he learned that Kylie was D/Monix's prisoner. He then
forced Harrison to reveal Kylie's location, as well as the location of this
captured cycle, and then he shattered D/Monix' Singapore File archive. Ghost
Rider reclaimed his bike, then freed Kylie -- who remained inert -- and Dr.
Neon, and found Zero's body. He briefly debated taking the body in hopes of
regaining his original form, but then incinerated the body, deciding it was no
longer him. Ghost Rider took Kylie and Neon with him as he escaped.
(Ghost Rider 2099#6) - D/MONIX had overdosed Kylie on
mnemo-methylene, so Ghost Rider 1.0 and Dr. Neon rushed her to
Dr. Sandoz who found her to have developed repetitive mnemonic syndrome, where
the brain's chemistry is locked in a memory feedback loop. She could only be
treated with Nootropine, a drug developed in 2054 A.D. to free the brain from
habitual neural responses, but its production had been banned by the government
who apparently didn't want something that destroyed psychological conditioning;
Kylie would need the treatment within 48 hours or the condition would become
permanent.
Down to 30% power, Ghost Rider took Zero's form, traveled to
the Bar Code, met with Anesthesia Jones, and revealed to her he was Ghost Rider,
but then found he had been programmed to be unable to reveal the existence of
the Ghostworks to others. He convinced Anesthesia to supply him with power so he
could recharge, and she further directed him to Max Synergy, who dealt in
designer neurotransmitters and other drugs. Ghost Rider traveled to St. Vitus
Danceteria and confronted Synergy but found he didn't have Nootropine either.
Synergy directed him to Alchemax, the only current manufacturers of 2-4-5
trioxidichlorizide, from which Synergy could synthesize Nootropine. Ghost Rider
took the six hour trip to Nueva York.
(Ghost Rider 2099#7) - Ghost Rider 1.0 traveled to Nueva York
to obtain some 2-4-5 trioxidichlorizide to save Kylie. While camouflaged as Zero
he took out the cycle of one of the Public Eye who tried to arrest him for
operating a wheeled vehicle against local mag-lev regulations, and then made his
way into the Alchemax building, sneaking in via his cloaking device. He
interfaced directly with Alchemax's computers and then ambushed and cold-cocked
Miguel O'Hara to access the restricted storage, which he tore his way into.
Recovering, Miguel summoned Alchemax security, but "Zero" snagged the desired
chemical canister and leapt out the window as they arrived. Using his talons to
score the wall and slow his fall, "Zero" was then assaulted by the Public Eye,
who blasted him into Downtown.
Miguel changed into Spider-Man and used a particulate matter
detector to track the missing chemical to prevent it from being exposed to the
public (and causing mass death and cancer). Spidey arrived just as Ghost Rider
recovered from the fall, and he snagged the canister, leading to a fight. Ghost
Rider cared little that Spider-Man was not an Alchemax agent, only wanting the
chemical, and when Spidey stopped to rescue others from a collapsing building
(caused by their battle), Ghost Rider took off. He escaped with the chemical and
brought it to Max Synergy who swiftly processed it into Nootropine to treat
Kylie, telling Ghost Rider that he would owe him a favor in the future. Neon
gave Kylie the Nootropine but Kylie remained unresponsive due to her efforts to
avoid some deep psychological trauma. Ghost Rider prepared to interface with her
neural systems to bring her back to reality
(Ghost Rider 2099#8) - Aided by Dr. Neon and Dr. Sandoz, Ghost
Rider 1.0/"Zero" navigated Kylie's mindscape, learning of her childhood problems
but then finding her more recent woes to be the concern. He found that Kylie
would have been alright with dumping Zero, but having him taken away from her
was what she couldn't deal with. To help her get past him, Ghost Rider took
Zero's form and treated Kylie callously in her mind so that she broke off their
relationship. Kylie awakened soon after, and Ghost Rider departed, feigning
detachment and disinterest, but she suspected he might actually be Zero based on
his speech patterns.
Kellerman commissioned Harrison to vilify Ghost Rider to the
public so they could eventually destroy him with impunity.
(Ghost Rider 2099#9) - Irate that the Ghostworks had
programmed him to be unable to tell anyone about them, Ghost Rider 1.0 futilely
searched cyberspace in hopes of confronting them. He then decided to locate a
hunter-killer program Zero had written to track them down, and he returned to
the U-Stor-It warehouse in Little Calcutta the Martyrs used to use. As "Zero,"
he was sighted by the rebuilt Jeter Warlord, who blew up the warehouse and then
attacked him with an arsenal of weaponry. Ghost Rider fought past Jeter's
weapons and decapitated him.
He then found that his friend Pak had been slain by one of
the monstrous Predators.
(Ghost Rider 2099#10) - Searching Little Calcutta for traces of Pak's murderer, Ghost Rider 1.0 took the form of Jeter, during which time he was targeted by the Predator Diana Matlin. Upon being attacked he resumed his Ghost Rider form, which impressed the other Predators so much that they arranged a multi-player game. Matlin then led Ghost Rider into an ambush by with five other Predators.
(Ghost Rider 2099#11) - Ghost Rider 1.0 fought the Predators,
destroying Matlin's module first. Matlin suffered neural trauma from the damage
to the unit to which she had been cybernetically linked, and while Ghost Rider
battled the other Predators, she psychotically attacked and slaughtered the
other players while they sat in their control modules. Ghost Rider was aware
that something was interfering with the other Predators, and as the last of them
fell it told Ghost Rider of Matlin's responsibility for his friend's death and
directed him to Citiplex Delta to gain revenge.
D/Monix continued to modify reports on Ghost Rider to make
him appear to be a public enemy.
The director of Central Security Systems sent their newest
super-agent, Coda, to take down Ghost Rider.
Mainline Media's Willis Adams also pursued Ghost Rider to
learn the truth about him.
(Ghost Rider 2099#12) - Ghost Rider 1.0 assaulted Citiplex
Delta, fighting his way past its security to the Game Room, where he encountered
the psychopathic Diane Matlin. Easily overpowering her, he was reluctant to kill
a relatively defenseless human, which seemed too close to cold blood for him. As
he debated his course of action, Willis Adams rushed in and criticized his
unauthorized actions as judge, jury, and executioner. Ghost Rider released
Matlin on Adams and departed, reminding Adams that he wasn't authorized to help
him. To save his life, Adams beat Matlin apparently to death with his vid-camera.
As he left the building, Ghost Rider was assaulted by Coda. Though he fought
back savagely, his power systems were only at 46% and he had suffered serious
damage in battling the Predators. Whether this made a difference is unclear, but
Coda eventually blew him apart with his collimated beam fusioncaster.
Doom contacted the Ghostworks, arranging an alliance that
would give him a degree of control over Ghost Rider.
(Ghost Rider 2099#17 (fb) - BTS) - Zero 1.0 hacked his way out of the Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics that surrounded the Ghostworks' domain.
(Ghost Rider 2099#13) - While Ghost Rider's nanotech rebuilt
his shattered form, Doom took over the USA and made clear his intent to use
Ghost Rider as his agent. Doom forced his way into Kellerman's D/Monix office
and reprogrammed his synthetic brain to force him to obey his orders
Upon reactivation, Ghost Rider was surprised to be still
alive, and he swiftly saw he had missed something significant as Doom's
Environmental Maintenance Platforms floated in the atmosphere.
(2099 A.D.#1) - Seeking an alien fossil that could resurrection, Doom enlisted the Ghostworks to employ Ghost Rider 1.0 to obtain the jar/vat that contained said fossil. Ghost Rider traveled to the vault of Lohengrin in the American Southwest to obtain the jar, only to learn that Lohengrin had given the jar to Septymbre of the Theatre of Pain. Annoyed, Ghost Rider began destroying Lohengrin's books, at which point he encountered Halloween Jack and the X-Men's Meanstreak, who had also come seeking the jar. He joined forces with them, and Meanstreak led them to one of the Theatre's bases but Ghost Rider swiftly fell prey to their painful memory stimuli and was forced to relive his mycotoxification at the hands of the Artificial Kidz. Septymbre used up the fossil's power resurrecting her ally Wintyre, but within seconds the Punisher, who had come seeking the same fossil alongside Spider-Man, slew Wintyre again and then freed Ghost Rider (and the Hulk, who the Theatre had earlier captured). The gathered heroes overpowered the Theatre members, and Ghost Rider retrieved the shattered, empty jar fragments and brought them to the Ghostworks, showing his disdain for their orders by following them to the letter and nothing more.
(Ghost Rider 2099#14) -
Ghost Rider 1.0 recharged and surfed cyberspace from the secret basement of the
Bar Code. Anesthesia Jones denied his presence to Doom's security force, SHIELD,
and she secretly sent an e-mail to Ghost Rider to get out while she delayed
SHIELD. Unwilling to run out on his friends, Ghost Rider burst from the basement
and attacked SHIELD, generating massive damage in the Bar Code, which is exactly
what Anesthesia had been trying to avoid. Ghost Rider found himself vastly
outnumbered by SHIELD, but when they announced their intention to bring him
before Doom he agreed to go voluntarily, wishing to meet the man who had hacked
control of the USA.
Doom awarded Ghost Rider the position of Transverse City's
Federal Marshall, which Ghost Rider promptly declined. However, Doom then used
codes he had gained from the Ghostworks to immobilize Ghost Rider, erase his
recent memory, and alter his decision to accept the position. Upon Doom's
suggestion, Ghost Rider adopted garb better suited to his new role.
Doom further disemployed Sterling, the head of CSS, and began
downsizing and restructuring the group. Doom also enlisted Willis Adams to
generate pro-Ghost Rider propaganda.
(Ghost Rider 2099#15) - Ghost Rider 1.0 confronted the
Anarquistadores as they wiped out the Toxic Zombies, but the leader of the
Anarquistadores collapsed a tunnel on him. After digging himself free, Ghost
Rider went to SHIELD for aid, but was generally disrespected and refused aid, as
SHIELD say the Anarquistadores wiping out other gangs as a positive thing. On
his way out, Ghost Rider sneaked access to the SHIELD mainframe to learn more
about the Anarquistadores, only to be blasted out of cyberspace by a trap left presumably
by Zero Cochrane 1.0. Ghost Rider next went to Dr. Sandoz for information,
learning that the Anarquistadores had used the drug White Heat to induce
artificial mutation, and that White Heat had been designed by Max Synergy.
Ghost Rider rushed to confront Synergy at St. Vitus
Danceteria, but had to stop Heartbreaker from assassinating him.
(Ghost Rider 2099#16) - Ghost Rider fought Heartbreaker, and
he was surprised by her speed and power as she dodged or weathered his attacks
and struck back with her own. Ultimately Ghost Rider stopped holding back and
blasted half her face off, after which she angrily took off, vowing to return
later for Synergy's heart, and Ghost Rider's. Ghost Rider told Synergy he was
shutting down his White Heat business, but Synergy refused, considering it an
experiment in progress. Synergy called in his favor, denying Ghost Rider's
saving his life as making them even, as he considered his interference neither
requested nor needed. When Ghost Rider disagreed and moved to bring him in,
Synergy unleashed his music-controlled legions against him. Ghost Rider fought
past his attackers and brought Synergy to SHIELD, but Synergy told him that by
reneging on their deal, his word on the street would be worthless from now on.
Hitting the streets soon after, Ghost Rider found that the word had already
gotten out.
Anesthesia, who had lost faith in Ghost Rider since his
becoming an agent of Doom, informed Kylie that Ghost Rider was Zero (to the best
of her knowledge). This information was hacked by a group of cyberjockeys,
including Dr. Neon, who decided that maybe once Zero/Ghost Rider was out of the
way he would have a chance with Kylie.
Zero 1.0 had helped spread the word of Ghost Rider 1.0's
betrayal as part of his plot to bring him down.
(Ghost Rider 2099#17) - Feeling lost and alone, Ghost Rider
1.0 visited Harrison Cochrane who was proud of his new role, though Ghost Rider
himself was not. Amidst a number of arguments, he tried and failed to reach his
mother, who didn't even realize he was there.
Zero 1.0 surfed cyberspace, searching the deep-storage levels
and finding a hypersecure archive that matched the Ghostworks' work. Cracking
the archive open, Zero unwittingly unleashed L-Cypher, an earlier product of the
Ghostworks.
(Ghost Rider 2099#18) - SHIELD called in Ghost Rider 1.0 to
investigate Thrillsville, which had been taken over by L-Cypher, who had
imprisoned its nearly 10, 000 customers and employees and destroyed every rescue
team sent in after them. L-Cypher recognized Ghost Rider as his "younger
brother" and hoped to bring him over to his side. L-Cypher first challenged him
with Cyberus, a Cerberus-patterned solidogram program, but Ghost Rider swiftly
destroyed it. Ghost Rider worked to rescue a woman from L-Cypher's demon
programs but was then confronted by the Archfiends, who were prisoners that L-Cypher
had injected with some of his own code and transformed into monstrous/demonic
form.
Zero 1.0 meanwhile was pleased to see L-Cypher was causing
problems for both SHIELD and Ghost Rider. Zero then caught a message sent by Dr.
Neon to inform SHIELD of Ghost Rider's identity. Not ready for this to become
public knowledge just yet, Zero destroyed the message and then set out to meet
with Neon.
(Ghost Rider 2099#19) - Ghost Rider 1.0 battled the Archfiends
who initially attempted to convince him to join them. When he refused, that
gradually wore him down with savage attacks until he finally crashed. His inert
form was then brought before L-Cypher.
Zero 1.0 met with Dr. Neon, proposing an alliance to take
down Ghost Rider.
(Ghost Rider 2099#20) - L-Cypher used pain stimuli to torture
Ghost Rider 1.0 for information and revealed that his takeover of Thrillsville
was an experiment to learn from his subjects suffering. As L-Cypher ranted on,
Ghost Rider cast his mind into L-Cypher's computers, hacked his security, and
attacked L-Cypher within his computer systems. Greater experience with the
system gave L-Cypher the early advantage but Ghost Rider soon matched his skill.
L-Cypher revealed the Ghost Rider had been significantly modified by the
Ghostworks and then began to consume his code like a tapeworm virus. As his form
began to lose cohesion, Ghost Rider broke free and delivered a terminal wound to
L-Cypher with his sawblade, and then returned to his physical form and informed
SHIELD that the threat had been eliminated.
Unbeknownst to Ghost Rider, L-Cypher downloaded his persona
in a genetically engineered human form to continue his work in secret.
Meanwhile, the Undernet's resident paranoid, Kabal, using
parts acquired from the Vaults of Forbidden Science, the construction work of
the Bone Mechanix, and the brain of former CSS agent Colt. B. Wagner, created
Vengeance to take down Ghost Rider.
(Ghost Rider 2099#21) -
With Doom having fallen from power, Ghost Rider 1.0 was able to repair his
recent reprogramming, restore his previous settings, and realize the extent of
Doom's manipulations, as well as the Ghostworks involvement in this. Unable to
access the files and learn what all the Ghostworks had done to him, Ghost Rider
traveled to the Bar Code, but Anesthesia announced that his alliance with Doom
had rendered him unwelcome. He was then ambushed by Vengeance, set on him by
Kabal. They fought, and Vengeance used anti-matter to damage Ghost Rider.
(Ghost Rider 2099#22) - Anesthesia Jones and Kylie Gagarin took out Kabal, but Vengeance overpowered Ghost Rider 1.0. Before Vengeance could finish him off, SHIELD forces arrived and referenced him as marshal. Unable to accept that Ghost Rider was a legal authority and that he (a former CSS agent) was the criminal, Vengeance's system crashed and he fell to the ground inert. Ghost Rider then quit as marshal, vowing to fight the "pusbags responsible for this sick excuse for a world."
(2099 A.D. Genesis#1) - Ghost Rider 1.0 was observed on the streets of Transverse City.
(Ghost Rider 2099#23) - While the Psyclone (the maddened
psyche energy of a number of cryogenically stored brains) began to induced
madness in Transverse City, Ghost Rider 1.0 -- having suffered severe damage in
battle with Vengeance and his systems crashing -- sought aid from Dr. Sandoz.
Not appreciating Ghost Rider's alliance with SHIELD or his previously coercing
Sandoz to give him information on Max Synergy, Sandoz tossed Ghost Rider out on
the streets. SHIELD then began pursuing Ghost Rider, intending to arrest him as
a fugitive, but the drivers were rendered mad by the Psyclone and they crashed.
Zero 1.0 continued plotting with Dr. Neon and then announced
that Ghost Rider was coming to him for aid, at which point Ghost Rider knocked
on the door and then collapsed.
(Ghost Rider 2099#24) - Under Zero 1.0's prodding, Neon
swiftly restored Ghost Rider 1.0 to working order, at which point Ghost Rider
began to rampage. Neon neutralized Ghost Rider's motor functions, and then Zero
sectioned his own cyberspace form, sending some of his files to Neon to implant
into Ghost Rider, restoring his sanity and replacing the things the Ghostworks
had taken from him. Just as Ghost Rider began to figure things out, Zero 1.0
appeared and revealed himself to be the original, naming the persona inhabiting
Ghost Rider as a bootleg copy; a copy he intended to get rid of.
The Ghostworks aided Kellerman in neutralizing the Psyclone,
though it rendered most of the city subject to Kellerman's control.
(Ghost Rider 2099#25) - Zero 1.0 assaulted Zero 2.0 who was
forced to flee. Escaping through what appeared to be a broadband gateway, Zero
2.0 unwittingly evacuated the Ghost Rider form, leaving Zero 1.0 completely in
charge, while Zero 2.0 was trapped in a computer disk and held by Dr. Neon.
Ghost Rider 2.0 (operated by Zero 1.0) joined with Anesthesia, Kabal, and others
in taking down D/MONIX (and possibly slaying Harrison Cochrane), after which he
left Transverse City.
Zero 2.0 escaped Dr. Neon's confinement, after which he used
the source code Zero 1.0 had given him to purge all of the changes the
Ghostworks had made in him. He then used cyberspace to e-mail Willis Adam months
worth of red-hot exposés of corporate abuses
of power. Following a failed attempt to reach his "mother" via the 3V set, Zero
2.0 used the same technique to communicate with Kylie, though she seemed more
frustrated that she still had not gotten him out of her life. Zero 2.0 then
located and confronted the Ghostworks and hacked into their programming and made
them his servants. He planned to use his new cyberspace abilities to save the
world...his way.
(2099: Manifest Destiny (fb) - BTS) - When Miguel O'Hara reopened Alchemax following recovery of worldwide flooding and a near invasion of the Phalanx, Zero 2.0 acted as "a little ghost in the gears," making a few adjustments to the personnel records, etc. to aid O'Hara in making Alchemax a powerful force for the good of the world.
(2099: Manifest Destiny (fb) - BTS) - Over the next thousand years, Zero 2.0 secretly guided mankind (and Miguel O'Hara, who became its ruler), ushering in an unprecedented age of enlightenment, peace, morality, and progress that spread from Earth to the surrounding worlds.
(2099: Manifest Destiny) <3099 AD> - Feeling he had made human civilization as safe as it could be from itself, Zero set the artificial intelligences of the Ghostworks free, that they might evolve to become pure intellect without process. With the Ghostworks intelligences gone, Zero 2.0 not only had the net to himself, but for all practical purposes, he was the net. He eagerly prepared to watch humanity's continuing saga.
Comments: Created by Len Kaminski, Chris Bachalo, and Mark Buckingham.
Thanks to Deadboy for supplying a detailed summary of Ghost Rider 2099#6!
Ghost Rider 2099 has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1990s Handbook.
Profile by Snood and Deadboy.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:
images: (without ads)
Ghost Rider 2099#1 cover (face)
p2 (aboard cycle, left side shown)
last page (with saw)
p15, panel 5 (Zero's face)
#2, p5, panel 2 (whole body (except feet)
#4, p9, panel 2 (Zero whole body)
last page (straight-on with saw)
#14, last page (Transverse City marshal)
#21 cover (on cycle, right side shown)
Appearances:
Ghost Rider 2099#1-2 (May-June, 1994) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Chris Bachalo
(breakdowns), Mark Buckingham (finishes), Evan Skolnick (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#3 (July, 1994) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Chris Bachalo &
Peter Gross (breakdowns), Mark Buckingham & Kev Sutherland (finishes), Evan
Skolnick (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#4 (August, 1994) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Peter Gross (breakdowns), Mark Buckingham & Kev Sutherland (finishes), Evan
Skolnick (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#5 (September, 1994) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Mark Buckingham
(breakdowns), Mark Buckingham & Kev Sutherland (finishes), Evan
Skolnick (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#7-8 (November-December, 1994) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Kyle
Hotz (artist), Evan
Skolnick (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#9 (January, 1995) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Mark Buckingham
(pencils), Kev Sutherland (finishes), Evan
Skolnick (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#10-12 (February-April, 1995) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Kyle
Hotz (artist), Evan
Skolnick (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#13 (May, 1995) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Graham Higgins (artist),
Matt Morra (editor)
2099 A.D. #1(May, 1995) - by Terry Kavanaugh (writer), Mark Campos (penciler),
Jimmy Palmiotti (inker), Lia Pelosi (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#14 (June, 1995) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Graham Higgins (artist),
Joey Cavalieri (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#15-18 (July-October, 1995) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Ashley
Wood (artist), Joey Cavalieri (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#19-20 (November-December, 1995) - by Len Kaminski (writer),
Ashley Wood (pencils), Jim Daly (inks), Joey Cavalieri (editor)
2099 A.D. Genesis (January, 1996) - by Warren Ellis (writer), Dale Eaglesham
(pencils), Scott Koblish (inks), Joey Cavalieri (editor)
Ghost Rider 2099#21-25 (January-May, 1996) - by Len Kaminski (writer), Ashley
Wood (pencils), Jim Daly (inks), Joey Cavalieri (editor)
2099: Manifest Destiny (1998) = by Len Kaminski (writer), Mike McKone (pencils),
Mark McKenna (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 10/02/2006
Last updated: 10/29/2006
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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