Early life
Not much is known about John’s background or history, other than he’s never been married and he has an extreme dislike for FBI agents. At some point in his life, he got a job as an undercover agent in the NSA, and was given the assignment of infiltrating the secret organization known as the First Sons along with agent Lucy Kuo, chosen due to their unique genetic code, possessing the Conduit gene. Kuo was stationed in New Marais while John was sent to Empire City.
The First Sons
He first met up with a woman named Jane, whom John told that he was a low-level mentalist. He was instructed to a secluded meet up place, though he was only ambushed. He infiltrated the First Sons after passing the initiation. Stationed at Empire City‘s chapter of the organization, John’s primary task was to know what the First Sons have been doing that can be considered as a national threat. Able to get himself close enough to the leader of the group, Kessler, John was able to learn of the device called the Ray Sphere, and its capabilities of giving out powers to those who possessed the Conduit gene. John would later get promoted, able to know Kessler close enough, and was also given higher-tier missions, high enough for him to grasp the Ray Sphere. He would also be given simpler missions like escorting one of their scientists, Sasha, to an undisclosed location somewhere in the Warren.During his time, he’d relay the information to his associates at New Marais, informing them of his latest findings.
Through his findings, he was able to learn that the First Sons do possess materials that can label them as a national threat, with several experiments that involved Ray Field energy, which resulted in the deaths and abnormalities of subjects, both human and animal alike. He would also become enraged due to the lack of proper communications with their head branch at the NSA, making him lose confidence and trust for his employer. After some point, John has learned that Kessler has scheduled a delivery for the Ray Sphere as a package, with Cole MacGrath as the specific courier. Learning this, John quickly got off the facility in order to follow the package, and managed to catch up to Cole.
Post-Blast
Following Cole, John was able to get behind him, though was too late to capitalize, as Cole made a reckless turn at a red light. John got off his bike and decided to follow Cole on foot, though he was too late, as the activation of the Ray Sphere was already done, which resulted to thousands dead, and the destruction of 5 city blocks. John made his way to Ground Zero and saw the Ray Sphere at the dead center. He retrieved it, and made his way to safety to the harbor in an attempt to get out of the city with the Sphere. There, he and several other civilians were attacked by those infected of the plague. After dealing with them, John left for the Warren, to hide and sleep in seclusion.
That night, as he slept, John was ambushed by several of the Dust Men, who came after the Ray Sphere. Outnumbered, the Ray Sphere was taken away from John, much to his disappointment. As he was wandering the streets after the Sphere was stolen, John passed by a group of civilians who were viewing the picture of a man who could “shoot lightning out of his hands”. John abruptly made his way through the crowd and viewed the photo: it was Cole MacGrath along with Zeke Dunbar, with the former having electric currents coming out of his hand. John was extremely relieved to find Cole alive, as he scoured the city for his whereabouts.
As John observed Cole develop his powers from afar, John saw him as a very potential ally and a perfect counter-measure to the Conduit mentioned in Kessler’s vision. After relaying some of his findings to Agent Lucy Kuo and Sebastian Wolfe, John established contact with Cole, and instructs him to meet by the old Adamson Building by the Warren. There, Cole’s initial meeting with John was interrupted by a chopper sent by the NSA to extract John, though John believed it to be a hostile. Fleeing, John escaped the area and made his way to the northern section of the Warren. Cole followed him and the chopper, and was able to subdue the Golem Conduit that shot it down. After the conflict though, John escaped the area. Soon, John called Cole again, and told him that the Dust Men have in their possession, the Ray Sphere, and told Cole to retrieve it along with an extra trustworthy associate.
Death
During John’s call to Cole, the latter asked John what he wanted to tell his alleged wife Moya, much to his surprise. John didn’t know anyone named Moya, and was still single in terms of marital status. John told Cole that he was being duped, and pushed on his order to retrieve the Sphere. After this, Cole and his best friend Zeke tried to take the Ray Sphere, but failed after the latter betrayed Cole. From then on, John acted prominently as Cole’s radio backup and main accomplice during missions. He had assisted Cole in the efforts of retrieving the Ray Sphere, through sabotage of the First Sons’ equipment, and also reducing their overall morale. After several missions, they were able to deduce the Ray Sphere’s location, and both converged to the location.
Cole arrived at the pier at the Historic District, with John right behind him. The former cleared the way to the Sphere, dealing with every soldier that has been posted, while the latter took cover from the ongoing battle. Arriving at the metal casing of the Ray Sphere, John talked about the aura he got from it the moment he held it in his hands. Not taking any chances, Cole destroyed the Ray Sphere with a Lightning Storm.
Thus the device cracked open, revealing a strong energy vortex. John was pulled into the vortex, every bit of his being torn apart, and faded into nothing. Cole escaped the area before he himself was affected. John was reduced to ashes, though his mind remained dormant, and unknowingly, was able to grasp the power found within the Ray Sphere’s vortex.
Rebirth
After a month, John’s subconsciousness was reawakened, and the build-up of power within him that roots from the Ray Sphere has caused a destructive vortex to appear nearby Empire City’s Archer Square. Cole, who witnessed what has transpired by the docks of the city, rushed back to see what it was. After the initial rebirth, John was transformed into a giant pyrokinetic Conduit rendered in a molten lava-like skin or husk. During his initial rebirth, John’s mentality was still fragmented, attacking all those whom he saw as a threat. The initial and most powerful threat at the time was Cole MacGrath, who saw John as the The Beast, a destructive entity seen in a prophetic vision by Kessler. John, while berserk, fought his former friend by a nearly destroyed harbor with his new powers.
Though he fought hard, John was subdued by Cole after the latter called forth a bolt from the sky. As he fell to the murky floor of the harbor, John was able to regenerate himself and managed to stop Cole before he got on the boat. As he held Cole with a killing grip, Cole called forth another bolt as a desperate attempt to be free of the Beast’s grasp. With the upper part of his giant new body torn to pieces, both John and Cole fell into the harbor.
As Cole was able to recover from his injuries onboard the escaping ship, John, now “the Beast”, was able to rebuild himself again with his new powers. Returning to town, he used the strongest of his abilities and destroyed Empire City in a single blast. This resulted in the killing of every living thing without the Conduit gene, while activating the powers of those with the gene.
Salvation
The destruction of Empire City had an ulterior motive, as John knew about the Ray Field Plague and how it’s been ravaging the state, killing nearly everyone. Learning that the Conduits are immune to the plague, a new idea has begun brewing on his head; turn every living being into Conduits before all of them die from the plague. He thought he could ask his old friend, Cole MacGrath, for help, and went southwards to New Marais, all the while destroying one state after another, creating new Conduits and killing normal humans. All the while, the news and media were trying to deduce the nature of these deaths and destruction, attributing it to an unnatural phenomena.
John was able to reach New Marais, though he was stalled a few miles away by several hostiles that tried to defeat him.
As he fought them off, Cole and his friend Zeke Dunbar were preparing to attack the Beast with a nuclear missile while it was still far off from New Marais. After a slight dilemma, the missile launched, and hit John directly, causing him to disintegrate to the ground. As Cole and Zeke reveled in their success however, John was still alive, as another vortex appeared between the two cranes where Cole and Zeke were nearby. The instability of the vortex proved too much, as it caused an explosion as the two tried to leave. Zeke managed to stay up and followed the Beast into Gas Works, though disappeared along the way.
New Marais
It was not until later that John appeared in his humanoid form, right before Cole, who was dealing with a shipment of the Vermaak 88 Conduit units. John tried to explain everything to Cole by improving his senses so he can see the infected plague victims, and directed him to the plague ward where all of the most critical victims are holed up. He made Cole see the victims that he deemed “dead” and directed him to the bearer of the Conduit gene, who was near death. It was there that John demonstrated his powers before Cole, revealing his true nature to be the Beast. Witnessing first hand what John can do, Cole is left with the option to help John, who remarked that “humanity is dead” and that the Conduits are the only ones that can be saved.
After a while, John contacted Cole through telepathy, trying to convince him further about his plan. John also explained why he attacked Cole during Empire City, stating that his first time of rebirth was too overwhelming, rendering himself uncontrollable, attacking any nearby forms he saw as a threat. Just then, Zeke contacts Cole, telling him about the Beast, killing all the lifeforms present at the rural areas of the city, which consisted mainly of the Corrupted. After this, John leaves it to Cole to make a choice: save humanity, or save the Conduits with John by his side.
Last stand
Cole had come to a final decision, and decided to fight John with the RFI. Before their final confrontation, John’s former partner Lucy Kuo joined him to fight Cole, due to fear of death from the RFI. Though because of a hardware problem, the device needed to be recharged on several substations across the city. When Cole and Nix arrived at the first substation with the rebels, John was nearby, and destroyed the substation before Nix could get to it. The two opted for the second substation at Smut Triangle with the Beast on their tail, as he was able to sense the RFI’s presence. John destroyed all of the rebel boats, killing Laroche and his men in the process.
Pursuing Cole and Nix to the next substation, John made his way to their location. With this, John and Cole battled for the second time. Despite John’s powers, Cole was able to subdue him for a short moment, despite interference from Kuo, who sided with John in the conflict. After enduring Ionic Storm, and it was not enough to defeat John, Nix lunged towards him out of revenge for her pets, destroying herself. Cole, enraged, took the RFI to the last substation at St. Ignatius, after warning John that he was next.
After being knocked out for a time, John regained his composure and proceeded to pursue Cole, who had recharged the RFI device completely. Finally confronting Cole for the last time, John was utterly defeated in the midst of their battle. Overwhelmed by Cole’s power, John stumbles down to the ground before the church, unable to go on fighting. After Cole met with an apologetic Lucy Kuo, John could only watch as Cole activated the RFI, killing every living Conduit in the planet, including “the Beast” himself.
Alternate Timeline
The help John provided proved detrimental in a way, as the Militia and the Rebels are working side by side to take him, Cole and Kuo down, though the humans knew that they didn’t stand a chance, and they all died. Just then, when Cole arrives at Smut Triangle, John is attacked again by Nix, using the RFI. Cole deals with her while Kuo covers John, and Cole manages to catch her at the rooftops of St. Ignatius. It is there, that they had their final fight. Cole managed to pin Nix down with his Amp, and electrocutes her to death with the device’s electrical ability. Just then, the RFI rolled off of Nix’s arms, and into Zeke’s. Cole, who saw no other way, killed Zeke, took the RFI, and smashed it right before Kuo and John.
Seeing this, John states that he can no longer handle what must be done. John, who saw Cole’s conviction, gives his powers to Cole through his own unknown means. As John released his powers, the powers that have kept him alive, Cole gains an overcharge in energy. After all of his powers integrated into Cole’s, John’s body can no longer keep itself together, as he disappeared into nothingness. Cole, now taking on John’s role as “The Beast”, walks the country, looking for lesser Conduits to raise up.