Changes: Terry Akers

Terry Akers
Birth date	2038
Status	Deceased
Nationality	American
Actor	Brian Protheroe;

Revision as of 23:41, 24 August 2019

“'My reflection in the black blood of our Warden whispers. I need to save them from this hell. I need to let them sleep. Lock them in their lucid dreams I've seen.'”

― Terry Akers, crazed writings on the effects of structure gel and the WAU.

Terry Akers is the PATHOS-II Chief Factor stationed at Delta. In SOMA, by the time Simon Jarrett first meets him in the lower levels of Theta, Akers is heavily mutated, uncommunicative, and hostile, forcing Simon to evade him.

Description

In SOMA, Akers is highly disfigured and eyeless. He is unusually humanoid for a WAU creation: he has arms, hand-like appendages, and a recognizable face with exposed eye sockets, though other features such as the nose and mouth have long since shrunken away.

Much of his body is encrusted in bulbous, cancerous growths (similar to a polycystic kidney); where his skin is visible at all, it is discolored and leathery. Growths resembling a third arm and third foot protrude from his abdomen, and a single large gash cleaves through the front of his head and torso, making Akers appear vertically bisected (possibly it is a bisection by Nadine Masters, prior to his revival). His limbs are visibly deformed, and the scans found in the medical room reveal a twisted, misshapen skeletal structure.

Despite his emaciated appearance, Akers is monstrously athletic and powerful, able to smash through heavy doors and to easily outrun and overpower Simon.

Behavior

Akers is blind but has excellent hearing, much like the Proxies found elsewhere in Theta. He moves to investigate disturbances throughout the labs; Simon Jarrett can stay crouched in order to avoid alerting him, or throw objects to create distractions. If Simon runs, it will cause Akers to appear near him and start a chase. While Akers cannot see the light from Simon's flashlight, he can hear the sound of it turning on or off. He will also detect Simon automatically, no matter the circumstances, if he gets too close.

Akers gurgles and gags hoarsely as he trudges through the halls of Theta, and his footfalls are heavy and loud; these sounds can forewarn of the creature's presence. When searching or patrolling he moves slowly, arms close to his torso, but once he detects Simon he gives chase, shrieking and howling and flailing his arms. In this state Akers runs at least as fast as Simon can, and trying to outrun him is futile without a generous head start. If he catches Simon he knocks him unconscious and injures (or kills) him, then resumes patrolling.

Akers usually opens closed doors by activating the adjacent panel, much as Simon or a human would do, but if agitated or trapped he can bash through even the heaviest doors to reach a target. He compromises one of Theta's bulkheads in this manner in order to reach Simon in the station's maintenance levels.

After Theta's power is shut down, Akers often starts patrolling the rooms near John Strohmeier's office, where the light is still on. Simon can then trap Akers by using the office's computer to lock doors, though he will eventually force his way through and continue his patrol.

Biography

Not much is known about Akers' past other than he is an older American man, from the American South specifically as evident by his accent. As the Chief Factor of Delta, he is likely one of the oldest people at PATHOS-II. While Akers is never seen in his human form, both light and dark skin can be seen on his mutated form, which give an idea as to what his skin tone could've been.

He seemed to have a stable working relationship with the Delta crew, with them usually respecting him due to his age and position. He seems to have played a lot of chess while off of work, one of the games provided on the PATHOS-II computer network, with Javid Goya saying he's never going to play chess with Akers ever again due to how skilled he is at it. He continued playing chess when the Delta crew were relocated to Theta, likely what he did most of the time during his isolation at Delta, with one of the terminals revealing he had won 1,000 games against the computer opponent before leaving for Theta.

Isolated at Delta

On August 14, 2103, fearing the growing threat of the WAU and the site's general state of deterioration, the rest of the site's crew relocated to Theta. Akers willingly stayed behind.

Sometime during the period of isolation that followed he began ingesting large amounts of structure gel, undergoing a brief period of reconstruction and plummeting into insanity. In one intense psychotic episode, Akers heard a voice telling him that he did not need his eyes to see; this voice, coupled with gel-induced light sensitivity, convinced him to remove his own eyes.

Returning to Theta

On January 15, 2104, he called Theta claiming that he wanted to relocate as his crew did months prior. Theta dispatch technician Peter Strasky, pleasantly surprised at this request, informed Akers of a team of divers (Maggie Komorebi and Shawn Evans among others) who were in the area, and directed the team to the site to retrieve him. Akers ambushed them upon arrival, overpowering the entire party and cutting off their communications before they could warn Theta. He injected the fatally-wounded divers with structure gel and escaped using the Zeppelin they'd arrived in.

Theta's crew later spotted the Zeppelin near their complex. Finding Akers disfigured and comatose within the vessel, they unwittingly brought him to the site's medical ward. The on-site doctor (Nadine Masters) took several scans and performed an examination, and started writing a report on her office terminal declaring that, due to the heavy mutation and gel infestation ravaging his body, he was unlikely to ever awaken. Akers rose from the examination table and bashed in her skull before she finished; Simon later finds her body slumped in her chair, artificially animated by structure gel.

The details of the ensuing battle between Akers and the remaining humans on Theta are unclear, but it appears to have been fairly one-sided. Several Proxies teamed up with Akers, created either by the WAU or by Akers himself (or both). Eventually, Brandon Wan deliberately trapped himself in the laboratory level with Akers by sabotaging the elevator, allowing the other survivors to escape to the basement.

In SOMA

After losing the DUNBAT vessel to the WAU at Theta, Simon decides to head to Omicron and search it for an alternate method of transportation to the Abyss. He first needs to use the elevator near the laboratories to escape the complex, but Akers is roaming through the area, and when Simon does reach the elevator he finds its connector chip missing. With Akers stalking him through the halls, he manages to find the chip on Brandon Wan's corpse in one of the nearby rooms and format it, returning to the elevator and repairing it. Akers rushes to investigate as the elevator activates, but Simon narrowly escapes as the doors close.

Akers later catches Simon off guard in Theta's maintenance level, capturing him and temporarily knocking him unconscious, wrapping his body in structure gel and wandering away. (Several animated human bodies in Theta appear to have received similar treatment.) Simon later awakens and breaks free without much difficulty.

Akers makes one final appearance following Simon's escape through Theta maintenance. After activating the drainage system, Simon backtracks to find that Akers has followed him, but both are swept away by a flood of seawater. While Akers is not seen again after this, Akers was killed when the tunnel was flushed, as revealed by map information where Simon was going to see his corpse after waking up outside of Omicron.

Dialogue

Zeppelin Transmission

Peter, can you hear me?

I've changed my mind. I would like to come to Theta. Let Delta sleep.

Ah, thank you for the warning. I'll make sure they feel welcome.

Broken Radio

Do you hear me speaking? Of course you do.

I wanted to let you know, that I know. You didn't blindly pick me out of the herd.

The slow waves of Delta crashing against the shore had an undertow that pulls you into a slumber.

It's a beautiful thing and I won't be selfish. I will help, tuck them in, watch them sleep.

They too will find peace within the universe of the WAU.

Trivia

In the game's files, Akers is listed as one of two "fleshers" or "coral puppets", the other being the generic model used for the Theta Proxies.
- Whether or not Akers is properly classified as a Proxy himself is still under debate.
The language files for SOMA reveal that Akers was originally meant to speak English in his mutated form.
- Akers is able to do this through what is called "mind coral," and this happens after Simon is hooked up to it when Akers catches him. Akers says that he saved the people at Theta by putting them to sleep to be watched over by the WAU. He feels bad that Simon is struggling to join with everyone else.
- In addition to this, there are unused audio files of Akers' death, indicating that he died horrifically.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Quote|My reflection in the black blood of our [[WAU|Warden]] whispers. I need to save them from this hell. I need to let them sleep. Lock them in their lucid dreams I've seen.|Inscriptions on the wall of Akers' room at [[Delta]].}}
+{{Quote|''My reflection in the black blood of our Warden whispers. I need to save them from this hell. I need to let them sleep. Lock them in their lucid dreams I've seen.''|Terry Akers, crazed writings on the effects of [[Structure Gel|structure gel]] and the [[WAU]].}}
 {{Infobox character
 | image       = Terry Akers.png
 | imagewidth  = 185
 | alias       = [[Proxy]], Puppet, Mindcoral Puppet
-| birth date  = 2037-2038
+| birth date  = 2038
-| status      = Active - Mutated creature
+| status      = Deceased
 | gender      = Male
-| nationality = American (Southern)
+| nationality = American
-| career      =
+| career      = [[Delta]] [[:Category:Chief Factor|Chief Factor]]
-| va          = Brian Protheroe}}
+| actor       = Brian Protheroe}}
-'''Terry Akers''' is an antagonist featured in ''[[SOMA]]''. While [[Simon Jarrett]] does not encounter Akers' human form in the game, he closely evades Akers' mutated form in the lower levels of [[Theta]].
+'''Terry Akers''' is the [[PATHOS-II]] [[:Category:Chief Factor|Chief Factor]] stationed at [[Delta]]. In ''[[SOMA]]'', by the time [[Simon Jarrett]] first meets him in the lower levels of [[Theta]], Akers is heavily mutated, uncommunicative, and hostile, forcing Simon to evade him.
 == Description ==
-In his mutated form, Akers is a highly disfigured, eyeless creature. In contrast to other creatures, however, Akers takes on a more humanoid appearance, possessing arms and a recognizable face, with exposed eye sockets; other features, such as the nose and mouth, have long since shrunken away.
+In ''SOMA'', Akers is highly disfigured and eyeless. He is unusually humanoid for a WAU creation: he has arms, hand-like appendages, and a recognizable face with exposed eye sockets, though other features such as the nose and mouth have long since shrunken away.
-Much of his body is encrusted in bulbous, cancerous growths (similar to that of a polycystic kidney), and where his skin is shown, it is discolored and leathery. His limbs and skeletal structure are twisted and misshapen, as evidenced by the scans found in the medical room, and what appears to be a vestigial third arm and a third foot can be seen protruding from his stomach. A single large gash can also be seen cleaved through the front of his head and torso, making Akers appear as if he has been vertically bisected.
+Much of his body is encrusted in bulbous, cancerous growths (similar to a polycystic kidney); where his skin is visible at all, it is discolored and leathery. Growths resembling a third arm and third foot protrude from his abdomen, and a single large gash cleaves through the front of his head and torso, making Akers appear vertically bisected (possibly it '''is''' a bisection by [[Nadine Masters]], prior to his revival). His limbs are visibly deformed, and the scans found in the medical room reveal a twisted, misshapen skeletal structure.
-Despite his emaciated appearance, Akers is incredibly agile and strong, able to smash through heavy doors and easily catch up to and overpower Simon.
+Despite his emaciated appearance, Akers is monstrously athletic and powerful, able to smash through heavy doors and to easily outrun and overpower Simon.
 ==Behavior==
-Like the [[Proxy|Proxies]] found in Theta, Akers is sensitive to sound, and moves to investigate any disturbances made by Simon throughout the labs; it is recommended that Simon stay crouched in order to avoid coming into contact with him. Akers is blind, and does not react to Simon's flashlight, although he will notice Simon if he's very close to him, regardless if Simon is crouched and completely still.
+Akers is blind but has excellent hearing, much like the [[Proxies]] found elsewhere in Theta. He moves to investigate disturbances throughout the labs; Simon Jarrett can stay crouched in order to avoid alerting him, or throw objects to create distractions. If Simon runs, it will cause Akers to appear near him and start a chase. While Akers cannot see the light from Simon's flashlight, he ''can'' hear the sound of it turning on or off. He will also detect Simon automatically, no matter the circumstances, if he gets too close.
+Akers gurgles and gags hoarsely as he trudges through the halls of Theta, and his footfalls are heavy and loud; these sounds can forewarn of the creature's presence. When searching or patrolling he moves slowly, arms close to his torso, but once he detects Simon he gives chase, shrieking and howling and flailing his arms. In this state Akers runs at least as fast as Simon can, and trying to outrun him is futile without a generous head start. If he catches Simon he knocks him unconscious and injures (or kills) him, then resumes patrolling.
-As he trudges through the halls of Theta, Akers can be heard emitting hoarse gagging and gurgling sounds and the sounds of heavy footfalls as he is walking; these sound cues can be used by Simon as early warning signs of his presence before he comes into view.
+Akers usually opens closed doors by activating the adjacent panel, much as Simon or a human would do, but if agitated or trapped he can bash through even the heaviest doors to reach a target. He compromises one of Theta's bulkheads in this manner in order to reach Simon in the station's maintenance levels.
-While stalking, Akers moves at a slow, almost zombie-like pace, with his arms kept close to his torso. Once he has spotted Simon, he gives chase, breaking into a quick sprint. Attempting to outrun Akers proves futile, as he runs at the same speed as, if not faster than, Simon, leaving him no time to close doors or duck into rooms to avoid him.
+After Theta's power is shut down, Akers often starts patrolling the rooms near [[John Strohmeier]]'s office, where the light is still on. Simon can then trap Akers by using the office's computer to lock doors, though he will eventually force his way through and continue his patrol.
-When coming into contact with closed doors, he seldom forces his body through them, rather using the panels next to the doors to open them properly. In an agitated state, however, Akers uses brute force to bash his way through even the heaviest of doors in order to gain access to his target, shown when he compromises one of Theta's bulkheads in order to reach Simon in the station's maintenance levels.
-After the power is shut down, Akers will often start patrolling near [[John Strohmeier]]'s office, where the light is still on. At this point it is possible to trap Akers in one of the rooms by using the computer inside the office to lock doors. However, Akers will eventually get through the door and continue patrolling the area.
 == Biography ==
+Not much is known about Akers' past other than he is an older American man, from the American South specifically as evident by his accent. As the Chief Factor of Delta, he is likely one of the oldest people at PATHOS-II. While Akers is never seen in his human form, both light and dark skin can be seen on his mutated form, which give an idea as to what his skin tone could've been.
+He seemed to have a stable working relationship with the Delta crew, with them usually respecting him due to his age and position. He seems to have played a lot of chess while off of work, one of the games provided on the PATHOS-II computer network, with [[Javid Goya]] saying he's never going to play chess with Akers ever again due to how skilled he is at it. He continued playing chess when the Delta crew were relocated to Theta, likely what he did most of the time during his isolation at Delta, with one of the terminals revealing he had won 1,000 games against the computer opponent before leaving for Theta.
 === Isolated at Delta ===
-Akers served as the head of [[Delta]] on [[PATHOS-II]]. On August 14, 2103, while the rest of the site's crew was reassigned to Theta, Akers willingly stayed behind.
+On August 14, 2103, fearing the growing threat of the WAU and the site's general state of deterioration, the rest of the site's crew relocated to Theta. Akers willingly stayed behind.
-Sometime during his period of isolation he began ingesting large amounts of [[Structure Gel]] and underwent a brief period of reconstruction while plummeting into insanity. During a strong psychotic episode, Akers listened to a voice that said he did not need his eyes to see; this, coupled with the gel's effects rendering him light-sensitive, caused him to remove his own eyes.
+Sometime during the period of isolation that followed he began ingesting large amounts of structure gel, undergoing a brief period of reconstruction and plummeting into insanity. In one intense psychotic episode, Akers heard a voice telling him that he did not need his eyes to see; this voice, coupled with gel-induced light sensitivity, convinced him to remove his own eyes.
 === Returning to Theta ===
-On January 15, 2104, he called Theta claiming that he wanted to relocate as his crew did months prior. Theta dispatch technician [[Peter Strasky]] met this request with surprise and welcome, and informed Akers of a crew of divers that were in the area. Strasky directed them to Akers' location where they were ambushed by a mentally disturbed Akers. He somehow managed to inject them with structure gel and escaped on the [[zeppelin]] that they used to shuttle themselves to the site; the team later died of their injuries.
+On January 15, 2104, he called Theta claiming that he wanted to relocate as his crew did months prior. Theta dispatch technician [[Peter Strasky]], pleasantly surprised at this request, informed Akers of a team of divers ([[Maggie Komorebi]] and [[Shawn Evans]] among others) who were in the area, and directed the team to the site to retrieve him. Akers ambushed them upon arrival, overpowering the entire party and cutting off their communications before they could warn Theta. He injected the fatally-wounded divers with structure gel and escaped using the [[Zeppelin]] they'd arrived in.
+Theta's crew later spotted the Zeppelin near their complex. Finding Akers disfigured and comatose within the vessel, they unwittingly brought him to the site's medical ward. The on-site doctor (Nadine Masters) took several scans and performed an examination, and started writing a report on her office terminal declaring that, due to the heavy mutation and gel infestation ravaging his body, he was unlikely to ever awaken. Akers rose from the examination table and bashed in her skull before she finished; Simon later finds her body slumped in her chair, artificially animated by structure gel.
-Akers was later found outside Theta on the commandeered Zeppelin in a comatose state. He was brought into the site and placed in the medical ward. Upon examination, including several scans, the on-site doctor, [[Nadine Masters]], believed it was unlikely he would awaken due to the mutations and infection the gel caused within his body.
+The details of the ensuing battle between Akers and the remaining humans on Theta are unclear, but it appears to have been fairly one-sided. Several Proxies teamed up with Akers, created either by the WAU or by Akers himself (or both). Eventually, [[Brandon Wan]] deliberately trapped himself in the laboratory level with Akers by sabotaging the elevator, allowing the other survivors to escape to the basement.
-Some time later, the doctor was attacked in her office by a severely mutated Akers while she was writing a report. She was not killed, so it is assumed that Akers injected her with structure gel as well.
-The details of what happened after the previous events are unclear, but what is known is that Akers was joined by up to three other Proxies, either infected by Akers or created by the [[WAU]] to mimic him. Together, they stalked the decks of Theta, driving the remaining human occupants to the station's basement.
 === In ''SOMA'' ===
+After losing the [[DUNBAT]] vessel to the WAU at Theta, Simon decides to head to [[Omicron]] and search it for an alternate method of transportation to the Abyss. He first needs to use the elevator near the laboratories to escape the complex, but Akers is roaming through the area, and when Simon does reach the elevator he finds its connector chip missing. With Akers stalking him through the halls, he manages to find the chip on Brandon Wan's corpse in one of the nearby rooms and format it, returning to the elevator and repairing it. Akers rushes to investigate as the elevator activates, but Simon narrowly escapes as the doors close.
-[[File:2015-10-06 00024.jpg|thumb|288x288px|Terry facing Simon.]]
-After losing the [[DUNBAT]] vessel to the WAU, Simon decides to search for an alternate method of transportation to the [[Abyss]] at [[Omicron]]; en route, he passes Theta's laboratories and attempts to make use of the nearby elevator to progress. However, he finds that the elevator's connector chip is missing. While locating the chip, he is stalked through the halls by Akers. He manages to find the chip in possession of a deceased [[Brandon Wan]] in one of the nearby rooms and formats it before heading back to the elevator, connecting the chip and starting the elevator in time before Akers can catch up to him.
+Akers later catches Simon off guard in Theta's maintenance level, capturing him and temporarily knocking him unconscious, wrapping his body in structure gel and wandering away. (Several animated human bodies in Theta appear to have received similar treatment.) Simon later awakens and breaks free without much difficulty.
-Although Simon is able to evade Akers in the labs, Akers is soon encountered again as he runs down a stairwell and successfully captures Simon in the station's maintenance level. Simon is connected to the WAU growths by Akers whilst he is unconscious before leaving the area.
-Akers makes one final appearance following Simon's escape through Theta maintenance. After activating the drainage system, Simon finds Akers standing at the end of a previously-crossed tunnel before both are swept away by seawater flooding the area. He is not seen again after this point, leaving his fate unknown.
+Akers makes one final appearance following Simon's escape through Theta maintenance. After activating the drainage system, Simon backtracks to find that Akers has followed him, but both are swept away by a flood of seawater. While Akers is not seen again after this, Akers was killed when the tunnel was flushed, as revealed by map information where Simon was going to see his corpse after waking up outside of Omicron.
+== Dialogue ==
+{{scroll
+|content=
+=== Zeppelin Transmission ===
+* ''Peter, can you hear me?''
+[[File:recording_7_zeppelintransmission_2_001_akers_001.ogg]]
+* ''I've changed my mind. I would like to come to Theta. Let Delta sleep.''
+[[File:recording_7_zeppelintransmission_2_003_akers_001.ogg]]
+* ''Ah, thank you for the warning. I'll make sure they feel welcome.''
+[[File:recording_7_zeppelintransmission_2_005_akers_001.ogg]]
+=== Broken Radio ===
+* ''Do you hear me speaking? Of course you do.''
+[[File:datamine_7_dataminebrokenradio_001_akers_001.ogg]]
+* ''I wanted to let you know, that I know. You didn&apos;t blindly pick me out of the herd.''
+[[File:datamine_7_dataminebrokenradio_001_akers_002.ogg]]
+* ''The slow waves of Delta crashing against the shore had an undertow that pulls you into a slumber.''
+[[File:datamine_7_dataminebrokenradio_001_akers_003.ogg]]
+* ''It's a beautiful thing and I won&apos;t be selfish. I will help, tuck them in, watch them sleep.''
+[[File:datamine_7_dataminebrokenradio_001_akers_004.ogg]]
+* ''They too will find peace within the universe of the WAU.''
+[[File:datamine_7_dataminebrokenradio_001_akers_005.ogg]]
+}}
 == Trivia ==
-[[File:Artwork_2.png|thumb|Terry Akers' model render.]]
 * In the game's files, Akers is listed as one of two "fleshers" or "coral puppets", the other being the generic model used for the Theta Proxies.
-** Despite this, it is still debated as whether or not Akers is classified as a Proxy.
+** Whether or not Akers is properly classified as a Proxy himself is still under debate.
+* The language files for ''SOMA'' reveal that Akers was originally meant to speak English in his mutated form.
-* Akers evidently became rather skilled at playing chess during his time at Delta -- one of the terminals reveals he had won 1,000 games against the computer opponent before leaving Delta for Theta.
+** Akers is able to do this through what is called "mind coral," and this happens after Simon is hooked up to it when Akers catches him. Akers says that he saved the people at Theta by putting them to sleep to be watched over by the WAU. He feels bad that Simon is struggling to join with everyone else.
-** In the language files for ''SOMA'', there exist unused recordings of Akers speaking english, although they go unused in the final game.
+** In addition to this, there are unused audio files of Akers' death, indicating that he died horrifically.
 == Gallery ==
+=== Concept art ===
-<gallery widths="250">
+<gallery>
-Akers Brain scan.png|Akers's Brain Scan by Dr. Masters
-Akers X-ray.png|Akers's X-ray Early On Before Mutation, by Dr. Masters
+File:Terry Akers - Concept Art.png|Terry Akers' model render.
+</gallery>
+=== In-game ===
+<gallery>
+Akers Writing.jpg|Akers' writings as he descended into madness.
+Akers Eyes.jpg|Terry's eyeballs found in his workspace at Delta.
+Akers Brain scan.png|Akers's Brain Scan by Dr. Masters.
+Akers X-ray.png|Akers's X-ray Early On Before Mutation, by Dr. Masters.
+Akers Bed in Hospital.jpg|Akers hospital bed, before reanimating.
+-10-06 00024.jpg
+Akers Grabbing.jpg|Akers grabbing Simon.
 </gallery>
+[[Category:Chief Factor|Chief Factor]]
 [[Category:Characters]]
 [[Category:Enemies]]


Terry Akers
Birth date	2038
Status	Deceased
Nationality	American

Actor	Brian Protheroe