Evan Langford

Registry of the Evolved Database

File #07 May 2010 03:58

Summary

Name Evan Langford Aliases none Status Unregistered Evolved Ability Weakness Detection Gender Male Race/Eth. White Birthdate June 1, 1984 Age 26 Height 6' 1" Build 190 lbs Eyes Blue Hair Red Residence Hamilton Heights #504 Employment Columbia University Parents Scott, Jean (living in Maine) Siblings none Marital Status Single Children none First Seen White Days Last Seen Profile A Columbia grad student turned professor, most comfortable within the ivory tower. Initially brushed off the Evolved as Somebody Else's Problem - but with that option off the table, he's doing his best to stay off the radar, while still getting a few protests in.

portrayed by Trevor White

Background

Evan was born and grew up in Bangor, Maine. His family is ethnically Scottish, but they drifted out of touch with the culture over the years, and Evan himself never had much of a grasp on it. A strong early aptitude for mathematics led to a major and partial scholarship at Bowdoin.

The bombing of New York City occurred during his last semester before graduation. He was shocked like everyone else, but when nothing else got blown up in similar fashion, he pushed it to the back of his mind; after all (said his coldly analytical side), the country had endured many more deaths in past wars, just not all at once. And he had no real personal stake in it; the only family member caught in the explosion was a second cousin that he hadn't seen in over a decade. And he had a degree to finish, and ignoring it wouldn't bring anyone back. The bombing did change the course of his life in another way, though - his application for graduate work at Columbia was accepted, something he'd considered a long shot before their sudden need to rebuild.

When the Evolved went public the following spring and blamed the bombing on one of their own, another shockwave hit him - and eventually moved past him. Yes, some Evolved were clearly dangerous, and others would probably get a bum deal despite being innocent, but what was he supposed to do about any of it? He wasn't a policeman or a politician, nor was he one of the targets - hell, even if he did try to help him, they'd probably turn their noses up at him and slap him with the Mighty Whitey stereotype. Again, he needed to take care of himself first, and trusted in his ability to get out of the way when trouble did go down somewhere nearby.

With a master's degree now under his belt, he's hired on as an assistant professor (teaching game theory and an obligatory pair of intro classes) while pursuing a doctorate, following up on his thesis research into improved stress calculations related to civil engineering projects - for which the lingering bomb damage made it all too easy to find concrete examples to study. Which would be difficult but manageable, except that he's also been struggling with an Evolved ability that started to develop somewhere in the middle of his master's thesis, his intuition racing ahead mere numbers and formulas; at first he just thought that he'd been working too hard, or that breaking wooden boards had caused some sort of nerve damage, but by now there's no denying it. Now things are going to get really hard.

Psych Profile

Evan is bookish and reclusive by nature, apart from a few friends with shared interests. He's frank when talking about either himself or someone else who matters to him, pragmatic enough to tone down his opinions when talking to strangers. He pushes himself, but stops short of diminishing returns, and respects others who strike the same balance for themselves.

As of the start of his teaching career, he'd had only one significant romantic involvement; it started suddenly near the beginning of his sophomore year, and ended just as suddenly near the middle of it, for no reason she could coherently explain. (She later turned up pregnant, but not till a year and a half later.)

He's had no strong blanket opinions about the Evolved - it's too big and diverse a group for any generalizations to sit well with him - and judges individuals based on how they actually use and control their ability in practice, or where they clearly appear to be heading, taking into account that they're liable to be attacked by panicked humans at some point in their lives. He viewed the Linderman Act the way many people view speed limits: they themselves are decent people who just happen to be doing 67, will probably get overlooked, and will just be annoyed if they do get caught; the maniacs and real criminals doing 90 deserve what they get. Now that he has an ability of his own, he doesn't know whether to be more worried about registering or getting caught, and defaulted to doing nothing about it.

Evolved Ability

Evan has the ability to intuitively identify physical weaknesses in an object.

Targeting: Requires direct line of sight. Video cameras won't work, nor will mirrors.

Duration: An object no further away than 5 to 6 feet, no larger than that in any one dimension, and clearly perceptible, takes about one second. Size, distance, and sensory interference (e.g. fog) all make it take longer, e.g. targeting a house would take several minutes and require multiple views from both inside and outside.

Nature of understanding: The complexity of an object doesn't affect the difficulty of identifying where a weakness is located, but he may not know the specific type of weakness or how to exploit it properly.

Living targets: Humans can be targeted with no penalty; he can't spot an infection directly, but can spot its symptoms. Immobile things like trees can also be targeted with no penalty. Animals are increasingly difficult, depending on how much they differ from human physical characteristics.

"Can you do Division? Divide a loaf by a knife - what's the answer to that?"

Appendices

Skills

• Instruction: Good at explaining how things work, and adjusting pace and direction to match who he's talking to. Now that he's teaching groups instead of just tutoring here and there, he's building up the ability to identify a middle ground where there are neither too many skipping ahead nor too many falling behind - if a few are falling behind, then they should ask for more help outside class time.

• Science and technology: Has a fair grasp of the immediate engineering applications of his research, mostly large-scale projects with long lifetimes rather than the rapid cycle of small consumer products. He's less well acquainted with things like quantum physics and genetics.

• Mechanical repair: Handy with the sorts of things that a standard set of Craftsman tools can cover. Tightening pipe fixtures, nailing down loose fenceposts, that sort of thing. Auto repair, not so much, as it's gone so far toward No User-Serviceable Parts Inside these days.

• Martial arts: Tried out a tae kwon do class back at Bowdoin, and continues to revisit it off and on. He's not a black belt, nor is he all that physically gifted - but it keeps him in decent shape, and if forced into a fight, he wouldn't be completely helpless.

Timeline

2011

August 2011

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
8/16	Afternoon	The Curve	Devon, Elaine, Evan, Graeme, Holly	Another round of scapegoating the Evolved to a large audience.

April 2011

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
4/4	Evening	Sounding Boards and Secret Societies	Evan, Marcie	He explains where he's been, she explains where she isn't going.
4/28	Evening	Losing Bets	Adisa, Evan, Graeme, Trask	Runs into an odd little crowd while picking up some stuff from a co-worker.
4/29	Early evening	Love Is Blind	Aimee, Devon, Elaine, Elle, Evan, Graeme, Kendall, Melissa, Quinn, Trevor, Yana	Throws his name in the hat for a mystery date auction.

March 2011

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
3/1	Early afternoon	Blood and Glass	Elaine, Evan, Graeme, Ingrid, Laina, Nicole, Quinn	Lunch is cut short by a student bent on revenge.
3/1	Early evening	Shock Wearing Off	Evan, Marcie	A brief venting session away from campus.
3/2	Afternoon	Count Me In	Elaine, Evan	Checking up on the victim, who suggests an interesting motive.
3/17	Afternoon	Game Theory Can Work for You	Elisabeth, Evan	Someone's been steering the timeline, but toward a cliff or away from one? He's invited to meet a derailment team.
3/18	Afternoon	Why Edward Got Headaches	Aric, Cardinal, Claire, Elisabeth, Evan, Eve, Francois, Harmony, Jaiden, Monica, Warren, Ygraine	Both the team members and the situation are unexpectedly varied. He plays AV geek and asks for help getting caught up.

February 2011

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
2/10	Early evening	Glass Wonderland	Adel, Candice, Cat, Delilah, Elaine, Evan, Eve, Harmony, Ingrid, Lynette, Magnes, Nate, Quinn, Remi, Rue, Sable, Tess	A couple of familiar faces at a concert. One of them turns out to be in the band.
2/14	Night	Valentine's at the Casino	Evan, Marcie	Marcie is, ahem, comfortable with morally gray.
2/18	Afternoon	Where Do We Stand?	Evan, Marcie	Some questions are, if not answered, at least acknowledged.

January 2011

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
1/1	Early evening	How Best to Proceed	Evan, Magnes, Skyler, Yana	Better a vague danger than a direct one.
1/8	Early afternoon	Blind Drunk	Bethany, Christine, Evan, Ziadie	Counsels a student on the aftermath of an attack.
1/20	12:15 am	Sundown, You Better Take Care	Abby, Aude, Christine, Deckard, Eileen, Elaine, Elle, Evan	Another curfew violation, this time with a body count.
1/23	Evening	Not Novelty Acts	Brand, Delilah, Evan, Quinn, Savannah	Supporting the arts, (mostly) indie grab-bag style.
1/27	Afternoon	Black and White and Dog All Over	Brand, Evan, Harmony, Griffin, Ziadie	A couple of funny animals drag hidden tensions closer to the surface.
1/30	Evening	Peaceably to Assemble	Elaine, Evan	Touching base with another witness of the recent shooting.

2010

December 2010

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
12/6	Evening	This Bird Has Flown	Evan, Anna	The mouthy kid turns up, passes out, wakes up and runs for it.
12/11	Evening	Trust.Enabled	Evan, Skyler	The offer of crash space is belatedly taken up.
12/12	Early morning	Theory into Practice	Elisabeth, Evan	Can his math-fu be used to help repair a broken timeline?
12/17	Evening	Right Hand, Left Hand	Evan, Skyler	Who's she been talking to? Who's he been talking to?
12/29	Afternoon	Mind Your Manners	Anna, Evan, Keagan, Yana	Tense introductions all around at a pricey lunch spot.

November 2010

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
11/8	4:30 am	Where Have You Been?	Evan, Skyler	Some things that were lost can be regained.
11/15	Early evening	Inflammatory Prose	Abbot, Anna, Evan, Lene, Lexington, Savannah, Seamus, Skyler (Walsh)	Tempers (and other things, briefly) flare during a book signing.
11/16	Evening	Pepper Spray and Switchblades	Anna, Evan	Laying groundwork to break a bigot's assumptions.
11/24	Night	Please Stop Dancing Immediately	Amadeus, Aude, Calvin, Christine, Evan	Narrowly violates curfew, and narrowly avoids getting his papers checked.
11/27	Evening	Who You Know	Evan, Laura	Puts out feelers about fake registration papers.
11/28	Morning	Cuba Is Looking Better Every Day	Evan, Skyler	Is it safer to tell a big lie or a small one? Is it worth it to keep doing something that stresses you out?

October 2010

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
10/2	Late morning	Pieces of the Puzzle	Amato, Audrey, Daphne, Delia, Evan, Jaiden, Lynette, Nadira, Tasha, Warren, Wiley	The weirdly distributed jigsaw starts to come together…
10/7	Night	Elephant in the Room	Evan, Griffin, Nadira	…and the relationship abruptly falls apart.
10/23	6 pm	Better Business, Better Lives	Cardinal, Delilah, Evan, Harmony, Magnes, Marjorie, Peyton, Tony	Protesting against the curfew.

September 2010

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
9/1	Evening	A Bit Fuzzy	Evan, Gin	Someone has a funny idea of how to send a message.
9/9	Evening	Putting It Together	Elle, Evan, Nadira	The word is put out.
9/24	Evening	Underscore	Abbot, Cardinal, Daphne, Evan, Kendall, Ling, Logan, Marie, Melissa, Montague, Nicole, Roderick, Savannah, Tess	Free health advice goes unappreciated.

August 2010

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
8/1	Evening	Pantyhose Can Be A Useful Thing	Evan, Jaiden, Nadira	Rescued from a long wait for a tow truck.
8/2	Early morning	Dancing Around the Truth	Evan, Nadira	The learning process eases into substance.
8/6	Evening	Unreasonable Expectations	Chase, Evan, Nadira	Nadira's brother puts a spanner in the works.
8/14	Evening	Mad Tea Party	Evan, Mika, Nadal, Nadira	Meeting the man in person is all the more troublesome for coming as a surprise.
8/28	Evening	Did You Mean It?	Evan, Nadia	Prods a spokesperson for Registration to see what's really on her mind.

July 2010

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
7/3	Afternoon	It Means You're Dead	Cardinal, Evan	Receives motivation and means to help ensure November doesn't go down as foreseen.
7/12	Early evening	Devotion	Evan, Ina, Kelly, Josie, Nadia, Wayland	Hit by a stray bullet! But survives, and the mugger is taken down before making off with his loot.
7/14	Early morning	Without A Trace	Corbin, Eldridge, Evan, Felix, Rossling, Ryans, Veronica	The night after he returns from the hospital, a sizable chunk of the floor above his apartment disappears.
7/26	Evening	When a Leader Speaks	Corbin, Danko, Evan, Isabella, Lydia, Maddox, Perry, Ryans, Wiley	Gains some insight into what drove Josie to a life of crime.
7/28	Evening	Corinthian Water Club	Elle, Evan, Nadira	Dinner is a wash, but the hotel still has other things to recommend it.
7/30	Evening	Make the Most of It	Evan, Nadira	Learns some more about his good luck charm, and vice versa.
7/31	Evening	Pictures at an Exhibition	Delia, Evan, Lydia, Peyton	Runs into a couple familiar faces at the opening of an Evolved-themed art exhibit.

June 2010

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
6/6	Late evening	Three Up, Three Down	Evan, Laura	Returning to the Corinthian, Evan is shown a magic trick, but takes more of an interest in the trickster.
6/10	Noon	On a Downtown Train	Cardinal, Evan, Lola, Roderick, Peyton	A wave of simultaneous visions leaves Evan with two things missing, only one of which is his wallet.
6/22	Afternoon	So Uncivilized	Elaine, Evan, Kelly, Luke	Takes part in an Evolved registration protest, until it breaks down into violence.

May 2010

Date	Time	Event	People	Summary
5/6	Evening	White Days	Delia, Evan, Felix, Quinn, Roderick, Thalia	With his apartment rendered unlivable, Evan seeks public shelter.
5/7	Early afternoon	Radio Free Columbia	Elaine, Evan, Magnes	Evan is dragged into a supply run to Staten Island.
5/12	Evening	Fiddling While Rome Freezes	Evan, Kelly	A drink at the Corinthian. Kelly thinks he's nuts.

News clips

7/12/2010	Bus Bandit Foiled By Passengers
7/14/2010	Unexplained Incident In Harlem
10/3/2010	Puzzles In The Park
1/20/2011	Officer Gunned Down

Creative writing

8/7/2010

There Are Many Like It

Gallery