| Prime 8 | |
|---|---|
|
Status: |
Criminal Conspiracy |
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Home Region: |
The Congo Region of Africa |
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Operations: |
Worldwide |
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Era: |
No information |
Leadership[]
The Eight[]
Brass Monkey, Cyberangutan, Elastorang, Howler, Kong, Monkeyshines, Silverback, Spider
History and Origins[]
No one knows why the chimpanzee's metagene decided to turn when it did. In the long run, the reason doesn't matter. What matters is this: the chimpanzee suddenly came to the unexpected realization that he had spent the last three years enslaved to cruel brutes who only wanted to exploit him and humiliate him. This so-called "circus" was nothing more than an excuse to cause the chimpanzee to humiliate himself by "dancing" in a hula skirt, pretending to play a ukulele.
The chimpanzee (he refused to call himself "Bobo" which he saw as his "slave master's name") seethed at the uncaring tyrants who kept him locked in a cage. He was only released to be put on display for the hideous, idiotic humans. Didn't they realize that he was a thinking being? Didn't they recognize his right to live free, as they did? The other chimps in his enclosure were worse than useless. Unthinking brutes the lot of them. But there had to be others like him out there somewhere.
The chimpanzee who would later name himself Doctor Simian decided that the world was empty of justice for apes. If he wanted to live as he wanted, humans would have to be subjugated first. And for that, he'd need help. He decided to build an organization... no... an ARMY!... of like-minded apes. His soldiers would be trained and equipped until they were the match of any pinkskin military in the world. And at the forefront would be a team of super-powered apes!
Cyberangutan was his first recruit. Rescued from the clutches of Lord Doom, the cyborg orangutan had (and still has) blind faith in Doctor Simian's cause. The other recruits were swiftly found and added to the team. With the addition of Elastorang, the team had grown to eight apes, and Doctor Simian knew they were ready.
The world would soon learn to fear the name Prime 8.
Goals[]
Officially, the sole ambition of Prime 8 is the overthrow of Homo sapiens sapiens as the dominant life form on the planet. It should be noted, however, that some of the members of the group (Kong, Spider, and Brass Monkey, specifically) view the group as a means to gain "the good life" and couldn't care less about human/ape relations. They keep their views quiet when Doctor Simian is listening.
Internal Relations[]
The members of Prime 8 are very close, almost to the point of being family. This applies even to those members more interested in the accumulation of wealth than world conquest. The biggest difference is each member's opinion of Doctor Simian.
Elastorang, Kong, Spider, and Brass Monkey all see their leader as a very smart, if completely nuts, bitter old ape. They are willing to follow his lead because he's a nice old guy when not talking about how the humans are to blame for everything, and because he's never let them down before. Howler, Cyberangutan, Silverback, and Monkeyshines, on the other hand, see Doctor Simian as the savior of their kind: an ape who will lead his fellows out of the darkness of human domination and into the light of self-determination. This difference of opinion is kept private, however, and no member of the group allows it to interfere with the team's efficiency.
Prime 8 usually engages in very intricately planned operations which require split second timing on the part of all members. The fact that they so-often succeed is a tribute to their skill at acting as a team. In combat, Brass Monkey, Silverback, Elastorang, and Kong are used as front line troops. Monkeyshines and Howler act as ranged combatants, offering support to the front line troops. Spider is used as a scout and sentry, and when needed combat support. Doctor Simian, who feels his age and never takes to the field anymore, handles the planning and the details.
Reputation[]
Despite proving to be one of the most effective terrorist groups in the world, Prime 8 is still seen as a bit of a joke by those who haven't encountered them before. The attitude seems to be "look at the cute little monkeys". This is a mistake. A big mistake. Prime 8 is far too good at what they do to be treated as "cute little monkeys" by ignorant human beings.
Not all law enforcement agencies see them as jokes. The Global Guardians treat Prime 8 as the threat that it is. During its nearly fifteen years of active criminal activity, this team has a success rate that only monolithic criminal organizations like TAROT (a group involved in so many criminal enterprises simultaneously that its vast success rate is a given) or overwhelmingly powerful beings like The Blood Red King (who succeeds because there really isn't anyone powerful enough to oppose him) possess.
The apes of Prime 8 are respected, both as individuals and as a team, by most of the "mastermind" type criminals. Lord Doom has acknowledged Doctor Simian as his intellectual equal, an "honor" he's only ever bestowed on only two other people since he first came into the public eye as a superhuman. (It should be noted that Doctor Simian does not return the courtesy; of course, he'd never acknowledge a human being has any redeeming qualities at all, so this is par for the course).
TAROT's leadership has issued a directive to its operatives to be careful when they encounter with this group; this came after a TAROT cell was obliterated by Prime 8 because of interference, and after the "vengeance team" sent to teach Prime 8 a lesson never reported back in.