Carl Warner | |
Portrayed By | Harry Lennix |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | June 1, 1964 |
Age | 46 |
Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
Aliases | CW |
Place of Birth | Chicago, IL, USA |
Current Location | New York, NY, USA |
Occupation | Surveillance expert |
Known Relatives | Ronald (father), Kate (mother) |
Significant Other | Who has time? |
Known Abilities | 100 wpm |
First Appearances | Calling in the Geek Squad / Checkmate |
Formerly a computer tech working for the government, he learned to know and distrust the Evolved while assigned to Alpha Protocol, only to abandon ship just before it sank. More recently, the Company has offered him a front-man role.
History
Growing up in Chicago, Carl was just familiar enough with the street gangs laying claim to his neighborhood to be sent down a particular narrow path: he couldn't ignore them, he wasn't callous enough to join them, but he lacked the forceful personality and athleticism needed to join the police and go after them directly. Schoolwork wasn't much of a problem, but socially, the only way he made it through high school was by letting others draw attention away from him.
After discovering an aptitude for electronics thanks to a summer job at a radio station, he ended up working security and surveillance with the CIA. He was still opposing the same type of bad guys, but far from home - mostly overseas, taking the fight to their doorstep - and from behind a protective layer of falsely-marked vans and hidden cameras and microphones.
Toward the end of 2009, growing tired of this at last, he was recruited for a fresh challenge - domestic terrorists, this time, and thus requiring experienced and subtle agents to keep them contained. Watching video footage of a few abilities in action was still enough to shake him up; he knew about a few minor technological advances that the government had kept under wraps, but this seemed to go well beyond any of that. Meanwhile, the captives' claims of innocence were all too familiar, so it didn't occur to him to do the deep digging that might prove them right.
Personality
Carl is not a people person. He's not a pocket-protector stereotype either; he responds to people cordially, but he doesn't instinctively initiate many conversations outside of work.
His career has kept him distant from his parents, though he did help them move to a nicer place in Aurora once he had enough money. His extended family is scattered around the mid-West, and he never knew any of them very well.
There have been few serious thoughts of settling down into a relationship - he wouldn't know what to do with himself, either professionally (the job involves pulling up stakes every few months/years) or personally. There have been a few hookups, all agreed up front to be short-term.
Timeline
- August 2009
- Schools a fellow online boardgamer who might be better suited for poker. (Checkmate)
- January 2010
- Reviews Gene's file for Cody, and trades some barbs with her and Jo. (Calling In the Geek Squad)
- February 2010
- While monitoring transfer procedures for the first Delta Solution targets, he and Jo agree to keep their mouths shut about certain things. (Time Together)
- March 2010
- After discovering worrying evidence of an internal purge, he decides to warn Cody that she's on their hit list. (Blue Screen of Death) Later, he tracks down Jo to discuss the situation, only to find one already in progress. (Stop Hittin' Yourself!, What's Going On Here?)
- Rumors of Tracy's death have been greatly exaggerated. She claims to know what the Protocols are really after. (Knowledge Is Power) On her suggestion, he contacts Rebel (not for the first time, it turns out) to learn more. (Two Knights Defense)
- April 2010
- Cody, also still alive, warns of recent and near-future attempts against the president. (Red Sky by Morning)
- Warned that Eta and Zeta Protocols are about to be deployed, he points Rebel toward the details he can't access on his own (Positional Advantage), then sneaks off to Connecticut to wait out the aftermath.
- July 2010
- Anticipating a return to New York, he tries to contact whatever's left of the Company, starting with Elle. (Bath, Interrupted)
- August 2010
- An unsuspecting grass-roots support group gives him some new leads to follow up. (You Can Take The Support Out Of The Group, The Power to Keep Support, Where's Your Support)
- February 2011
- An unorthodox paramedic outs herself to save a heart attack victim. (Unapproved Medical Procedure)
- Helps bring down an out-of-control telekinetic, but not before considerable damage is wrought. (Prestidigitonium) Later, a bum from the support group turns out to be another spy, recruiting him as her handler (The Faithful Soldiers) and sending him to a colorful forger to establish his cover (Outsourcing).
Relationships
Having dropped his bum disguise, he's revealed himself as fashion-conscious and cheerful, even when discussing the possibility of drastic measures. | |
One of those past short-term hookups, revisited while they worked together again. They agreed that nothing good would come of volunteering it to the office shrinks. Then again, for a while, she seemed at risk of genuinely cracking under the pressure… He lost track of her after the Protocols broke down. | |
Apparently a dedicated agent. A bit of a maverick, but her presence among the Orders of Termination was still surprising. Faked her own death and worked to take out whoever was taking the mission in the wrong direction. | |
Mouthy showoff, but dedicated to his craft. Man of simple tastes. | |
Hallis is a rich girl whose identity was stolen by a shapeshifter. Her self-centeredness (over and above her victimization) can't be ignored, but at least she was clever enough to keep a sizable rainy-day fund stashed away somewhere. |
Quotes
- "Trolls, harpies… it's a real menagerie down here."
- "You know me, business before pleasure."
- "We're all on the same team, right?"
- "You stay out of trouble, would you?"
- "I'd like to see it done better."