Doctor Schadenfreude

Doctor Gerhardt Schadenfreude is a medical scientist who most notably has worked for the Omega Team.

Born in 1962 a village just outside Berlin, Gerhardt grew up to excel in school and studied medicine in university. Soon after, in 1987 he had landed a job as a researcher for a local research hospital where he was an average employee. In 1990, he was invited to a small conference in Ingolstadt where he was introduced to another researcher, the elderly Dr. Viktor. Soon they became friends and would often write to each other detailing their latest research until 1992 when Dr. Viktor died. Curiously, Viktor had left a collection of old medicine books to Dr. Schadenfreude as he felt his hands were more worthy of them than his own descendants. Throughout the books were details of how Victorian medicine was researched and their findings, some bits obsolete, and some still held true. He noticed two of these books seemed to hold a code, essentially linking biology to alchemy such as medieval scientists practiced. More curious about the origins of science than actually believing any of it, he began researching old alchemy travelling to odd places and collecting fascinating things. The more he understood about this ancient art, the greater his knowledge of science grew and he quickly ascended to become a world-class researcher.

Gerhardt soon began toying with the more profane side of alchemy-medicine. Thus, his knowledge of occult matters grew too. In 1997, he travelled to a place in Italy where sacred spring water was said to pool. This water was said to be a theoretical ingredient of the phasmas, an artificial soul and was a key ingredient of restoring life. After a long and perilous trip alone through treacherous caves, Schadenfreude arrived at the glowing white pool, guarded by a master Katana Soul wielding a flaming sword. Upon sensing the profane, though not evil, intentions of the doctor it moved to strike him down. His sword was intercepted by an equally powerful sererinth who materialised at that point. Gerhardt slinked into the shadows while the bitter clash of these two forces played out. The katana soul was eventually defeated and the hellish beast lay bloodied and burnt on the ground, slowly regenerating. The doctor took one of the flaming swords and stood over the writhing hellion, demanding an explanation. It had been clinging to his soul as a consequence of one previous botched rituals which had no visible backlash and had used him to get to this sacred pool. He didn't count on it being guarded by anything more powerful than a couple of katana soul goons, however. Schadenfreude raised the sword to finish the xenoform, when his arm was lashed off by its tongue. The doctor cried in pain and retrieved the sword to finish him.

Bleeding heavily, the resourceful Gerhardt managed to fuse his arm back on using the magical properties of the xenoform's blood and his own medical knowledge. In a moment of inspiration, he cut off the xenoform's taloned arms and affixed them to his sides using the blood. Alarmingly, these arms worked, though he had little control over them. He used the sacred spring water add an extension onto his soul that would afford him mastery over these new limbs. Collecting the samples of this and that, and keeping the Katana Soul's sword for himself, he left the cave.

Doctor Schadenfreude kept travelling the world searching for new ways to apply his newfound abilities, researching the hows and whys on towards his goal of creating life. Some witches and mystics say he has succeeded to a limited degree, others insist it is not possible. Only Dr. Schadenfreude knows for sure.

Gerhardt has taken employment from the agency in various teams 7 or 8 times between 2000 and 2009 after having left in a huff or being dismissed for breaking ethical guidelines and being goaded back in by Arthur McCoy, whom he is a close colleague of, and Nick Slater who he respects as a true leader and not bound by the irrational whimsy of the institutionally ignorant known as 'morality'.

Dr. Schadenfreude is a prominent member of Interest-9.


Memorable quotes:

"Ze Fuhrer is right! … I mean Alpha is right!"