Name: Michael Anderson

Nickname: Mike, Mikey, "Hunter"

Age: 20

Sex: Male


Appearance:

5'10", 194lbs. Dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Solid build from active lifestyle and exercising. Usually dresses casually and generally wears a hat, but when hunting he sometimes wears jackets of various lengths to conceal weapons. Has no distinguishing markings or piercings.




Personality:

Very laid back most of the time, except when hunting. Hates vampires and gives them no quarter.


Background:

Michael was born in Coober Pedy, a small outpost mining community in the outback of Austrailia 850 miles north of Adelaide. When he was seven, his father was killed in a mine accident, leaving his mother to care for him and his older sister. They stayed for three years, until his mother was attacked by a stranger that came to their door in the night. Michael has heard the commotion and saw his mother being bitten by the stranger. It was his first encounter with a vampire, and had set him on his road to hating them.

The family moved to Perth with his mother's family, where he met his Aunt Lila. Lila Gabriel had moved to the United States and married there. For whatever reason, she gravitated towards young Michael and the two became close friends during her visits home. It was her influence that got him interested in martial arts, but there was some other connection the two seemed to share. It was not until the vampire from Coober Pedy tracked them down and came after his mother again did they understand too late.

Somehow Mike had again known his mother was in trouble and caught the vampire feeding, but now at thirteen, he tried to intervene. He did not have the physical ability to fight the vampire, but he was able to draw it's attention away from his family. The vampire quickly had Mike cornered and laughed as it was about to finish him when he heard his Aunt's sing songish voice say something unintelligible and the demon froze. Then a stake burst through it's chest from behind and the vampire faded to nothing in a burst of fire and brimstone. Lila stood there, holding the stake. She told him when he was old enough she would explain, but the subject was taboo until then.

When he turned seventeen and graduating high school, Michael left his native Australia and moved to Los Angeles. There Lila set him up with an internet sales job and then explained she was Watcher when pressed about what had happened in Perth, and explained to him what that meant. Mike was intrigued, and at first considered asking how he could become a Watcher, but he was more drawn to her talk about Slayers. Lila explained she had seen potential in him, but Slayers were all female. Mike did not care, and his hatred for spurred him to persist and she finally began to secretly train him without the Council's knowledge. They spent the next eighteen months training Mike in the ways to fight vampires and other demons, but it was never enough they found out as he was nearly killed in one of his first outing.

Soon the Council discovered what Lila had  been doing and stepped in while he was recovering. She was nearly thrown from their ranks, but instead agreed to stop pretending Michael could ever be a Slayer and would no longer pursue the possibility. Returning home, she explained to Michael and then told him of a plan that could get them in serious trouble with the Council. He agreed, and on the night of the full moon, she preformed an ancient Hunter ritual she had discovered on her nephew that bestowed him with traits similar to those of a Slayer, though he was not as powerful. Still, once he recovered, they found both his strength, speed and dexterity had been increased to beyond normal human capabilities, and that he now healed much quicker. With a bit of training, Mike soon found he was much more capable, and his first field test of the new Mike was much more successful.

The Watcher Council soon learned what Lila had done, and the two were summoned to a meeting. Lila was nearly expelled completely, but a passionate statement by Michael to explain why they had done what they had and why he hated the vampires so much saved her from total expulsion. She is still shunned somewhat as a troublemaker, but as her Hunter protégé continues to be successful, she has been allowed back into the fold.

Michael can and will use any sort of weapon he can appropriate when hunting. He does have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, but he prefers to use melee weapons when possible or occasionally a compound bow. He has a basement apartment which has a false wall to conceal the walk in closet he converted to a weapon locker, and several weapons concealed throughout for quick access.