Kozmo

Kozmo Espinosa Kaminski (b. November 23, 2016) is a founding member and current leader of Team Omega. A survivor of old Earth, Kozmo is one of the original recipients in the evolutionary advancements created by the Queen of Light. He is regarded as a hero of the people of the Tower of Light, and is widely known as a protector of life, proponent of liberty and justice, and defender of the powerless.

Biographical Details

Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Kozmo was the youngest of seven children. His mother, Rosaline Kaminski, was a homemaker and former actress who met her future husband while performing for the troops in Panama. Ramon Espinoza, born in Panama, was a lifetime employee of Halon. Ramon was a veteran of the Gulf of Panama Conflict and Operation: Clean Diamond. Kozmo is named after his father's favorite boyhood dog.

As a child Kozmo would pen short stories about giant dogs, talking crows and magic cats. He would also hand-write scripts for his favorite television programs, copying the style and format of published screenplays. At the age of twelve he crafted a series of seventeen illustrated 24-page booklets featuring the exploits of a superhero known as "Special K." At fifteen Kozmo began writing for the website of his high school, Dick Cheney Magnet School of East Los Angeles. His teachers noted that while he displayed a casual contempt for authority and had trouble getting along with his peers, he was a highly intelligent, motivated student and a very gifted writer. During his last two years of school Kozmo began acting in school theater and developed a flair for the dramatic.

Kozmo enrolled at Los Angeles City College but was expelled when he assaulted an astronomy professor. In spite of his father's veteran service, Kozmo was rejected by Halon when he attempted to enlist in their foreign service. He then worked for over a year for a number of news outlets, honing his skills as a journalist before applying to the Azimuth Brighter Futures program.

Kozmo stated on his Azimuth application that he intended to study the social habits of a colony of Guadalcanal geckos located in Havana, Cuba. During the interview process he told one interviewer he would be publishing his research in comic book format and wondered if this would enhance his chances due to the well-known illiteracy of corporate executives. At several points during the process Kozmo signed important forms with the name "Captain America."

Kozmo in the "special ops" webgear rendering of his military cybersuit.

Upon being awakened in 2039, Kozmo spent several days convinced the experience of being wanted terrorists was a virtually reality simulation designed to test the Azimuth applicants for entry into a super-warrior program. During the later confrontation with Sarah McKillup, Kozmo refused to believe her story of an impending apocalyptic alien invasion and rejected any future cooperation with McKillup. He attempted to return to his family on Maupiti but was drugged and kidnapped by McKillup's people. This cemented Kozmo's resentment of McKillup and moved her to the top of his "Presidential kill list."

Once confronted with the destruction of Earth, Kozmo quickly became a reliable if recalcitrant member of McKillup's team. It was under Kozmo's insistence (as well as that of Walter Lewis) that the team be given a name (Team Omega) and that they act as "super-heroes." He refused however to trust Sarah and reminded her often of his intent to kill her some day. This conflict eventually grew to socio-political proportions, leading to a civil war that forced the team to depart the safety of the Thaumas facilities and brave the hostile radioactive surface. During this period of exile Kozmo found himself developing paternal feelings for the younger members of the team, while tensions with Jack Fletcher began to increase dramatically.

Near the onset of the ill-advised confrontation with the Queen of Light, upon seeing the beauty and power of the Tower of Light, Kozmo realized the error of his previous opinions regarding McKillup's vision of the future. He also recognized that the ragtag Team Omega had little chance to destroy the Queen - and that even if successful, they would be destroying what appeared to be a successful society. Faced with the decision of stubbornly following a half-baked and foolish plan to the death or changing allegiance to save lives, Kozmo made the difficult decision of turning against his teammates. Acting on direct orders from the Queen, Kozmo attacked Fletcher and his bodyguard. During the ensuing conflict Kozmo, with the aid of Ellen Santiago, was able to delay the selfishly destructive Fletcher enough for the Queen to prevail. Though Kozmo was nearly killed by his teammates for this turnabout, his actions ultimately resulted in the survival of Team Omega and the safety of the entire city.

Since that battle Kozmo has led a very private life with his wife Caroline and his son Mahalo Kaminski. Most of his time is spent studying history and playing "Cowboys and Indians" with the boy. Kozmo has allowed his hair to grow long, usually wearing it in a top-knot, and is now clean-shaven. He no longer uses his original family name and answers only to "Kozmo" (or "Captain America" as Caroline teasingly refers to him). He also regards the younger members of Team Omega as his family and has developed a special fondness for Ellen. As one of the leading citizens of the city, Kozmo works closely with the Queen on many matters.

Writing

Since his early teens, Kozmo has kept an irregular online diary or blog chronicling his adventures. He intended to record his experiences in the Azimuth Brighter Futures program and publish them as a series of comic books. During his months as a fugitive, Kozmo kept an anonymous online blog that purported to reveal the truth of the 2039 bombing and subsequent events. He has continued the practice even at the Tower of Light, where he is one of the few citizens providing scheduled popular entertainment with his publicly available mission reports, cinematic edited mini-features of Team Omega battles, and of course his blog, "Kozmocalypse." Concerning itself mostly with life at the Tower of Light, the blog also contains a few of Kozmo's older postings and excerpts from a novel he was writing prior to entering the Brighter Futures program.

Kozmo's Tattoos

Kozmo has "Smart tattoos" adorning his torso, arms, and legs. These are made with video ink and can follow pre-programmed scripts, or even act in response to changes their sensors detect in the skin. The skeleton depicted below dances constantly but increases its pace in relation to Kozmo's heart rate, while the scorpion wriggles its tail when a large amount of adrenaline is released (such as during combat). The crow on his back only flaps its wings when exposed to sunlight and open air. The remainder of his skin areas, including his face and skull, are programmed with a variety of tribal patterns which may be switched on or off at will.