Colbey O'Conner, the One Woman Army
What It Takes was created by Kez, it can be read on its own website
Welcome back to the blog! Time for something pretty grounded, though some of Colbey's equipment is… unique to say the least. Fair warning, SPOILERS are ahead!
Background
“I told myself this was all necessary. For Peter. But, I could not deny a part of me enjoyed it all. Eight years. Searching. Barely surviving. Nothing and no one could keep me from Peter. Not Arthur. Not Toshiro. Not anyone allied with him. They all will pay.”
Eight years ago, disaster struck the world. Pollinators died off, weather conditions drastically amplified and became unpredictable, and most electronics died off. Since what was called the Flip, what was left of human society remained fractured. Factions formed hoarding resources, the shortage of food caused people to revert to cannibalism, and anyone unaligned was an easy target for theft.
Every survivor has an interesting story to tell, but none are as chaotic as the tale of Colbey Martina O'Conner. There wasn't much to write home about Colbey prior to the Flip. She barely graduated high school, performed poorly in community college and dropped out in her third semester, and took on various dead-end jobs and temp work. Her family has a history in the landscaping business and she's a trained martial artist.
Her skills and experience may not be appreciated by some, but she found love in a talented scientist named Peter Wolfe. They had genuine chemistry and cherished everything about each other, flaws and all. However, eight years ago her fiancée had to take a sudden phone call from work and vanished without a trace. Colbey was left alone in the Flip and had to fend for herself.
Colbey was hardened through her experiences in the post-apocalyptic world, particularly after aligning with a faction led by Peter's old professor Arthur. She'd learned his people were disposing of innocents that weren't deemed useful, caused an uproar, and fled. She's been on her on the run from Arthur ever since, never lowering her guard. All that remains is her hope that Peter is still out there somewhere, and that they'd eventually find each other.
While Colbey tries keeping a low profile, she can act brashly, especially if Peter is involved. Naturally distrustful of others, her attitude is usually rude and standoffish. Her behavior has led her to appear meatheaded at times, but keep in mind she's basically been on her own for nearly a decade at this point. She really knows a thing or two about surviving in this divided wasteland.
Despite everything she's gone through, Colbey doesn't shy away from making quips and snarky comments. She swears like a sailor too. Colbey is proactive, never sitting around and twiddling her thumbs. If the people around her are barely trying to make the situation better, she'll go ahead and do it herself. Her discourteous audacity may get on peoples' nerves, but she's not changing for anyone else.
After years of barely getting by, fights, and fruitless searching, Colbey still couldn't find any leads to where Peter may be. What she did discover however was the existence of A SIT-E in APPLEYS, or rather A City in a Place. The City is a hidden safe-haven that supposedly has an elected government, functioning technology, and the ability to protect its resources. However, it's an exclusive territory and only accepts people that can contribute to its sustainability.
This seemed to be the last remaining hope for humanity, so she coveted to reach it. She'd be deterred after attempting to secure an invitation to it led to a near-death experience. However, after reuniting with one of her karate pupils Scot, she's convinced to join him in reaching the City. If she didn't, the last hope for humanity would fall and Peter would die. If there's a slight chance that Peter is already there, she has to take her chances.
The good news is that Colbey was correct, Peter is alive in A City in a Place! In fact, he founded the idea of the City and its silly acronym was filled with hints to its location Colbey would know.
The bad news is that he's practically kept there as a prisoner by its board of trustees. Peter has been trying to reach Colbey just as long as she's yearned for him, but the trustees don't want Peter to waste resources searching for a flunkey that offers nothing of use and is most likely dead.
Even his disappearance was arranged by the trustees. They'd anticipated this calamity. Colbey's exclusion is mainly the fault of the head of the trustees, Peter's own uncle Toshiro. He believed Colbey held him back from reaching his true potential, and the board required his genius levels of agricultural knowledge. He ensured she wouldn't join Peter, believing she wouldn't survive on her own.
The worst thing anyone can do is underestimate Colbey and her drive to find Peter. She'll do whatever it takes to reach him. Colbey experiences the death and betrayal of allies, nearly gets hanged twice, forces herself to serve under the treacherous Arthur, and even work with Dr. Snatch, the woman who made Peter's life a living hell, just to locate her fiancée and expose the City's corruption.
Peter did manage to escape from the City before Colbey could arrive there, complicating the goose chase even more. There were times when she was really close to reuniting with Peter. While both were kept in Arthur's territory, both were kept in the dark of each one residing there.
By the time she turns against Arthur to stop him and his group from taking over the City, Colbey's body count is in the hundreds. She's built up a ruthless and monstrous reputation for herself. She's become so clouded by her goals and brought down by backstabbing and close calls of actually reuniting with Peter, that she'd murder anyone in her way without hesitation.
With both Arthur and Toshiro dead, Colbey and Peter are finally able to reunite, though not in the best circumstances. Colbey was armed and enraged after her killing, and one of Peter's allies saw it fit to shoot her when she seemed too far gone to be reasoned with. Even if she were to die, she's glad to see Peter's face one last time. Thankfully it doesn't have to end this way, as she's taken back to the City to be patched back up.
Finally, FINALLY Colbey and Peter are together in a safe place. Colbey had been fighting for so long that adjusting to peaceful changes doesn't feel natural. She remains standoffish and independent even around Peter while her injuries recover. She has everything she wanted, so why does she feel so disturbed? She just doesn't feel like she fits in the self-sustaining City. It doesn't seem like its people are faithful in Peter as their leader after everything either.
Neither Colbey and Peter are happy there, so they choose to take off together. They know people that can keep it running well. Leaving everything behind and starting a new life together will help them repair their relationship. With a well-deserved break from killing, perhaps it's time Colbey builds something for a change.
Experience and Skill
The past eight years have been a living hell for Colbey. She's survived encounters with insidious factions, regressive cannibals, and braved through the unpredictable weather of the Flip. Thankfully Colbey had practiced broad martial arts growing up. Her grit gave her an edge, and surviving in the apocalypse only improved her fighting skills. Despite repeatedly finding herself outnumbered, she's been able to slice and dice her way through people in her way.
Colbey appears hard-headed a lot of the time due to her brashness, but she is more intelligent than she lets on. Crafty too, like how she orchestrated a solo raid on Arthur's camp utilizing the City's resources. Colbey is one of the few characters I've researched who REALLY benefits from prep time. Having time to prepare chemical weaponry and explosives can easily inflate her kill count to a staggering amount.
The past eight years have been a living hell for Colbey. She's survived encounters with insidious factions, regressive cannibals, and braved through the unpredictable weather of the Flip. Thankfully Colbey had practiced broad martial arts growing up. Her grit gave her an edge, and surviving in the apocalypse only improved her fighting skills. Despite repeatedly finding herself outnumbered, she's been able to slice and dice her way through people in her way.
Colbey appears hard-headed a lot of the time due to her brashness, but she is more intelligent than she lets on. Crafty too, like how she orchestrated a solo raid on Arthur's camp utilizing the City's resources. Colbey is one of the few characters I've researched who REALLY benefits from prep time. Having time to prepare chemical weaponry and explosives can easily inflate her kill count to a staggering amount.
Equipment
Rifle
She has looted rifles a couple times and demonstrates marksman skills. She headshot Marlin while he was in a moving vehicle.
She has looted rifles a couple times and demonstrates marksman skills. She headshot Marlin while he was in a moving vehicle.
Machete
Guns aren't easy to come by, especially when ammo is limited. Thus, Colbey mostly relies on her trusty hatched for close-range slaughtering.
Guns aren't easy to come by, especially when ammo is limited. Thus, Colbey mostly relies on her trusty hatched for close-range slaughtering.
Binoculars
They're handy when she keeps her distance.
They're handy when she keeps her distance.
Switchblade
For stabbing and slitting.
For stabbing and slitting.
Baseball Bat
She stole it from one of Arthur's goons and beat him up with it.
She stole it from one of Arthur's goons and beat him up with it.
LPS Containers & Gas Mask
These cryo storage containers are bio-weapons that hold aerosolized lipopoly-saccharide (LPS). The containers release a gas that immediately causes an instant inflammatory reaction, septic shock in high doses, and anaphylaxis symptoms even if those affected don’t have an allergy. In order to safely use it, Colbey took a gas mask from the City to avoid inhaling LPS.
These cryo storage containers are bio-weapons that hold aerosolized lipopoly-saccharide (LPS). The containers release a gas that immediately causes an instant inflammatory reaction, septic shock in high doses, and anaphylaxis symptoms even if those affected don’t have an allergy. In order to safely use it, Colbey took a gas mask from the City to avoid inhaling LPS.
Gunpowder
It took a whole bucket of it to light up and explode a building.
It took a whole bucket of it to light up and explode a building.
Chloreaflower Extract
Chloreaflower was created by Peter under the trustees' enforcement, which was supposed to be a new type of cauliflower to feed to the City’s masses. They shouldn't have angered a scientist, as what Peter actually created was food that causes… extreme diarrhea upon consumption. No, I'm not linking an example.
Its affects aren't automatic, but the results are spectacularly disgusting. This sample is isolated and purified, which Colbey stole to contaminate the water reserves of Arthur's camp. While everyone was too busy shitting themselves Colbey went to town on them with her machete and knives.
Chloreaflower was created by Peter under the trustees' enforcement, which was supposed to be a new type of cauliflower to feed to the City’s masses. They shouldn't have angered a scientist, as what Peter actually created was food that causes… extreme diarrhea upon consumption. No, I'm not linking an example.
Its affects aren't automatic, but the results are spectacularly disgusting. This sample is isolated and purified, which Colbey stole to contaminate the water reserves of Arthur's camp. While everyone was too busy shitting themselves Colbey went to town on them with her machete and knives.
Bulletproof Vest
It's durable enough to take the blunt of a shotgun blast.
It's durable enough to take the blunt of a shotgun blast.
Walkie Talkie
She uses a walkie talkie to chat with her temporary allies at the City before ditching it.
She uses a walkie talkie to chat with her temporary allies at the City before ditching it.
Hunting Knives
She went to town on Arthur's goon squad with these.
She went to town on Arthur's goon squad with these.
Grenades
They go boom, not much else to say.
They go boom, not much else to say.
Abilities
Martial Arts
Despite it being established that she grew up learning a variety of fighting styles, she relies far more on her weapons than her martial arts. That's fair, seeing as knives and guns are generally more lethal. The main martial art she's shown to practice is karate.
Despite it being established that she grew up learning a variety of fighting styles, she relies far more on her weapons than her martial arts. That's fair, seeing as knives and guns are generally more lethal. The main martial art she's shown to practice is karate.
Techniques
N/A
Feats
Overall
- Rescued a kid from Arthur’s minions
- Massacred a group of cannibals
- Killed several of Arthur’s men tailing her and foiled Arthurs’ operations by filling their vehicles’ gas tanks with bleach
- Reached A City in a Place, deciphering its location on her own
- Took out two camps, half of Arthur’s forces, and an ammo depot. She accomplished these through chemical warfare, chloreaflower contamination, exploding gunpowder, and slaughtering everyone while they were too busy shitting themselves
- Killed Marlin as payback after he sold her and her friends out to Arthur
- Killed Arthur right after he killed Toshiro
Strength
- Slit a guy's throat
- Laid waste to a group of cannibals
- Sliced and diced her way through Arthur's camp
- Caused a small building-sized explosion that blew up Arthur's ammo depot
- Created a small explosion with a grenade
- Blew a hole through Arthur's body and hacked up his corpse
Speed
Durability
- Struck with a bat that broke her ribs
- Endured an electric shock
- Painfully removed bioelectric devices from her wrists
- Nearly died from blood loss after being shot in the arm
Weaknesses
- Her feelings cloud her judgment, especially when Peter is in the picture
- Fear can make her do reckless things, like killing. She’s the reason Arthur has the reputation he does due to the rumors she spread
- She often doesn’t win fights with words
Matchup Potential
A majority of the more grounded apocalypse series I've experienced tend to veer into zombie territory so there aren't many characters I'm familiar with that would best fit Colbey's story. A matchup like hers would have Ellie vs Clem energy, though a bit more comedic with Colbey's insults. I feel like there's a movie character that would best fit Colbey but nothing comes to mind.
NEXT TIME ON WCAB… whenever I feel like it
