Royd
#ecae98Roy "Royd" is a supporting character in Dispatch. He is an engineer and scientist employed by the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN).
Biography
Background
Born in Hawaii, Roy was caught by Mecha Man Astral when he was stealing from a RadioShack, after which, they talked about technology for an hour before he took him to jail. This encounter inspired Royd to enter SDN's Phoenix Program. He reformed and joined the SDN as an engineer.
Because there were three other men at SDN called Roy, he was given the nickname 'Royd' (Roy D). Although he thought it was a reference to the way he fought (as those whom he beat got "Roy'd"), Robert Robertson suspects it had more to do with the suspicion that he was using steroids to increase his muscle mass.
Shortly before Robert was assigned to be the Z-Team's new dispatcher, Royd was informed of his secret identity as Mecha Man Blue and was tasked with rebuilding the Mecha Man suit.
Onboard
As Robert is taking a leak in the urinal, Royd bursts in and takes the stall next to him. Introducing himself mid-urination, Royd offers Robert a fistbump, which he can return or refuse. Once both are done relieving themselves, Royd whispers that he knows Robert's secret identity. This worries him, that his identity is now an open secret, but Royd tells him not to, as he only knows because he was assigned to rebuild his broken suit.
Turnover
Royd helps Robert carry pieces of the Mecha Man suit to a moving truck and comments on the poor state of his apartment, which he likens to those lived in by fictional serial killers. Royd notices that the Astral Pulse, the suit's power source, was gone. Robert explains that he could not find it after the suit was destroyed, which Royd brushes off as a minor issue. Arriving at the SDN office, Royd explains how the Astral Pulse works and reveals that he had a past with Robert's father. He then shows Robert the schematics of the new Mecha Man suit, and the two excitedly fistbump.
Restructure
Robert and Royd do another test run of the Proto-Pulse, which ends in failure. As Royd attempts to work on the Mecha Man suit, he is interrupted and disturbed by Invisigal, who makes a couple of flirtatious remarks to Robert before telling him that Blonde Blazer is looking for him.
Moving Parts
Royd and Robert test the nineteenth Proto Pulse with Chase and Invisigal in attendance. If Robert revealed his past identity as Mecha Man, the rest of the Z-Team (excluding Flambae) are present as well. Although the test initially seems to go smoothly, it swiftly goes badly as the Proto Pulse goes critical, causing the suit to move out of control. Rushing into the test area, Royd attempts to stop the suit. Noticing it was about to blow up, Royd abandoned the efforts and rushed for cover as the suit exploded with Robert inside. Fortunately, both men survived, with Royd receiving a head injury and a broken arm while Robert landed in the infirmary.
When Robert came to, he was greeted by Chase and Royd, the latter of whom apologised for letting him down and refused to continue to work on recreating the Astral Pulse out of fear for his friend’s safety. Despite Robert’s best attempts to cheer him up, Royd leaves the infirmary dejected.
Royd was later contacted by Invisigal, who suspected the original Astral Pulse may still be intact. Cross-referencing the information they gathered, they learned that this is indeed the case, and Invisigal decides to throw a housewarming party for Robert to gather their allies in one place to use their connections to track the current location of the Pulse down.
Later, Royd (who has returned to his cheerful self), Invisigal, and Malevola arrive at Robert’s apartment and explain the plan to him. Over the course of the night, the heroes party and eventually figure out that the Pulse is being kept at a heavily guarded warehouse by the docks. Although Blonde Blazer wishes to formulate a plan and attack the warehouse the next night, Invisigal insists on raiding the warehouse the same night, arguing the Pulse may be stolen by then. This angers Chase, who verbally snaps at her. This swiftly escalates into a verbal argument, ending in Invisigal punishing the old hero and storming out of the apartment. Blazer tells the gathered heroes to keep quiet about the incident and leave.
Personality
Royd is an easygoing and amiable man, making small talk with Robert when meeting him for the first time. He’s somewhat naive, initially believing that his nickname came from his coworkers (similarly named Roy) naming him after how he fights, citing ‘you got Royd’ before expressing sadness over the idea that they ‘think [he’s] some kind of a juicehead,’ nicknaming him after steroids.
Despite this, Royd is resilient, quickly recovering from being hurt by the idea, saying he doesn’t care if it’s true.
He also has little care for hygiene, saying he doesn’t wash his hands after using the urinal, citing he ‘doesn’t touch [anything]’ when asked. Royd is also seemingly unaware of other people’s disgust for this, offering a fist bump to Robert in the bathroom and resting a hand on him when laughing at his quip. If Robert refuses to touch him, Royd is understanding and seemingly doesn’t hold it against him, though he remembers the act.
Abilities
Genius intellect
Royd is both a 'gearhead' and 'science nerd', as he himself puts it, and shows a high level of intelligence. Not only did he redesign and rebuild the Mecha Man suit with Robert, but he also shows a deep theoretical understanding of the Astral Pulse, a complex piece of technology. However, his attempts to replicate the Astral Pulse failed, and Royd was eventually forced to admit defeat.
Superhuman strength
Royd can easily pick up and carry large pieces of the Mecha Man suit. He is also strong enough to easily throw full-grown men with minimal effort.
Relationships
Robert Robertson
Royd is one of the few people who know Robert is Mecha Man, being on a 'need to know basis,' having been assigned by Blonde Blazer to fix the Mecha Man suit. Robert was initially disgusted with Royd's apparent lack of hygiene and turned off by his overly friendly attitude, though the Hawaiian easily won him over after showing him the new design for the suit and showing that he was dedicated to "make da man mecha again." The pair would develop a close friendship over time. After the nineteenth attempt to replicate the missing Astral Pulse ended in Robert getting heavily injured, Royd felt a deep sense of guilt over almost getting him killed and letting him down, despite Robert's attempts to cheer him up.
Invisigal
Despite feeling uncomfortable with her attempts to flirt with Robert, Royd trusted Invisigal and allowed her to attend the Proto Pulse tests. When she infiltrated his workshop during the Red Ring siege of the SDN office, Royd believed she was attempting to steal the Mecha Man suit by using the Astral Pulse despite her protests to the contrary.
Trivia
- He is occasionally seen wearing glasses.
- His aunt named him Roy.
- Royd speaks in Hawaiian Pidgin, a creole of English spoken in Hawaii.
