Hester, William

William Hester, aka Mortar and Professor, is a soldier and parahuman with the power to imbue objects with kinetic energy and release them to create explosions. He is fluent in German.

The Freakshow
February, 1942

Hester and Project Circus (Flicker, Strongman, and Sounder) infiltrate Germany with help from the French Resistance, making their way to Aufstein Castle to investigate rumors of a Nazi secret weapon. Before they can enter the castle, there's an explosion and several Nazi scientists flee.

Searching the castle in the aftermath, they find a dying scientist. The scientist claims Messer's Device has created an übermensch and will soon explode. They confiscate the man's notebook and flee. Professor and Sounder die in the explosion.