It might be, but it might not. He likely has some sort of logic that makes sense of him, and fits with his own desires and outlook, even if that isn't anything like what it might be for us. If we can figure that out then we'll better understand him, and therefore what he might do.
We don't exactly have semi-immortal body-hopping megalomaniacs in my world. Just normal megalomaniacs.
I can take some guesses at his motivations and general pattern of behavior all the same, but I'm missing context that would help narrow things down, especially with there having been such limited direct contact with him.
[In other words, he does have guesses, but they may not have enough basis to be worth going into.]
[There's a short delay at that, not because there's anything wrong with what Jack said or because Lance needs to figure out how to respond, but because he's suddenly realized he needed the encouragement; more specifically, he'd needed to know there weren't going to be consequences for being wrong. That's one of those signs he's letting things that are going on get to him to much, and is falling into habits he doesn't like, and he needs to keep an eye on it.
But minor crisis of self-awareness aside, that isn't at all Jack's issue and soon Lance does reply with a more detailed analysis.]
Speaking strictly about Johann, since Henries may or may not have very distinct behavior and motivation, this is a person who found a way to prolong his life through somewhat extreme means. Ethically, it's a grey area, at least initially; if he's making clone bodies of himself, which have no consciousness of their own, then there's nothing really immoral about it, just illegal after a certain point in time. That he continues after that point in time indicates he puts his own wants and needs before the law, which is again not necessarily immoral, but it does tell us something about him.
The issue with Henries becomes very muddled, and depending what exactly happened there--if Johann and Henries are distinct individuals, if Johann just replaced Henries with a clone containing a copy of Johann's mind, or any other weird sci-fi possibilities--it would give us more clues.
We do know a little more from correspondence around that time, and then also the messages later, that Johann is in a position of authority and seems to enjoy it beyond what would be expected from being in a stable and influential position. The way he talks in one of Cassius' messages matches with what I heard in your memory; he's very cavalier, and there's a distinct sense of satisfaction from flaunting power or knowledge that he feels he has over someone else. I'm sure it's no surprise that he probably has very little empathy, or is able and willing to ignore it if he does have it. Normal amounts of of compassion, altruism, and general concern and care for the well-being of others is lacking, and so shouldn't be considered as either strong motivators or barriers to what he may decide to do; he likely feels he's more important than others, not just because of some inherent superiority--although he likely believes that too--but because of his ability to cheat death and hold information that others don't have.
That all sounds bad, and it is, but the upside to this is that there are very distinct weaknesses to these types of people. Overconfidence is the obvious one; they're so sure of their own superiority, skill, power, resources, and whatever else that they may underestimate others, even if they're aware of this potential weakness in themselves. They aren't used to being opposed by anyone who is a match for them, whether individually or in a group. They always make mistakes, and rely on--and usually succeed in--getting away with those mistakes because they think no one will be able to notice them. Some even purposefully leave 'clues' or evidence, because they're so sure they won't be found out.
They also often fail to correctly understand or predict the behavior of others, either overestimating or underestimating the role emotion plays in their choices. Since Johann has had a lot of time to work on this, it may be a less reliable weakness, but the sense of superiority will also play into this to some extent and limit just how well he can accurately imagine other people as people.
The biggest question about his motives is whether they're purely self-contained, in that he has a goal he's working on and interaction with us as Displaced has been incidental or out of curiosity, or if it's inherently connected with us and therefore contact with him is something important to him. If we're simply coexisting and paths happen to cross, that's a different situation than if he considers us a direct point of interest or part of his goals, and how might be best to proceed would vary depending on that.
[ While Overwatch had little to do with law enforcement in a traditional sense, Jack's read his fair share of dossiers, and Blackwatch in particular had been in charge of identifying and eliminating threats, people much like Johann (if with less body-hopping).
So, there is something almost nostalgic about reading Lance's report. It takes him to a different time and place, and while it's not somewhere Jack particularly likes to return, it is what it is. ]
That all makes sense to me, and we did manage to already take one thing from him. I don't think he intended to let us take Cassius, or that we were playing into his hands by doing that, but who knows. But we've proved that he's fallible, and while it means he might be more careful going forward, we've definitely got numbers over him.
We obviously weren't part of his plans originally; he's been around too long for that. But he's curious about us now, that's for sure, and probably wants to use us in some way.
Unless he's behind us appearing in this world in the first place, which I guess is possible, given the resources he has at his disposal. But I wonder if he would have waited so long to show himself to us, if that was the case.
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You have any guesses, then? Seems like you're pulling from some job experience here.
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I can take some guesses at his motivations and general pattern of behavior all the same, but I'm missing context that would help narrow things down, especially with there having been such limited direct contact with him.
[In other words, he does have guesses, but they may not have enough basis to be worth going into.]
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But minor crisis of self-awareness aside, that isn't at all Jack's issue and soon Lance does reply with a more detailed analysis.]
Speaking strictly about Johann, since Henries may or may not have very distinct behavior and motivation, this is a person who found a way to prolong his life through somewhat extreme means. Ethically, it's a grey area, at least initially; if he's making clone bodies of himself, which have no consciousness of their own, then there's nothing really immoral about it, just illegal after a certain point in time. That he continues after that point in time indicates he puts his own wants and needs before the law, which is again not necessarily immoral, but it does tell us something about him.
The issue with Henries becomes very muddled, and depending what exactly happened there--if Johann and Henries are distinct individuals, if Johann just replaced Henries with a clone containing a copy of Johann's mind, or any other weird sci-fi possibilities--it would give us more clues.
We do know a little more from correspondence around that time, and then also the messages later, that Johann is in a position of authority and seems to enjoy it beyond what would be expected from being in a stable and influential position. The way he talks in one of Cassius' messages matches with what I heard in your memory; he's very cavalier, and there's a distinct sense of satisfaction from flaunting power or knowledge that he feels he has over someone else. I'm sure it's no surprise that he probably has very little empathy, or is able and willing to ignore it if he does have it. Normal amounts of of compassion, altruism, and general concern and care for the well-being of others is lacking, and so shouldn't be considered as either strong motivators or barriers to what he may decide to do; he likely feels he's more important than others, not just because of some inherent superiority--although he likely believes that too--but because of his ability to cheat death and hold information that others don't have.
That all sounds bad, and it is, but the upside to this is that there are very distinct weaknesses to these types of people. Overconfidence is the obvious one; they're so sure of their own superiority, skill, power, resources, and whatever else that they may underestimate others, even if they're aware of this potential weakness in themselves. They aren't used to being opposed by anyone who is a match for them, whether individually or in a group. They always make mistakes, and rely on--and usually succeed in--getting away with those mistakes because they think no one will be able to notice them. Some even purposefully leave 'clues' or evidence, because they're so sure they won't be found out.
They also often fail to correctly understand or predict the behavior of others, either overestimating or underestimating the role emotion plays in their choices. Since Johann has had a lot of time to work on this, it may be a less reliable weakness, but the sense of superiority will also play into this to some extent and limit just how well he can accurately imagine other people as people.
The biggest question about his motives is whether they're purely self-contained, in that he has a goal he's working on and interaction with us as Displaced has been incidental or out of curiosity, or if it's inherently connected with us and therefore contact with him is something important to him. If we're simply coexisting and paths happen to cross, that's a different situation than if he considers us a direct point of interest or part of his goals, and how might be best to proceed would vary depending on that.
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So, there is something almost nostalgic about reading Lance's report. It takes him to a different time and place, and while it's not somewhere Jack particularly likes to return, it is what it is. ]
That all makes sense to me, and we did manage to already take one thing from him. I don't think he intended to let us take Cassius, or that we were playing into his hands by doing that, but who knows. But we've proved that he's fallible, and while it means he might be more careful going forward, we've definitely got numbers over him.
We obviously weren't part of his plans originally; he's been around too long for that. But he's curious about us now, that's for sure, and probably wants to use us in some way.
Unless he's behind us appearing in this world in the first place, which I guess is possible, given the resources he has at his disposal. But I wonder if he would have waited so long to show himself to us, if that was the case.