Carl Johnson

Character | PoV Character

Carl Leo Johnson (a.k.a. CJ)

"I swear Truth, this turns out to be another—"

— CJ, to The Truth, at the start of the Advent of the Myths

Carl "CJ" Johnson is an agent of Prospero. Though relatively new to governmental work and the anomalous, his skills, abilities, and tenacity have have already made him one of Prospero's best assets, even in light of his inexperience.

Biography

Background

CJ was born and grew up in Grove Street, Los Santos, alongside his brothers, Sweet and Brian, and his sister, Kendl Johnson. He spent the majority of his early life as a member of the Grove Street Families gang. In 1987, he fled to Liberty City following the death of Brian in a gang altercation where he “let Brian die”. In 1992, CJ returned to San Andreas, once more taking up his place in the Grove Street Families.[1]
In 1993, Sweet was killed in a gang confrontation. Having seen his mother and brothers die as part of Grove Street Families conflicts, CJ decided enough was enough, and abandoned that life entirely. This prompted a crisis of identity, where he decided that he wanted to be the good guy for once, leading him to contact Mike Toreno for assistance. Later that year, CJ began working for the Central Intelligence Agency under the sponsorship of Toreno, as a result of the skill and tenacity that he demonstrated whilst performing prior operations for the latter.
In 1995, upon request, he transferred to Prospero, where he became involved in a wide variety of capture and retrieval operations.

Advent of the Myths

Finding the Yeti

CJ investigates Mount Chiliad

When the Advent of the Myths began in 1997, CJ was on a day off from working at Prospero. He received a phone call from The Truth, who told him to report to Prospero Headquarters immediately as "everything was going down". When he arrived at the H.Q., The Truth told him that myths and legends were appearing all across San Andreas. CJ was dismissive at first, however when The Truth mentioned that their orders were coming from Prospero's leader - The Custodian - himself, he began to understand the gravity of the situation. The Custodian had ordered the two of them to investigate sightings of a Yeti on Mount Chiliad, and the Loch Ness Monster in Fisher's Lagoon. As The Truth was investigating Fisher's Lagoon, CJ was left to investigate Mount Chiliad.
CJ immediately set off and began his investigation at Mount Chiliad, searching for the Yeti. Though sceptical, he happened upon various clues, such as footprints; a destroyed bike and dead biker; a dead couple on a mountain ridge; a ton of rifle bullet casings on a ledge overlooking a small cabin; and three corpses inside said cabin. Believing that there might be something to the rumours after all, CJ opted to investigate the mountain peak, hoping to find some more clues or even potential survivors. Instead, he came across the Yeti itself, which emerged out of some nearby bushes.

CJ chases the Yeti's killer

He began a prolonged engagement with the Yeti, which proved difficult due to the supernatural control of temperature it exhibited. It nearly got the better of him and was about to kill him after knocking him to the ground, however he was saved by the covert intervention of Eve Matthews, who killed it with a sniper rifle round to the head. CJ attempted to locate his timely saviour, however they had already fled the scene.^[*]

Meeting The Custodian

CJ meets with Emma Walker

With the Yeti dead and it's killer nowhere to be found, CJ's next task was to return to Prospero H.Q. and report what had happened. As he had sustained serious wounds during the fight, his first stop was to visit Emma Walker, Prospero H.Q.'s resident nurse, and get them seen to. After she tended to his wounds, the two of them discussed the Yeti and the fact that it was actually real, before she filed the paperwork regarding his treatment. Immediately upon publishing it, she received a phone call from Sarah Williams, who informed her to tell CJ that he was to report to The Custodian immediately.

CJ meets with The Custodian

In their meeting, The Custodian congratulated CJ on being the second individual to actually kill an anomalous entity, with the first being The Truth, who had managed to kill the Loch Ness Monster. The two discussed the appearance of the myths and the potential reasoning, however The Custodian provided no answers. He told CJ that he was to investigate The Panopticon next, as their mission was now to investigate and monitor as many potential risk areas as possible. Unbeknownst to CJ, The Custodian had already theorised a pattern to the myth appearances, and was confident that CJ was going to find something, though he kept this knowledge a secret.^[*]

A Face of Leather

Leatherface with his victims

Upon arriving at The Panopticon, CJ explored the area hoping to find any clues of anomalous happenings, either past or present. He started by searching the upper elevation areas closest to the entrance, and as he ventured through the various decrepit shacks and structures, he noted that all of them had their floors coated in a lather of fresh blood. Though unnerved, he continued onwards, which led him to spot Leatherface outside of a cabin on the lower levels. He was holding a young couple at chainsaw-point on their knees, and as CJ moved to intervene, he dismembered the two of them as CJ watched onwards.

Eve tells CJ she means him no harm

CJ was shaken by the sight, however he quickly regained his composure, and opened fire on Leatherface. His experience with the Yeti had taught him to be more cautious, and thought he fight was prolonged, he was eventually able to get the upper-hand. He knocked Leatherface to the ground and prepared to deliver the killing shot, however the opportunity was taken away from him by the once-again covert intervention of Eve Matthews, who killed Leatherface with a sniper rifle round to the head. CJ dove into cover behind a nearby log pile, however Eve shouted to him that she meant him no harm, and that if she did then she'd have "shot [him] on that mountain". Trusting her word, he came out of cover hoping to see her, though she was nowhere to be seen. On the fortunate side, even though he had not seen Eve's face, he at least knew that the person following him was female, and that they apparently did not mean him any harm.

The Custodian orders Eve's death

With Leatherface dispatched, CJ returned to Prospero H.Q., and attended a debriefing with The Custodian. He informed him of his findings, both in terms of his encounter with Leatherface, and the incident with Eve. The Custodian seemed frustrated and even somewhat threatened by Eve's interventions, even though she had stated herself she meant CJ no harm. As such, his next order was for CJ to discover her true identity, and to eliminate her by any means necessary. Though CJ did not agree with the order, his loyalty to Prospero compelled him to carry it out, especially since it was coming from The Custodian himself.^[*]

On The Trail

CJ inspects some footprints

CJ began his search from the last place he saw her: Back at The Panopticon. He searched the hill where he had heard her shout from, and discovered from fresh footprints in the mud, which led him to a nearby road. The trail seemed to go cold for a moment, however CJ's staring off into the void of space in thought bore fruit when he noticed a camera cross the river from him. He phoned up Sarah at Prospero H.Q. and asked if there was anyone who could hack it for him, and conveniently Sarah was able to do it herself. By hacking into it and analysing it's footage, she was able to discover Eve getting into a car and driving off in the direction of Angel Pine.

CJ fights Ghostface

CJ then journeyed to Angel Pine, though all seemed fine within the town. However, as he looked around, he stumbled across Ghostface attacking some of the town's residents. After a brief battle, CJ was able to defeat him, and he then phoned Sarah once more to both inform her of what had happened, and to seek more help in his search. She suggested that he investigate the Shady Creeks Cabin next in search of Jason Voorhees, it being the next-closest myth location to both Leatherface and Ghostface.

Eve is attacked by Jason Voorhees

When CJ arrived at the cabin, he watched as a young woman was running away from the cabin with a sniper rifle in her hands, and Jason Voorhees on her tail. It was obvious that this was the person that had been following him, and so he returned the favour by sniping Jason and knocking him to the ground, thus buying her some time to make some distance. He then fought Jason and attempted to kill him, alongside Eve, and together they were able to defeat him.

CJ speaks with Eve for the first time

With Jason dead, CJ and Eve spoke properly for the first time. Eve accused Prospero - and CJ by extension - of capitalising on the chaos caused by the myths by capturing and exploiting their remain, a fact which CJ steadfastly denied. Eve believed CJ's eyes could still be opened, which is why she had not killed him previously, and so offered to take him to The Panopticon to prove her point. As Eve walked to her car, CJ raised his gun to kill her, and the location they were in would have made it incredibly easy to do so. However, as she seemed so sure in her convictions, he was willing to hear her out. The two travelled back to The Panopticon, where they arrived just in time to watch Prospero agents loading Leatherface's remains into a helicopter, which then flew away in the direction of San Fierro. Shattered by this revelation, standing entirely at odds with that The Custodian had told him, CJ gave Eve his mobile phone number and urged her to contact him if she discovered anything more, as well as to stay out of trouble going forwards.

CJ and Sarah form a plan

Now that his mission was 'complete', CJ journeyed back to Prospero H.Q. Though he was due to meet with The Custodian, he opted to speak with Sarah during her breaktime instead, believing that he could trust her. He told her what had happened and what he'd found out, and Sarah confirmed that all reports in the system mentioned the myths disappearing shortly after being killed, so whatever The Custodian was doing with their remains was deliberately being kept entirely off the record. The two agreed to keep their current findings to themselves for now, and to try and discover whatever more they could before taking any action. To this end, Sarah proposed that they acquire an experimental tracking device, and then have CJ plant it on the remains of the next defeated myth, so that they may track it to wherever it gets taken. CJ agreed to plan, and then went to meet with The Custodian like normal whilst Sarah sourced the device.

The Custodian gives his new orders

CJ then met with The Custodian again. The Custodian started by congratulating CJ on his killing of not one, but two myths, and then got down to business by asking what had happened. CJ told him that he had found Eve already dead at Shady Creeks Cabin by the time he got to her, and that he never got to discover her name. Since she had seemed to be acting alone, The Custodian was satisfied that the threat was eliminated, and so once again tasked CJ with dealing with myth incursions. As CJ had seemingly proven his loyalty, The Custodian opted to send him on a sensitive operation to a military installation named K.A.C.C. Military Fuels, which had been performing experiments under the radar until their last experiment led to the facility going dark for several hours. The situation did not seem right to CJ, however he had no choice but to comply if he was to maintain an atmosphere of normalcy whilst he and Sarah conducted their investigation.
At some point, CJ met with Sarah in order to collected the tracking device which she had since acquired.

Snake in the Grass

CJ arrives at K.A.C.C. Military Fuels

After his meeting with The Custodian, CJ immediately set off for K.A.C.C. Military Fuels as ordered. He arrived to find that the facility had been placed into lockdown, with its gates locked, and no personnel to be found. The obstruction forced him to climb some obstacles in order to vault the fence, and as he landed in the parking lot, the nature of the situation became clear. He noticed dozens of dead soldiers lying around the parking lot, covered in their own blood, and laid out as if they had been running for their lives. Further adding to the confusion was the presence of a parked-up Prospero car, standing at odds with what The Custodian had told him in their briefing.

CJ investigates the facility

CJ then moved inside the facility, where he came across a small laboratory that appeared to have been containing something - something which had since escaped. He inspected a computer terminal inside the lab to try and gauge what had happened, and by doing so he was able to view files which confirmed that a myth was being held there for experimentation, specifically the Ninja Lizard. His reading time was cut short when the lizard attacked him, however he was able to kill it, and then covertly plant the tracking device onto it. Sarah confirmed that it was working and they were receiving a signal from it, and with nothing else to do at the facility, CJ returned to Prospero H.Q.
Upon doing so, he met with The Custodian once again, this time expressing his fury over the concept of capturing and experimenting on myths rather than outright killing them. The Custodian, however, denied all knowledge and involvement over what happened with the lizard, and insisted the military were acting of their own accord. CJ still wanted to believe him, however the presence of the Prospero car was enough to torpedo any of these desires. As he had been working non-stop, The Custodian insisted that CJ take some much needed rest, and that others would continue to handle the myths in the meantime.

The Plot Thickens

After taking some R&R, CJ received a call from Sarah at 2200 hours, who informed him that the lizard was on the move, and gave him some coordinates to meet with her at.
When CJ arrived, he joined Sarah atop a small hill near Fallen Tree, overlooking a large abandoned warehouse. The two discussed CJ's meeting with The Custodian earlier that day, as well as what he had found out regarding the experiments on the lizard. They watched as numerous Prospero agents arrived and took up guard positions, in particular the venerable agents Alex Carter and Cody Davis, who were escorting The Custodian himself. Many other individuals began to arrive, all formal looking people in suits, of whom they could only identify one: Henry Buffett, CEO of Omega Pharmaceuticals.
CJ and Sarah then snook closer to attempt to hear what was being said. A few close calls were made, however they managed to get within audible range without being detected. They listened as The Custodian spoke as if he was 'auctioning' away the lizard for commercial research purposes, and that other specimens would be available in due course. The lizard was confirmed to be going to Buffett, whom The Custodian informed that he was expecting "swift results" from. The lizard was then taken away in a helicopter, and CJ and Sarah laid low until all present individuals had departed the area.
CJ and Sarah then spoke about their findings, and expressed their concern that The Custodian was indeed corrupt, and engaging in gross and dangerous activities. They knew that Buffett was their path to understanding the full scope of The Custodian's schemes, and that interrogating him would be necessary. Their conversation was interrupted by a phone call from Eve, who told CJ that she needed to meet with him immediately outside of Back o' Beyond, though she refused to tell him why. CJ expressed his disdain at the timing, as it was nearing midnight, however Eve insisted that it could not wait. CJ deliberated with Sarah, who advised that he should go, as the situation must be urgent and important if Eve had actually decided to contact him. Moreover, there was little else the two of them could do for now, as she needed time to investigate Buffett and map out his movements to find the best time to strike. With a plan in place, the two of them split up, with CJ heading to Back o' Beyond.

Heart of the Woods

CJ waited a short time for Eve to arrive, and at one began to doubt that she was even going to turn up. However, she soon did, and encouraged him to follow her into Back o' Beyond, though she still refused to give him any details as to why. They discussed what had happened since the last time they spoke, with Eve revealing that she had stayed out of trouble like promised, and CJ revealing that they had a plan to track one of the deceased myths. For operational security, CJ did not tell her that the plan was already in action, rather that it was something scheduled for the future.
As they journeyed into the woods, they soon reached the Bloodpool. When Eve noticed a beaten-up Sadler and body located by the lake edge, she lost composure, and began to run over whilst screaming. She broke down as she caressed the body, and she explained to CJ that it was her mother, who had gone missing along with her father and several family friends. CJ inspected the area looking for signs of anomalous activity, though he came up empty handed. What he did find was a small locket, which he handed to Eve as she identified it as her mother's locket.
CJ comforted the distraught Eve for a time, and then suggested that they leave for the night. She was initially resistant, however CJ managed to reassure her and bring her around. Things turned south when they began to walk away, as the Sadler activated into a ghost car and proceeded to try and kill them. The battle was short but dangerous, with the car proving to be far more resilient than it physically should have been, however they eventually managed to succeed in destroying it by causing it to explode. They then left the area, with CJ taking Eve home. As they did, the Bloodpool activated once more, releasing another wave of myths into San Andreas.

Running Dog

When CJ awoke the following day, it was already the early afternoon. His experience with Eve the previous night reignited his feeling of loss regarding his own family, particularly Sweet as he was the latest to die 'on his watch'. He travelled to the Vinewood Cemetery in Los Santos to pay his respects to his deceased family members, specifically Sweet; his other brother Brian Johnson; and his mother. He spent upwards of an hour at the cemetery, and then received a call from Sarah to say that they were "on for tonight" and to meet at Misty's club in San Fierro. He agreed, and then spent the rest of the afternoon at his old family home in Grove Street.

Business Vultures

At 2200 hours that evening, CJ met with Sarah outside of Misty's club as planned. She informed him of her findings regarding Henry Buffett, and that this time of night would be the best time to interrogate him as he was still at work, but with minimal staffing and security.
They proceeded to the Omega Pharmaceuticals Building in down town San Fierro, and entered the foyer, which was open to the public even late into the evening. They pretended to be a visiting tourist couple in order to divert attention from the guards as they surveyed the area, and by doing so they were able to pick up on security devices and patterns, as well as spot Buffett himself heading into an administration-only elevator. Following him was difficult, however they managed to do so, and entered the elevator without being spotted.
They arrived on the top floor of the building, which was Buffet's private bar. Buffett himself was standing behind the bar pouring himself a drink, his back turned to them as they arrived. He turned to shout at the interruption, but was staggered when he saw both CJ and Sarah pointing their pistols at him. They both demanded answers from him, specifically regarding his dealings with The Custodian, and also what he was planning to do with the Lizard's remains. Buffett was initially reluctant to divulge any information, however Sarah's investigation into his dealings had revealed that he was having an affair; a point which she pushed to threaten him. Buffett was suddenly more forthcoming with information, and told them that The Custodian was auctioning myths away to any high profile business with an interest in medicine so that they could research them for any 'benefits'. This confirmed what they already knew, however they wanted more.
They pressed him further, and eventually got him to divulge that he recently figured out that The Custodian had covertly paid for the installation of a whole suite of state-of-the-art medical technologies from Omega Pharmaceuticals at a expansive, subterranean satellite facility on the outskirts of Las Venturas, using several sock puppet companies so that it could not be traced back to him. With something that they could now use, CJ and Sarah left, but not before Sarah threatened him by saying that if he told The Custodian about this meeting, then his wife would quickly found out about the affair. Buffett agreed to keep quiet.

Carl Johnson

Status

Alive

Species

Human

Ethnicity

African-American

Year of Birth

1966 AD 31 Years old

Birthplace

Grove Street, Los Santos

Eyes

Green

Hair

Black; short

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Black

Height

6'1"

Aligned Organization

Prospero

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Career Information

Affiliation

• Prospero
• Central Intelligence Agency (Former)
• Grove Street Families (Former)

Title

Agent

Occ. Status

Active