OMEGA
When captured by Zemus in the Tower of Zot, Kip became what was known as Project OMEGA. This was a biological and emotional alteration by Dr. Lugae originally used to test out prototype alterations that would later be used on Benjamin Ya. However, seeing that Kip was naturally eccentric and emotionally unstable from the loss of Runne, Lugae decided to take his experiments further, bordering on the torturous.
Physical Alterations
A number of physical alterations were performed on Kip during Project OMEGA including:
- Increase in size and mass. Though Kip was already a Lunar adult, the alterations caused him to grow about a foot taller than his normal height, and added more muscle to his build.
- Loss of his right eye. It's unknown how this happened.
- Magic runes scribed into the skin of his left forearm. Thought to boost his natural power.
- Marking tattoo on his right shoulder.
- Inverted color left eye, often burns bright green when emotional or empowered.
- Metal plates embedded into his body and face. These plates allow him to draw in magic and electric energy for storage and later use. However, too much energy causes instability in his judgment.
Mental Alterations
Lugae discovered the pain and guilt that Kip bore due to the loss of his family quite early and used this to break Kip's sanity slowly. It is thought that the potential for Kip's instability was already there, even before OMEGA, but that OMEGA was used to compound this state of mind. OMEGA was also programmed to become a fall-back plan should Golbez turn on Zemus or get out of hand. The desire to hunt down and eliminated Golbez was planted strongly in Kip's mind, too overwhelming for him to control, even though it went against his nature to do such a thing.
Reprogramming
Kip struggled against the mind-bending effects of Project OMEGA for many years after returning the Blue Planet. While he had a few lapses due to his own emotions or due to enemy attack, he was able to gain control of OMEGA's urges, mostly thanks to the support of his family and friends. However, the cost was still high, and often set him at odds with his eldest son, NaTu. Eventually, Kip was able to reprogram OMEGA completely, eliminating the danger it posed while retaining the benefits of the alterations. He has not been able to undo the physical changes, however, and will bear the scars and plates of OMEGA for the rest of his life.