Tyrant-Armoured Lethal Organic System, also known as T-A.L.O.S., was biologically engineered by the Umbrella Corporation to be the ultimate bio-organic weapon. Like the Nemesis and most other specialized B.O.W.s, T-A.L.O.S.' name seems to be inspired from Greek mythology.
Talos, the ultimate B.O.W.
History
The Umbrella research team stationed at the Arklay Research Facility originally conceived of the T-A.L.O.S. as the North American Branches answer to the Nemesis T-Type, an Umbrella Europe project. The T-A.L.O.S. was intended to be the ultimate superior bio-weapon, but before it could be completed development was interrupted by an outbreak of the t-Virus perpetrated by former Umbrella researcher James Marcus. Realizing that the Mansion facility's days were numbered, Umbrella founder Ozwell E. Spencer personally ordered his most trusted enforcer, Sergei Vladimir, to recover the Talos prototype so that its research would not be wasted. Sergei was successful in his mission, and the prototype was safely brought back into Umbrella's hands before the Mansion was destroyed by Rebecca Chambers.
Following the outbreak in Raccoon City, the Umbrella Corporation was forced underground and most of its activities were shut down. The T-A.L.O.S. project was moved to Umbrella's Russian branch, the company's last enduring stronghold. There, under the continued guidance of Sergei, the T-A.L.O.S. was completed and tested against a Special Forces unit, two armoured vehicles, and an attack helicopter. The T-A.L.O.S. outperformed all of them handily, and rumours of Umbrella's new bio-weapon began to spread.
In the year 2003, the stronghold where T-A.L.O.S. had been completed came under attack by troops led by Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. The pair penetrated deep into the facility, and at its very core they finally faced off against T-A.L.O.S., Umbrella's greatest bio-weapon. Despite mutating into a more powerful form, Talos was destroyed by the two, and the entire facility laid to waste. Thus years of Umbrella's most sophisticated research ended in failure, and the company was truly finished.
Background
Development
Following the successful creation of the Tyrant T-002 , the Umbrella research team stationed at the Spencer Mansion in the Arklay Mountains found themselves well on their way towards a marketable humanoid bio-organic weapon. With the Tyrant program progressing smoothly, a proposal was made to begin developing a new, highly advanced bio-weapon that would overcome the one major flaw in existing Tyrants - lack of control. Most Tyrants are prone to sudden cellular mutations that can result in the halting of functionality, impairment of judgment, and the various other detrimental conditions.
In order to enable safe transport and deployment, a more stable solution was essential. Umbrella's 6th Research Lab in Europe had already discovered one method of control by using an organic parasite, and their " Nemesis Project" would reach completion in time for deployment in Raccoon City. The Arklay team, however, conceived of an even better solution by using chip connections to brain cells. This method allowed bio-weapons to be remotely controlled by a supercomputer like the Red Queen.
Not satisfied with just superior control, the Arklay team wanted a bio-weapon that could match the firepower of heavy military hardware. Normal Tyrants boasted a combat prowess and survivability beyond the best trained combat troops, but they were only capable of successfully deterring one military division. When facing armoured fighting vehicles or military-grade helicopters, a Tyrant's kill ratio begins to falter. The Arklay team's solution was to arm a Tyrant with specialized combat firepower and armour. Most Tyrants were unsuited for weaponry, as it would only hinder their two strong points – motor performances and respProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0
se reflexes. However, the use of enhanced armour modules, internal reinforcement implants, long-distance homing weaponry, etc. preserved the natural abilities of the Tyrant while granting incredible firepower.
The result of this intensive research, carried out first in Arklay and then in Russia, was T-A.L.O.S..
Capabilities
Talos uses a Tyrant as a base, while adding remote computer control capabilities via a chip implanted in the brain. His cardiovascular system is artificially improved to give him mobility unthinkable in a natural organism. His body is armoured in a special metallic alloy that not only helps him defend himself from missiles and other projectile fire, but also restrains runaway T-Virus mutation. He has also been equipped with a homing MRL weapon system to allow him to respond to distant targets. Talos can use his massive left arm to either sideswipe or crush opponents, and his rocket launcher has a rate of fire similar to a submachine gun. After being defeated in this form, he mutates; most of his armour and long-range weapons detach, his legs disappear, and he anchors himself to the overhanging Red Queen, and he begins to utilize more physical attacks, such as flinging pieces of the ceiling with robotic claws mounted on tentacles. His arms match; both are huge and have massive claws on his hands. The arms are able to support T-A.L.O.S.' weight, as he charges and swipes with each one. Although he is a humanoid B.O.W., he has enough armour and firepower to stand against a tank.
Namesake
T-A.L.O.S. is named aftor the mythological inventor, Talos.
Talos, son of Perdix and nephew of Daedalus, invented the saw after seeing a snake's jawbone. Daedalus was so jealous of the invention he tried to murder him, but Athena intervened and turned Perdix into a partridge. (Apollodorus, Library and Epitome, 3.15.8)
According to a version of Apollodorus ([Library of Greek Mythology, 3.15] transl. Robin Hard), Daedalus was successful in killing his nephew Talos and, as punishment, was exiled to the court of Minos: "After the corpse was discovered, Daedalus was tried...went into exile at the court of Minos."
T-A.L.O.S may also take it's namesake from another Talos of Greek myth, this one a giant made of bronze that protected the island of Europa in Crete, circling the island's shores three times each day to patrol it. In the tale of Jason and the Argonauts, it threatens Jason's ship, Argo, by throwing rocks from the shores of Europa. It was slain by a sorceress named Medea, a member of the Argonauts, by driving it mad with drugs or deceiving it into removing a bronze nail that held it's single vein shut, thus making it bleed to death.