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Patrick Goodman

Apr 16 2007, 12:06 AM

Post #1

Tilting at Windmills

Group: Members
Posts: 1,636
Joined: 26-February 02
From: Amarillo, TX, CAS
Member No.: 388

You know, I don't think I've ever done this here, but I suppose there's a first time for everything. I've finally gotten to the point where I have a modicum of free time to devote to gaming-type pursuits. I'm working on a PC for a friend's upcoming SR4 game, and I decided to actually write the backstory down instead of just wing it in my head like I usually do.

The result is a small piece of intro fiction that gets most of Feargal Sharkey's attitude and life experiences across, as well as his reason for running the shadows in the first place. Let me know what you think.

QUOTE

Corps lie.

It’s a fact of life, and I accepted that a long time ago when I took the job. I’d discovered my adept abilities a few years earlier, and one of their suits had recruited me. They’d lied to me then, saying my future was unlimited in the corp. Fact is, I wasn’t as powerful an adept as they’d have liked, so my future was limited to the extent of my ability to bodyguard low-to-mid level execs who weren’t shining stars on the rise. I was okay with this, though; I was making more money than I knew existed, and it was way better than being a gutterpunk in the streets of Houston.

They lied to me about the fringe benefits, too. “You’ll have your pick of women, Feargal,” they told me, “and a top-notch place to take them to.” I might be fairly smooth, but I’m still an ork. I got women, sure; magic, even adept magic, can be a hell of an aphrodisiac to some. But I sure wasn’t attracting the prettiest of women; the corp saved their money for the more promising of magicians, not a mid-powered adept. Again, it was okay; my life had taken a distinct upward turn from my days on the streets.

I think what finally made me tell my immediate superiors to go fuck themselves was when they lied to me about my sister. They told me they’d find her a place, and find her a job within the corp, and get her out of the streets where they’d found me. And they did. They just never told me what the job was. Turns out, it was as a whore for some of their high-end suits. When she got tired of that and started to complain, they shipped her off to a research facility somewhere in Montana, never to be seen or heard from again.

I never knew any of this, of course; I was assured she’d found herself a nice little secretarial position at their New York office. She sent me letters every now and then, telling me how good things were and thanking me for helping her off the streets. If they hadn’t sent me on the last assignment I ever did for them, I might still be working there instead of working the shadows.

My last job was as a bodyguard for a personable mid-level sarariman who liked me enough to talk about all the good times he and his office staff had with the last girl the corp had sent them. Even showed me the video, of them laughing at Nadine and her tear-streaked face as they took turns with her. He never saw the blade come out of the sheath in my sleeve, and it took him a few moments of staring at me blankly, blood running down his chest from the gash in his throat, to realize that he was dead. I even managed to miss the arteries, so it took a bit longer for him to bleed to death.

I can still see his blank stare when I go to sleep at night.

I called in a couple of favors and found out what had happened to her after that. By that time, of course, I was already back out on the street, a wanted man. The price on my head can’t be that high at the moment, because no one’s come after me since the first of my ex-comrades-in-arms got sent back in a bag. Only a matter of time, I suppose, but the guy I killed wasn’t too high up the corporate ladder or it would be much worse for me right now.

So now here I am in the shadows, trying to keep body and soul together while trying to find a way to seek justice for some of the Nadines in the world. It’s a rough life, but it’s mine now.

It’s good enough.

Posts in this topic

Patrick Goodman Character Concept/Fiction Apr 16 2007, 12:06 AM

Ravor I like it. Apr 16 2007, 01:18 AM

Backgammon Nice to see you around here again, Patrick Apr 16 2007, 02:16 AM

Fezig I like it a lot. Does a good job of justifying a ... Apr 16 2007, 05:14 AM

knasser Very well written. Very good voice. I'm glad y... Apr 16 2007, 05:27 PM

MaxHunter Liked it too. And it was short!!! Doub... Apr 17 2007, 05:20 AM

fistandantilus3.0 I liked the bit where he goes on about how he was ... Apr 17 2007, 06:04 AM

Patrick Goodman Glad you guys liked it; this was a nice little bit... Apr 20 2007, 02:23 AM

fistandantilus3.0 It was good. Would be interesting to see what you ... Apr 20 2007, 04:01 AM

Patrick Goodman QUOTE (fistandantilus3.0) It's fist not Fisty.... Apr 20 2007, 04:50 PM

fistandantilus3.0 RE: Character Concept/Fiction Apr 20 2007, 06:26 PM

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