Brian Storm (not a nice man)
12 Jun 2022MdN
Developing a couple of characters for future work.Prize for anyone who identifies the inspiration for either character.
=============================================================
Brian was not a nice man.
It was agreed by most that Brian was in fact a scumbag. Indeed, his own grandmother had used that exact word when questioned by system authority years ago.
"He's a scumbag, don't you know," is what she'd said.
Brian had read that in the police report. Now Brian may be many things, but he wasn't about to murder the woman who had raised him, over a few comments in a police report. Cold, ruthless mercenary he may be, but family was family. Instead, he'd left her battered, bruised, and needing a week long stay in a medical facility to recover. The medics had been concerned, but Brian was skilled at dishing out beatings and knew she'd survive.
He thought nothing of murdering non-family members, of course; so long as his fee was paid up front. Loyalty was a liability in his view, accepting contracts from competing parties was just good business - and the more targets he had, the more efficiently he could dispatch them.
Yes, Brian was not a nice man.
But a certain type of girl could not get enough of him. Inevitably they'd complain to their friends how badly he treated them, but they lusted after him all the more for that.
"Use me," they'd tell him with fluttering eye lashes and exposed breasts, "show me the jacuzzi."
For his part, Brian barely even remembered their names - if he knew them in the first place. He just called them all "Babe", it made his life easier. More than one hadn't lived beyond satisfying his needs anyway. They were his on a plate, such was his rendezvous rate.
Brian Storm was a bounty hunter.
Brian Storm was a bloody good bounty hunter.
More accurately, a cold-blooded killer.
He walked into the office of Neil Booth wearing his usual tee-shirt and tie combination. He'd read somewhere as a child that superstars through history had their own distinctive style. So he'd chosen this one. It had taken two minutes of his time. The contrast was so bizarre that it rendered most confused for a while, unable to avert their eyes.
Brian Storm didn't waste time, he made decisions quickly and decisively. In battle, that trait had served him well.
"Hello again, Mr Storm," said Neil Booth, "we have a little problem we'd like you to solve for us."
Brian Storm had decided instantly that Neil Booth was a prick. That observation had been made years ago, seconds before deciding that this prick would earn him an awful lot of money.
The Federation had always needed external contractors for messy entanglements that their highly trained military couldn't get involved in. They paid top prices for top work that wouldn't be traced back to them. They also paid top prices for mediocre work that often did get traced back to them, but Brian didn't partake in sloppy work. He had a reputation for excellence that was well deserved.
"What's the problem, Mr Booth?"
He didn't need to ask the rates on offer. Booth had learned the hard way not to haggle with Brian Storm. Booth would pay up front in full, and the job would be completed. There was no doubt about that on the mind of either party.
"Let me tell you about a boy called Salvaw," and Neil Booth presented the job.