Faith Can Move Mountains... But Dynamite Works Better

Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Usual Suspects

Boy, did some of these names not survive....

****
Among other things, this blog is turning into something of a writing journal, so I thought I'd put in some character blurbs from Heaven And Hell. These should get you acquainted with some of the heroes, villains, and those who lie between who happen to inhabit my tome....


Tom Stryker


Stryker is an American agent, a former archaeologist who gets into the CIA because of a crisis in Egypt. When Heaven and Hell opens up, he's been in this line of work for more then a year. He's introduced to the reader by having him reaching the summit of Mont Blanc with an old friend. Highly resourceful, relentless, and a bit of a lone wolf, he's a mixture of influences. His mother was Irish, his father a mix of white and Lakota. He's multi-lingual, red haired and has a beard, grey eyes, and a faded scar on his temple. He's a young man, about 26, but already showing that he's an exceptional field officer.
Stryker's somewhat laid back, easy going by nature. He's not the sort who would wear a suit willingly. He's also an orphan, with most of his family gone, and his choice to turn his back on his former profession (after such a short time since graduation) has confused or angered fellow alumni and professors. He likes getting out in the outdoors, he still has a great love for his former profession, and a curiousity about the world around him, and the past. His tastes in things? He might prefer the easier things in life, but he's also cultured; he does enjoy the finer things in life from time to time, but he doesn't always seek them out either.
He's alone at this point in time. He had one great love, but she left to return to her family after a tragedy, which took her down a path which she refused to let him follow. He's not like James Bond; he's not going to bed down with any woman he sees, but relationships with him don't last long as it is. The secrecy of his profession tends to put a damper on that sort of thing.
Helen Devon 
 
Helen Devon is an agent from MI6. She's Strykers' age, with a background in psychology. She's very no-nonsense, dedicated to the job, very bright, and talented at her job. Devon is frequently amused or dismayed by her counterpart, but they've worked together often enough that she knows she can trust him to watch her back. They met during an operation in Egypt, and they know they can rely on each other when things get bad.
Devon is more of a contrast to Stryker. She's more serious minded, and refined in manner. She's a small woman, but well trained, and dangerous in her own right when she's in the field. She's also lost family; her mother is a widow, and she doesn't have many more relatives. She comes from an affluent background, very proper and classy, and yet she chose to work in a dangerous profession. She's a beautiful woman, with blue eyes and short cropped black hair. At this point in her life, she's on her own, and quite prefers it that way. She likes her work, and it keeps her busy. Devotion to duty is enough for her right now, and she's going to need that more then ever.

Claire Tavington
She's the director of MI6. A career spook who's risen to the top of her profession, Claire is a calculating, somewhat devious woman who's ferociously loyal to her agents. She expects the best, prepares for the worst case scenario, and is constantly looking to the next threat down the line. Unlike some of her predecessors, she maintains good relations with her counterparts from MI5.
Claire can best be described as someone who takes life too seriously. Of course, someone in her position definitely would. She's been at the job for thirty years, has worked all over the world, and has seen history unfold before her. She's willing to put up a fight with her political masters to protect her agents, and she also knows that from time to time, her agents have to be put in harms way. She's definitely a woman of high culture; anyone not knowing her profession might think her as a curator. But she's been in the field herself, and she knows just how dangerous it can be. She's an elegant, striking woman, with sharp hazel eyes and silver hair, and she's one person not to be crossed.
Cain Reilly
He's a Protestant militant from Northern Ireland, leader of a splinter group calling themselves the Sons of Ulster. Utterly ruthless, highly motivated and skilled, he still believes in his cause, even if most militants on both sides have put down their arms. He and his people hire themselves out as guns for hire when not making strikes of their own, and they keep their secrets close. Cain's amoral, or close to it. His few redeeming qualities include loyalty to his men, and devotion to his sister, who's probably the only person who gets close to him, even though she's part of his organization. 

Cain's in in his mid-thirties. He lives near Belfast, under an assumed name, and neighbors assume he's a professor, consultant, or something similar. He's biding his time, waiting for his war to come back, and he's perfectly willing to make life difficult for those former members of the IRA he still considers enemies. While his part in Heaven And Hell is primarily his introduction, he'll still factor into the plot, and he'll return again down the line.

Sabra Cohen
An agent of Mossad, she's also young, just as Stryker and Devon are. She's a beautiful woman, with black hair and brown eyes, and she's been trained by the best. All in all, a very dangerous woman, and she's not to be crossed. Sabra is ferociously loyal to her homeland, a highly effective field officer. And in the wake of an assassination in England, events are propelling her to work alongside a man she might have otherwise considered part of the opposition.

Yusuf Rahal

Rahal is a Palestinian politician, an Arab member of the Israeli Knesset. He's a man of peace, devoted to his hope that Israel and Palestinian can live as neighbors and friends. Outspoken, he's known for courage, integrity, and principle, and he's respected by Israeli and Palestinian alike. Following the assassination, his own life is placed at risk by the group calling itself the Covenant, and he must work with a group of intelligence agents to uncover the truth behind a series of events that threatens to unleash all hell in the Middle East.

Faruq Ganem
 

A member of the Druze people, and therefore loyal to the government of the land, he's a sergeant in the Israeli army. Fiercely dedicated to duty, he's been seconded as a bodyguard to Rahal. Even a man of peace has enemies. He's a tough, reliable man, ever watchful, and in Heaven And Hell, he's going to have to come face to face with the worst case scenario.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments and opinions always welcome. If you're a spammer, your messages aren't going to last long here, even if they do make it past the spam filters. Keep it up with the spam, and I'll send Dick Cheney after you.