Houston “Rebel” Easton (Wheels)

Weight: 185

Apparent Age: 65+

Archetype: Rigger

Preferred Weapon: DAOD Combat Assault Pistol (Modified)

Runner Song:

Bio: Well they call this man Wheels and this is not just cause he is a one of the most feared riggers of the twenty first century, it’s cause he is disabled and must spend his life confined to a wheelchair, yes Wheels can’t walk and is a paraplegic. Though this man turned a tragedy from his childhood into a career and has managed do to advanced cyber technology to become one of the best riggers the world has ever seen. For Wheels his life was torn asunder when he was a mere child and this youngster was forced to deal with pain, suffering and tragedy at an age when he should have been out playing with his friends and worrying about getting cooties from the girls; not having to deal with the war, gangs and domestic violence.  Wheels is from Texas and he was born in one of those small towns where everybody knew everybody and nobody spoke of the problems within a home, for it was an unspoken rule to ignore everything that didn’t directly involve you.

        So for this youngster this meant a life of abuse at the hands of his drunken father and grandfather, he was emotionally abused by his whore of a mother and before he could walk Wheels was on first name basis with the medical staff at the Immediate Medical Care Facility, where he was taken for the many broken bones, lacerations, punctures and burns he was forced to endure. Wheels was nothing more that a punching bag for those that should have been protecting him instead they hurt Wheels on a number of occasions.

        By the time he was to enter school he was already an emotional mess and had become nothing more then product of his environment and had become violent, and had no social skills or graces. Wheels was nothing more then white trash and he was getting ready to head down a very dark road, unless someone intervened and saved this child from a very short life of violence, drug and alcohol abuse and eventually an early grave. This happened when the school counsellor noticed the injuries, and the symptoms of abuse that Wheels was dealing with on a nightly basis. This caring man, knew that he would have an uphill battle to deal with when it came to helping Wheels, but the first thing he needed to do was go against the unspoken rule and report the abuse and neglect to the local authorities in hopes to get Wheels removed from the abusive home and sent to a home where he could receive the care and protection a child so deserved.

       When the counsellor am older man named David Easton went to the police with his complaints, they took immediate action and removed young Wheels from his home and arrested his family on a number of charges. They then placed young Wheels with Mr. Easton and his wife to be raised as a foster child till his own parents where deemed worthy of raising and caring for a child. Everything seemed to be looking up for Wheels at this point and through many years of heavy therapy this youngster was on the path to being able to live a normal life. Well all that changed in a blink of an eye, When Wheels was celebrating his eighth birthday everything was going well for the him and he was surrounded by people that cared about him and all his friends from school. The children where in the backyard playing, while the adults stood around gossiping and discussing politics enjoying the gorgeous Texas weather unaware of the danger that loomed in the distance, members of Wheels family that had just been released from prison for abusing him had returned to the neighbourhood and they were not very happy about Mr. Easton meddling in there affairs. They were planing a bit of pay back Texas style, though across town a band Aztlan raiders had entered the town intent on drawing some Texan blood. These two groups where about to collide and when they did Wheels life would change forever yet again.

       The sounds of children could be heard playing and country music filled the air from the radio, the angry Rebel family pulled up in front of the Easton home. Three Pick-Up trucks screeched to a halt and before anyone had a chance to react they raised riffles, pistols and shotguns and began to open fire into the Easton’s house, cars and garage. The sounds of gunfire caused a panic with the children and adults as they raced for cover and protection. The gang of Aztlan raiders had as well arrived on the scene and started to open fire on the poor innocent civilians and children that where running for cover from the angry lunatics in the front yard. Wheels just froze in panic, as bullets tore through the sky around him, then suddenly a bullet tore through the air and Wheels let out a bone chilling cry as he just went limp and fell to the ground. His foster father was just a few seconds to late, and Mr. Easton would through himself over the body of Wheels and try to protect him from further harm. Eventually the local police arrived on the scene and the surviving Rebels and raiders where apprehended and the police took control of the scene.

       During the fighting Mr. Easton didn’t even notice that he had been shot, he was more concerned about his foster son, who would eventually become his adopted son and Wheels would truly be part of a family again. Though this was a trying time for the Easton’s and for Wheels as he was raced to the hospital and would have to spend the next twelve months there. He would have to go through many surgeries and extensive rehabilitation, even with state of the art medical technology available Wheels would eventually be given the news on his ninth birthday that he will never walk again and they did everything that they could. the bullet had severed his spinal cord in the lumbar region and he was fully paralysed fro the waist down. This is when he received his first wheel chair as he was discharged from the hospital, Wheels needless to say was broken emotionally and his mental state was again in question. He lost many of his friends during that birthday party a year earlier, he nearly lost the only man he could consider a father and his foster sister was killed; and for Wheels this wouldn’t be the last time he would have to deal with his estranged family.

      This is the time period where Wheels earned his moniker and it has staid with him for life, well for the remainder of his childhood and teen years Wheels would make a full recovery emotionally and mentally (well according to Wheels the drugs help). He would excel in automotive, mechanical and electrical work and he would graduate from high school valedictorian and enter collage at Texas A&M. Well this is not where his story ends, this is just the beginning for Wheels, as he would be thrown into the world of the shadows and eventually into the Sons of the True Confederacy during his time in college. By the time Wheels was eighteen this young man had been through more then most runners have in there career, and even though he was healed it left scarring in his mind and his emotional state. This became evident when Wheels was confronted by his family once again just before graduation.

        During his time in college Wheels had decided that he wanted to be a company rigger and operate the big machines and drones that managed a factory, he figured that this would be the only way he could feel his legs again and feel like a complete man once again. He also always loved racing and being from Texas it’s a no brainer, but in order to see this dream come true wheels would need to have credits as the cyberware he desired was not cheap and he truly wanted the competitive edge. This is how Wheels would become part of the SOTC, he would be approached and offered a chance to seek revenge on the Aztlan raiders who put him in that chair. Now Wheels never knew who’s bullet landed him in the chair, and even though he accepted the offer of the SOTC he would never forgive his family as he blamed them as well for the chair.

       Wheels would accept the offer to join the SOTC, as he was filled with anger and frustration and needed an outlet, also the SOTC offered to make his dream of becoming a company rigger a reality. Well little did Wheels know that yes he would become a rigger, he would not be a company rigger but a soldier and elite runner for the SOTC and warrior of the Texas Elite. I am not going to go into much detail about the actions Wheels took during the early days and what he did for the SOTC to earn his first vehicle control rig, smart link system and data jack. He also created a drone that he still has today, well lets go back a bit.

       Just before graduation Wheels was able to get the payback he longed for, he was sitting in the parking lot of the local barbecue joint. Just relaxing with friends and allies of the SOTC and his mentor the feared Daytona when his mother and father showed up and started to harass young Wheels and poke fun at his situation. They where once again abusing there offspring and well before joining the SOTC he might have cracked like an egg and flushed his life down the drain. This time he just cracked a smile patted his pet drone laughed a bit and said “well look at that, pure white trash, I knew I smelled shit around here, looks like you both need a bath.” He laughed again and from a hidden turret in his truck he activated the Aries Water Cannon and blasted his parents with blast a pressurized water that sent them flying out of the parking lot and into to traffic where they met there fate to an incoming bus. All he said was “Damn now all those poor people are going to be late to work.” he then turned to Daytona and said pass the hot sauce. if it wasn’t for members of the SOTC being in the Star poor Wheels would have actually been arrested for that.

      Well as the time went by Wheels would graduate and eventually land himself an officer position inside the Sons, he would as well be offered a place inside the Texas Elite and even being disabled Wheels defied all odds and past the training course. This rigger has become a force to be reckoned with, as much as Wheels has become a soldier and forgone his dreams of working in the corporate world, he has not let this change him and he still holds a special place in his heart for his adopted family and Wheels always makes sure he has time for his dad and his mother. He also still has that first drone he built all those years prior and if Wheels needs to be feared that drone is a real pecker head and has a damn near mind of it’s own now. For Wheels that little drone is his kid since he can’t have children of his own any more, and don’t even think that his wheel chair is a handicap for him either. Yes he might never be able to board a commercial airline with that chair, but Wheels doesn’t need to as he is a damned rigger and one of the scariest.

     I dubbed him one of the scariest riggers, cause for Wheels its all about being the best he can be, and he always has a smile on his face. This rigger might not be on the level of Daytona, Mechanic and Ace but he is up there and for him it’s all about having a good time. Also he is one of the only Drone Riggers to exist and nothing is scarier then an army of skimmer drones with sub machine guns attached to them. Wheels might not be a pilot, or a ships captain but he commands his own personal army and he is a whiz behind the wheel. This is why I have deemed him to be one of the scariest SOB’s out there, this rigger is from the lost generation and he has a chip on his shoulder so do yourself a favour and don’t upset this Texan for Wheels might have a good heart but he does have a dark side and he is not above unleashing his wrath if angered.

Page Written By: Hound