The Devil’s Rejects

 

The Devils Rejects: Well where to start when it comes to the Rejects, this team was formed out of necessity after the Deaths Hands attack on Seattle back in November of 2073 and the election of Anti-Runner Republican Mayor Robert Hill the former Commissioner of Police. Prior to his election Seattle Police Department went on a strong campaign to bring down the runners in the city to help restore law and order. Many freelance and independent runners where being swept up in sting operations or killed on the streets during the runner war in October of 2073. The most unlikely of runners meet in a private bar, deep in the suburbs is where legends Chemist and Hero sat down to bury the hatchet and the need for a new runner team. They went back and forth through the night, till as the sun was emerging over the horizon and a haze of smoke filled the air the two men came to an agreement and reached across the table over spilling over ashtrays and empty beer bottles and shook hands for The Devil’s Rejects were born on this day in November of 2073.

The next process was the recruiting of the members and setting up their hideout. The Chemist and Hero left the now famous Jack’s Pub that morning exhaustion present on there faces and smelling of cigarette smoke and stale beer they went there separate ways with their phones out and calling many of there known freelance friends. The two men agreed that this team would only be made up of freelancers that were totally independent and needing the protection that only a true team could warrant. This is how Tesla and Phoenix were approached, these men for many years only worked as a solo unit, they would be but together with many different runners through the years to pull off the imposable. Both Chemist and Hero agreed that there skills where well warranted and would be beneficial to the new freshman team.

Tesla was feeling pressure from the Seattle Police Departments computer security division and was already forced to abandon multiple hideouts prior to be raided by the C-SWAT division. Once he received the call and offer from Chemist about working as a team, Tesla was a bit sceptical knowing the history between the Chemist and Hero. Though the new leader reassured his concerned friend that they have buried the hatchet and this was legitimate, they were putting this unit to restore the image of the runners in the public and as well keep the independent safe from arrest or worse. Tesla initially was hesitant and apprehensive, but his acceptance came quick as he was forced to flee another location narrowly avoiding arrest.

Meanwhile Hero had contacted his long time friend the Phoenix, who was at his home relaxing and playing with his grandchildren. The Phoenix had a long running career as a runner and as well held a legitimate day job as a teacher at a local high school, so being a freelance operator was good for him since he really only worked the shadows part time. Though he knew his days where numbered with the new bulldog detectives Seattle Police Department brought in for there magic division. Captain Rodgers and his squad of bulldogs where making the Phoenix’s life hell and he knew it was only a matter of time that they would come crashing through his front door. Phoenix understood the need for protection, though he like Tesla was concerned about the past transgressions between the two new bosses, plus Phoenix felt Hero was to young and inexperienced to properly co-lead a team of this calibre. Hero put Phoenix’s worries to rest, and just in time as the door bell rang. The Phoenix’s wife answered the door to be greeted by two Seattle Police Detectives with a warrant to search the home and arrest a runner by the name of the Phoenix. Still on the phone he told Hero I accept he was told where to meet, Phoenix hung up the phone kissed his grandchildren went invisible and slipped out the back door.

Wolf and Joker where easy to get to join as they both had previously worked with Hero in city defence when the Deaths Hand were assaulting earlier in the month, when they were called about the prospect of joining the team both men quickly agreed and felt it to be an honour to be working with such legends as the Chemist, Tesla, and Phoenix. The Chemist knew no team would be complete without a rigger so he contacted first his good friend Claw and offered him the job, Claw turned down the Chemist do to his being part of the now defunct Unknown Soldiers but he mentioned the Navigator. At first the Chemist shuddered at the thought of working with that lunatic again, but he knew he was loyal to the core and total freelance. The conversation between the Navigator and the Chemist was short, but again most likely disturbing to anyone with any sensibilities but not for these two madmen.

The Chemist also contacted the wasteland raider known as Diablo, knowing he was dealing with serious pressure from the Sheriff’s Office and his wastelands skills would come in handy. Diablo agreed to join forces with the Chemist under two conditions he would not be hindered in doing whatever the hell he wanted within reason and the second his friend Baby Girl who was like a sister to him would be allowed entrance. The Chemist agreed to the terms concerning Baby Girl, but he told Diablo that the streets where not the wastes and he would need to follow orders or he would bring the police down onto them fast. Diablo not fully happy about the restraints being put on, though he understood and agreed to the terms and joined the Rejects.

Hero made one final call to his friend Dead Eye a former Denver Guardsman that was looking for a team inside Seattle, this man had been dealing with serious pressure from NAN hunters and UCAS federal agents after he fled Denver and entered Seattle. Dead Eye being a former Guardsmen fully understood the need for a team and agreed to join the Rejects. The original team meet later that night at Jack’s Pub for drinks and to receive their colours, and so on a cold November night in 2073 the Devil’s Rejects were born. They drank and revelled the night away, and come morning the two physically exhausted leaders took there new team to there super secret headquarters.

History was made that night as a group of independent and free thinking runners gathered together under one banner and swore the oath of the Devil’s Rejects. These runners have since made a name for themselves as the defenders of the week, fighting for the city and doing basically anything they can to restore the destroyed image of the runner in the peoples eyes. Grant you for ever two feet forward they get, they do something to knock themselves back five feet. This is the fate of being a runner, this team has some serious morale differences and the combined sanity of well…I am not going there. During the beginning of the war for Seattle, there friend, team mate and ally Dead Eye was arrested by the military and was executed without do process by firing squad. This is the event that pulled the Devil’s Rejects fully into the war and gave them all the focus they needed to extract full revenge.

During all of this the Rejects had some new people join there ranks, Angel joined being a former Denver Guard she sought out the kinship and understanding of her former team leader Dead Eye, Scalp Hunter sought out Wolf to join a team that would accept him do to his native decent, Eight Ball joined the Rejects after the murder of Dead Eye, he didn’t agree with the politics going on within Fort Lewis and after he watched his team get slaughtered and his General ordered them to keep fighting even though it would have been suicide. Then after the fight after half the team laid dead in the morgue, Sixx walked away his boss disciplined them for dereliction of duty, later that night Eight Ball assaulted General James O’Brian and fled the base with fellow team member Victor Stone. Eight Ball joined his friends in the Rejects and Stone entered Helix.

The most recent new member is Gonzo a reporter and mercenary who is consummate professional and a true oddity within this band of misfits, but for whatever reason he fits in perfectly with this team and is a breath of fresh air for many employers attempting to hire this wayward team. The only downside is Gonzo is a master negotiator and for the employer I don’t know what’s worse dealing with Joker and the other lunatics or dealing with Gonzo and the other professional lunatics.

The Devil’s Rejects are here to stay and it seems they are becoming more and more popular by the day, this team has done the imposable and made being completely off kilter seem sane. As a citizen and avid watcher of Shadow Beat I await the episodes dedicated to these madmen in the future, the Devil’s Rejects a true blend of the street and the professional.

 

---

The Rejects

 Chemist: This man is the leader of the Rejects and is partially responsible for the existence of this team. During the troubled months earlier in 2073 many of the independent runners where having issues finding work and as well dealing with the Seattle Police Department. The Chemist with former advisory Hero meet in a smoke filled room to discuss the future of their feud and as well the future of runners of the different generations. They decided that it would be better for both of them if they buried the hatchet and joined forces, this is how the Rejects came to be and the Chemist taking the helm. He being the most seasoned of the team, and his mind might be a broken but he was able to recruit some of the most dastardly of the freelancers to his side. This man is a master of toxins, biological agents, explosives and the dark art of assassinations. He has lent his expertise to many legendary jobs of the 2050’s and 2060’s, his moral compass doesn’t exist though he is a total professional. Though the Chemists personal code of conduct is hard to nail down, he is willing to do anything if the credits are right and I do mean anything. This man is an old English man with a serious attitude problem, he is very old school and some what off his rocker, so take cation when dealing with the Chemist. He seems to take offence simply by misspeaking around him or not being properly attired when dealing with him. This is one man that you never want to upset cause like I said before he will do anything he deems necessary, and he is a master assassin and holds multiple doctorates in various sciences including chemistry, he is living proof that to be brilliant doesn’t come with a full dose of sanity.

 Navigator: Well this is the rigger of the rejects and this man has been in operation since 2053 and he has caused more destruction to corporate and government property through his years within the shadows. The Navigator is a street level runner though he acts like he is a commensurate professional, he has zero morales and no code of conduct though this man is considered a hero of the streets and a legend in his own right. The Navigator dresses more like a Johnson then a rigger, but don’t be fooled that white dress shirt is stained with engine grease and he is the total package. He joined the Rejects do to being friends with the Chemist and having a great deal of respect for the man and his work, The Navigator might pretend to be a good hearted man, but anyone who can call the Chemist a friend is not playing with a full deck and he is a perfect fit for the Devil’s Rejects.

 Diablo: Well when it comes to this desert snake and wasteland raider, Diablo is as bad as they come. He has no conscience and is basically pure evil. He has been raiding the wastes for so long, that he see’s life as noting more then a hurdle and people are only worth the cost of a bullet. Diablo would rather kill a target, then wound and he gives two shit’s who it is, this man is Texas born and raised so it is only fitting that he turned out the way he did. Diablo joined the Rejects when approached by the Chemist and given the opportunity to bring wasteland justice into the city, he is a true street samurai and this man’s idea of being professional is not wearing a blood stained shirt and leaving the assault riffle in the truck when dealing with a employer. Diablo’s mind has been scarred do to his exposer to the blaring sun in the wastes, and not to mention the radiation so be cautious around him. He is a super solider of the Rejects and if you make him draw his weapon, bend over and kiss your ass good bye, Diablo has been active since 2060 and has a trail of bodies thats miles long, this man is a raider, a thief and a true Devil’s Reject.

 Wolf: This is one very angry warrior, Wolf is a former Sioux Wildcat who left his tribe and post once he started to discover discrepancies in the tribes recent history and it’s dealings with the non native residents. Wolf couldn’t stomach being part of a secret police force and dragging non natives off into the night to never be seen again. As well as having to do raids into the UCAS to murder, steal and kidnap this was not why he signed up for the Wildcats and he had plenty of non native friends so for Wolf it was a simple choose to slip away and enter Seattle. He joined the Rejects when offered a place in their ranks by Hero, and Wolf saw this as a new brotherhood, a new family and a chance to redeem himself in his eyes for the injustices he caused while serving the Sioux. Wolf is a man of honour and holds a warriors code, so he is a true professional working amongst some true devils.

 Phoenix: Well this is the teams hermetic and his powers are fully documented, though his ascended rank is unknown. He is a master of combat magic, and his skills in combat are as well documented. The Phoenix is probably one of the most rational of all the Rejects, though that is not saying much. He has been in operation since early 2049 and is one of those lost generation runners, he wields great power and as well acts as healer for the poor. This man has shown the world that not all runners are madmen and murders, the Phoenix is a kindly grandfatherly type but remember he is still a runner and that means, the laws of man do not apply to him for he lives outside societies norms. The Phoenix joined the Rejects when approached by his good friend Hero, though Phoenix never approved of the original antics of Hero and tried his best to spare the kid the pain and suffering the Chemist had in-store for him.

 Baby Girl: She is the youngest of the Rejects and straight out of Texas, this young wild child has proved her worth since coming to Seattle and joining the Rejects after she was asked by fellow Texan Diablo. Baby Girl has learned allot through the school of hard knocks and that to survive in Seattle you must have good contacts and even stronger friends, she is a member of the new breed generation that has taken the older Rejects on as her surrogate family. She formed a close bond with the teams other hermetic Phoenix and has taken well to his tutelage, Baby is a wild card of the Rejects, she enjoys the chaos caused by Diablo, Joker and the Navigator but she also looks up to Tesla, Phoenix and the Chemist for guidance this at times causes great confusion within her young and fragile mind.

 Tesla: Well this man is a true master decker and he is a whiz with anything electronic, Tesla has been operating for generations but he is officially ranked as a next generation runner. This we know has to be a falsity but all records point that he didn’t emerge on the scene till early 2060, Tesla has to have been behind that in some manner. This man can crack any system and dump shock many of the fields best decker support, Tesla has also proven to be a brilliant inventor and has come up with some very odd gadgets over the years just look at Jokers arsenal for example. Tesla is one of the few deckers that actually hacks better while drinking, though if he gets to drunk he causes serious chaos through the matrix hence his known catch phrase “Remember Kids, Don’t Drink and Deck.” Tesla joined the Rejects after he was approached by his friend the Chemist and offered a place inside this motley crew of a team. Tesla is a total professional and is willing to do freelance work if the pay is good enough, or maybe for a bottle of real top shelf bourbon or rum keep that in mind, Tesla knows and is quite fond of his liquor.

 Eight Ball: Good old Eight Ball, this little dwarven turn coat once served the elite military unit Urban Strike One as there combat dealer. He hails from the mean streets of Detroit and his past is a bit of a mystery, but he has been friends with Tesla, Chemist and Phoenix for many years so his defection to the Rejects should have been predicted once the once honourable General James O’Brian turned into a megalomaniac. Eight Ball is a licensed Arms Dealer with a vast list of contacts and friends all over the world, he is also a physical adept and quite capable of handling anything the Rejects need from him. Eight Ball joined the Rejects do to there loyalty to Seattle and her people, there unbroken unity and his kinship with the team leader the Chemist.

 Joker: If you are talking about someone who is completely insane then we must be talking about the street samurai known as the Joker. This man is crazy and not in a good way, he relishes in chaos and could care less what the world thinks of him. He doesn’t want to be thought of as a hero, he wants the world to always remember him for the crazy antics he pulled. Joker see’s the world as a black canvas and he is the master painter, so when it comes to this madman be prepared for just about anything and I mean anything. He is loaded to bear with crazy comic book style gadgets that where made by Tesla or the Chemist, he has even purchased or I mean stolen crates of paint balls for some reason. I am kinda scared to find out why he needs hundreds of thousands of paint balls. The Joker joined the Rejects when asked by his friend and ally Hero, and the mad clown accepted and has been creating havoc ever since.

  Scalp Hunter: This is a former Apache boarder guard that worked for the Sioux Nation, he left the Sioux after his post was crashed by the Regulators and Cowboys from Hell and he was the sole survivor. Once he arrived in Seattle Scalp had a hard time adapting to the city lifestyle and was nearly killed by members of the Patriots and Sons of the true Confederacy do to him being of native blood. Scalp sought out Wolf of the Rejects to seek membership within their ranks, Scalp might be listed here as a full member of the Rejects but he is a probationary member of their fold. He is currently out on a personal vision quest to seek wisdom and acceptance as ordered by Wolf, this kid might not be a full fledged Reject but that doesn’t mean they are not looking out for there little brother.

 Hero: Well when you look back in the history books of the greatest rivalries ever on the streets, you can look no further then the Chemist versus Hero. These two butted heads for decades and stood morally opposed to each other, Hero being at one point a living super hero with an entourage of fans and the Chemist being the super villain with his bag full of gadgets and no morale compass. These men battled constantly through the early 2060’s and it wasn’t till the Chemist nearly killed Hero that he saw the light and dropped his gimmick and was reborn as the man we now today. The old Hero was a real pain in the ass and a pansy, the new Hero is a dark and twisted bad ass the rebirth allowed Hero to see what the Chemist and others where telling him and eventually what the Chemist taught him, Hero is now the Vice President of the Devils Rejects and is the other side of their broken moral compass.

 Angel: She is a former Denver Guard who abandoned her post when she figured out what was going on there with the Native Council. She did one last job into the Denver Councils office’s and stole valuable data and pass codes before heading to Seattle to seek out former Guardsman Dead Eye and Piranha. Angel felt that her fellow Guardsmen would be able to help he spread the information she took and as well help protect her from the native hunters coming her way. When Angel got to Seattle she found that Piranha was amongst the Seattle Police Department and felt that he wouldn’t look past his duty as a police officer, so she sought out Dead Eye. Angel found Dead Eye amongst the Rejects and after she gave him the data and explained her story, Dead Eye vouched for Angel and she was accepted amongst the Rejects after of course she passed Tesla’s verification and background check. Angel has had a tough going on since she entered Seattle, running from native hunters, assassins but she has prevailed and proven that she is more then worthy of being a Reject.

 Gonzo: This is total surprise here, Gonzo is a total professional and the Rejects are all over the place. Though for some reason this reporter mercenary decided that he would be safer amongst the lunatics within the Rejects then alone on the streets. He has recently joined there ranks and was brought in by his friend Phoenix, Gonzo is from the lost generation and his mentality and skills fit well within this band of misfits. Gonzo will be there face man and the teams visual front when dealing with employers and such, though remember Gonzo might be a journalist but he is highly trained in combat and more than capable in handling himself in conflict and he is also slightly off kilter himself so his entrance into the Rejects is a perfect fit.

 Pedagogue: Well it seems that the Rejects just accepted another brutal teacher into their roster, well if someone’s sanity is deciding factor of who is welcome among the Rejects well the Pedagogue is a shinning example of how low their standards are. This man seems to be a perfect fit amongst those that choose to call themselves the Devil’s Rejects, he is a prowler of the streets, a torturer and a madman. Though with that all aside the Pedagogue is a master fabricator, engineer, and highly skilled in human anatomy. He is also trained in toxins and served within the UCAS Army Medical Corps, so for the Rejects what the Pedagogue brings to the table is extremely valuable not to mention he holds the same values of the team leader the Chemist about teaching valuable life lessons. It seems for the Rejects school in session and they have just acquired one cruel, brutal and sadistic teacher.

 

 Apothecary: The newest member of the Devil’s Rejects, the Apothecary brings a whole new level of crazy to this team of madmen. He is the twin brother of the Chemist and lets just say this explains a whole lot about the the Chemist, when you look at what his brother is capable of. This man is direct copy of his brother in many ways, though their are enough differences between them to not just say it’s a carbon copy. The scary aspect is the Apothecary is a master of toxins, chemicals, virology, and biological warfare. He is as well a electrical engineer, this means that he can create some very scary pieces of technology. The Apothecary has dabbled in the arcane arts of alchemy and holds a advanced degree in entomology so be very scared, I mean down right terrified that he has joined the ranks of the Devil’s Rejects. This man holds advanced knowledge of insects and he knows how to extract their toxins and amplify them to be even more lethal. He is also very skilled at dealing with insect infestations of any kind. He can also use these same bugs to deliver his deadly viruses and toxins to unsuspecting victims as well as using the bugs, natural hunger to remove a body living or dead and rendering it unidentifiable.

 Crash: This lunatic being best friends with the Cannon brothers it was only a matter of time before Crash would be accepted into the Rejects. This man brings a new type a crazy to this team of maniacs, he brings the boiling anger that courses through his blood and he also shows that even uncontrollable anger can appear to be calm an collected. Crash is a man that if silent you are already dead, his use of legal medication and stealth attacks makes his very valuable to the rejects. Crash inside the Devil’s Rejects is a very scary prospect as he will now have access to his special cocktail in large quantities and it can’t be regulated. His joining of the Devil’s Rejects came after he cleared the security forces waiting for them outside Club Penumbra, this was his show of loyalty to this band of merry men. Crash aided the Devil’s Rejects out of respect to his long time friends and former partner in British Intelligence the Apothecary. Well with Crash being the newest member of this band of crazies, it gives new credence to the threats of the Chemist, seeing that this man is as deadly as a coiled rattlesnake and as sharp as a knife.