Live for Something or Die for Nothing
Chapter 1: From Nothing
John Shepard was behind the wheel of his garbage truck, the pay wasn't great, but at least he wasn't below the poverty line and as long as he stayed out of gang business he would be fine.
Stepping out of his truck he could hear the sound of a baby crying, with no idea where the sound was coming from he followed the cries and came up to a dumpster before opening it, he could see a newborn baby boy covered in blood screaming with the cord still intact meaning the boy's mother had placed him there just after labour and left him to die.
Taking his jacket off and wrapping the baby up "Shh little guy" he said as he thought of what kind of mother could just dump a baby like that in a dumpster "we will get you someplace safe" before climbing back in his truck and taking him to the police, after giving the police his details he left the boy with them.
The boy was placed into an orphanage and was given the name of Logan John Shepard named after the man who saved him, Logan grew to understand it was not a good place to be, it wasn't uncommon for orphans to be beaten, abused and even sold off to slavers. Taking his chances on the streets instead, picking food out of garbage bins, stealing whatever he needed and trying to stay warm at night. Avoiding the street gang known as the Aztecs, a brutal street gang who kidnapped people and sold them as slaves who also were known to cut the hearts out of their enemies was a bigger concern. Children were worth more to slavers so Logan would always hide from them which wasn't that difficult, as he knew the best hiding places and when to run. At seven years old he had started doing small jobs for the Tenth Street Reds another street gang who dealt in red sand and stole from other gangs and were well known for their cruelty to those who crossed them. Being a lookout for the Reds was an easy job for Logan as he knew most of undercover police in the area and the ones he didn't know of, he could spot them a mile away, it didn't take long before Logan was offered membership into the Reds.
"All you have to do is stay standing for ten minutes and you're in" Ramon 'the razor' said before nodding to the other young members all around Logan's age, who had already surrounded him and quickly moved forward and attacked him.
Logan tried to fight back but there was so many of them, it was like he was being mobbed, so many of them he couldn't see past the crowd of them he felt his lip split open from a punch to the side of his face as well as taking a kick to the ribs, he thought he couldn't stand much longer
"Times up" Ramon yelled.
Logan had just kicked another boy between the legs and heard a groan he was about to hit him again when he heard Ramon yell times up.
Ramon smiled as he walked up to him "You have heart kid" he told him "welcome to the family" he said shaking Logan's hand smiling at him as he handed him a red bandana.
From then on Logan's life was a little easier he had family, money to spend, food and never had to worry about freezing to death in the street or having his face eaten off by rats or kidnapped and sold as a slave by the Aztecs. It didn't take long before he got in deeper with the Reds and started selling red sand, at this time he bought his first gun a pistol and he always had it on him a habit he continued into his adult life if he couldn't have a gun on him he at least made sure he had a knife, his first time he killed someone came not long afterwards.
He was nine years old and selling red sand, the buyer was a junkie or sand tripper as they were called and desperate for his next dose of sand and when he saw that his dealer was a nine year old he thought Logan was an easy target and snatched the small bag containing two grams of sand out of Logan's hand and went to run, Logan had never had anyone run without paying before but took chase anyway and pulled out his pistol and fired off a shot which missed but got the man's attention who pulled his own weapon out and fired back which did not miss, hitting Logan in the shoulder, screaming out in pain Logan fired and kept pulling the trigger spraying the alleyway with bullets, several shots ripped through the man's legs and back sending him to the ground dead. Logan stood there in shock before hearing sirens in the distance snapped him out of his trance, picking up the bag of sand and headed back to the Red's clubhouse clutching his shoulder and trying not to pass out from the pain, this incident would stay with him for years and would shape the rest of his life.
Logan had made it back to the clubhouse
"What happened?" Ramon asked as he saw Logan walk in
"Guy tried to run without paying" Logan told him "he didn't get far' he finished
"Good" Ramon replied "let's get that looked get that looked at" he said leading Logan to another member of the Reds "Doc, the little guy took a bullet" he said to Doc who was a failed med student fired for stealing medical equipment and drugs from the university
"Alright sit him down" Doc said walking over "hold him, this will hurt" he told Ramon and went to work removing the bullet.
Logan tried not to scream and gritted his teeth he was focusing on it not hurting so much, he didn't notice his body glowing blue with biotic energy which got the attention of both Ramon and Doc "looks like we have a biotic in our ranks" Doc said
Ramon just looked worried, Logan was confused "What's a biotic?" he asked to which he was ignored
"No, of course not" Doc said to Ramon as they continued talking as if he wasn't there "if anything he will be able to scare the shit out of our enemies"
Ramon didn't seem to believe that but simply nodded and walked away as Doc told him what he knew about biotics and finished working on the wound, Logan stayed silent all this talk of harnessing dark energy was a bit much to take in and there was also how Ramon looked at him.
Over the years saw Logan become more and more respected in the Reds but since finding out he was a biotic by the Reds they backed away, feared by the other Reds so they left him alone and gave him a lot of space, still selling red sand and doing other jobs for the Reds like intimation of rival gangs, he was also starting to go his own way instead, learning martial arts was a passion of his and he even went to school unlike a lot of other Reds, he enjoyed reading about different alien races and would study their military history every chance he got. Left on his own he would spend hours testing his biotics on small objects like beer bottles, making them spin and even lifting them up he tried throwing them at times but he could never throw the bottle hard enough to break it and without a biotic amp and training he wouldn't be able to. However, Logan still could not shake the feeling he should do more with his life, if he stayed in the Reds he would either end up dead or in prison and neither option was promising but he still refused to die for nothing however at this point in his life he couldn't think of how to change things.