Chapter 01: City That Never Rests
The Year was 2063, Winter in Night City was like winter in any other city except the piles of garbage were coated with snow instead of trees in the suburbs. Gangs controlled districts and gunfire was seen as a form of greeting. A city that breeds characters, Weyland Jones, Adam Smasher and Johnny Silverhand just to name a few. In this City you either die a legend or live in obscurity.
However the tale of the Legendary Merc known as 'Ratchet' Starts off in an apartment above his families local pawn shop, where drug addicts sell their valuables to afford that last hit of Glitter and their dealers who use the legitimate business to clean their cash, what's dignity for a few extra Eddies to keep a roof over your families head?
None of this meant anything to Roderick, the young 13 year old whose father would constantly remind him that "The City will not wait for him to grow up" and "Your whore mother ran off with the sand freaks (Nomads) and left them with nothing" and his favourite "It's not robbing old people if they aren't aware you've over charged them" ahh….what a role model, Roderick only hated his mother for leaving without him, if he had been able to speak when she left he would have begged her to take him.
Now before you go thinking Roderick is having a rough life remember it can get worse, how you ask? Well how about being 98% sure the "Family" that moved 5 doors down belongs to a gang of Chrome harvesting nutjobs doing exactly that.
Silver lining meant it couldn't get any worse, right? WRONG!
5 weeks after the Scavs moved in they 'Appropriated' a person of interest, 6th Street Interest. Once the hit crew finished their assault on the Scavs and every non corrupt officer honed in on the apartment plex Roderick's life was changed forever. As it turns out his old man wasn't as legit as he thought and after a routine check on his business portfolio showed large sums of Eddies between accounts attached to gangs all over Heywood his Father was arrested and turned into a snitch for the NCPD.
"Son, If you want to make something of your life, get as far from this city" His fathers words echoed
"What? Moral advice for a change? Was being arrested the catalyst needed for him to be a good father?"
"But you're too much of a fucking idiot to do something like that"
"Ah, there's my old man"
Turns out the only thing more dangerous than washing Eddies for the Drug Dealers is snitching on them, if that wasn't obvious. Roderick's father found this out the hard way or perhaps it was is goal to commit suicide by halo of bullets as a final lesson to his son.
Once his body had slumped to the floor, Roderick for the first time found himself in the crosshairs of someones Iron "Where did he keep the Eddies" the masked female drug dealer spoke"
"You have a nice voice" Roderick spoke, keeping his hands in clear view of the armed mob, the smoke in the room "Very soothing" he adds as the woman pulls the Hammer of her revolver back "I don't know!" the young teens voice cracks "Best place to look would be his bedroom"
"Watch him" the woman says, walking out of the room with 2 of her cohorts while the 3rd kept his Iron trained on Roderick. There was an uneasy tension, expected as the rapidly cooling body of his father lay motionless 3 feet from where he was sitting, his vacant eyes looking at him as blood washed over them, giving them a red hue.
The woman walks back in holding a small safe while the other 2 carry a bigger safe outside, they did "You know something kid, for someone who just watched their father get killed and had the same gun pointed at him, you seem calm"
"Well, you never planned to shoot me" Roderick says, seeing her look at him with a raised brow "I mean didn't you? You don't have anything in the Cylinder" he clarifies as she chuckles
"Who counts bullets at a time like this?" she says handing her safe to the guy who had been watching the teen "What's your name kid?" she asks getting eye level with him
"Roderick" The teen says "What's yours?" he asks
"That depends on you, Roderick" she says, making sure the boy watches her load a single bullet into the Cylinder. "How do you want your story to end, Roderick?" She points the gun toward him again "Want to be a legend? Or do you want to fizzle out like your old man?"
"No Quiet life?" Roderick jokes but this time she doesn't laugh "He kept a log in a book stashed in a hole in his mattress" he says and the woman lowers the gun before removing her face cover
"I'm Nova" she smirks "But you can call me Mommy"
-The End-
Thanks for reading this intro chapter, This story is something I have been thinking about for a while, and is something I plan on working on. Updates will vary, depending on my schedule, but anyway please see the OC form below and feel free to submit as many characters as you want, every good character will get used in some capacity but I will change them to suite my needs if I only plan to use them as "Red Shirts" or Rivals
The best characters will be featured more regularly
Character Name:
Age:
Gender:
Sexual Orientation:
Appearance: [Physical description or image reference]
Personality Traits: [Brief description of the character's personality]
Background/History: [Brief backstory of the character]
Skills/Abilities: [Any special or skills the character possesses, this can include chrome]
Weaknesses: [Any weaknesses or flaws the character has]
Role in the Story: [How the character fits with Ratchet]
Other: [Any additional information or details about the character]
I.E
Character Name: Roderick aka Ratchet
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Appearance: Roderick stands at 6 feet tall with a lean yet muscular build, a result of years spent in the unforgiving streets of Night City. His cybernetic enhancements are visible, with circuitry-like tattoos running along his arms and a cybernetic eye that glows a faint neon blue. His hair is shaved on the sides, with a shock of neon green dyed hair on top. He often wears a mix of cyberpunk fashion, favouring leather jackets, tech-enhanced goggles, and combat boots.
Personality Traits: Roderick is a cunning and resourceful individual, known for his quick thinking and ability to adapt to any situation. Despite his rough exterior, he possesses a strong sense of loyalty to those he considers friends and allies. He has a sarcastic and witty sense of humour, often using it to deflect tense situations.
Background/History: Born and raised in the underbelly of Night City, Roderick had to learn to survive from a young age. He grew up in the slums, where he learned the ways of the streets and how to navigate the dangerous world of cybernetic augmentation and corporate corruption. After his Fathers death at the hands of his old crew, Roderick became a skilled mercenary and hacker with the goal of becoming a living Legend of Night City.
Skills/Abilities: Roderick is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, firearms, and hacking. His cybernetic enhancements give him enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes, making him a formidable opponent in combat. He is also a skilled hacker, able to infiltrate even the most secure systems.
Weaknesses: Despite his cybernetic enhancements, Roderick is still human and can be vulnerable to physical and emotional pain. He has a tendency to act impulsively, which can sometimes get him into trouble. Additionally, his loyalty to his friends and allies can be exploited by his enemies.
Role in the Story: Roderick plays a central role in the story as a member of a small Merc group called Pulse, operating out of an apartment plex in the Glen,
Other: Roderick goes by the alias "Rachet" in the underground world of Night City, a nod to his reputation as a skilled mechanic and hacker.