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Who's who: groups & characters in the story –
Group:
The Mercifuls- a powerful gang that deals internationally in drugs (crystal meth) and weapons. Currently the top gang in the New York City (NYC) area
Royal Roader: an automobile-themed casino. Also used to launder money (hide the origins of money gained illegally- in this case, cash gotten through drug deals). Owned by Ross Trautvein
Mass- a computer-savvy money laundering gang. All members but one were killed during a drug transaction between The Mercifuls and Ross Trautvein. The lone survivor and the one who killed his fellow gang members was Gren Heims, former foster-brother to Shingun Moon. The cash they were transporting went missing. Later, it was revealed that CIA operatives confiscated the money before police arrived on-scene
Lump Spark: an automotive service center. The CIA used the shop as bait to draw in the owner of Royal Roader. Jake Gillan helped Shin get his job there
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency- a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence and conducting covert action through its Directorate of Operations [Wikipedia]
Translation of the above bullshit definition of the CIA: a spy agency that will do pretty much anything drastic if they feel something threatens the security of the US
NYPD: New York Police Department. A fine law enforcement institution with several corrupt members being paid-off by the Mercifuls, Ross Trautvein, AND the CIA. This is what happens when politicians cut budgets
Unnamed motorcycle gang: a rival gang that was attacked and had members killed by the Mercifuls. Led by man named Mateo
The Calvin Skylars: another rival gang. Not much info on them yet, but The Mercifuls are their enemy
Costco: fifth largest retailer in the world. A good place to buy personal hygiene products, slippers, and lubricant in bulk. Also known for giving out free samples, though Shin and Jake only got samples of each other
Characters:
Shingun "Shin" Moon- orphaned and brought up in the foster care system. His drug-addicted foster-parents scammed the system to get payments for fostering children, but neglected and abused the kids. Shin later turned an interest in cars into well-paying job, but his ex-boyfriend had him arrested and then black-balled from the automotive industry. This left him unable to get employment and led to him being back out on the streets, hustling for money. That is how he met Jake- he tried to hustle him
Jake "Jay" Giilan- a high level member of The Mercifuls, but he is also an undercover CIA agent working secretly to take down gangs and to root out corrupt government officials. He is known as a cold-blooded killer, but he only kills members of gangs as part of the CIA’s mission to eliminate them. Jake's assignment is to infiltrate and provoke gangs into taking each other out. Shin currently doesn't know that Jake is a spy
Benille- Mercifuls underboss, he also has a side fashion business and dresses flashy. He is higher level than Jake in the gang. Jake’s strategies that put The Mercifuls on top and his willingness to kill without hesitation is why he is trusted by Benille. Recently, Benille noticed Jake acting suspiciously out of character (appearing in a soiled shirt, being late when he is NEVER late, etc.) and gave him a not-so-subtle warning. He may not look like it, but Benille is extremely dangerous
Ross Trautvein- spoiled son of a wealthy politician and owner of Royal Roader. He is also a major drug dealer, with clients in high level positions- one of them being Senator Connor. He is also bribing government officials along with members of the NYPD to help cover up his illegal activities
Harry Wilde: front man for the Royal Roader. A pervert who has a thing for dark-haired men. Both Shin and Bukovitz shudder whenever Harry-- on second thought, let's just forget about Harry
Caesar- also a CIA agent, working undercover as a mechanic at Lump Spark. She reports on any activity involving Ross Trautvein. Jake is also using her to keep tabs on Shin, but her genuine concern over Shin's well-being bothers Jake, who feels she is getting a little too close to Shin
Izmel- a bearded man with a forehead scar, he's another CIA agent who is also working undercover as a member of The Mercifuls. He appears to have the position of being one of Benille’s bodyguards, so he is able to gather valuable information on the gang
Rolfe- CIA Director. She is Jake, Caesar, and Izmel’s boss
Gren Heims- Shin’s former foster-brother. As foster children, he and Shin were used as drug runners for small gangs (passing drugs and bringing back payment). Gren found gang life attractive and unlike Shin, he embraced it, becoming addicted to drugs. He’s flitted between gangs, most of them violent, and has done jail-time for blackmail and robbery. Like Jake, Gren is a cold-blooded killer. Unlike Jake, he kills to benefit himself. Gang-life environment and drug use has profoundly damaged Gren both mentally and physically
Liam- owner of Lump Spark. Loves money and free donuts. Has no clue the CIA is using his shop for their operations
Oren- Lump Spark mechanic. His physical appearance reminds Shin of Gren
Bukovitz- Lump Spark mechanic. Bearded, huge and intimidating, Shin thought he was a Merciful gang member at first. A gentle man who loves dogs and elephants
Hosung- one of Shin’s friends, he’s a butcher and resident of Chinatown in NYC. He’s also an informant for the NYPD and has a circle of hacker friends. Shin did something to save his life once, so feels he needs to pay Shin back a “long time”. He is currently helping Shin find out who and what Jake really is
Mateo- Leader of the unnamed motorcycle gang. His brother was killed in a past attack by The Mercifuls, but in some deal unbeknownst to The Mercifuls, Jake spared the life of his brother’s son, so Mateo owed a debt to Jake. Jake used the debt to have motorcycle gang arrange a drug transaction with Ross Trautvein, whose reputation as a dealer is now in shreds. Mateo’s gang intends to get their revenge on The Mercifuls, but they aren’t strong enough to pull it off alone. If they combine their forces with Ross Trautvein and another gang called the Calvin Skylars, they’ll have an even chance of winning. Jake is doing what he can to bring that gang war on
Senator Connor- faceless (so far) politician who has illegal dealings with Ross Trautvein and is now a new target for the CIA
Austin Mel- Shin's ex-boyfriend, who had Shin arrested for assault. Shin punched Austin for trying to force him into doing a sex act he didn't want to do. He's a backstory character and if he knows what's good for him, he'll stay that way
Hot Dog Man- always seen holding a hot dog in front of his open-wide mouth, but never seen actually eating it. Possibly searching for bigger hot dog