Marco Perez

== Marco Perez ==
Marco Perez was a Mexican-American HVAC repairman and later a mercenary who, with his sister Daniela, worked to track, kill, or protect their targets among others. After being barred from being a guard for the Rail Clan, Perez joined the Seaboard ranks and was inducted into the Vanguard Prestige.
== Life Prior to the Great Collapse ==
Marco was born on November 7, 1994, in Del Rey, Texas, to Mexican immigrant parents. His father, an illegal immigrant, was deported when Marco was young, leaving behind his pregnant mother. The family faced significant challenges due to their immigration status.
Marco's mother was also deported when he was twelve years old. Left alone with his sister Daniela, Marco took on the responsibility of caring for her. The siblings became drifters, searching for safety and a stable life. The two ended up under the protection of a gang in San Antonio for a couple years. However, after an altercation involving his sister's abuse, Marco Perez stabbed the drug distributor that looked after him multiple times, possibly killing him. The siblings fled north after.
After a nomadic journey, Marco and Daniela found a sense of stability in city of Reading, Pennsylvania. Marco used his resourcefulness and skill to secure work as a handyman, specializing in HVAC systems.
== Joining the Rail Clan ==
In 2018, Marco's life was forever changed by the Great Collapse and the Jinanvirus. Faced with the breakdown of law and order, Marco and Daniela struggled to survive in the post-collapse world, but Marco Perez was confident in his ability, knowing how to survive on his own with nobody except his sister.
Seeking an exchange of services, Marco and Daniela joined the early Rail Clan in 2019, an independent faction that operated between the Appalachian Republic and Seaboard territories. They offered their services as mercenaries, utilizing their skills to ensure their survival. Marco Perez was valued for his understanding of other people, his intimidating presence, and his aggressive negotiations.
== Tensions with Appalachian Military ==
With the introduction of Brian Burnett and Appalachian military units into the Rail Clan, tensions began to rise between the mercenaries who formerly protected the rails and the new authority. He and his sister grew angered with Burnett, and later engaged with rebelling civilian targets, killing a few. Burnett made his stance clear to them with aggression, and spoke to the conductor hoping they'd be disciplined. The rail conductor, however, gave the Perez siblings little more than a slap on the wrist. In response, the Perez siblings and Adam Reynolds attacked Abel Clark, Burnett's apprentice, when he was off guard. They battered him, only to be stopped by the appearance of SAACC Marine Bryanna Sandoval.
Eventually, the Perez siblings were formally discharged from the rail clan as their services were no longer needed. In response, Perez sought out a mercenary and hunter, who they later came to know as Matthew Castillo. The elite mercenary saw the siblings as amateurs, and when he realized their target was Burnett, he was reluctant. Castillo took a down payment, also reaching out to Seaboard for their information on him, hoping to collect a double-bounty. When Castillo failed to kill Burnett, he refused to return the collateral. Because of this, they devised a plan to make a name for themselves by taking on Castillo. This quickly failed, and though they expected to be killed, Castillo spared them, seemingly pleased with their resistance. After testing their psyche with a watchful eye, Marco Perez agreed to join him as a hired gun for Los Salvajes.
== Involvement with Los Salvajes ==
Marco and Daniela Perez completed a few small missions with Castillo until he was defeated by Brian Burnett. This defeat shattered Castillo's morale, but the one-handed mercenary was still determined to continue his work. Along with the others in the gang, they quickly began fulfilling contracts for Seaboard, the Great Lake States, and some private parties.
In early 2025, Perez joined Castillo in surveying and tracking members of SAACC and their positions. By May, Perez and Los Salvajes helped triangulate their unit when it attempted to overthrow Appalachian president Elaine Cocklin. Perez helped Castillo pin down Burnett before the Appalachian Marine was neutralized. After this, Perez and the other mercenaries sought out the remains of the Burnett family clan, as each member had (of different levels) a price on their head. Perez supported Castillo as they converged on the targeted group in northern Maryland. A gunfight ensued, and when Kyle Wald unexpectedly returned, he killed Kevin Trujillo and wounded Perez.
Following this, Perez remained on the down low, and his sister joined his side, and they refused to engage in more combat with Castillo until they were compensated and his wounds healed. Castillo was angered with this, as the job wasn't complete, and he didn't consider Castillo's wounds to be severe enough to warrant his down time, as his bulletproof vest absorbed most of the impact from his wound. Regardless, he couldn't afford to dissuade any more of his gang members after the deaths of Otero and Trujillo, and didn't push him farther.
However, his time with the Rail Clan led to growing disillusionment with its ideology and leadership. Seeking a greater cause, Marco and Daniela were eventually recruited into Seaboard and later Vanguard Prestige, an elite and secretive group within Seaboard. As members of Vanguard Prestige, he and his sister became highly skilled warriors, undertaking specialized missions for Seaboard.