Jack Harkin

## Personal Background

Jack Harkin is a male survivor who roams the wastelands as The Wanderer. He previously traveled with his partner Shaun Maher, but abandoned him after increasing concern for Shaun's mental state and unethical actions. Although Shaun claims any actions are justified in the wastes, Jack is haunted by his pre-war morality, and often refuses to act on personal impulse. Before the bombs fell, Jack was part of a U.N response team which was stationed in Syria. After being ordered by his superiors to carrying out multiple immoral killings against the innocent population, Jack deserted the team, was tried for insubordination, and was subsequently removed from the U.N Peacekeeper branch on charges of treason. His traumatizing experiences as a Peacekeeper are what define his current morality, and although the hardships of the apocalypse have taken its toll on Jack, he refuses to succumb to the corrupting nature of the wastes. Lethal as a solider yet compassionate as a person, Jack carries the weight of his pre-war scars, but eventually finds his peace when he meets a woman named Emily.

## Episode One

Jack Harkin is wandering the Wild Lands, scavenging for supplies. He comes across footprints and decides to investigate. He spots a couple being held at gun point by a gang of raiders. He doesn't act until he see's one of the raiders prepare to kill the male, Luke, despite taking what he wanted. Jack takes out both the raiders, but Luke dies in the firefight. The woman, Emily, refuses to allow Jack to leave her to an uncertain fate, and bargains with him: if he can take her to the Neutral Zone, she will reward him with supplies. With the possibility of fresh supplies being too good a chance to pass up, Jack agrees, but is then ambushed by his old partner, Shaun. Instead of killing Jack, Shaun decides to prove to Jack that he can't save everyone, and that his pre-war morality will cost him dearly; he does this by shooting Emily.

## Episode Two

A prequel to episode one, the second chapter depicts Jack's previous partnership with Shaun. The pair make the mistake of ambushing a caravan that was supposed to have only light protection, but in reality has a full escort of two armed gunmen (the same raiders in Episode One). The two mercenaries pursue Jack and Shaun when the ambush goes wrong, and the firefight is brought to an abandoned school building, which serves as the location for the Neutral Zone, where the combatants are halted by Austin Leur. Uninterested in being involved in a five-man gunfight, the two mercenaries flee the scene, leaving Jack and Shaun with Austin. While Jack is thankful for Austin's intervention, and tries to explain the situation peacefully, Shaun repays Austin by killing him, framing his death on the raider attack. Shaun gains the sympathy of the settlement leader, Amelia, but Jack is infuriated at Shaun's violence and manipulation. Jack deserts Shaun, but not before leaving him a strong facial scar. Although Shaun is too bewildered to respond immediately, he makes it his mandate to find Jack and forcibly show him the price of his moral superiority: he finds his chance when he ambushes Jack traveling with Emily, where Shaun intends to kill the woman in order to drive the point that Jack's righteousness holds no reward, only pain.

## Episode Three (Warning: Spoilers)

Jack awakens in a holding room at the Neutral Settlement, where he is held at gunpoint by Amelia. Amelia demands that Jack explains himself for killing Austin, claiming that the allegations came from Shaun, who now serves as the settlements bounty hunter. Before he explains the situation in full, Jack questions Amelia on what happened after Shaun pulled his gun on Emily, as his memory after that moment is blank. Amelia explains that the settlement Scouts found the trio in their stand-off, and stunned all of them at once, bringing them into the settlement for peaceful questioning: Shaun had strict orders not to kill his targets, so when the Scouts saw Shaun with his gun aimed, they took immediate action before he could fire. Jack quickly puts the pieces of the story together: Shaun framed the death of Austin on Jack, and was able to use his good standing with Amelia to extort supplies working as a bounty hunter in search of Austin's 'killer'. Jack elaborates in full about Austin's death, explaining how Shaun killed him, manipulated his death, and played Amelia into thinking that Jack killed him and escaped capture. Unconvinced, Amelia brings Jack to Shaun, who is slowly decaying into mental hysteria. It is revealed during the interrogation that Shaun is a psychopath, and that his mental instability came as a survival method for the wasteland. Amelia is forced to kill Shaun, after he lunges at Jack and taunts Amelia about Austin's death. Jack is slightly disturbed by his partners death, but doesn't visibly show it, claiming that 'he's dead. Leave it at that.'

Jack then reunites with Emily, who is being held in a medical bay. Emily reveals the baby is still alive, and that her wounds have been treated. Before departing, Jack is warmly thanked by Emily for sticking by her side and not turning her over to Shaun.

Jack suddenly receives a urgent call from Amelia, who states that the settlement is under attack by a raider gang who followed the Scouts when they brought him, Emily and Shaun in. After a fierce firefight, Jack ultimately sacrifices himself to save Emily, her child, and Amelia. He seals himself into a corridor with the invading raiders, submitting himself to an uncertain fate so that the survivors can escape.