Jacob Reynolds is a character created by RD959.
He is the protagonist of the story Notoriety, a spinoff in the same timeline as the World of Saints and Sinners series. While generally unimportant to the main story of the series, Notoriety gives more insight to the effects that the Soviet-victory Cold War had on Europe, especially the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Background
Jacob was born in 1981 in the borough of Southwark, located in London. His younger brother, Daniel, was born just two years later. While they did not get on in the early years, they began to look out for each other once their parents were killed in a house fire; Jacob being 15 at the time, and Daniel just 13.
Jacob's childhood hardships came in the form of the stock market crash following the Cold War. With the Soviet supremacy creating a second Great Depression, life was hard in Europe, even if one was not living in a Soviet-occupied territory. The UK, specifically, would become a pyramid of social disorder, with those who were still rich at the top, and the lowest level being those like Jacob and Daniel; resorting to becoming criminals just to earn enough money.
The two brothers would drop out of secondary school and live a life of petty crimes, stealing and robbing in order to make a living. They moved in to a cheap flat in Harlesden while they tried to get enough money to support themselves.
Sometime before 2002, Jacob and Daniel started doing work for a man whose name was unknown to them. He wore a hockey mask and always kept it on. Their new boss would send them on missions of theft and robbery, and in turn the two of them would get a fair share; until one job.
Story
Chapter 1
Jacob and Daniel were assigned by their boss to break into a home and reclaim a debt once owed, in the form of the debtor's jewelry. Whilst Jacob found the jewelry, Daniel was attacked by the debtor's husband, and after fighting him off, the two escaped with the target.
They met their boss at the docks in Chelsea, where the boss decided on a very unfair cut. Enraged, Jacob unmasked the boss to reveal a not-so-frightening man with a high-pitched voice, and held him over the murky Thames, threatening him to give a better share. After making an agreement, Jacob stated they would never work for him again.
β18 fucking pounds? Have the wonders of pre-war American capitalism got to your mind? Are you really that much of an entitled money-hoarding prick that you canβt pay the bastards who got you that damn box?β - Jacob, angered at his boss.
While the two brothers grabbed a pint at their local pub, Jacob was approached by a woman, who introduced herself as Kara Emerald. She explained her affiliation with the quickly-expanding criminal group known as The Accord. This group was in a violent yet hidden war with Jacob and Daniel's former boss and his organization, who was revealed to be named Ricky Patton. While Jacob sat in confusion, Kara continued, saying the leader of the Accord, Pierce Cross, scouted him and his brother out to extend an invitation to the group.
Kara left Jacob to think about the offer, and in the morning, he brought it up to Daniel, who spoke in favor of joining the Accord.
Chapter 2
Once Jacob got dressed and went to wait outside for Daniel, he was confronted by three men sent by Ricky Patton, who had caught wind of the Accord reaching out to the brothers. Jacob was then attacked by the men, but was able to hold his own and knock all three of them out.
The brothers met Pierce Cross and Kara in Trafalgar Square- now serving as a pre-war memorial, as it was one of the multiple sites targeted by Soviet bombs during the war.
Pierce explained he would be pleased to let them in to the Accord, but they would have to prove themselves first. He said the only way to end the war between the Accord and Patton would be to strike at the source. He ordered them to kill Ricky Patton, and in reward they would be allowed in to the Accord.
βOr- even better- kill two birds with one stone and get rid of him. Not only does our competition disappear, but youβll have him off your arse and I let you in. Itβs a win-win-loss situation; we both benefit and heβ¦ well, he dies.β - Pierce Cross to the brothers.
Daniel was reluctant to kill anyone, while Jacob was still unsure of what would be the right option; kill Ricky Patton, or let bygones be bygones and reject the Accord.
If the reader chooses not to go after Patton;
Serving as a comedic mockery of choose-your-own-adventure books, the reader is given the choice of whether or not to kill Patton. If they choose not to, Jacob says he wouldn't be able to kill someone he once knew well. From here, the story instantly ends, as the brothers decide not to get involved in the gang war and the following events never happen.
If the reader chooses to start going after Patton (the canon choice)
Choosing to kill Patton leads to the rest of the story playing out as intended, Jacob leaves against Daniel's wishes, and sets off to get clues to Ricky's whereabouts.
Chapter 3
Jacob called Kara for information on Ricky, and she manages to find out that Ricky is holed up in one of his secret storefronts located in Croydon. When Jacob got to the store, he was instantly recognized by the fake cashier, who sounded a silent alarm, drawing the attention of nearby Patton gang members. They engaged in a gunfight, where Jacob was able to take all of them out non-lethally.
After dealing with the gang members outside, Jacob snuck into the base and disguised himself as one of Patton's men in order to get past undetected. Upon threatening Patton's bodyguard (using perhaps the most badass line I've written) for the key to his office, Jacob broke in and, after a conversation with the nervous reasoning of Ricky, exacted his long-awaited revenge by shooting Patton in the face, marking the first of many kills by Jacob Reynolds.
βDonβt scream. Thatβs a 9mm semi-automatic M1911 loaded with six bullets, pointed right at one of your vital organs. Iβll tell you the truth; Iβm Jacob Reynolds, the guy youβre all hunting down. Now, I want to speak with your boss, and if you donβt move out of the way, I swear to fucking god I wonβt hesitate to turn your intestinal track into wall paint.β - Jacob to the bodyguard.
Chapter 4
Jacob got back to the flat in Harlesden and informed Daniel of Ricky's death. While slightly distraught by his brother being a killer, Daniel was ultimately glad to see Patton out of the picture. The two reported back to Pierce, and were treated to the inside of a limousine while they were driven to the headquarters of the Accord.
Upon entering the vast headquarters and going up to Pierce's penthouse, the two were greeted by a familiar face. The man whose wife they robbed from just a few days ago recognized Daniel, and the two got into a fight before it was broken up by Jacob and Pierce. His name was revealed to be Thomas Marlowe, and despite his short temper, he was one of the few men Pierce could properly trust. Pierce's right-hand-man Icarus was also introduced, and Cross explained that nobody knew his actual name and he didn't speak to anyone much- especially not enough to reveal his true name.
Their first job as official Accord members was to clear out a warehouse seized by Patton's men, which was dangerously close to the Accord HQ. After dealing with the front yard and sneaking in, they saw an armory full of weapons, and decided to go loud for this one.
WIP
A map of factions in London. Note that just because an area has faction presence, it does not mean that area is fully controlled by that faction. For example, the entirety of Southwark is not under total rule by The Accord; it just has lots of Accord presence/influence. London is still a proper organized city controlled by the government, but it has these gangs within, challenging Parliament.