"Did you say 'limo', Mitch? You're gonna be driving XSWAT Director 'Bad Mama Jama' around in a limousine?"
--Life Is a Highway
Background: David Cho came from a middle-class family in Iota Sector, and met Mitch Brogan at Angelus Technical Institute, where they became best friends and got each other through school. In Dave's words, "He kept me from partying too hard, and I kept Mitch from studying too hard." They were both interested in police work, and went into the APD Academy after graduation, in 2111. Not surprisingly, they continued working together after surviving the Academy, at the APD's Vehicular Forensics lab—Mitch as a crash scene investigator, and Dave as a mechanic.
In 2112, after the death and 'reappearance' of Mitch's father, Dave was the only one who really believed Mitch's theory that the cyborg Malachi Brogan of 9th squad might actually be Mitch's old man. (Dave was actually a huge admirer of the 9th Squad—he was secretly running one of the biggest 'unauthorized' fan sites on the VF Lab's net-core.) When Mitch left the Lab in 2113 to work for XSWAT, he was happy for his old friend, but working without Mitch wasn't the same. He waited until Captain Chaffee had calmed down from Brogan's abrupt departure, which took about a year, then put in for his transfer to XSWAT.
With a few words from the Director, and a solemn promise that he would never hear from her again, Mitch and Jama managed to get Dave out of Chaffee's office alive. Mitch and Dave were teamed up again—and Jama promptly put them both to work on the XSWAT armed spinner project. That's pretty much the way it's been since Dave signed up. Looking after Madam Director's vehicles is his top priority, followed by whatever special project he's assigned to. Aside from that, he'll be found on duty in the motorpool, attending to business as usual.
Personality: Dave is a bon vivant; he likes what he does, and when he's not working, he does what he likes. He's always been fascinated with technology, especially cars, so working in the motorpool at XSWAT is the perfect job for him. When he's off the job, he's something of a womanizer. Sadly, he's not quite as good with women as he is with cars. It's not that they don't like him—he's just not all that. Mitch's ex-girlfriend, Erin McCarthy, once described him as 'an extremely likeable little shit.'
Quotes: Sorry, babe, this thing's FUBAR'd. Gonna need a replacement. <checks computer> There's a spare in Gamma sector, I can have it installed tomorrow. Meanwhile, your ride's parked—what are you doing the rest of your shift?
This moebius belt doesn't sound right. You shouldn't be able to hear it at all.
A good woman is like a good pretzel--salty and twisted!
Powers/Tactics: Dave couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper sack even if Mitch helped him and ripped it half-way. But he's the best mechanic/techie in the business! He's forgotten more about APD and XSWAT equipment and technology than most people will ever know.
Campaign use: Dave is the classic 'tech support' type character, who also happens to be Mitch's best friend. He's very different from Mitch in some ways--he's something of a clown at times, which serves as a foil for Mitch's tendency to act too serious. He might also serve as a foil for one or more of the other team members since most of them are female, due to his taste for 'exotic' women. (He'll be blown away when he meets Mitch's new squad!)
"No other woman could walk like that wearing men's boots. No other woman would want to."
--Life Is a Highway
Background: Erin McCarthy met Mitch Brogan at the APD Academy, and they started a romantic relationship which didn't seem like it would last long. They argued frequently, over trivial things, but somehow always ended up getting back together. This pattern continued through graduation, and afterwards, when they both received assignments as technicians in the APD's Vehicular Forensics Lab. Erin completed her field trials first among the new techs, and as the lead on many investigations over the next year, she requested Mitch as her technical support, but only when their relationship was going well. Apparently, Erin was extremely unstable emotionally, and likely to stay that way.
This didn't bode well for Mitch's career. His father kept advising him to give up on her for good. Mitch's mother, on the other hand, thought the world of Erin. For her part, Erin had her sights set on bigger things, and she wanted Mitch to join her. In between arguments, they both studied for the APD detectives' exam. It was a long shot—they were both very young to achieve the rank, and odds were, only only of them (Erin) would make it. When his father died, Mitch found it extremely difficult to stay focused, and they argued even more, but she refused to give up on him. Then things got really ugly.
Mitch discovered that his father might still be alive, and couldn't think about anything else. Erin didn't know what to do with him—she alternately screamed at him and gave him the silent treatment. This went on for months, until the spring of 2113. Then one day, two things happened: Erin McCarthy was promoted to the rank of Detective by the APD, and Mitch Brogan transferred to XSWAT. Erin was livid at being abandoned; even worse, it had happened on what should have been the best day of her career, and all because Mitch had something going on with 'that little witch' Renuka!
Erin wasn't about to let him get away with it—so she planned on blowing the whistle on Mitch's affair with his new boss if he wouldn't come back to her. But she discovered Mitch had taken a page from her book, and had something to use against her as well—from their case files back at the Lab. So having established that they were capable of 'mutual assured destruction' they both decided to keep quiet. When Mitch married Jama, there was no longer anything for Erin to disclose, so Mitch returned Erin's case file, never having told anyone what was in it. (Malachi Brogan stashed a copy somewhere, but he's now MIA. So what happened to it? This question is keeping her up nights!)
Seven years later, Erin is still a Detective in the APD. She's transferred from the VF Lab to Epsilon Sector HQ, and is now preparing to take the place of Detective Paige Weinrank (Mitch's mother) in Vice, when she retires later in 2123. Erin is somewhat more stable emotionally, but she's still living with the consequences of her past behavior—she's made some bad decisions and rather a lot of enemies, both on the job, and in her personal life. She's been through two divorces, and her first husband has sole custody of their daughter, age 5. She still insists, of course, that none of these problems are her fault!
Personality: Erin really is much more stable than she used to be, back when she first joined the APD. On the 'sanity scale' she's now somewhere between a Mississippi Snake Handler and an Entity on crack, which is a considerable improvement. The important thing is, she's very good at acting perfectly sane when she really needs to—Erin only breaks out the crazy in private, around people she feels she can manipulate. Most of the time, she's really very normal, even fun to be around. (After all, there had to be a reason Mitch put up with her for two years!) And when she's working, Erin is a consummate professional—she knows her job quite well, and takes it very seriously.
Quotes: Restraining order my ass! Get a gun, sweetheart—that guy's gonna be back. They always come back.
We've got a murder weapon? Fuck!... is that what I think it is? Oh, alright, we'll call XSWAT again, dammit.
Mitchell Weinrank Brogan, we need to talk, RIGHT NOW!!!
Return to Shadows Angelus II: Ten Years After