Poe is a hunter of the Avenger Creed.
Overview[]
Poe is not a good man. He was imbued in a Belgian maximum-security prison, where he was serving terms for smuggling, assault, mayhem and second-degree murder. He suffered the wake-up in the prison yard, along with arsonist, a burglar/rapist, two prison guards - and the warden.
The dynamics among the six remain complex, to say the least. The guards and warden were used to seeing the convicts as the enemy - ruthless thugs who had to be kept in line. Now, they are presented with a new enemy, against whose inhuman measure mere criminals are saintly.
All six degree that something has to be down about the things. Poe and his colleagues certainly have the skills. Furthermore, with a little collusion from the warden and the guards, the convicts have the perfect alibi to conduct the hint without suspicion.
Poe has no delusions about his circumstances. He knows the warden views him as an expendable pawn in a chess match against the forces of Hell. Whenever he is snuck out of prison for a "mission," he knows the guards watch him closely, and he knows they'll kill him if he tries to escape. But every mission he undertakes is a chance to breathe free, to sleep and rise when he wants, to eat food and to shower in private. It's a chance to live, and that's good enough for Poe.
On his most recent and most dangerous mission - erasing a NATO strategist - Poe had the opportunity to leave one of his fellow hunters to die. Specifically, he could have abandoned one of the guards, a loutish fellow named Henri. For some reason, Poe saved the man - even though abandoning Henri could well have given him a chance to escape.
Poe's not sure what happened. Part of him thinks it was a simple convict reflex, to get the guard on his side. Other times, he suspects the same force that imbued him guided his actions in that instance. But it's just barely possible that Poe has uncovered a long-hidden vein of decency.
References[]
- HTR: Hunter Book: Avenger, p. 94
- HTR: Hunter Book: Judge, p. 95