The Anarchist

"Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." -Alfred, The Dark Knight

Very fitting words for today. There's a character who's slowly been building up in my mind as of late, a character who would like nothing more then to watch the world burn. This particular individual can be described as ruthless, sadistic, malevolent, nefarious, relentless, and vile.

No, not him.

Not him either. I'm not referring to a crazy cult member with a big ego.

No! This character's not an idiot!

Okay, slightly smarter then the last one, but like I said... not an idiot.

I said vile and malevolent, not desperate, clingy, and needing attention from paparazzi.

Okay, that's much closer, but not quite right yet....

Will you start taking this seriously?

Not him either!

Ahem!!!

Okay, now that I've got that out of the way.... it's not any of them.

One of the good things about writing in a series is laying the groundwork for future books. I've introduced the terrorist Cain Reilly that way. He'll turn up again in book three. I've also brought in my version of the Iranian President, who like his real life counterpart is a real piece of work, and down the line as I go along will continue to stir up trouble. And I'm planning on introducing a pope as the Very Bad Thing leads to a lot of Very Bad Trouble (trademark pending) in the Middle East. Unlike his real life counterpart, my fictional pope will be progressive and forward thinking. Pope Benny would find that offensive. My Pope, however, will come back again in future works.

The character who's been gradually forming in my mind as of late is an anarchist. I don't have a name, or a codename. I don't even know if this one will be a man or a woman. I think that he or she should be eastern European, perhaps Yugoslavian. It would give me an excuse to explore Croatia, which from what I've seen has an incredible beauty to it.

Anarchy continues to thrive around us. Some days ago, an anarchist group was credited with the bombings in Italy. In its classic meaning, a group that seeks the removal of any government system can be a very nasty wild card in the world that I write in. And that's the character currently in formation. He wants to watch the world burn.

Obviously I can't really fit him into Heaven & Hell, what with not even having a name or a final decision on gender as of yet. The most I can do is make reference to an act committed by the anarchist, even just a line or two. And then I can gradually develop him over time, have him appear from the shadows from time to time in future books, until I can place him into the role of primary antagonist.

One thing's for sure: I won't have to worry about writing him sympathetically.