Michael Pike

Michael Pike is a character role-played by Cascadian_gaming.

General Description
Michael Pike is a Corporal for the Senora Desert Sheriff's Office, Badge #988.

Background
Michael Pike was born in 1985 to a part-time construction worker (Dean) and a bank teller (Birdie) living in Sandy Shores. Construction was Dean’s day job, but at night he was a small-time, local distributor of weed, cocaine, and heroin. Unfortunately for Dean, he frequently broke the first rule of narcotics distribution: don’t get high off your own supply. Because of this he was constantly in debt and Michael grew up quite poor.

Because of the family’s poverty he was often left alone starting at a very young age, lacking both supervision and the means to feed himself. Coupled with his parents’ nightly drug or alcohol-fueled arguments, hunger and fear were Michael’s constant companions growing up. At the age of 12, Michael’s father was involved in a DUI accident while transporting a large amount of drugs and was sent to prison for 30 years. This exacerbated the financial situation for his mother, forcing her to take a second job and essentially leaving Michael to raise himself.

To escape the situation, he left home immediately after graduating high school and joined the US Army. He was trained as an intelligence analyst, served two enlistments, and deployed to Iraq twice. Michael attended Officer Candidate School and commissioned as a second lieutenant after earning a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. After a third and final deployment he separated from the Army as a Captain.

He worked for various contracting agencies for the next five years, until his mother came down with breast cancer. He returned to Sandy Shores to care for her until she succumbed to her illness late in 2020. Following this, he moved south into Los Santos proper for a fresh start at life.

Personality
Pike is generally quiet and reserved in his demeanor. Because of the various difficulties he's experienced in his life he tries hard to be empathetic towards others and their problems and will often overlook minor infractions as to not exacerbate their situation. His time in the Army drilled in a respect for authority and the chain of command and he will rarely talk back to superiors, preferring to remain silent than further aggravate them even if they are in the wrong.

Despite his efforts to remain calm and level-headed, when pushed too far his anger will bubble to the surface. Under extreme stress, Pike's rage will come out all at once as his mental barriers break down. Long periods of sleep depravation will also cause Pike to become irrational and violently angry.