Reed is a secondary antagonist in Fractured Echoes, serving as the volatile, hands on muscle for the main villain, Ramses. He is characterized by his quick temper, desperation, and readiness to engage in violence to protect what he believes is his.
Reed is immediately established as a dangerous and unhinged agent who lacks the controlled corporate veneer of Ramses.
A Brute with a Temper: He is described with his “bleach blond hair” and is prone to explosions of emotion, particularly rage. His anger is a major liability for Ramses, who frequently has to “calm Reed’s rage” and manage the messy consequences of his actions.
The Unstable Henchman: He is the one who carries out the physical acts of violence and intimidation on behalf of “The Club.” He attempts to murder Shatner, and he kills Don in the new timeline.
A Family Man (in the new reality): In the timeline Ramses creates, Reed is given a privileged life, which includes a wife and family, something he desperately wants to keep. This domesticity makes his violence all the more shocking, as he murders without hesitation to preserve his comfortable existence.
Reed is motivated by fear of loss and the desire to secure the new, better life he was given when the timeline shifted. This motivation is purely self serving and immediate.
Fearful and Desperate: Reed’s actions are driven by the fear of losing his family. This fear translates into extreme, desperate aggression aimed at eliminating anyone who might restore the original, less favorable timeline.
A Lack of Moral Center: Unlike Shatner, who agonizes over moral compromises, Reed appears to have no moral constraints. He is willing to commit murder (killing Don) and attempt to kill his former colleague (Shatner) to maintain his life.
Easily Manipulated: He serves as Ramses’s instrument because he is easily bought and controlled. Ramses appeals directly to Reed’s desire for a secured future and uses the threat of losing that future to ensure his compliance.
Reed’s challenges are mainly external, he is constantly fighting against the restoration of the original reality, which he knows will cost him everything.
The Threat of the Original Timeline: The existence of Shatner and Sera, who remember the timeline before the shift, poses an existential threat to Reed’s family. His primary challenge is eliminating these anomalies.
Maintaining Control: His temper is a constant problem. He struggles to maintain control over his emotions, leading to impulsive, violent acts that require Ramses to intervene and clean up.
Hiding the Truth: Reed is instrumental in the cover up of Don’s death and the truth about Ramses’s manipulation of the Map Updates. He must continuously work to obscure the evidence of his crimes and maintain the illusion of a functioning Time Retrieval Center.
