Consider Elston Young, One of My Original Characters
Who is Elston Young?
When I first started to write Time Addicts, I needed an engineer. I already knew who the main villain was. But just who had invented the tech? Enter Elston.
Where Did Elston Young Come From?
His first name actually comes from the late baseball player, Elston Howard. But otherwise he is just a character who would be morally ambiguous. Craven and ruthless, he only has his own best interests at heart. And, really, no one else’s.
The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Elston Young
The OIA file says it best:
Elston Young: Born July 24, 2479. Start date at the OIA: April 20, 2507. First assignment: engineer in Robotics Division. Second assigned division after transfer: Department of Temporal Narcotics. Transfer date: August 17, 2522. Second assignment: chief engineer and secondary time traveler, supplementing the work of time traveler Robin Campbell McKenna.
…
Honorable OIA Discharge: September 19, 2525. Last known location and details: moved to Charon on September 29, 2525 and works as a mushroom farmer. Home address: Sarah Boone Drive, at its intersection with Sybilla Righton Masters Way. Location is an unnamed district just outside the Charonian capital, Teslaville.
She stared at the information for a moment. What the hell happened on September the nineteenth, two plus years ago? And then you moved to the outer reaches of the Solar System in ten days? What the hell are you running from? Or to?
She added a query: Locate all OIA and news events from September 19, 2525.
The answer came back a few seconds later.
Honorable OIA Discharge date for Elston Young. No other events on this date in the OIA database which match your level of security. News stories for the date in question: ‘Chief Governor Dae Ou Xiang begins trip to Haumea to meet with Tommy 2000 for the robotic contingent and They Say This is the One from the Obolonk delegation. Talks are expected to include distribution of vanadium mining leases in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud.’ Second most important news story: ‘OIA Chief Inspector Peter Ray visits burn ward on Triton.’ Third most important news story: ‘mushroom futures rise as demand increases for luxury dishes on Tethys.’
Description
I love the idea of making him an older guy who should have known better. But at the same time, he would be formal, with European-style manners. As a result, I am going with Christoph Waltz for his look.
Because I pair him with Robin McKenna, they’ve got an obvious age difference. So in a way, you can see why she might want to throw him over for someone else.
Purpose/Theme/Motivation
So, his original purpose coincides with the other members of the cabal—he wants power. But he at least knows when to quit.
Or, at least, to be satisfied with what he’s got.
Robin? Not so much.
But when she throws him over, he loses his clout with her. Because he’s a smart guy, he can see the writing on the wall.
Quotes {Josie has just gotten a tattoo from Elston to help her with time travel}
“I know the first time you and I met, that you believed I had had a relationship with Robin McKenna. You were right, of course—at the time. But things have changed.”
“The bloom is off the rose, I take it?”
“In a manner of speaking. It doesn’t help when someone you love takes up with an intimate colleague. You still need to see them, and all that.”
“Wait, I don’t think the timeline’s right. When I first saw you, I had already gotten an encrypted message.”
“Yes, you had. It wasn’t just the end of our relationship which convinced me to change my mind. But I needed—and still do, I might add—legal and rather real physical protections. I could plant the seed in your group and then eventually the dice would roll the way I want, and I would be free of the Yester Gang.”
“Why would you ever want to leave them? I would think you’d be sitting pretty.” She touched the bandage, and her wrist felt like it was burning. “Ow!”
“Now, will you listen to me and not touch the bandage? So, in answer to your question, it was all about power, to start. But you see, Robin has a rather deep and strong prejudice against the Obolonk race. Garnering and holding onto power stopped being good enough for her. She wanted to eliminate the Obolonks as well. Understand, my memory, and my own comprehension come from the current timeline. But I still know that the destruction of the Obolonk race was not in the original scheme. She was splitting her focus.”
“Power for both of you, and, er, this intimate colleague?”
“Not just for us. But Peter Ray was a particularly good find. He can be the face of everything. One of the faces, that is.”
“I don’t remember him originally being in charge of the OIA.”
“That’s because he wasn’t.”
Relationships
Like other members of the cabal, Elston has a relationship of some sort with all of them. But his closest relationship is with the villainess herself, Robin McKenna.
Elston and Robin
I didn’t originally intend for there to be a ‘love rhombus’ in the gang. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.
And so, she starts off as his lover. But then she changes her mind…
Because he’s humiliated and he still has to work with her, he gets an idea about how to turn the situation to his own, personal advantage.
But this crafty silver fox will go down swinging. However, if necessary, he will take everyone else with him.
Conflict and Turning Point
He has a few. One is when he gives Josie the tattoo. Now, he is far from being a good person. So, when he chooses to help her, it’s not out of the goodness of his own heart. Instead, it’s for his own personal advancement and safety—and nothing more.
Continuity/Easter Eggs
There is no continuity between him and other storylines.
Future Plans
He did not show up in the Time Addicts prequel, and he can’t show up in the Obolonks prequel (wrong time period). So, unless something big changes, I won’t be exploring his particular story any further.
Elston Young: Takeaways
Morally gray as much as he’s gray around the temples, Elston Young adds a dash of enigma to Time Addicts. Can he be trusted?
Only if it suits him.
Elston Young — because craven bad guys are never really repentant….
Want More of the Obolonk Universe?
If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks.
Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders
Humans
Robots
Obolonks
† TSTITO
Character Reviews: Time Addicts
The Good Guys
• Josie James
† Carmen D’Angelo, MD
• Dalton Farouk
† Tad Lewis
• Cyndi Mendez
† Bobby Brodie
• Keisha Darnell
† Vera Travers
The Bad Guys
• Peter Ray
† Dae Ou Xiang
• Elston Young
† Corwin Zachary
Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy
• The Obolonk Murders
† Self-Review: The Polymer Beat
• The Badge of Humanity
Self-Reviews: Time Addicts Trilogy
† No One is Safe
• Nothing is Permanent
† Everything is up for Grabs