Consider Tad Lewis, One of My Original Characters
Who is Tad Lewis?
Tad—er, Thaddeus—Lewis sprang forth almost fully formed when I first thought of him. Josie would need someone who could shoot. She would also need someone who could afford her some physical protection. Enter Tad.
Where Did Thaddeus Lewis Come From?
Now, for the Time Addicts universe to work, the people who work for the OIA-DTN have to be excellent at whatever they do. Hence I could see an immediate need for a sharpshooter. That is, Tad has to be able to shoot the hairs off a flea that’s a city block away—more or less.
I also wanted for him to be into guns but not obsessive. So, he’s not going to throw a tantrum if one is taken away for any reason. Rather, it’s subtle things, like changing the drawer pulls on his desk to little pistols.
Since he enjoys history, he understands older, historical weaponry. This includes the Glock Canadian, a gun which has almost become an Easter egg in my stories.
The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Tad Lewis
Tad gives some of his backstory when he says: “I’m a sharpshooter. I worked in the security detail for Chief Governor Xiang. No ranks—but I did get to ride in the official tri-phib.”
So, he’s a little silly at times. But he’s got serious shooting chops. And, the reader learns later, he’s good about making friends with the people who he works with. Tad is, in some ways, a little like a traditional networker.
Description
He’s about 30 or so. He was born in the Columbus-Chicago Meg. Tad lives in a three-decker brownstone in Allston and was an Eagle Scout.
So, the main actor I see for him is Armie Hammer. Now, this is not a testament to the real actor’s character. It’s just a reference and nothing more.
Purpose/Theme/Motivation
Beyond simply protecting Josie or being her partner, his motivation is to protect what he can remember of the original timeline. But he’s got holes in his memory.
Because he trusts Josie implicitly, he believes her version of events. And so, even when he doesn’t really know the original timeline, he works to protect it all the same.
Quotes {Josie and Tad are working out signals for their first undercover mission}
He plucked a black tee from the middle of the stack. It said Led Zeppelin’s. “Will this work? I got it on Europa.”
“Yeah, that’ll work.”
After he’d donned the shirt, he said, “We’re going to need signals.”
“Right. Marky and I were partners for so long we just sort of knew.”
“Well, you and I don’t exactly know yet. So how about pet names?”
“Pet names?”
“You know, like sweetie, or cutie or whatever. We’re supposed to be dating.”
“Yeah, this could work. We need one for keep going, another for stop, and another for change things up. Plus, we could use a panic signal for when we really can’t do anything but get outta Dodge.”
“Ha!” He snapped his fingers. “Honey can mean yes or ‘go ahead’, because it flows.”
“Well, it flows kinda slowly.”
“I am not gonna call you water or anything.”
“So, I guess honey it is. And hey, baby can be the signal to change. Because, you know, babies need to be changed.”
“Yeah, works for me. Sweetie pie for stop or no.”
“Why that?”
“Because my mom’s pies are as thick and heavy as doorstops. But if you ever meet her, er, don’t tell her that.”
“My lips are sealed. And speaking of that,” Josie said, not finishing her sentence. Instead, she came up to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
“What was that for?”
“We’re supposed to be dating, Tad. We had to get that outta the way. Otherwise, the first kiss is really weird. And we don’t want our pals to get even an inkling that we’re only kissing for the first time.”
“Gotcha. Oh, and sugar?”
“Sugar?”
“Yeah, sugar,” he said, “That’ll mean we need to abort the mission and get the fuck outta there.”
Relationships
So, the truth is, when I was first writing Tad, I wanted people to potentially ‘ship him and Josie. And why not? They’re thrown together constantly, and often have to convince others that they’re boyfriend and girlfriend. But of course I had other plans for Josie. And then I ended up having other plans for him as well.
Tad and Josie
Even though I personally don’t see them as romantic partners, they are certainly work partners. They spend a lot of time together, and they bounce off each other well. He’s a lot more than a glorified bodyguard.
Tad and Cyndi
So, I didn’t originally see them together until I started to get into the story. And then I figured: what the hell. Yet the more I see of them together, and think of them together, the more I like this pairing.
Part of this is because both of them are, essentially, unflappable. Their experiences and their purposes are mainly on the defensive side of things.
Conflict and Turning Point
Just like with the other “good guys”, Tad comes to his turning point with the rest of the story. Despite his background and his obvious talents, he’s underestimated in some ways. But he comes through as well as he can, even when it seems as if all hope is lost.
Continuity/Easter Eggs
Tad doesn’t have any real continuity in other stories, unlike all those folks named Shapiro or Tommy.
Future Plans
Because he doesn’t show up in either the Obolonk prequel or the Time Addicts prequel, I’m not so sure there will be any future plans for him. I am so sorry, character!
Tad Lewis: Takeaways
Clearly one of the good guys, Thaddeus Lewis is someone you want on your side.
Tad Lewis — because a sensitive sharpshooter is kinda fun.
Want More of Tad and the Rest 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
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