Maqi Imam

"Let us help you. Just because you're the oldest doesn't mean you can do everything... you and I made a promise all those years ago, remember? That we'd always help any family in need. Well, let me honor it. -Maqi, to Arusa."Maqi is the second-in-command of the Survivor's Pack, a deuteragonist of the second series, and the husband of Esther Cohen.

Biography
Maqi has been very scarce on details of his life before he was taken by the Facility. He is known to have originated from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and to have come to England to study for a doctorate. At some point he was shot several times in the chest and left for dead; when a Facility member offered to help him, he agreed to their demands out of desperation and spent the next several years of his life as a lab rat and test dummy for the scientists there.

At some point, the Facility began pitting several of the stronger captives against each other to test their resilience and the effects the alterations had on their physical strength. During these trials, Maqi ended up taking a bad cut across his left eye, his eye just barely being saved.

When Arusa broke out of her cell, Maqi was one of the few escapees to follow her instead of dispersing. When the Fire caught up to the victims, Maqi used himself to shield two of the younger survivors, gaining third-degree burns from the heat. He had to be dragged the rest of the way due to passing out from smoke inhalation, and the group nursed their wounds for as little time as possible before running.

The survivors of the Facility trudged into the woods, hiding in small caves or hills while nursing infected burns. They were eventually found and brought back to Nmon Lau, where they were hospitalized for several months due to injury, and later on intense mental instability. As they recovered, the eight banded together and formed an informal group called the Pack, each picking a new name for themselves after Arusa, who had chosen her name shortly after being brought in by the Facility. Maqi states that he can't remember where he got his name from, only that it "felt right".

Maqi aided Arusa and the Queens in hunting down the remnants of the Facility. He was more reserved in his hunting than his leader, going for a clean kill instead of toying with his prey. The sole exception to this was a victim he found who was willingly working with an escaped scientist to try and recreate the experiments- Maqi was described as having "butchered" the two, before setting their base on fire. He was furious at Arusa for sparing Vessir, only relenting after she told Maqi how Vessir had helped to save her daughter.

As the hunt was coming to an end, Arusa set Maqi up with a stable job in a small bakery in Nmon Lau, along with a private apartment and a therapy dog. Maqi spent the next year or so adjusting to civilian life, only ever interacting with his fellow Pack members and his coworkers.

Maqi met Esther when she rescued him from a gang of anti-immigrant thugs. While Maqi was more than capable of rescuing himself, Esther rushed in with a pocket knife, wounding two and scaring off the third. Maqi escorted her to the local urgent care center after calling a city guard to arrest and treat the two injured men, and stayed with her through the night. While she was recovering, the two talked about various topics, finding that they both liked mystery novels and MMORPGs, and that they both preferred quiet affection and open conversations. The two exchanged numbers, and they became very close very quickly. The other members of the Pack were ecstatic at the idea that Maqi had found someone he was close to, and both Arusa and Veria encouraged him to grow closer to her. No one was surprised when the two married within a year.

When Taerlyn and Arusa began dating, Maqi approved greatly, and both he and Esther encouraged Arusa to take it further with Taerlyn. After Taerlyn went missing, Maqi served as emotional support for Arusa, and when Arusa went to fight on the frontlines he and Esther watched over Andy. After Taerlyn's rescue and moving in with Arusa, Esther and Maqi returned to their apartment in Nmon Lau.

Personality
Maqi is even-tempered, showing patience and quiet calm in contrast to Arusa's avoidance of stressful topics. He is the one who other Pack members go to when Arusa is unavailable and is her official Second-in-Command. While many people assume that Maqi is the leader of the Pack, he finds such suggestions uncomfortable and prefers to follow Arusa instead of striking out on his own path.

Maqi serves as a pillar for the other members of the Pack, being calm and compassionate without being overly empathetic. However, he also has a tendency to bottle everything up, viewing his own weakness as something to be buried and killed. This has earned him quite a bit of derision from those close to him, like Veria and the queens.

Maqi has very little ambition in life, seemingly bending to whatever makes his family and friends happy. One thing that he does seem to enjoy, however, is metalworking, specifically blacksmithing. The local forge has given him free rein to use the equipment whenever he wants so long as he cleans up after himself, something that helps him relax when he's too pent-up or anxious. Everyone he's close to has received at least one knife from this hobby, with his wife receiving a new one every few months.

The Pack
Maqi is highly respected by the rest of the Pack, and he in turn will do anything to protect them. The younger members seem surprised that he hasn't taken the reins of leader, but they respected him regardless.

Arusa
Maqi values his leader's guidance, even though she rarely believes in herself. Whenever a decision regarding the Pack comes up, he defers to her, though she usually involves everyone in the process in order to make sure the decision is balanced. Once Arusa becomes more capable, she begins to be the leader that Maqi saw in her from the beginning, fair and protective and balanced. During the few times where Maqi has cracked and showed weakness, Arusa dropped any inhibitions she might have had and immediately became someone for him to rely on, which plays a large part in his unwavering confidence in her.

Taerlyn
Maqi thinks well enough of the young woman, knowing that her presence was enough to pull Arusa out of her shell. He respects her combat prowess, and while the two often butt heads on rather mundane subjects, they know they can rely on each other in a pinch.