Before the war: Prior to his departure from the Department of Evolved Affairs, Vincent defined himself by his career, in which he was successful, and not by his family, in which he was less successful. He followed the law (often to the fortuitously vague letter) unless ordered to do otherwise, bent the law more often than he broke it, and utilized his knowledge of law and other people's misunderstanding of it to his advantage. He was a standout among career policemen and federal agents: being thoroughly jaded did not lure him into complacence or corruption. His ambition is what eventually got the better of him — the longer he worked within the DoEA, the more he was exposed to the darker machinations of managing the Evolved problem, and the more pressure he was under to compromise his own integrity. He was also heavily exposed to ominous visions of a dark future during this time — too persistent to ignore, despite his extreme allergy to having his strings pulled.
In November of 2010, he cracked and went to the Times with evidence of off the books (and unconstitutional) detainment of evolved prisoners the government had deemed too dangerous to let wander free, among other transgressions.
He was let go from the Department. An order was put out for his immediate arrest. He ran to the Ferry.
Being labeled a fugitive from justice as hard on him. He fell in (reluctant) step with Ferrymen operatives he’d previously worked with, and continued to cooperate with them to his own ends, making minimal use of their resources and personnel as needed to continue what he’d started. He was not widely loved or trusted within their organization. The feeling was mutual, but between Benji nudging him in the right direction and the government going full retard, Vincent made the leap to open rebellion.
The political climate rapidly went from bad to worse on into 2011, until Pollepel fell. Vincent was caught up in an ambush that saw his daughter take a bullet to the skull, and used his ability to make the 400 mile trek to Montreal with her in his arms.
He still has regular nightmares about it.
During: As the government ramped up its aggression, so did he, at the cost of certain cornerstones of ethical conduct he’d previously prided himself on maintaining.
War is war.
His name, prior station, informants, contacts and operational experience made him a natural go-to for collecting intelligence and organizing surgical strikes on priority targets within Mitchell’s government and war machine. He liasoned with (and often deferred to) friendly military tacticians and political powers with regard to organizing assaults and where to keep the pressure on, particularly early on. Learning on the job.
He did this for two years, sometimes caught up in the thick of the fighting himself, and has blood on his hands to show for it. He was very likely covertly involved in some unusual murders — including the unsuccessful attempt made on Mitchell — wherein only pieces and parts were found, if anything was found at all. If he had a had a hand in disarming launched nukes, it was likely as a coordinator making calls from the ground.
He never condoned torture, suicide bombing, or taking action likely to result in civilian casualties on either side. He fought for country more than for any uniquely evolved cause — he’s always been a patriot first and foremost.
He mostly kept to the east coast, but followed flashpoints and moved on the fly if he could do more or was needed elsewhere, maintaining close contact with the Praegers. During this time he also maintained regular contact with his daughter Tasha, and coordinated with surviving allies from the Ferry, including people he hadn’t previously gotten on well with (Lynette, Ryans, etc). He’d have kept as close to friendly government contacts as he could without putting them in danger — I’m not sure what Jane, Lancaster et al got up to, but they’re all important to him and he’d have as much of a stake in protecting them as he would working with them, which might have led to lapses in contact.
After: After the war ended, he continued to provide intelligence throughout the war crimes tribunal and the trials that followed, both to the tribunal itself and to Praeger. Given givens, he was involved with cutting deals with small fry allies of the Company and the Institute under the table to have them testify against others.
This role evolved into a more formal assignment under Praeger’s administration after Raymond was sworn into office. Initially, in the months immediately following the end of the war, Vincent was brought back into the government fold as an agent of the Secret Service, officially as the leader of Praeger’s security detail, and unofficially as an all go-between, henchman and solver of problems.
He was appointed (and confirmed) as the Secretary of Homeland Security for Praeger’s administration in late 2014, and continued to play a role in the investigation and detainment of war criminals who collaborated with and served under Mitchell and his allies. He has worked closely with (and continues to work with) the Office of Special Investigations to that end.
In addition to working with other governmental departments and offices, Lazzaro has worked fairly extensively with paramility and special interest groups like Wolfhound with the goal of having wanted war criminals and terrorists stopped, tried in a court of law and sentenced, rather than having them black ops murdered, lynched in the streets, or otherwise made a spectacle of. His personal connections with members of Wolfhound, former Ferrymen and other like-minded associates combined with the somewhat faster-and-looser nature of his authority in the post-civil-war United States have led to him taking a very hands-on approach.
He should have a reputation with these groups for looking the other way and being tolerant of some pretty shady shit, but with very clear (and potentially painful in the ass) boundaries where due process is concerned. He will also be very accessible to former allies and friends — willing to meet, to talk, and to wheel and deal.
His primary goal has been to re-establish law and order from sea to shining sea, and for people to have faith in their government, and it’s hard to have either when people are taking justice into their own hands willy nilly.
Present day, he has a home in Kansas City he doesn't spend much time in, and an apartment in New York, because that's where the RP (and I assume a lot of the terrorist round-up activity) is based out of. He travels often and confronts issues personally, proactively, and potentially dangerously.
