Tom Paxton

This article is non-canon.

This article covers a subject that has been deemed non-canon by either the author or the Prison Break licensees, and thus should not be taken as a part of the "real" Prison Break universe.

Thomas "Tom" Paxton is a Secret Service agent, former US military, and a Company operative sent into Fox River State Penitentiary, in order to investigate about Michael Scofield. He is the playable character of Prison Break - The Conspiracy (Game). His back number is 133709 and his cell number is 44. However agent Richardson and Bates told him that Turk worked for Jack Mannix to kill him and Burrows. Later on a new mission by Aldo Burrows, he was told to save Michael and Lincoln. Paxton eventually helped the brother's to escape and now is on the run.

Family

Tom Paxton's father - Father
Tom Paxton's mother - Mother
Ex-girlfriend - Ex-girlfriend
Daughter - Daughter

Biography

Background

Little is known about Tom's childhood. According to his military files, his father was a former Secret Service agent but become an agent of The Company and his mother was killed in a bank robbery when he was just a child. Tom himself was an only child and he grew up with a very assertive father and gave him a very specific view of the world. His only friend and the only man he considered like a father-figured was his uncle Aldo Burrows who helped him to get out of his difficulties when he was adolescent.

In his adult-hood Tom joined the US military (eventually joining a special operation force unit either in the US Army) in the 75th Ranger Regiment (probably the 2nd Battalion), and eventually fought in the First Gulf War where he may have been encountered Captain Paul Kellerman, and years later was stationed in Burma for three years where he had a short and close relationship with a local woman. When their relationship was pushed too serious he brutally broke up with her. However, by this time, his girlfriend was pregnant with Tom's daughter and so Tom sends money to them every month.

Paxton's ambition drove him to continue his military career at West Point Military Academy, where he graduated with honors and the grade of Captain. Like his father in the past, Tom was recruited by the same group who recruited his father - "The Company". Tom was very attracted by the Company's goals, the action, the lack of pencil-pushing and the all-day non-routine.

Tom climbed very quickly up the hierarchy ladder, and given an increasing amount of responsibilities: his patriotic heart combined with his extreme efficiency makes him one of the deadliest and better operatives of The Company. Two years before the event of the Fox River, Paxton's father was killed while he was on an deep undercover assignment for The Company.

Prison Break - The Conspiracy

A few days after Michael Scofield's conviction after a bank robbery, Tom, now a Special Agent from the Secret Service (in factan undercover job in order to hide his allegiance to the Company) is summoned by Agent Jack Mannix, a senior Company executive and Tom's superior, to the FBI office in Chicago.

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Tom Paxton is given his new Company assignement by Jack Mannix

The FBI and the Secret Service had both discovered that Scofield, a young and successful structural engineer, was convicted in the same prison as Lincoln Burrows, but the problem is that they are brothers. Agent Mannix orders Tom to infiltrate the Fox River State Penitentiary and investigate Scofield's activities about his brother. Tom always keep a dictaphone to record his feelings and cover his back during his mission in Fox River.

Few times later Paxton is judged, convicted for an unknown time into Fox River, he is send in the prison in the same bus as Michael Scofield and make a first contact with him, he then meet Captain Bellick and after a confrontation with inmate Avocado is assigned the cell 44.

Paxton first meeting with Scofield

At the time of yard he began to observe the prison and his structure. Just before entering in the yard he sets up inmate T-Bag in order to send him into the SHU and encounter convict C-Note who congratulates him about his fight with Bagwell and introduces him to Underground fights organisator: Jeremiah King,

Paxton sneaks in into the Boiler room to find meds to Jeremiah's fighters and paying C-Note debt. He realized that only the cahs worked inside the prison.After that he's accepted into King's underground club, he heard a conversation between Scofield and Burrows: Scofield wants to break him out! Paxton decides to report it to Mannix and advise him about enteingr into PI in order to being close of Burrows. He met Charles Westmoreland who told him to talk to John Abruzzi, the mob boss who led the PI in the joint, he tryied to approaches him but only witness a fight between him and Scofield who came to ask him the same thing. In the block A, Tom Paxton approaches Abruzzi and ask the same as Scofield by taking in PI, After doing a favor for Abruzzi: spying on an Abruzzi's goon who's rating him out, Teets, to the C.O. and proving that he's rating him out he accept him into the PI.

Tom Paxton in his cell just like other prisoners

Paxton quickly adapted to the prison life and remained under Bellick's radar for a while. Soon enough Paxton see that something is brewing, the black inmate and white gonna fights against each other very soon. During his way through the yard Tom is warned by Trumpets that the riot will be very bloody and he witnessed C-Note threaten Scofield to not give him his PUGNAC because having a conversation with T-Bag. Paxton quickly realise that Scofield is doing something about the infirmary, he then sneaks into the infirmary and find Scofield's file: he's tricking his diabete. The break out must be end in the infirmary. Paxton quickly report to FBI agent Jack Mannix the situation. But the telephone call is interrupted by C-Note and his two bodyguards: he needs Tom to find some PUGNAC into the Asylum in exchange he will protect him from T-Bag wrath during the riot. After finding a lockpick with doing a favor to Abruzzi Paxton recovers the PUGNAC and start an alert inside the Asylum block in order to cover his back. Unfortunately an infirmary give him a shot in the stomach and it's a druges Paxton who leave the Asylum. Half knocked out, Paxton is find by Westmoreland and C-Note who take him into Block A and promise him a close protection. The riot start and after confronting some T-Bag's gang members, Paxton is knocking uncounscious by flashbang.

Paxton anticipates the maintenance men to retrieve C-Note's meds in the Boiler Room

During the riot Scofield and fellow inmate Sucre argued about Scofield break out plan and now he's moving into Paxton's cell and this last tryied to pump him some information about Scofield. Sucre advises Tom to talk during the PI time but at this moment Captain Bellick taunts Sucre about the fact that the new cell mate of Scofield is Haywire. Once again Paxton do business with mob boss John Abruzzi if Paxton poisonned Patoshik's meds he will have a meet with Scofield. Paxton is successful in his mission and report to Abruzzi and gain his meeting with Scofield. Paxton is hard on the talking and said directly to Michael Scofield that he knows about the escape and he wants to be on it, Michael completely denies before being interrupted by Lincoln and Abruzzi he then report to Mannix who tells him to let Burrows dye on the chair and not in a riot, he's conduct by Geary into the laundry. Where Teets, the rat, is waiting for him: the two engage a fight but the CO beaten up Paxton severely and send him to the infirmary. On the way to the Sick Bay he found Haywire drawings about Scofield's tattoo he realises that this is his escaping plan and during the night sneak into the asylum to reocver all the drawing but on the way back an general aler is sounded: Michael Scofield is no more in his cell. Paxton saw him on the roof of the prison and thinks it was just to see the way where the police arrive (English, Fitz and Percy Streets).

The next day, Scofield start a riot in all the joint by sabotaging the ventilation of the prison, Sara Tancredi is cornered by inmates and several C.O are beaten up by inmates. Paxton is now sure that the brothers are escaping and he works his way through the Block A. After a fight with an inmate who ends up through a window and a new encounter with Teets. Paxton managed to join the SHU where Burrows is located and found Westmoreland and a knocked Lincoln behind a railing. Tom try to join them but witness Sucre and Abruzzi digging in the wall,Paxton arrived in time to see a body builded Turk advising Burrows to following him to find Scofield. Inmate Paxton chased the both through the boiler room and witness Turk trying to strangling Lincoln Burrows and finally fall from a ledge, Tom fight his way through the boiler room (killing fellow prisoner Johnny) and go inspecting Turk's body and ofund out a paper who said: KILL BURROWS AND PAXTON. An shocked Paxton continue his unsuccessful chase of Burrows who only ends up with Paxton's arrest and sends to the SHU for the murder of Teets.

Paxton is recovering Teets's letter in a acrobatic figure

During his time in the SHU, Paxton decides to found out who send Turk to kill him and is release under Abruzzi's request. He then asked Abruzzi to doing him a favor: finding who sent Turk in Fox River in exchange for some favor. This conversation attract Lincoln'suspicion on Paxton. Abruzzi finds nothing about Turk, a ghost, claiming that two of his associates has been clubbed like baby seals just for having asked. Paxton deliver him the phone record and Abruzzi promise to analyse him and talk to him later: few hours after Paxton is summoned by Abruzzi in the boiler room. He reveals him that he find out that Paxton is an undercover agent claiming: years ago he knows Jack Mannix who was under his payroll and sell him out. Abruzzi ordered his goons to kill Paxton but this last managed to defend himself but lost his PI card. While he's fighting for his life two mysterious Departement of Correction agents (Agent Bates and Agent Richardson) come to investigate the prison. The two are, in fact, Company operative who came interrogate Paxton about his mission and asked him why Burrows he's still alive, claiming that Agent Mannix have send Turk to help him, Richardson threatens Paxton and leave. Tom Paxton now realize that he have been set up by Mannix since the beginning of his mission.

Paxton analyzing Scofield's escape plan

Paxton is now determined to kill Burrows and taking care of Mannix when he will come back in The Company business but Bellick tells him that he has a visitor from a FBI who's waiting for him. This visitor is in fact Aldo Burrows (Tom's fatherlike figure, his mentor and a rogue executive from the Company) who came to asked him help: his son Lincoln has been frame only in the order to make Aldo out of hiding after his betrayal (Tom was unaware of this fact). Paxton denies and says that doing anything else than killed Lincoln would signed his death warrant but Aldo told him that he's already signed: he's "expendable" and Mannix is sent here to kill both Paxton and Lincoln. Paxton finally accept but at one condition: Aldo erase all his Company files (his birth, his time in the special forces, his status in the Secret Service) and he will help the brothers breaking out. Now Special Agent Tom Paxton is no more an operative from The Company, to prove his allegiance to Aldo he went find out the blueprint of the prison and delivered it to Aldo.

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Mannix fighting Paxton on the Penitentiary's roof

Days later Paxton has learned that Scofield is in the Asylum and that's Geary gonna sell his cell to the inmates, thinking about stealing an C.O. inmate (it will be useful during a manhunt) rogue operative Tom Paxton stole 500 bucks that he had won in a fight against Bellick in order to buy the cell to Geary and hours after created a laundry card and stole a Guard uniform which he disposes into the sewers. He then moves with Fernando Sucre in the cell 40 and during the night both, separetally, passed the hole behind the toilets. Paxton wants to erase his prison's files in order to become a "ghost in the system" and make him difficult to track even by the Company. The day tomorrow Westmoreland pass him a message from Aldo Burrows who tell him that he's clear at the outside, but an event caught his attention: Abruzzi and Mannix are back in Fox River State Penitentiary and Paxton understand that Mannix gonna kill Burrows he must try to prevent him from an assassination attempt. He follows Mannix and Jones and discover that the Company had Lucy Jones in hostage, Tom works his way to the SHU just in time to see Mannix trying to kill Lincoln the two engage in a violent fight (and Mannix stole Paxton's dictaphone) but is interrupted by two C.O who come to send Burrows into infirmary. Before escaping from the SHU, Lincoln Burrows tell Paxton that he knows that he's on his side and that Mannix musn't getting away. But unfortunately Mannix lose Paxton in the sewers.

Paxton is kicking out Trumpets

It's the time of the breaking out, back in the Block A, Paxton see the future Fox River Seven passing the hole behind the toilets. He decides to follow them but finds Trumpets in Michael's cell, Paxton knocks him out with the toilets and follow the escapees.

Paxton recovering the dictaphone on Mannix's body

But he's not the only one: Jack Mannix is determined to achieved is mission: kill Lincoln Burrows. Paxton disguised himself as a C.O. and pursue Mannix on the roof. The two have word exchanges (Paxton angrily tell him that all this plot had nothing to do about National Security it was just a plan to make Aldo out of hiding and engages a fight on the roof while the prisoners are escaping.

Spotted by a C.O. an general alert is sounded and a helicopter is flying about Paxton's fight with Mannix. Tom nearly knock Mannix out while taunting him about "having all the card", at the border of the roof Mannix is shot dead by a sniper from the state police. Paxton recover his dictaphone and leaves the prison.

Prison-Break The Conspiracy Mannix Paxton

Tom Paxton escape while the police has been searching for the Fox River Seven

Personality and traits

Paxton can be considered as a very partriotic man (if not misguided) who will be able to give his own life for his country (all Secret Service agents are modeled to give life to their country) it's proved by the fact that he enlisted within the Army and later joined The Company, he's a very ambitious man: he graduated from the famous West Point Military Academy and later joined in the Secret Service. He has an extreme loyalty to the US and the Company but this last can be questioned by the fact that he has known rogue Company executive Aldo Burrows for a longtime and the two had a Father-Son relationship. He appeared to be a stoic man and always keep his cold blood in the most stressful situation, this due to his past in the military and by the fact that he may have been involved in the Gulf War, he's a persevering man he will complete his objective by any means necessary, even when he learned that he had been trapped by his superior Jack Mannix, he's determined to kill Lincoln Burrows before confronting Mannix. Although he's not particularly embarrassed by the Company's action he will questioned himself and Company's goals after Aldo's visit. He appeared that he can be a very altruist man, sending money to his ex-girlfriend and his no wanted daughter and ensuring that they doesn't need anything although he's said of having a lack of compassion with his ennemies explaining why he's one of the top Company operative.

A tall, very muscular and very strong man he's a very skilled combattant and can be even seen as strong as Lincoln Burrows: able to taking down many combattant in same time (as seen during the Big Riot) and can disarmed another fighter without really problem. His fighting style came from his time in the commandos, he has the capacity of sneaking silently in high security zone another skills that he take on from his time in the Army Special Forces. During his mission he killed only 3 people and always in self-defense even expressing regrets sometimes (after Johnny's death stating that "I hadn't much choice").

Characters killed by Tom Paxton

This is a list of characters killed by Tom Paxton

Main article: Tom Paxton/Kills

Appearances

Trivia

Paxton looks like in his early 30's.

Turk does look a lot like Tom Paxton

He seems to be highly intelligent as he understand at first sight that PUGNAc is diabeth regulator and, in possession of Scofield's tattoos drawing, the plan of the whole prison.
It's implied by his strength that he's former Army special forces.
As he attended West Point he may have retired from militart with an OF-2 (Captain or Lieutenant junior grade) or OF-3 (Major or Lieutenant Commander) grade.
It's possible that he had served during the Gulf War.
Kellerman and Paxton may known each other since the Gulf War as both of them had served in the military (probably in a different branch), attended West Point Academy and became secret service agents.
He knew Company traitor's Aldo Burrows since his childhood and have considered him as a father for a while.
He seems to be working often undercover as suggested by Mannix.
He always have a dictaphone on him in order to let a trace behind him if he dies during his mission.
He's a very skilled combattant, due to his special forces background, and can beating up easily one, or more, man
As his father he's a secret service agent and a Company operative.
Tom Paxton has many things the same as the man he need to kill, Lincoln Burrows. Both men were brought to Fox River to die, both men are betrayed by the Company, both men were in prison for killing "someone", both men could have been killed by Jack Mannix.
During the big riot Paxton was targeted by a bunch of inmates.
Paxton may have killed many men in his life, as a Company assassin and a former soldier, but he seems "uncomfortable" with killing (however he shows no regret): when he broke the neck of inmate Johnny, he claimed that he "hadn't much choice" or kill only in self-defense when Teets tried to hanged him to a ledge he hanged him in return and to protect his own life.
The uniform that Paxton stole inside the prison laundry his entitled with his own name: THOMAS.
The fact that Paxton is wearing a C.O. uniform is a reference of the way that Scofield is wearing a C.O. uniform during the break out night.
Tom Paxton could also refer to a known American-folkssinger, Tom Paxton.
Curiously even if Mannix had betrayed him it's not Paxton who killed him directly. However Paxton did attack him, and possibly because of that, that did lead to Jack Mannix's death. So both Paxton and Harris killed actually Mannix.
It's never said precisely if Paxton was in Army, Navy or Marines.
Due to his combat style and his ability of sneaking very silently in the shadows it's suggested that Paxton may have been in the Navy Seals or in Force Recon.
Furthermore it can be determined that Paxton was a Navy Seals: contrary to Paul Kellerman who had the military haircut due to his Ranger past, Paxton still have a "normal" haircut and the Navy Seals doesn't obliged their operators to have a short haircut. And the Navy Seals are learned to move silently like Paxton.
Before Paxton was sent to Fox River, Paxton already had a thought that Mannix had something to do with it.^[1]^[2]
Paxton and Moore are the only characters who appeared in all the chapters.
Tom Paxton is on the run and doesn't exist anymore in any record.
The character Turk from the show and from the Conspiracy does both look a lot like Tom Paxton.
Tom Paxton was supposed to die a few times in the game: when he was supposed to be killed by Turk (which failed, because Turk died), when Teets tried to kill him with a chain, when an Unidentified Fox River Inmate with knife used a knife to kill him, when an Corrections Officer did shot at Paxton during the Big Riot, when Jack Mannix was on the roof and tried to kill him, when Johnny cut off the electricity and did put it in water, and when John Abruzzi used Bobbo and the rest of John Abruzzi's gang to kill him.
- Turk, Teets, Johnny and Jack Mannix did die, Abruzzi survived and the status from the Fox River Inmate with knife is unknown.
  - Turk was killed by Lincoln Burrows, Teets, Johnny and Jack Mannix were killed by Tom Paxton, however Mannix was also shot by agent Harris.
Paxton was actually not a Fox River Corrections Officer, however Officer Harris did believe this.
Paxton killed the most people in the game with 4.
Paxton along with canon-characters Mahone, Sammy and T-Bag have killed characters and did broke their neck.
Paxton's way in joining the gang from John Abruzzi appears to be the way the Company was aware of Nick Savrinn working for Abruzzi. This is because Nick could have visited Abruzzi off-screen in Fox River and Paxton was aware of him, because he was a part of the gang. This is a plausible theory. However, the Game appears to be non-canon.

Notes and references

[1] Chapter 1: Solve the Mystery

[2] Chapter 1

[1]

[2]