Safeguard
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Safeguard is a masked crime fighter known to patrol some of the more troubled boroughs of Millennium City. Having little more than her costume, a mask, and a small array of devices, she relies on investigative abilities.
Early Life
Conception
Amanda Masterson was born December 26, 1991 at Wright-Patterson Medical Centre at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Her parents were Dean Masteron, a US Army soldier and later teacher, and USAF 1st L Amelia Masterson (née Quinlan), who died in a sortie against VIPER in 2002. A military brat, moving from base to base with her parents through the 1990s, Amanda has lived at:
- Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 1991-92
- Rammstein Air Base, Germany 1992-95
- Andersen Air Base, Guam 1995-98
- Mount Clemens, MI near Selfridge Air National Guard Base, 1998 - 02
Her father Dean had met Amelia in Kuwait during a celebration of their withdrawal following Operation Desert Storm. They unwittingly conceived Amanda that night. Amanda was able to notify Dean after she realized she was pregnant. Dean proposed to Amanda, and requested a transfer to be near her at her station in Ohio. They married in a hasty ceremony on September 4, 1991, and Amelia went into labor on Christmas Day, giving birth to Amanda early on December 26.
Amelia was deployed to Germany in 1992; Dean, whose tour had ended, remained in the army reserves, but took a civilian role as a teacher.
Young Amanda grew up steeped in the traditions of the military and patriotism. Frequent moves through her youth required resilience, as well as a knack for making new friends where ever her family might end up, but she had difficulty letting people close to her for fear of losing them.
Tragedy
In 2002, Amelia, working then for the US National Guard, was killed in action defending US air space from a VIPER bogey. She was buried with full honours.
Ten year-old Amanda was devastated by the loss of her mother but the military community rallied around her and her father. Dean moved with Amanda to Millennium City afterward.
Amanda's turbulent teen years saw her get involved with some bad crowds and even commit some light crimes. Her father's slide into depression did not help matters. But Amanda and Dean had a reckoning that forced them both to confront one another's weaknesses and challenge the other to do better.
Graduation and Onward
Salvaging her education from her troubled early teen years, Amanda Masterson just barely completed high school with ample grades to enter a community college.
Amanda started off studying Arts with an eye to becoming a correctional officer. In her second year at college, Amanda was chosen as the college basketball team's captain, having both the requisite skill & confidence of her team mates and coaching staff. Her criminology instructor, retired FBI agent Saul Illyrio, took notice of Amanda's keen mind for the subject matter in her second year studies. One day, on his own initiative, Illyrio gave her a pamphlet, and a letter of recommendation, to the Millennium City Police Training Academy, urging her to set her sights higher than tending convicts. Amanda completed her Arts degree, and then registered for police training.
In 2014, at age 22, Amanda passed the introductory tests to policing with flying colors. She attended academy for six months. Though not top of her class, she did display a remarkable aptitude. Her military upbringing had prepared her to fit well into the company of police. She completed her field training with the MCPD in mid 2015.
Officer Masterson
In 2015, Amanda was issued her badge and made a Police Officer with the Millennium City Police Department. She was assigned to the Westside detachment where her training had taken place. She was assigned a partner, Officer Bryan "B-Boy" Landry, and answered to Lieutenant Charlie "Chuck" Coffee. Amanda is often called "Mandy" by her MCPD cohorts.
