Safeguard
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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.
Contents
Early Life
Military Brat
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.
Law Enforcer
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.
Amanda's partner is Officer Bryan "B-Boy" Landry, and answered to Lieutenant Charlie "Chuck" Coffee. Amanda is often called "Mandy" by her MCPD cohorts. She has been cited for her investigatory skill and thoroughness.
In early 2016 she was put on administrative leave for 30 days pending an investigation by Internal Affairs over alleged mistreatment of Antonio DiCastri, a known associate of crime lord Matthew Cresse and suspect in a robbery. Amanda was cleared and returned to duty, but the episode left her embittered about the strictures placed on police officers, and was deeply troubled by the routine ease with which mobsters navigate the justice system.
Safeguard's Supporting Cast
MCPD
- Officer Bryan "B-Boy" Landry - Amanda's police partner. They make a great duo, being alternately one another's sounding board when needed, or able give the other a reality check. They mesh well in tense situations. Bryan has grown worried about Amanda seeming tired and worn out, but has no idea that it's because she has a double life. He is married with 2 children.
- Lieutenant Charlie "Chuck" Coffee - He's Amanda's supervisor at the Westside precinct. Chuck is impressed by Amanda's tenacity, but he knows she needs someone to keep her in bounds if she's going to advance very far in her police career.
Family
- Dean Masterson - Amanda's father, an ex-soldier. He's now an aging Phys Ed teacher at a school in a cushier part of Millennium City. Amanda sought his help to get her physically conditioned for police training. That was easy. But then she had some odd requests for his help in comparing paramilitary gear like grapple guns, nanoweave armor, carbon fiber batons, and nonlethal energy stun guns - clearly not standard police gear. If Dean has objections or suspicions regarding his daughter's activities, he has not voiced them. He is proud of his daughter's turn-around, but their troubled relationship during her chaotic teen years left him feeling unable to 'parent' her.
- Steven Livingstone - Amanda's boyfriend. Steve works at the fire department. They started dating after meeting at Sherrerra's Pub on St. Patrick's Day couple of years ago. They have grown close, and he keeps hinting at engagement and frequently suggests they move in together, but Amanda keeps stalling on that. He does not realize it is because she fears she will not be able to hide her dual life from him, and she is uncertain how he will react if he finds out - but not knowing her reasons is making him uncertain about their future.
- Sierra Livingstone - Steve's sister, and maybe Amanda's future sister-in-law. She writes an opinion column at Millennium City News, which she usually uses to stir up the paper's right-wing populist audience with clickbaity headlines. Sierra, never one to keep a judgmental opinion to herself, has made clear that she thinks Steve could do better than Amanda. Amanda knows that Sierra's no-holds-barred career-driven opportunism would cause her to pounce on the chance to write an article titled, "My Brother's Cop Girlfriend is a Masked Vigilante," if it boosted her readership. When dealing with Sierra, Amanda tries to remember the saying: Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer.
Heroes
- Fast Forward - Early on, the only 'superhero' Safeguard has talked to repeatedly, and probably the one she knows best - which still isn't saying much.
