[center][img]http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj306/Carnage27/Female%20Cap/292652-41737-american-dream_zps9b1a51fa.jpg[/img] [i]I took up my father's mantle to honor what he stood for. I don't fight just for America. I fight for everyone who yearns for justice and equality.[/i][/center] | Identity | Stephanie Carter/Captain America | Origin & Backstory | [hider=Origin] [b]Project Reclamation [/b] World War II had been won by the Allies, HYDRA had been stopped by Captain America, and yet his allies were somber. The loss of the world’s first true superhero shocked the OSS, and many believed without his guidance in the new era of superpowers the world could once again fall into chaos. In response to this fear, the OSS got to work on Project Reclamation. The project, led by Nazi defector Arnim Zola, was designed to recreate Erskine’s supersoldier serum at any cost. Highly secretive and heavily funded, the team toiled endlessly on the genetic samples that had been taken from Rogers before his untimely passing. There was little hope that the project would garner a success, but the top brass thought it was worth the expense. The years passed, and Project Reclamation experienced failure after failure. Eventually the remnants of the OSS transformed into SHIELD, and Zola traveled with the project to the new hierarchy. By the time SHIELD was formed, Zola was the last one working on the project. He had an obsessive zeal to see it completed, and few understood why. Many chalked it up to an aging scientist yearning for one last discovery, but some feared he desired to create a supersoldier in secret for the reborn HYDRA. While he worked, he was kept under constant supervision, though few truly understood what he was doing. But Zola toiled endlessly, sure he would crack the code eventually. [b]A New Generation[/b] As the world rapidly started to move towards a new direction in the early 80s, an elderly Doctor Zola came to the SHIELD leaders and told them he had finally cracked the code. They would be able to produce another super soldier, though the means would be very different. Using the Captain’s genetic material, Zola had devised a way to impregnate a surrogate and ensure the majority of Rogers’s abilities were passed on. SHIELD, wary of the time it would take to activate such an asset, agreed as they saw no other choice. With the advent of the burgeoning mutant and metahuman populations, they knew they would need powered agents in the field to combat any possible threats. After a search, Sharon Carter, the niece of Rogers’ former flame Peggy, volunteered to carry and raise the child. After she was impregnated, Zola disappeared, which struck a deep fear into her heart. She worried about what kind of child she was now carrying, and whether or not it would end up being a weapon for HYDRA. Sharon was relieved when, on February 22, 1983, she gave birth to a beautiful, and completely normal, baby girl. She was named Stephanie, after her father, and the new family settled down in Keystone City, MS. There, Stephanie grew to be an outstanding young girl. Sharon was proud that the best attributes of her father seemed to shine through the girl. She was kind, brave, and ferociously defended the weak around her. While that was a good sign, as Steph’s powers began to materialize around puberty, Sharon had a hard time keeping her daughter’s lineage a secret. The girl was terrified she was a mutant, and that the people who attacked them would come for her. Sharon comforted the girl, and began teaching her how to control her strength, speed, and agility so that she could pass off for a normal human. While it was never a perfect cover, Stephanie reached adulthood without seriously arousing suspicion from those around her. [b]The New Avenger[/b] September 11, 2001 changed the world. It reminded people that evil still worked tirelessly to strike fear into the hearts of good people around the world. It brought with it the emergence of Superman and the Batman, and the hordes of other vigilantes and heroes that followed. But for Stephanie Carter it meant the end of her normal life. In the wake of the attacks, SHIELD believed more would follow from powered and non-powered threats alike. To respond to this perceived threat, the decision was made to activate the asset they had in Stephanie. Director Timothy Dugan, head of the organization, appeared on the Carter’s doorstep. Together with Sharon, he explained to Steph who she is and where her powers came from. Dugan told her it was now time for her to take up her father’s mantle and protect the world as the new Captain America. Steph was initially furious with her mother for keeping her origin a secret, but the two reconciled when Stephanie saw all the good Superman was doing for the world in the wake of terrible tragedy. Deciding to honor her father’s legacy and ideals, Stephanie agreed to train to become the new Captain America. Her and her mother left their home in Keystone to travel to Washington DC and SHIELD headquarters. There, she met her combat instructor Ted “Wildcat” Grant, a former boxer turned agent, and her espionage/tactics instructor Colonel Nick Fury. Grant treated her like the daughter he never had, and the two bonded quickly. Fury, on the other hand, was far more enigmatic. He claimed to have known her father, and though that seemed unlikely thanks to his younger appearance. The two instructors were amazed at how quickly their pupil learned thanks to her enhanced mental capabilities. One person on Steph's training team that was not as enthused was Bucky Barnes, the former friend of Steve Rogers and the only other man to bear the Captain America banner successfully. He had never approved of Zola's experimentation with Steve's DNA, and Bucky believed Steph to be a stain on Steve's legacy. Still, he trained her in the use of Captain America's shield and how to use her powers on the battlefield. Within a year, Stephanie was deemed ready for field duty. She was given her father’s shield to keep, a specialized combat suit, and a variety of gadgets designed by famed weapons manufacturer Tony Stark himself. Captain America’s first mission was a rousing success. She was dispatched to save a UN Peacekeeping vessel from the mercenary group Batroc’s Brigade. Stephanie singlehandedly reclaimed the ship with no casualties. The world celebrated its new hero, and Captain America was an overnight sensation, and even Bucky Barnes began to come around on the new Captain America. [b]Task Force X[/b] After her success, SHIELD command believed it was time to give Stephanie her own team. She was presented with hundreds of choices for her squadmates, something SHIELD brass regretted immediately. Cap gravitated towards a program proposed by SHIELD’s Amanda Waller in which criminal or newly turned assets would be used for dangerous, but heroic, missions under the leadership of a SHIELD official. Captain America insisted on being the one to lead these men and women in their second chance, sure she could make heroes out of them. While her superiors worried this was naivety on the part of the young hero, the agreed to let her form her team. Her first choice for a teammate was Natasha Romanoff, codenamed Black Widow. Widow was a former spy, assassin, and saboteur for the Russians. After being captured by SHIELD, she agreed to switch sides in exchange for her life. She was eager to prove her new allegiance and joined the team without hesitation. Next to the team came Clint Barton, codenamed Hawkeye. Hawkeye was a circus trick shot performer, as well as a master thief who used the circus as his cover. After being apprehended, Waller saw the use in Barton, and brought him aboard. Clint was often sarcastic and lackadaisical, but never failed when the pressure was on. The fourth member of the team was Luke Cage. Cage was a former inmate who volunteered for military experiments designed to create a new breed of super soldier. The experiments gave him superhuman strength in invulnerability, which he used to escape prison before being retrieved by SHIELD. With the offer of a pardon for time served with the new team, Cage eagerly signed up. The final member of the team she chose was Brock Rumlow, a former gang member and career criminal. Rumlow was violent, unpredictable, and dangerous, but seemed to have the team’s wellbeing in mind at all times. Two others were also placed on the team by orders of Amanda Waller. Wade Wilson, known as Ravager, and the mutant known by the codename Copycat. While they weren't Steph's choices, they soon became trusted members of the team. With the newly formed task force at her disposal, Cap went about fighting injustice and evil wherever she found it. They battled domestic and foreign terrorists, and eventually came into conflict with the mysterious Kobra cult and their super powered attack squad known as the Serpent Society. Kobra and the team, nicknamed the Suicide Squad by Barton, battle countless times before Stephanie managed to destroy the head of Kobra, seemingly stopping the cult for good. The team was incredibly successful. That is until March 19, 2005. On a trip to a SHIELD super max detention facility to drop off the Serpent Society leader Sidewinder, the team was betrayed by Rumlow during an attack by a reborn HYDRA. The surprise sent the team into disarray. In the chaos, SHIELD Director Dugan was killed, and Rumlow managed to get the best out of Stephanie before escaping. [b]AWOL[/b] After the reemergence of HYDRA and the death of their leader, SHIELD was in disarray. New director Nick Fury decided to table Task Force X, giving pardons to the members of the team. With the team dissolved, Barton and Romanoff stayed on as SHIELD agents, while Cage returned to New York and Ravager and Copycat went their own way. Stephanie, on the other hand, decided to take a sabbatical from SHIELD. Taking up the alias of Nomad, she searched for the new HYDRA alone. Combing through the dark corners of the world, she managed to get little in the way of solid information. Every step forward brought two steps back as HYDRA seemed to know when she was coming. After months of searching, however, Stephanie was brought back to SHIELD during the invasion of the Star’ro. Cap reformed her team and came to the aid of the other heroes battling against the alien invaders. In the end, Cap and Superman, leader of the other heroes protecting Earth, shook hands on the field of victory and solidified a friendship. [b]Assemble[/b] In response to the fact that Earth was now under intergalactic threats, as well as a response to the independent Justice League, a now-stable SHIELD and Nick Fury created the Avenger Initiative to put together their own team of super powered individuals. Stephanie was chosen to lead, naturally. Hawkeye and Black Widow agreed to stay on, but Luke felt he was needed in New York. Using SHIELD resources, Cap recruited scientists Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne to the team, both using Pym’s scientific findings to become the heroes Ant-Man and Wasp. The final piece of their team was Nate Adam, aka Captain Atom. Adam was a former Air Force pilot given powers by a nuclear accident. Together, they formed the Avengers. While the Justice League focused their attention on the Injustice Gang and their allies, the Avengers focused on the terrorist organizations HYDRA and the newly formed AIM. HYDRA continued to attack the free people of the world, but the Avengers managed to begin turning the tide. It was discovered they were lead by Baron Helmut Zemo, the son of a prominent member of HYDRA’s past. Still, Zemo managed to slip between Cap’s fingers every time they came face to face, often thanks to interference from Rumlow, who now went by the name Crossbones. AIM, aka Advanced Idea Mechanics, was a group of radical scientists hellbent on the overthrow of society to start a technology and science dominated one. The Avengers took on their mechanical and biological monsters many times, even coming in contact with their hideous and enigmatic leader MODOK. Captain America is now comfortably leading the Avengers, all the while searching for Rumlow and Zemo to pay back the betrayal of Task Force X. But even now as things seem to be falling into predictable patterns, the ghosts of the past will catch up to Stephanie in terrible and surprising ways.[/hider] | Attributes | As the offspring of Captain America, Stephanie has a level of her father’s spectacular supersoldier abilities. She is super strong, fast, agile, dexterous, has incredible endurance, and heals faster than a normal person. The super soldier serum in her DNA also enhanced her mind, giving her keen strategic thinking. After SHIELD activated her, Steph received extensive training in hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship, stealth and infiltration, and combat tactics. She also was gifted her father’s shield, the one thing not lost with him. She uses it as well as he ever did, and it’s almost like an extension of her mind. Stephanie’s loadout when in the field normally consists of her shield, a set of specialized combat armor, and Stark-designed gauntlets that fire hardened disks similar to the shield. | Character Notes | [hider=Supporting Cast] [b]Nick Fury[/b] - Fury is the director of SHIELD and an old ally of Stephanie’s father. He was one of the test subjects for the incomplete and unstable version of the Project Rebirth serum, which granted him an unnatural long life instead of the intended physical enhancements. Fury is a smart, capable, and talented soldier and leader. Steph looks up to him greatly, and values his advice. While he sees her as an invaluable asset and exemplary leader for the Avengers, Fury keeps her, as he does everyone, at arms distance. [b]Ted “Wildcat” Grant[/b] - Grant is a former prize fighter, vigilante, and acquaintance to Fury. When Stephanie was brought in for training, Fury approached Grant to help train the new Captain America in hand-to-hand combat. Ted jumped at the chance, knowing it was his last chance to do some good. Wildcat and Cap bonded immediately, and Steph found in him a father figure she had never had before. He continues to mentor her. [b]James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes[/b] - Stephanie's father's old friend and the second man to take up the Captain America namesake, Bucky Barnes was at first a reluctant mentor for Stephanie, believing the project that created her to be an insult to Steve's legacy. He agreed to train her in the use of Captain America's shield, and through this and watching her succeed on the field of battle, Bucky now views Stephanie as a worthy successor of the Captain America mantle, and the two are close comrades. [b]Sharon Carter[/b] - Stephanie’s mother is a former SHIELD agent. She now lives with Stephanie in SHIELD facilities, and guides her daughter through the tougher times as a hero and leader of the Avengers. [b]Natasha Romanoff[/b] - A former spy and assassin, Romanoff was the first person recruited to Cap’s team. The two of them are nearly inseparable friends at this point, and Natasha is Steph’s go to team member when picking someone to go into the field with. [b]Clint Barton[/b] - Hawkeye and Cap have a brother/sister like relationship. The two often snipe at one another, but are like clockwork on the battlefield. Having fought together for so many years, the two seemingly have a psychic link. [b]Luke Cage[/b] - A former member of Steph’s team, Cage is now a superhero for hire. While he rarely fights with the Avengers, Cage provides invaluable intel as someone plugged into street and low-level crime. He now resides in New York City. [b]Hank Pym[/b] - The scientist and hero known as Ant-Man, Pym is part of the Avengers. Pompous and hard-headed, Pym and Steph often but heads, leading to friction on the team. Still, his ability to shrink is important to stealth missions, and his scientific mind allows for great inventions like the Avengers’ mode of transportation, the Quinjet. [b]Janet van Dyne[/b] - Pym’s girlfriend and fellow scientist, she uses the Pym Particles and special stinger blasters to become the hero known as Wasp. [b]Nathaniel Adam[/b] - Captain Atom is the most militant and reserved of the Avengers. He has an unwavering dedication to the US Government. Still, he is completely loyal to the Avengers’ cause, and is the team’s powerhouse. [b]Commander Phil Coulson[/b] - Coulson is a kind-hearted, but skilled, SHIELD agent and the commanding officer on the Helicarrier when Director Fury is not on the vessel. Coulson is also an avid fan of Steph's father and the original Justice Society, and acts like a kindly older brother to the young superhero. [/hider] [hider=Antagonists] [b]HYDRA[/b] - The old enemy of both Stephanie’s father and herself, the reformed HYDRA is a constant thorn in SHIELD’s side. Ruthless, fanatical, and deadly, HYDRA’s influence can be felt throughout the world. [b]Baron Helmut Zemo[/b] - The current head of HYDRA, Zemo desires world domination for he and his organization. He holds a grudge against Cap and her father after Rogers apprehended his grandfather in World War II. [b]Crossbones[/b] - Brock Rumlow was once part of Stephanie’s team until he revealed himself to be a HYDRA spy and traitor. Cap now desperately wants to capture Rumlow and make him pay for the betrayal. [b]The Serpent Society[/b] - After the fall of Kobra, the snake themed group of villains and assassins joined with HYDRA. [b]A.I.M.[/b] - Advanced Idea Mechanics desires the overthrow of society in the hope for a technologically dominated society. [b]MODOK[/b] - The hideous and violent leader of AIM, he, or it, desires the domination of humanity. [b]Kobra[/b] - A snake-focused cult that wished to bring about the rule of their god-king. It was believed he was born in the body of the man who called himself Kobra, and who commanded the cult against Stephanie. Cap killed Kobra in a confrontation, and now the remnants of the cult see her as their great enemy. [/hider] [hider=Locations] [b]Helicarrier[/b] - The SHIELD Helicarrier is the mobile base for the Avengers. It houses thousands of SHIELD agents, various weapons, Quinjets, and detention cells for superpowered enemies. Many see the Helicarrier as a sign of hope and protection, though many see it as a sign the organization has gotten to big for its own good. [b]Triskelion[/b] - The home base of SHIELD, the Triskelion is the island HQ of SHIELD located in the Potomac River between Washington D.C. and Virginia. It houses SHIELD's scientific arm, its vast communications hub, superhuman training facilities, and Avengers HQ. [b]The Raft[/b] - An island prison made to house super powered inmates located on Ryker's Island in New York Harbor. [b]Cap's Apartment[/b] - Stephanie's apartment in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington DC. It has had multiple defense measures added since she moved in. [/hider] | Character Goals | As always, I want to tell the Captain America story from a different perspective. While I’ve never been able to get this concept going before, with an established universe and characters, I think I can finally do it. I’d like to do some fun things with AIM and HYDRA, including melding some Indy touches to them. I also have some interesting ideas on what to do with some classic Cap rogues and characters that haven’t been introduced or played an important role in-universe yet. | Sample Post | "You're kidding right?" Hawkeye raised an eyebrow after Captain America finished her briefing. Her and the rest of the team were huddled around the holographic briefing table in the back of the Quinjet as it rocketed towards its destination. "I mean that's crazier than the stuff we normally do. And that's saying something. That's saying something huge. Because-" "Clint, we get it," Black Widow put her hand over his mouth. "It is a little bit out there, Cap." Steph looked around and noticed the worry on most of the team's faces. They all knew what kind of mission this would be when Fury handed it to them. Going into Latveria was never a cakewalk, but doing it completely unseen and unheard would be akin to the impossible. Victor von Doom was not a man who wanted SHIELD to know what he was up to, let alone have agents walking around inside his borders without him knowing. But Fury didn't trust Doom's facade of friendliness, and wanted the Avengers to find out what was going on in Latveria. Doom was smart, however. He had some of the most sophisticated metahuman tracking systems on the planet, and there was no way even the Quinjet's stealth systems could get them over the border. So instead, they were going to pull an incredibly dangerous wingsuit paradrop that would get them inside. "Any of you have a better idea on how to get inside?" she asked. "I'm all ears." The team members looked at one another in silence before Ant-Man agreed, "I guess it's our only option." "I still don't like that I have to stay behind," Captain Atom added from the cockpit. "You're the best pilot we have, and Doom's sensors would smell you the minute you got close, Nate," Cap reminded him. "None of the rest of us have active metagenes. Plus, you're a bit more adept at breaking things than stealth. You'll be the cavalry in case we run into trouble." "Understood," he said begrudgingly. "What the hell," Barton sighed, "I led a good life. Mostly. Okay not really but hell it could be fun." "There's the Hawkeye we know and generally don't mind too much," Wasp added with a punch to his shoulder. "Easy for you to say, you can fly," Clint grumbled. "Cut the chatter and get ready," Steph told her team. "We're nearing our drop window."