mind if i hop in with an engineer? im putting it in under this tab first, in case anything's not up to standards!

[hider=Valencia "Val" Vasquez]
[b]Name:[/b] Valencia Vasquez, commonly referred to as Val
[b]Gender:[/b] Female
[b]Age:[/b] 22
[b]Skills:[/b]
[list]
[*]mechanical genius
[*]eidetic memory
[*]very, very good with machines, almost intuitive skill with vehicles
[*]handy with a pistol but not much else
[/list]
[b]Background:[/b] 
Valencia grew up in Sol Azteca, a settlement in the Spanish interior. The town there had strict, brutal rules, a la ancient Babylon—an eye for an eye, literally—so that everyone could survive on equal terms. Val was the daughter of small-time farmers who attended to Azteca's miniscule vegetable gardens, but even at a young age she had an aptitude for mechanic work. However, according to the strict codes, occupations were passed down from family to family—Val was going to be a farmer, and that was that.

She said 'screw that' and started going to the local vehicle warehouses in secret. The lead mechanic there, Ferio, was willing to teach her—she was utterly useless with plants, and he was old, and looking for a replacement. He thought that maybe, if she was skilled enough when they brought up the idea of switching professions, they might win over the leaders to their side.

They didn't. When they were discovered, Ferio was immediately executed—left to die just outside the town's shoddy, sand-block walls, and Val had to watch. They thought it would cow her into doing her duty—it did the opposite. She wasn't quite so sadistic as to burn their crops before she left, but she painted several...obscene images onto buildings before she grabbed her personally modified motorcycle and as much water and food as she could carry and got the hell out of there. 

So far, 'surviving' is a nice way of saying what Val's  done. She's eaten things no human should eat, done things no sane person should do, just for the sake of surviving on her own. She values her independence fiercely, but she knows she can't last forever like this, and as long as someone's willing to let her do her thing with her scraps of free time, she'll put her (frankly ridiculous) mechanical skills to use for any bit of shade.
[b]Equipment:[/b]
[list]
[*]mechanic's toolbox
[*]basic overalls and goggles
[*]welding tools
[*]survival gear
[*]an ungodly amount of water in various vials, pouches, cans and jars
[*]motorcycle
[/list]
[/hider]