Dakota Anne Zahn

Gearhead - Used jokingly and sparingly by those who frequent her workshop or often use her services as a mechanic/handyman. Also a jab at the literal meaning of her last name, being "cog".
Dakota - Her first name is usually what she goes by.

May 7, 1998

17

Female

Pansexual until proven otherwise

Due to her haircut and near-flat chest, Dakota is practically androgynous at first glance; her working clothing only adds to the effect, generally consisting of work clothes such as bulky coveralls, thick work gloves, heavy boots and eye protection. While she's not working, she opts for less heavy clothing such as green cargo pants/kapris, old lace-up boots and an oversized tan jacket, once her father's. One article she never goes without is an old army-green hat with the logo of a Canadian oil company sewn onto the front.
Noticeable traits include a permanent notch in her left eyebrow and a small barcode tattooed behind her right ear. (More on these in History)

The first thing one would notice about Dakota is energy. She's a firecracker in every sense of the word, and combined with her undiagnosed ADHD, she seems to practically vibrate with energy. She can't sit still and avoids sleep as much as she can, claiming it a waste of valuable time. For her, multitasking is a necessity, and organized chaos somewhat of an art.
Her temperament is similar to her overall buzzing demeanour; she doesn't half-ass anything, be it work or emotion. She feels every emotion deeply, be it bursting with joy, seething with anger, or giddy with happiness. One emotion she rarely gives into is despair, preferring to convert her sadness into anger. Often, she replaces unshed tears with angry grumblings and violent outbursts - although, the victims of these outbursts are rarely anything other than foliage. Or enemies. Or stubborn projects. More often than not, however, she channels her more negative emotions into her work, as her father taught her.
Fiercely loyal and straightforward, Dakota takes no shit. Her blood boils when people are treated unequally, and despises nothing more than being controlled or limited. She'll stand her ground against an army if she has to, and having such a hard time backing down has often become trouble for her. She's the type to rebel against the gun to her head, regardless of how much smarter it would be to cooperate.

TL;DR Canada sucks now. :(

Dakota was born in Newfoundland, situated in a town built around an oil refinery. Her father was a mechanic for the refinery, one of many charged with the nigh-impossible task of keeping the old machinery in working order. Her mother died in childbirth. Luckily, after her mother's death, Dakota's father did not become distant, but instead embraced her and adored her, both as a beloved child and a living remnant of his wife. From the time Dakota was first able to wield a wrench, she was working with her father. She was one of many child workers, popular with the mechanics for their ability to fit into small spaces and for running tools and equipment back and forth. This was when Dakota began wearing her hair short, having learned the hard way that long hair and active machinery don't mix.
In their precious spare time, Dakota and her father worked on small inventions; tiny robots, low energy lights, often little commodities to make life in the Mundane ghettos a little more fun for a child. This tradition continued on throughout Dakota's adolescent years, but as she got older, Dakota became increasingly aware of some of her father's other habits.
In order to maintain a better quality of life for his daughter, Dakota's father had been systematically stealing from the refinery and selling the stolen items on the black market; it was never much, just some parts here, some crude oil byproduct there (used in homemade ammunition by small rebellion forces), occasionally even housing smuggled goods for a profit. He never wanted to get Dakota involved, but she had no love for their 'employers' and insisted on helping whether he liked it or not.
Eventually, the company got wise to the small yet steady losses and, although they were stealing what was already trash, had Dakota's father arrested. They would have taken Dakota as well, but her father insisted she had nothing to do with it. The last she saw of her father was him being hauled away in a police van, and to this day, she doesn't know what became of him.
After the loss of her father, Dakota fled the refinery, took her father's savings and bribed an oil rig shuttle boat for passage into Maine. From there, now a wanted escapee, she bribed and snuck her way to the west coast, hoping that the rumours that flew about Griffins and revolution were true. She was fifteen when she ended up in the Redwoods, and since has proven herself a valuable member of the Griffins for her mechanical skills and knack for smuggling, trading, and negotiating.