M.E.R.C.'s Questionnaire

M.E.R.C. lives in 569 Leaman Place in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn New York, New York, 11201, United States of America. She lives there because she lived there before her husband was killed in action. It was his place before they met, and it's rent-controlled. It's a nice neighborhood, and when she walks through the neighborhood, she feels like he's still there with her. She often takes walks even when she's already done her morning eight-mile run. She enjoys the neighborhood's views of Manhattan Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the tree line along the East River. Her brownstone is three stories tall, with hardwood floors covered with Persian rugs, solid, bold colors, solid wood cabinets, plush couches, and stainless steel appliances. 

M.E.R.C. is a retired United States Army Captain. She was in Special Forces and military intelligence, from which she mustered out after two terms. She had originally thought she would be a career soldier, retiring from service after twenty years, but after he husband's death, she lost her drive. She has since become a private security consultant for paramilitary organizations and other "extra-legal" armed forces. She uses her money and connections to procure combat gear when she needs. Still, outside of necessities (both occupational and personal), she often frequents local bars on Henry Street, books on politics and logistics, athletic gear, and other personal effects.

As a former United States Army Captain, M.E.R.C. saw firsthand the result of political corruption in the various strata within society. She found it disgusting. Her husband was a visionary who truly believed in the value of "The American Dream", but she felt that the political machinations of corrupt politicians, the silencing of votes through gerrymandering, the violent racism of police brutality, the legal enslavement of criminals, and the manipulations of lobbyists all had destroyed the very concept of it. At some point, she decided that the only thing that could ever restore the American Dream was a civilian uprising supported by, or at least unobstructed by, the military. When she found the shield by her hospital bed, it somehow symbolized to her the populace's need for military defense from the threat of violence levied upon them in the face of a new American Revolution. That she needed to be the one leading this revolution to protect future generations from everything these politicians were doing, she knew she would have to kill, perhaps die for the cause, and as a soldier and officer, this wasn't just acceptable, it was expected.

The death of her husband shook her to her core; nothing in M.E.R.C.'s life has even come close since, not even the Imbuement for the Contracts. There was a top-secret mission off the coast of Greenland, eyes only, and she still isn't considered "need to know". She received a heavily redacted document, his K.I.A. paperwork; his body was never recovered. An empty casket in a military grave, one of thousands in a graveyard where every headstone is the same. He deserved more, a unique soul, kind, compassionate, and brave like no other. Afterwards, she changed her name, hyphenated with his first instead of hers.

Stephen Grant, her dearly departed, the love of her life. A comforting ghost in the back of her mind, and an inspiration for everything she still holds dear. There is not a day that goes by that she doesn't think of him, and she doubts that will ever change. Even that shield seems to echo his spirit.

Harrison and Amanda Carter, her parents. They worry about their "Margie Liz" greatly since the death of her husband and her departure from the military. They can tell that she may never remarry, may never get over "that Rogers boy" she met in training. Sometimes they hope his friend James will console her into his arms, but that would never happen.

Finally, her brother's daughter Sharon feels like the daughter she never had. She looks after her niece and regularly babysits for her brother and his wife, asking for nothing in return. She is one of the few things in this world that can regularly make M.E.R.C. smile.

Margaret Elizabeth Rogers-Carter was born to Harrison and Amanda Carter in Hampstead, New Hampshire, on April 9, 2001. It's a very small town, it doesn't even have its own high school. So M.E.R.C. knew from a young age that she wanted out of the tiny town of less than 10,000 people when she grew up. She joined the color guard, then ROTC, because she saw the military as her ticket out, having been inspired by her older brother. She doesn't hold any ill will toward her hometown or her family, but she saw the little honey-based town as a dead end, and she saw herself wanting to do greater things.

M.E.R.C. was popular enough in school, as any attractive, athletic young girl is growing up, but she never felt like her story really started when she was growing up. Her parents were relatively normal, strict at times, but very willing to allow her her freedoms when she showed responsibility. 

Of course, it wasn't instant as it may seem, but it happened. Even after her late husband Steve's passing, she is still in love with him. They met during training; she was established already, but they worked together often, and he was a rising star. They flirted over an entire campaign and with the exception of a brief spat when another female officer made a move on Steve she misunderstood as being reciprocal, it was a whirlwind romance and were married soon after. When he died on a black ops mission in Iceland, she was devastated. They had been considering starting a family, their future was ahead of them. Then it was just suddenly snuffed out.