Background: Mira Stafford was only 5-years-old when her mother died from a rare form of cancer. At that young age she couldn't really understand why her mom and constant companion was gone leaving her with only her father - a man who had been more obsessed with his work for the military than his young daughter. Mourning his wife and left in the unfamiliar position of sole-caretaker of his young daughter, Thomas Stafford accepted a position working at the military's top secret facilities in the Nevada desert and moved to the small town of Tonopah.
For 12 years, Thomas Stafford threw himself into his work. His research was used in a variety of "secret" projects including: SR-71 Blackbird, F-117A stealth fighter, Aurora and NASA's X-33 shuttle. For Thomas Stafford, work was his solace after the death of his wife. Unfortunately for Mira, her father was never home. Left alone and with really no companionship, Mira ran wild through the desert area surrounding the family's ranch house in Tonopah. It was on one of these forays into the wilderness that Mira meet the Johnson brothers - Mike, Billy and Chris.
After several escapades, including one time when all four of them got chased by some very upset cattle, the Johnson family became Mira's surrogate family. Mike Johnson Sr. and his wife Louise owned a mid-sized cattle and sheep ranch outside of Tonopah and Mira could often be found there.
Mira was 12 when she first discovered her powers. Thomas Stafford had brought home an object from his work at the "area." A small box of unknown origin - it was inscribed with strange symbols. Mira had picked it up from the table where her father had set it, only to receive one of the few reprimands her father had ever bother to administer. Later, hours after the experience, Mira complained of the buzz of the cicadas outside of her room. Her father heard nothing and thought she was lying. She complained of the problem again - at which point Louise Johnson took her to the doctor. The doctor found nothing wrong with Mira and the noise soon faded. But after that, Mira noticed things were different.
It wasn't often, but occasionally some of the people who visited her father's house looked different. Mainly it was the soft white glow that settled around certain people. Especially one - a man named Lyndon Kaufman who had talked to her father about several things needed for some new agency he worked for. She also noticed that her shooting skill had improved tremendously, she was able to pick out targets at further and further distances. And she seemed to be able to hear conversations, that no one else could. Mira said nothing about her new-found powers to anyone - not even the Johnson brothers. They had teased her about the whole cicada incident and that taught Mira to keep her mouth shut.
It was these powers that would help Mira tremendously in her new job. While attending the University of Nevada, Reno, Mira had studied journalism and worked as news editor for the college paper - the Sagebrush. When she got out of college she worked he slowly through the small daily newspapers the pepper the Sierra Nevada and Bay Area communities. Her big break was a chance to work for the Bay Area Guardian. But before she could get comfortable in the job, Mira was called back to Tonopah. Apparently her father had suddenly died.
It turned out that Thomas Stafford hid more than his feelings from his daughter, but also the sickness that killed him. As Mira went through her fathers papers, she came across several of his notes related to projects he worked on at Groom Lake. Projects far more secret than the Stealth Fighter or Aurora. It took a lot of investigative work and some unauthorized snooping, but finally Mira realized what had been going on. Of her father's research group all but two men had died of a mysterious disease that wasted them away. Those last two were trying to sue the military to get them to accept responsibility for their illnesses. They blamed their work on Project 2318 for causing the illness and then wanted the military to acknowledge the existence of the project and pay for their medical bills.
Mira supported their claims and was helping the two men with their lawsuit. She had put together a series of stories for Guardian on the experiment and it's effect. She felt it was the least she could do for her father. But before the lawsuit could be heard in court and before Mira's series could run in the newspaper the two men died suddenly in their sleep. The families were "warned off" continuing the lawsuit. Mira's home was broken into and fire was started that destroyed almost all of her research. Left without enough proof to support her articles, the Guardian cancelled the series. Mira thought it was all over until a car ran her off the road one night. It could have been accident, but by this time Mira was convinced that the military wanted to make sure that no evidence of Project 2318 ever saw the light of day.
Afraid for her life she disappeared from the public's eye. It took her three years, a new haircut, black contacts and a sizeable amount of money to develop her new identity as Lakota Whiteyes - chronicler of the paranormal. Whiteyes earned the reputation nationwide as an expert in paranormals. Her first book "I was a teenage mutant" chronicled the true-life teen years of several well known paranormals and how it made them the heroes or villains they are today. She also wrote several articles for national magazines on the personal lives of todays paranormals. Mira's unique abilities helped her find many of the paranormals she has interviewed, but it was her dedication to the truth that has earned their trust.
While Mira's book and articles on paranormals have been popular in their own right with the public, it has been her abhorrence of public attention that has made the persona of Lakota Whiteyes so popular. She's never been photographed, except for a few grainy pictures of her wearing a large hat and sunglasses. She doesn't do publicity interviews for her books. She has appeared on Larry King Live for a debate on paranormal registration, but it was only through a phone interview. Many have theorized that Lakota Whiteyes (so obviously a pen name) is actually a well known paranormal. Other's say she is the jilted ex-lover of a paranormal. Mira doesn't care what anyone thinks. The character of Lakota Whiteyes gives her the chance to write still - what she loves - and hides her from the military in plain sight.
Mira joined Armitage Investigation to fulfill a debt to a friend. It had been David Armitage's father Ralph who had helped finance Mira's transformation and helped her land the book deal. While Mira paid Ralph back from her royalties, she always felt indebted to him for what he had done. When David Armitage started up Armitage Investigations, she volunteered to be an employee. At first she took the job only wanting to help out, but now she has grown to love the work.
Tactics/Powers: Growing up in Nevada, Mira learned how to handle a rifle and handgun before she could drive. She also picked up the finer points of brawling from the Johnson brothers - who felt that any honorary sister of theirs was going to know how to handle herself in a fight.
Mira has the unique ability to "see" things not visible to the average person. She can distinguish paranormals from normals by a glow she sees around them. Mira can also see things at great distances and hear conversations at distances.
Skills: Trained as a journalist. Extensive skills in investigations, shadowing, contacts, familiarity with security systems, certified with handgun and rifle. Can also ride a horse.
Lifestyle: Mira maintains a rather posh San Francisco apartment near the Presidio under the name of Lakota Whiteyes, though most people think she's the housekeeper for the mysterious novelist. She keeps in contact with the Johnson family and every Christmas springs for a week of skiing at Lake Tahoe with the Johnsons. She is a single and dates when she gets the chance, but between her job at Armitage Investigations and her work on upcoming books, she's been strapped for time.
She still has one vehicle - a beat-up Ford truck that runs perfectly despite it's appearance - that is registered in Nevada. It carries the state's old license plates which are blue with white letters and numbers on it. For around San Francisco she drives a silver Saturn.
Appearance: Mira is 5' 8" tall and 120 pounds. She has short, wavy brown hair and black eyes. Mira can usually be found in blue jeans, a t-shirt and a brown leather trench coat that the Johnsons gave her as a gift for graduation. She keeps a pair of cowboy boots, hat and duster for whenever she gets the chance to ride - even if it does look out of place in California.
Personality: Do to previous bad experiences with the government, Mira is very distrusting of anything that comes from an "official source." She is also very antagonistic toward government agents and agencies. However, she is very loyal to friends, trusting their word and information first and giving them the benefit of the doubt until they are proven wrong. Above all Mira values truth. She would rather have someone tell her the truth then lie to her. She hates it when people lie - even if the lie was to "protect her." She is liberal in her politics but can't bring herself to vote Libertarian. Most of the time she finds herself voting for the candidate who supports the rights of individuals.