Editing SHELTER:Charlotte Devereux (section)

=Background=

Charlotte Devereux comes from Old Money, and never wanted for anything during her privileged upbringing in New York, which is why some might question her choice of profession. But as far as she's concerned, it makes perfect sense. Her wealth means that she is unfazed by the notoriously poor remuneration an intelligence operative earns, and the work is some of the most challenging to be found. And Charlotte has always enjoyed a challenge, whether it be an cliff face to be scaled (she is a keen mountaineer), a difficult problem to be solved, or a man doubting her ability to compete. More importantly, she is a committed patriot, who loves her country and believes in its ideals far more fervently than any religion, and who feels an acute obligation to give something back to the country that has given her so much.

A determined woman, she decided on her chosen occupation in high school, and set about achieving it with single-minded zeal. Intelligent and driven, and with her family's wealth and connections at her back, she easily won admission to Yale where she studied Modern Languages and International Relations with a clear eye to attracting Agency recruiters. When she was 'tapped' for the Order of Skull and Bones, she knew she was on her way, and sure enough, the contacts she made there soon allowed her to let it be known she was open for an offer. It was not long in coming.

After joining the CIA, she spent several years as a field agent in Europe, training her tradecraft skills to a fine point and making a name for herself as an upcoming agent. When Project Pitfall was launched, a number of agents decided to join its ranks, but although tempted by its resources and prestige, she demurred, preferring to stick with an Agency she knew was dedicated to America's interests and its interests alone. It was this attitude that saw her short listed by SHELTER's recruiters.

Charlotte is a resourceful and savvy agent, with the instincts of a natural. She has eyes in the back of her head, an uncanny ability to disappear into a crowd or a dark alleyway with equal ease, and a pragmatic knack for the Great Game that serves her well time and time again. Why dress up like a ninja and crawl through vents when it is just as effective to cause a distraction and slip and out the front door before anyone notices the 'new girl'? Acutely conscious that as an attractive women she might be easily relegated to the status of a "swallow", she has scrupulously focused on Rescue and Intelligence missions where possible, rather than the Recruitment and Subversion missions that might lead her down that path. Of course, she has performed such missions when ordered to, but she's ensured that her skill set makes her better used in other roles, and so far, it seems to be an effective tactic.