Lady Blackhawk
Zinda Blake, Lady Blackhawk, became the first female combat pilot in World War II when she joined the Blackhawk Squadron. Caught in a time storm as she flew a patrol within the Bermuda Triangle, Lady Blackhawk was pulled forward in time some 80 years to the present day. Still suffering from culture shock, she drifted aimlessly for a number of years before Oracle and the Birds of Prey came calling and offered her not only friendship but a chance to help them make a difference -- and to fly again.
Background[]
- Determined to be the first female member of the elite Blackhawks squadron during World War 2, she pursued her own training as a pilot, in self defense and with weapons.
- After assisting the Blackhawks on several missions, she earned her position amongst their elite numbers.
- Made a name for herself as much for her fearless, precision flying as for her fearless, hard partying life style after the missions.
- Made a partner in Blackhawk Industries, the commercial division of the Blackhawks that provides R&D, equipment and aircraft.
- Word of her exploits attracted the attention of Hollywood, landing her a few bad roles in equally bad movies. It isn't something she likes to talk about these days.
- Returning to the Blackhawks she fell victim to mind control by Killer Shark, helping him battle against the Blackhawks over several months before she was rescued. This is something that should not be discussed. Ever.
- Found herself a victim once again toward the end of the war - this time of the Multiverse. A flight through the Bermuda Triangle sent her to the future. She was presumed dead by her squadron.
- The Blackhawks ceased to be a squadron after the end of World War II -- with Zinda Blake being honored posthumously as a valued member.
- Finding herself in the future, she returns to the only thing she knows - Blackhawk Industries. Her arrival triggers mass panic amongst the board of directors.
- Zinda is the only member of the Blackhawks to have not sold off her interest in Blackhawk Industries; with her presumed death her shares were returned through a contractual loophole. A legal battle ensues over the ownership of Blackhawk Industries and whether Zinda legally should be returned the stock shares.
- After a bitter five year battle, Zinda is awarded her original shares in BHI. These shares, once compensated for numerous splits over the decades, left Zinda with a controversial (and controlling) fifty six percent share in the company.
- Finding herself suddenly quite wealthy but still culturally unadjusted to life nearly eight decades into her former future, she finds herself Out of Time and Out of Place.
- Unprepared to lead a massive high tech company manufacturing things she doesn't understand or have interest in using, she uses her money for the only thing left that hasn't changed - drinking.
- The tabloids have a hay-day with the stories - Glamorous 40's Pinup Girl (after all she was just the trophy girl for the Blackhawks right?) turns out washed up and hidden inside the nearest bottle of Scotch.
- The Birds of Prey find the need for rapid transportation and support for assignments outside their base of operations. Zinda is contacted and convinced she can make a difference. And she'll get to fly again. They should have just told her that first.
- "Stealing" one of Blackhawk Industries latest prototypes of the Corporate Jet class of aircraft, Aerie One is delivered to the Birds along with their new pilot. Lady Blackhawk is once against soaring.
Personality[]
Zinda Blake is a gregarious woman who, in her proper time, was decades ahead of herself. Now decades into her future, she is a woman confused about her place in a world where many things she fought against are now accepted but she struggles to accept. She is fiercely loyal to her friends and allies but she often feels like she's still on the outside looking in. When she gets to feeling that way she disappears into the bottom of the nearest bottle in the nearest dive bar where she might also find herself either dancing on top of the tables as easily as getting into a fist fight with the regulars.
Powers[]
Zinda is a normal human woman with no special powers.
Skills[]
- Piloting - Zinda is a world class pilot in anything she straps herself into be it piston or jet powered, single or multi-engine, helicopter, light plane, fighter, or jumbo jet. She is equal parts barnstormer, stunt pilot and veteran combat pilot. If it can be done within the laws of physics she can probably do it with an aircraft.
- Navigation - Zinda has an innate ability to not get lost be it in the pilot's seat or in making her way around a city, even one she isn't familiar with.
- Hand to hand - Zinda is trained in advanced hand to hand combat and martial arts. She may not be as skilled as Black Canary but she can hold her out against a half dozen regular mooks or two professionally trained soldiers.
- Marksman - Zinda is as good with hand held weapons as she is her plane's guns. Her chosen weapons are a set of matched nickle-plated Colt 1911 .45 caliber pistols but she is perfectly comfortable with a shotgun, rifle or machine gun. Of course in this day and age, it's frowned on if you shoot your enemies..
- Mixology - A dubious ability to have, perhaps, but Zinda knows her way around a bar like a pro. She knows her way around hard liquor and mix drinks. Of course most of her knowledge involves drinks from prior to the mid-1940's.
- Cooking - It was a requirement in her original era that women know how to cook. She's no gourmet chef but she can make a mean meatloaf.
- Dancing - usually on bar or table tops after several rounds of strong drink have been imbibed.
- Driving - Zinda can drive a car as good as any daily driver. But she can drive a motorcycle like nobody's business.
Boons[]
- Blackhawk Industries - an aerospace and technology company with multiple divisions. While no Stark Industries or Wayne Enterprises in size, BHI does very well for itself with government and international contracts. Zinda owns the controlling 56 percent of stock shares and earns regular (large) dividends.
- Birds of Prey - If Oracle hadn't decided Zinda could help the team, Zinda would still be drunk in some dive bar. She owes the team her life really and they are the best friends she's ever had. She'd do anything for them and she has access to all the support being a team member includes.
- Aircraft:
○ Aerie One and Two - State of the art prototype corporate sized (20-30 passenger) jets "borrowed" from BHI. It isn't stealing when you own the company after all. The exact abilities of these jets have yet to be completely revealed. ○ P-40 Warhawk - Zinda is an aircraft buff. She used some of that dividend money to buy a vintage World War II P-40 Warhawk and she gets a thrill out of taking it up whenever she can. It also happens to have 6 working .50 caliber machine guns in the wings kept fully armed and ready. A girl can't be too careful.
○ Helicopters - Access to any BHI models.
- Little Pink House - No. Not literally. But she does have a cute little one bedroom house in the country side outside of Gotham City. With a helipad in the back. Doesn't everyone?
- Motorcycle - A 1939 Indian Four.
- Equipment - Guns of all styles, especially her matched Colt 1911 .45 pistols, and the kinds of gear that one of the Birds of Prey could get access to - night vision, body armor, high tech widgets. The works.
- Drink like a fish - Zinda can get drunk. She can get smashed out of her gourd drunk. But to reach that point takes a lot of time and a lot more alcohol. She can essentially knock back beers all night. Hard liquor will start to affect her sense at around half the bottle. Thank god for a high tolerance, we have to fly tomorrow!
Flaws[]
- Girl out of time - Zinda, by timeline, should be push 110 years old. Instead she was plucked out of 1944 and dropped in the present day. She has a LOT of history to reconcile (at least our boys won the war!), and more technology to learn than she knows what to do with.
- Fightin' words - Zinda is quick to defend the honor of her friends, teammates and country. Even quicker if she's been drinking. She loves a good fight. Maybe a little too much. But she does pack a mean left hook.
- Woman in a Man's world - There simply weren't any other women in combat in World War II. She proved her herself but it is something she even has to deal with today. A lot of people think she was just a propaganda gimmick or pinup girl to boost morale.
- Traditional - Zinda may drink like a fish, she may get in bar fights. She isn't conservative. But because she was thrust into the modern day without the gradual changes that culture has made over the years, things are sometimes shocking to her and she has difficulty wrapping her head around it.
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