Faye Crawford was born on Governor's Island in 1972, among the Coast Guard base, where her father served as a Lieutenant in the Coast Guard at the time of her birth. Lt. Daniel Crawford was proud of his daughter, especially given that she had been their only child, and would remain their only child after her mother Maria got sick, thus preventing further successful births from happening. An only child in a military family could never be considered easy, especially since her father wanted his child to follow in his footsteps.
The Coast Guard, unlike many other branches, didn't ship away often at all. The longest time she was without a father would be a month or two, rather than half her life. This meant her father had a great impact on her life. She viewed him as rather heroic, and saw the good side of his career, rather than the bad. She lived on and attended school and church on Governor's Island, one of many children, and she would often take the Ferry over to Manhattan or Brooklyn when she had the time, enjoying trips to the city.
Her entire young life was spent living on that island, while her father rose in the ranks to become a Commander. School had always been of interest to her, but she excelled in sports more than english, outdoor activities more than sciences. She took sailing classes when they were offered, learned how to ride horses rather than taking extra history. She spent more time in the water than she did reading books.
Thought she was a gem in her father's eyes, and was already setting sights on attending the Coast Guard academy especially with the expanding role of women in the Coast Guard, one thing did pose a huge dent in her plans. At the young age of 15, she discovered she was pregnant. Her parents were furious with her, though she refused to identify the father, or how it happened. One of her many trips to Manhattan, a childhood friend, a officer or enlisted man stationed on the island… It could have been any of them, but she did not reveal the identity. It had been consual, but she didn't seek him out for assistance, either.
Abortion wasn't considered an option. After so many misscharrages, her mother could not stand the idea. Her father insisted on putting the baby up for adoption, and that is what ended up happening. Faye only held her daughter once, for a few brief minutes, before the child was taken away from her to be given to a family that would see to her needs. Her father said they had money, that her child would want for nothing, but such a break had been painful.
But it did allow her to join the Coast Guard. In protest against her father, rather than even attempting an officer commission, she decided to straight enlist, hoping for a career in Maritime Law Enforcement, or Search and Rescue.
It was Search and Rescue that she would get in on. Physically fit, she met the qualifications necessary, and survived boatcamp quite well. Her mother's illness seemed to have not passed on to her, but she wasn't attempting to have babies to find that out, either. Losing one child was enough. Rising to the rank of Petty Office 3rd class, she became a radio technician in the search and rescue boat, handling the radio. It wasn't the active work she wanted, but it allowed her to operate the boat occasionally, and she assisted in pulling people onboard the ship.
By the time she was twenty, she had spent a great deal of time on boats of various East Coast harbors, from Maine to Boston to New York, helping out in recreational and commercial accidents. This was also the age when she met Bryce Rayner. A civilian, he lived in Boston and worked had been working at a bar that she and her fellow Coast Guardmen attended for an evening. She talked and enjoyed his company more than most, and agreed to see him again. A courting process would follow for many weeks, then continue for months.
At the age of twenty-one, she married him, and took the only desk job she ever would take, due to the fact she was pregnant. This time, at least, her family could not disapprove. Her son, Neal, was born in 1994.
Life would not be white picket fences and steady work. Even as she rose up in the ranks and was given more to do in the Coast Guard, Faye began to notice something strange happening. Even when he was across town, or far away, she knew what direction her husband was in. It became a second sense. She also knew where her son was, and when he was upset. It began to affect her job, acting as a distraction that nearly cost lives. It became difficult to tear herself away from these feelings. Female intuition, she thought at first, but it wasn't just that.
Sometimes it would extend, even if briefly, to the mates on her boat, or people they'd just pulled from the waters. Never as long or as constant, but it happened. Sometimes her nose would bleed and sometimes she would swear she could hear a voice in the back of her head.
A growing telepathic ability can have an awkward effect on a woman, especially in a dangerous career. The realization of what she was doing came too late for her. A connection was made with a dying man they'd brought on board, a man who lost too much blood, too much physical trauma to be saved. She was twenty-seven, by this point. The man died soon after she touched him, and the whole world seemed to shatter.
When she woke up finally, it was days later. The pain in her head continued for weeks after, but she finally understand what she was doing, the connections she was building with others. It happened when she touched them and only when she touched them. The connections faded away after a time, and she discovered it was due to the length of physical contact. That was why her husband and son stayed in her head longer than anyone else— she touched them more and for a lot longer. But let it not be said knowing where your husband is was always a good thing. Tensions came out in the marriage, accusations. It grew strained, and eventually divorce followed.
In a surprising turn, Faye did not attempt to gain custody of her son. She stayed on with the Coast Guard and kept working, rarely seeing her child. She remained active in the Coast Guard until mid-2002. It was the aftermath of the World Trade Center that made her eventually ask to retire from military service. Her contracted time had been spent, and they allowed her to leave, her final rank upon leaving still being Petty Officer 2nd Class.
With her training and specialized skills in boating, communications, swimming and rescue, she got a job in the Parks Board, returning to New York and spending a majority of her time in and around the Harbor and the islands, especially near the parks. She avoided physical contact as much as possible, but made efforts to understand her ability better. Even if she never knew that she wasn't alone.
During the Bomb, while she wasn't in the active Coast Guard, she showed up at the reserve station and assisted in evacuation and searches to find survivors and rescue people. She had lived in Queens, and her home had been spared, but that didn't mean she didn't feel the loss. Physical contact was avoided as much as possible, but it wasn't until the announcement of what happened, that she realized, in fact, that there were others out there. Some dangerous, and some not. She never considered her power dangerous, though when she discovered she could make someone see what she saw and feel what she felt— it had a bit of a moment. The man had dismissed it as a drunken episode, but she knew what had happened. And she knew she could do it again…
When the call came to Register for the safety of the country, she was one of the first in line, considering it a duty to do so. Tier 1 had been assigned to her, perhaps in recognition of her training and responsibility. Her employer may have had issues, but she didn't lose her job. Even in the ensuing crisis, she maintained steady work, and kept her ability to herself.
The recent months have been most difficult, with the activities of Humanis First and other various crises happening within the city. At each turn, she offered her services to search for people. Her power gave very little to these searches, it was her skills she was offering, instead.
