Wraith's History
When she was but a small child, Maia Adrianna Montgomery had a nightmare. While contents of the nightmare itself were inconsequential, the subsequent events would stick with young Maia for the rest of her life. Responding to his daughter’s cries of fear, Daniel Montgomery quickly came to her rescue. Comforting her, he took an old, dark sheet from the linen closet and wrapped it around her like a cloak. “You don’t have to be afraid of monsters, Maia,” he said. “Not if the shadows think you’re a wraith, like one of them.” He kissed her on the forehead and tucked her into bed, where she slept peacefully the rest of that night - and for many, many nights to come. Daniel Montgomery's act of fatherly compassion had not only soothed Maia's fears; it had instilled in her great resilience and courage.
The years passed and Maia grew into an exceptional young woman. She blazed through her education, graduating high school with top honors by the age of 15. Highly visible, due to her brilliance and the fact that her parents were the joint CEOs of Montgomery Industries, she was invited to attend top universities across the nation, she eventually chose to attend Riemenschneider University in Rook City, double-majoring in mathematics and mechanical engineering. One night, at the age of 17, as Maia walked home from a night class with her boyfriend, a group of thieves surrounded the young couple and beat them severely, only fleeing when a passing patrol car happened upon them. Her boyfriend was pronounced dead at the scene, and Maia was left in a coma. Barely surviving after three weeks in intensive care, she regained consciousness and vowed to never be put into such a position again.
At her Maia's request, her parents hired a roster of martial arts instructors and a team of personal trainers. Adapting quickly to the new training regime, she grew skilled in several forms of combat, including karate, kung fu, escrima, krav maga, jeet kun do, and kickboxing, all while maintaining a perfect 4.0 in her graduate studies. When a rash of violent assaults hit campus, Maia took it upon herself to patrol the area around the university. Channeling the words of a father to a young girl, Maia began calling herself “The Wraith” and concealed her identity while on patrol with a homemade mask and cape. As Maia began to master the art of combat, she expanded her patrols to larger and larger portions of the city.
When Maia finally graduated with her doctorate in mechanical engineering at the age of 22, her parents presented her with a surprise graduation gift; they were retiring to travel the world and relinquishing control of Montgomery Industries to their daughter. Shortly after assuming control of company operations, she was approached by Paul Parsons and Dr. Meredith Stinson, who had heard rumors that the new CEO of Montgomery Industries had some contact with the shadowy figure known only as The Wraith. The Wraith was invited to join a government sponsored team of costumed heroes, fighting against the greatest threats to world peace. Even with her corporate responsibilities, she accepted the invitation to stand sentinel against the earth’s destruction. Now, by day, she juggles the responsibilities of running an international engineering corporation and the public relations aspect of being the richest woman on the East Coast. However, by night she leverages her not insignificant resources to outfit herself so that she can better watch over the people of her city and fight as the fourth member of the Freedom Five, striking from the shadows as The Wraith.
