Shellia Darwin

Very little is known about Shelia Darwin until her late teens. She was originally from the Madrid slums and was involved in anti-government actions at this time. She was expelled from her second year of med school for several projects involving DNA codes deemed illegal by the EC's General Genetics Act of 2004.

Shelia got a midman agent (a necessity in "genteel" Europe) and took to the streets as an underground haute-couture medic, Europe's answer to the American ripperdoc. Her labs were raided in 2018 during a messy incident which turned into a PR nightmare. Despite her agent's best efforts, she was disgraced, and her operation was shut down.

Rumors still abound about that raid. The Madrid police (known for their corruption) isn't an aggressive force. Riding safely in APCs, their idea of active police work is a night of hosing down demonstrators. To this day, Shelia believes that the raid was sparked not by complaints, but in retaliation for her anti-government actions. She remains embittered about it.

Unwilling to relocate to the Orient and prone to space-sickness, Shelia left for the U.S., the only marketplace left She has plied her trade cross-country ever since, specializing in wetware, bioware, biotech, and genetics. She is also proficient in surgery, and likes to obtain limb samples for cloning experiments.

"Patchwork" is the name she acquired on the street for her custom bodyjobs, but "Shelia Darwin" isn't her real name either. Her old identity, tainted by the episode in Madrid, has been wiped clean. Patchwork normally sports short, spiked hair, a loose-fitting blouse, and jeans worn under an unbuttoned lab coat Her most interesting feature, rarely seen, is a tattoo of a snake running from her left leg, coiled around her right breast This is reportedly a remnant of her days in medical school.

Operating Style
Patchwork is quiet and businesslike. Sometimes she is pleasant enough, but is always talking about her work Other times, she's too distant and detached even for other Medtechies to understand. She always looks to further her research in biotechnology. For this, she needs a constant flow of newtech, fresh body parts, and cash. As a result, she freelances to those looking for the right biotech. Her clients include gangsters, street samurai, braindance stars, intelligence agents, posers (of course), really strange boosters, and others ...

For an exorbitant fee (and over time), Patchwork can alter you into something from your wildest dreams or your worst nightmares, depending on how your procedure turns out. Want another limb? Faster reflexes? Greater body mass? Natural toxin binders? Shelia can do it—probably. She also performs the more exotic sculpt jobs not found openly. For the most part, Shelia lives and works out of her salvaged pre-Collapse van, custom-refitted for her work.

Stats
INT: 8, LUCK: 6, BOD: 7, TECH: 9, ATT: 7, Rep: 3, REF: 7, EMP: 6, COOL: 6, MA: 8.

Skills
Medtech +4, Biotech +7, Awareness +6, Basic Tech +4, Diagnose +6, Education +6, Cryotank Op +7, Pharmaceuticals +5, Brawling +4, Athletics +5, Pistol +5, Drive +3, Library Search +4

Cyberware
Contraceptive Implant and Gang Jazzler.

Shelia's Van
SDP: 40, SP: 20, Speed: 80 mph, Acc/Dec: 15/40 mph, Range: 300 mi., 1.75 tons, Cargo: 1155 lbs. capacity, Passengers: 2 + driver, Equipment: 6.5 (10) empty space; Portable Intern unit Limb Preservation unit, Medical Kit, Surgical Kit, Cryotank.

Options: Crash Control System, Environmental Control, Security System (Basic System, Lethal Shocker), Boosted Speed.

Cost: 40,000eb retail.