Art by Christina Cartwright

Birth Name

Daniel James Helfer

Born

March 4, 1976

Abilities

Scoutmaster has strength well above average, though it doesn’t land him in the same league as more well-known super-strong metas. He has superior tracking skills and is an excellent tactician and an exemplary leader.

Affiliations

The Gatekeepers (1998-2001)

The Bay Scouts (2001-2006)

Biography

Daniel was born and raised in Sebastopol, California. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America until the age of fourteen, when he resigned due to differences of opinion with the BSA leadership regarding gays and atheists. Though Daniel was neither, he found he could not in good conscience continue to support an organization with bigotry so firmly established as integral to the organization. Despite his split from the BSA, he continued to embody the spirit of the Boy Scouts and has always been regarded as a fine example of what Scouting can do for a young person.

In 1998, he joined the Gatekeepers and was a respected member for the three years he served with them. In 2001, he formed the Bay Scouts, which he continued to operate until the group was officially disbanded in 2006 after the events of Project Echo, which included Daniel’s grievous injury that ended his career as Scoutmaster.

Today, he is often called upon by schools around the country to talk about the various organizations similar to the BSA, such as Navigators USA and SpiralScouts International.

Personality

Daniel is almost a stereotype of a scout: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, etc., and always prepared. He is also the sort of person most people think of when they imagine a hero: always looking out for others and willing to go the extra mile to help someone. He has a dry sense of humor, but uses it rarely, often catching people off guard.

Excerpt from Reckoning

How can I describe Scoutmaster without using stereotypes? I’m not sure I can. He was a step or two down from a drill sergeant, a by-the-book, no nonsense, always prepared leader. He didn’t demand respect, but even in my short meeting with him, he inspired it. Pretty impressive for someone who was only in his late twenties.

The same cannot be said of the reverse. His entire demeanor told me he was only conducting the interview as a favor to Falcon, and he felt I was a complete pretender, unworthy of his team and unlikely to ever deserve his respect.

“How old are you?” he asked, looking closely at the visible part of my face.

“Thirty-three,” I said.

He frowned. “Bit old to be just beginning.”

The doubt on his face caused me to squirm a little. “My abilities… um… didn’t manifest until recently.”

I tried not to seem nervous as he sized me up. “How do you expect to catch someone on foot when you’re wearing those things?” he said, indicating my stiletto-heeled boots. “No one’s gonna come help you when you break a heel or get stuck in a sidewalk crack.”

It was a valid observation. I knew he was wrong, though. I’d never so much as turned my ankle in the boots. I began to explain, but he continued.

“And what’s with the leathers? You a hero or a gang banger?” He shook his head. “We’re the good guys and we need to look like good guys, not like… whatever it is you’re trying to look like.” He frowned, then said, “Still… Falcon wouldn’t send me someone who wasn’t worth a full interview. So let’s see what you can do.” He toggled a police-style radio on his shoulder and spoke into it. “We’ve got a Code Green, kids. Meet me in the Break Room.”

Code Green. It meant a rookie recruit was seeking membership. And the Break Room wasn’t where you went for coffee. It was where they took the rookies to break them.