History:
Troy Denning was born on March 16, 1959 in Flint, Michigan. Born to parents Micah and James Denning, Troy spent the beginning of his life in one of the lower-income neighborhoods in Flint. At age 8, his family moved to nearby Lake Fenton, Michigan. An educated man, Troy had always dreamed of going to the stars. Troy graduated from Lake Fenton High School, in 1977 and set his sights towards college. However, due to a lack of income, Troy decided the best way to achieve his goals was to enlist.

   Troy entered the U.S. Air Force Academy that same year. While there, his dedication to excellence earned him many special honors: he was named captain of the 1980 United States Air Force Academy Falcon Football Team and voted to the 1980 WAC All-Academic Football Team. Finally, in 1981, Troy received his Bachelor of Science degree in engineering mechanics from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

   From here, Troy's career took off. He completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma, in 1983, and was selected to fly the F-15. From 1983 until 1986, he served as a combat ready pilot and instructor pilot in the F-15 at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. In 1987, Troy was re-assigned to Bitburg Air Base, Germany, where he served as an F-15 instructor pilot and completed the United States Fighter Weapons Instructor Course. In 1989 he was subsequently assigned to the 48th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Langley AFB, Virginia. Troy served as an F-15 squadron weapons officer until 1992, when he was selected for the USAF Test Pilot School. Honored as a distinguished graduate in 1992, Troy remained at Edwards AFB, California, where he conducted tests in all models of the F-16. While a member of the 416th Flight Test Squadron, Troy served as squadron safety officer and as squadron flight commander. In March 1995, he was finally assigned to NASA as an astronaut candidate.

   However, before reaching this culmination of his desires, Troy had decided to his mind to develop as much as his body. Troy decided to continue on to receive his Masters, and it was while at college at Old Dominion University that Troy first met one of his idols: Stephen Hawking. While guest lecturing on Baby Universes, Stephen Hawking's life almost came to an abrubt end when his wheelchair stalled in the middle of a crosswalk of a busy intersection. Quick-thinking Troy managed to pull Hawking and his very expensive wheelchair to safety. Even after the event, the two of them remained friends, and Troy would regail Hawking of his later NASA missions. In 1993, Troy received his Masters of Science in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University.

   Selected by NASA in December 1994, Troy reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995, and completed a year of training and evaluation. He was instantly qualified for assignment as a shuttle pilot. He worked technical issues for the Operations Planning Branch, and has also worked as Chief of Safety for the Astronaut Office. His first space shuttle mission occurred on the STS-86 in 1997.

   The STS-86 Atlantis (September 25 to October 6, 1997) was the seventh mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. Highlights included the exchange of U.S. crew members Mike Foale and David Wolf, a spacewalk by two crew members to retrieve four experiments first deployed on Mir during the STS-76 docking mission, the transfer to Mir of 10,400 pounds of science and logistics, and the return of experiment hardware and results to Earth. However, something unusual happened. All that is currently known is this: Both American and Russian space agencies lost contact with the Mir station for exactly 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 13 seconds at 12:17 PM EST on October 4th, 1997. The mission ended successfully with a touchdown at the Kennedy Space Center on October 6th. Coincidentally, all the US particiating members of the mission, including Shuttle Commander Jim Weatherbee, Pilot Troy Denning, and Mission Specialists Mike Foale and Dave Wolf, left the service within the next two months.

   It was at this point that Troy was contacted by old friend Stephen Hawking in 1997. Hawking requested the aide of his longtime friend in the construction and maintenance of a sprawling secret complex in the Arizona desert. Troy, for reasons known only to himself, accepted and used his knowledge and talents to both design and build a custom stealth small scale blackbird. The project took over two years to complete, and this one-of-a-king craft was completed in 1999. Troy remained, becoming Hawking's right-hand-man and bodyguard. Troy also became Hawking's confidant, learning of the "Vole Incident" from Hawking's past, and also vowed to aide Hawking in stopping Vole no matter the cost.

Unusual Features:
Troy has a scar on the right side of his temple, resulting from some unknown mishap while at Bitburg Air Base in Germany. Also, Troy has had tendencies to awake in a cold sweat since the STS-86 Mission.

Strength Level:
Troy has a slightly above-average strength of a man of his age and build, but nothing within the superhuman range.

Skills:
Troy has an excellent knowledge of astrophysics and vehicle mechanincs, ranging from normal modes of transportation (cars, trucks) to the space shuttle itself. Troy is skilled enough to be able to build, with limited resources, the Blackhawk over a course of two years. He is an expert combat pilot, has received degrees in Engineering Mechanics and Engineering Management and is a world-class football linebacker.

Known Superhuman Powers:
Troy has shown no superhuman abilities to date.