Jaime Sommers' life has been filled with tragedy and success. Born in 1949, Jaime is the daughter of James and Ann Sommers. Jaime had an adventurous childhood in Ojai, California, and showed high potential in the sport of tennis. Her parents were political science college professors, but unbeknownst to Jaime, they also worked undercover for the United States government. Sadly, James and Ann were killed (presumably murdered) in a car accident on April 16, 1966. Longtime family friends Jim and Helen Elgin became 16 year old Jaime's legal guardians. She and Helen's son Steve Austin became high school sweethearts for a brief time, but he left Ojai to go to college and later to join the Air Force and space program. Jaime graduated from high school and went on to study at Carnegie Tech. She majored in education with plans to become a school teacher, but the tennis circuit was also calling her. After receiving her teaching degree, Jaime became a professional tennis player. By 1975 she had won many major tournaments and was ranked among the top five lady pros.

On a visit home to Ojai, Jaime was reunited with Steve Austin (now a colonel and former astronaut). With some matchmaking from Steve's Mom, Jaime and Steve's relationship quickly blossomed. But their happiness was replaced by tragedy one day when the couple went skydiving. Jaime's parachute ripped and she plummeted to the earth. Her injuries were critical with both legs and her right arm crushed beyond repair. Severe head trauma had also caused damage to her right ear. Steve, who was deeply in love with Jaime, contacted his boss Oscar Goldman at the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) and pleaded with him until he authorized a top secret procedure--Bionic replacement. Steve knew that it was the only way to save Jaime, because the government had performed the same experimental operation on him two years earlier. Under the skilled hands of Dr. Rudy Wells, Jaime's surgery was a success. Her badly damaged arm, legs, and inner ear were replaced with state of the art electronic prostheses. Upon learning of the radical surgery performed on her, Jaime was fearful of being a freak. She soon learned to accept her new limbs after Steve revealed that he is Bionic too. It seemed that Jaime and Steve were truly made for each other. The world's first Bionic man and woman were in the midst of planning their wedding when tragedy struck again. Jaime's body rejected her Bionics. Emergency surgery was performed to save her, but it was fruitless. With Steve by her side, Jaime died on the operating table.

Miraculously, Jaime's life did not end here. Dr. Michael Marchetti used an experimental cryogenic procedure to cool her body and prevent cellular damage. This gave the doctors time to repair the massive cerebral clot which had ended her life. Her heart was restarted, and she was rescued from death. However, the radical operation was not a complete success. Jaime had suffered brain damage, and the memories of her past life were gone. Another surgery restored many of her memories, but the feelings of love that she had felt for Steve seemed unrecoverable.

Jaime's extraordinary strength ruled out a return to the tennis circuit, so she decided to return to Ojai to put down some roots. She moved into a coach house apartment situated on Jim and Helen Elgin's ranch. She also got a job teaching school at the Ventura Air Force Base. Jaime felt very indebted to Oscar and the government for saving her life, and she insisted that Oscar contact her if the OSI should need an agent with her special abilities.

Oscar did call on Jaime, and from 1976 through 1978 she was sent on numerous covert missions. Jaime became involved with fellow OSI agent Chris Williams, and yearned for a life of her own away from the government and the constant peril of undercover work. Feeling that she had repaid her debt to the government, Jaime resigned from the OSI. However, the powers that be were not prepared to let her go. Jaime realized that her Bionics had become a permanent part of her life, but they did not have to rule her or the life she wanted to live. She returned to the OSI and agreed to take occasional missions on the condition that she would be free to pursue her life.

Jaime and Chris continued their relationship and became very happy together. After years away from the OSI, Jaime decided to accept a mission. She traveled to Budapest with Chris, but the two of them were separated and Jaime was caught in an explosion. Fortunately, she was rescued and hospitalized back in the US. When she recovered from the concussion, she started to remember her past life and feelings for Steve. She also learned the shocking news that Chris had been held captive and killed.

With the tragedy of Chris' death in the back of her mind, Jaime continued her life working as a therapist at the Los Angeles Rehabilitation Center. In 1987, after nearly ten years with no contact, Jaime is once again reunited with Steve Austin. Steve had left the OSI and had been enjoying life away from the government by running a charter boat. The couple came to terms with their years of separation and decided to see if they could rebuild their relationship.

Jaime and Steve occasionally returned to the OSI in times of international crisis. Their time together proved that the love they once felt for each other had never died, and in 1989 the couple officially became engaged to be married. During the five years that followed, Jaime became a doctor. She moved to Washington, DC and established a family counseling practice. Her experience with the government and top-secret clearance also opened the door for her to help government agents.

For nearly twenty years, many obstacles had stood in the way of Jaime and Steve's happiness, but their love had brought them back together. On September 4, 1994, Dr. Jaime Sommers and Col. Steve Austin became husband and wife. May they live Bionic ever after.

   


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