A.N.: A little bio on our family.

Bonus Chapter 1

Meet the Pataki-Shortmans

Name: Arnold Philip Shortman

Age: 34

Species: Human

Occupation: Professor of ancient history and archaeology at Hillwood U., assistant curator of Hillwood Museum of History

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 165 lbs

Eyes: Green

Hair: Blonde

Appearance: Still has that football head. Less of a Shortman than an Averageheightman. Has yet to develop Dad Bod.

Wardrobe: Mostly khakis and cardigans, though he's still a fan of plaid.

Personality: In a word, patient. As husband of Hillwood's #1 superhero and veteran of more than a few adventures of his own, Arnold knows to take the good and bad in life with equanimity. It's the perfect quality for both a teacher and a dad. He still puts himself on the line to help those in need.

Powers/skills: Has the formidable power to tame the wild Pataki temper and to be an awesome husband and father. Holds a Master degree in history and archaeology. Still occasionally unleashes Dangerous Lumber at company softball games.

Name: Helga Geraldine Pataki (Note: Helga elected to keep her last name)

Age: 35

Species: Human/Ka'Thaari hybrid

Occupation: Novelist, City Councilwoman, part-time superhero

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 235 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blonde

Skin (in alien form): Rose-pink

Appearance: The unibrow is gone, but still there in spirit. Still has the big nose and donkey ears, but totally owns them. Taller than she likely would've been thanks to her hybrid nature. Usually does not wear makeup outside of council meetings and social events.

In her alien form, Helga has pink skin, pointed ears, three blue eyes with vertical pupils, lined with black markings, horns, fangs, a blue forked tongue, large batlike wings, four arms, four clawed fingers on each hand, two clawed toes on each foot, and a long prehensile tail tipped with blonde hair.

Personality: Though she has mellowed a bit with age and motherhood, Helga still has a sharp tongue and a fierce temper, neither of which you want to get on the bad side of. As always, she does not suffer fools gladly, and if you piss her off, she will let you know in no uncertain terms why.

She is still a fan of wrestling and gory horror films, and goes gloriously overboard every Halloween.

Wardrobe: Pink is still her favorite color, though these days she sticks to sweaters. Prefers pants to skirts and won't wear heels unless she actually has to (she's usually the tallest in the room anyway). Always wears her old bow somewhere on her person (it serves as her belt-sash when she's in costume).

Powers/skills: In her alien form, she has all the base abilities of a human/Ka'Thaari hybrid. She possesses enough strength to bench about 20 tons. Her speed, agility and reflexes are all enhanced, and her skin is tough enough to deflect most projectiles. She heals from injuries rapidly and can even regenerate lost limbs, though the latter takes quite a bit of time. Her claws are capable of leaving gouges in stone. Her flight speed is about 80MPH, though she can push it to 100 for short distances. She is capable of clinging to walls and ceilings if need be. She has enhanced hearing and vision that can see into the infrared and ultraviolet ends of the spectrum. She can also telepathically sense and communicate with other's like her. In addition, she has the unique power to generate intense heat and cold. At the high end, she can make the air burst into flame; at the low end, she can freeze existing moisture, though she can't create ice out of nothing.

In her human form, Helga possesses drastically reduced physical abilities, but retains her telepathy and rapid healing. At this point in her life, she can stay in her human form for several days at a time, but must still revert to her natural form one in a while. She is a talented writer and poet and a savvy negotiator, but is proudest of her skill at raising two kids.

Name: Gertrude Francesca ("Trudy") Pataki-Shortman

Age: 9

Species: Human/Ka'Thaari hybrid

Occupation: fourth-grade student

Height: 5'2"

Weight: 125 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blonde

Skin (in alien form): Red

Appearance: Has mom's facial shape, lips, and ears, and dad's eyes, nose, and hair color/texture. Tall athletic build.

In her alien form, Trudy has red skin, pointed ears, three green eyes with vertical pupils, lined with black markings, horns (small ones, little more than bumps at this age), fangs, a blue forked tongue, large batlike wings, four arms, four clawed fingers on each hand, two clawed toes on each foot, and a long prehensile tail tipped with blonde hair.

Personality: Has inherited her mom's toughness and her father's willingness to go to the matt for a cause, making her a formidable ally to the underdogs of the school ecosystem. She's naturally athletic and quite intelligent, though her skills lean more towards science and history than literary pursuits.

Likes animals, especially reptiles, and sci-fi and fantasy novels and films. Has a precocious crush on her babysitter, Rhia Lloyd, but her true affections lie with someone closer to her age.

Wardrobe: Prefers plaid shirts and jeans. Always wears a blue knit beanie cap.

Powers/skills: In her alien form, she has all the base abilities of a human/Ka'Thaari hybrid, though naturally she's not as strong due to her age and size. Her unique ability is light manipulation, though at the moment all she knows how to do is create a ball of glowing white light and "detonate" it in a blinding flash.

She can only stay in her human form for about ten hours at a time at this point. In that form, she's just a bit better physically than most kids. She's a formidable pitcher on the baseball field, and can shoot hoops with the best of 'em.

Name: Robert Philip Pataki-Shortman

Age: 3

Species: Human (carries dormant form of Ka'Thaari mutagenic virus)

Occupation: Precious Cinnamon Roll

Height: 3'0

Weight: 30 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blonde

Appearance: Looks almost exactly like his daddy at that age, but with his mom's hair color, eye color, nose, and monobrow

Wardrobe: Like his daddy at that age, even wears the same little blue hat

Personality: Cutie patootie. Has daddy's vivid imagination and loves to play pretend.

Powers/skills: Can construct true wonders with lego.

Name: Kaiju Pataki-Shortman

Age: Unknown

Species: Bengal Monitor

Occupation: Scale Baby

Length: 5'0

Weight: 13 lbs

Eyes: black

Hair: N/A

Appearance: He's a big lizard. Dark brown with white spots.

Wardrobe: N/A

Personality: He loves you and he will protect you. All he asks is food, a hot rock to bask on, and frequent tummy rubs.