Author's Note: Taylor Braydon, Evie, and Benji belong to Aline Riva. This takes place after 'Doomsday Machine'. I own nothing.

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"Hero – Part 1"

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"Whew! What a day!" exclaimed Evie Braydon as she slowly sat down on the edge of the bed she shared with her husband, Taylor Braydon. As she sat down, she ran a hand over her swelling stomach, grateful to finally be off her feet. She was six months pregnant with twins and she was really starting to show now. She kicked off her shoes and kicked off the mint green cardigan she had been wearing, leaving her in a white tank top.

Taylor Braydon collapsed on the bed beside her, landing on his stomach and stuffing the pillow in his face. Evie regarded his actions with an upraised eyebrow and a smirk. "I agree…. Those kids were hyperactive today…." He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his elbow, having taken off his jacket and now wearing a dress shirt and pants.

"It's your own fault, sweetie, you were encouraging them!" Evie reminded him.

Taylor rolled his eyes and muttered, "Details….details…" Then after another moment he said louder, "But can you really blame me? They're all so cute and they just wanted to have fun!" He slid over to her so that she could lean down and kiss him.

Evie shook her head, understanding perfectly how much Taylor loved kids. He really was a wonderful teacher and he entertained the children so well, yet when it came to any sort of discipline, he failed miserably. The only times he ever reprimanded a child or scolded them was when they did something that could possibly hurt them. Like running with scissors or trying something dangerous on the playground.

Evie snapped out of her musings when she felt Taylor shift on the bed and before she knew it, his arms were wrapped around her, his chin on her shoulder, as his hands were slinking their way over her stomach; massaging it gently. "Any kicking today?"

She shook her head. "No, they've been quiet. Probably exhausted from all the kicking they did yesterday…." She said this in a tired voice. "But I'm sure they'll start up again after I eat supper. They seem to kick most after I eat supper."

Taylor nodded, pursing his lips a bit. "That's cause you eat by the truck full at dinner! So much food in there, they don't know what to do!"

Evie playfully slapped him on the side of head. "Meanie! Need I remind you, I'm eating for three!"

Taylor leaned beside her so he could get a better look at her. "I thought the doctor said there were only two in there." He pointed to her stomach.

Evie gave him an incredulous look. "I have to eat for myself, Taylor! I make three!" She patted her stomach twice then pointed to herself. "One, two, three!"

Taylor smiled sheepishly at her. "Oh, right…" It was at that moment, their doorbell rang. "That'll be Gadget…He said he was stopping over after he got off work…" He gave Evie a quick kiss on the cheek, before he got up and walked out the door. "You staying up here?" he called back as he walked down the hallway.

"I'll be down in a few!" she called back.

Taylor walked briskly down the steps and he couldn't help but have a grin on his face. He didn't get to see Gadget nearly as much as he used to anymore since he was no longer Gadget's Deputy, so whenever the two of them hung out, which, admittedly, was often, it seemed even more special.

Once Taylor reached the front door, he yanked it open, the wood around the door creaking as he used a bit too much of his cybernetic strength. He flinched and closed his eyes, knowing Evie wouldn't like that in the least. He completely forgot about it a moment later though when he saw Gadget walk up to him.

"Hello" greeted the inspector in his usual attire.

"Hi, Gadget!" smiled Taylor. "Come on in!"

Gadget didn't need to be told twice; he walked into the front door and Taylor shut the door behind him. "So, how was school today?" It was an odd question for him to ask Taylor, for he always felt like he was asking a little kid that same question. Then again, there were times when Taylor did act like a kid, so he supposed that came with the territory.

"Tiring" replied Taylor honestly. "The kids were hyperactive today…."

"What happened? Did you promise to take them to Disney Land again?" teased Gadget, though he knew in the back of his mind that while that was a joke, it might have been true.

Taylor shook his head. "Nahh, nothing like that. They were just excited it was Friday and everything….." The two of them looked up to see Evie walking down the stairs and smiling at them both.

"Hi, Gadget! How are you today?" she greeted happily.

Gadget gave a small wave. "I'm alright. How are you, though? Everything still okay with the babies?" Gadget was known to ask how Evie and the babies were for he knew how important the pregnancy was to Taylor and simply because a woman was pregnant didn't mean it was official, yet being six months along did make it look rather good.

Evie smiled down at her stomach. "They're hungry….but then…what else is new?" she laughed good naturedly and walked around them and entered the kitchen, where she immediately pulled out some ham slices, pickles, grapes, and some sour cream; placing it all on the kitchen counter. Taylor made a face at the odd combinations yet shrugged it off. He had gotten used to his wife's cravings months ago.

Gadget's cell phone suddenly went off and the inspector immediately sug a hand into his trench coat pocket. Meanwhile, Taylor snatched a grape. "Those are mine!" chastised Evie.

Taylor gave her an innocent, wide eyed look as he popped it into his mouth. "You can share!"

"I AM sharing!" was Evie's response as she gestured to her stomach.

"Oh, sure!" groaned Taylor. "You three are ALWAYS ganging up on me! I need to eat too, you know!"

Gadget had found his phone and had answered it, covering up his free ear so that he could listen to the phone better. "Hello, chief? Is that you?" Taylor looked over to see what the problem was; waiting to see why the chief was calling his friend after he had just gotten off work. Gadget continued speaking through the phone. "Wowzers! I'll be right there, chief!" The inspector quickly snapped his phone shut and looked up at his worried friends. "I'm sorry, guys, but I have to go. There's a hostage situation at that small grocery store on Tenth Street!"

"Oh, my!" exclaimed Evie.

Gadget nodded. "Yeah, so….I'll talk to you guys later." The dark haired cyborg turned to the front door and rushed out of it, barely registering the frantic voice of Evie as Taylor followed him to the Gadget Mobile which was parked outside in Taylor's driveway. Being so wrapped up in getting into the Gadget Mobile; being sure not to jump in due to his back, he didn't realize Taylor was buckling himself up in the passenger seat until he had already turned on the car. "Taylor! What are you doing?!"

He turned the key and Gadget Mobile sprung to life. "Hey, G Man, I was just getting' comfy! We just got here! Why are we leavin' so soon?!"

"I'm coming with you!" explained Taylor brightly.

Gadget just stared at him incredulously. "Taylor, you can't! You're not my deputy anymore!"

Taylor forced back a deep frown. "I know, but like you always say: never off duty! Well, that applies to me! Besides, I want to help!"

"G Man, we gotta go! I'm pickin' up all kinds of breakin' news about a hostage situation on the radio, I'm assumin' that's why you're back so soon! We gotta move it!"

"Taylor, get out of the car!" demanded Gadget warningly.

"We gotta go, G Man! No time for arguin'!" The Gadget Mobile took the liberty of revving up its motor.

"Get out, Taylor!"

"No!"

"TAYLOR!" cried Evie in frantic worry and anger from the front doorway. Taylor cringed at the sound and both men turned to her voice. "You get back here right now! You can't go with Gadget, it's too dangerous!" She paused and after seeing that her husband still wasn't moving, she screamed in a furious and threatening tone, "TAYLOR BRAYDON, YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE NOW!"

Knowing that tone of voice very well, Taylor freaked, "Gah, she's using the scary voice! Go, Gadget Mobile! Go Go Go Go!"

"I don't need to be told twice!" chuckled the car as his tires screeched and sent them flying backwards, hurling them around in the car as he back out and turned. A second later the three of them were gone in a flash, the scenery flashing by them and the wind in their faces. Gadget wasn't even the one driving, it was Gadget Mobile, leaving the irate inspector to deal with Taylor.

"I told you not to come!" he hissed over the wind.

"And I told you I wanted to help!" argued the blonde.

"Taylor, this is a hostage situation—You've never dealt with this before! All you're used to is giving people speeding tickets!"

Taylor gave him a sheepish look. "Uh…I've actual never issued one of those out before…"

Gadget shook his head, not caring about the tickets. He didn't want to see his friend in any kind of danger. He had already seen his friend die once and had it not been for Lazarus, he still would be dead. Gadget told himself he would never out Taylor through that again and he had hoped that Taylor had learned his then about being a hero, but it seemed the childish man still thought the idea of being a hero was all about saving the day.

As the Gadget Mobile zoomed by, Gadget sighed and pushed back his frustration. "Alright, fine. But you have to stay next to me the entire time, you got that? You don't do ANYTHING without my permission. Understand?"

Taylor nodded silently.

After several minutes, Gadget Mobile had made it to the scene and several other cop cars were currently parked in front of the small convenience store. Gadget Mobile parked close to the rest of the cars and Gadget and Taylor were out of the car a moment later.

Chief Quimby could be seen in the front with a megaphone, clearly being the one trying to convince the criminals to come out. He turned as Gadget approached and frowned when he saw Taylor. "Good to have you here, Gadget, but what is HE doing here?"

"I'm here to help!" answered Taylor positively.

Quimby sneered at the former deputy. "Help?" he scoffed and shook his head, turning his attention back to Gadget.

"How many are in there, chief?"

"Two criminals and six hostages. I've been trying to negotiate with them, but…little good that's been doing. I've considered sending some of our men in, but I fear that if they see us enter they'll harm the hostages…."

Gadget nodded.

Taylor opened his mouth to speak, "Why don't you try-?"

"Shut it, Braydon" snapped Quimby. "You're not even supposed to be here."

Gadget turned to his friend. "He's right, Taylor. Just let us handle everything, okay? Go sit in the Gadget Mobile."

"But I have an idea-"

"Taylor" insisted Gadget quietly. He placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. "Please, I don't want you to get hurt—"

"I won't!"

"Taylor—"

The blonde cyborg sighed and walked over to the Gadget Mobile, yet instead of getting inside, he just stood next to it. Gadget gave him a wan smile before turning back to the crime scene. Taylor stood there with his arms over his chest and pouted. He had an idea that might solve their problem but they wouldn't listen to him. He could be in there right now saving lives, but instead he was being treated like a small child. He glanced at the building and saw where there was possibly a back entrance. Quimby had said that the criminals were expecting them from the front. But what about the back?

He glanced over at Gadget and the other policemen and found that they were preoccupied with the crime scene and figuring things out. He found it amazing that none of them had thought about sneaking around the back. There might have been a reason for this, but Taylor figured it was worth a try.

With his mind made up, Taylor walked around the parked police cars and snuck his way to the back of the building without being noticed. He had considered grabbing a gun before going in, but there was too big of a risk of one of the officers seeing him and blowing his cover. Since the back way was slightly out of their view of sight, he was able to sneak around without problem. He looked around and ignored the trash cans and litter around the back entrance, before finding the right door and pulling it silently open.

Once inside, Taylor shut the door slowly as to not make any sound. He was in the frozen section and he couldn't help but shiver from it. It seemed all the hostages were near the front of the store. Over the aisles he could see several heads.

"So, what are we gonna do, Jack?" asked one of the crooks.

"Leave it to me" hissed the other. "They can't get in otherwise we'll hurt the hostages…And they wouldn't dare hurt us as long as have them. They're just gonna have to give in to our demands."

Taylor frowned heavily at them, his hatred towards them growing by the minute. Who did these men think they were? He could now visibly see the both of them. They both wore dark clothing and one of them wore a red beanie cap. From where he was crouched, he had the perfect angle to shoot them both if he had a gun. He then took note of the frightened hostages. Three women, an older man, and two small boys. Taylor looked at the boys and saw that they were blonde; obviously brothers. It made the half-cyborg think about his own two little twin boys who had yet to be born. He couldn't imagine seeing his boys in such a situation. He had to do something about it. He watched as they boys clung tightly to their mother's legs, cringing in fear and clearly trying their hardest not to cry.

That settled it.

Taylor was not a man who was known for deep thinking. This was certainly one of those moments in which he didn't think. He simply took action; wanting to be a hero for those two young boys who reminded him so much of his own twin sons. He grabbed a can of green beans that was sitting on the shelf next to him, straightened up, and prepared to throw the can in hopes to knocking one of the crooks out. What he was going to do with the other guy once he was seen, he didn't know. Once again, Taylor was not known for deep thinking.

However, the sudden movement caught the one guy's eye. "Hey!" he shouted and raised the gun that was in his hand; aiming for Taylor. Taylor threw the can just as the guy pulled the trigger.

A shot echoed throughout the store.

Chief Quimby and Inspector Gadget gasped at the sound from where they stood outside. "Why are they shooting?!" demanded Quimby.

Inspector Gadget shook his head and looked back at the Gadget Mobile, not wanting to even think of the possibility that they could be shooting the hostages. He glanced at the passenger seat where he was expecting to see Taylor, yet when the inspector realized it was empty, he felt his stomach freeze and his heart plummet to his chest. "Oh, God…."

Inside the store, the man got hit after his bullet missed Taylor and was knocked out by the can of green beans and with one guy left, Taylor decided to simply jump in. The other guy, now aware of Taylor, turned just as the blonde started running for him. His gun went off seconds before Taylor crashed into him; both landing on the floor.

"Get off me!" grunted the criminal from underneath Taylor. Taylor kept him down the best he could but there was a pain in his side that hadn't been there a moment ago. He had been too wrapped up in trying to stop the bad guy to notice before. He struggled with the man below him and grunted in pain when the guy reached up and pulled on his hair until he was being thrown down into the hard floor below them. Stars danced before Taylor's eyes when his head made contact with the floor.

It was at that moment that Quimby and the police decided to take charge and burst into the grocery store. "FREEZE!" they all cried, yet they discovered it wasn't needed; one of the men were knocked out and Taylor was currently dealing with the other. The two twin boys were crying at this point and the hostages were frantic. Police officers quickly escorted them safely out of the store while Quimby walked up to Taylor, pulled him up roughly by the shirt and aimed the gun at the criminal, who froze instantly.

"Move aside, Braydon" huffed Quimby as Taylor swaggered to his feet and used a shelf for support. "I'm not done with you yet." The chief then focused his attention on the criminal. He was furious that Taylor had jumped in and tried to play hero; not to mention interfering with police business

Gadget, meanwhile, had stepped in, his eyes searching for Taylor. His eyes landed on the blonde cyborg and he smiled, happy that his friend was alright, if only a bit shaken. He then reached down and pulled up the other crook Taylor had knocked out with the can. The man was just now waking up.

"Go Go Gadget Handcuffs!" Handcuffs immediately appeared from Gadget's hand as he pulled the man's hands behind his back and handcuffed him. The man just looked blearily back at Gadget, clearly not understanding what was going on. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you—" began Gadget.

Taylor, in the meantime, just watched on, panting slightly. He was glad Gadget was there. Everything would be okay now. Though there was that sharp pain in his side that he couldn't ignore anymore. He slowly looked down at his left side and saw red from his shirt. He brushed a hand against the tender spot and his hand was covered in his own blood.

Oh, right. He had been shot.

With that being the last thought, Taylor's eyes rolled back in his head and he promptly passed out, landing on the floor in a heap.

Gadget had just finished putting the criminal into one of the police cars with a satisfied smirk. "Maybe this will teach you not to mess with the Cyborg City Police Department!"

As the car drove away someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Gadget rolled his eyes, knowing exactly who it was and he wasn't exactly in the mood to speak to him right now. "Listen, Taylor, I'm still mad at you for—"

"Gadget" came Quimby's voice. He didn't sound angry; in fact, he sound sympathetic.

Gadget turned to face the chief. "What's wrong chief?"

Quimby looked slightly distraught, which was an expression found on his face only when something tragic had happened. This caused Gadget's heart to beat faster and heavier in his chest. "It's Taylor…"

Quimby didn't need to say another word; Gadget pushed beside him and was back in the store a moment later. The other criminal was being taken to one of the cars so he pushed past them and several other officers until his eyes landed on Taylor, who was lying on the floor, a small pool of blood forming near his lower stomach. He leaned down next to Taylor, ignoring the two other police officers who were checking him over. He gently shooed them away and pulled Taylor close. "Taylor? Taylor?!" He could see where Taylor had been shot. The inspector closed his eyes tightly, forcing back the tears that were threatening to form. He knew he shouldn't have let Taylor come. He should have forced Taylor out of the car, that way the only part of the Taylor that would have been injured were his feelings and pride. Those were things that could easily heal; not this.

Gadget leaned over Taylor so that his face was close to Taylor's forehead. "Don't worry, buddy" he whispered assuringly, for both his and Taylor's sake. "We'll get you healed up in no time." As Gadget pulled Taylor into his arms and lifted him up, he forced back the memories that were threatening to overcome him of when Taylor had been in the hospital after being shot with ACR's weapon the year before. He knew this time was not nearly as bad, but he simply couldn't help it. He held tightly to Taylor until the wails of the ambulance could be heard and they placed him on a stretcher.

Quimby was the one who pushed Gadget into the back of the ambulance once Taylor was safely inside. Gadget gave him a questioning look. "Go on, Gadget. You and I both know its where you want to be. You're off duty anyways, remember?"

Gadget looked at him despondently before saying, "I'm always on duty, sir…"

The doors to the ambulance were shut and they were quickly taken away in hopes to save Taylor's life.

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Dr. Lula Smith ran down the many hallways of the hospital until she was in the Emergency Room where she had just been called for. She had been working on some research when she heard the frantic call of a shooting at a local grocery store. It was not that strange for her to hear such a call, but when she learned that it was Taylor Braydon who was the victim, her heart might as well have stopped beating from the fear and shock.

She burst into the ER and looked at the table Taylor was currently being placed on by fellow doctors and ambulance team. She pushed a sniffling Inspector Gadget out of the way and looked down at Taylor with her own eyes. "What happened?" she demanded, her eyes scanning over the wound. She took her gloved hands and gently but firmly pulled away the cloth from the wound.

Gadget, who seemed to be too worked up to speak, was grateful one of the men from the ambulance answered for him. "Bullet wound. 28 caliber bullet according to Chief Quimby. He was shot while trying to apprehend two criminals. The bullet doesn't appear to have done in too deep and it seems to have just missed his hip bone."

Lula nodded and immediately set to work. Gadget on the other hand, just stayed by Taylor's side as everyone around him bustled around to help. "You idiot…." He mumbled between his stifled sobs. "I told you to stay with Gadget Mobile…." Taylor just lay there with his eyes closed, oblivious to what was going on around him. Gadget leaned down and placed his forehead on Taylor's. "Why can't you just learn that being a hero doesn't mean you rush into things and act brave…." The inspector decided to stay with Taylor until he woke up, knowing sooner or later that would happen and knowing he wanted to be there when it happened.

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Author's Note: Cliffhanger! Yes, this particular idea is so long its best that it's split into two chapters. This idea coming from the minds of both myself and Miss Aline In the next chapter we'll see just how Taylor comes out. Enjoy!