Taylor Hebert was not accustomed to good things happening to her in the months since her mother's death. Including the death of her mother, her father's all but total emotional collapse and the fact that something had happened to Emma to make her break off their friendship while Taylor had been at Summer Camp, that was a lot of reasons to think that some divine entity was throwing metaphorical stones in the waters and laughing its ass off as her life went down the toilet as a result.
So when an old friend of her mother, who hadn't been able to make it to the funeral because of a hospital stay, turned up, she was sceptical that it was a good thing.
As it turned out though, old Stan Lee was turning into something of a rock in the turbulent waters of her life right now. He had moved to Brockton Bay on a permanent basis, as all of his family had passed on during an attack in New York by a villain gang, and he'd even opened a shop there. Unlike most shops, it had a bit of everything in it; general groceries, food, tools, art supplies, gardening supplies and so on and so forth.
What the shop was mostly taken up by though was comic books and toys. Action figures of heroes of the Protectorate and New Wave, of the Triumvirate and of Hero, the Tinker who had been the fourth member of them before they had been given the name. There were board games, games consoles and other things too.
Stan had opened his shop just recently in the Southern Docks area, near to Taylor's neighbourhood and away from the territories of any of the three big gangs of Brockton Bay. He had sunk a lot of his savings into it and Taylor was honestly worried that he would lose it when the inevitable happened and one of the gangs tried to 'persuade' him to pay for 'protection' from little things like Molotov cocktails being thrown at it at night.
Leaving Stan's shop aside, he had kicked her father, Daniel 'Danny' Hebert, back into shape once Stan discovered what a state he was in. To say that there had been a furore in the Hebert house while Stan and Danny shouted at each other was something of an understatement.
The hangovers the pair of them had gone through the next day from the make-up celebration had been amusing for Taylor to watch.
Currently, she was walking towards Stan's shop, Marvel Universe, because he wanted to see her for some reason. Quite why he needed to see her in person was a bit beyond her, as he could just talk to her over the phone, but Stan was quite old fashioned that way.
Marvel Universe was more than a simple shop; it had three floors. The ground floor had food and other perishable items, the second floor had most of everything non-perishable left and the third floor was dedicated to comic books and toys.
Smiling up at the bright technicolour sign, she pushed the door open and went in.
Minding the counter on the first floor was a former member of the Dockworker's Association that her Dad and Stan had hooked up with a job here. Stan had employed several, which was a bit of a relief for them. The Association had been going downhill since Leviathan showed up and the Boat Graveyard was made, with a lot of members turning to crime (and thus the gangs) in order to make ends meet, so being able to point them towards legitimate jobs was something her Dad was happy to be able to do.
"Hey, Joey." she waved at the man.
"Oh, Taylor? Been a while." The blond-haired man waved at her. "The boss wants you on the third floor."
"Roger that." the brunette nodded and started towards the stairs.
The place was fairly bustling, with Cy, Lina and Will, three other employees that Stan had hired, rushed off their feet. Marvel Universe had the novelty of being something brand new in the city, as well has having reasonable prices for most things, so it was apparently pretty popular.
"Ah Taylor!" Stan called out cheerfully as he looked up from stocking the shelves. "Good to see you in person! You should show yourself around here more often."
Stan was a dignified older man with neatly styled silvery-grey hair kept in an impeccable state. He also had a well-trimmed moustache and a large pair of bifocals resting on his nose. Wearing neatly pressed trousers, a tartan shirt and a blue apron with his store's name and the 'Manager' title on it, he looked like the very picture of a businessman.
A shy smile appeared on Taylor's face. "I wouldn't want to bother you when you're busy…"
"Fah. You're Annette's daughter." He waved a hand dismissively. "You wouldn't know how to impose if you tried. Anyway, let me take you to the back. Got something for you…"
Puzzled, Taylor followed him into the back area of the third floor, which was where the storeroom for the products were kept, at least the toys and comic books were, anyway. Looking around, Stan headed for a bunch of boxes and rummaged around in them for a moment before letting out a crow of triumph.
"AH-HA! Found it!" he smirked as he turned around, a box a few inches over a foot high and about seven or eight inches wide in his hands. "Take this, Taylor."
Taylor carefully took it and looked at the box. It contained a white robot only slightly shorter than the box that contained it, with a basic face set in black and the picture printed on the side suggested that when powered on, the eyes would turn blue.
"The 'Heybo'?" she read out its name.
"Yep. Latest and greatest toy robot on the planet." Stan said with a nod. "I have a few contacts in the industry that got me a couplea crates of these beauties for less than they're worth."
It was then that Taylor noticed the price tag on the box that almost made her drop the box in shock.
"Over three-hundred dollars?!" she yelped in shock. The full price was $349.99 and was almost literally the most expensive single item she had ever held in her hands.
"Yeah, these things are intended to be for the rich folks with more money than sense." Stan nodded in agreement with Taylor. "It is actually a top of the line robot, with unparalleled movement ability, flexibility and usability. Look at this."
He showed her a TV ad that had the self-same robot in her hands running and jumping like an athlete. According to Stan, it was 100% actual footage of a Heybo in action. No ad-lies like you saw in most commercials; everything they claimed it could do, it could actually do.
"Is it Tinkertech?" Taylor wondered.
"Nope. It's just the plain, ordinary application of regular science." The shop owner disagreed. "Granted, it's almost bleeding edge tech, but it is just regular science. Now, I'm planning on putting one of these up as a prize in a raffle, selling most of the rest…and giving you this one."
"EH?!" Taylor gaped at Stan in absolute disbelief. "Th-there's no way I can accept this! It's too expensive!"
"Take it, kid." Stan said firmly. "Heck, consider it fourteen years' worth of birthday presents from me. I fell out of contact with your parents after they graduated from college and that's something I regret deeply."
"Was…was it because mom ran with Lustrum?" Taylor asked cautiously.
"I wish it was because of such a petty reason." Stan shook his head sadly. "It was about halfway through the last year your parents were at college that my family died in a stupid villain attack in New York. The one responsible for it is locked up in the Birdcage now, caught by Legend himself. At the time, I just wanted to curl up in a ball and soak in my own anger and misery…kinda like what Danny did when your mom died, kid. That's part of the reason I was able to snap him out of it."
"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Taylor mumbled in mortification.
"It's OK. Time heals all wounds eventually…or at least makes them easier to live with." Stan smiled at Taylor melancholically before shaking himself out of his memories. "Anyway, I would have kept in touch with your family better had I not been so eager to wallow in my misery, so consider this a repayment for all those birthdays and Christmases I missed out on, eh?"
When put like that…
"Ok." Taylor dipped her head slightly in acknowledgement. "Thank you very much, Mr Lee."
"Stan's fine." The man shook his head with a smile. "I swear, you're just like Annette sometimes, although you take after Danny most of the time."
Taylor flushed at that.
The Next Day
"What awful weather." Danny peered out of the front window at the pouring rain.
"Yeah." Taylor agreed. "Is this going to affect any jobs that the guys have going today?"
"If the wind doesn't pick up, then no." the Union Representative of the Dockworker's Association frowned as he eyed the swaying tree across the road. "But I honestly doubt that we're going to be that fortunate. I'll have to reschedule the outdoor jobs if it gets any worse, and even some of the indoor jobs if it gets any worse. I'd better go."
"OK Dad." The girl nodded in agreement. "Mom's recipe Lasagne for dinner sound good?"
The small smile he sent her way was warm. "Sounds lovely, Little Owl."
After her father left, Taylor sighed. The summer break was almost over, and she would be going to Winslow rather than Arcadia. She had originally made the choice to stay with Emma, but now that Emma was, for some reason, acting as if she didn't exist, it was a choice that she regretted.
'It's too late to request a transfer, and Arcadia has a long waiting list for that kinda thing anyway.' She thought as she did the housework. The sound of thunder and the flash of lightning started up as she worked, making her groan.
Dismissing the thought with a sigh, Taylor washed the dishes, hoovered the floors and dusted the place from top to bottom. Something that her Dad always did was the bathroom, so she'd leave that job to him.
Looking around after she finished, Taylor winced when she heard the sound of smashing glass from upstairs…in her room?
Taking the stairs two at a time, she groaned when she opened her room's door. Somehow, the window had broken from the pressure of the strong wind that had kicked up in the last few minutes, the glass scattered around the floor. This was just exactly the kind of financial expenditure that her small family could not afford. Looks like they'd have to tighten their belts another notch.
"Oh no!" she yelped as her eyes fell on the robot Stan had given her that she had absentmindedly placed in front of the window after she had opened the thing up and tested it out last night. Taylor had been flabbergasted that the Heybo was indeed all it cracked up to be. She'd had it leaping all over the place using the circular remote control that came with the Heybo. For lack of place to put it, she'd placed the robot in front of the window, meaning the Heybo was now being soaked by rain.
Looking back at this scenario later on, Taylor wouldn't have changed a thing.
As she started forwards, a freak bolt of lightning lashed out of the sky with a roar and, against all logic and science, smashed through the window and onto the Heybo. From the small robot, it then arced over to strike Taylor, who shrieked in pain as the raw power of a bolt of lightning coursed through her body, making her eyes roll back and-
[Destination]
Two beings dancing around one another.
[Agreement]
One in purpose, symbiotic in nature to one another. To lose one inevitably meant to lose the other.
[Alignment]
From each being a sliver of pale light separated and merged together, arcing towards its intended host.
[Agreemen-]
A flashing blue light slammed into the first light, tainting it and taking it over.
[Intrusion!]
[Termination?]
The two beings gazed at the corrupted Agent through indecipherable means.
[Negation. Precipice, Irresistible. Frustration. Anger.]
Shining blue, yellow, red and white, a single 'voice' made up of many 'shouted' one word as the Agent, now broken free from the control of the two beings, merged with its host.
{ENGAGE!}
Undetermined Time Later
A groan emerged from Taylor's throat as she swam back into consciousness. Surprisingly, considering that the last memory she had was of almost getting electrocuted to death by a bolt of lightning, her body didn't feel sore at all. In fact, she felt better than ever.
"Miss Hebert?" a voice asked. It was of a girl about her age, one she didn't recognise.
Cracking open her eyes, she then snapped them fully open as she took in the form of Panacea, the world's most powerful healer. Dressed in her white robe with red crosses on it, she was regarding Taylor with a concerned expression.
"Are you alright?" Panacea asked carefully.
Opening her mouth to speak, Taylor found that her throat was as dry as a bone and she could only manage a croak.
"Oh. Silly me." The healer shook her head and grabbed a jug of water and poured Taylor a cup before carefully letting her sip a couple of mouthfuls.
"Thanks." Taylor said gratefully. "Where am I?"
"Brockton Bay General." Panacea answered. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"Almost being killed by a freak lightning bolt."
"That was no freak accident, Miss Hebert." A male voice said. Stepping into her line of sight (she realised just then that she was lying in a bed) was a man wearing a cheap suit. He had black hair and cold grey eyes. Pulling a wallet out of his pocket, he flipped it open to reveal a PRT badge. "PRT Officer Horizon. I've been assigned to investigate this incident."
"It wasn't an accident?" Taylor blinked.
"A bolt of lightning, according to natural law, typically strikes the closest -usually the tallest- object in the vicinity, which is why skyscrapers in areas frequented by storms have lightning rods, to prevent damage from the constant lightning strikes." Officer Horizon stated shortly. "It does not speed halfway across town, passing the Medhall Building and PRT Buildings, as well as several tall buildings and trees, to smash through the window of a suburban residence and almost kill the only person in the house. This, naturally, leads the Parahuman Response Team to believe that a Parahuman was responsible for the attack on you."
"I…" the brunette shook her head groggily. "Why? I haven't offended any parahumans that I know about. Hell, I haven't offended anyone that I know about…except…"
She trailed off. Officer Horizon leaned in intently. "Except?"
"My ex-best friend, Emma Barnes." Taylor admitted. "She suddenly cut me out of her life when I came back from Summer Camp and…she's changed, really changed a lot. She loved her long hair, she freaked out at the idea of cutting it, but now it's a short pixie cut."
"That isn't exactly a reason to go after you." Horizon stated.
"When I was at the Camp, I was on the phone to her when she started yelling and I got cut off, unable to reconnect." The tall girl said with a small frown. "I think something may have happened to her then, something that caused the change in her, but every time I go over to her house to find out what it might be, she slams the door in my face."
"You were close?" Panacea asked softly.
"Sisters in all but blood." Taylor gave her a slightly watery smile. "I know everything about her and she knows everything about me. I just…I don't know why she'd do this…"
"OK then...I guess that's a lead if nothing else." The man nodded. "I'll be in contact, Miss Hebert."
With that, he left.
"He's as rude as ever." Panacea shook her head. "Anyway…"
"How long have I been in hospital?" the brunette asked suddenly, seeing the bright sunny day out of the window.
"Just a couple of days." The healer answered. "I was called in when it looked as if they were going to lose you."
Taylor cringed. She knew that being hit by lightning was an almost sure-fire way to get killed but… "I was that close to dying?"
"The lightning that struck you was unusually powerful, at least according to a Postcog the PRT talked to, anyway." Panacea informed her. "Usually, the mortality rate of being struck by lightning is around ten to thirty percent. The bolt that struck you would have killed almost ninety percent of people who weren't parahumans in the Brute Category. Congratulations, you're a walking miracle."
"…yay?"
"You had severe electrical burns across your chest, abdomen and right arm, with moderate ones on your legs and left arm. Ruptured eardrums, damaged lungs and most of your circulatory system had moderate to severe injuries…" the healer listed. "It's fortunate that your father and his guest returned home not five minutes after you were struck, otherwise you may have not survived long enough for the doctors to do what they could and call me in."
"Oh no...Dad…" Taylor did not want to think what her father was going through right now. He had almost lost her, so soon after losing her mom…
"He saw you before I woke you up." Panacea assured Taylor firmly. "I sent him home to sleep; he hadn't slept in almost two days. That nice Mr Lee helped convince him."
"Stan helped…thank god." The tall girl sighed. Then she blinked. "Um…how can I be seeing without my glasses?"
"You had damage to your eyes, so when I healed them, I must have healed them to full 20/20 vision on instinct." The healer judged.
"Ah. Well, thank you." Taylor smiled. "So how long till I can leave the hospital?"
"Only as long as it takes for someone here who can act as a guardian to release you to." Panacea replied. "You're in the pink of health now, but I'd really advise for you to avoid the next storm, just in case you turn into a lightning magnet."
Taylor wasn't sure if the other girl was serious or joking there.
The Next Day
Hebert Home
"Huh." Taylor muttered as she stared at the Heybo. When she had returned home the previous day, she had been unsurprised to see that her room had been stripped of everything in it, as the carpet had been badly burned and soaked from the lightning grounding through her and the rain from the smashed open window. What surprised her was that the Dockworkers were helping out with the cash needed to pay for everything.
"Danny's stood by us all these years and done his best to help us, even when Annette…" Kurt, her godfather, had told her quietly when he and Lacey, her godmother and his wife, came over to visit her. "Well, you know. So we all put some cash together when we heard what happened to you, Taylor. Thank god you're alive though."
With that he had drawn her into a hug, much to her embarrassment.
To return to the subject of her curiosity, something she had also expected to have been destroyed by the lightning was the Heybo. And yet, here it stood in the middle of her basement, placed there by Stan when he had helped move most of Taylor's stuff out of her room.
As much as she looked, there were no signs that anything had struck the little robot, let alone a lightning bolt. The plastic armour was pristine, and almost seemed to glimmer in the dim light of the basement.
"No way." Taylor shook her head. "Impossible. I saw this thing get hit. It should be a melted wreck."
She vaguely remembered that lightning was hotter than fire by a considerable amount. No idea where she picked it up from.
Picking up the controller with her left hand, she couldn't help but feel disbelief at the possibility that the robot was still functional. Deciding to get it over with, she quickly squeezed the two triggers on either side of the device with a slight flex of her hand.
A crackle of blue energy arced across the device and entered the small screen, forming the 'H' symbol of the Heybo robot. It had never done that before and Taylor was more than a little bit surprised. But she had no time to do more than gape as the controller exploded with blue light and levitated out of her hand. On some instinct she couldn't understand, she turned her hand palm down.
The controller floated down to hover above it and then white matter appeared, wrapping around her arm, forming a handless gauntlet with the controller set in the centre.
When the light died down, Taylor touched the gauntlet wrapped around her arm and it didn't feel like plastic; it felt metallic, but there was almost no weight to it.
"This thing just violated the Law of Conservation of Mass." She muttered absently. And she was right. All mass had to come from somewhere, it was Panacea's primary limitation with her healing in fact, and about 95% of the gauntlet had just appeared from nowhere.
A flash on the screen clued Taylor in to the fact that her gauntlet was not done surprising her. A blue ring appeared on the black screen and a single cube leapt from it to form a picture in the centre of the screen, the picture of a rugged face surrounded by electric sparks.
Taylor's eyes darted between the face on her screen and the Heybo, noticing how the little robot's face looked like a vastly simplified version of the face on the screen. Could it be…?
Tentatively, Taylor reached out and pressed a finger to the screen. The reaction was immediate.
The screen blazed with blue light and the Heybo's head snapped up, its eyes shining with blue energy, before blue electricity erupted from its body, making Taylor back up and instinctively hide her eyes from the bright light.
Squinting, she saw the form of a large humanoid figure growing in the light and, when the electricity faded, she got a good look at the giant looming over her. It was at least six and a half feet tall, perhaps more, scraping against the ceiling of the basement as it was. It was built like a solid mountain, thick arms and legs and a wide chest. It was armoured in a similar substance to the gauntlet on her hands, but the parts that weren't armoured were blue. A thick red stripe ran down each arm and white stars decorated the area above the hip armour.
But it was the face that drew Taylor's attention. Unlike the Heybo it had grown from, the giant had a proper face, eyes, nose and mouth, and the eyes, electric blue coloured, were focussed on her own now and seemed to be waiting for something from her.
Slowly, a smile crossed Taylor's face. "I'm…a Parahuman?"
So this, in case you missed it somehow, is from Heroman, a manga/anime made by Stan Lee. I'll be giving a Power Rating in the next Chapter.
Now, for all those who read my stories. I am glad to day that my stories Code Geass: the Prepared Rebellion, Issei: The Gaming Gear, Swordsaint, Zero no Tsukaima: Saito the Onmyōji, Ranma Saotome, Chi Master and After the Chamber: Lords and Ladies all have TV Tropes pages. This is a cause for celebration, but aside from the Prepared Rebellion, Chi Master and Onmyōji, the others have a somewhat less detailed list of tropes than I would expect. I would add to them myself, except I have no idea how to go about doing so. That being the case, if any of you wants to add tropes to them, you would have my gratitude.