New chapter in bound. I'll be honest, while I'm happy with this chapter, it and many of the ones following it were a real struggle to write. Turns out trying to give Taylor a believable path to building a battlesuit is pretty difficult. Hopefully I got it down good. With that out of the way, on to the chapter.

Chapter 4: Road to Heroism III

Saturday, January 8th, 2011

"So while you've gotten some of what you needed down pretty good, there's still a few key things you're missing." Danny brought up as he put away the leftover pizza.

"Oh… what's that?" Taylor asked, throwing out their plates.

"First is getting all the stuff you'll need. People trying to hide their identities randomly turning up for junk parts is a pretty good give away that you're a tinker. So that paints a target on your back. Also there's the problem of needing something and having no easy way to get it." Danny explained.

"Well, for the latter problem, my powers have already accounted for that. I'll be able to build machines that'll help me produce virtually any material I need, within limits. The whole being targeted for acting like an obvious tinker problem is definitely something to worry about though, part of the reason Kiana wants me to learn how to fight before going out like that." She replied. "Though we could see about just buying stuff, though suddenly buying the materials I need at random might also raise some red flags. Also the aspect of not having much money is a problem too. What else?"

"Where are you gonna put all your tinkertech stuff? Cause something tells me the house ain't gonna be big enough." Danny pointed out.

Taylor just stopped where she was. After a few seconds she banged her head against the wall. She groaned.

"I'm an idiot." She grumbled.

Her father snorted and her head snapped to glare at him. He wasn't fazed.

"Not bad, but only about a fifth of the death glare your mother could do." Danny pointed out.

She stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled.

"Anyways, I think I might be able to help out in that regard. The DWU's got some old buildings we aren't using. They're large and should be good for anything you need. As a bonus you being seen going there won't raise as many suspicions if anyone unsavory catches sight of you heading there out of costume." He noted.

She looked at him with a hint of surprise.

"Would that really be alright, won't that attract a lot of attention to you guys?" Taylor asked.

Danny smiled.

"Thanks for the concern, but we get enough trouble as is. Adding you into the mix won't change much. Actually, while I don't want to put you in danger, having you nearby wouldn't be too bad when things do go south." He explained.

"Hmm… … … It could work but… … … no… I need my battlesuit to really handle any serious fight. Without that I can't defend any place that easily. Even with it, there's the fact I can't always be around. My powers don't give me the blueprints for turrets or any kind of defense installations. Maybe…" Taylor muttered.

Danny stood silently, letting her mull things over. A smirk formed on her face.

"I've got it. If I go for smaller machines and don't make as many of them, I can keep it all down in the basement. That way I can work on all of this without really drawing attention to myself. The downside is it'll slow down the time it'll take to make my gear." Taylor explained. "Maybe I could…"

Danny waited in silence as Taylor continued to mull over this. Another few seconds passed.

"We still have all the junk in the basement right?" She asked.

A faint smile found its way onto Danny's face.

"We do. And I've been meaning to clear some of it out." He answered.

"Then hopefully, I can use some of that stuff to get an early start on everything. If not, I'll have to push it back until I'm ready to go out scavenging." Taylor explained. "Once I've got my first battlesuit, I can start going out as a cape proper. After I've built up a bit of rep, maybe we can revisit the idea of using an old union building. Maybe something like me 'coming to you' to see about getting a building in exchange for protection."

Danny looked at her with a hint of pride.

"You are definitely my daughter." He noted. "Still, there's another option."

"If you bring up the Wards again so help me god I don't know what I'll do but it'll be bad and you won't like it!" She shouted.

He shrugged.

"Had to try." He replied.

She rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, I'm going to go up and get a list of all I think I'll need. Then tomorrow we can see if we have what I need here." She stated.

'After your morning workouts.'

"After my morning workouts." She quickly added. "Which reminds me I'll have to redo my schedule now."

"Sounds like a plan." Danny replied. "And I can help you with scheduling. I might not be a personal trainer, but I've learned a thing or two about scheduling with the work I do."

"That'd… actually be really good. I'll bring it down in that case. Thanks dad." She returned.

"No problem kiddo." He returned in kind.

She quickly went upstairs to get her journal.

The next day…

It was early in the morning and Taylor was lying peacefully asleep in her bed unaware of the man sneaking up on her. He inched closer and closer, making sure to stay silent. Once close enough, he raised a trumpet a little ways away from her head and blasted out "Reveille" at full volume.

"AHHHHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHHHHHHHH!" She screamed as she bolted up.

Her head snapped to her father, still playing till the end of the tune. She gave him the most deadly of all death glares she could muster. He ignored it as he snapped his trumpet down into rest.

"ATTEEEEEEEEEEEENTION!" He shouted like a drill sergeant.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" She screamed.

"Waking you up for your morning run!" He shouted.

"IT'S!" She began before looking at the clock. "SIX IN THE GODDAMN MORNING! ON A SUNDAY!"

"You need to get used to getting up early if I'm going to join you on your morning runs!" He shouted.

"Didn't you say you'd wait on that?!" She shouted back.

"I changed my mind!" He returned.

She glared at him before returning to bed. He played "Reveille" again, even louder this time.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAR! FINE I'M UP!" She screamed.

"GOOD! Meet me downstairs at 0620!" He ordered.

He snapped to the door and began marching in place.

"Hut two three four, hut two three four, hut two three four, hut two three four." He began before marching forwards.

He marched out right out of her room, his voice slowly fading. She glared at him as he did so. It was only after he left that she noticed Kiana's snickering. What are you laughing about?!

'Oh nothing, just reminiscing… … I still hate getting up early.'

Taylor grumbled as she got up and threw off her pajamas and got into her 'workout clothes', which were just more comfy clothes that made working out easier rather than actual workout clothes. It was as she was getting dressed she ran into a problem, her bra was a little tight. She flushed in embarrassment as she struggled a bit to hook it. She also noticed her pants hugged her hips more tightly. Looks like I might need to do clothes shopping soon.

'Might want to save it for later, you've still got some growing to do.'

She groaned.

"I've always wanted to have actual curves and now that I'm getting them, it's causing me all kinds of trouble." She grumbled.

'Welcome to life.'

Taylor sighed as she made her way down stairs. Her father was waiting for her, already dressed and ready to go.

"Glad to see you up bright and early." He greeted her cheerfully.

She glared at him.

"You're getting better. Soon you might actually make a kid nervous." He quipped.

She continued glaring at him, hoping to set him on fire.

"Welp, enough standing around. Let's get to it." He declared, marching towards the door.

She continued to glare at him as she followed. He continued to ignore it.

Later…

Taylor smirked as her father struggled to get back to their house. He had managed only about a block in a half before he really felt fatigue kick in. Better than her when she started, but compared to the four blocks she could do now, laughable. Especially considering she was only slightly winded. Accelerated growth for the win! He lugged himself up to the front steps. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Not. A. Word." He ordered through labored breaths.

She just smiled smugly before opening the door and going inside. Her father followed close behind her.

"I'm gonna rest. Then get breakfast ready. Have fun with your workouts or something." He declared before walking away.

She giggled as she closed the door. She moved on to do some strength training. That reminds me.

"Make sure I get extra protein! I read online that it helps with building muscle!" She shouted.

"Will do!" Her father shouted back.

She smiled. So glad I told him. She felt Kiana grow smug in her mind. She sighed. Fine… you were right Kiana.

'Kiana-senpai.'

What?

'Call me Kiana-senpai. I've been letting it slide up until now, but since you're my kouhai, you need to call me senpai.'

I have no idea what those words mean, and I'm not calling you that.

'Waaaaaah… Come on Taylor-chan. I wanna be a senpai.'

Lalala… I can't hear you. I got workouts to do, byyyyyyyyyye.

'Oi… you know that it doesn't work like that, you can hear me just fine!'

No I can't.

'Yes you can.'

No I can't.

'Yes you can.'

No I can't.

'Yes you can.'

No I can't. The two continued this banter even as Taylor began her workouts.

Later, After Lunch…

Taylor brought down her journal to help remember what materials they needed. Her and her dad had gotten the list of all she'd need together and made some light changes to her schedule the night before. She wasn't sure how, but the necessary materials just came to her. Based on what Kiana said, it was just a quirk of her power. Though she did wonder if all tinkers had something similar or if it was just her.

As far as her schedule went, nothing really changed overall. She moved her energy training to after dinner, since it tended to leave her drained, and had tinker sessions be in its place. She also planned to convert her pre-dinner workout into combat training when the time for that came. At her father's instance she made room for school work for when that would start back up, for now though, that would just be free time to do other stuff. She made her way down into the basement where her father was already sifting through stuff.

"Find anything useful?" She asked.

"Well my tools are all here, so you've got that." He noted. "Other than that, I'm not sure. I don't quite remember what was on your list."

"Here." She stated, handing him her journal.

As he checked over the list, she went over towards the workbench to check over the tools. It was here she noticed something crucial was missing.

"You don't happen to have welding and soldering stuff do you?" She asked.

"No, never really got into, or had the need to." He answered. "Before I was head of hiring, I didn't handle that stuff. I take it you'll need them?"

"Yeah, without those two things I won't really be able to build anything unless I'm lucky with what I find." She answered. "They don't have to be high quality, it can be cheap stuff. I'll need to upgrade them anyways to handle the materials I'll be using in the future, so no point in splurging on them. Though you can wait a bit, if I find what I need we might not need it."

She started her own search.

"Check the journal and see if you can find anything in there in all this junk." She directed. "Ohh… an old T.V, that'll help."

Danny chuckled.

"Seems you already know what you're doing. I take it that's your powers helping?" He inquired.

"Yep, couldn't tell you how, but my powers feed to me just what I need and the order in which to go about things." She stated as she continued shifting through things.

"Sounds useful." Danny noted.

"It is." She replied. "Oh… an old printer."

She hosted up said printer. It was bulkier in size when compared to their new printer.

"This'll come in handy." She noted.

She placed the printer to the side. As she did, she noticed something else out of the corner of her eye. She bent down and picked up an old computer keyboard.

"Does this still work?" She asked.

"It should, it was for the old computer your mother insisted on getting." He noted.

"We'll have to see if we can find that. I'll need it for another project." She noted as she placed the keyboard on the printer.

She continued her search and her father joined her. They searched through the various things that had been stowed away in the basement. Unfortunately, even after searching for about an hour they weren't able to find much that would be immediately useful to Taylor. They found a crate full of old metal and plastic parts, what they went to was unknown. They also found some old work gloves that weren't in horrible shape. On top of this, they found some old lamps who's wiring could be taken out and an old sewing machine.

"We're not getting anywhere with this. I thought we had more stuff I could use." Taylor muttered in annoyance.

"I thought so too." Danny added.

He thought for a bit.

"Hey, why don't you stay down here and search a bit more. I'll go upstairs in the attic and see if I can find anything up there." Danny added.

"Good idea," she replied. "Actually I might start tinkering a bit. I think I've got enough to make something."

She made her way over to the work bench, a pile of scraps and other parts in her hand.

"If you say so." Danny muttered.

As Taylor went to work, he took hold of the journal and headed upstairs. Going through the kitchen and hallway he went upstairs to his bedroom. From there he opened a door to a steep spiral staircase and went up it. In the attic were various boxes full of all sorts of stuff. Danny looked around, taking it all in. With a heavy sigh, he went to work, sifting through boxes.

He found very little in his search; Old papers, Christmas decorations he hasn't gotten out since his wife's passing, she'd been the one to do most of the decorating, old antiques, and other such things. It was as he was searching through these things that he'd stumbled upon an old photo he had put away after Annette passed away. It was him holding a little Taylor with Annette next to him. It was a picture full of smiles and cheer, speaking of better times. A sad smile formed on his face from a deep longing for those times. He looked some more and found some more old photos he had put away to escape the pain. He put them aside before resuming his search. He found little other than some old lamps that Taylor might be able to make use of for their wiring. With little else to do, he grabbed some of the old photos and brought them down. He went about putting them back where they belonged before heading back down to the basement.

"Couldn't find anything of note other than some old lamps." He stated as he walked down the steps.

"That sucks. Don't think I'll be able to use them for much." She replied from where she was working.

She was putting something together, though with her back to Danny he couldn't see.

"Yeah, though I did find some old photos of Annette. The ones I had… put away…" He added.

She stopped working and turned around to look at him as though searching for something. He had a sad smile.

"I put them back. Just because something is lost doesn't mean it should be gone." He stated.

Her eyes went wide ever so slightly before a small smile formed on her face. She said nothing and went back to work.

"What'cha working on?" He asked.

"Welding gun." She answered.

He stopped.

"Your powers had you build a welding gun?" He questioned.

"Not just any welding gun." She answered, turning around.

She held up said welding gun in her hand. It was fairly crude looking, though it still appeared functional.

"This bad boy is multi-functional and easily upgradable." She explained. "On top of welding, I can use it as something like a plasma cutter with a flick of a switch."

"So instead of buying all that, your powers had you make it?" Danny questioned. "Even though it'd be easier and you could save material."

"To be fair it'll be easier to upgrade these for when I have to." Taylor replied. "Hey do you have old work gloves that I could use? I've got a makeshift face shield I can use but not gloves."

"We found them earlier. They're directly to the right of you." Danny answered.

She looked directly to her right and saw them just lying on the workbench.

"Huh… don't know how I missed them?" She questioned.

She picked them up and inspected them.

"These will do until I can make better ones." She noted.

She went to grab more material to use for her next project.

"For now it's making the tools I need and then the converter, thankfully I have everything I need to make it." She added.

"Seems like you've already got a plan for how you're going about this." Her father noted with a hint of amusement.

"Yep, while I was working on the welding gun, I realized something. If I do end up having to go out, I'll need a costume that gives me some protection but doesn't require all the components I'll need to make for a regular battlesuit. Given the converter is my only way to really get stuff like that easily, it'll be the first machine I build." She explained as she went about gathering materials. "By the way converter is just what I'm calling the machine, it doesn't have an official name."

Danny shrugged.

"Hey, whatever works for you Little Owl." He replied. "As long as it isn't stupid like Material Conversioninator or something."

Taylor chuckled a bit at that.

"Yeah, who'd use '-inator' in their machine names. Anyways, can you help me look through more of this stuff? I still haven't found that old computer and depending on what it has and what else we find, I might not have to take apart the other one." Taylor asked.

Danny chuckled.

"Sure thing," he replied before going to work.

And that's a wrap. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Till next time. If you want me to be able to produce more content, please consider supporting me on subscribe star. (search zmanxv and the link is on my deviantart page).