Chapter Text
Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I am doing wrong (to correct it).
Another spin-off from A Multiverse of Possibilities, the first 4 chapters are the same, apart from minor editing; so if you have been reading the story there, just skip to Chapter 5.
Brockton Bay, USA
Winslow High
Taylor Hebert's Asigned Locker
(Inside, long after school hours)
She felt her mind snap.
It has been hours since she had been pushed into the disgusting mess that filled her locker, painfully contorted into the small space. Her throat was raw from screaming for help that never arrived, her nails had broken against the steel making her fingers pulse painfully, and she could feel a swarm of insects all over her, skittering, crawling, biting…
"Oh, God… I'm gonna die here…" she thought. With the last vestiges of thought she still had, she noticed something glowing in the dark. It was her watch… her mother's watch. A cheap, plastic and metal watch her mother had worn for many years, and had given to her a few months before… a few months before the accident. Slowly, torturously even, she moved her forearm, turning her wrist to see it.
It was just a cheap wristwatch, nothing particularly noteworthy about it, just one more watch like so many thousands.
But now, somehow, the design had changed.
Instead of the well worn face, there were four buttons on the face. Each one emblazoned with a single letter, and they were glowing in sequence. (1)
H. E. R. O.
Repeating over and over. Enticingly. For a moment, Taylor felt as if her late mother was sending her a message, "Call for help, Little Owl!" She almost heard her voice, pleading desperately as a messenger from beyond the grave.
Taylor focused all her will on the watch, on the letters, on the desperate hope.
The position she was in made it barely possible to reach for the dial, she almost dislocated her right wrist trying to reach for the buttons, but she powered through the uncomfortable sensations and the pain.
Sobbing, she reached for the last ember of hope she still had.
Her trembling finger pushed down the H button, her broken nail pulsed with pain, she had almost ripped it off scratching futilely at the metal. She felt the button go down into the watch, and the whole face of the device slid clockwise a fraction of an inch.
Like an old telephone… the kind she saw in those old black and white movies her parents loved to watch in the evenings…
So, she pulled until the dial couldn't move anymore, and released it. With a soft clacking noise, the dial spun back, the H button now dark. The E pulsed with a soft blue light.
With effort, she repeated the move with the other letters, E… R… O…
She was completely unprepared for what happened next.
A glow covered her whole body, and she felt herself change, her vision focused, and could see everything clearly. Not just the disgusting stuff around her. She could see what everything was made of! She knew… She KNEW what made everything! Compounds, alloys, elements…
…molecules…
Atoms!
The locker was full of flickering light, as if a fire was burn… a fire was burning inside the locker! But there was no smoke, no heat, just light.
She felt lighter, as if she didn't weight anymore. And somehow, her hands were now covered by a pair of skintight yellow gloves!
Instinctively, Taylor tried to step back, before realizing she was still trapped inside the locker.
And suddenly, she was outside again.
"What?" She said aloud, but didn't recognize her own voice, now that she was out, she looked down, her skinny body had changed too! Now it was the body of an adult woman! Even taller and much, much fuller.
Instead of her drab hoody and pants, she was now dressed in a weird suit, better suited to some parahuman hero! Yellow vest, trunks, boots and gloves; red pants and puffy sleeves. The vest had three intersecting white stripes, each stripe had a big red dot. The three stripes crossed over a Sun, placed right over her heart. In a way, the arrangement seemed like an atom symbol.
A flood of knowledge invaded her mind. Starting with a name. She was no longer Taylor Hebert, bullied victim and school pariah. Now she was Firestorm, the Nuclear Woman! Mistress of matter and transmutation!
She willed a mirror to appear, and air itself changed to accommodate her wish, a full body mirror materialized over the dirty floor.
She looked at herself, touching her face, marveling at her new features, hard and angular, but feminine. Her skin was perfect, her lips red like ruby, and her eyes were now completely white, contrasting sharply with the skin around them, now black as coal. Her glasses were nowhere to be seen, but her vision was perfect. Her face was the only visible part of her head, a weird red headgear covered the rest, except for the top of her head, now burning bright in yellow flames, her long and curly hair replaced by yellow fire. Tentatively, she touched the flames, but there was no heat, it was just a light show.
With barely a thought, Firestorm pointed at her filthy locker, and with a mere moment of will, a pure white beam hit the cheap steel door. The metal didn't resist her orders, and a moment later the door flowed down as mercury, revealing the sickening mess inside. The disgusting, rotting smell enveloped her for a moment, making her wrinkle her nose as the putrid mess fell from the metal coffin she had been pushed into.
A movement of her fingers, and another beam of light hit the mix of tampons, sanitary towels, garbage, blood, vomit and skittering insects. Everything became sand for a moment, except for the bugs, now desperately fleeing the light. Sand became dust, dust became iron fillings, and iron fillings shaped themselves as the door again, just as Taylor remembered it. Even her ruined books were restored to a pristine condition, instead of the soggy mess they had become.
There was nothing left of the cruel prank she had been subjected to.
Too late, Taylor realized she had just erased any proof of this attempt on her life.
She facepalmed, groaning.
Oh, well… anyway, it wouldn't matter much in the long run. Right now, she was free, and she had become a hero. Just like she had always dreamed!
High Above Brockton Bay
"Hi! Are you new?" A cheerful voice followed Firestorm as she flew happily over the city. Taylor turned around, finding a perfectly proportioned face smiling at her. It was one of the best known capes in the city. Glory Girl!
"Ah, yes..? She answered. "I… um… come in peace?" She raised her hands.
"Great! It's a nice night, I'd rather not fight. Flying is more fun." Glory Girl smiled. "You fly like a veteran! I guess you've been practicing. And your costume looks amazing! Very pro. Are you with the Protectorate at some other city?"
"Ah.. no. Brocktonite thru and thru." Taylor found herself gradually reverting to her old motormouth behavior. And it was… great! "I juuuuuuuuu…!" With a flash, Firestorm changed back into Taylor. Who had the same flight capability as a regular brick. She fell a few dozen of feet, before Glory Girl caught her by the hands, slowing her fall until they landed on a roof.
"What happened?" Glory Girl said, covering her eyes. "Sorry, I don't want to see your civilian ID! Are you okay? That was quite the change!"
Taylor took a few moments to let her heart beat go back to a non-frantic rhythm. "Ah, ah, I'm okay! Thanks for the catch."
"You're welcome." She paused, digging in her fanny pack with her left hand. "Here, it's not much, but it helps." There was a domino mask in her hand. Taylor took it and put it on.
"Done. You can look now."
"OMG! You're quite the Changer! I wouldn't recognize you, that's for sure."
Taylor gasped, as the reality of the situation hit her. She had been about to go splat against the street. And her dad wouldn't have known what had happened… what had happened!
"I'm an idiot! I should have gone home immediately, Dad must be going crazy with worry! I need a phone booth."
"Wanna call him?" Glory Girl offered Taylor a cell phone. "It's a burner. You can keep it. We carry a couple for emergencies. I think this qualifies. You just triggered, didn't you?"
Taylor nodded, "Something like that." Surreptitiously, she glanced at her watch. The buttons were gone, it was back to the regular look, and a small light blinked slowly under the 12. Was it out of juice? Recharging?
She dialed, while Glory Girl spoke in another cell, a few yards away.
"Dad? I'm okay, I'm sorry." She swallowed a gulp. "I'm okay, but I need to tell you a few things and you're not gonna like it. No, no. I didn't do anything wrong. It's the other way around. I'll explain everything when I get home, I promise. I need you to promise you won’t go ballistic. I'll hold you to that, I'm on my way."
"Problems at home?" Glory Girl asked, an angry gleam in her eyes.
"It's complicated. I…" Taylor sighed. "It's a long story."
"I have time, I just left my sister at the hospital, and was about to go patrol around when I saw you. If you wanna vent, I'm all ears, and if you don't wanna talk, it's okay. I won't pry."
Taylor gave her a very short version of the way her life had gone against the rocks.
Glory Girl's face went alternately pale and red. Especially when she heard the names of the ringleaders. "That's it! That bitch is gonna curse the day!" She covered her mouth with her hands.
"Uh?" Taylor raised her head, looking at Glory Girl. "What do you mean?"
"Sorry, I spoke out of turn. Tell you what, let me talk to my mom, and maybe things will go better for you. But!" She raised a finger, pontificating her next words. "You can't tell anybody else, okay, just your dad and no one else." She tapped the side of her nose. "Let's keep it a surprise, okay?"
Taylor nodded.
"Now, I'm very curious about your change. First you're flying happy and content, bright as a torch, and then poof! Weird you didn't get a warning from your power or something."
Taylor looked at her watch, the little blinking light was glowing solidly, and had company. A new blinking light, at the 12: 01 position. "I think it needs time to recharge. Look!"
"Your watch measures your power time?" The young hero asked, "or your energy?
"I don't know… it was my mother's, and she never said anything about powers." Taylor admitted. "I… let's see…" her lips moved as she calculated time, "I think I was powered up for about an hour or so. And the first dot took about a minute to stop blinking…"
"Let's see how long it takes to change. I'll start the count when it goes solid." They waited for almost 40 seconds. And a minute later, there were three solid dots. "Takes a minute to recharge, so it should be full in an hour."
"So I could be Firestorm for an hour, and have to wait another hour to power up again." Taylor nodded sagely.
"Looks like it. Time enough for several fights, but not for long time stuff. Kinda inconvenient but manageable, I think."
"Great! I just thought it would be a problem to try to go around with my head on fire!" Taylor laughed happily. Glory Girl joined immediately. Desperate for friendship, Taylor breathed deeply and took an impulsive decision. "I think I can trust you. My name is Taylor Hebert."
Glory Girl smiled at her. "Victoria Dallon. Nice to meet you!" She floated up a few inches above the roof. "Now that introductions have been properly done… Do you want a lift? I could take you home in a couple of minutes." She offered.
"Wouldn't it be too much?" Taylor hesitated. "I could take a cab." She patted her pockets, "or a bus…"
"Pfft! It's no problem at all! And if I talk to your dad, I can make sure he won't fly off the handle. Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear." She shrugged.
Hebert House
Kitchen
"You must admit it's not the usual way powers work." Danny said, holding a mug of very strong coffee in his hands. "Unless it's a secret too well guarded."
The trio had talked at length about the bullying campaign, and as expected, Danny's temper had flared out in outrage and indignation. Glory Girl had had to physically restrain him. The guy was surprisingly strong for such a skinny man somewhat out of shape.
Right now, by tacit agreement, they were more focused on how Taylor's power worked. Glory Girl's phone beeped, it was almost time. Taylor took the watch off and put it on the table, where all three could look as the last dot finished charging.
"It's full." Taylor said.
"Put it back on, Taylor." Danny said. With some hesitation, she did so.
"It still looks like a watch." Glory Girls said after a few seconds.
"I was very desperate when it changed…" she commented, "I just wanted somebody to help me." The watch changed. "Oh!"
"Just as you said." Danny whispered, barely believing his eyes, "Could it be some weird Tinkertech?"
"I don't know. Let's see what happens." Taylor dialed H-E-R-O again. In a flash, she disappeared from sight.
"Taylor?" Danny said with some alarm. "Are you… are you okay?"
A tiny hand appeared at the edge of the table, followed by a head and another hand. "I'm fine!" she pulled herself up by grabbing at the tablecloth. Now she wore a skintight suit in red and blue; the pants and the lower part of the shirt were red, while the rest, including the hood and the belt, were blue. The gloves and boots contrasted with shirt and pants, respectively. The gloves were red, and the boot blue. In general, it was an armonious balance. On her forehead, there was an atomic symbol, three narrow orbits and a nucleus. Inaccurate, but recognizable.
"This is weird." Taylor said, looking at her hands. "Now I'm the Atom, the Mighty Mite (3)."
"Don't take it wrong, but just what could you actually do at six inches height?" Glory Girl asked cautiously.
"More than you think!" Taylor ran a few steps, jumped, and covered over two yards, landing at the top of a picture. "I can change my weight and size!" She jumped back to the table, and as she ran, she began to shrink even more, until she was so small she was effectively invisible.
One glass began to move around, almost tipping over. From under it, Taylor's voice could barely be heard. "I'm still as strong as if I was full size!"
The glass settled down, and Taylor grew again to six inches next to it. "And hear this. I could go subatomic! And even travel through phone lines! Everything I can do is in my head!"
Danny extended a hand, and Taylor jumped to the palm. "Amazing! You weight as much as a doll."
"Yep, but…" gradually, Danny felt her get heavier, until she weighted about 15 pounds. Then, she went so light he didn't feel her weight.
"That's the weirdest power I've ever seen! It's like a reverse Lung or something." Glory Girl commented. "And you have at least two hero identities and power sets."
"We need to do a lot of testing…" Taylor commented, sitting down on the fruit basket handle, swinging her feet back and forth.
Danny raised a finger. "Ah, Taylor? What happens if you dial HERO backwards?"
"No idea…" she began to do so, but Danny stopped her.
"Wait! Go back to your chair."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry." A moment later, Taylor was back, sitting on her place and with a big smile on her face. "I love it!"
"Can you change again?" Danny asked. "Or you need to wait for a full charge?"
Taylor looked at the dial. Four minutes less than full charge. "Let's see…"
This time, she changed into a woman.
A really tall and powerfully built woman, completely armored in blue, yellow and red, only her face was visible, and it looked nothing like Taylor. The face was rounder, with high cheekbones and piercing blue eyes. The chair groaned under her weight, and Taylor stood up immediately. "Whoa! Big Barda, the Female Fury (4)! I'm super strong, almost indestructible, and this thing shoots energy beams and can work as a high tech club!" She had a strange rod on her hands, "it's called a MegaRod, and I could use it to fly!" She reached down to her belt, and extracted a metal box about the size of a deck of cards, the thing began to "Ping!" excitedly. "And this is a Mother Box (5), a living computer!"
Danny passed a hand over his thinning hair. "Annette never told me about this…" he sighed.
Author Notes:
Key Scene, Taylor dialing H.E.R.O. in the locker. Instead of Triggering, of course.
1. The H Dial is a curious artifact in the DCU, and there have been multiple versions, with different parameters. The original debuted in House of Mystery issue 166 (Jan, 1966). It was an alien artifact, found by a teen genius called Robby Reed. He managed to translate the inscriptions into Earth (English) equivalents, and found that dialing the word "HERO" granted him random super powered identities, the change lasted until Robby dialed "OREH" to change back. The next version of the dial debuted in a preview insert in Legion of Superheroes issue 272 (Feb, 1981), now as a set of H-Dials. One was a wristwatch, the other a pendant. These were found by two teenagers, Chris King and Vicky Grant. Chris took the watch while Vicky kept the pendant. These dials had a couple of limitations the original didn't. The change lasted a maximum of one hour (though it could be cancelled by dialing "OREH") and needed an hour to fully recharge. Taylor's dial is the same Chris had, though how it came to Earth Bet is a mystery. A curious gimmick for the second "Dial H for Hero" series is that it was quite interactive. Readers were encouraged to submit characters, either heroic or villainous, and their characters would be used in the story, with a blurb crediting the creator of each character. There have been more versions, but they are not important for this story.
2. An important difference I decided to use here. All the characters Taylor would get are DC characters, without any context in Earth Bet. Taylor gets shapes, powers and even gadgets; though she will always be female, if the hero she's channeling is male, she changes into a female counterpart. Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, debuted in his own title in March 1978. His powers are as described. Flight, density control of his own body, and matter transmutation (though he can't directly affect living beings). However, the original version is a composite character, the fusion of two individuals, Ronnie Raymond, an athletic teenager; and Martin Stein, nuclear physicist. Ronnie controls the body and powers, while Professor Stein acts like a ghostly advisor.
3. The Atom, AKA Ray Palmer, debuted in Showcase issue 34 (Oct, 1961). He was a physicist who found a piece of white star matter, and used it to create technology to shrink objects, he shrunk himself to get help after a cave in during a spelunking expedition, and later took the Atom identity.
4. Big Barda is just as described. She debuted in Mr. Miracle issue 3 (Oct, 1971). She was the leader of the Female Furies, an elite troop of shock soldiers at the service of Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips. She deserted her post, following Mr. Miracle to Earth.
5. The Mother Box is an artifact used by the New Gods of New Genesis (the good guys), it bonds to its wearer, and has multiple powers, including healing, creating Boom Tubes (basically teleporting tunnels), danger sense, telepathy, control of machines, and many other powers. The first Mother Box shown in the DCU belonged to a group of New Gods known as the Forever People, and debuted in Forever People issue 1 (Mar, 1971).