Deep underground in Brockton Bay, hidden in the sewers, a man ran from a
creature hellbent on killing him. Surprisingly, this was not a tale of a creator and his creation, a common Frankenstein story. No, this was a story of two men whose ideals clashed with each other. And now, their ideologies have come to a head.
"How could you do this to me?!" the human screeched as he ran. "I called you brother I brought you to my home! I shared with you my work, my dream, and now you betray me?!"
"
It is precisely because of those reasons that I have not killed you outright." the monster rumbled. He was only a few steps behind the man, and even now, with his senses confused by the thick and powerful scents of the sewers, he was gaining on his prey. "
You are one of the few people in this world that I would sacrifice everything for. But the world that you wish to create now contradicts differently with another person that I have a duty towards. Cease your ambitions, help me destroy every trace of your work, and I will let you live."
"Destroy my work?! Are you mad?!" The scientist nearly slipped and felt the air move as his former friend nearly took his head off with a single swing. "What could be more important than our work? What could be more important than changing the world?!"
"
Annette is pregnant. With my child."
The scientist suddenly stopped and turned. The monster, seeing that his friend had stopped, also ceased his assault and chase, but stayed close enough that should on be needed, a single strike would end his friend's life.
"What?"
"
I checked: the boy is mine. I owe a duty to marry Annette and secure the boy a good future. The world we planned to build has no place for those without the modifications that you and I have. We already predicted that should we release our samples into the water supply of the United States, it would take three generations before we started seeing the positive outcomes. The boy and her mother would die. I cannot allow that."
"...you would give up transforming the world in our image because of some…
trailer trash you met in a bar?" the scientist asked incredulously. "Our work would evolve the human body to the point that it wouldn't matter if the Endbringers destroyed the Earth because we would be able to survive nearly anything…and you're going to throw it all away because you got some bucktoothed feminist from the backend of Tennesse pregnant?"
"...yes," his partner responded. "
You know me. You know my priorities. Family comes first. Annette carries my son within her. Our experiment threatens the safety of both of them. I have already destroyed my aspects of the experiment. Now, it is your turn."
"You've known me for years! I was your only friend in college, the only one who didn't think you were insane! When we Triggered together, the first time you ever truly felt emotion,
I was the one to pick you up and bring you back from the brink! And you'd kill me for a girl you've known for three months, and a fetus?!"
"Nobody needs to die, Brother," the creature purred, moving ever so closer. "
Tell me where your notes are. Let us burn them, and never think of them again. There are other ways to change the world. We can find them together."
"...fuck you."
The scientist grabbed a vial from his jacket pocket and threw it into the face of the monster. As the vial cracked and exposed its contents to the air, the creature roared in distress as his senses were assaulted and overwhelmed.
"You bastard!" the monster raged, an odd delight in his voice.
"Did you mutate and overcharge the pheromones for this form's original species?! You brilliant bastard; so much for no betrayal, huh! You speak of traitors, and yet you had a genetically tailored weapon in your back pocket. You were always planning to incapacitate me at some point!"
He lashed out wildly but felt his claws only cleave the air. He could hear his partner in crime leaving rapidly, but could not chase him; the pain was just too unbearable.
"Run, brother! Run as far and as fast as you can, because if I catch you, it's all over!"
Ten minutes later, a flash of purple light filled the sewer tunnel, and in the monster's place, a tall, thin man stood. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, the dark locks already beginning to thin. He wore a lab coat over his ordinary clothes, and on his right wrist, a dark blue watch with a pink hourglass symbol shone brightly in the dark.
"Run, Alan," the man whispered in the dark. "Because I will have to kill you if I find you."
Danny Hebert walked through the sewer, a small part of him hoping that he wouldn't have to kill his oldest friend.
It truly would be very hard to find another intellectual equal.
***************************************************************
Taylor was shaken awake in the middle of the night.
"Huh? Whozzat?"
Taylor, it is I, your father."
"Oh…Why are you here at…four in the morning, Dad?"
"I wished to see you."
"...okay. Do you want me to budge up a bit, so you can sit?"
"Yes, that would be appreciated."
"..."
"..."
"Taylor?"
"Yes, Dad?"
"You know that…whilst I cannot show the appropriate emotions, I care for you, yes?"
"Uh, yeah. Of course, I do, Dad. You're weird about it, but I know that you love me."
"Good. Do you also acknowledge that I would never harm you, and would try and prevent harm from coming to you?'
"Dad, you wouldn't let me go to school for the first eight years of my life because, for some reason, you thought I'd be bullied. Mom had to make a whole PowerPoint presentation for you to allow me to enter middle school."
"I still feel that she could have added a few more points. Whilst socialization is an important activity for growing children. I remain concerned that the stupidity of the other children may rub off on you, if only by osmosis. You see, when I was a teenager, I observed that several students made hierarchies in the school, and as an outcast-"
"Dad, it's four in the morning."
"Right, right. So…I am going on a trip in about two hours and five minutes. If I find what I'm looking for, I should be back by this time tomorrow. If I am…incapacitated, it might be quite some time before you see me again."
"Oh, so a business trip?'
'Something to that effect. Anyway, the reason why I am here, intruding upon your sleep schedule, is because I have a gift for you. Well, it is more of a weapon and tool, but it is a gist, nonetheless."
In his father's hands was a dark blue wristwatch with a pink hourglass symbol on its face, looking like a slimmer, sleeker version of the bulky one his father currently wore. As far as Taylor could remember, his father had always worn that watch. His mother said that his father had been wearing it even when they met, and when she asked, he called it 'his life's work.'
"You're giving me your watch?" Taylor asked, confused.
"I'm giving you a better version of my watch. This one doesn't have any of the bugs, longer transformation times, better protections, a more powerful energy supply, and with the help of a fellow, ah, inventor, I have finally solved how to replenish the DNA held within without having to manually restock it. You see, it's a rather ingenious thing. By scanning the DNA and making a dimensional gate connected to the watch-"
"Dad. Four. In. The. Morning."
"Right, right, truly sorry. Okay, so, when you put the watch on, it will only
work for you, and you will be unable to take it off."
"You mean that I shouldn't take it off?"
"...yes. Let's go with that. Sentimental value and the usual rubbish that Annette preaches."
"Alright. I promise I won't."
"Good, very good. There will be notes on my computer about the device in question. The password will be the day I married your mother, then a hyphen, your birthdate, another hyphen, and then the words, 'Life's Work,' in all caps. In case you forget, I will write it down on a post-it and leave it in your drawer."
"Marriage day, hyphen, birthday, life's work, all caps. Got it. Love you."
"...love you too, Little Raven."
Those words made Taylor wake up just a little bit. Little Raven was his mom's name, and while his dad did love him, he preferred to show it in actions rather than words. For him to say it back and to call him Raven, meant that something was wrong. Maybe, if Taylor had been more awake, or his father had spoken to him before he had gone to bed, he would've asked more. Maybe he could have even prevented his father's foolhardy quest.
But he didn't, and his father rarely listened to others anyway.
So the next night, instead of his father coming home, tired but victorious, it was a PRT agent at the door, his helmet in his hands, condolences and questions in equal measure on his lips.
********************************************************************
Just be cool Dennis. Don't make it weird, just be friendly.
Dennis stopped in front of the desk of one of his classmates with a smile on his face.
"Hey man, you doing okay?"
Taylor Hebert blinked up at him owlishly, the bags under his eyes even darker today than they'd been a week ago. The guy had slept through the first three periods, and it was only from the teachers prodding that he managed to get to his next class. As far as Dennis could tell, his grades weren't affected, but the teachers were getting worried
Strike One: Lack of sleep interfering in your daily life.
"Yeah. yeah, I'm just tired,' the taller boy said slowly, rubbing his eyes.
"Late-night gaming session?"
The boy suddenly smirked at him, an expression that seemed almost out of place on the loner's face.
"Something like that."
Strike two: Laughing at inside jokes that only you know.
Now, he might just be a regular guy, but Dennis felt that he was onto something.
"You know, me and my friends are gonna sit with Glory Girl today. You wanna join us?"
The smirk suddenly fell flat. "Glory Girl? I don't know. She's very…loud."
Hmm…was that a strike or just the introvert in Taylor speaking? On one hand, Dennis only knew a handful of guys who would turn up the chance to sit near Vicky, even though she was spoken for. Taylor could be hiding from Vicky because she might recognize him from a nightly stroll. On the other hand…Vicky
was loud. As much as he liked her, she was honestly only tolerable in small doses.
" Just for today man," Dennis assured him. "You don't even have to say anything if you don't want to. You can just sleep through lunch if you want."
Dennis didn't often sit by Vicky and Amy; if he did that too often, people might make a connection between him and Clockblocker. Or, at least, that's what the PRT said. The real reason why he wanted Taylor to sit with him was so that Dean could get a good look at him. Sometimes parahumans had been exposed by having strange and unusual emotional shifts, and Taylor had been on the PRT's watchlist for six months now.
Though that was mostly due to the mysterious circumstances in which his father died. Dennis didn't have all the details, but Piggot had been on the warpath and had gotten the Hebert home searched twice, as well as had the man's wife and son checked for powers. They'd both failed, but Piggy still kept an eye on them.
Dennis merely wanted to know if he was a parahuman so that he could help the guy. Yeah, it was skirting the unwritten rules, but Hebert seemed like a nice guy. If he could give him a heads-up about what Piggy was planning next, then that would be his good deed for the year.
Besides…he knew what it felt like to lose your dad. The only difference between the two was that Taylor actually lost his and didn't get any powers out of the ordeal.
So, he was going to try and see if Taylor was a cape and unmask him. To help him, of course.
*********************************
Of course, he didn't account for Hurricane Vicky.
"You know I've seen you in my history class before. You did that really good presentation on how Legend changed the way Americans view sexuality right? You look like you don't get enough sleep. Maybe James can help with that?"
Amy, whose eye bags looked almost exactly like Taylors', hissed at her sister. Like an actual hiss.
"Or maybe not. Are you single? You know, my friend Julie is single too, and I think you're kind of her type. Tall, mysterious, dark haired. Do you play basketball?"
Taylor, who had been promised a nap, looked like he was deciding that perhaps being alone forever wasn't such a terrible fate.
Dean had mercy upon him, however.
"C'mon Vick, give him some room to breathe," he said gently. "Guy just got here."
"I was just asking a few questions!"
"I know, I know, but you can't overwhelm people like that…"
Dennis gave a sheepish grin to Taylor.
"Sorry about that. Forgot that she hasn't met you before. She really likes meeting new people."
"Is she always like that?" Taylor asked, calming down a bit.
'Pretty much, yeah. But she tones it down after a while,' he assured the taller boy. "Trust me, from here on out, it's smooth sailing."
He turned his attention back to Vicky and Dean's conversation, which had shifted from something else.
"Anyway, tonight Crystal and I are gonna do a flyby over this neighborhood at Archer's Bridge. Apparently, a lot of residents have been calling the PRT, talking about Case 53 sightings, but the Protectorate is swamped right now with the E88 and ABB fights, so we're being sent over."
"What's a Case 53?" Taylor asked curiously.
"Oh yeah, I forgot Most people don't know this, but it's the official designation for monster capes."
For some reason, that caught Taylor's attention.
"So what, people are saying that there's been a monster sighting around Archer's Bridge?"
Victoria shrugged. "Yeah, but it could also be a bunch of druggies and prank callers. Case 53's are really rare. But don't go there to check it out! If there actually
is a Case 53 there, then they'll be confused and scared, and that can make them dangerous."
Taylor nodded almost absently at her. "Yeah, of course. Never even crossed my mind."
Dean looked up in time to exchange a glance with Dean.
Oh yeah. He's definitely a cape.
The question was, which one? And why the focus on the Case 53's?
****************************************************
Archer's Bridge.
His father's notes had mentioned that he and his unnamed partner used to have a lab there. The notes also mentioned that his father had destroyed all of his old gear and notes, but it was possible that there might be some kind of clue about his father's death. Maybe he had visited it before he had gone off that morning. Maybe he had left some kind of message for Taylor there. Maybe the monster sightings meant that someone or something related to his father was there for some unspecified reason
But Taylor just wanted to see something that reminded him of his father. He missed his dry humor. He missed how his father had a plan for almost everything.
And he had to know if his father was actually dead or alive. Yes, the PRT had found a body that matched his DNA and the ruined remains of the watch, but his dad's Tinker specialization was all about manipulating DNA, albeit by using mutations. The watch that his father had worn was also a prototype, full of bugs and kinks that Taylor's more advanced version didn't have. It was entirely possible that his father had made two watches instead of one. The only question he had to ask was why?
Why fake his death? Why give him the next iteration of the watch rather than use it himself?
He was hoping to find at least a few answers to those questions but honestly, he didn't know what he was looking for.
The place in question was an old house in the middle of a dilapidated neighborhood. Druggies and the homeless were the ones who populated the neighborhood, and they usually kept to themselves. Danny's notes said that they did their work in the basement, where the cement walls kept the other neighborhood occupants from hearing anything.
It was also a good place to store their experiments.
He was dressed in a scuffed-up, dirty hoody two times his size, worn jeans, and torn sneakers. Hopefully, he looked enough like one of the residents that no one would pay too much attention. He didn't really have a cape costume; he didn't need one.
As soon as he stepped inside, he raised the arm with the watch in the air and spoke.
"Mutanitrix, please scan the surrounding area for any life signs."
His dad had packed a ton of shit into the watch: sensors, scanners, forcefields, and half a bunch of other shit he couldn't even remember off the top of his head. His dad hadn't been kidding when he said that the watch was a tool more than a gift. The gangs would probably offer him anything to get the power it had on their side.
A thin beam of purple light emerged from the watch, washing over the building. Taylor felt a tingle as the energy passed through him.
"
Area occupied."
Wait, what?
"
One life sign found, one level below User. DNA signature is not human, but the body shape is bipedal and humanoid."
So…what the watch was saying was that in the basement below him, a creature that wasn't human but resembled one in some way was just there. Waiting.
It
could be his father. He would be able to make a new watch after all…but this didn't feel right. Why would Danny be hiding out in the basement of an old lab of his if he could just come home? Why wouldn't he be in human form? And what were the chances that he would be here right when Taylor was looking for him?
No, something was wrong here. He didn't know what it was, but he just had the feeling that he was in danger.
And so, he turned to the watch.
As he activated it by clicking the pins on both sides, a hologram showed up, displaying one of the mutants within. He moved the dial, switching the hologram, looking for just the right mutant. He wanted something tough but fast, strong enough to put up a decent fight and take a few hits, and fight easily in the cramped space of the old house.
"There we go," he muttered as he found what he was looking for. "This should be good."
He tapped on the watch face(
Don't slam it, his father's notes lectured.
That's a good way to turn into a pile of ooze rather than the actual mutant that you want.) and watched the hourglass symbol glow as he
changed.
The transformations were instantaneous, and the only sensation he could feel was a slight burning sensation before he found himself in a different body. Danny's early versions of the watch had made the transformations last minutes rather than seconds and were described as
unpleasant. Taylor couldn't help but be grateful that his father had fixed that problem.
In a flash of purple light, where Taylor had stood, there was now a
giant bipedal Bengal tiger. The oversized clothes that had swamped Taylor now fit him perfectly, though the shoes he had brought with him were now destroyed. When he flexed his hands, claws revealed themselves, having replaced fingernails. There were long fangs in his mouth, as well as a rough tongue. He had gone from five feet and ten inches to six and a half feet tall. His skinny body was now replaced with bulging muscles, and his pale skin was replaced with thick orange and black striped fur.
Tigerclaw was in the middle ground when it came to strength, but his senses, power reflexes, and speed were off the charts, letting him easily dwarf humans and take on parahumans like Hookwolf, Cricket, and Stormtiger, even if he couldn't truly contend with Hookwolfs chained form.
And his now enhanced ears could easily hear the creaking coming from the basement door.
It appeared that the person who resided there had heard the commotion and had decided to greet their new guest.
As Taylor had said before, he wasn't sure what to expect when he entered the house.
But the last thing he expected was to come face to face with another
mutant.
That's what it had to be. It was a giant humanoid that was ten feet tall, making Taylor have to do the rare task of looking up, something he rarely did in either form. It had well-developed muscles, two pairs of four-fingered arms, and red skin. A black stripe went from its chin to its lower lip, and it had four eyes: the main pair and a smaller pair below them while lacking ears or a nose. It had whisker-like spikes on each forearm. The only thing preserving its modesty(instead of its fur) was a large ragged cloak with a hood that kept its face partially in shadow.
And in one of it's smaller hands, it clutched a canister full of
Ooze.
Of course, Taylor recognized it; it was his father's creation, the mystical liquid that had the ability to mutate plants, animals, machinery and even inanimate objects. A powerful substance that was responsible for the DNA of every mutant in the Mutanitrix. His father had written five entire pages detailing everything about the mutagen, with plenty of pictures. Danny had bemoaned its destruction but countered those statements by saying that it was for the greater good.
So what was this guy doing with a canister full of it?
The mutant looked at him in mild surprise…but no fear. With a grunt, it pushed past him easily, making its way to the door. Taylor was almost insulted by how quickly the creature had dismissed him; he was a giant freaking man tiger! At least show some damn caution!
"
Hey!" he called, his voice a half snarl, half roar. "
That canister does not belong to you!"
The four-armed creature paused for a second, looking back at him…and then continued walking for the door.
Now pissed, he grabbed onto the shoulder of the creature.
"Oi, did you hear me?! I said-!"
The only warning he had was the growl that came from the creature's chest.
Then he found himself being thrown through the front door.
It took Taylor a second to come back to himself, mostly because of the disbelief. He had been hit by a freaking
car as Tigerclaw before, and come out bruised, but the victor. This fucker had just picked him up and thrown him like he was a disobedient cat, what the fuck was up with that?!
Shuffling footsteps, heavy breathing, the scent of malice in the air-
Taylor quickly dodged as a red fist made a crater in the road where his head had been. Enhanced strength confirmed. What was this guy, Brute Three, Four? Maybe even a five? Tigerclaw was six times stronger than base humans, and he had been ragdolled.
The creature gave out a snarl as it threw heavy punches that shook the air at him, but Taylor wasn't exactly a slouch when it came to fighting. Most boys in Brockton weren't. He dodged the first two blows, quickly dodged a grab at his head, then landed a clean uppercut on his opponent's chin.
It only jostled the juggernaut's head.
"Alright, you're tougher than you look," he admitted grudgingly
. "Doesn't mean I'm letting you take that canister."
An animalistic grunt was his only reply.
The fight went on, the two mutants duking it out as they fought furiously for the upper hand. Tigerclaw was faster than the red mutant and had more experience, but its swings were powerful, and even if the blows only clipped him, it was enough to send him flying. Add in the fact that Taylor's blows meant nothing to its durability, and he was in a tight spot.
The Ooze was dangerous. Whatever this mutant was, it couldn't be using it for anything good. If that canister hit the wrong person, hit the wrong object, or heavens forbid, entered the water supply?
Things were going to get a lot worse in the Bay than they ever had before. As in, Ellisburg levels worse.
So, he screwed up his courage and decided to take a drastic measure. He did the one thing he swore he'd never do against another living being.
He used his claws.
Raked them across the face of the taller mutant, putting all his strength behind it. And this time, it had a much more pronounced effect than his blows ever did.
The red mutant gave a roar of pain as it lost two eyes and blood gushed over the rest. It lashed out wildly, and a powerful blow knocked the breath out of Taylor, making him crash into the side of a house across the street.
"Damn it, he hits like a truck," Taylor winced as he shakily got to his feet. He was fairly sure that he felt two of his ribs crack with that punch. Tigerclaw regenerated, of course, but he was slower and weaker than some of the others. How long did he have left in this form? Maybe ten minutes? He couldn't go back home with a broken rib; how the hell was he supposed to explain that to his mom? And not only that-
Crunch.
Taylor looked up in alarm as he heard the sound of glass breaking, and his heart leaped into his throat as he saw the Ooze leaking out into the street.
"
No!" This wasn't as bad as the water scenario, but still a huge problem. If the mutagen was discovered, it might tie back to his father, and by extension
him. And amongst the many warnings his father's notes had given him, he had repeatedly written how the current PRT administration wasn't to be trusted.
Especially not with Piggot as the Director.
Highly paranoid around parahumans, and with a distinct distaste for biotinkers, if Piggot ever founds out the full capabilities of the Mutanitrix, she will inevitably try and take it, if only to destroy it. When that fails, well, I hope the cell they put me is very sturdy.
But before he could do more than take a step(and do what? He had no way to contain the mutagen safely, and he didn't think it was a great idea for him to touch it, no matter what form he chose.) he heard something that sent cold shivers down his spine.
PRT Sirens.
They were already here. The other occupants had probably called them; seeing two inhuman figures fighting like animals in the street would terrify anyone.
The other mutant was already gone, having disappeared when Tigerclaw's attention was on the broken canister. There was a blood trail, of course, but he didn't really have time to follow it. The ooze was spreading onto the street, glowing even in the bright sunlight.
He snarled in anger. He had to leave it. There was no other choice. He was going to time out soon, and unless he wanted to have a nice chat with the PRT about the mutagenic substance that he should know nothing about, he had better make himself scarce.
So he fled, leaving with more questions than answers.
That night, as Taylor lay in his bed, he came to two conclusions: One, he needed to find that mutant, because his father's notes had no mention of any red-furred mutant, and its DNA wasn't in the Muantnitrix. So that meant it was new.
And two, if it was new…then maybe the canister was new as well. And if the mutagen was fresh, that meant the only person who could make it might be there as well.
That meant that his father might still be alive.
