Question A Possible Preview

(This is NOT canon, and should not be taken as a final anything, I just wanted to show off a small preview of a story I'm very proud of.)

March 8th, 2007
Miami, Florida
The mailbox watched the front of the MCO building noting all the visitors, sending the information back to home base, waiting as only a robot could, for the signal to fly into action. It wished it had a watch to look at or its sensors let it pick up a radio station. Sometimes it wondered if having an MP3 player would break its creators budget, didn't he know keeping workers entertained made them more efficient. With a silent, robotic sigh, it kept scanning like it was programmed to.

An alarm went off in its head. Finally after days of waiting the sensitive sensors picked up the correct signals, happily its primary program kicked into action. A quick scan of the target made it come to a sad realization, the target was not in place for optimal take down. Plan A was scrapped and Plan B formed in its brain. Very slowly and carefully it began changing position.

It gave a robotic sigh, it would probably be several more hours before the target came out. As it continued scanning for possible problems and threats, it once again wished it had a radio.

**

“So, Miss Powerful, can I get the name of your parents in case something happens?” the MCO agent asked, trying to learn her identity for at least the tenth time.

The budding superhero was ready for it, her parents had visited the Miami Crusaders website which told them all about the MCO power testing, and had joined on some pro-mutant forums asking for advice when getting an MID, everyone said she shouldn't give them her or her parents name. Still blinking spots out of her eyes from getting her picture taken for the MID, she smiled at the man as sweetly as possible for an almost thirteen year old girl, and took a second to fix her silver mask. “Like I said, Agent Brown. My parents died when my home planet blew up. I'm actually a princess who has to keep our culture alive and bring peace, unity and love to my adopted planet. So I could tell you their names, but for you to reproduce the words we'd have to split your tongue into four equal pieces.”

“Right,” the agent said, surprisingly unimpressed.

“Are we almost done? My adopted caretaker should be done her coffee anytime now and I can't wait to show her that the first step in my mission of world peace is all done.” Again she gave her sweetest smile.

He handed her the MID and waved her out, clearly ready to be rid of the kid who was bouncing around like she didn't know how to stay still. “Keep this on you at all times, especially if you're going on a trip. If you take a plane you have to present this or you will be arrested.”

“Thanks! This was a lot of fun. Sorry about breaking your treadmill, I didn't mean to jump on it so hard.” With an enthusiastic wave Miss Powerful skipped towards the exit, shoving her MID into her pink purse.

She jumped down the ten steps that lead to the sidewalk, her glittery pink cape flying behind her and landed perfectly giggling with delight and began dancing in her pink jeans and t-shirt, slowing only to make sure her silver coloured tiara in her long brown hair wasn't about to fall out. Gingerly reaching into her purse she pulled out her phone, desperately trying not to break it. Her parents had told her, after she snapped her second phone in half, that she would have to pay for the next one. Tapping speed dial for her mom, she bounced from one foot to the other barely able to hold in her excitement.

“Hey Mom! I finished early. You're still at Starbucks right?” she said in a rush. Barely waiting for the answer, she kept going, “K, I'll be there in five minutes, I want to call Teri. See ya soon. Love ya.”

Hanging up she hit another number “Hey cuz!” Teri's voice came over the speaker immediately. “So you made it out of the MCO office alive. What's the official verdict, are you a freak of nature?”

“YES!” she shrieked with delight. “They said I have a PK field and I can bench press like 8000 pounds, isn't that awesome! And they said with practice I might be able to fly! When I jumped across the gym I didn't throw up this time, and it was super impressive. And I could get even stronger since I only manifested like two weeks ago. I can't wait to fly to school and no ones going to bully me anymore! I'm the strongest twelve year old EVER!!!! This is like the best early birthday present in the whole wide world. And guess what, they let me call myself Miss Powerful. I wanted to be called Princess Powerful, but stupid Marvel already has a character called that, and they said since I wasn't a princess for real I couldn't call myself that. So it's MISS POWERFUL TO THE RESCUE!”

“Hey, calm down,” her older and much calmer cousin said. “Remember you can't just go showing off, superheroes have secret identities for a reason.”

“You're no fun! I have a mask, they'll never know its me when I land,” she said. “Anyways, I have to set up that meeting with the Miami Crusaders now. I know I have to wait until I'm eighteen, but do you think they could get me signed up for the Cadet Crusaders in New York? Should I stop a few crimes first? Do you think that will look impressive on my resume. I've never written a resume, can you help me with that? I can't wait to fight beside Lightning Strike. LIGHTNING STRIKE FOR THE WIN!” Miss Powerful shouted, punching the air.

Teri gave a laugh. “I think you'd fit in more with the Bakers Dozen over in Tampa.”

“Those losers! NEVER! It's the Crusaders or nothing,” she declared. “You're just jealous that I'm now like ten times cooler than you are with your boring old genes.” She stopped walking for a moment to look behind her. A mailbox she could have sworn wasn't there before was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. “Weird,” she said to herself.

“So how's your mom taking all of this now that it's confirmed,” her cousin asked.

“You know her, she's panicking. Oh no you're a mutant! What will the neighbours say? How will we feed you now that you're eating more than your father? What if H1 comes around? Blah, blah, blah. You'd think it was the end of the wo-” She stopped again certain she'd heard something banging and clanking behind her. A mailbox was right on her heels, one of its posts raised up as if it was walking.

“Um, Teri, is there some art exhibit going on today?”

“No, why?”

“Because I think I'm being followed by a mailbox,” Miss Powerful said, reaching out to rap the top of the box.

“Did your mutation make you crazier than usual?” Teri asked.

“I don't think so. There's a mailbox right behind me that wasn't there a minute ago. Can I squish it?”

There was a pause as her cousin thought about how to answer that. “Nnnnoooo, you can't. Even if your name is Miss Powerful, the police and your mom would frown on that. Just start running and if the mailbox follows you, then you can break it.”

“But it's really strange,” Miss Powerful said, looking in the slot. Inside there was a glowing light. “Teri I think this thi-”

She never finished, a metal ribbon shot out like a bullet, encircling and zapping her with something. There was just enough time to scream before she lost consciousness.

*uses every ounce of willpower from saying anything in case this story becomes canon*

So timeline wise in your own universe (if it's a "shared" universe) it would be before Tink's origin story ? (unless those are different Teri)

It was fun to read.

Esar wrote: So timeline wise in your own universe (if it's a "shared" universe) it would be before Tink's origin story ? (unless those are different Teri)

It was fun to read.

This will hopefully be canon after some tweaking. A Strange Fairytale has gone through some major and some not so major changes, with lots of characters added and taken away.

Domoviye wrote:

Esar wrote: So timeline wise in your own universe (if it's a "shared" universe) it would be before Tink's origin story ? (unless those are different Teri)

It was fun to read.

This will hopefully be canon after some tweaking. A Strange Fairytale has gone through some major and some not so major changes, with lots of characters added and taken away.

IIRC there was a WOG specifically stating that squeezing out of her own chest isn't an option, it was months ago so don't expect me to link it, but I take it that's one of the changes?

I don't recall seeing that post, but yes, crawling out of her chest cavity, or even being sneezed out was declared a no no.
Within three minutes of that being confirmed, I had the basic new plot prepared, the first draft written in a week, and the final version took another week or so.
And obeying all the rules I made the transformation even more horrifying.

Can you tell us why crawling out of her chest cavity doesn't work? Or is that a privileged secret?

JG wrote: ...I must read this now.

I know something I won't tell, I won't tell, I won't tell. I know something I won't tell, lalalala.

Domoviye wrote: I don't recall seeing that post, but yes, crawling out of her chest cavity, or even being sneezed out was declared a no no.
Within three minutes of that being confirmed, I had the basic new plot prepared, the first draft written in a week, and the final version took another week or so.
And obeying all the rules I made the transformation even more horrifying.

Boy, you have a knack for understatement, Domo.

Domoviye wrote: I don't recall seeing that post, but yes, crawling out of her chest cavity, or even being sneezed out was declared a no no.
Within three minutes of that being confirmed, I had the basic new plot prepared, the first draft written in a week, and the final version took another week or so.
And obeying all the rules I made the transformation even more horrifying.

So long as Marcus the grocery store owner/first victim isn't written out...

mhalpern wrote:

Domoviye wrote: I don't recall seeing that post, but yes, crawling out of her chest cavity, or even being sneezed out was declared a no no.
Within three minutes of that being confirmed, I had the basic new plot prepared, the first draft written in a week, and the final version took another week or so.
And obeying all the rules I made the transformation even more horrifying.

So long as Marcus the grocery store owner/first victim isn't written out...

Someone should buy that store and use Terry as a spokes models.
Hay Ayla.

NJM1564 wrote:

mhalpern wrote:

Domoviye wrote: I don't recall seeing that post, but yes, crawling out of her chest cavity, or even being sneezed out was declared a no no.
Within three minutes of that being confirmed, I had the basic new plot prepared, the first draft written in a week, and the final version took another week or so.
And obeying all the rules I made the transformation even more horrifying.

So long as Marcus the grocery store owner/first victim isn't written out...

Someone should buy that store and use Terry as a spokes models.
Hay Ayla.

Concerning crawling out of your own chest, the manifestation occurred too quickly and too easily. I had to agree. Fortunately there were other 'options' available.

Reminds me of Molly Hayes, from Runaways.


Not sure if that's good or bad.

She was a bit of an inspiration. Thats why I mentioned Princess Powerful and Marvel comics.