Well here is part 4 and an explanation. Doc Savage is considered by most to be the second superhero. He first appeared in 1931 and continued to appear in his own pulp magazine until 1949. His stories have been redone as books, which I grew up on, being a mystery fan. He was genetically engineered to be a superman, with strength, reflexes, and intelligence far beyond the abilities of others. The concept of genetic engineering wasn't the only thing that was way ahead of its time. The series had a number of inventions well before they were invented, including radar, sonar, and helicopters, among others. Doc had five men who worked with him, all geniuses in their fields, who will be mentioned later in the series. He also had a cousin, Pat, who it was hinted that they had some kind of relationship in the books she appeared in. In 1949, the series suddenly came to an end. As far as the story line, Doc, pat, and the five men all just disappeared. This is my attempt to explain that. When I introduce other characters from that series (I'll give a free hint to those who read the books- the main villain in this is the only bad guy to come back for a rematch, and is the one Doc called the devil himself), I will explain who they are as I go. Both Marvel and DC (and maybe others I don't know about) had comic book series of Doc at one time or another. Although I read some of them, I will not use them, except with one notable exception, which will come up later. I will also use as a reference Phillip Jose Farmer's classic, "Doc Savage, His Apocalyptic Life"- an essential resource for any with an interest in Doc Savage, and available through Amazon or Albris. One last note- I haven't followed the Avengers in years, so their appearances in this and any later stories may be somewhat inaccurate. Please bear with me.

 

Wildfire

by Tanyalynn

 

Well, now I had to try to make my peace with Wolverine. I told him, "my not telling you who I was had nothing to do with trusting you- I just saw we were becoming friends, and wanted it to be on the basis of who I am, not who my father was". He said, "I guess I can accept that, given the circumstances. But I want you to be honest from now on". I promised I would. We all sat down at the meeting table and Fury said, "okay, guys, we need to get our priorities straight". I said, "you're damned right, so someone tell me how to get my body back. I'm sure your SHIELD eggheads have been working on it". Fury said, "yeah, but the problem is, we have doubled all of Hank McCoy's research, and no one can think of a solution. We have a theory, though". I said, "although that just fills me with all kinds of confidence, lets hear it". He said, "we have that belt with all of that unique energy. We want to see what would happen if it was released into you again". I said, "is it possible that I would become the other girl again? The problem is, my real body is missing in action right now". He said, "according to Hank's theory, your body would be drawn to you wherever you are in the change. And, when you separated again, its possible that your mind would return to its own body". I said, "well, I think it's worth the risk. Lets do it". He said, "that's all we needed to hear. But, while things are being set up, I want you to tell us what you know, and we will compare notes".

I decided to start at the beginning. I said, " I guess I was eight when I knew I was different. I was smarter than even the other eggheads in class were, but still in incredible physical condition. It didn't take long to figure that I was adopted, although now I realize my parents were helping. I found the papers that they had left for me to find, and realized that they had been the ones to get me after my mom was found wandering, pregnant in the Nevada desert. My mom was Pat Savage. It didn't take a great leap to figure out that my dad was Doc Savage. Somehow, they managed to engineer out the genes that would have given me the distinctive skin tone and eyes that would've been a giveaway. I used my computer expertise to hack into government files and found out most of his history. I even solved the greatest mystery of all- I found the location of his Fortress of Solitude. But, someone else got there first and cleaned it out. It has always scared me, knowing that it wasn't the government that found it. Someone is out there with the deadliest weapons known to man, waiting to use them, for some great sign. I pursued a career in the field of choice, and when the chance came to work with the X-Men, and one of my dad's friends, I jumped at it. I also continued my search, but that's as far as I got. I guess what I need to know, is do you know what their last mission was"? Fury said, I guess this is where we need to wait for Captain America- I guess he needs to hear this as well. Do you want to go on with the experiment while we wait"? I said, "we might as well. If we have to wait, we might as well get it over with".

I was taken to a lab, where a chamber had been set up to contain the energy when I released it. They left me to change into a hospital gown. No one had bothered to get my size in the other body, it seemed. Sarah came in after I changed and handed me the belt and said, "when you trigger this button, all of the energy will flow into you. Theoretically, you should become the other girl, with all of the power of before. It is very dangerous, though, so are you sure you want to do this"? I just nodded and hugged her and stepped into the chamber. It was sealed, and then I put on the belt and pushed the button. Because I was ready for it, the pain didn't make me pass out this time. When I opened my eyes, I looked down at the body of an 18-year-old girl. It had happened again. I was she. The hospital gown seemed much smaller all of a sudden. The panties I had on were way too small. Sarah let me out of the chamber and looked me over. She said, "you are very pretty, but as far as the power goes, very ordinary looking. You're lucky that Hank McCoy took some measurements last time- we have some clothes ready for you". She took me to a room and I found a SHIELD jumpsuit and some underwear. I was getting used to putting on a bra, but now I had larger breasts, so is still took some doing. I realized that in my old body, I would have found me very attractive. There was a knock on the door and Sarah stuck her head in and said, "Captain America arrived a couple of minutes ago and they are waiting for you in the briefing room".

We went there and I was introduced to the man who may be the greatest legend of them all. He said, "it was an honor to serve with your father, and to meet you. I have been briefed as to your situation, and am willing to work with you and help any way I can". I admit to being a little awestruck. When he offered his hand, I said, "I'm afraid to shake- I don't know my own strength yet, or how to control it". He said, "I can help you with that. With the X-Men's mansion destroyed, the best place for you is Avenger's Mansion. I have already talked to some of my fellow members and they are willing to help you. Jan Pym and Wanda are looking forward to the chance to play big sister, as well". I looked at my fellow X-Men and said, "I don't know- shouldn't I help you guys track the Sentinels? That would seem to be my first responsibility". Logan came up and hugged me and said, "we could use your power- only a couple of people have hit me with the power you did by accident. But, you need to learn to control it, and to see how much of it there is. They are better equipped. And for some reason, in your combined form, you don't register as a mutant. We can probably use that later, but for now, go and learn how to be a girl, and to use your power". I couldn't help it- I cried as he held me.

I went back to my room and got the clothes I had as Tanya, in case I needed to change back, and went to a transport. I found both Cap and Sarah waiting for me there. She said, "SHIELD decided to loan me to you, since we're friends, and my scientific knowledge will be of use as well". I hugged her and climbed into a seat as Cap took the transport out of the SHIELD ship and we flew down towards Manhattan. As we flew, I asked Cap, "when are you going to tell me about the last mission"? He said, "since the Avengers are going to be involved, I will tell everyone together". I watched as we swooped down to a landing on the famous Avenger's Mansion roof.

After the security system confirmed Cap's identity, we went down into the mansion. Wanda, better known as the Scarlet Witch, was waiting there. She hugged me and said, "you look a lot different from the last time I saw you". As a mutant herself, she made frequent visits to the X-Men, and we had met a number of times. She showed me to a room that was nice, and gender neutral. It had a private bath, too. It had a desk with a computer monitor on it and a keyboard. She told me, "from your work with the X-Men, you have the highest security clearance, so the computer is unlocked to give you access to all files. Throw your bags on the bed and we will take care of that right away". She pressed a button on the keyboard and retinal scanner came out of the desk. She was okayed by it and then set me up with it and said, "now only you can access it with your retinal scan. When the time comes, we can get it done for Tanya, if need be. But, for now, we need to know what to call you". I had to think about that. Then, I thought of Tanya's middle name and said, "call me Lynn. It's her middle name and I should remember it easily". Wanda said, "I think that I have a dress that will fit you, and then after the briefing, we can go shopping for some more clothes". I really wasn't looking forward to that- it seemed like a real surrender of my being a man, even if it was on the inside. Wanda returned with a dress and some news. She said, "Cap just told me that it would be a few hours before Thor and Iron Man can arrive. Hawkeye will only be available through teleconferencing and the Vision is on monitor duty. Jan will meet us downtown. Why don't you change and we'll go". My stomach was doing flip-flops as I changed out of the jumpsuit and into the dress. It was a tight fit, and as I brushed my hair in the mirror, I was all too aware of it. I went out to meet Wanda, and got ready to go out for the first time as "Lynn".

To be continued

  

  

  

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