Diamond in the Rough by Lynceus Lee Crawley had given up on trying to be a hero a long time ago; the world owed him a living, and he intended on taking whatever he wanted. Then he made the mistake of thinking superpowers would make his life easier...

Authors Note: Lily is a character introduced previously in Big Trouble!, Chapters 4 and 5. I'm not sure what kind of solo adventures she'll have, but hopefully we'll see more of her in the future.

I felt like I'd just closed my eyes when my alarm clock went off. I used to be a quick riser, a habit I'd picked up during my stint in the Corps. Emphasis on 'used to be'.

I was groggy, and my body felt heavy. I intended to simply reach over and hit the snooze button, instead, I smashed the clock into little pieces. “Fuck.”

I sat up slowly and stretched. My bones make these strange popping noises; according to Jade and Doris, whatever the hell I'm made out of, it's something a lot tougher than human flesh and bone. A few days ago, a revelation like that would have scared the shit out of me, but at some point, you either got to start rolling with the punches or lay down in the corner and bleed.

And I'm not the kind of person to go out quietly. Trust me on that.

I stand up, my bed creaking ominously. I hadn't really noticed how heavy I'd gotten; I sure don't look like I weigh a lot, even as tall as I am. My physical strength kept increasing even as my body got tougher, denser. I scratch my side, stifling a yawn.

My sense of touch doesn't feel right anymore; I mean, I feel stuff, but there's a short little delay that always throws me off. Given the fact that my skin is tougher than the side of an M-1 Abrams, I'm lucky to feel anything at all.

Doris claims that my sense of touch is completely gone, and instead, it's been replaced by some kind of ESP. Something about my nerves no longer being able to transmit information to my brain. Which is fucking strange, and yet, it kind of makes sense. I'd always been able to ignore pain or physical discomfort for long periods of time; if my vision had been sharper, I could have gone for sniper training.

Something else that's changed; I now see several times better than a normal human. Not that I have much interest in being a sniper anymore. I turn to face the young woman in the mirror and sigh.

I don't know what the hell I want now.

-

Sense of touch or no, the shower feels good. The water should be hot enough to boil me, but it just feels pleasant. A little too pleasant, actually. My brain isn't really wired to handle the body of a 20 year-old girl. I don't want to think about what will happen if I keep getting younger.

Doris is convinced I won't get much younger than sixteen but...fuck. Sixteen? I'd be barely more than a kid! My old life was gone. I mean, I'd known that for awhile now, but I'd been trying to ignore it. Just offload the shit in the warehouse, and then maybe take a long vacation to get my head together.

Now the warehouse was gone, destroyed by an angry giantess, what remained had been confiscated by the cops and the feds. A lot of dangerous people were looking for Lee Crawley, and I knew eventually they'd start looking for his 'daughter', Lily.

I actually grinned thinking about it. I felt sorry for the jackass that tried to lean on Lil. She was a tough kid. Real tough.

-

One small favor I'm thankful for; my hair dries fast. It's almost like water particles just slide right off my hair...although that can't actually be the case, since we were able to dye it. I really like the color, a real dark red hue. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to get it out of my way.

I feel sorry for girls who try to have really long hair- it's a pain in the ass! About the best I can manage to do is drape it over one shoulder; we went through several scrunchies before Doris just gave up trying.

A strand of my hair isn't sharp enough to draw blood, but it will shred fabric and paper eventually. I bet I could use my hair to garotte somebody if I put my mind to it! Although, I probably should file that thought away for now.

I'd promised I'd try to be a good girl. Yeah, like that was going to happen.

Still, Doris was a good person, and I kind of liked having her as a friend. I don't have many friends, and technically, Lil doesn't have any. Jade cut me loose, but I could tell she'd have no qualms about locking me away somewhere and losing the key.

Which was fair enough, really. Just as long as she didn't try to get me to run around wearing spandex to earn my freedom. I have to draw the line somewhere!

Although, to be fair, the other girls did look fine in spandex. Criminal, really, considering most of them used to be guys! I still didn't know how I felt about that, but I don't have much room to talk, obviously.

-

They don't make a lot of clothes for girls my size; hell, at 6' 5”, none of the stuff I'd worn as a guy would fit anyways. Apparently, though, Jade's magic ring can create clothes, which explains where Doris got that minidress- it's almost indecent!

Of course, Jade wasn't going to give me one of those rings, and I really couldn't blame her. She was nice enough to supply me with some clothes anyways; just like on Star Trek, her spaceship can create just about anything.

That's enough to give me pause right there. All my life, I'd had to make do with less than I wanted. It made me angry, and every chance I had, I took whatever I wanted from others. But now, if I really wanted something, in theory, at least, Jade could just hand it to me.

Don't get me wrong, I don't know that it can make precious metals or money, but I currently have a new driver's license, state ID, birth certificate and SS card. A whole new identity. And a debit card attached to a fairly decent-sized account.

Apparently when Lena (Doris's gf) gets back into town, they'll be able to transfer pretty much all of my assets and property to my new identity as well.

There suddenly wasn't a lot of reason to go back to my life of crime. I'm not really sure what to think about that.

-

It's chilly this morning, but I really need to go for a jog. The sweatpants and hoodie fit perfectly, but I felt more than a little self-conscious wearing them; light pink isn't really my color. But being comfortable and warm beats out all other considerations, and I made my way towards Lake Shore Drive.

Jogging several city blocks doesn't even wind me; I can't believe how much stamina I have now. And it feels good too; I feel like I have way too much energy, and I need to burn it off. The miles just sort of blur, and I stop thinking, just existing in the moment.

A growl in the pit of my stomach snaps me back to reality. To my surprise, I'm already at Navy Pier! Which isn't a bad thing, really; nothing takes the edge off an empty stomach like a Chicago-style hot dog with the works!

It's going to be a gloomy day. The sky is grey, and it's probably going to rain. I like watching it rain by the lakefront, but it means I'm probably not going to be able to jog home. I lean back on the park bench, thinking about it, when I realize I'm being watched.

Aw hell. A couple of young guys are checking me out. I may be a girl now, but if you could rate my interest in guys on a scale, it'd be a negative number. A really low negative number. I try to give them my best surly glare.

All that manages to do is encourage one of them! What the fuck...!

He's a few inches shorter than me, although I'm willing to bet he hasn't realized that fact, as I'm still sitting down. Wavy blonde hair, blue eyes...I feel ill. This is the kind of too-handsome jackass I used to rough up for the fun of it.

He smiles. “Hi.”

I roll my eyes at him. “No.”

He blinks at me. “...no?”

“I don't want to meet you, I don't want to know you, and I'm sure as hell not interested.”

He stiffens. Ah, I've wounded his male pride. I should have more pity for him, but...I don't. “Hey, I was just trying to be nice, you don't have to be a bitch about it!”

“Whatever. You just wanted to see if you could get in my panties. Which isn't going to happen this, or any other century. So get lost.”

With his buddy looking on, he really didn't have much choice. “You can't talk about me like that, you fucking slut! You some kind of dyke?”

I stand up so fast he doesn't know what to do, so instead he stands there, his eyes wide, as he comes to the realization that I'm taller than he is. I punch him (lightly) in the unmentionables. It was a low blow, a good inch below the belt. He doubles over, gasping for breath, and I push him, causing him to fall on his ass.

I look over to his wingman. “You better come take care of this asshole, before I get really mad!”

And without another word, I walk away. Great, I've become every pretty girl I've ever met, a total bitch.

Well, that's not really fair. Doris and Flash seem ok. But then again, they probably don't count.

-

Later that afternoon, I step out onto my balcony to have a smoke. The rain has finally died down to a drizzle, but the sky is still dark, and I can see flashes of lightning off over the lake. It matches my mood perfectly. I take a drag, and about hack up a lung.

“What the fuck?!” I stab out the cigarette angrily. “Now I can't even have a god-damned smoke?!”

“You're better off not smoking anyways, it's a nasty habit.”

I whirl, only to find Jade standing behind me. Well, not exactly standing; she was hovering a few inches off the ground, putting her at eye level to me. A subtle, but effective tactic.

I growl. “Jeez, you're spying on me now?”

She crossed her arms. “What did you expect? Doris seems to think you're ok, but I'm not convinced. You're a criminal, you hurt people for a living. And now that you have superpowers, you're beating up guys for having the nerve to hit on you?”

Christ. She had been spying on me! I lean against the railing (carefully- last thing I want to do is break it and end up falling to street level. It might not hurt, but it wouldn't exactly be dignified!) and sigh. “Maybe you're right. I can't argue with you; I'm not a very nice person. And now I'm powerful enough to be dangerous. I mean, you can't even hurt me, can you?”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don't be so sure. I may not be able to hurt you directly, but I could trap you in a force field. Cut off your air. Maybe fly out into space and leave you there?”

Fuck, me and my stupid mouth. Did I really want to piss this girl off? I help up my hands. “Ok ok, I get the point. You can kick my ass.”

To my surprise, she actually smirked a little. “I didn't expect you to back down so fast. It doesn't match your psych profile.”

“Yeah...well...I don't exactly match my anything profile lately.”

She nods. “I know what you're going through. It hasn't been easy for the others either. But Lily...you really need to think about where you're going to go from here. Long and hard.”

“Yeah. I just don't know what to do. Put on some tights and pretend to be a superhero? I...don't think that's me. But what's the alternative?”

She smiled then, flashing perfect white teeth. “You know, I've heard this before.”

“Yeah, yeah. I bet you have. But there has to be a third option.”

“There is, Lily. You're young again. You could go back to school, and simply try to make a new life for yourself.”

I open my mouth, and then shut it. School? “I...I don't know if I could do that. Hell, and even then, what kind of school? College? For all I know, I'm going to end up looking like a damn High Schooler!”

Jade's features softened slightly. “That scares you, doesn't it?”

“Fuck yeah it does!”

“Why? I mean, it's not like a normal person could hurt you.”

I stop and think about that for a moment. “I...I guess I don't feel it. I know that a guy would break his hand trying to slap me around. I know that bullets can't hurt me. But...”

“You still feel vulnerable. You look vulnerable. Weak.”

I shiver a little, and not from the cold. “Yeah. All my life, there have been two kinds of people, you know? The strong and the weak. If you're strong, nobody can push you around. If you're not...everyone can.”

She shook her head. “You realize how stupid that is, right?”

“Oh sure, I can beat sense into people, like that punk earlier. But I don't want to have to do that every day for the rest of my life!”

“No that's not what I...look, Lily. You've lost your perspective. It's like you can't believe that there are decent people out there anymore.”

“And you can?”

She smiles again. “I know a few.”

Hmm. “Like Doris.”

“She's one, yes. I know you didn't meet her at her best, but...”

I wave her off. “I know. She was upset about her girl.”

“It's a bit more complicated than that. Her control over her powers is directly tied into her mental state. Yes, she was worried about Lena, but that was just the spark that lit the fuse. Doris is like a nuclear reactor. Kept under control, she can light a city. But if she goes critical...”

I shivered again. I didn't care for that analogy. Not one bit. “She could explode?”

“Don't you remember? She did explode. A small explosion, just enough to level your warehouse, but she could do a lot more than that.”

“Shit. Is that something I need to worry about?”

“Possibly. We don't fully understand how your powers work, Lily. Your bones are turning into some kind of metal, as far as my ring can tell. The rest of your body is much denser than human tissue. We don't know what the end result of that will be, what the side effects could be like. And despite all this, you weigh a lot less than you should, given your body's composition.”

“...sometimes, like when I first wake up, I feel really heavy...”

“You can unconsciously control your own density. Not as dramatically as Doris, but you're still violating the laws of physics just by standing there.”

I'm scared, but I try to push the fear away. “This from the girl standing on thin air.”

Again, she surprises me, by actually giggling. I can't help but crack a smile as well. She hovers to the ground, and I realize something has changed. She feels like she can cede me the height advantage. It's a small gesture, but one worth noting.

“You're at a crossroads, Lil. We've all been there, and we can help you. All you have to do is ask.”

“That's not easy for me, Jade. Asking for help. I'm not used to getting it.”

“I know. And even the woman you love betrayed you.”

I start to correct her. Loved. Except...I can't. I still love Maddie. And it hurts. You could shoot me with a shotgun, and it wouldn't even sting. But thinking about Maddie...and it's an almost physical pain.

Jade gently touches my arm. “I'm sorry.”

I sigh. “It's the past. Nothing that can be changed now. But I appreciate it. I don't know if I can make any promises. Can I change? Already, so much has changed that I don't even know who I am anymore...it's a mess. I'll try. That's all I can do.”

She nods. “It's a start, hon. And don't worry, if you screw up, I'll be there to put you in your place.”

“Gee, thanks. I don't know how to thank you.” I lay on the sarcasm thick, but she just grins at me.

“Don't mention it.”

“Don't worry...I won't!”

-

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I turned in early; I had a lot to think about. Too much to think about, really. I couldn't sleep. I was debating whether or not to say fuck it and get back up, when my cell phone rang.

I reached for it, and looked to see who it was.

Maddie.

Fuck my life.