Irene Munroe: The Girl Of Steel Chapter 1 By Stanman63 Thanks To JennaFL For Proofing And Nora Adrienne for editing Synopsis:Arnold Munroe becomes a new superhero and learns of her legacy.

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I can't really believe it, but here I am, some sort of freak who can mop the floor with just about anybody, but the thing is that I am a petite girl, not an athlete like Charles Atlas, nor like Kevin Sorbo who played as Hercules and Dyan Hunt. No, I look like a raven haired Olsen twin, which wouldn't that bad, but I was Arnold Munroe.

Yes, I was born a boy who was a carbon copy of my dad and was well on my way to becoming this generation's Iron Man, just as my dad was for his. I have quite a legacy to live up to. My dad is Hugo 'Iron Man' Monroe and my mother is Anna 'Ms America' Blake. My parents believed that any man or woman had the right to become who and whatever they wanted to be. Such a rich legacy is a bit daunting until you actually meet them, then you know that my parents are 'down to Earth ' people.
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Mom as 'Ms America' was a true model of the modern American woman. Mom was the school's Homecoming Queen, then became 'Ms Illinois, then 'Ms America' She had won many beauty pageants throughout her time as a student and won a talent contest dressed in a red, white and blue costume that won her a scholarship that she used to earn her degree in theater arts. Now she is the proud owner of 'Ms America Dance Studio.

Heck, even though Mom was a cheerleader and Beauty Pageant winner, she was just as involved in 'Auto Shop' as Dad was and rebuilt and customized an old dilapidated ' Dodge WC54' with all of the modern conveniences when she got her license. It had: a mini kitchen/bathroom, home entertainment center/computer, set in extension modules that opened up when we stopped, but fit into the body for traveling. We piled our luggage in an overhead container, leaving a back seat that could be used as a sleeper sofa.

We used it as our camper whenever we went on a road trip vacation to visit family and friends across the States. We had fun going across the States, Canada and Mexico. But had our most fun simply going to the national and state parks to see the sights.

Dad enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps for the Gulf War where he earned the moniker 'Man of Steel' from the battle where he lost the use of his legs. During a battle, Dad grabbed a piece of armor plating just as he was hit and used it as a shield to protect his platoon as he held it over the open hatch of the M75 (APC) as it took them to safety. He earned a Purple Heart for his actions and returned to the states where he was fitted with prosthetic legs. He was soon walking, using modified crutches that let him walk on his own.

He was able to walk again, once the Marines replaced hid shattered leg bones with a coral/titanium composite that became an organic substitute as the coral melded with the remainder of his leg bones. His main complaint is that he set off every metal detector that is nearby. Being an alumnus of 'Westdale High School', Dad used his influence to set up the Steele Man Competition for athletes. He'd graduated with an athletic scholarship to Alabama Crimson Tide, but chose to enlist in the marines, instead.

I was a senior at 'Westdale High School' in Indian Creek, Illinois where I'd won fame for winning the school's 'Steele Man Competition' in honor of my dad for the third year in a row, earning me the nickname: Steel Monroe.
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We students who'd competed in the competition were on our way back from Chicago when we were hit by a tanker truck loaded with methane. When the tanker hit us, we were sent careening into the ditch as the methane spewed out and caught fire. I could tell that we were done for, but instead of cursing over my demise, I took action. I stood up and wrenched the Emergency Exit off of its hinges and helped the injured off the bus as the driver Jason Connor and Coach David Todd brought up the rear.
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Coach David 'Eradicator' Todd earned his moniker from his days as a Marine because he tended to 'Eradicate' any enemy in a War Game during Basic Training. He was in 'Third Platoon' at 'Camp Pendleton Mag 46, Belleville IL' where he served for two tours and is still tough as nails. The platoon was sent overseas and saw plenty of action.

Luckily, nobody in the platoon became a casualty, but neither one of them will talk about what they did over there. Back in the States Coach Todd earned the respect of the students by being a Tough but Fair enforcer of discipline and also by being tough as nails.
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Then when the methane erupted into a fireball, I ran into it, somehow knowing that I'd survive. I did, but my black t shirt and white denims were burned away, leaving me in me Speedo undies and tennis shoes. After seeing that everybody was alright, I fainted as I was pulling on my Letterman's Jacket. I saw my boy parts starting to morph into that of a girl and fainted from the shock.
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I woke up to find myself off on the side of the road with me wearing my cousin Sandra's blue Pep Rally Dance outfit. My cousin Sandra Day is an amateur magician and illusionist known as Phantom Lady. She likes to wear a canary yellow leotard with a back cape and shiny tights while on stage to get away from the typical tux that stage magicians wear.

She's seen Cheryl Ladd wearing a tux with shorts instead of trousers on Charlie's Angels and thought that was dorky. I have to agree that she has a point. Even though I could appreciate how the costume accentuated her figure, it was also down right chilly to wear on stage, whereas Sandra could keep warm by using her cape and costume.
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"Welcome back to the land of the living, Cuz. How do you like your new body?" she asked as she passed me a cup of ice water.

"New body! You mean...?"

"Yep! You are no longer a guy. Now you look like a raven haired version of me," she said as she pointed to her brunette tresses.

"What are you doing here? I thought that the band and cheerleaders were still a mile behind?"

"When we saw the accident, Ol' Grundy had us to cordon off the freeway behind us and administer First Aid to everybody. Good thing that you got them all out, Cuz."
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Sebastian Grundy is an Arnold Schwarzenegger clone with white hair. He donates his time and money to support the local charities by hosting sporting events.

He is the sole owner of the Slaughter Swamp Nature Preserve. The Grundy Family had bought the land over the years in order to provide a safe haven for local wildlife. Ol' Grundy had donated the land to the State, but kept his mansion on Cyrus Gold Lane.
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"Okay, what about the driver of the big rig?"

"Al Price, he's OK. From the evidence, a tire blew, causing him to skid on ice."

"That's cool, But I wonder about who's gonna clean up the mess."

"Atom Chemicals said that they will pay for everything since it was their negligence on tire maintenance that caused it."

"Okay, thanks for everything, Cuz. Too bad that my changing also shrank me down. Now I have nothing to wear," I sighed.

"Bite your tongue! You have me and Momma as well as Aunt Anna to borrow clothes from until you get your new wardrobe!"

I saw Dad come up behind her, "Easy there, Sandra. You just might be an apprentice magician to Yorga The Great and a cheerleader, but you are going overboard, right now. Will you please let your cousin choose her wardrobe," Dad chided.

"Where did you come from? I never saw you at the 'Iron Man Competition'!"

"Anna and I were in the equipment van. Do you actually think that we'd miss seeing our child win the award?"

Momma stepped up beside me and laid a gentle hand on me, "Sandra, since the competition is in Hugo's honor, we can't be seen with our child. If we were, it would cause controversy."

"Yeah, Cuz! That's why I use Mom's Maiden Name Day in official records."

"OK, but you still need help..."

"Not just yours, Kiddo."

"But Unca Hugo!"

"Listen here, Missy! I will not let you turn your cousin into a damned Barbie Doll for your amusement!"

"But she needs to learn how to dress like a girl, not an old fuddy duddy..."

"You heard your uncle, I don't want for you to turn your cousin into your clone! Commanded mother.

"Yes, Ma'am," she squeaked. When Momma roared, it was best to listen or suffer the consequences.

"Sandra, we will need you and your input as well as your cousin Edie's to deal with Arnold's new form."

"Ann, we have yet to ask her what her new name is," added Dad.

Momma shrieked, and then hugged me, "Darling! Please forgive me! I totally forgot about you."

"That's OK, Momma! I'm kinda new to this, too, ya' know."

"Ya know, Cuz. we gotta get you a new name to go with your new you," said Sandra.

"Well, Sport. Your Granny Munroe's first name is Irene, offered Dad.

"Hugo, what about my mother's first name, Dee Anna?"

"Honey, you know that your momma is a damned money grubber. She planned on you marrying Paul von Gunther so that she could her hooks into his wealth."

"Damn! Is that why we've never paid her a visit?" I asked.

"Cuz, not even my parents want anything to do with her. She has a way of relieving you of your wallet or pocketbook that puts Yorga The Great to shame."
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'Samson Yorga The Great' is a retired Magician and Edie Yorga is his raven haired apprentice magician. Whenever they appear, he wears his trademark tuxedo while Edie wears a female version with a miniskirt and fishnets and heels.
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"Yes, that's why we don't see her. She could all too easily gain access to any of our credit cards and ruin our credit ratings with her spending. No, she is quite safe away at Alcatraz Asylum where she can't hurt anyone."
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Alcatraz Asylum, located on Alcatraz Island is a former prison that has been refurbished into a modern prison for the criminally insane and a prison for the rogue meta.

When the metas started to appear, S.T.A.R. Labs went into overdrive to create a defense against a new threat. So far, the government had been successful in either recruiting metas or neutralizing any rogues.

But there was the underlying fear that a truly powerful rogue could unleash a holocaust. There are stories of battles between metas that have been broadcast, just as there are no doubt metas keeping a low profile. I knew that due to the accident that that I woud be contacted by the government, but did not know by what agency.
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Momma began to weep, "How could I have forgotten?"

"My Love, you are not at all like her. You did not follow her example. You followed your dad's."

Daddy hugged her, "Sorry, Hugo. It's so hard to admit that she is such a bitch since Daddy left her a sizable fortune when he died. But she went through it and almost got mine. If not for Daddy's Will, she'd have spent that, too."
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I saw a man wearing a black sweat suit under his white lab coat. he was built like a linebacker and had a full head of white hair and a van dyke beard.

"Well, well, well. what name should I use for the new you, Arnie?' he chuckled.

"Just call me Irene, Doc," I smirked.

"Have you got the test results back yet, Arthur?'

"Yes," he said as he passed Dad a folder. "Your new daughter is a fine, healthy young woman whose body has taken after her mother's. But we have no clue as to why she changed gender, nor her meta ability."

"META?" I exclaimed.

"Cuz, you got everybody out of the bus, carrying many of them away from the smoke that was choking them. I know that Arnold was strong enough, but he didn't have immunity to smoke, nor heat."

"So, I changed because of a Meta gene got activated? Is there some stooge out there waiting to sign me up?"
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End Of Irene Munroe: The Girl Of Steel - Part Two
To Be Continued Irene Munroe: The Girl Of Steel -Three