A dying man is given a second chance. This story is a fan fiction that takes place in the Whateley Universe.

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It was the Fourth of July, the best day of the whole damn year. The air was filled with the delicious smell of sizzling burgers and the lighthearted sounds of little girls squealing in glee. I grinned as I looked up from the grill and surveyed the back yard that was my kingdom, feeling like I truly was the king of my castle. If there was such a thing as Heaven, this was definitely it.

Meg came waddling towards me, her stomach bulging out from the baby that was due to be born within the next two months. This was our third child, and after having two girls, I was really hoping it was a boy. I grinned every time I imagined taking him under my wing and teaching him to be a man, teaching him how to change the oil in the car and giving him advice on girls. Of course, I wouldn’t trade Melanie or Rachael for anything, so even if I had a third girl, I knew I’d be happy.

“There you are,” Meg said with a smile, absently brushing her long black hair back out of her face. Then she handed me a beer and said, “Don’t forget to put the chicken breasts on. You know Lisa doesn’t eat beef.”

“Doesn’t eat beef,” I muttered with an exaggerated scowl of disapproval. “That’s un-American.”

“That’s okay dear,” Meg told me a twinkle in her eye and a smile that showed she was humoring me. “But she is my best friend so we should respect her foreign customs.”

“At least it isn’t tofu,” I said, pronouncing ‘tofu’ as though it was a profanity.

I popped open my beer and took a big swig, then absently scratched at my beard. It was pretty hot out today, so my beard was keeping me more than a little warm. Still, I wasn’t about to shave it off, no matter how many times Meg threatened to do it for me while I was asleep.

While I flipped the burgers, I looked out over my domain again, smiling proudly as I watched my daughters run around the yard with some friends. Mel and Rachael were both wearing frilly dresses, having dressed up nice for the parade this morning. Meg always made sure they dressed up for special events, like parades and church. And though I sometimes teased them about being so girlie, I couldn’t help but smiling whenever I did. They looked like they were having so much fun.

Then my old buddy Russ came wandering over to me, checking over my work to make sure I wasn’t burning the meat. I didn’t take it personally though since I did the same thing whenever I was at his house for some backyard grilling. “Looking good,” he finally said.

“Yup,” I agreed.

We stood there in silence for about a minute, just staring at the burgers and the yard before he finally said, “So, I hear you’ve finished restoring your mustang…”

“Yup,” I agreed again. Then I grinned, thinking about the old car I’d been working on as a pet project. “I finally got it purring like a kitten.”

Russ nodded at that, then chuckled. “Pity the paint job doesn’t match the engine.” Since Russ ran a body shop, I could see he was leading up to something. It took another half minute before he acted as though he’d suddenly come up with the idea and said, “Hey, I’ve got an idea. You help me get my truck up and running again and I’ll get you a decent paint job.”

I scratched my beard while I considered his offer. Russ just stood there, absently polishing his Humanity First pin and waiting for an answer. Without saying a word, I finally nodded agreement then held out my hand to shake on it.

After this, we started putting the food on the picnic table so we could sit down to eat. The kids were still playing, with Melanie and Rachael doing some kind of tug of war thing with a long strand of ribbon. Of course, being two years older and a lot bigger, Melanie won.

“It’s okay, Pumpkin,” I told Rachael when she came running to me. I picked her up and carried her to the picnic table saying, “We’re having cake for dessert, and then we’ll watch some fireworks.”

I smiled proudly as I looked over the gathering of friends and family, knowing that life couldn’t get any better.

Suddenly, the backyard and everything else was torn away from me and I found myself in a world of pain and confusion. Every fiber of my body screamed in agony, and when I opened my eyes, all I saw was a bright light that blinded me. My thoughts swirled in fear and confusion until I remembered I was in the hospital…that I was dying.

“Rachael,” I whispered, grabbing onto the memory that she’d come to see me. Had that just been a dream? One last daydream before I died?

“He’s burning up,” a voice exclaimed. “Get me more ice…”

The bright like was broken by the face of an unfamiliar woman bending over me. She was a black woman with short, tightly cropped hair. She reached down and touched my face, looking right into my eyes and saying something that I couldn’t quite make out. Everything was blurring again and I slipped back into the darkness.

I was home, in the living room of the house where I’d lived with the girls while they were growing up. A part of me knew that this was a dream, but an even larger part accepted it as reality. All that part felt was a strong sense of deja-vu as I looked around, seeing the dismantled TV in the middle of the floor while my prize stereo system was in pieces next to it. Without even having to look, I knew that Rachael was in the garage, putting together some kind of weird gizmo.

“She’s a MUTANT,” Russ yelled at me furiously. “Your daughter is a damn mutant… She’s a threat…”

“She’s my DAUGHTER,” I yelled back just as angrily. “Don’t you dare say a bad word about her.”

Russ glared at me, spitting out, “You call yourself a member of Humanity First when you have that THING living in your house?”

Without thinking about it, I punched Russ as hard as I could, sending my friend of twenty years flying back. He yelled out, holding his nose which was gushing blood and was obviously broken. I snarled and took several steps towards him, glaring down at him the entire time.

“Here,” I told him, taking my Humanity First pin off my jacket and throwing it at him. “Rachael is my daughter and I’ll be damned if I let you or anyone else lay a finger on her. If you think I’m gonna let you run her out of town, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“I never thought that YOU were a damn mutant lover,” Russ exclaimed, getting back to his feet and glaring at me. “Whatever happened to protecting your family from those freaks?”

Russ punched me, but I took his hit then gave him a couple of my own, smashing him in the face and knocking out one of his teeth and then hitting him in the gut and making him bend over in pain. I was pissed and was damn well ready to kick his ass from wall to wall, and the only reason I didn’t was because my kids were in the house and I didn’t want them to see that. I didn’t want them to see me beating the living shit out of their ‘Uncle Russ’.

“I am protecting my family,” I told Russ grimly, looking for the slightest excuse to really kick his ass good. “So if you or anyone else is thinking of coming after them or causing Rachael trouble, I’d think again. You see, I know you and some of the boys have gotten too rough in the past, and I know which closets have skeletons in them.”

Russ’ eyes went wide in realization, and he knew that if I opened my mouth about everything I knew, he and a couple of the other guys could be facing jail time. Or worse, if the wrong mutant heard about it, they and their own families could be in deep shit.

“Fuck you,” Russ spat out as he started for the door. “Fuck you and your gene tainted family.”

As my best friend of twenty years walked out the door, our friendship ended for good, I felt a knot of anger and frustration. Russ had been like a brother to me, but when it came to choosing between him and my daughter, there was no choice. Rachael might be a mutant, but she was still my daughter and I was going to do everything I could to protect her.

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When I came to, it was with a fuzzy head and a lot of confusion. I vaguely remembered dreams…lots of really vivid dreams. I also remembered periods of waking up to pain and people I didn’t know, though those times hadn’t lasted long before I’d lose it again. However, this time was different. This time, there was no pain at all, not even the constant pain that I’d felt from being sick.

I was in some kind of hospital room, though it obviously wasn’t the one that I’d been in before. In fact, it was different enough that I didn’t think it even fit in the same hospital, which made me wonder where I was.

“Damn,” I muttered, looking at the heart monitor and other equipment that was set up beside my bed. “This is familiar.”

“Good,” a woman’s voice said. “You’re awake.”

The woman came over and I got a look at her, seeing that she was a slender black woman with really short hair. I guessed that she was probably in her late thirties or early forties, but you couldn’t always tell anymore, what with all the makeup and plastic surgery that was out there.

“You a nurse?” I asked her, noticing that she was wearing some kind of hospital scrubs.

“No,” she answered, looking vaguely annoyed. “I’m Doctor Franklin.”

I grunted at that, realizing that I’d just put my foot in my mouth and not wanting to do it again. I looked around the room again, then asked, “Where am I?”

“Mister Morgan,” she said with a faint smile that was more professional than friendly. “You’ve been moved to a special clinic.”

A moment later, she started giving me a quick examination, taking my blood pressure, temperature, and asking me how I felt. Considering everything, I was feeling pretty damn good. I didn’t feel any aches or pains at all, and for the first time in quite awhile, I actually felt like I had some energy.

“So, Doc,” I started once she was finished with her examination, “can I go take a piss?”

She hesitated a moment before nodding agreement. “If you think you can handle it.” She undid some of the sensors and things from my arm so I could get up.

I hesitated a bit as I slowly climbed out of bed, feeling a bit wobbly but also excited. I hadn’t been able to climb out of bed under my own power for a couple weeks, so even something as basic as going to take a piss by myself was a huge improvement. I probably grinned like an idiot as I slowly made my way to the bathroom door, realizing that Rachael had done it. I didn’t know for sure if she’d actually cured me, but I sure as hell felt better.

I noticed that Dr. Franklin was watching me, and I was pretty sure that after being as sick as I was, it wasn’t because she thought I had a good butt, even if I was wearing a hospital gown with my backside hanging out. She was probably surprised that I was able to move around so well after all I’d been through. The thought made me chuckle faintly, thinking that we Morgans had never gone down easily, a fact that numerous heroes had found out the hard way while chasing after Rachael.

The bathroom was about what I’d expect from a hospital, plain and sterile with lots of space for a wheelchair and handles to help you move yourself around. I just stood up in front of the crapper, used the wall to help me keep my balance, then took a nice long piss. Something so simple had never felt so good. Then once I was done, I went to wash my hands in the sink, catching my reflection in the mirror as I did so.

“Shit,” I muttered as I looked myself over. I looked pretty damn scrawny. I knew I’d lost a lot of weight from being sick, but I hadn’t realized it was quite that bad.

Then I noticed my hair, which caught me by surprise. The last time I’d looked in the mirror, my hair had been thinning and had mostly turned gray, but now it was pure white. I figured all the stress and medications could have done that…or Rachael’s cure. That wouldn’t really be that bad a side effect, especially since my hair didn’t look nearly as thin as it had before either. In fact, I looked like I almost had a full head of hair.

“Cancer cure and Rogaine combined,” I said with a chuckle. “Not bad. Too bad she can’t patent that stuff. She’d make a fortune.”

After a few seconds of looking over my hair, I ran a hand over my jaw, surprised at just how soft and smooth it was. I used to have a nice beard that I’d been rather proud of, but after I got sick, the hair started falling out, leaving it pretty patchy looking. I’d ended up shaving the whole thing off because of it. However, even if a nurse had given me a shave while I was still out of it, I should have had some stubble. I hadn’t been this smooth since I was teenager.

It had been awhile since I’d dared to look into the mirror, and the last time I had, I’d looked like crap. My cheeks and eyes had been a bit sunken and I looked a good ten years older than I actually was. However, now that almost seemed to be reversed. I looked much better, even younger than my actual age. Rachael had said she was going to improve my overall health, and I could actually see the results.

When I left the bathroom a minute later, I was startled to realize that Dr. Franklin was the same height as me, which meant that she was pretty damn tall for a woman. She was giving me an odd look, though she was obviously trying to keep her expression all professional.

“There are some things about your situation that I need to discuss with you,” she told me, gesturing for me to have a seat in a chair rather than going back to bed. “But someone else wanted to have a talk with you as soon as you were awake. I’ve already contacted him while you were busy, so he should be here any minute.”

A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door, then it opened up and a man came into the room. The first thing that I noticed was that he was huge, a good six inches taller than me. The newcomer had dark hair and was ripped with muscle, which was pretty obvious since he was wearing a red and white spandex costume that covered his entire body from the neck down. He even had a red cape.

“Pinnacle,” I said, recognizing the local super hero.

“You know who I am,” he responded with a faint smile, as if pleased by the recognition.

I snorted at that. “We’ve met before.”

I had met Pinnacle before, though just barely. It had been years ago, back when I’d helped the cops find where Rachael was hiding so they could get her off the street. Since the cops didn’t think they could handle her on their own, they’d also called in some of the local super heroes, including Pinnacle. However, I didn’t remember Pinnacle being quite so big.

“You’re a very lucky man,” Pinnacle told me, giving me a curious look. “A lot of people don’t survive an encounter with Lady Havoc. What I need from you is to know why Lady Havoc went through the trouble of breaking into a hospital to try killing you.”

“She wasn’t trying to kill me,” I responded with a snort, glaring up at the man as I did so. “She was trying to cure my cancer.”

Dr. Franklin looked surprised at that, then blurted out, “Why in the world would you think that someone like Lady Havoc was trying to cure you?”

I looked her straight in the eyes as I answered, “Because she’s my daughter.” Dr. Franklin’s mouth dropped open at that and she just stared at me with an expression of stunned disbelief.

Pinnacle stared at me for several seconds as well before he finally said, “I remember you now. You helped us capture her…”

“On the condition that you didn’t hurt her,” I reminded him, somehow feeling it important to point out that distinction. It was hard enough living with the knowledge that I’d betrayed my own daughter, even if I didn’t have much choice at the time. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I’d just stood by and let her kill more people.

“I remember,” he said, giving me a sympathetic look and adding, “I know that couldn’t have been easy on you.”

“You have no idea,” I muttered.

“That…explains a few things,” Dr. Franklin said, still staring at me.

Pinnacle and I both gave her curious looks, though he was the one who asked, “What things?”

“That he survived at all, for one,” she responded with a thoughtful look. Then she glanced at Pinnacle before looking directly at me. “Please tell us exactly what happened during the encounter, and anything she may have said involving whatever she did to you.”

I scowled at that, then nodded, not seeing any reason not to tell them. “When I woke up, she was there waiting for me. I thought she’d just come to say goodbye before…” I paused at that, then shook my head. “I just thought she was there for a visit…”

I told them about the short visit and what we’d talked about, though I left out any of the real personal details. When I went to tell Dr. Franklin what I could remember about the stuff she injected me with, it wasn’t really useful. I remembered the car repair analogy a lot better than the medical one, which had Dr. Franklin looking frustrated while Pinnacle just chuckled.

“She did say something about it eating the cancer and then fixing my other cells,” I added with a shrug.

“Did she say anything about where she’s been staying?” Pinnacle asked me with an eager look.

I laughed at that. “Yeah right. She already knows I’d turn her in so she’s been keeping her distance and didn’t say a word about it. This was the first time I’ve even seen her in years.”

“I thought it might be too much to hope for,” Pinnacle mused.

With that, I turned my attention to Dr. Franklin, who kept giving me odd looks. “Now, what the fuck aren’t you telling me?” I paused at that, realizing that I was talking that way to a lady and apologizing, “Pardon my French.”

Dr. Franklin frowned, then told me, “When you were first examined, your temperature was extremely high and you were showing other symptoms that made us assume you were a mutant going through burnout.”

“What?” I asked in surprise, then burst out laughing. “Sorry, but I ain’t no mutant.”

“That was just our first assumption, based off the symptoms,” Dr. Franklin continued, her tone and expression going completely professional. “Then the blood test discovered the foreign substance in your blood that was somewhat akin to nanites or a synthetic virus. We saw that this was making alterations, attacking the cancer cells and reinforcing the healthy ones. The process put an intense amount of stress on your body, which quite frankly, wasn’t healthy enough to handle it. It’s a miracle you actually survived her attempt to save you.”

I just grunted at that, not really all that surprised. I was pretty much up shit creek without a paddle, so even having just a single paddle was a big improvement. If Rachael had waited any longer, it probably would have been even worse. I didn’t blame my daughter since I’d known the risks when I agreed.

“Your body lost mass in the process,” Dr. Franklin told me, holding up a folder that was stuffed full of paperwork, obviously my medical records. “This says you were six foot three inches tall…” She paused at that, giving me a sympathetic look before adding, “I’d estimate your current height to be closer to five foot ten.”

“What?” I asked in surprise, looking to Pinnacle and realizing that this was why he seemed so huge. He wasn’t bigger, I was shorter.

While I was absorbing that, Dr. Franklin continued, “Your body went through some other changes while we were treating you, though none nearly as obvious as the loss of mass.”

I touched my hair self-consciously, then said, “Damn, I need a beer.” I looked to Pinnacle and then Dr. Franklin and added, “Or something stronger.”

Dr. Franklin didn’t seem to pay any attention to my interruption. “The foreign substance in your system successfully destroyed the cancer cells, and my examination could find no trace of any remaining cancer. At the same time the cancer was being destroyed, it triggered an effect through the rest of your body that was much like giving you a burst of the regeneration power.” She paused for a moment, giving me an odd look. Then she cleared her throat and said, “The entire process took three days, and at the end of it, the foreign substance completely cleared from your system.”

I frowned, trying to make sense of everything she was telling me, though I didn’t quite get it all. Still, I understood enough of what she was saying and didn’t want to look stupid by asking too many questions.

“So I was out of it for three days,” I said, having caught that part.

“Four,” Dr. Franklin corrected me. “After the process ran its course, you remained unconscious for another day while your body finished recovering.”

I nodded at that, then let out a sigh of relief. “So I’m cured… The cancer is gone.” I chuckled at that, feeling a surge of pride for Rachael. She’d done a lot of crappy things, things that I hated to think about, so it was nice to have something I could feel proud of again.

“Yes,” Dr. Franklin agreed with a shake of her head. “As hard as it is to believe, Lady Havoc created a cure for cancer.”

“Tell him the rest,” Pinnacle said with a scowl. He’d been so quiet for the last couple minutes that I’d almost forgotten he was there.

I gave Dr. Franklin a suspicious look while she flipped through some notes and charts, as though trying to delay whatever she needed to tell me. After several long seconds, she turned her attention back to me, her expression going from curious to professional.

“As I said, Lady Havoc’s substance seems to have run its course and then cleared from your system,” Dr. Franklin explained carefully. “However…”

She paused at that and I suddenly felt very nervous at that ‘however’. I knew that Rachael’s inventions always had some kind of catch or side effect, and it seemed that every time I thought that I knew what this one was, there was more to it. I braced myself and waited for the doctor to continue.

“Your body is still changing,” she stated, looking me right in the eyes. “After the foreign substance flushed itself from your system, the regeneration effect didn’t end and your body is showing other indications…”

Dr. Franklin started going off into a bunch of medical technobabble that made me scratch my head in confusion since I couldn’t really understand a single word she said. There was bone density this, plyocentric adaptation that, and a bunch of other crap I couldn’t make sense of.

“Doc,” I finally snapped in annoyance. “Pretend I’m a high school dropout who spent his entire life under the hood of a car. Now, in English, what the hell is going on?”

Dr. Franklin gave me an exasperated look while Pinnacle chuckled in amusement. She gave him a quick glare, then said, “In simple terms…you’re a mutant.”

“Bullshit,” I responded with a snort. “I thought we already went over that…”

“You have multiple indications of an active mutation,” Dr. Franklin explained grimly. “Either that foreign substance introduced something to your system that is giving you the mutant gene complex, or it triggered a latent mutation to manifest. Since your daughter is a mutant, I suspect it’s probably the latter.”

“Congratulations,” Pinnacle told me, still looking faintly amused. “You’re a mutant.”