Though not possessing any abilities that would be called superpowers per se, Black Cockatiel has been trained by her stuntman father in several fighting styles, including everything from karate and other forms of martial arts to common street fighting.  In addition, she knows how to safely "take a fall", thus being able to take a lot of punishment and keep going.

Also from her father, she was taught the art of stunt driving, learning how to handle just about any type of motor vehicle expertly.  Of all vehicles, however, the one that she showed the most affinity for was the motorcycle, often performing tricks on one even at speeds well in excess of 100 mph or more.

Though she rarely uses the skill, Cockatiel is also a crack marksman, prolific in the use of pretty much any type of firearm.
 

In the history of Hub City, there have been many reasons why people have become superheroes -- looking for adventure, avenging a close friend or family member, a freak accident resulting in the gift of special powers and abilities.  However, to date, Black Cockatiel is the first to do it to get a part on a television program.

The daughter of a Hollywood stuntman, Laura Spears spent her entire youth on one movie set or another.  Because of this, she'd only wanted one thing out of life.  Laura wanted to be a star.

From the time she was 6, Laura was going on auditions, trying for parts in television series and commercials.  Whatever she could get.  And while she got the occasional bit role here and there, stardom always seemed to be just one more part away.  Therefore, to make ends meet -- and still be a part of the entertainment industry -- Laura began to train with her father, working with him as a stuntwoman on various projects.

And then came what she saw as her best chance.  In an ad from a trade paper, she read about a new reality show that was seeking young woman to participate.  The Next Great Superheroine was to film in Hub City, a place known for its concentration of super types.  Laura figured, with all her stunt training, she'd have a natural edge over other contestants.  So, kissing Hollywood goodbye, she headed for the east coast.

Easily winning a spot on the show's lineup, Laura -- or Laurel, as she was now calling herself -- began to prepare herself for superstardom.  Dubbed Black Cockatiel -- a name she hated -- by the show's producer, she competed in the various "trials" created to eliminate the less likely candidates, moving closer and closer to winning the show's ultimate title.  As far as she could tell, nothing could stop her this time.

Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on the show's "villain".

Though, unknown by even the show's producer, Dr. Science wasn't just another actor hired to play the part of super bad guy.  A long suffering super-genius, Science had failed to make a name for himself among Hub City's more well known supervillains.  So, like Laurel, he saw the Superheroine show as his last chance to show his stuff.

He waited until the filming of the third show to strike, unveiling his latest invention, the Objectifier, a device with the ability to transform any living being into an inanimate object.  Using it, he began to capture the cast and crew of the series, turning them into everything from simple statues to complex objects like furniture and other things.  For a time, it looked like he would be successful and find his place among the city's elite class of supervillain.

That was, until he came up against the Black Cockatiel.

Not expecting much in the way of resistance from the television types from the production, Dr. Science was completely unprepared for someone with the training that Laurel had received.  And thus, despite the various inventions at his deposal, he was rather quickly taken down by the very capable young woman.

The story made all the local news shows that evening, as well as being picked up by a few of the national ones.  Laurel was estatic.  With that much publicity, the show couldn't help but be a hit.  As far as she was concerned, her stardom was assured.

However, her excitement was soon dashed, when the show's producer announced its cancellation.  Despite all the positive publicity, the producer -- who had spent some time being worn by Dr. Science's ditsy assistant Amber as a bra -- was afraid that another supervillain would see the production as a chance to make a name for him or herself.  So, he pulled the plug and went back to producing more standard reality fare.

At first, Laurel thought that that was the end of her superheroine career.  But the next day, she was contacted by a young woman whose daughter was missing.  The woman was willing to pay her to find the missing girl.  Seeing an opportunity to make a little extra money, as well as a few more headlines if she actually found the girl, Laurel took the case.

It proved to be the first of many.  People with all sorts of problems -- everything from abusive ex-boyfriends to some valuable object they wanted looked after -- were soon knocking on her door.  And with each case, Laurel's fame grew.  From time to time, she even got the chance to help out the other heroines in Hub City, though unlike them, she wasn't above accepting any award money that was offered for that help, a fact that made her less than popular with the other protectors in town. 

Her only real issue with her new job was the name that she got stuck with due to the press kit from that damned show -- The Black Cockatiel.  Still, as long as she continued to get the headlines and the attention she craved, she reckoned she could deal with it.