The Day Of, Mercy Veteran’s Hospital, 10:00 O’clock in the morning:
A mid-sized crowd of medical personnel and reporters had gathered to listen as the Fantastic Four, in uniform, made an announcement. As agreed, Sue Storm stepped up to the podium. The Mayor of New York as well as the hospital director stood with the team.
“Thank you all for coming,” Sue began. “Since gaining our abilities, as a group we have tried to understand exactly
how this has occurred. Although we have not gained a complete understanding about the onset of our powers, the efforts of Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, have resulted in a wonderful accidental discovery.”
“With assistance from the personnel of Mercy Hospital, we have tested and perfected a treatment for radiation contamination. Basically, a person who has been exposed to lethal doses of radiation can, through the new treatment, have that radiation siphoned from them. We cannot guarantee that patients will regain 100% ability, but they will survive in a situation where death was a certainty, with minimal loss of functionality.”
As the gathered listeners applauded the announcement, Ben hissed to Reed, “Hey, Stretch, I think we got trouble in River City.”
Reed looked out past the crowd into the field that made up the hospital grounds. Slowly crossing that field in a wooden, unnatural way was what appeared to be a deep blue armored figure, like a medieval knight with futuristic modifications. It included a vaguely skull-like helmet and spikes on its thighs, forearms, and knuckles. Strangely, the torso and upper arms of the armor were sculpted to look like muscles. Once one person in the crowd noticed, word spread quickly. The metal figure stopped at the edge of the audience, but the people backed away from it in fear, giving the being plenty of space.
“I thought Iron Man was gray,” Johnny whispered.
With a tinny intercom voice, it spoke. “Dr. Reed Richards,” it said, “I applaud you and your triumph today. I just wanted to come out and show you mine.”
Reed glanced at Sue, who shrugged. He stepped up to the microphone. “I am flattered that you would choose me to show your work,” he said, “but you have me at a disadvantage.”
“My name is of no consequence,” the voice replied as the figure stood motionless. “While you have worked for the field of medicine, I have worked in the field of warfare. My android is called the Dreadnought. It is the single greatest battle android a human has yet created. By my calculations, it could defeat any known superhuman on Earth in single combat.”
“I’m sure it is very impressive,” Reed agreed, “but I’m not entirely sure...”
“This is a test of my machine’s ability,” the mystery man told them through his mechanism. “I can claim my robot can do all of these wonderful things, but without a test, I am simply theorizing. I will test my android against the Fantastic Four!”
As Reed began to speak, he absent-mindedly scratched himself near his left eyebrow, turning slightly so his team could see the silent, prearranged signal. “There is no reason for us to fight...” Reed started.
“You have three minutes to clear the area of bystanders,” the voice interrupted coldly, “then the attack begins. If the Fantastic Four leaves, then my Dreadnought attacks the hospital. Your three minutes begin now!”
With that, Sue encased the machine in a bubble of force, as Johnny shouted, “Flame on!”
He blazed to the bubble as Sue lifted the robot, and the Torch pushed the floating bubble away from the crowd, across the drive and back into the field. Ben leapt over the heads of the audience in pursuit, with Reed stretching after him.
“We have to keep it back!” Reed shouted. “There is little chance that these reporters will take cover. They’ll keep their cameras where they can still record!”
“It’s very strong,” Sue called through the microphone at the podium. “I can feel it trying to break out.”
She dropped it into the grass just beyond the paved hospital drive even as the police security force began to clear the hospital lot. The Torch engulfed the Dreadnought in flames, but it withstood the attack. The Thing grabbed at the robot, but it twice twisted out of his grip.
“I dunno what it’s made of,” Ben growled, “but it’s real slippery. I can’t get a good grip.”
“Marvelous,” the machine said. “A surprise attack to distance Dreadnought from bystanders.” The voice changed to a severe, commanding tone. “Dreadnought, full assault mode! Target the Fantastic Four.” There was an audible click as the comm system disengaged.
The machine reacted instantly, looking at Johnny and firing green eyebeams at him. The beams didn’t hurt much, but they seemed to steal his energy, and he suddenly felt weak. He dropped to the earth hard and rolled across the grass, his teeth clicking together painfully and grass cramming into his mouth. Ben threw a powerful roundhouse punch, but the robot ducked the blow, picked the Thing up off his feet, and tossed him a thirty-foot distance.
“I bet they have cameras on this, too,” Ben grumbled as he lifted himself from the ground.
Reed slingshot himself from a lighting pole and slammed into the machine with a hearty
BONNNG! The Dreadnought stumbled back but did not fall. It turned toward Reed, but the Thing shot by the construct, clotheslining it to the ground like Hulk Hogan on a good day. Johnny, shaking off his sudden landfall, created an inferno around the android.
“If you can’t take the heat...” Torch began.
The mechanism stood, aimed a fist toward Reed and Ben, and its own flamethrower threw a gout of fire at the pair. Ben covered his face with his forearms while an invisible barrier redirected the attack away from Mr. Fantastic. Sue became visible off to the robot’s side and rocked the construct with rapid-fire blobs of force, which hit the figure like bowling balls.
I have to admit, Reed found himself thinking amidst the chaos,
this machine is well made. I’d love a chance to tear it apart and examine its workings.Not paying attention to direction, the Invisible Woman pushed the Dreadnought into the entrance road to the hospital. Suddenly, it grasped a lighting pole, much like the one Reed had catapulted from, and ripped it from the ground. Directing the fall of the pole, the Dreadnought brought it down on Sue Storm. The blow drove her to her knees, but her shield held, and the pole did not touch her.
“Ben, follow my lead!” Johnny shouted. The Human Torch flew in close with a clump of vegetation in hand and shoved the smoking, charred mass into the machine’s face, smearing soot and ash across its optical sensors.
“Nice set up,” the Thing offered. “Now let me spike th’ ball!” Ben stepped up and smashed a huge, rock-hard fist into the Dreadnought’s chest. Its chestplate dented, the droid flew forty feet down the drive, cracking the asphalt with its impact. Slowly, vibrating just a bit, the Dreadnought started to stand.
“It looks damaged,” Mr. Fantastic observed as he looped his body around the machine several times, pinning its arms.
ZZZZZZZT!Reed’s hair stood up and he groaned in pain as electricity surged through the robot’s steel shell and into Reed’s pliable frame. Mr. Fantastic fell, regaining his normal shape as he dropped to his hands and knees. The Dreadnought’s eyes glowed green and it fired its gamma radiation lasers at him, but Sue’s shield again protected her man and stopped the attack.
Non-plussed, the robot raised a fist toward the Invisible Woman. Expecting the flamethrower, she focused her field on Reed until she saw the attack come toward her. She couldn’t see, however, the spikes on the robot’s knuckles fire like bullets from his fist. Three of them tore through her, and she fell to the grass.
The Dreadnought turned back to Reed, and a blast of enhanced Freon gas enveloped him, partially freezing him.
“No!” the Thing bellowed, wrapping the robot into a full nelson. The Dreadnought electrified itself again, and Ben growled and gritted his teeth against the onslaught but held on.
“Hit it with all ya got, kid!” Ben shouted to Johnny.
“Are you okay?” Torch shouted back.
“I don’t think I conduct ‘lectricity very well,” Thing answered. “Hit it!”
Ben held on as the Torch gathered his power. Thirty seconds went by as the Thing continued to take the electric charge. The robot’s head suddenly turned 180 degrees and blasted the Thing with the gamma laser. Ben turned his head, trying to protect his eyes.
“I’m slippin’!” he boomed.
The Human Torch tried a new trick. Coming right up to Dreadnought, he placed his hand two inches from the chest and focused all of his built up heat into his fingertips, even touching down on the ground to dedicate his propulsion flame to his hand. In effect, concentrating his fire just on his hand, his fingertips became blowtorches. Ben exerted pressure on the android’s neck and shoulder joints while Johnny quickly melted his way into its torso. The robot’s insides were of lesser stuff, and the Dreadnought sputtered and died.
“It’s down,” Johnny said. “Flame off!” He was unaware of Sue’s condition.
“No time to relax, Hothead,” Ben growled. “Fly to th’ hospital and get help!”
The Human Torch looked over at Sue Storm, who lay in the grass in a pool of her own blood.
To Be Continued...
