Two weeks later
The Baxter Building, New York City
“FLAME ON!”Johnny’s entire body burst into flame, carefully controlled so as to not set anything around him on fire. Johnny waited a few seconds then called out.
“All set, Reed!”
Reed’s voice came over the intercom. “Sue? Are you ready?”
Sue was nervous but kept her fear in check. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay, Johnny, go!” Reed instructed.
Johnny turned toward his sister, who was standing fifteen feet away from him, concentrating intently. Johnny raised his arm and sent a jet of fire directly at Sue, but the flames stopped in dead air, as if they were striking an unseen wall. Johnny yelled excitedly to Reed.
“She stopped it, Reed!”
Reed, who was watching the proceedings through the chamber’s view port, spoke into the intercom again.
“Sue? How you doing?”
“Fine, honey,” came the reply. “It was actually easy.”
“Do you think you can maintain your field for a few seconds?” Reed asked.
“Don’t know for sure, but I feel like I could keep it going for a while,” Sue answered more confidently.
“Okay, darling. Johnny, this time keep your fire on her until I say stop.”
“All right, Reed,” Johnny shrugged. “You’re the boss.”
The two siblings faced off once more.
“Okay Johnny, go!” Reed said.
And Johnny shot another stream of fire at Sue, who used her invisible force field to block the flames effortlessly. She didn’t even feel the heat. Reed watched for about twenty seconds, then asked Sue a question while she was repelling Johnny’s power.
“Sue, do you think you could expand your field?”
“I think so,” Sue replied. She put up her hand, and mentally gave her field a firm
push.Violently the flames were forced back into Johnny as he was thrown off his feet and crashed into the wall behind him. He crumpled to the ground as his flames went out and he returned to his normal self. He rubbed his sore head as Sue rushed to his side.
“Oh my God! Johnny, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to-” Sue blabbered.
“It’s all right, sis, but geez. Next time gimme a warning, would ya?” Sue was glad to hear Johnny complaining; that told her he was all right.
“Test’s over,” Reed spoke as he opened the door to the chamber. The chamber was a new addition to Reed’s laboratory. It was fire and sound proof, resistant to most forms of destructive energy and was large enough so Reed could carry out his tests on the three of them (including himself) with no concern of space requirements. Reed had made modifications to it himself (after all, it was his design) so that they could practice using their strange powers in controlled conditions.
And they were becoming quite adept at using their new abilities. Johnny could form shapes and constructs from his fire and he could jettison his flames in a blast or in the form of fireballs. He could control the temperature of his flames as well as the size and magnitude of his fiery blasts. Reed had attempted to gauge just how hot Johnny could burn but he didn’t have the proper equipment yet to measure accurately the incredible temperatures Johnny could reach. Johnny had even learned to hover using his fire as a sort of propulsion from his feet. Reed theorized Johnny could actually fly using his propulsive fire like a rocket but there was no way to test that theory without risking his exposure to the world at large.
Sue had completely mastered the ability to become invisible (and also to reappear) at will. She had designed and made outfits for the three of them using the blue material bonded with unstable molecules Reed had developed. They worked perfectly; the outfit never burned while Johnny wore it and became invisible when Sue used her powers. Reed had bonded the unstable molecules with a type of black leather so Sue could make black boots and gloves for them.
But what was most amazing was her newly discovered ability to form and project invisible force fields. Reed didn’t know the parameters or limits to this strange power but thus far he knew the fields could withstand a laboratory chemical explosion (which was how she discovered her ability) and the force of Johnny’s blasts. The force fields were projected from Sue’s thoughts, and were controlled by her mind. Reed surely knew he would have to further study his fiancee (though he never much minded that anyway).
As for himself, Reed was gifted (for that’s how he was coming to view it) with astounding powers as well. He could stretch any part of his anatomy however he saw fit, such as widening his body to form a sort of human net or wrapping his body around himself until he became like a human bouncing ball. His internal organs and bones were malleable also, so he was able to squeeze his body through thin cracks or add mass to whichever part of his body might need it. He was a virtual human rubber band, and only his imagination could limit his potential.
Reed thought of Ben Grimm, his friend and the other member of the fateful crew who had gone into space mere weeks ago. He knew Ben must have been affected by the journey, they were all bombarded by the cosmic rays, but all attempts to contact Ben had failed. Ben had left his position at NASA under mysterious circumstances and the agency refused to divulge the details of his dismissal. Reed had contacted all Ben’s known associates, his acquaintances- even his Aunt Petunia, to no avail. No one knew where he was.
Reed gave Sue a quick kiss as she helped Johnny out of the chamber and down to his quarters so he could rest his aching head. Now alone, Reed settled down to analyze some of the data he had collected from the experiment with Sue and Johnny. He had begun to measure the force of Sue’s invisible field thrust when his attention was diverted by the beeping that signaled they had a visitor.
Sue had returned to the lab. “Gave Johnny a couple of aspirin. He’s sore but he’ll be fine. Is that the door?”
Reed nodded and pressed the video imager. A large form wearing an oversized trench coat and an enormous fedora hat appeared on the screen. The visitor kept his head down so his face couldn’t be seen.
Reed looked quizzically at Sue before announcing, “This is Dr. Richards. Can I help you?”
The voice that answered was deep and gravelly. “Hey Big Brain. It’s me, Ben Grimm.”
“Ben!” Reed was elated. “I’ve been trying to contact you for weeks! Take the elevator and come up!” The screen went blank.
Reed and Sue waited anxiously for the elevator to come up, which seemed to be operating slower than usual. The elevator reached the lab’s level, and the doors opened. Reed and Sue saw a huge bulky figure in a trench coat step from the elevator and plod into the lab. They didn’t know what to make of it.
“Ben?” Sue began.
“Hiya Suzie. Like my new look?” Ben removed his hat and the other two gasped at what they saw.
Ben’s face was hardened into an orange rocky mass. The only visible things that remotely connected him to the man they knew were his baby blue eyes, which peered at them helplessly. His hands were also composed of the thick, rock-like substance, and they were so large they appeared to be only four fingers on each hand. Ben opened his coat and his torso was revealed to be heavily muscled and also entirely covered in the rocky exterior of his face and hands. He looked like an unfinished sculpture of orange clay.
“Ben…I don’t know what to say,” Reed sputtered.
“Yeah? Comin’ from you must mean I’m in a lotta trouble.” Ben grumbled.
***
