Metropolitan Museum of Art, modern art sectionBen Grimm, the orange rock-skinned hero called the Thing, was sitting on a bench near a group of sculptures, nervously tapping his foot. He was wearing a black t-shirt, a pair of enormous jeans, and huge brown work boots. Ben was waiting for his friend Alicia, a blind woman he had met in this very spot two weeks ago, and they had met here every day since then. Ben was nervous because Alicia hadn’t shown up yet, and she was usually here by now. He wondered if something had happened to her.
Ben stopped a security guard who was walking past him. “Hey mac, ya know if Alicia’s been here?”
The guard shook his head and smiled. “No, Mr. Grimm, I haven’t seen Miss Masters yet today.”
Masters. Her name is Alicia Masters. “Okay, thanks.”
The guard shuffled off, and Ben smiled to himself about the guard’s courtesy. Two weeks ago, he had stopped a different security guard from stealing a valuable painting from the museum, and in the chaos that followed the security team had mistaken Ben as the thief. When the actual culprit had been apprehended, the shaken guard claimed he had felt compelled to steal the painting, as if he were under some sort of mind control. It took most of the morning to smooth everything over, and now all the guards went out of their way to be nice to Ben.
Ben stood up and wandered over to the sculpture exhibit, a display of human figures in bold, gallant poses. These pieces had originally caught his eye two weeks back, and as he viewed them again he was once more impressed with the attention to detail the sculptor obviously possessed. As he walked around the exhibit Ben’s thoughts turned to Alicia.
She’s not here. Mebbe she’s sick a’ me. Mebbe someone told her what I look like and she don’t wanna be seen with me. C’mon, Benji, ya can’t have real feelin’s fer this girl. She’s too good fer you. Think I’m gonna git outta here.But as Ben prepared to leave the museum he saw something that made his jaw drop. Towards the front of the sculpture exhibit was a small plaque that Ben had never noticed before. The plaque read:
Immortal Heroic: Series One
By Alicia Masters
The Thing couldn’t believe his eyes. It had never occurred to him to ask Alicia what she did for a living. He actually felt foolish because he had merely assumed-
“Ben! Are you here?”
Ben’s heart soared as he whirled to see Alicia coming towards the bench, her walking cane tapping out in front of her. She was actually accompanied by someone, though that didn’t concern Ben at the moment.
“’Licia,” Ben breathed, “You-you
made these?”
The beautiful blind sculptress blushed. “I always wondered why you never asked me about my work, especially since you said you like the pieces-“
“I
do,” Ben cut in. “They’re great! I didn’t know ya could do somethin’ like that.”
“She is quite talented, isn’t she?” the man next to Alicia put forth. He was a short, bald, thin man with large bug eyes and a mouth that seemed too wide for his face. When he smiled, his exaggerated features gave an unsettling, almost creepy impression.
“Ben,” Alicia began, “I’d like to introduce you to my father-“
“Stepfather, actually,” the man interrupted. “Philip Masters.” He put his hand out and Ben shook it.
“Yer somethin’ else,” Ben addressed Alicia, trying not to stare into Philip’s giant eyes.
“Yes, she is an amazing sculptress,” Philip touted. “I have a bit of talent for that myself, though I made my name primarily as a biologist.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet she gets her- ah- talent from ya,” Ben mumbled uncomfortably. Alicia said nothing, her expression hidden behind her dark shades.
“No doubt.” Philip smiled, and Ben felt odd, like he was missing something.
The short bald man went on. “When Alicia said she’d found a new friend, I had no idea she was referring to someone so famous. I’ve seen you on television. You’re partners with Reed Richards, are you not?”
“Yeah,” Ben muttered, “The big brain an’ I go way back.”
“Fascinating.” Philip smiled again, and his teeth seemed to take up half of his face. “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Ben, and I’m sure we’ll meet again. Alicia, you’ll be coming home for lunch?”
“Yes, father,” Alicia said quietly, and Ben didn’t like how she kept her head down in her stepfather’s presence.
“Good. Farewell, then.”
Philip Masters glanced at Ben a final time, and Ben managed a “Bye,” all the while thinking,
Why’s he keep lookin’ at me like that? Like I’m one a’ ‘Licia’s statues. And then the weird little man scurried away.
Ben waited for Philip to disappear from view and said awkwardly, “He seems awright.”
“Well, he can be pretty…
intense, and he’s not the easiest person to live with, but all my life he’s been there for me when no one else has,” Alicia explained.
“Uh huh.” Ben nodded. “Hey, why didn’tja tell me ya wuz an artist?”
“I thought you would have seen that those were my work,” Alicia stated, indicating the statues. “And I did think it was strange we never talked about it.”
Alicia reached into her pocket, pulled out a business card and handed it to Ben. On it was printed her name, address and telephone number, along with a graphic of an athletic figure.
“Thanks,” Ben beamed. “Wanna take a stroll around the museum?”
“That would be wonderful,” Alicia replied.
