TOW the Secret Identity

Summary: Monica has some explaining to do when Chandler discovers her missing in the middle of the night. "Zoom" crossover.

A/N: Yeah, I know, Zoom was a pretty bad movie. It was corny, predictable, clichéd, and had no sense of pacing whatsoever. But when I saw how "Marsha Holloway" (Courtney Cox's character) was so obsessive with her Zoom comic books, she reminded me of Monica…plus the fact that a big reason I wanted to see Zoom was because Cox was in it. Then this story idea evolved in my head. Don't worry, though, this is only meant to be a few chapters long, not an epic or anything. And if it sucks or is too far fetched, please tell me and I'll just drop it.

For those rare few who actually saw the movie, I might stretch or ignore some of the facts about Marsha's past, but whatever, it's just a story. Also, for those of you wondering, the movie 'happened' in this universe a few months ago, so the public has known about the team for a while.

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Prologue

"Look at this!" Rachel exclaimed. Yes, she was reading the newspaper, but only because she had left her magazine at home and the paper had been on the table. "The Zoom team strikes again!"

Joey, sitting at a nearby table, leaned forward in his seat, his eyes eager. He loved comics books, and finding out about real life superheroes had been a dream come true for him. "Really? What'd they do this time?"

"It's another super villain. He calls himself the 'Volcano'," Phoebe read, after she had moved closer to Rachel on the Central Perk couch. After the Zoom team made their debut, many other test subjects exposed to gamma radiation had shown themselves. They chose to use their powers for evil, turning the Unites States into a living comic book.

"Why's that? He shoots lava from his hands?" Chandler guessed, only half-joking.

Phoebe stared at him. "Yeah! How'd you know?"

"I'm still having trouble getting used to this," Ross admitted, reaching over Joey and Phoebe's laps to grab the newspaper. "I wouldn't even believe it if it weren't in newspapers and on television. Mon, what about you?"

Monica, who was sitting on the easy chair, glanced up like a dear caught in the headlights. "W-what? Sorry…guess I wasn't listening."

"Yeah…" Ross trailed off, creasing his brow in concern. His sister had been a little…'off' for a while now, and he was really starting to worry. "We were talking about how there's a new super villain."

Monica gave a small, confident smile. "I'm sure the Zoom team can handle whoever it is."

"I don't know about that," Chandler commented. "This guy looks pretty tough. He's robbed, like, ten banks in New York City and they don't have a clue who his real identity is."

"Well, superheroes are good at concealing their identities too," Monica retorted.

Ross wasn't sure, but he thought he detected a bit of defensiveness in her tone. "No one said they weren't."

"Hey, who's she?" Chandler asked, pointing at a picture in the center of the page.

Rachel took back the magazine and skimmed the caption. "Oh, that's that girl the team calls for back up a lot. They've started calling her 'Hurricane,' since she has super breath."

"Super breath?" Joey questioned, confused. "You mean, like, she's a chic with really bad breath?"

"No, it means she can blow super hard," Phoebe explained, holding up the picture. It showed Blizzard blowing away a car that was about to be hit by part of a falling building.

Ross chuckled, "So I guess she has a lot of hot air."

"She's really hot," Chandler noted, after studying the picture. He then winced, half-expecting his fiancé to yell at him…and was very surprised when she said nothing. He decided to cover his tracks anyway. "Uh, of course, not as hot as you, honey."

Ross was looking at Monica, now extremely worried. Her face was pale, and she was gripping the arms of the easy chair. "Mon, are you okay?"

"Um…yeah…" Monica replied, her voice coming out a whisper.

She had the others' staring at her at this point. Rachel put a hand on her arm. "Mon, honey? What's wrong?"

Shaking her head, Monica massaged her temple. "No, I'm fine, really. Just…talk about something else."

They did, and a few minutes later Monica's cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen, then bolted from her seat. "I have to go everybody…work emergency."

"What? One of the chefs caught fire?" Chandler joked, but she was already out the door. Turning to the others, he asked, "Any of you notice something…odd about her lately?"

"Yes! Thank you!" Ross exclaimed. "Always running off to places, never having a good excuse once she got back…and the other day, she came home with a burn on her arm!"

"Well, she is a chef," Rachel reminded him.

"I know, but…I'm worried about her," Ross sighed.

"So am I," Chandler agreed, then went back to the picture. His eyes widened. "Um, guys, is it just me…or does Blizzard look a lot like Monica?"

"What?" Joey went over to examine the picture. "You're crazy, man! Monica's way hotter than that geek." The woman in the picture had her dark hair in a messy bun, was wearing a jumpsuit like Zoom, only in a purple color, and had dorky wrap-around glasses.

Chandler nodded, but couldn't help but stare. "Yeah, I guess…"

The gang glanced at the counter when the portable radio Gunther was listening to crackled. A news announcer interrupted the song that had been playing. "News just in from midtown Manhattan. The 'Volcano' has struck at the Bank of America, but this time with some assistants with his same power. The Zoom team arrived on the scene a good half hour ago, but we've gotten word that they called for Percussion and…oh, here's Hurricane now!"

The gang traded looks. Chandler glanced from Monica's' empty seat, to the radio, and back again. He then tried to convince himself that it was his sex fantasizing pairing his fiancé with a famous superhero.

Though he couldn't deny the coincidence when the announcer remarked, "Wow, the Blizzard's driving up in a Porsche! I guess being a superhero pays off in some way, huh?"

Joey, however, thought nothing of it when nonchalantly remarked, " Huh, and Monica just get her Dad's Porsche. Weird."

The other four did a double take at the radio, then shook their heads in denial.

"Nope."

"Nuh uh."

"Not my sister."

"Not in a million years."