Mother Nature
Okay, this story was made like two years ago AHHA, and I just read it, and holy shit. MARY-SUE time fifty. Oh god. I'm so ashamed, but it's always funny to look at what you've written. I feel like such a teenybopper ditz right now. OH jeez. Well, right now, I want to redeem myself. I have rewritten this, but it has the same story line. Hopefully, it's more bearable even though I'm well aware that since I've written for this fandom, there have been several people who have reused this storyline.
Summary: It looks like the Fantastic Four aren't the only superheroes to be saving lives. Mother Nature, might just be making bigger headlines. Will the FF figure out who this klutz of a superhero is?
Prologue
Cheap. Taken for a ride and chucked onto the dirt cheap. Working a corner with a pair of hooker heels strapped onto your feet cheap. Buying a shirt fifty percent off with the seams coming loose cheap. There are several ways to describe the word that, but nothing could quite explain the kind of cheap Emerald Lawson was feeling. Tasting a drop of paradise and having it vanish as it lingers on your tongue and silks its way down your throat… That was the kind of cheap she felt. Watching realities become far-out fantasies…that was more than cheap. That was a cheap trick; a cheap trick that gods high up in the Heavens were playing on her. They mocked her; they toyed with her mind and manipulated her into believing she had it all, when really, she had nothing.
Usually, when your dreams are ripped away from your own fingers, the word cheap does not come into play. Maybe the words depressed or angry make an unwanted appearance, but the word cheap is not even considered. Yet, it's a feeling people can still understand. Emerald Lawson sure understood it, and she hated the feeling.
The astonishing event took place approximately two months ago. The memory still laid fresh in her mind. Emerald was a stationed nurse at the Von Doom Corporation and to her utter joy, she was the lucky employee to be recruited on a Von Doom funded mission to space. Okay, so she replaced Molly Spitzer because the whore had an affair with one of the CEOs of the company…That is besides the point. This- the mission- was the most honorable and electrifying opportunity that she was ever granted, despite the circumstances which led her to it. She, Emerald Lawson, was part of a mission that could essentially help enrich the Earth to its fullest potential. She would be accredited in history for years to come. How could she not resist the offer? Little did she know that by accepting this request, she would initiate her own misfortune…her own curse.
From the get-go, the crew ignored her. Victor, the head of the Von Doom corporation, was chasing a disinterested Susan Storm. Johnny and Ben were bitching and bickering, using every flaw that each of them encompassed as a catalyst to further their 'logical' arguments. Reed was thinking about Susan, while juggling mathematical equations, and Emerald was at the Nurse's station, bored off her fucking mind. Then, it happened. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew that it was the worst thing that could have happened to her. With a flash of red, ethereal light, she was sent into a coma, and when she woke up, she was never the same again. She was-
"Ms. Williams will be with you shortly, Ms. Lawson," an overly-perky receptionist purred. "Please feel free to check out some of the magazines, or treat yourself to a beverage at the refreshment table while you wait."
Emerald cringed, nodding meekly at the secretary. Just being in the presence of secretary-heck- Just being in the presence of the building was altogether humiliating. As mentioned before, Emerald used to have it all, or at least, she was tricked into having it all. She was an experience nurse at the Von Doom Corporation, and now, she was applying to JUICY magazine for an office job. It seemed as if no hospital was willing to hire a woman who used to belong to the falling corporation of the villainous freak-of-nature Victor Von Doom. Emerald sighed. Never did she think she would have to use her minor in English & Literature to help pay her rent. Now was the time to utilize the word 'depressing'.
Oh, but where were we? Oh yes, after the unsuccessful mission to a place out of this world, Emerald was-
"Okay, Emerald, Ms. Williams is ready for you," the ceptionist squeaked once again.
"Thanks, Sheila," Emerald replied, walking quickly over to the door which led to the spacious office of Victoria Williams. What a coincidence… Emerald used to work for Victor…and now, she could be working for Victor-ia.
"Ah, Emerald, please take a seat," Victoria beamed, her cerulean eyes sparkling as the fluorescent lights kissed her face.
The ladies both took their seats at their respective sides of the main desk, and Victoria wasted no time in reviewing Emerald's transcripts, resume and prior work experience.
"Well, as I said before in the last interview, you have a wide range of experience," Victoria smiled.
Emerald cleared her throat, looking extremely uncomfortable. Victoria was no longer reviewing the transcript, but she was now judging Emerald's appearance. She expected it. Since her last interview, she noted the tall, elegant staff that waltzed through the foyer of the building which created the elite magazine of JUICY. Emerald sulked. Being a mere 5'1" was not going to help her position.
"And I would be silly not to hire you," Victoria continued with a broad smile. "Your column on the behavioral tactics of females and males on the first date was both humorous and enlightening. It was actually refreshing compared to the other pieces that were submitted by the other applicants."
"Well, I'm quite experienced on the subject of the first date. Just don't ask me to write about the second date," Emerald quipped, forcing a light chuckle from Victoria.
"Yes, but you sure know how to work the second interview though," Victoria winked, gently placing a folder in front of Emerald. "Here is your folder. It contains the essentials on what you need to get ready. Now, I don't want to load you with any work right now, as you're just starting," she smiled, whilst standing up and putting on her long trench coat, "All you need to do is take your identification photo and fill out the forms inside the folder. Sheila's already aware that you'll be joining the team. She'll give you a tour on your way out."
"Huh?" Emerald inquired with her mouth wide open. It took her a moment to decide that her expression wasn't very professional, so she closed her mouth and gave an inquisitive stare instead. "I mean, where are you going? Aren't you going to…show me around?"
Victoria laughed, "Aw, aren't you cute? But, I have meeting with the press, and that simply can't wait. Don't worry, you'll be fine. Tomorrow, I'll give you a personal tour and you can check out your little office…"
"Office? Don't you mean cubicle?"
"Oh no, you'll have a small office. Emphasize on the small though. But, don't worry, you'll be running around so much that you'll barely be using the office."
"That's supposed to relieve me?" Emerald questioned with slight sarcasm.
"When you're in this business, a quiet day is when you should start to worry," Victoria smirked, opening the door for Emerald. The women stepped out of the office and exchanged their farewells.
"Sheila, after you're done with Emerald, I expect Donna's desk to be cleared out."
"Of course, Ms. Williams. Come, Emerald. I'll give you the grand tour," Sheila smiled, while looking over at Connie who was sitting at the other desk, looking at her nails. "Connie, cover for me while I'm gone."
"Sure," Connie shrugged, grinning slightly at the new meat.
Emerald gulped. Hopefully, this job would not be as bad as she thought it would be.
.xxx.
Exiting the building, Emerald gave a sigh of relief as her eyes met up with her roommate who seemed to be quite invested in a…JUICY magazine?!
"Oh, you've got be kidding me…"
"Chill out, Em," Jamie, a tall blonde, stuck out her tongue playfully. "It's actually a good mag. You'll be an excellent contribution."
"Well, I'll be fetching her coffee for months before you see my first article published," Emerald sulked, wiggling herself a seat on the bench.
"Really?" Jamie said genuinely surprised. "I thought you got the job?"
"Oh, I did," Em sighed, massaging her temples, "but now that I got a more in-depth job analysis, it sounds a lot like I'm an assistant! I have to work my way up apparently…all the way from the bottom, and trust me when I say the bottom is…oh god, it's…oh god…"
"Who would have thought? Getting paid 90K plus at the biggest corporation in the NYC to working for the magazine you despise and we won't go into details about the pay difference."
"Wow, you sure know how to make a friend feel better, Ms. James," Emerald replied in a deadpanned voice.
Jamie chuckled, "Glad to help. You know, there's a fair downtown, and I know you used to go on and on about how you were president of the cotton candy fan club at your elementary school…
"Well, I hate to brag," Emerald smirked, tilting her head in a cocky manner, "but it was the tastiest club in all of elementary and middle school!"
"And I'm sure it was. Now, let's go before the Fantastic 4 get there! I'm on a mission to shag Mr. Storm," Jalie wiggled her brows deviously.
Emerald gagged, feeling her breakfast crawl its way up her throat to make a reappearance, "Sure… nothing like spontaneous projectile vomiting and a Fantastic 4 publicity stunt to get me all cheery on a Monday morning."
"Actually, it's afternoon now," Jamie corrected with a bright smile, dragging her friend by the arm, "and there should seriously be a law against sarcasm after the AM. Let's go."
The two girls journeyed their way to the fair via walking and the bus, Emerald slowing them down due to her lack of exercise and reluctance to actually go.
"C'mon, Emmy, it's not like that. You'll totally not play third wheel. I just need to get his attention, toy with him a little, ignore him, and well, you know the deal. Don't get your panties in a bunch," Jamie whined, pushing Emerald through the entrance of the fair whilst thrusting her cash and showing her ID to the vender. "Oh, she's with me," she pointed to grumpy Emerald.
The vender nodded giving Jamie's work ID a once-over before letting them proceed.
"Ha, well, I'm wearing the Satan panties right now, so I have a right to be cranky," Emerald huffed with a grumpy expression.
"Ouch. Why are you wearing the Satan panties?" Jamie cringed, looking her friend up and down. The Satan Panties were the cursed undergarment each girl owned to hide their obvious problem areas, which is usually a good thing until it starts to hurt like a little bitch. That's where the Satan part comes into play.
"Because…after I lost my job… Well you saw me: couch potato for 24/7 and I gained about five pounds of flab due to Elaine's cheer-up cakes," Emerald twitched, while attempting to modestly stare at her new protruding derriere.
"That girl has a big heart, but jeez! She sure knows how to make you go up a few dress sizes."
"Well, I'm clear evidence of that. Anyway, there's your studly mutant at twelve o'clock," Emerald pointed clearly to an arrogant gentlemen with a group of girls, "so I'm off to anywhere that isn't remotely close to him or his crew of skin-tight, leopard print-"
"Okay, why don't you just tell them?" Kylie sighed. "They were probably looking for you…"
"Or, they probably haven't noticed. I don't want anything to do with them, and I sure as hell do not want to unleash…that. If I tell them, I'll be wearing navy blue spandex for months and something tells me that those suits are worse than the Satan panties…"
Jamie chuckled, "Okay, true say. But, you'll have a choice."
"Are you kidding me? Reed will be running so many tests on me that I'll become mentally fried like that rat in Flowers for Algernon."
"But, he can help you! They can help you. You can learn to control it," Jamie stressed.
"And what makes you think I can't control it?"
"Um, the thorns that are protruding out of your head may have something to do with it," Jamie stated in a deadpan tone as she paid for her cotton candy.
"Dude, that's some cool David Blaine shit on your head," the cashier at the stand slurred in his almost incoherent voice.
Emerald began to panic, searching frantically for a mirror within her messenger bag as she covered her head.
Jamie chuckled, tossing her a cosmetic mirror from her purse, "You're lucky he's stoned off his ass."
Emerald flipped the hood of her jacket onto her head as she witnessed the spirals of thorns encircle her large ringlets of curls. This usually happened when she was mad or irritated. The Amazon rainforest would make an unexpected visit onto her head!...which brings us to her mystery power. After that fateful day aboard the space craft that changed her life, Emerald discovered that she was no longer who she thought she was. Of course, it took her a while to figure that out. She was immediately brought to the sick bay where the rest of the inhabitants of the spacecraft had been, and seemed to be perfectly fine. That and everyone started to forget about her. The nurses could give a rat's ass about her anyway.
It wasn't until she left to her apartment that strange things started to happen… For example, when she was a young child, Emerald used to pride herself in the fact that she was not one of the kids who wet the bed at night. But, waking up in the morning with sticky, soaked clothes on and a pack of wet sheets made her change her mind on that matter. That embarrassing experience was saved for awkward infants in their teething days. Not grown-up women such as herself.
Then, when she lost her job, a tumultuous amount of vines began to grow through her scalp and skin and engulf every object within her distance in their fiery clutch. Now, Emerald knew she could be odd and strange at times, but this just topped the cake. Jamie had been officially freaked out and amused by the whole mess, and her close friends, Kylie and Janelle, claimed 'they always knew something like this would happen to her'. Emerald, on the other hand, didn't and she seemed to be the only one taking this situation critically. She agonized over it night and day, and yet she couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation. That was until she flipped the news on and found Reed Richards and his posse soaking up the attention on national television. Emerald was shocked. Emerald was distressed. Then, Emerald was pissed. This was all Reed's fault. This was all Victor's fault. This was everyone's fault, but hers!
Emerald was LITERALLY a walking, breathing freak of nature...and this was taking it to a whole new literal sense that she couldn't even begin to comprehend. She could create and control God's beautiful gift of nature. She could manipulate herself- her whole body- into nature's gold: water. And, all Emerald wanted to do was make it go away.
Actually, she still did.
"Look, I'm going over to work my magic. Just chill out, eat my cotton candy, and I'll be back in a jiffy," Jamie quickly stated, kissing her friend atop the forehead.
"Whatever," Emerald replied absentmindedly as she gazed at a lingering vine at the side of her head. She was about to call it a day and eat the cotton candy before…someone sat on it.
"Well, I suppose asking you if you want your cotton candy back is out of the question," the man sat up holding the bag of flat cotton candy in his hand.
She chuckled, until she saw the big hunk of orange rock sitting beside her. Emerald decided to play it cool. With her old nurse appearance of a severe bun resting at the back of her head and the ridiculous uniform, she looked like all the other nurses at her wing of the Von Doom Corporation. That rock, or rather Ben, wouldn't recognize her at all. At the time, he was so invested with Johnny, Victor, and maybe Reed that he didn't even notice her. The same went for Johnny and Reed; Victor couldn't tell any of his nurses apart, what with their uniform appearance; with Susan Storm, she was a little more worried. However, Emerald wasn't too scared. Okay, yes, she was, but she had to stay calm. Any extreme emotion could cause her to release her power, and she didn't want that to happen, especially in a place as public as this.
"But, I can buy you a new one," he offered with a slight smile. Well, at least Emerald thought it was a smile.
"Nah, it's alright. You seem like you got your hands full," Emerald replied nonchalantly, gesturing to a reporter who was about to hound him down. Suddenly, he stopped once he saw Reed and Sue by a stand, talking to a child. "Looks like you just got saved."
"I'll be sure to thank Sue and Reed later," he chuckled under his breath. "So, why's a girl like you sitting here all alone?"
She smiled, pointing to the one and only Johnny Storm with a crowd of women. To her surprise, she noticed her boss in the midst of the crowd, socializing with Johnny, a pissed-off Jamie on the side. "My friend's the one who looks like it's her time of the month…and my boss is the one flirting with hot rod over there."
Ben nodded his head, a smirk playing on his lips, "You're here for moral support?"
"I guess so: for my friend…I don't know what the heck my boss is doing over here. But, then again, she is the chairman of JUICY magazine. She could be hounding him for an interview."
"Or, she could be slipping him her number," Ben raised his eyebrows as he noticed the boss give a seductive wink to Johnny, while tucking a note into his sleeve, "and asking him to call her."
"Th-that's possible," Emerald replied with a wide mouth, but then immediately closed it, "but for completely professional motives."
"Oh, of course," Ben nodded his head in agreement.
"Yeah, you don't think she…and he…?"
"It's Johnny. Anything's possible."
"Okay, that's comforting," she scratched her head. "I just hope this is just some phase my friend has, and then BAM-it's gone, and we never speak of this again."
"I take it you're not interested."
"Not a huge fan and something tells me, you aren't either…sometimes."
Ben blinked his eyes a couple times. He wasn't used to people being so forward with him, especially about Johnny. The media created this happy-go-lucky friendship out of the two, and though Johnny had gotten bearable over the months, that didn't change the fact that he would love to wring the boy's neck a good two or three times.
"What are you talking about? We're great frien- Okay, I can't say that with a straight face."
She chortled lightly, watching as he sighed and cursed to himself for letting the 'secret' out.
"Now, don't go telling your magazine and-"
"Relax, I just got hired today. It'll probably take a few months before they deem me useful," she laughed in a cynical tone. "Well, I have to go. My friend awaits. I'll see you around-"
"-Ben. The name's Ben."
Emerald shook his hand, pausing for a moment, "And I'm Jane."
"Well, it was nice talking to you Jane."
"Likewise, Ben. I'll see you around."