iFantastic Four
Chapter One: Things Change
Metal ground against metal, producing flurries of sparks. Blue fire melted the cold steel, bonding it with its other half. Dim fluorescent lights flickered. Wiping a thick trickle of sweat off of her warm forehead, Carly tightened a large bolt, then looked over her blueprints. Outside, the wind blew hard, streaking over the landscape. The sun was setting, setting the sky a purple color that seemed to glow over the darkened city. Hours had slipped by without warning; faster than normal. It didn't matter, though. All that mattered was finishing the machine. It would be amazing. Her muscles aching, her back sore, and her head filled with a dull throbbing, Carly continued working. "Almost...done," she said to herself, trying to focus the nuts and bolts back into one object. Then, she tightened the final bolt, felt a great weight leave her tired body, then lay down on the cool, damp basement floor. After falling into a half-sleep state of mind, the brunette heard the door open, letting in a light. "Come on," whispered a familiar, comforting voice. "Time for bed, Carls." As Spencer picked his sister up, she gently moaned, not opening her sore and puffy eyes. The young man lay his sister in her bed, pulled the sheets over her, gently kissed her forehead, then left her to sleep. "It's gonna...be amazing," the teenager mumbled in her sleep.
The sky was a dreamy dark blue, void of most of its stars under layered clouds. However, the lights of the skyline illuminated the air. Coming in mere hours was the international science fair at Ridgeway; this could make or break Carly's future. Everything was riding on this. However, the girl was too exhausted to recollect anything in reality. Soon, the sun rose over the hillside, and Carly woke up early. "Good luck today, champ," Spencer called to his sister, handing her a breakfast bar and a juice box.
"Thanks, bro," Carly happily replied, giving her older brother a quick hug, then going into the basement to grab her invention. So many days had been spent on the Molecular Transporter device; it could revolutionize the world, paving the way for dreamers all over Earth. Freddie's mom had arranged to give the girl a ride to school with Freddie. Sam would meet them at the expo (not that she cared about science). "Thanks for driving us, Ms. Benson," Carly said, looking away from her machine.
"Anytime, sweetheart," Matilda replied, looking into her rear view window. "I'm always happy to help out Freddie's friends."
"Ready to take home first prize?" Freddie asked.
"I doubt I'll actually win," the brunette humbly replied, lovingly holding her machine. "I just hope I make a difference."
When the blue station wagon arrived at Ridgeway, the morning's air had grown warm, and only faint streaks of pink remained from the sunrise. Carly and Freddie bit farewell to Freddie's mother, then went to the Science Wing, a section of the school devoted entirely to the International Science Fairs. The most intelligent and dilligant young minds had gathered from around the world for this amazing occasion. Roughly half of the contestants were teenagers (boys and girls), about a quarter were child prodigies, and the final quarter were young adults. Everyone was distinct; a black-haired Asian girl with pink streaks, an African American boy with blond hair and a scratch on his upper lip, a Caucasian girl with a bandanna and a baseball cap covering her hairless head, a Brazilian boy hiding tears while pretending to look over his work. Thousands were vigorously working to better their inventions, some doing last-minute checks.
"Hey, guys," Sam greeted, running next to Carly and Freddie. "I mean girls." Freddie ignored the comment.
"Hey," Carly replied, overlooking Sam's diss on the boy. "I made some upgrades last night. This puppy is good to go." The brunette hooked her invention into a large metallic base she'd built about a week earlier, then tightened some bolts that bonded the two. "Alright," she whispered.
"So when's the judging?" Freddie asked, admiring the cold steel exterior of his friend's machine; the burning energy he heard flowing inside of it.
"A couple hours," the brunette answered, straightening out her notes and statistics. "I'm gonna stay here until the judges show up, but you two can go if you want."
"Nah, I don't have anywhere to go," Sam answered, not meaning to be rude. "You worked really hard on this...I know you're gonna win."
"Thanks, Sam," Carly happily said. "But there's way better inventions here." In the distance, someone tried to plug a light bulb into a potato, only to stab through the spud, and throw down the equipment in a flash of rage.
Nevel watched Carly from behind an electric converting machine. The blue streams of energy coursed in front of him, distorting the reflection of his face to grotesque lengths. Even after everything they'd done to one another, Carly was still the only one the boy had come close to loving. She was so sweet, so smart, so beautiful. Clenching his fists, Nevel felt his blood run over with jealous hatred. Only one solution remained; he would crush Carly with his invention, leaving her to hate no one but herself.
Hours passed by, but the girl remained by her machine, hoping it would make a difference. It had to... Suddenly, something blocked Carly's eyes. "Guess who?" asked a familiar voice.
"Spencer," Carly giggled, extremely happy to have her brother here. Pulling away, the girl turned around. "I thought you were busy today."
"Never too busy for my little sister," the young man gladly explained. "Especially on your big day."
"Thank you," Carly said in almost a whisper. "I'm almost up. Wish me luck, you guys."
"Kick some," Sam said, sounding supportive.
"You're gonna be great, Carly," Freddie added.
"Miss Carly Shay," greeted a man in his late forties with brown hair and balding around the crown. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir," the brunette answered. "This is the Molecular Transporter device...As its name indicates, it will teleport any matter to another location... Within a five mile radius for now." Carly set a rock on top of a platform atop her machine. "Please step back." With that, everyone walked back a little. Pressing a button on a hand held device, the brunette activated the teleportation device; a beam of blue and white light beamed down on the small piece of granite, and it soon vanished. "With this radar device, I will be able to track its movement..." The detector showed the rock appearing just outside of the school, surrounded by a waving aura.
"Remarkable," the judge exclaimed, taken back. "This invention could revolutionize the system of traveling and transporting materials... Has it ever been used on humans?"
"Not yet," Carly answered. "Only inanimate objects. Once, I even managed to transport a burning piece of wood without extinguishing the flame."
"Amazing," the judge said under his breath. "So there's no period during the teleportation progress without oxygen... Ms. Shay, I can honestly say this is one of the most impressive inventions I have ever seen."
Carly felt her entire body warm over with modest satisfaction; she had done it, she was victorious in her quest. From a small distance, Nevel scowled until his face began to ache. Suddenly, a shard of metal hit the floor; no larger than a pin. Hearing the sound, Carly glanced down, then saw electricity surging through her invention. "Get away!" she hollered, terrified. The judge lunged backwards, but Sam, Freddie, and Spencer didn't dare abandon Carly. Nevel continued to watch, drinking in his rival's failure like alcohol. A large blast of energy flared out from the machine, swallowing Carly, Spencer, Sam, and Freddie. Nevel felt a jolt inside his body, throwing him onto the ground.
Freddie saw fire burning in his eyes, then felt his body become extremely hot all over. Sam shut her eyes as the white belt coursed over her, and felt herself fade away. In a way, it was terrifying, but it also felt like art. Spencer felt his entire body seize up, making any movement next to impossible; it was like when he'd wake up to find his arm numb and buried under the weight of his body. Carly leaned as far back as her body allowed, and saw a vision of the piece of rubber she'd experimented on the first run of the Molecular Transporter; it twisted, curved, flowed, and tangled into an infinite loop. The energy field was burning hot, yet subzero and flowing like the Arctic Sea. The electric conversion machine shattered near Nevel, causing his body to numb over, dulling every nerve ending in his body; it burned so intensely.
Revolutionize...Amazing...The surges of energy flashed viciously. Carly shot up in the sterile white hospital bed. Her breath was sharp and heavy, her forehead coated in sweat, and her hair wet and tasseled. An unfamiliar hand touched her shoulder. "Please, please calm down," a female nurse tried to comfort the girl. "It's okay. Just relax." Finally, Carly lay down on her pillow, too tired to fight anymore.
"What happened?" the teenager moaned, seeing everything in a blur.
"There was an accident at your school," the nurse answered, pulling a needle out of her pocket. "You're gonna be okay, but you need to hold still right now, okay?" Carly nodded, and watched the woman puncture the top of a plastic tube filled with purple fluid. Sucking in the liquid, the nurse flicked the tip of the needle, knocking some excess medication off, then slid it into a vein in Carly's median cubital vein. "This might sting for a little bit." The woman's voice was calm.
Feeling the stab, Carly tightly shut her eyes, not being able to help thinking of exactly what was happening; a razor-sharp stick of metal pushing medicine into her vein along with the naturally flowing blood. "Oh," the girl groaned. "What's wrong with me?" Some time faded by in silence.
"There was a malfunction on your Molecular Transporter device," an African-American female doctor explained. "It seems to have released radiation into the air. We did some tests, and none of you have cancer or radiation poisoning...We're still gonna have to keep you here for a while, though. I'm sorry."
Maybe no one was around, maybe there was a thousand different people studying her every movement. "I messed up," she whispered. "I've put everyone in danger." The next day, a male nurse walked into the room while reading over his clipboard, and was shocked.
"What are you doing?" the young man demanded, a hint of anger and shear disbelief in his voice.
Carly was studying over her own test results, the IV still attached to her arm, and she was still in her white hospital gown. "I'm the one who built the machine," she began to explain, her voice hoarse. "This is my fault...If anything happens to my friends..."
"Your friends are fine," the man assured the patient. "Get into bed, please. You could get thrown in prison for doing this kind of stuff."
"I doubt that," Carly replied, her tone growing light. "...Can I go see them?"
"Maybe tomorrow," the nurse answered. "We need to make sure you're stable, Miss...Shay."
"Alright," the brunette replied, not that she really had a say in what happened.
That night, Sam lay in her hospital bed, still unconscious from the event. Her hair was course, her breath quiet, and her pulse at a slightly delayed rate. Her movements were gentle and infrequent. Suddenly, the teenager found herself standing in a dark area, not knowing any physical aspect of her location. "Hello?" she called, only to be met with her echo. "Carly?...Spencer? Freddork?" Sam let out a quick chuckle, if only to help herself feel like she was in control of anything. Walking forward, the blond looked around, seeing nothing. "Anybody?" she called, growing weak. In any situation, she could fight or joke her way out; that was who she was. Not now, though. She was defenseless; helpless. Like a little girl separated from her mother in the park. Looking down at herself, Sam saw her body fading away. She screamed, feeling something was swallowing her. Doctor! Her pulse is racing! Pulse is taking a jolt. Sam swiped at herself, desperate to find any clue that she still existed. Letting out a shriek, the teenager looked around as her body faded, allowing darkness to creep up to her neck.
"No! No!" Sam hollered, shooting up in her bed. A man and a woman doctor grabbed her shoulders, trying to hold her down.
"Please relax," the man begged, obviously afraid. "Everything's alright."
Throwing off her sheets, Sam looked at her white gown, and saw her lightly tan legs. "Okay," she whispered during a loud exhale. "Okay...I'm okay." Laying back down, the girl slowly became stable. "What happened?"
"I can't move," Spencer moaned, his eyes closed. "I feel I'm under a boulder." The young man's breath was extremely heavy, and his movements were slow and labored.
"Just hold still," one of the doctors said, gently pressing down on Spencer's shoulder. "There were no injuries to your spine. You're still probably going through shock. You'll be fine in a matter of hours."
"Okay," Spencer gasped out, feeling his eyes grow heavy. Shutting his eyes, the young man soon fell into sleep.
Freddie lay under the sheets of his sterile hospital bed, feeling hundreds of beads of sweat trickle down his hot forehead. "I'm dying," the teenager whispered as a female nurse sponged us his sopping wet brow.
"You're going to be fine," the woman assured the brunette. "Now hold still. This will help stabalize your body temperature."
Freddie closed his eyes, breathing frantically, and nodded. A dull stinging sensation flashed in his right arm, which soon faded into a cool ease all over his body. With a sigh of relief, Freddie relaxed his shoulders, and turned his head to the side. "Thank you," he whispered, not opening his cool eyes.
"There was an accident," the woman said; maybe to another employee, or maybe to him. "It seems to have caused a major spike in body temperature. It's down to about one hundred and four now, but there doesn't seem to be any brain damage or organ issues. All things considered, it's a miracle."
"What happened to me?" demanded a teenage boy with a high-pitched voice, staring up at the ceiling.
"There was an accident at your school science fair," the Asian female doctor answered. "You were cut by some shards of glass from an...electricity manipulating device. You should be glad you didn't get electrocuted."
"Are the cuts severe?" asked the boy.
"No, just some superficial scrapes on your face and a slice to the chest that will require a bandage for a month or so," the woman answered, looking over some test results. "We still need to examine the radiation levels of your body, but you seem fine."
"Thank you," the teenager said, taking a silent breath of relief. "My name's Nevel Papperman, by the way."
"These five are genetic miracles," exclaimed an older doctor with black-gray hair with a receating line. "Their bodies have obsorbed nearly a solid pound of radiation, but there's nothing cancerous in their bodies. The worst that's happened is the oldest one going in shock for a time. We'll have to study them further."
The following day, Carly, Sam, Freddie, and Spencer finally met up with one another. Nevel, however, chose to stay alone in his room. Carly gave Spencer a hug, deeply loving seeing the familiar faces of her friends and family. The two separated, and Carly wrapped her arms around Sam. "I missed you guys," she said as she warmly embraced Freddie, who closed his eyes, let a sigh out, and enjoyed the brief intimacy. "I'm so sorry."
"Carly, it's not your fault," Spencer replied, knowing how Carly waged war on herself for the littlest things. "No one could've seen that coming."
"Yeah, what if Fredbag had made the invention?" Sam added, her usual sass showing. "We'd all be dead...or turned into nerds or something."
"Good one," Freddie swallowed, not wanting to start a confrontation in front of his newly-recovered friends. "Everyone's okay?"
"Yeah," everyone answered, even as Spencer struggled to stand. "Thanks, man," the young man added.
"We're gonna have some more tests tomorrow," Carly added, obviously kind of down about it. "But we have all day to catch up."
The four friends sat down on some red chairs and a small couch in a lounge in the center of the hospital, and began talking. iCarly came up, and everyone seemed eager to get back to it. Everything that they used to do felt like heaven now; Groovy Smoothie, spaghetti tacos, and even Ridgeway felt inviting.
"I wonder what Gibby's been up to," Sam said, slunking back into the couch.
"No clue," Carly answered, growing tired after roughly two hours of talking. "You know, I wish I could take all this back...but I'm glad it's the four of us together."
"Same here," Freddie replied, letting his eyes shut.
Soon, the group had all fallen asleep, and several nurses arrived, and gently carried them back to their rooms.