Fantastic Four (Movieverse) – Retribution

Summary: Doom seeks revenge on the Fantastic Four for defeating him twice. Are the foursome ready for such a personal attack? Johnnycentric :D

Disclaimer: Nope, no ownership here

Authors Notes: Second chapter :D

Thanks to kitty for reviewing, yep, Lights Out is the next chapter and then we find out what happened to Johnny...until then I leave you in suspense mwahahaha

Oh, and sorry this took so long...my mum hijacked my laptop and held it hostage until I completed a substantial amount of revision for my exam... :(


Chapter Two: Burn Up

The Baxter Building

"Yes, it's sprain," concluded Reed as he took yet another look at the x-ray in his right hand. He smiled down at his wife who just rolled her eyes.

"I told you that, but no, you had to be all fussy," she retorted with mock annoyance as she tugged at the cast he had wrapped round her wrist. Susan loved how Reed cared for her. That's part of why she married him. He could get so caught up in his work that he'd forget she existed; but moments like this reminded her of his caring side.

"I just wanted to make sure, you know I only want for you to be taken care of," Reed gave her a caring smile and slid the x-ray back into the folder. He continued absent-mindedly. "It's a good thing it wasn't a break; my medical skills don't really stretch beyond basic first aid."

"Relax," Susan wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gazed into his eyes. "We're superheroes, what's the worst that can happen?"


"On your left! On your left! Oh damnnit Ben, shoot him for God's sake!" Johnny shouted as he jabbed at the controller. The TV screen was filled with the computer game the pair was playing. There was one loud tinny explosion through the speakers followed by the slow losing music. GAME OVER flashed in big letters across the screen. "Ah! Ben! I told you to shoot him."

Ben gestured with his specially created controller. "The thingamajig was in the way, and besides I was out of ammo."

Johnny sighed tiredly and slumped back against the sofa, allowing his controller to drop to the floor. "That is the first time I have ever lost that level. You're gonna ruin my online scores."

"Now Johnny, is it really the end of the world?" interrupted Alicia as she entered the room. She knew this part of the Baxter Building well enough not to need her stick, and she made her way carefully to perch on the end of the sofa.

"Nah, that was last month," joked Johnny, referring to Galactus trying to eat the world. He turned eagerly to Ben. "Want another game? How about this time it's one on one, me vs. you...The Human Torch Vs the Thing..."

"Fine, but I'm gonna kick your scrawny ass kid," agreed Ben as turned back to the screen, hunched over his controller in a battle ready position. Alicia just shook her head smiling as she listened to the teammates blowing each other up in cyberspace.


The Baxter Building was a lot taller in life than it appeared on TV. And a lot more impressive. Kayla pushed through the rotating doors and into the huge reception area. It truly was magnificent. Very upper class with its marble floors and stone pillars. It even had a doorman. She was a long way from her apartment complex now.

"Well hi there and welcome to the Baxter Building, can I help?" greeted the doorman. His name tag said 'Jimmy', and he had a warm smile and well presented uniform.

"I'd like to see the Fantastic Four?" asked Kayla. Jimmy grinned like he had heard that many times before. He probably had to turn away lots of fans every day. "I just need to talk to them about...about a problem I think they can help me with."

"Do you have an appointment?" Jimmy asked patiently, already knowing the answer. Kayla shook her head in reply. "Then I'm afraid you can't go up."

"Please, it's really important that I speak to them," Kayla almost begged. She could already feel the coldness just yearning for release. She had learnt a degree of control though and quickly repressed it. Jimmy was unmoving nevertheless. Sighing, Kayla earnestly apologised. "I'm sorry, but I need to speak to them."

"I told ya lass, you can't go up," Jimmy insisted. Kayla allowed the coldness an inch of release so that ice crystals formed around her hands and the temperature in the hall dropped a few degrees. Jimmy stared at her dumbstruck. "I guess you'd better go up then."

"Thank you," Kayla smiled. She closed her hands into fists, shutting off her icy ability. The hall returned to room temperature as she walked the distance to the elevators and waited for one. Jimmy watched her with a mixture of confusion, wariness and awe as she disappeared through the doors and whizzed up to the top floor.

When eventually she reached the top and stepped out into the Fantastic Fours' headquarters she couldn't help but look around in awe. She felt like a tourist in the larger than life facility. The holographic simulation of a receptionist, Roberta, told her to be seated and wait patiently.


When Susan Richards received the call from Roberta of a visitor, she rolled her eyes and sighed. She pasted on her usual 'meet and greet' the fans smile and entered the lounge like reception area. She hadn't expected to see such a professional looking women in her late twenties sitting nervously on one of the sofas. When the young woman spotted Sue, she immediately stood up and offered a hand. "Hello, I'm Dr. Kayla Maiden, thank you for seeing me Mrs. Richards."

"Not a problem," Sue replied with a genuine smile. She took the offered hand and jumped a bit at the coldness of the touch. "Woah, sorry. You got very cold hands there."

"So, I've been told," Kayla murmured with a hint of bitterness. It was quickly replaced with nervousness.

Sue rubbed her hands together to try and warm them back up. "So, how can I help you?"

"Actually, I think it's I who can help you," Kayla said slyly. She gestured to Sue's cast arm. "Sprain or break?"

"Sprain, why?"

"It's just its been seriously wrapped up there, looks a bit tight for a sprain. I'm assuming Dr. Richards is in charge of medical issues here?" Susan nodded in reply. A friendly smirk lit up Kayla's face. "Is he a bit cautious by any chance?"

"You could say that," Susan said rubbing her slightly sore wrist. "So you're a medical doctor rather than a scientist then?"

"I'm a surgeon," Kayla explained. She continued rather anxiously. "I am actually here to ask about employment, if at all possible."

Susan raised her eyebrows in surprise. She definitely hadn't been expecting that one. No one had ever approached the Fantastic Four for a job before; they were a team of superheroes, the only staff they employed was Reed's lab assistants, and they weren't directly linked to the team at all. "What makes you think we should employ you?" asked Sue, not accusatorily but more casual. She had no idea how to interview a person for a job.

"Well, you're line of work is extremely dangerous, and I know that you are very powerful superheroes, but you still get hurt," Kayla began. She again gestured to Sue's injured arm. "I now know that Dr. Richards isn't a medical professional and if, God forbid, greater harm was to come of a member of your family they would have to go to a hospital where their lack of knowledge of your anatomies could result in fatal errors. As such, you need a trained doctor on your staff, such as myself, to avoid such complications."

"That was a great pitch," Sue said simply when Kayla came to a finish. The doctor allowed herself a quick moment of pride at managing to get it all out without getting tongue-tied. "What qualifications do you have?"

"I trained at Med school, graduating with honours, did my internship at Lennox Hill. I have had experience in the ER and the OR and I specialised in trauma surgery. I have also done double the required hours of paramedic work," listed Kayla. She had worked very hard to get where she was, that was apparent to Sue, but it also made her suspicious.

"Why are you now asking for employment? How does this benefit you?" questioned Susan.

A panicked expression flashed across Kayla's face. She wrung her hands in an unconscious sign of her inner conflict. "There was an incident at my hospital." Immediately Susan tensed, curious to hear the young woman's story. "I was trapped in the 'Dangerous Substances Store'. It's basically a walk-in fridge full of every chemical known to man. I fell into hypothermic shock and wasn't found for over two hours. I should have been dead, but something really weird happened."

Instantly the temperature in the room dropped. Susan glanced around surprised until she realised that the woman in front of her was responsible for the sudden climate change. "I can see your problem." She muttered. Kayla shrugged apologetically and the temperature went back to normal.

"The hospital didn't appreciate having a freak on their staff and I haven't been able to find anywhere else. In all honesty; you are my last hope." Kayla said simply. Talk about pressure, Sue thought to herself.

"I guess you should meet the team then."


As Johnny beat Ben again he shivered violently.

"Woah, you okay there kid?" asked Ben, concern barely masked by his rough voice. Johnny blinked in surprise; he hadn't felt cold since they went into space. It was really weird. He shook it off and gave Ben one of his prize cocky smiles.

"I'm awesome," he replied egotistically. Ben just clapped him on the shoulder with a rocky hand and picked up his controller in preparation for another round of the game. But then Johnny shivered again. This time, the cause came strolling through the door behind Susan. Johnny instantly knew the raven-haired beauty was the cause of his sudden cold sensation. The coolness radiated from her in a way he guessed only he could sense. The two shared a look that communicated that they were both having similar reactions.

Susan introduced the woman, unaware of the moment her brother and the doctor were sharing. "Guys, meet our new medic; Dr. Kayla Maiden."

Alicia, who was still sitting on the edge of the couch stood up and smiled warmly at the direction she could feel the cold coming from. Realising the woman was blind; Kayla took her hand and shook it instead of offering it. "Hello, welcome to the Baxter Building. My name's Alicia"

Ben shook her hand next, carefully taking it to avoid crushing her with his immense strength. Kayla was amazed at how gentle the giant was, and how expressive his facial features were despite his rocky exterior. "I'm Ben."

Next to greet her was Johnny. They didn't touch, each one sensing the extreme temperature of the other. Instead, Kayla gave a small wave and a quick smile; and received a wide grin in response. Susan noticed the exchange, but said nothing.

Suddenly the scene was interrupted by the fourth member of the team, Reed Richards, over the intercom. "We've got an emergency call from the Fire Brigade. There's a burning apartment building on 36th Street with tenants still trapped inside. Time to move out."

"I guess I should let you guys go then," Kayla took a step back and out of the way so that the Fantastic Four could tackle their latest challenge.


Doom Enterprises

Doom smiled gleefully as the Fantastic Four geared up and zoomed out of the Baxter Building in their shiny Fantasticar. He played with them like mice in a maze as they unknowingly followed his carefully laid out plan. He knew them well enough to predict their actions; and the result of them. They would play along and follow his trail of breadcrumbs.

He glanced at another screen which showed his handiwork. Of course he hadn't personally set the building on fire, but he marvelled at Leonard's prowess as a pyromaniac. Soon the Fantastic Four would show up and save the day, and his plan would progress.

That's right my playthings, run along...like lambs to the slaughter...


Merlin's Apartment Building

36th Street

When the fantasticar hovered to a stop on the street outside the burning building the awesome foursome gasped in surprise. There was no longer a building that could be seen, only a towering inferno of flames. No wonder the fire brigade had called for back-up. There was no way they could get to the people trapped inside. A crowd had gathered; some of the onlookers were hysterical, others were staring at the flames in awe.

The four climbed out of the fantasticar, all turning to Reed to come up with a masterful plan. The brainiac gazed at the building, calculating the progression of the flames, the strength of the old rotting structure and the chances of survival. They were quickly joined by a suited up fireman, his face sooty under his helmet. Reed extended a hand. "We're here to help."

The fireman sighed, relief and surrender exhaled simultaneously. "I can't send my men in anymore, it's too dangerous. We've got a mother out here who claims her kids are still trapped on the fourth floor, the farthest back apartment. There's also reports of an old guy that refuses to leave his flat in the basement." The tired fireman took on a sad tone. "One of my guys is in there too. Young lad, only just passed his training. We think he made it to the third floor before part of the building collapsed. We haven't heard anything since."

"Okay, thanks, we'll take care of it the best we can," Reed reassured the man before turning back to his team. "We're gonna have to support the building before we do anything. Ben, you stay on the ground floor, it's too dangerous for you to go any higher. See if you can't convince the old man to come out. Sue, do whatever you can to keep that building up. Johnny and I..."

A scream echoed eerily across the street. It was a young girl by the sounds of it. And she was in major trouble. The onlookers on the street stared at the Fantastic Four expectantly.

Immediately Johnny flamed on and took to the air. He heard his teammates shout at him but decisively ignored them. The kid didn't sound like she'd survive long enough for Reed to come up with a complete plan, and Johnny wasn't gonna wait around.

The building was four stories high, so the fastest way to get to the fourth floor, and to the trapped kids, was from the top down. It made logical sense. Johnny came to a stop a few inches above the roof of the building and flamed off, landing lightly on his feet. The flames were high and surrounded him, but the intense heat didn't bother him. He found a gaping hole in the roof and skilfully climbed down into the building. Inside was black, orange and smoky. Johnny may not have been affected by the heat, but he wasn't immune to smoke inhalation.

Sue watched her brother fly off half-cocked and cursed loudly. She glanced at Reed who was already trying to recalculate his plan. "Right, Ben, same plan okay – go find the old man, keep the building up. Do not go after Johnny. That's Sue's job." He turned to his wife as Ben's lumbering mass thundered off and disappeared inside the building. "Think you can get yourself up to the top and follow Johnny in? Help him get the kids. We'll yell at him later."

"I'll hold you to that," Sue said simply as she created the force field beneath her feet and took to the air.

"And I'll find the fireman on the third floor," Reed muttered to himself. He ran up to the side of the building and extended his height so that he was level with a third floor window. He gripped the blackened ledge and pulled himself up. The glass had been blown out of the windows earlier so Reed just climbed through, entering the hellishly hot fireball.


The Baxter Building

The two women left behind sat side by side on the sofa. Dr. Kayla Maiden watched the TV screen intently, giving Alicia the details she couldn't see. The view was from a helicopter and a female voice over was giving a running commentary. Kayla watched Johnny fly off from the group and disappear into the flames on the roof. "What's he doing?"

"What's who doing?" asked Alicia, a hint of frustration in her voice. It was moments like this when she cursed her disability. She felt so helpless and worthless, despite the constant reassurance the people around her tried to give her.

"Johnny just flew off and into the building. I don't think he was meant to though, Susan looks pissed," explained Kayla.

"What about Ben? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's still outside. No wait, he just ran in. He's on the bottom floor; he's probably gone to support the building or something. It looks like it's about to collapse," Kayla described, feeling the woman tense beside her. The lovable monster had become her whole world and she worried whenever he went off to do his hero thing. "Sue just went up to the roof; I think she's going after Johnny. And Reed just climbed up to the third floor. They're all in now."

"I hate waiting, I hate sitting here while they go and risk their lives," Alicia complained. "I just feel so..."

"...useless?" finished Kayla. She continued staring at the screen waiting for the superheroes to emerge with their rescued tenants. She felt the coldness inside her swell expectantly, and she knew she could've helped. But then again, considering how being around Johnny made her feel, maybe a burning building wasn't the best place to be.

Johnny. Out of all the Fantastic Four, Kayla felt the most concerned about his safety. He seemed to be the most...vulnerable? Ben was pretty much indestructible, Reed just bounced back, Susan had her force fields, but Johnny...Okay, so he could burst into a ball of fire, but that didn't mean he couldn't get hurt.

Kayla watched the screen with even more intensity, if that was even possible.


Merlin's Apartment Building

36th Street

Ben ran through the building, trying to be light on his feet but failing. Every step he took made the building shudder ominously. He heard loud coughing coming from below him. The old man was still in the basement. Ben found a door and yanked it open, accidently ripping it from its hinges, and found a set of concrete steps leading down into a smoke filled cellar.

The deeper he climbed into the basement, the less he could see. The harsh, thick smoke made his eyes water and his chest tighten. Ben followed the sound of the ragged coughing, and almost stepped onto the old man who lay on the floor. With his strong hands he heaved the pensioner over his shoulder in a makeshift fireman's carry and climbed the stairs back out of the building.

He dropped the man into the arms of a waiting fireman who carried him over to an ambulance. Once he saw that the man appeared to be okay, Ben turned around and ran straight back into the building; finding a central support and holding it up to give the rest of his team more time.


Reed, meanwhile, carefully slinked along the third floor. He would've called for the young fireman, but realised he didn't know his name. His chest was getting tighter and tighter as he was forced to breath in the smoke, but that wasn't his biggest problem. Reed was pretty much a big rubber band, and as such, the heat was making him droop as he practically melted. But he was still holding together, even if it was only just.

After a few minutes that seemed more like a few hours, Reed eventually found the fireman. The corridor ahead of him had collapsed, filled with debris from the fourth floor. The fireman was trapped under one of the supporting floor beams. His entire left side was crushed beneath the weight, but he was still alive. He blinked up at Reed blearily. "Hey m-man, you d-d-don't look so g-good..."

"And you look fantastic?" retorted Reed despite the situation. The fireman rewarded him with a small smile. And then he began coughing painfully. Reed kneeled next to him and started analysing the best way to free him. "What's your name?"

"R-R-Riley," replied the fireman. He winced as Reed tested to see if he could lift the beam. He couldn't. "Y-You're gonna g-g-get me out r-r-right?"

Reed smiled convincingly at Riley. "Of course. I'm just gonna find something to pry this beam off you with, and then we'll get the hell out of here."

Searching around, Reed found a metal pole that appeared to have once been part of an ironing board. How it had gotten into the hallway Reed dreaded to think, but it would do. Careful to avoid causing more injury to the young man, Reed rammed the pole under the beam and pushed down hard. The beam gave a tiny bit, just enough for Reed to pull Riley out with a stretched limb. When he let go of the pole the beam fell to the ground heavily. The building began to shake violently as pieces of debris fell around them. "Time to go then."

Reed lifted Riley onto his feet and slung an arm over his shoulders as they hurried back towards the window he had climbed through. As the building continued to cave in around them, Reed wrapped his arms around Riley and lowered him out of the window and onto the ground. Immediately a flock of fireman surrounded their downed brethren and carried him to a waiting ambulance.

With one last look over his shoulder at the death trap Reed lowered himself out of the building and onto the street, hoping that his wife had gotten out safely too.


Johnny headed deeper into the inferno, the flames growing more intense and the smoke getting thicker. He could hear the frightened screams of the kids more clearly the closer he got. Eventually he reached a door. Well, actually, the door had been completely disintegrated into a pile of ash; the path was blocked by a wall of flames. No problem for the Human Torch, but a bit painful for the kids if he was gonna have to bring them back this way.

So Johnny tested a theory. If he could engulf himself in flames, why couldn't he absorb the flames in? He placed a hand on either side of the blackened door frame and focused on absorbing rather than expelling the flames. In seconds the flames whipped away leaving a completely clear doorway.

"Kids?" called Johnny. He started coughing on the smoke as he delved deeper into the apartment.

"Mister!" came a hoarse reply. "Help us Mister! We're over here!"

"I'm coming," replied Johnny. He followed the direction the voice had come from and found a tiny kitchen diner. Two small children, one an eight-year-old girl, the other a five-year-old boy, were huddled under the table, both black with soot. "Hey, come on, it's time to go."

"Mister Torch?" asked the small boy. Johnny nodded and the boy's eyes filled with admiration. "My name's Billy, this is my sister Jenny."

"Well, hi there," Johnny greeted the pair with a reassuring smile. "Come on now, we're gonna get out now." The two children were coaxed out from under the table and immediately clung to their saviour. Johnny lifted Billy up and carried him while holding Jenny's hand as he led them back towards the now clear door.

Once in the hallway they headed towards the stairs. Suddenly the building rumbled and began to cave in around them, showering them in debris. Johnny tried to shield the children, just as the stairs gave out beneath them. Jenny screamed as they fell about 3 ft before abruptly stopping. They had landed on one of the Invisible Woman's force fields. "Sue!"

Sue appeared behind them, floating on another shield. She gave Johnny an 'I'm gonna shout at you later' look and then levitated them all up to the roof. Johnny guided the children onto Sue's force field and then took to the air in a ball of flames to reduce the strain in his sister.

All of a sudden the building collapsed as they continued to hover above it. The gathered crowd burst into applause as they saw that the children were safe and that everyone had been rescued. Reed looked up with relief to see his wife was safe just as Ben climbed out of the wreckage, brushing soot off his shoulder.

The flames continued to burn, but now the Fire Department could handle it. The Fantastic Four climbed back into the Fantasticar and returned to the Baxter Building.


The Baxter Building

Reed's Lab

Ben Grimm turned on Johnny the moment they entered the lab. Anger was etched on his stone face as he stared the Human Torch down. "What were you thinking kid? That was stupid!"

"I didn't mean to...I wasn't thinking..." Johnny tried to interrupt.

"Too right you weren't thinking," Sue joined in. She gave Johnny a patented 'annoyed sister glare'. "You could have gotten those kids killed if I hadn't of shown up when I did. We're damn lucky we managed to pull it off without casualties. There was a plan Johnny, and the plan would've worked. The building was weak, Ben was gonna hold up the supports, but you got in the way!"

"You're always in the way kid, you gotta cool it," Ben murmured coldly. Although Ben had only spoken, Johnny felt as if he had punched him in the gut. He knew he had made a mistake, but, well. There were no buts. They were right.

Reed stepped forward calmly. "Johnny, you have got to stop rushing in foolishly without listening to us. We can't help people if we can't work as a team. You're holding us back every time you do something like this."

Silenced by the truth of their words, Johnny left the lab feeling their disapproving eyes follow him.


I know I took forever to update, I'm sorry :S

But hey! I'm uploading chap 3 right now as it is basically my oneshot...I'll try and write chap 4 really quickly!!!

Please review!