Chapter Three: Occurance


Johnny sat dejectedly in the right seat of the Fantasticar, watching the back of Sue's head as her hair whipped wildly in the wind, like a carefree scarf. If it weren't for the predicament Johnny could imagine Sue would be wearing a smile and a pair of sunglasses akin to that of Susan Sarandon's. Casting a wary glance over the side of the Fantasticar he watched the landscape below with mild interest, he squinted his eyes every time they focused on a body of water illuminated by the sun. They had gotten past the Canadian boarder thanks to Sue focusing her powers on the Fantasticar and their respective bodies. No one would notice them in the air and as a bonus, Johnny had finally gotten to fly the Fantasticar for a while, to Ben's disappointment. Now Johnny sat in the middle of the vehicle while Ben remained in his designated seat in the back. "How exactly, do we plan on finding him?" Johnny inquired over the roar of the engine. "I don't think the GPS is gonna work this far out, even if he has his phone."

"I've got a hunch about where he is," Sue replied never taking her eyes off the world ahead of her.

"Which is?" Johnny insisted.

Sue resisted the temptation to turn her head whilst answering her little brother's question and glanced down at the GPS screen to check their position. "The Alkali Lake," She said. Johnny's eyes blinked rapidly at the absurdity of the answer he received. The Alkali Lake was where Reed had told him the X-men found him, just a year ago. While it made sense to look there first, Johnny doubted Reed would be in the same place. "And if he's not there?" Johnny asked. Sue was unable to give her brother an answer, she really hadn't thought that far ahead of herself.

"We can't possibly search all of Canada, Sue. We aren't exactly here with permission 'ya know," Ben pointed out. "Well, in that case he better be there, huh?" Sue said tightly. The trio fell silent as the Fantasticar continued to scope the terrain for their missing comrade. They hovered above the earth for what felt like forever to Johnny. The chill of the air had his body working overtime to keep warm, he could feel himself drifting in and out of a fitful sleep. Just as he moved to slouch in the chair to get some proper rest, the Fantasticar lurched forward then downward throwing Johnny forward in his chair. He caught himself with his hands, Johnny clutched the controls of his car for dear life. His stomach churned slightly trying to recollect its passiveness. In the corner of his eye he watched as a tree fell behind them. "Sue, what the hell!?" Johnny bellowed.

"The GPS just picked up Reed's signal!" Sue exclaimed, excitedly. Apparently she didn't notice the tree crying "Timber!" behind them. 'Sorry Johnny, didn't mean to almost kill you' Johnny glared scornfully at his sister's back, shaking his head in irritation. His body leaned to the left as the vehicle swerved and descended. The Fantasticar came to a stop beside the Lake's edge. Sue scanned the area frantically for a sign for her husband when she spotted the prone figure half over the edge of land. Sue leapt from the car followed closely by Ben and Johnny, she dashed across the terrain as far as her cramped legs would allow. Johnny reached Reed first, the fies surrounding his body vanished in a dance of swirls. He pressed two fingers to the prone man's neck. Reed reacted immediately, he twitched under his touch bringing a hand up to swat Johnny away. "Hey, Reed, you okay?" Johnny inquired.

Reed raised his head slightly his eyes at half mass. "Johnny … that you?" He slurred. "Yep," Johnny grinned in response, his sister dropped down next to him. "How ya, doin'?" Johnny prodded further. Reed lowered his head to the ground with pained grunt. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck," He groused. Sue grabbed a hold of Reed's shoulder. Reed's body radiated with pain, he tried to curl in on himself but his body wouldn't budge from its position. He winced trying to shrug Sue's hand off his shoulder. Sue fought back her tears at the sight of his shuddering body. "Reed, what happened?" She cried. Before Reed could answer, Ben's large hands grabbed a hold of him and pulled upright. Reed bit back a string of curses, pain coursed through his body, he shot a pitiful glare towards his friend who stood behind him. To his credit, Ben sent an wordless apology to the scientist before saying, "I had to do it," He grumbled. Reed bit the edge of his mouth as yet another tremor shot through him, he sucked in a pained breath, his vision starting to blur. "Reed?" It was Sue again. He looked up at his wife with something of an inquiring expression gracing his face. "I don't -- I don't remember." Reed shut his eyes. "I would really like to get -- o-out o-of he-ere."

Sue nodded. "Can you stand?" She asked. "I think so," He said. Reed leaned forward pulling his legs up, his feet pressed down hard on the ground, his toes spread accordingly. Working against the pain, Reed, with the assistance of Johnny and Sue, gradually pushed himself into an standing position. A bark of laughter escaped him as he watched the world tilt on its axis again, he felt Sue's hand against his chest though rarely registered her coaxing words. "I think, I'm goin' to…," He never got to finish his sentence, he slumped forward and it took all of Sue's strength not to fall over as she wrapped her arms under his. She stumbled back a bit as she turned to face her brother. "Johnny, you drive. Ben, give me a hand with him," Sue struggled to speak. Johnny ran ahead of the others, barely concealing his excitement. He leapt into the front seat, reaching over he pressed the correct combination of buttons before turning the key in the ignition.

Ben moved forward and pull Reed out of Sue arms, throwing the man over his shoulder Ben stomped over to the Fantasticar. He placed Reed in right chair of the middle seat, the scientist's head lolled to the side. The roar of the engine echoed off into the forest, Johnny felt his hands shaking as he gripped the controls. glancing over his shoulder he caught sight of his sister as she climbed into the middle seat. Now would've been a great time for mock-sarcastic remarks about driving safely, anything to break the tension building up around them. "Get us out of here, Johnny," Sue grounded out buckling herself in. Reaching over she pulled the belt over Reed's unconscious form fastening the buckle. Her stomach lurched as the Fantasticar began its ascension, her fingers slid away from the belt buckle and latched onto Reed's hand like her life depended on it.

What had happened since she had spoken with him?


Johnny got them out of Canada and back to New York without incident, something for which Sue would be eternally grateful for. He parked the Fantasticar in the hangar and climbed out of the drivers seat eager to stretch his limbs. His eyes wandered over to his sister who skillfully avoided his gaze as she unbuckled Reed, proceeding to wrap her arms around his waist. "Uh, Sue, you better let me --," Sue ignored Ben as pushed herself up and sat down on the edge of the car. Casting a look over her shoulder she swallowed hard and fell back. Ben and Johnny rushed to stop her fall, they drew back when their legs bumped up against one of her shields. Sue's back met her shield with only mild discomfort, Reed's body weighted down on her, creating most of the tension. He barely stirred despite the closeness of his wife.

Without request Ben pulled the malleable body out of her grasp once again, throwing him over his shoulder. Sue manipulated her shield to fit the shape of her body, she tilted it upward until her feet touched the ground and she was standing up. The three ventured away from the Fantasticar, up the ramp that lead them to yet another elevator which took them to the hall of their apartment. Sue was the first out of the elevator, Ben followed her into the center of the living room and laid Reed onto the couch. For the first time since she found him, Sue noticed the ugly bruises trailing up Reed's left arm, neck, and ankle. "Where do you think happened to him?" Johnny asked, his hands gripping the top of the couch. He titled his head, his eyebrows raising at the severity of the bruises. "Maybe he was kidnapped?" Ben offered lamely.

"From the Baxter Building?" Johnny was incredulous. Ben could only shrug, silently agreeing that the idea was an absurd one. Sue's face was impassive, her eyes wandered around the room looking for something to stare at. She had no plausible answers that would satisfy their questions. Reed's lack of explanation divided her raging emotions; Part of her wanted to believe Reed was truly as lost as they were when it came to his disappearance. The other part wanted to believe he was lying, hiding something from them. It was the first thing that came to mind before the rational side of her took over. A moan escaped the prone body lying on the couch. Lowering herself on the edge of the couch she fingered his neck lightly, he raised an arm to slap her hand away at the touch of her fingers against his throbbing neck.

Sue waited for another reaction but received none, Reed rolled onto his side and fell still afterward. Frowning she turned her back to him stuffing her hands down between her legs. She turned to her brother, her expression a little softer. "Johnny, can you get me the first aid kit, and a washcloth for Reed, please?" She said. Johnny nodded without hesitation and headed off. Sue watched his retreating back until it vanished from sight, she exhaled heavily. Her chest swelled with a wave of emotions she had been trying to hold back. Her lips quivered, her vision blurred with tears.

Ben knew she had asked Johnny to leave for his sake as much as her own, apparently ashamed to cry in front of her brother. Ben stepped past the coffee table, he lowered himself into a crouched position with a sigh. "You know Reed's gonna be alright, Suzie," Ben stated firmly. Bitter laughter bubbled out of her throat, she lowered her head to hide the tears that ran down her face. "…Yeah, I know, Ben," She sobbed. "I know, I'm overreacting. I can't help but …. worry about him. I mean, what could've happened? What did this to him?" Sue paused to take a shuddering intake breath, her arm whipped at her face furiously. "He says, he doesn't remember leaving our bed, he doesn't remember how he ended up in Canada, for love the God. What I am ---" Sue bit her lip, hiccupping.

Johnny returned with the first aid kit and a damp rag in time to catch the last of Sue's broken rambling, he stopped half way into the living room, his curiosity peeked as he stood there watching his sister struggle to pull herself together. Masking the concern with an almost-natural smirk he proceeded into the living room. "Hey, I got the stuff you asked for," He announced. The smile on Johnny's face was a forced one, if Sue noticed, she didn't say anything. Rising from the chair she crossed the short distance between them. She reached for the first aid kit, Johnny gladly relinquished it and the wash cloth. "Thank you, Johnny," She said.


Ben had ordered Sue to bed after staying with her for over six hours in the living room. She had tended to Reed's less than superficial injuries; Naturally, she relented against his request but Ben was quick to remind her that she was no good to her husband if she was exhausted. Sue left, albeit grudgingly. Johnny was quick to make an exit, his excuse being wanting to 'blow off some steam'. Ben made sure the unconscious man was comfortable as he could be on a couch. The swelling in his neck had gone down considerably thanks to the washcloth Johnny had fetched, Reed's breathing sounded less constricted now.

Ben spent the rest of his afternoon watching television with the volume on mute, there wasn't much on, so he opted to watch the news. After half an hour of trivial news and reports of strange weather anomalies occurring Canada and the UK, Ben turned the television off. Leaning back in his chair, he stared down at his feet, counting his toes. "Man, I gotta do something," He said. Rising from the chair he moved out of the living room into the kitchen, hoping the preparation of a sandwich would distract him. He moved about the kitchen with more ease than he had a year ago, it was easier to grab things now without crushing them. They even customized a few kitchen items just for him.

While Ben busied himself with his sandwich, Reed began to wake on the couch. He rolled onto his back careful not to agitate his bruises, though he was sure there was some sort of painkiller running through his veins. Pulling his arms back he pressed the palms of his hands down on the couch and proceeded to push himself upright. Immediately, pain seared through his entire body. He bowed his head, gritting his teeth as he threw his legs over the side and continued to push himself off the couch. A whimper escape him, his arms began to tremble under his weight. Steadying himself he pushed himself forward and he stood upright, the room spun violently, his stomach lurched with equal force. Reed could feel his throat struggling to push down whatever what managed to stay in his stomach.

Bolting forward, Reed stumbled to his way into the hall using the wall for support. Grabbing the wall he swung himself into the bathroom and promptly fell onto his side. Reed ignored the pain and pulled himself toward the toilet. The door slammed shut behind him, he flinched at the sound of the mirror shattering above him. Leaning forward he allowed his stomach to press in on itself and relieve him of its contents. The sound of his own gagging made him writhe, he tried desperately to block out of his agony, attempting to focus on the soothing voice in his head.

Yes, yes, that's right. Focus on my voice, allow me control.

Reed winced as the pressure that built up inside him released itself on its own accord, a dizzying sense of pleasure washed through him. Suddenly he felt detached from his body, watching through his own eyes as his bathroom was demolished by an invisible force.

See how easy that was? Don't fight me, Reed. Submission is relief, isn't it?

Reed gritted his teeth against the pain in his abdomen, his stomach tightened one last time and he heaved up blood. His throat burned terribly, he tried to close it up but another bout of bile forced it open. Reed gripped the sides of the toilet praying the pain in his head and stomach would stop. The buzzing in his head grew louder as it continued to release its pent up energy through his body. It was the last thing he felt before he blacked out.


Ben had dropped the jam when he saw Reed stumble up from the couch. He wasn't sure why he didn't move into the living room and see to the scientist right that second, he figured it was the shock of seeing him up so soon. But as soon as Reed moved away from the couch, Ben found himself tripping over himself to get out of the kitchen to Reed, who had already made his way into the hallway. Running full tilt made the floor shudder under his weight, but his mind was solely focused on getting to his friend before he hurt himself.

Just as he neared the door it slammed in his face, Ben was reeling. Reed was nowhere near the door and it had closed, locked him out even! He tried the door knob, the door wouldn't budge. "Ben, what's going on?" He turned and found Sue standing in the doorway of the bedroom she shared with Reed. Ben opened his mouth to answer, but the sound of Reed's gagging had Sue at his side instantly. She banged on the door furiously calling out to her husband over his gagging and vomiting. "Reed! Reed!" Sue shouted. There was no response, stepping back she gestured to the door with a dismissive hand. "Ben break the door down!" Ben took the order without hesitation, stepping back he raised his leg and thrust it forward. The Thing's foot splintered the door throwing it off its hinges, it slid mercilessly across the floor. Suddenly the bathroom exploded in a fury of plaster and glass. Sue screamed inadvertently as the dust and broken pieces of tile came rushing out the bathroom door. Sue raised her shield quickly, the dust billowed around it, while the broken tile shattered into tinier pieces upon impact.

The terrible sound of the bathroom's foundation being destroyed put the two on edge, swallowing her fear Sue lowered her shield and jumped into the fray. She winced as pieces of tile sliced through her skin and clothing, she trampled across the bathroom door. Reed sat on the floor in front of the toliet, he sat unmoving, as though unaffected, as the foreign energy continued to poured out of him. Sue wrapped a arm around his chest and was almost sent reeling from the burst of energy that hit her head on, yet she held on tight. Ben grabbed a hold of her and charged out of the room, rounding the corner he ran until they were in the safety of Reed and Sue's bedroom.

Sue screamed when the lamps shattered suddenly, Ben ducked behind the end of the bed dropping Sue to the ground. Pulling herself off the ground she pressed her back against the mattress, positioning Reed so that he sat between her legs. The walls around them began to crack along with the headboard of their bed. Sue felt the strange energy coursing through her arms when Reed twisted in her grip, stiffling a moan of pain.

Sue's heart clenched up, the awful realization hit her like the mysterious energy had. She shook his convulsing body furiously in hopes that he would come out of whatever trance he had fallen into. "…Reed, please, answer me!" She bellowed. "You've got to stop this!" Whatever this is! And as if hearing her plead, Sue felt Reed's chest swell as he gasped and the muscles in his back tightened. He slumped against her, breathing shallowly. At the same time the world around them went silent, the tremors which had shaken the area had ceased completely. Ben's eyes cased the bedroom in shock, his eyes moved to Sue who looked just as shocked as he did, if not mortified. "R-Reed?" Sue ventured cautiously.

"Sue?" He responded quietly, daring not to strain his burning throat. Sue breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of his voice. Sue allowed him to move away from her, her arm tingled at the memory of the energy that had touched her. Once Reed turned to face her, she watched him with a strange sense of concerned curiosity. Adding onto the strange bruises mingled with bandages, were fresh little cuts covering every part of his body unprotected by clothing. His lips were caked with dying blood and he looked pale. What happened to you, Reed? She wondered. He sat himself down his knees ignoring the faint tremors that still assaulted him, he winced when Sue's hands cupped his face. Her mouth wasn't moving, yet he could hear and feel everything that projected from her very being. It was … amazing.

Submission is relief.

And maybe it was.


Ben felt like a lurker in the shadow of Sue and Reed Richards. This time though, it wasn't because of the way he looked. Leaning on the examination table, Ben watched as a shirtless Reed shifted uneasily on the cold surface picking at the oscilloscopes attached to his head. His entire body was a bruise; There wasn't a patch of skin on him that wasn't covered in the loving embrace of purple or yellow, his back looked the worst. Sue stood across from them, looking over a sheet of paper as it was fed from out of the machine, her hair pulled back in a untidy pony tail. Left behind in their wake was a seriously damaged bedroom and a demolished bathroom, they would have quite the story to tell when Johnny returned from his jaunt on the town. Both Reed and Ben noticed how reframed Sue had become after the dust had settled, she barely said a word to them after tending to Reed's new cuts. Afterward, despite Reed's desperate plea for sleep, Sue had ushered him into the lab demanding to know what was wrong with him.

He couldn't give her answers he didn't have, so she planned on finding out herself. Reed's body ached worse than before, after Sue was done prodding him. Ben gave Reed a nudge with his shoulder, Reed responded with a turn of his head. "You feeling alright?" Ben asked. Reed shook his head. "I feel dizzy, and my head still hurts," He answered. He was so tired of saying that. Ben gave a understanding nod and said no more on the issue. Reed's eyes wandered lazily around the lab, he felt a hand rest itself on his leg, he moved his gaze away from the wall and focused on Sue. "Well, I've got some bad news," She announced smoothly.

Both men blanched, Sue took their silence as a motion to continue. "Your brain activity is … normal as can be. Your vital stats haven't changed, radiation levels are at zero," The look on Sue's face could not be properly described as devastated or irritated, which puzzled him. Shouldn't she be happy about this? He thought, concerned. "Besides your erratic heart beat and these bruises, I can't find anything wrong you," Reed studied Sue's clenching jaw carefully, as it was usually a sign of a tantrum. "How is that bad news?" Reed asked, curiously. Sue scoffed with a shake of her head. "Its bad news, because its means there's nothing wrong with you, when there obviously is!" She exclaimed.

"Well, did you ever think that it wasn't me?" Reed responded. He really didn't want to fight with her, but given his current state he wasn't willing to take a verbal beating. "Reed, I felt what destroyed the bathroom, our bedroom! It was coming from you!"

"How is that possible?!"

"I don't know ---!"

"So, what did cause the, um, damages then? The repairs are gonna cost us a lot, ya' know?" Ben interrupted. "It would be nice to know who's getting bill." Both Reed and Sue glared at Ben, who promptly looked in the other direction. She shrugged, her lips becoming a fine line. "I dunno, but I want to try one last thing." Sue strode across the lab in search of a object that would generate the desired effect when she used it. Grabbing up a glass jar she studied it carefully, rotating it. "What are you gonna with that?" Ben inquired. Sue bounced on one foot and shrugged. She wouldn't answer them, pulling her arm back she tossed the mason jar towards her husband. It spun wildly through the air like a hurtling rock, Ben raised a hand knowing it would shatter on impact. Reed started to scramble off the table, acting purely on self-preservation, when the mason jar came to a halt mere inches from his face. Like she had expected, the monitor let off a high-pitched screech, the needle on the paper twitched wildly from side to side.

Reed's eyes widened, Ben was just as astonished. The mason jar trembled under the stress the invisible force was exerting on its fragile body, it shattered. Reed squeezed his eyes shut as he ducked under the table, his mind calculated how slow he was going and how much pain he would be in once the glass embedded itself in his skin, gouging out his eyes in the process. Sue raised a shield in front of the cowering scientist.

She was able to stop it from hitting him, the rest of the mason jar's shards made themselves comfortable on the ground. Reed's face was contorted with pure unadulterated pain, which only seemed to make the monitor go off even more. Sue was at his side immediately, Reed pressed his hand against his forehead. Sue watched him worriedly, she went too far this time to prove her point. "…I'm sorry," Sue said. Reed opted not to respond and sat in silence, while she proceeded to removed the oscilloscopes from his body.

"Well, look on the bright side Reed," Ben said.

"The bright side, Ben?" Reed repeated with a wince.

"Your telekinetic," Ben grinned.


(TBC)