Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 4: Rigellia

"Arriving at calculated interstellar co-ordinates in approximately ten seconds. How splendid!"

Herbie spun around with glee, using his hover jets to perform a maneuver similar to a ballet move. Ben had his hands on the controls, despite not actually having needed to drive the ship for the last few hours. Reed and Susan were watching the blue light tunnel with heavy anticipation. Johnny was sleeping.

Reed was looking at a datapad in his hands. It was showing a holographic image of the ship's plotted course through the galaxy.

"Three, two, one . . . ."

The warp core emitted another pulse of energy, and the blue light tunnel faded away. The Venture instantaneously slowed down from faster-than-light travel to a near standstill, with the inertia dampeners preventing the people inside from feeling anything more than a slight lurch. Still, it was enough to jostle Johnny out of his sleep.

He was so startled that he immediately burst into flames.

"Who, what, when, where, why, how, what?!"

Johnny looked down to see that he was on fire. Susan and Ben shared a brief laugh. Sighing, Johnny turned off his flame. Reed looked over his shoulder at him.

"Good thing I had the foresight to make the Venture's interior fireproof, right?"

"Hell yeah," said Johnny, his voice strained from being out of breath.

"Hot dream, junior?" asked Ben. "Heh, heh. Guess it's better than a wet one."

Susan scoffed.

"B-Ben, that's, that's not . . . . f-funny . . . ."

Susan couldn't finish her sentence because she was laughing so hard. Reed waited until her laughing fit was done before pointing out at the planet before them. It looked remarkably similar to Earth from orbit, albeit with larger and very differently shaped continents.

"Look, everyone. We made it."

"Wow. It looks so much like our own planet, Reed."

"Hell of a thing, egghead."

"Spectacular!"

"Sure we didn't just pull a cosmic u-turn?"

Reed took in a deep breath and smiled as he looked down at the planet. Everyone went silent, knowing that he was taking a moment to appreciate the magnitude of the feat he had just accomplished. He then looked over his shoulder at Susan and Johnny.

"We did it. We . . . . thank you all. For doing this with me."

"We have your back, Reed," said Susan.

"Any day, big brain," said Ben.

"Think I was gonna miss out on this?" asked Johnny.

"Alright," said Reed, facing forward again. "Let's see what's down there. Ben, take us in."

"Adventurin' ahoy," said Ben.

Pushing forward the throttle, Ben started flying the Venture towards the planet. Within minutes, the ship had broken through the atmosphere and into a long stretch of clouds. Once the Venture lowered through the wispy wall, the four were privy to a pristine view of the wondrous landscape below. Wide swaths of untamed jungle and tree-covered mountains stretched out in all visible directions.

"Whoa," said Ben.

Reed was silent, but the smile across his face grew wider and wider as the Venture soared over the unknown world. While they could recognize much of the foliage as tree-like, the colours of the leaves covered a wide palette of shades of both yellow and green. At the same time, a handful of pink, reptilian winged creatures flew alongside the ship, with one of them calling out at it.

"Hey," said Johnny. "They got birds here too! Well, lizard birds, or whatever."

"Just as I suspected," said Reed. "An alien world. A whole new world full of life. We are literally seeing an entire alien ecosystem for the first time."

Herbie flipped himself upside down.

"I've completed an environmental toxicology scan of the surrounding air, Doctor Richards! According to my data, the air is perfectly breathable! You won't even need to use the containment suits! This planet's resemblance to our own is extremely remarkable!"

Moving towards a clearing, the Venture then flew over a cliff that had a waterfall pouring over it. The water pooled into an area where several quadrupedal creatures could be seen gathered in a herd. They had leathery, silver skin and hooves, but their heads had a distinct, rectangular bone plate affixed on their foreheads that was positioned perpendicular to their bodies.

"To think, that the flora and fauna on this world might resemble ours so closely. Almost like a 'what if' catalogue of our own planet's evolution."

"It's incredible," said Susan.

"We need a closer look," said Reed. "Find a place to set her down."

"Think I see a meadow up there," said Ben. "That'll work."

Flying past the waterfall area, Ben flew the Venture towards the edge of the jungle. The thick branches of the trees gave way to large, rolling plains of grass, which was the perfect location for the ship to land. Slowing down and pulling in for a landing, Ben smoothly put the Venture down, with the ship's retractable landing legs unfurling from panels on the underbelly and touching the ground.

Everyone unbuckled themselves as Ben pressed a button that opened up the cockpit hatch. Reed stretched out his legs and stepped onto the alien world's surface, the first human being to do so. Susan formed a force field disc under her feet, flying upwards to get a better look at the horizon. Johnny and Ben jumped out of the ship and looked around.

Herbie floated up to where Susan was, bouncing close to her shoulders.

"It is quite fantastic, isn't it, Susan?"

"Yeah, Herbie. It is."

"Guys!"

Everyone turned to look at Reed, who was holding a datapad and was pulling several pieces of scientific equipment out of the ship. They all returned to his side as he held out a set of white, technological earpieces that were similar in design to his datapads.

"I need you all to take one of these," he said.

"What's this?" asked Ben. "Thought we already had those gizmos. These look new."

Reed nodded at Ben as he handed them out. All three of Reed's team members placed them inside their left ear.

"New model of my earpiece trackers. I've designed them specifically for this mission. They should be more comfortable now, and they all have the updated version of my operating system. More for me than for you, and also so we don't lose track of each other and can still talk if we split up."

"Nice work, Reed," said Johnny. "Can barely feel it! Old one was always kinda itchy."

"Now remember, everyone. Even though we can breathe here, we're still in a completely foreign environment. Herbie will continuously scan the area for any potential hazards, but try to stay cautious. Any of the creatures could be hostile, and any of the plants could be poisonous. We're exploring this planet for the first time, and I'd prefer not to have any of you die on me while we're out here."

"Ah, you worry too much, Stretch. What could hurt good old Benjamin J. Grimm out here?"

"Yeah, don't sweat it, big brain! I got places to be and places to see! FLAME ON!"

With that, Johnny burst into flames and rocketed into the sky, effortlessly rotating as he did so. Giving a cheeky wave at his teammates, he then blasted back over the jungle, clearly eager to see as much of this new world as he could. Susan folded her arms and shook her head, but didn't chase after her brother, for she knew that he would just keep going anyway.

Cracking his knuckles, Ben then started to walk out towards the rolling plains.

"Well, might as well get a good walk in, right? See ya kids later."

Ben strolled away from the group, leaving Reed and Susan alone with Herbie. Reed quickly placed several of his analysis tools into a satchel, which he then slung over his left shoulder. He then turned to Herbie.

"Herbie. Watch the Venture and let me know if there's anything we should be worried about."

"Aye, aye, Doctor Richards!"

Reed then beckoned for Susan to follow him.

"Come on. Let's go see what this planet has to offer."

Susan smiled and nodded, following after Reed as he walked. Entering the jungle, the two quickly grew accustomed to the environment, largely because of how similar it was to Earth's natural wildlife. Susan found herself drawn to the irregularities that made it clear that this was a different ecosystem entirely, such as the colour variations of certain plants and the completely unrecognizable insect-like creatures.

Within minutes, Reed started pulling out his tools, scanning various lifeforms and cataloguing the data he found on his datapad. He also collected soil samples, along with bits of leaves and some kind of sap that was pouring out of a hole from a large tree. He was unabashedly beaming as he worked, his brain constantly going over the possibilities of what he might discover once he brought all of these samples back to his labs for analysis.

Susan walked patiently and silently with him for a while, hoping that a conversation would open between them. Realizing that he was too engrossed in his work, she then finally relented and spoke out for herself.

"Hey."

Reed quickly glanced at her.

"Hey," he said.

Susan put her hands behind her back, before gently kicking the air.

"So . . . . good to have a little time to ourselves."

"Yeah, it is," replied Reed, without turning to look at her.

Susan grumbled under her breath before holding out her hand. A second later, the datapad in Reed's hand turned invisible. Startled, he gasped and dropped it, and it turned visible again upon landing on the ground. Reed turned to look at Susan as he picked up the datapad.

"Is . . . . something bothering you?"

"Yeah," she answered, her tone firm. "Something's bothering me. I'm trying to talk to you, but just like that night at the restaurant, you're ignoring me."

"That's what this is about?"

Susan shook her head.

"No. It's about everything. About how I feel like the farther and farther you get into this project, the more and more we drift apart. This is something we need to talk about."

Susan folded her arms and exhaled. Sighing, Reed pushed the button on the datapad that turned it into its disc form. Placing the disc in his pocket, he then turned back to her.

"Okay. Let's talk."

"Reed, I don't wanna take away from what you've done. From what we've done. We've done some real good, us as a team. But a year ago, you told me that this . . . . that us . . . . that it's what you wanted. That, that it was important to you."

"It is important to me."

"Then why don't I feel like it is?"

Reed made a gesture as if he was going to take a step forward, but he stopped himself. A frown grew on his face as Susan looked at the ground, her arms still folded.

"I waited a long time for you, Reed. Some of that was my fault, sure. I was a kid. And I knew what I was getting into. It's the life you lead, the work you do. I didn't, I didn't have a problem with that. At all. It's who you are. It's part of . . . . part of the reason why I feel the way I do about you."

Reed glanced away for a moment as he considered Susan's words.

"But maybe it's because you've always had trouble with . . . . people. Or maybe it's because you don't realize it when you do it. Cause I know you care, but . . . . you don't make it clear enough. Or maybe you and I just aren't on the same page."

"What are you asking me to do, Susan?"

"I'm not asking you to do anything except listen to me. To try and figure out why I'm saying this right now."

Reed put a hand on his chin as the lines around his eyes softened. Susan again gently kicked out at the air.

"You remember the day we went up into space?" asked Susan. "When we were putting on our suits, getting ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"I spoke to Ben just before we left. He told me that you'd only had one real girlfriend in your entire life. Alyssa Moy?"

Reed nodded.

"That's her," he said.

"How long were you together?"

Reed paused before answering Susan's question.

"Two years."

"And in all that time, did you ever really feel close to her?"

Reed went silent, seemingly unable to answer the question.

"Cause from what Ben told me, you two didn't even bother to try," said Susan. "Said that it was more of an experiment than a relationship. And I'm telling you, if that's what this is to you, then I'm ending it right now."

Reed held up his hands.

"No, no, no, Susan, Susan! That's not what this is at all!"

"Reed. I saw the look in your eyes when you were collecting those samples. You had a spark. You could see the joy, the wonder. The need to find the answers. The need to discover. I know that's who you are, and I love you for it. And I will always have your back."

Reed lowered his hands and frowned.

"I just wish that, for once . . . . you'd look at me the same way."

"Susan . . . ."

Susan momentarily put up one hand.

"Don't. Don't say anything now. Think about what I said. We'll talk about it later, okay?"

Reed gulped and silently nodded. At that moment, both Reed and Susan were then surprised when the com links in their earpieces activated.

"Hey, guys?"

"What is it, Johnny?" asked Susan.

"We didn't have anyone else following after us, did we?"

"What?" asked Reed. "What are you talking about?"

"Just checking. You know, cause there's like, a bunch of ships heading towards me. Sorta like, like fighter jets or something."

Reed shook his head.

"Fighter jets? Here?!"

"Yeah, and now they're shooting at me! Oh, it's so on right now!"

Susan's eyes widened.

"JOHNNY!"

With that, the com link went silent.

"Johnny?! JOHNNY!"

"Sue!"

Susan looked at Reed.

"Back to the ship!"


"Yeah, you don't seem too bad."

The creature, which was one of the silver-skinned quadrupeds that the team saw in the clearing earlier, snorted in response to Ben. It then lowered its head and continued grazing, munching up another helping of grass. Ben, who was sitting on the ground next to it, rubbed the side of its belly with his left hand.

"Good to have someone I can just sit down and chat with, ya know? Been doin' a lot of thinking lately. Lot of thinking. About this and that. Still don't know what I'm gonna do, though."

The creature moved its head to the side for a moment before chewing up more grass. Scratching the creature's skin with his fingertips, Ben weakly chuckled as it called out, clearly enjoying the treatment. His frown then slowly crept back onto his face.

"Alicia didn't do anything wrong, really. Just . . . . I just dunno if I can go back to that. Thought I could have a real bond with someone, ya know? A real bond. The kind that the egghead and Suzie have. Huh. Some kids have all the luck. Me . . . . what was I thinkin'? I can never have that. Not when I look like this."

At that moment, the com link in his earpiece activated.

"Huh?"

"Hey, guys?" said Johnny.

"What is it, Johnny?" asked Susan.

"We didn't have anyone else following after us, did we?"

"What?" asked Reed. "What are you talking about?"

Ben stood up, listening to the conversation but staying silent.

"Just checking. You know, cause there's like, a bunch of ships heading towards me. Sorta like, like fighter jets or something."

"Fighter jets? Here?!"

"Yeah, and now they're shooting at me! Oh, it's so on right now!"

"JOHNNY!"

Without another word, Ben started running back the way he came, sprinting across the rolling fields and towards the Venture. He gave a short wave to the creature as he ran off.

"Johnny?! JOHNNY!"

"Sue!"

Ben panted as he saw the Venture in the distance.

"Back to the ship!"

After another moment, Reed spoke again.

"Ben?! Ben, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Stretch! Heard the whole thing! I'm already bookin' it back to the ship! Get yourself and Suzie back there, pronto!"

As Ben reached the Venture, the cockpit hatch opened, revealing that Herbie was already inside. Ben leaped into the pilot's seat as Susan flew into view, carrying herself and Reed on a force field disc. They dropped into their respective seats and Ben closed the hatch before taking off. As the ship gained enough altitude to look over the top of the trees, Susan pointed forward.

"There!"

In the distance, they could see Johnny in his flame form, being chased through the air by three small ships. They were comprised of a purple orb and two golden prongs, from which they fired green lasers. Johnny continuously performed aerial dodge maneuvers to avoid the laser shots. As Ben was about to fly forward, Johnny boosted directly towards the Venture, flying overhead.

"Hey nerds!"

Johnny rocketed past them, and then Ben realized that the three starfighters were heading straight towards them.

"Whoa!"

Quickly turning the Venture around, Ben then flew after Johnny, with the starfighters in pursuit. Johnny, who was several dozen metres ahead of the Venture, looked over his shoulder and gave a thumbs up.

"Nice flying, Benjy!"

"You blazing bozo! Ya almost got us killed!"

"Almost . . . . but I didn't!"

Johnny laughed as Ben continued to fly the ship, swerving in as erratic of a pattern as he could to try and avoid the laser fire. Holding out her hand, Susan made the ship invisible, but the starfighters did not stop their pursuit.

"No good!" said Susan. "Must have thermal tracking or something. Any guesses on who's chasing us?"

"Must be some form of intelligent and sentient local life," replied Reed. "At least at our level of technology, if not higher! Remarkable! I wonder if they're bio-mechanically bipedal, like we are?"

"REED!" yelled Ben. "Skip the Discovery Channel special and tell me what kinda weapons this hunk of junk has!"

"Weapons? What do you mean, weapons?! It doesn't have any weapons!"

"WHAT?!"

"It's an exploration vessel, not a warship! I took out the weapons from the Fantasti-Car designs to make room for more scientific equipment! Ben, this isn't Star Wars!"

"Sure as hell feels like it!"

At that second, one of the lasers struck the left side of the ship, causing it to lurch. Ben groaned as he swerved the ship downward.

"Herbie!" yelled Susan. "Can you repair that?!"

"The Repair-Bots are on the job!" said Herbie.

"Susan, we could really use a force field," said Reed.

"On it!"

Closing her eyes and holding out her arms, Susan used her powers to form a spherical barrier around the entire ship. Because of how fast the Venture was moving, it took intense concentration on her part to maintain it. Several of the laser blasts bounced off the force field, ensuring that the Venture would not be damaged further.

Herbie spun around as his four Repair-Bots floated up to him. The tiny, orb-shaped robots then headed towards a small port in the left side of the ship, loading themselves inside a metallic tube. The port closed behind them before opening on the other side of the tube, allowing the Repair-Bots out. Each Repair-Bot had a number painted on it, from one through four.

Once the Repair-Bots were outside, they opened up their orb shells to reveal their tiny metallic appendages, and they started to fix the damage done to the ship's hull by the laser shot. As they worked, Johnny and Ben kept flying, with Johnny leading Ben into a jungle canyon. The starfighters continued their pursuit, and started firing missiles at the Venture due to their lasers not having any effect on the force field.

Susan cringed as some of the missiles hit her barrier.

"This is getting kind of hard, guys!"

"We gotta take 'em out," said Ben. "Johnny! Blast 'em!"

"Wait, don't!" yelled Reed. "They're obviously intelligent! We can't just kill them!"

"Well we can't just let 'em kill us, either!" shouted Ben.

"Anybody got a bright idea, I'm listening!" said Johnny.

Another missile hit Susan's barrier.

"Someone do something!" she shouted.

At that moment, another group of fighters flew into view from overhead. These ones were golden, and had something of a star-like appearance. Firing lasers of their own, they shot down the pursuing starfighters, before pulling up to the sides of the Venture. One of the pilots looked over at Ben before giving him a wave.

"Huh?"

The starfighters flew out of the canyon, and Ben flew after them. Johnny also turned to follow. The starfighters led the team towards another clearing, where everyone landed. Johnny flamed off once he was on the ground. The Repair-Bots finished sealing up the damage to the Venture and retreated inside the ship as Reed, Susan, Ben and Herbie got out of it.

The pilots of the starfighters all got out of their ships. The team immediately noticed that all the pilots were wearing matching uniforms, indicating that they were part of some sort of organized force. There were a wide variety of alien races represented amongst their ranks. The Fantastic Four looked them over, until one of the pilots, who greatly resembled a human, stepped forward.

"Greetings," he said.

"Greetings," said Reed.

"Thanks for the save," said Ben.

"You're welcome," replied the pilot, nodding at Ben. "You were being attacked by Skrull fighters. Your ship's energy signature must have been detected by their scanners. They consider any ship that's not their own to be hostile."

"Excuse me," said Susan, "but who are you?"

The pilot sighed.

"My name is Rhomann Dey. I'm a Denarian Officer in the Nova Corps."

All four members of the team raised their eyebrows.

"Welcome to Rigellia."