Chapter 7-

Chapter 7-

A/N: This is the chapter where Lisa's second power comes in and if I cut things out or you see Fantastic Five don't be alarmed. When the story's over it'll still be the Fantastic Four since Lisa's only ten and because of her age she will be in another area when Sue tries her humiliating vanishing act on the bridge.

&

Lisa got out of the car feeling perplexed and wondering what happened, along with a little relieved that she wouldn't have to talk anymore about her father. Uncle Reed and the others got out as well, looking as confused as Lisa felt as all the cars on the bridge had stopped.

Lisa, Sue, Uncle Reed, and Johnny made their way through the crowd of people that had formed and were standing outside a police barricade. The police weren't letting anyone through.

"What do we do?" Sue asked Uncle Reed.

"We're not going to get past those guys," Uncle Reed said, looking towards the barricade.

"But I can, Uncle Reed. I can go through solid objects," Lisa said, looking towards the police cars.

"Shorty's right. If anyone can get through she can. She's small enough. They won't notice her," Johnny said, taking Lisa's side.

"All right. As soon as you get through you wait for us," Uncle Reed said, touching her face gently.

"Sure. I just hope this isn't just limited to tables," Lisa muttered under her breath as she walked towards the first police car. Lisa took a deep breath as if she were going to jump in a pool and walked through the car as if it wasn't there.

&

Lisa hopped off the hood of a car as Uncle Reed and Sue made it through the barricade ten minutes later. It was hard not to get involved when she heard gunshots or start running when Johnny had made it through and he shot out flames.

Judging from her tone Sue was angry at Uncle Reed. Again. "We got through didn't we?" Uncle Reed asked in clipped tones as he gripped Lisa's hand and pulled her along.

"Let's just find Uncle Ben," Lisa said before Sue could come out with another comment. Lisa practically ran to keep up with her uncle.

It took only ten seconds for them to spot Uncle Ben. The sight of him didn't prepare them for the shock. He looked like a giant rock quarry!

"Uncle Ben!" Lisa screamed, which was a big mistake. His name came out like a large sonic burst, shattering every window and windshield on every car. Everyone, except Uncle Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Uncle Ben were the only ones not affected by her scream. Everyone else covered their ears; their voices raised in panic.

Lisa covered her mouth and looked at Uncle Reed. "Lisa?" Uncle Reed asked.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry," Lisa said, feeling her eyes fill with tears.

"Lisa, don't cry. I know you didn't. It's just another aspect we have to look at when I run the tests. Just calm down. I'm not angry at you," Uncle Reed said, stooping and pulling her into his arms for a tight hug.

Lisa looked at Uncle Ben again as she clung to Uncle Reed. "Uncle Reed, can we help Uncle Ben? I mean, look at him! He looks worse than all of us put together," Lisa said.

"I don't know yet. I don't know if I can even fix what's wrong with you," Uncle Reed said, standing up. Sue and Johnny joined them.

"That was so cool, Shorty!" Johnny said.

"Yeah. Whatever," Lisa said, rolling her eyes as they all looked at Uncle Ben. There were different words Lisa could use to describe her powers. Cool was not one of them. In fact there were a few words she could think of, but she didn't dare use them. Her uncle never punished her like her father did, but Lisa didn't want to tempt him to it by using words she shouldn't.

Ben made his way towards them. Lisa then heard a girl crying for her mother and an explosion. Johnny jumped through the air in a single leap, grabbing the girl and shielding her body with his.

Lisa and Uncle Reed jumped aside as the fire came towards. Sue put up a force field to contain it. Uncle Reed and Lisa watched as a fire truck went through cables and a man nearly fell off. Uncle Ben grabbed the truck and pulled, with difficulty as the ladder broke.

The man lost his grip and fell screaming. Uncle Reed then stretched out and grabbed the man around the waist. He put the man on the ground and looked him and then Lisa.

Lisa looked over at Uncle Ben as he put the fire truck down, breathing hard. "This is the police. Get down on the ground," a squad of policemen circled Uncle Ben, pointing guns at him.

They were stopped from shooting him as the crowd on the bridge applauded. "Ben!" Uncle Reed exclaimed as they tried to get through the policemen. Uncle Ben turned to look at them, and then his gaze fell on Debbie.

The crowd went quiet as Uncle Ben looked at Debbie, who looked torn. Uncle Ben walked towards her, stopping when she shook her head. She pulled off her engagement ring and laid it on the street, not giving Uncle Ben a backward glance as she walked away.

Lisa looked up at Uncle Reed and then Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben reached to pick up the ring and found he couldn't. Lisa broke away from Uncle Reed and picked up the ring, handing it to him.

"Lisa," Uncle Ben said.

"I'm so sorry, Uncle Ben," Lisa said, touching his shoulder.

"You're not afraid of how I look," Uncle Ben said. It was a statement not a question.

"Of course not. Once two years ago you helped me when I was afraid of everyone in general. I want to help you," Lisa said, feeling tears in her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Uncle Reed.

Uncle Ben stood, looking at Uncle Reed. "I swear to you. I will do everything in my power-until there is not a breath left in me. You're going to be Ben again," Uncle Reed promised. Little did anyone know that promise would be difficult to keep.

&

Lisa sat next to Ben as a doctor cleaned Sue's arm that had been burned. Ben was listless as he held Debbie's engagement ring in his hand.

"Where are you're ears?" Johnny asked, causing Ben and Lisa to look up at him. Before Ben could answer a policeman came in the tent.

"There are some folks outside. They want to talk to you. Especially to the little one with the vibrating scream," the man said, looking at Reed.

Reed looked at his niece and then back at the police chief. "We're not going public with this. We're scientists and one little girl; not celebrities," Reed said sternly.

"It's too late, Son. Look," the man said, flipping on the TV in the tent. The chaos they were in was all over the news. "See that," the man said as Ben filled the screen.

They all stood, watching the TV. "One of the five stretched to an amazing length," the TV blared with the headline on the bottom calling them the Fantastic Five.

"That's what they're calling you. The Fantastic Five," the policeman said.

"This is so cool!" Johnny said, turning to leave.

"No! Wait! Where are you going?" Sue asked as Reed rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm gonna go talk to them," Johnny said.

"No. We should think this through. Reed, do we want to do this? Do you want to sacrifice Lisa's privacy?" Sue asked.

"I'm with her, Uncle Reed. I'm not sure I want the attention," Lisa said quietly and looking at the TV nervously.

"That's great. That's crazy," Johnny said, leaving the tent. It took a few seconds for them to realize what Johnny was doing. Reed, Sue, and Lisa looked at each other and ran after him.

"Johnny," Sue whispered violently as Johnny held up his hands to the crowd.

"Can you believe this?" Johnny asked as the crowd kept talking.

"Which one of you is the leader?" The policeman asked.

"That'd be me," Johnny said. Lisa stepped on his foot hard to shut him up as the policeman looked towards him.

"No, seriously," the policeman said.

Reed stepped forward, Lisa stepping with him, holding his arm tightly. "All right, Son, you're on," the policeman said, stepping away. They all stuck mikes in Reed's direction and he grinned briefly at them.

"During our recent mission to the von Doom space station we were exposed to as yet to be identified radioactive energy," Reed said, all levity gone from his voice.

"What happened out there? How do you stretch and the little one screams like that? Is it true you can fly?" Questions came in rapid succession; the last one for Johnny.

"I'm working on it. Actually-" Johnny started to say.

"Actually we do not know much more than you do at this point, but we are going directly to our lab to diagnose our symptoms," Sue said, the voice of calm.

"Is it a contagious disease?" A news reporter asked nervously.

"No. No. No. No. It's not a contagious disease," Johnny said, getting looks from Reed, Sue, and Lisa. If having special powers is a disease then, yeah, we got it bad," Johnny said in a cocky tone.

"Excuse me? That thing doesn't look so fantastic," a newsman said, indicating Ben as he came forward.

"Ben Grimm is a genuine American hero," Reed argued.

"What he means is every team needs a mascot," Johnny said, flinging his arms around Ben and Reed's shoulders.

"Johnny," Lisa and Sue said at once.

"A new day is dawning. The day of the Fantastic Five," Johnny bragged.

"Let's just try the Fantastic Four for awhile. I don't know if I want to do this yet," Lisa said, practically hiding behind Reed.

"Come on! Live a little, Shorty!" Johnny said. Reed knew he had to say something for Lisa's sake as much as theirs.

"Look, we went up to space to find a way to understand DNA; cure disease; save lives. Now it is our DNA. Our disease; our lives on the line. Thank you. No more questions," Reed said, taking Lisa's hand and walking away; followed by the others.

"That's telling them, Uncle Reed," Lisa said, a relieved look in her brown eyes.

"Reed, I don't think they'll stop trying to interview us," Sue said, gesturing towards the reporters.

"You're probably right, but I had to try to get them to leave us alone. If not for us, then for Lisa. She's been through too much to be hounded by the paparazzi because of her powers," Reed said as he Sue, Johnny, and Lisa got into a police car and Ben in a van.

"So what do we do know, Uncle Reed?" Lisa asked.

"We go to my lab and we try to find a cure," Reed said, little knowing that it wasn't going to be easy.