One week had passed since the members of the Fantastic Four had gone missing and a red light began to flash amidst the rubble across from Central Park. Within the ruins of Avengers Mansion the flashing light signaled a message for them. It was a message that the Avengers would not answer on this day.
That same message however was sent to other allies of the Fantastic Four. Two others beacons began to flash on other parts of the globe.
In his underwater castle in the city of Atlantis, Namor pressed a button to retrieve his message. "Hello, this is Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. This message is being sent out primarily as a precaution. I have my computer programmed to send out a distress call if it does not detect the presence of myself or my family for one week. There is the possibility that we are away on a mission and I have simply forgotten to turn the protocols off. In any case I am asking you to please check in on our status. Thank you."
"Ha!" Namor proclaimed. "It is not the place of a monarch to see to the whereabouts of humans."
Thankfully for the Fantastic Four, not every ruler in the world thought as the king of Atlantis did. The same message was also sent out to the African nation of Wakanda where it was received by King T'Challa, the Black Panther.
The stranger looked on, from his ship above New York, as the Black Panther piloted vessel landed on the roof of the Baxter Building. "It took much longer than I expected for your disappearance to be detected." He said as the Black Panther slid down a rope along side of the building.
With the push of a button a hatch opened up beside the stranger. "Attack him." He said as the Fantastic Four leapt out after the Black Panther. The Human Torch was arrived first followed soon after by The Thing, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman on a platform created by her powers.
"Thank goodness—" the Panther began to speak before getting cut off by and intense burst of flame that knocked him from his rope. He fell at least twenty stories before being caught in the tight grip or Reed's arm around him. Too tight the Black Panther though.
It was as he was pulled closer that he noticed the difference. He noticed Johnny first, his flame was burning white with a little blue and far hotter than usual, then he saw that Reed and Sue's faced were both blue as well. And Susan wasn't dressed in her traditional uniform, the one she wore today was black with a set of red shoulder pads. Then he saw The Thing. Ben appeared to be al least twice his normal size and also wore black armor from head to toe and a mask covering his face. His uncovered hands were actually the only things that actually revealed who he was.
The five of them set down on the ground and before The Black panther could ask about their changes he was struck with a great force by the Thing. He was sent flying back before slamming into the next building over. Panther was winded but still managed to rise to his feet. He knew he could not face them all alone this time so he began to retreat only to be cut off by a wall of intense white flame. Then his air began to cut off, in clasping his throat the Black Panther realized that Susan had put an invisible force bubble around his head to constrict his breathing.
The Black Panther was on his knees and preparing for another hit from Ben before he passed out. Suddenly the charging Thing was struck down but a force blast. The bubble was gone, as the Panther gasped for air he saw his four attackers flying back up to the sky. As they sped away he saw his savior.
"Doom?" The Black Panther asked.
"Yes king, Doom is a pawn in no man's game."
"What do you know about this?"
"Only that I was attacked in my own castle and used as bait by—" The evil dictator was cut off by another voice"
"APOCALYPSE!" It was the winged mutant Angel.
"Angel, Where did you come from?" Asked the Black Panther.
"Professor Xavier asked me to investigate a suspicion he had, it turns out he was right. Apocalypse is back."
"Are the other X-men here as well?"
"No," Angel replied. "They are all off planet on a mission. That's why Xavier asked me to investigate. I'm not actually with the team anymore."
"That, mutant," Doom spoke. "And your past with Apocalypse could prove useful to us."
"Why are you even here Doom?"
"This is a matter of pride for me," Doom continued. "And crushing Richards and his family is just a perk."
"No Doom," yet another hero arrived. "Susan Storm will not be harmed."
"None of them will be." The Panther chimed in.
"Namor?" exclaimed Angel. "What are you doing here?"
"I could not bear the thought of Susan Storm being harmed while I sat idly by." Namor replied.
"Well then," Began the Panther. "Where do we start?"
Angel said, "When they attacked you they appeared seemingly from nowhere in the sky and then retreated back there after the fight."
"You saw them attack me and did nothing!"
"I was still a few miles away Panther, I do have enhanced sight."
Doom interrupted. "You were saying X-man?"
"Well if I had to wager a guess, I would say that Apocalypse has gone back to his old ways and has a cloaked ship above Manhattan."
"We will need to come up with a plan." Said the Panther.
"We need to head up there and attack them while we can still surprise them." Namor added.
"No," Angel stated. "Panther is right we need to wait and –"
"Doom waits for no man. I am with the Attlantean." Doom said as he flew off to in the direction that the Horsemen went. Followed by Namor. Black Panther and Angle gave each other a concerned look before Angel Grabbed the Panther and followed their uneasy ally skyward.
"I don't like this Panther, we need to wait until we are ready."
"Maybe so Angel, but without us Doom and Namor will surely die."
"I think there's a chance we are all going to die today anyway."
As the four unlikely members of the impromptu rescue team drew nearer to Apocalypse's aircraft they began to see where the invisible ship parted the clouds. "There!" Exclaimed Namor, "How will we get in?"
"I will get us inside," said Doom, "but, I will need a few moments to recharge my armor afterwards."
"We'll have your back. Do it Doom." Ordered Angel.
Within seconds Doctor Doom's hands began to glow with a yellow energy that seemed to be growing at an incredible rate until it finally burst forth from him and rocked the side of the cloaked ship. A whole was blown in the side that was al least two meters in diameter and wind began blowing from the hole. Moments later the ship re-stabilized itself and the four were able to land safely.
Once inside they saw that Reed, Johnny and Sue had all been knocked to the floor by the blast but were quickly regaining their composure.
Angel asked, "Why are Professor Richards and The Human Torch still in their FF uniforms?"
"It appears that with all his power, Apocalypse cannot tap the unstable molecules that they use." Doom said walking away from the others.
Namor attacked right away, flying straight toward the Human Torch.
"Flame on!" he yelled as he burst into pure white flame.
Namor didn't even hesitate at the sight, but he was knocked out of the air by the gargantuan Thing before he could reach his intended target. "Imperious rex." He said slowly lifting himself off of the floor.
Angel swooped in to assist Namor but was easily batted away by the Thing. Before he could re enter the fray he felt his wings being held against the wall by something. It was one of Sue's invisible fields.
Namor blazed back into action by landing a shattering blow on the Thing's chin, but it didn't even faze him. Ben charged at Namor and the two smashed through the other side of the sip creating a hole to match the first one.
Reed leapt out of the opening in an attempt to catch his teammate but was intercepted by Atlantis' bloodied avenging son. Reed wrapped his arms many times around the Submariner as Ben fell to the earth.
Doctor Doom leapt out and grabbed tightly onto Mr. Fantastic's legs as he yelled out to Namor, "FLY!"
Black Panther was doing all he could to avoid the intense fire blasts that The Human Torch was throwing at him, while the incapacitated Angel was being prodded by invisible spikes. "Please listen to me Mrs. Richards." He pleaded.
"There is no Susan Richards. Only Famine where she once was." She replied as an invisible spike was driven into Angel's leg.
"Auugh!" He winced. "NO! You are Susan Richards, you are the wife of Reed Richards and you have two children."
"My … children?" she asked, the spike pulling back a little bit.
"Yes." Angel breathed a sigh of relief.
The spike was forced back in followed by another to his shoulder. "I serve only Apocalypse."
"Even if it means killing your children?"
Susan pulled back again.
"Because Apocalypse will use you to enslave the human race Mrs. Richards. Fight this, I know you can do it as I have. FIGHT IT!"
The Invisible Woman drew back and Angel could see the internal struggle on her face. He broke free from his bindings and acted with a huge slap across her face. "FIGHT IT!" he shouted.
Susan fell to her knees from the force of the blow and looked up at Angel, tears pouring down her dark blue face. "Thank you." She said softly.
Namor had not flown over three miles from the ship and Reed was finally beginning to tighten up. He kept on going anyway until Reed's grip on him finally loosened up. Even with his powers augmented by Apocalypse the stress or Reed's body was to much for him to handle and he passed out.
As Namor began flying, with Reed, back to the ship he realized that Reed was not reforming very fast. He and Doom piled him off to the side and the five turned their attention onto Johnny Storm.
They each approached him from a different angle but he kept them all at bay with fire blasts awaiting his opportunity to strike. "Johnny please. We're family." Sue said.
"Death has no family" He said, disgusted at the thought of family as he blasted her with white flame. She put up a shield I time but the force still knocked her back a few steps.
"That is it." She said as she encased a force shield around her brother. He went nova within the bubble and filled the entire chamber with an unspeakable bright light. The feedback on Susan was unbearable but she managed to hold out. The white flames grew weaker and weaker within the bubble as all of the oxygen was burned out. When it finally dimmed they could see Johnny inside beating at the shield with his last bit of strength until he passed out.
"Where is Apocalypse?" Doom asked impatiently.
"Here." Came his voice as a monitor turned on at the front of the room.
"Jean watched you die Apocalypse" Angel said through his teeth.
"I cannot die Archangel. You should have learned that by now. True a piece of my psychic aura was destroyed that day but my body was regenerating in a Lazarus chamber awaiting my return."
"Why us madman? Why my family?" Susan asked.
"My horsemen have never functioned well as a team. I wanted some that would."
Namor heard it first, then Angel. "We have to leave" Namor said. There was a high pitched frequency being emitted that had activated an explosive device within the ship. Namor and Angel grabbed Reed and flew out of the ship, followed by Susan with The Panther and Johnny in tow behind her. In their haste no one noticed that Doom was no with them.
Reed's body had regained most of its standard shape when he woke up. "Ben? BEN!" he shouted.
"Calm down Professor Richards. You seem to be okay now."
"Angel? No I have to catch Ben."
"Oh no," Namor interuupted. "The Thing."
Beneath them they could see a large crater in the ground and crawling out if it was and beefed up enraged Benjamin Grimm. His black and red armor was in tatters around him. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed. He began to pummel his hands into the ground causing cars to bounce and slide towards him. The nearby building began to crack.
"Ben." Reed said softly, "Please calm down.
"Reed?" Ben asked. "I let you all down."
"No Ben, you could never do that."
"I did. I could'a saved you guys, but I let 'im take me."
"It's okay Ben." Said Susan. "He overpowered all of us."
"I didn't even fight Suzie. He said he could change me back." Ben smashed a nearby truck. "AND NOW LOOK AT ME! I'm more of a monster than ever."
"I will fix this Ben." Reed said comfortingly.
"How? You could never fix me before."
"This is a different mutation Ben. Angel, how did you change your sking back from the blue."
Angel replied, "It was actually a secondary mutation that gave me healing blood. I'd be more than willing to help you with the Professor Richards."
"Please call me Reed." He turned to Ben. "See, all of this will be fine. I'll get you and Johnny fixed up—"
Ben interrupted, "And then I am gonna make 'Pocalypse pay for what he did ta us."
The End
Fantastic Four: Horsemen