"CHANGES"
Part II: Doom
Triumphant
by Jason
Bruss
Mr. Fantastic
Invisible Woman
The Thing
Human Torch
Franklin Richards
Victoria Richards
She-Hulk
Ant Man
Dr. Doom's ultimate plan is underway, and what happens next can very well be the end of the Fantastic Four...Titan Tower; New York;
New York
12:20am
Wrapping an arm around Sue as I stretched us upwards to the balcony seats of the theater room. My tuxedo's molecules adjust to my body's shape and size much like my uniform, which really comes in handy right now. I look downwards at the circle of villains straight from our rogue gallery. Puppet Master, Mole Man, Psycho Man, Klaw, Annihlus, and Blaastar all gathered together by the one and only Victor Von Doom. Why? I'm not sure. My tuxedo's molecules adjust to my body's shape and size much like my uniform, which really comes in handy right now.
"Sue..."
"I know, Reed. We're in trouble. There's no way we can take them on alone. They each can cause us trouble individually."
She's right. Of course, she is. She's Susan Storm Richards, my wife. She's also the Invisible Woman. Sue's got this situation categorized. Doom may have finally outdone us. By gathering our greatest protagonists, he may very well have the upper hand and defeat the Fantastic Four once and for all. Hopefully, I can think of some way to defeat them all, including Doom.
"You've failed your wife and children, Richards." Doom states as he hovers on a high-tech, oval hovercraft device above the circle of villains in the center of the theater.
"There's no way you can defeat us, Mr. Fantastic. Together, we mark the end of the Fantastic Four," says Klaw.
Klaw steps to the middle of the circle as Dr. Doom's hovercraft sets down. Klaw hands Doom a remote of some sort. I'm not quite sure what it is. I can't really see from this location.
"What's that, Reed?" Sue asks calmly.
"I'm not sure."
Doom nods to Klaw, who returns to the rim of the circle of villains.
"This is a remote to a device capable of leveling a major city in the United States. A device that I concocted."
I found myself doubting Doom, thinking he would be incapable of setting up a remote-controlled detonator that can level a major city.
"Victor, stop this. What is it that you want?" I ask.
"I no longer just want you to suffer, Reed Richards. I want you to surrender. I want you to BOW before me."
"Never, Doom. Never."
The villains look around and look to Doom, Impossible Man steps out of the circle and walks to a corner. As he walks back, he pushes a large television on a cart. Sue looks to me curious also as to what's going on.
"Watch Reed Richards. Watch as I prove how capable I am of getting what I want."
I turn to Sue and then look to Doom as he presses the remote button. The television shows a city in the United States, from what I can tell it looks like Milwaukee. I never would of expected that Doom would go this far just to get at me and my family. In a large bright explosion the city is engulfed with a cloud of dust and smoke. Flames erupt from clouds. Sue gasps. Blaastar, Annihlus and the other villains bust into laughter.
"Oh Reed... what has he done?" she asks.
"He's destroyed Milwaukee, a city of little importance to the structure to the world, only to show us what he's capable of. He's capable of doing it elsewhere. I'm afraid, my dear, we've been out matched. Doom is triumphant."
1131 52nd Street; New
York; New York
12:34am
As passion subsides, Benjamin Grimm lays passionately besides his fiancée. He gently runs his well-worked hands along the jaw of his precious Alicia, as she peacefully rests her head on his chest.
"I love you, Benjamin." Alicia reminds Ben.
"I love you too."
Ben sit ups in bed and looks out of the window of Alicia's bedroom, in the far distance he can see the tower known as Four Freedoms Plaza. He sighs. He knows being part of the Fantastic Four has more than once kept him from being happy. Truly Happy.
"What's wrong, Ben?" Alicia asks sitting up in bed next to him, holding his hand.
"Alicia, I love you. I can't wait for you to be my wife. So much has changed. The way I feel about you, my responsibilities with the Fantastic Four, my relationship with Torch. It's all changed."
Alicia is unsure what Ben is talking about. She knows Ben isn't a very direct person when talking about his feelings, but she has learned how to get him to talk in the years she's known him.
"What has changed, Ben?"
Ben continues to look out the window towards the Plaza.
"Johnny's gay. Or straight. Or something. I don't know. I tried to pretend it didn't bother me, to be supportive. But I don't know if I can be on a team with a gay dude. I mean, what if he looks at me? Will I wonder whether he's attracted to me in some sick way?"
"Benjamin Grimm. I can't not believe I'm hearing this." Alicia states sort of irate.
Ben lets go of Alicia's hand and twiddles his thumbs, knowing that by the sound of Alicia's voice that she's going to go off.
"Johnny Storm is one of your best and dearest friend's. So what if he's gay, straight, or a member of the Justice League of America. He's still Johnny. He's still your friend. He'll still treat you like he's always treated you. He'll still joke with you the way he's always joked with you. I can not believe that you would sink to the level that a fraction of society has in regards to individuals of having a different sexuality than would be believed as a norm. You should be ashamed. How can you call yourself his friend if you can't except him for who he is? Perhaps you are no friend at all." Alicia argues.
Ben sits silently, allowing Alicia's argument to sink in. He thinks about what she says and still has a weird feeling towards Johnny now. He remembers back to the bar in Pittsburgh, where Johnny revealed to Ben he was gay, bi-sexual, whatever. He remembers being supportive at first, and then leaving after a few beers and then avoiding Johnny a good deal afterwards when they returned to New York.
"I know, Alicia. I'm sorry. But I just can't accept it... not yet. Maybe, Maybe in time." Ben says trying to ease his feelings towards the situation with his best friend.
"Ben, at least try to accept him for who he is. He's entering a new world, starting a new chapter in his life. He's going to need support. He's going to need you." Alicia says before resting her head on Ben's chest, giving him something to think about.
Ben sighs and closes his eyes thinking about what Alicia said, he rests his chin on the top of her head and closes his eyes.
Titan
Tower; New York; New
York
12:34am
Susan Storm Richards. The Invisible Woman. A Mother of Two. Founding Member of the Fantastic Four. She finds herself looking down towards a circle of a few villains that have caused much trouble for the Fantastic Four in the past. Gathered together by Doom for an unknown reason.
"Why have you created this circle, Doom?" Sue asks.
Doom steps onto his hovercraft and hovers up to Sue and Reed's location in the balcony.
"Well, Dear Susan. Allow me to tell you."
Doom laughs briefly as he looks towards the circle of villains and then looks back to Sue and Reed. He lifts his right arm towards the ceiling and then lowers it. Testing to see if Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are paying attention to him.
"After our last encounter, I thought long and hard in regards to my defeat. It amazes me that after all these years I have yet to actually defeat the Fantastic Four. I've come close, but have not truly defeated you. Until Today. I had my team of researchers locate these individuals for they all have a reason for being here. A few of them want control over certain countries of the world after I take over, some of them just want to be a part of destroying the Fantastic Four, and a few want nothing more than a place in history as part of the scheme that destroyed the Fantastic Four. They all have their reasons. I promised them each a resolution, and they faithfully followed suit and joined my ultimate plan to rid the world of the Fantastic Four." Doom states.
Reed extends his arm forward and begins to strangle Doom. Reed has lost total control. Finally, Doom has broken Reed. He's caused Reed to loose all control. As Doom and Reed struggle, Susan lowers herself to the ground of the theater room to prevent the approaching villains.
"I don't think so boys." Sue says as she puts them all in a powerful force field.
"You fool, Richards..." Doom says as he barely gets out of Reed's grip. "...you tried to kill me."
"You don't say." Reed says sarcastically.
Doom chuckles and looks down to Susan, whom has trapped the other villains.
"Kiss your children good night, Susan Richards." Dr. Doom says as a portal of some sort opens sucking Reed and him in. Doom's laughter fills the room as Sue is left alone with the other villains.
Dr. Doom and Reed Richards are GONE.
Four Freedoms Plaza; New
York; New York
12:56am
A shard blast shreds the door to the living quarters of the Fantastic Four and several Doom-bots enter. In recent months, the Doom-bots practically tore the heart of the Plaza out leaving the Fantastic Four with little to nothing. Now, they are back... but with a vengeance and initializing an ultimate plan.
"What in the hell!" a man says.
That man is Scott Lang. Ant-Man. A friend and companion of the Fantastic Four. He's been residing part-time at Four Freedoms Plaza and assisting his friends when needed. Tonight, he, along with Jennifer Walters the Sensational She-Hulk, are baby-sitting the Richards children: Franklin and Victoria.
Jennifer quickly grabs the two children changing into the She-Hulk, she quickly plows her way through the Doom-bots and quickly exits the living quarters. Meanwhile, Scott shrinks in size and makes his way outside of Johnny's door. He becomes full size again and quickly bangs on the door of Johnny's room.
"JOHNNY! JOHNNY, WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!" Scott yells before getting knocked out by a Doom-bot.
Johnny opens his door and finds Doom-bots waiting and quickly flames up, but is only sprayed down with some sort of liquid that the Doom-bots are carrying that puts his flames out and causes him to pass out.
Titan
Tower; New York; New
York
1:12am
The Invisible Woman finds herself tiring and collapses to the ground, releasing her force fields surrounding the villains. She wipes the sweat from her forehead and looks up as Psycho Man leans down.
"It's such a shame." Psycho Man informs her.
Klaw chuckles as Puppet Master hands Sue a small monitor that has a direct feed to the Doom-bots at Four Freedoms Plaza. The monitor shows the Doom-bots taking out Johnny, Scott, and shows Jennifer quickly bolting with the children.
"What have you done? Doom is lying to you. He'll rid himself of you as soon as he gets what he wants. Don't you see it? He's manipulating you!" Sue implores.
"Do you think we're dumb, woman?" Blaastar asks.
"We know Doom will have no use for us after we do what he wishes. Right now, we are his lackeys. It was he that broke Reed Richards' security system on the Plaza, It was he that orchestrated this plan. As soon as he defeats the Fantastic Four, we'll each go our separate ways. Because without the Fantastic Four, the world will fall before us." Klaw states to Sue.
Sue's eyes swell up with tears as she looks at the villains that are surrounding her. She thinks about Reed. She thinks about Johnny. She thinks about her children. She thinks about her friends.
"Let's kill her and get this over with. We still have another Fantastic Four member to get yet." Mole Man informs.
Benjamin Grimm. The Thing. He wasn't at the Plaza during the raid. He could very well be the last hope to save the team now. Perhaps.
"You won't kill me." Sue says as she sits on her knees and lowers her head towards the floor.
"Oh? And how's that?" Annihlus asks.
Annihlus looks to Klaw, and then back to Sue.
"Because... I'm the Invisible WOMAN!" Sue says as her body is surrounded by a force field and it quickly expands outwards. It explosively destroys the higher floors of the Titan Tower, sending each of the villains forcefully into mid-air over the city with shards of the building's frame.
How could anyone have survived?
NEXT ISSUE: Whoa... after an ending like that, do you think you know what happens next? Get Ready... Part III will be released soon and your Fantastic Four keep dealing with 'changes'.
Fantastic Forum:
Last Issue got a lot of attention and my inbox was full from fans, writers, friends, and even family on the last issue of the title. Get Ready for more. As you found out in this issue, I'm really taking the FF to a whole new level and I hope your along for the ride. Major thanks to Scott Casper and Cory Wiegel for editing! Bigger fantastic thanks to all those people that posted reviews on the M2K message board and sent emails regarding last issue. I'll post some of your emails in next issue's fantastic forum.
Jason Bruss