Years ago, four friends ventured out into space when their ship was bombarded by cosmic rays. These cosmic rays altered their genetic make-up, granting them each fantastic powers. Recently, they have gone through 'changes' that have changed everyday living in a world that is proud to call them heroes.
CHANGES
Part III: The Master
Plan
by Jason
Bruss
('Changes' takes place between Brent's Avengers #34 #35)
Mr. Fantastic
Invisible Woman
The Thing
Human Torch
Franklin Richards
Victoria Richards
She-Hulk
Ant Man
Titan Tower,New York, New York.
2:37a
"Are you alright, Miss," asked a NYPD Officer.
"We found six dead over here, sir!" bolted another officer.
"Miss, are you alright?"
"I... I'm fine, Officer."
Susan Storm-Richards, with assistance from the officer, stood on her feet. She looked upward at the burning Titan Tower. She had ruptured the upper section of the tower with a force field that sent some of her worst adversary's into the New York Skyline. She wouldn't know of their condition or whether they had even survived. The only thing she could do now is try and reestablish communication with her family. The Fantastic Four took a great hit this time. Victor Von Doom has lost control and is doing whatever it takes to make sure he gets control back. Eliminating the Fantastic Four was his first goal and so far, he's accomplished it.
Sue frowned to the officer as she began to limp away. Her gown was torn and shredded due to the fall and the explosion. As she began to walk away, the office grabbed her arm.
"You need medical attention, Ms.," the Officer stated.
"I don't have time for medical attention, I have a job to do."
"Just who do you think you are, Miss? An Avenger?"
The officer was being rude. He wanted to make sure Sue was safe and had the medical attention that she'd need. But he was unaware that she was in fact a very pivotal role of one of the cities' hero factions.
"No, I'm the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four."
"Oh, Mrs. Richards... I'm so sorry. I didn't realize in the dark, I'm-"
"It's okay. I have to go though. My family needs me right now. I'll be fine. You look after those that need you here. You've had to put up with a lot of stuff over the years thanks to my family. We'll make it up to you, I promise." Sue said as she limped away.
"You are going to pay for this, Doom."
Four Freedoms Plaza,
New York, New York.
2:58a
"Even you could never have expected such an assault from me, Richards. My plan was successful without a flaw. I managed to eliminate the Fantastic Four unlike anyone has done before. After the astonishing event with the Sons of Set, I knew the Fantastic Four would be down. I took the opportunity and used your own weakness against you. A new era is upon us, Richards. The Era of Doom!" Dr. Doom boasted.
Reed couldn't do anything. Doom had placed him inside of a molecular energy cage that prevented him from stopping Doom's madness. Reed looked around his lab as Dr. Doom's Doom-bots began to assemble a rather piece of machinery.
"What are you doing, Victor?"
Dr. Doom's brown eyes squinted underneath his steel mask as he turned towards Reed and formed an iron fist.
"I'm building the greatest weapon the world will ever know."
"And it does what?"
Dr. Doom chuckled.
"Tell me, Doom. What does it do!"
Dr. Doom walked over before Reed's 'cage' and smirked underneath his mask as he ran his fingers across energy field.
"It's quite simple, Richards. This device is going to turn the entire world into mindless zombies and give me dominating control over everything." Doom chuckled.
Reed's worst nightmare was becoming reality. Victor Von Doom had lost his mind.
"You used this device to control the others at Titan Tower. But how? How could the others like Klaw be put under your control? And remain under your control? I have always known them to be quite intelligent and prevent things like this from ever happening. How'd you break their will power?"
"My device works at close range and once the subject leaves the forty feet radius, the device is more or less useless. I had attached a miniature micro-transmitter on them and increased the output of my device causing them to be put under high doses of the devices' psychological hypnotism."
Reed quickly processed the size of the device and the energy needed to power the devices' engine. He quickly realized that Doom planned to use the Plaza's unlimited access to New York's energy grid network. But could the device at such a close range to the Earth really hypnotize the entire planet? No, it wasn't possible. Doom would need a tower, a transmitter of great size. Four Freedoms Plaza. He was planning to use the building as a giant satellite and bounce it off the moon as it sets in the western sky. Genius. For a mad man.
Alicia's Apartment,
New York, New York.
3:27a
"Alright. It's a plan then. Franklin and Victoria will stay here with Alicia, while you and I break into the Plaza and take out Doom and rescue Torch and Scotty" directed the Fantastic Four's Thing.
"Ben, I'm not even sure if Johnny and Scott are still at the Plaza. Doom could have taken them elsewhere. We have no idea what he's capable" the sensational She-Hulk stated to the rocky Thing.
"Isn't this the second time this year that Doom's attempted to storm the Plaza?" Alicia states.
(( Moo's Run -Jj ))
"I'm starting to believe that Doom stormed the Plaza before just to get a better idea for this assault. Before he got lucky, this time he caught everyone off guard. I don't think we were expecting such a quick attack so soon after the Sons of Set" Jennifer states.
"In other words, We left our guard down and got burned," replies Thing.
"You need to get moving, Benjamin. That madman has Johnny" Alicia states.
"Yeah. We're out of here. Let's go."
"Benjamin... come back to me." Alicia pleads.
"I promise, my beautiful bride to be." Ben promises.
As Ben wraps his arms around Alicia to kiss her, Jennifer's eyes perk at the use of the word 'bride
"Yeah, I'll tell you all about it later, She-Hulk. Let's go" Ben says as he takes off.
"Uncle Benjy... bring my dad and mom home. Please?" Franklin asks.
Franklin hugs Ben tightly.
"I promise, kiddo."
As Thing and She-Hulk turn to walk out, the Invisible Woman stands in the entry way.
"Mommy's come home, Franklin dear" Sue declares.
"Susan..." Alicia says hearing Sue's voice.
"Suzy... where's Reed?" Ben asks as he helps escort Sue to a chair.
"Doom's got him" Sue says as she holds her precious Franklin tightly.
Sue's blue eyes look to Alicia, then to Jennifer, before they finally move to Ben.
"Doom's lost his mind, Ben. He wants world domination and he's going to go all out to get it. I just know it" Sue states.
Four Freedoms Plaza,
New York, New York.
4:39a
"I never thought I'd have to break into my own home, but then again... I never realized we'd be heroes either," says Johnny Storm.
Ben and Sue look to Johnny as they stand firmly at the base of the Plaza, looking to Johnny then turning to each other.
"Ben, I need for you to cause a ruckus while Johnny and I get in. Doom's surely got the place guarded. Johnny, when you get inside you free Reed and get out of there. I'll handle Doom." Sue orders.
"Now wait a minute... why do you get to handle Doom, Suzie?"
"Because he's hurt my family for the last time..."
Susan stands firm, as she surrounds herself with a invisible force field and walks right through the front doors of the Plaza. Johnny follows behind as the Thing follows pounding his rocky exterior into things causing alarm surely for Doom and his Doom-bots.
Four Freedoms Plaza,
New York, New York.
4:51a
"Ah, Richards... your darling wife and brother-n-law are on a rescue mission. For you, no doubt. Well, I'll be sure to allow them to see exactly what they want before I turn them into mindless zombies. I shall return, shortly."
Reed's eyes become large as he yells to Doom, hoping to get Doom's attention. Too bad he didn't succeed.
Doom hovers to the roof of the Plaza and examines the Doom-bots completing the installation of his device. He snickers as he returns to the room with Reed. He looks to the master controls and flips a switch, energizing his device.
"STOP DOOM!" Reed screams.
"It's too late, Richards... the world is mine. Welcome to Doom Planet."
Doom watches a monitor and sees Johnny and Sue coming out of the stairwell and heading towards the room where Reed is being held captive. As the metal doors open, Doom stands firm as Sue and Johnny enter.
"Welcome My Friends... I'm afraid you are too late."
"REED!" Susan shouts.
"Susan, you've got to stop him!" the captive Reed declares.
Susan extends a force-field to Reed's molecular-energy cage, breaking the cage and freeing her husband. Johnny's flames quickly engulf Dr. Doom, burning at Doom's cape. But little did they know, that Doom's device was only minutes from activating as the moon began to set in the western hemisphere.
"It's too late, Fantastic Four... my device is already energized."
Reed quickly extends an arm and wraps his hands around Doom's neck.
"I'm telling you now, Victor... stop the machine." Reed orders.
"You don't have the guts to kill me, Reed. You are too weak." Doom laughs.
But before Reed can choke Doom, a rocky fist plows through the doors and the Thing enters the room.
"Reed! No! Doom's got the place rigged with explosives. His device is a ploy to get us here. He's going to destroy the Fantastic Four!" Ben declares.
Doom chuckles as he slips out of Reed's grasp. He quickly makes his way to the window as his hovercraft appears.
"I'm afraid you weren't smart enough to figure out the Master Plan, Richards. Now you and your friends won't stand in my way anymore. Good Bye Fantastic Four. It's been a wonderful couple of years..." Doom says as he hops onto his hovercraft.
"Reed, what are we going to do?" Sue panics.
"We're getting the hell out of here." Johnny says as he de-flames.
Reed looks around the room, realizing that the countdown for Doom's device must be the countdown to destruction of the Plaza.
00:01:38
"We've got less than two minutes to get out of here..." Reed orders.
"We'll never make it, there's no way." Sue doubts.
00:01:21
"Not if we keep standing around here... let's GO!" Ben grabs Sue and runs towards the window, hoping she'll be able to surround them in a invisible shield to protect them from the fall.
00:00:47
Reed quickly tries to de-activate Doom's explosives, but realizes that it'd take a minute. And with that, Reed turns to Johnny whom has re-flamed.
"Go Johnny... I'm going to try and stop the explosives."
"No Reed, I can't let you... let's go. Now!"
00:00:26
"Johnny, I'm not going to argue... now go!"
Johnny does as ordered and leaves through the window Ben and Sue smashed out as they descended to the streets below, as Reed quickly rushes his fingers across the control panel of master controls.
"I don't have enough time... It's too late!"
Reed quickly runs for the window, jumping out.
00:00:16
As Reed falls to the ground below, he sees Sue, Ben, and Johnny escorting people away from the base of the Plaza. Susan sees her husband falling from the highest point of the Plaza and extends an invisible shield just below him to slow his decent to the ground. As Reed touches the ground, the top levels of the Plaza explodes into the night sky.
Sue covers her mouth to keep from screaming at the horrific sight, as Reed wraps a arm around her. Johnny looks in amazement towards the fiery tower as the NYFD show up on the scene.
"Doom's not finished yet..." says a familiar voice from behind.
The Thing, Johnny, Sue, and Reed turn to see a badly beaten Ant Man standing before them. Johnny and Thing quickly assist him in standing.
"What happened to you, Lang?" Thing asks.
"Doom. He decided to take me out via pain. But luckily I survived."
"Scott... what do you mean Doom's not finished?" questions Reed.
Johnny and Thing sit Scott down on a bench as a crowd surrounds the Plaza to see the upper levels burning away. Sue touches Scott's jaw and gives him a comforting smile. Scott notices something in Sue's eyes that he's never noticed before, a inner beauty that's more beautiful than he'd had ever imagined.
"Doom's gone to City Hall. He's planning to replace the Mayor and take control of the city. It's part of his master plan to eliminate the Fantastic Four so that we don't stand in his way anymore. You've got to stop him."
"What are we waitin' around here for? It's Clobberin' Time!" Thing states.
"Ben's right, Flame On!" Johnny says.
Reed looks to Sue and then to the others.
"Alright, but we are going to need some form of transportation to City Hall."
"Perhaps I can be of assistance... in the exchange for a front page exclusive." says a young woman.
Sue and the others turn around and look to the young woman.
"And you are?" Thing asks.
"I'm Alison Cory... I'm a reporter for the New York Times. I have the news van right over there and in exchange for an exclusive, I'll give you a ride. We need to move though... or you'll never get to City Hall."
"I like her already..." Johnny says.
City Hall,
New York, New York.
5:18a
"I'm a Diplomat, Mr. Mayor. That's why I'm willing to give you the opportunity to easily sign the City's control over to me. Once I control the city, I'll easily get rid of the Fantastic Four." Doom declares.
"Oh really?" Reed states as the Fantastic Four enter the Mayor's office.
"Richards! How did you survive the destruction of Four Freedoms Plaza?" questions Doom.
The Thing pushes his way into the office and grunts.
"We're the Fantastic Four... we're heroes, Doom. Haven't you figured that out yet? You need to read more adventure books. The good guys always win." Thing humors.
A invisible force field surrounds the Mayor and removes him from the office and right before Sue and the reporter Alison Cory.
"You'll be safe here, Mr. Mayor." Sue promises.
"This will make a great story..." Alison says as she tape records the action in progress.
Sue gives Alison a look, before checking on the Mayor.
"Why can't you ever just die!" Doom questions before pulling out a device and firing at the Thing.
Thing is knocked backwards into the wall, but quickly recovers. He charges Doom, slamming into Doom and pushing Doom through the wall onto the streets on the outer side of City Hall.
Doom's helmet falls off as the Thing and him crash into the sidewalk. Reed and Johnny quickly follow and gather around Doom.
"It's over, Victor. Your days of terror are over..." Reed states.
"Oh, I've only just begun Richards... only just begun." Doom says without his helmet, his face exposed to the chilly New York morning air.
Doom returns to his feet and dives into Richards, generating a massive electrical pulse through his right glove, pressing his right glove into Richards' chest. Richards went into shock and fell to the ground, Johnny quickly surrounded Reed.
"Reed, don't move!"
Thing punched Doom square in the face, breaking Doom's jaw. But Doom wasn't finished yet, he quickly pulled out a small device and attached it to the Thing's right leg.
Doom barely could stand, but managed. He pulled out a small portal device.
"Those who fight and survive the day, live to fight another day..." Doom chuckles barely as he fades from existence.
Sue and Alison run to Reed's side.
"Reed, Reed... please stay awake. Please!" Sue cries to her husband.
Thing tries to remove the small device that Doom attached to his leg, but realizes that it's a denotation device. It's the least of his worries, Reed was non-responsive.
Alison Cory pulls out her cell phone.
"I'll call 9-1-..." she says before being cut off by Sue.
"No, The last thing we need to do is alert the media. May I see your phone?"
Alison nods and hands Sue her phone. Sue dials a very familiar number.
"Yes, Hi. This is Susan Richards, We're bringing in Reed for medical assistance. It's an emergency..."
Avengers Mansion,
New York, New York
"How is he?" Sue questions as the other Fantastic Four Family wait eagerly with her.
"He's had a massive stroke, Mrs. Richards. He will make a full recovery, that much I can tell you. He's going to have to learn to use his body and senses all over again. I'm unaware at how long that could take... it could be days, weeks, months... or years." the Avengers' Scarlet Witch informs Sue and the others standing next to the Machine Man.
"How about the others, Wanda?" Jennifer Walters asks.
"Ant Man will make a full recovery..." Scarlet Witch informs friend She-Hulk.
"What about Ben?" Johnny asks standing next to the New York Times reporter Alison Cory.
Alicia Masters and the children had arrived thanks to the Avengers' Crystal Maximoff. Alicia was worried also about the man whom had proposed to her.
"Yes, how is Benjamin?" Alicia asks.
"Ben's going to take some time. It's not going to be easy to remove the explosive from his leg, but Machine Man believes he'll be able to successfully do so." Wanda informs them.
"Mommy... where's daddy?" Franklin asks.
Sue breaks down and turns to Johnny for comfort. Crystal kneels before Franklin.
"Franklin, your daddy's sick. He'll be fine though. He just needs sometime." Crystal gently informs young Franklin.
Johnny smiles softly to Crystal, a way of saying 'thanks'.
The reporter, Alison Cory, realizes that the Fantastic Four are more than heroes that protect the world from the likes of Dr. Doom. They are a family. They are 'human'. She's sitting on a huge story that could help boost her career, but instead she simply chooses to toss out the voice recorder with the story of 'change'.
THE END?
Fantastic Forum
I'd like to thank Brent for the use of the Avengers in the ending of this issue and I'd like to thank those that have supported me through a rough couple of months. I promise there will be more Fantastic Four coming very soon.
Thanks for being so Fantastic!
Jason