Part VI: Macrotus
Reed landed awkwardly when he uncurled himself from his ball form, he had touched down on a small meteor a ways off from the hunk of meteor that the I.D.M. had settled itself upon. For some it wasn't much in the ways of covering ground, but Reed was willing to take whatever small steps he had to fix things, and he would do it quickly. Reed leaped forward to the next meteor in front of him, and repeated this action across the chain of meteors in front of him.
When he reached the last one, he found he was closer to his goal than ever before, the problem was still getting there without falling. Reed lifted his leg stretched as far as it would go, his heel stopped on the very edge of the meteor the I.D.M. resided on. Retracting his leg, he hyped himself up for what he was about to do. It was nothing he couldn't handle, he thought tiredly.
A distant bag caused him to turn his attention to the goings on behind, in the distance he could see a spot of flame dancing around in a zig-zag motion and small lights that followed. Johnny was still keeping Annihilus busy, no time to dawdle.
Reed kneeled down as far as he could go, the tension built in his body until he could literally feel himself shaking. Closing his eyes he jumped from his position, Reed felt his stomach drop from the acceleration at the rise of his bod. If there was any air he could feel, he wished it were blowing through his hair.
The surrounding world did not seem to move as the scientist flew over head; Reed began to descend quickly, his arm stretched as far as the edge of the meteor. His fingers gripped the uneven surface, Reed's descent came to an abrupt halt when his body hit the side of the meteor. While there were perks to having a body that could literary adapt to its surroundings it did nothing to numb the pain he was feeling from the impact.
Shaking his head free of cobwebs he struggled to pull himself up the side of the rock's surface with only the use of one arm and leg. During their confrontation with Annihilus, he could feel his muscles tightening the same way they did in his arm whenever a spasm came over him. Reed pulled himself over the edge of the meteor and onto its surface, his face cried with relief at the cool surface pressed against its hot and sweaty skin. Reed glanced up at the I.D.M. which laid but a few inches away from him, pushing himself off the ground he made his way toward the I.D.M..
It looked to be in good shape, granted there were panels of the structure missing, but nothing that would effect the function. He hoped. Reed leaned down and picked the I.D.M. from off the ground, it was amazingly lightweight in his grasp. "Hmm!" Reed couldn't help but let out a chuckle of relief. There must be a gravity difference in the Negative Zone, he thought.
Sitting the machine back on the ground he peered in on the interior; The wires connected to the crystal (now black) were burnt to a fine brown color, the other wires surrounding it weren't any good either. He flipped the switch from the middle position it resided in to the 'off'. Reed stuck his hand inside the machine, his could feel his arm shaking while his mind ran through memories of pain. He grasped the black crystal, he tugged on it to loosen the crystal from its position. He did not expect the jolt of electricity that raced up his arm, Reed let out a strangled cry.
His fingers wrapped themselves around the black crystal the stronger the energy surge became. Reed felt every molecule in his body was fried by now. He screamed out pain, his muscles tightened while his body went rigid. A burst of energy escaped the I.D.M. shooting in all directions in a prism design. Reed wasn't even aware that he had been thrown onto the ground. His hand gripped the crystal still. The I.D.M. channeled its volleys of energy into Reed's motionless body, whom was unable to stop it.
Annihilus ducked another flaming punch from the Human Torch and delivered a swift kick in the boy's gut. Johnny doubled over in pain, Annihilus brought his fists down on the boy's back. Johnny recovered just in time to duck a flying meteor aimed straight at the flying creature. "Take that, ya buzzard!" Ben sneered. Annihilus ducked the chunk meteor with a swift flap of his wings. He let out a cackle.
"This is child's play," Sniffed the master of the Negative-Zone.
Johnny joined his friend's side with a disgruntled sigh. "This isn't working! We need help!" Johnny snapped irritably.
"Unless you got a Bat signal matches, I suggest you stop complain'," Ben growled. Johnny ignored Ben's comment and went after Annihilus again. Johnny swung at Annihilus' face, the winged creature dodged the oncoming attacker only to have his staff knocked from his hand. He kicked Johnny aside, the Human Torch crashed into a passing meteor. Annihilus surged forward, he was upon the Thing's back crawling at his eyes. Ben rolled onto the ground in hopes he would crush the rabid attacker, Annihilus kept his hold on the man and continued to claw at his face.
Ben punched furiously at Annihilus as he truly began to feel the sting of his claws and the awful cackle that echoed through his earless head. Reaching up he grabbed Annihilus' wings on the first try.
"Did I ever tell you I hated these wings?" He snarled bitterly. Annihilus was not given the chance to respond, Ben pulled on his wings and tore them from Annihilus' back. Annihilus let out a blood curdling scream that overlapped with another, more familiar, scream. "Yeah, yeah, whine-whine," Ben snapped grabbing Annihilus by the arms.
He swung in a circle, so fast that he became nothing but a blur to those watching. "Bon voyage!" Ben released the now wingless master of the Negative Zone, Annihilus screamed as soared through space. His back ached horribly from the detachment from his wings, the symbol of his race, now gone to him forever. Suddenly there was a loud bang, a white vehicle came flying out a portal toward him. He let out a cry of horror, he collided with the contraption head first and went tumbling over the roof. He drifted further into the meteor belt whimpering pain. Negative-Reed watched the figure become a small speck in the cluster of meteors with a look of confusion.
"That was awesome, Ben!" Johnny proclaimed excitedly, his flame grew in his strength as if to agree. Ben scratched the side of his stubby nose, beside himself with pride. "That was like - wrestling on Smackdown!" The Human Torch went on. Johnny threw a couple punches to further demonstrate his awe, Ben waved his hand dismissive-like upon catching sight of the wheelless car heading in their direction.
"Heads up matches, we've got company," He said. Johnny turned around to gaze upon the Fantasticar, it came to a stop in front of him. Sue looked up from the steering wheel in genuine shock, Johnny floated over to the driver's window and pressed his face against the glass. Sue saw no signs of the glass melting under her brother's bodily fire, she felt a sense of dread fall over her when his smooshed face smiled at her. "Hey, its Sue! Ben, its my sister!" He cried, looking over to where Ben resided. Sue was careful not to move too much as she pushed herself forward to get a glimpse of the giant.
Ben waved to her with a relieved expression on his face. "Sue," Johnny's voice had dropped a little, "What happened to your shoulder?" Sue looked down her blood soaked uniform with dismay clear in her eyes, she shook her head as the passenger door opened automatically. Johnny moved for the passenger door and entered the Fantasticar. The door close behind him, he flamed off and leaned over to got a better look at her. Sue recoiled from his reaching grasp gingerly. "I-I'm fine, Johnny," She said, her voice wavering.
"I just ran into a little trouble with Reed's double." Johnny eyes flared hot-red, he looked about the cabin of the car in anger. "Where is he! I'm gonna kill him!" Johnny snarled, bearing his teeth. Both Storm siblings froze on their place at the sound of footfalls above them, Negative-Reed landed on the roof of the Fantastic car. His pale brown eyes peered on the inside of the car, a sadistic grin plastered on his face. He drew his arm back his hand transforming into a large Mallet. "Uh-oh," Johnny muttered.
N-Reed thrust his arm forward, the mallet smashed into the glass cracking it. Sue let out a cry of pain when her shoulder hit the back of the chair, Johnny glowered at the other Reed. Negative-Reed stood upward. They wouldn't be a bother to him - "Hey, egghead, pick on someone twice your size!" Ben shouted. Negative-Reed turned in response, Ben stood just a few feet away from him, his fist grinding against palm. "Why should I bother with you? I've got them to play with and you can't stop me," N-Reed tantalized. The Thing glared. "'Cause, I'm a better fighter than them. Better than you, egghead," Ben answered. Negative-Reed lifted off from the Fantasticar over to the orange ogre, he hovered above Ben in regard.
"What are you waitin' for, an invitation? Get out here so I can whomp your ass," Ben growled. Negative-Reed went into action, flying forward he expanded his body to the size of a blanket and proceeded to wrap himself around Ben. Ben struggled against the man's malleable body as it grew tight around his body, he really had to think ahead with his plans. The more he struggled the more limited his movement became, Negative-Reed was fitting around him like badly tailored suit, slipping his metallic, but malleable body into the cracks of his body and it hurt. "Better than me? Hardly, you can't even shake me off," Negative-Reed chuckled. Ben pulled against the man's body, he felt himself being pulled down to the ground.
"Johnny, where's Reed?" Sue groaned tightening her glove around her shoulder. Johnny shrugged his shoulders. "Last time I saw him, he was telling me to distract Annihilus, the guy that bounced off the car." Sue sighed in dismay, how could her brother loose track of their leader, her ex-boyfriend (whom she was becoming very involved with whenever he wasn't busy in the lab)? "Well, go find him, I'll help Ben," Sue struggled to say. Johnny blinked in bewilderment, Sue was crazy if she thought he was going to leave her to fight the homicidal Reed Richards across from them. He opened his mouth to protest but a sharp glare from his sister's large blue eyes left no room for agreement. Johnny nodded his head then paused as the door opened itself.
"Are you sure? 'Cause I could totally help Ben more than I could Reed-," Sue shoved him out of the Fantasticar with her powers. "FLAME ON!" Johnny cried. His body was engulfed in the bright entropy of fire and he took off toward Ben. Negative-Reed glared up at the young man, Johnny ignored him. "Ben which way did Reed go!" He shouted. Ben's arm struggled to straighten itself, when it did it pointed to the speck of flickering light that they failed to notice before. Well, following the light shouldn't be hard, Johnny thought taking flight towards it. Negative-Reed pushed his body against Ben's flailing arms. Out of nowhere he was attacked by an invisible force. N-Reed felt his head hit the ground and his body unraveling itself from around the Thing.
Sue climbed back inside the Fantasticar into the driver's seat. She maneuvered the vehicle toward the meteor. She climbed out of the car barely keeping her balance when her feet touched the ground. She kept her injured arm close against her chest, Ben groaned looking his body over. "Ben are you alright?" Sue asked. Ben flexed his fingers then gave her a thumbs up, Sue smiled weakly and nodded. Negative-Reed barely climbed to his feet when he was struck down by another attack from the Invisible Woman. He found he could not get up a second time, he was being held down by the infernal woman herself. "Easy Suzie," Ben warned. Sue ignored his comment and wrapped her shield around Negative-Reed's neck, the man began to choke. "Sue, stop it!" Ben cried. "Why should I? He tried to kill us Ben, tried to kill Reed. What's to stop him from trying again!" Sue snapped angrily.
In spite of his situation Negative-Reed found himself laughing - or at least trying to - at the woman before him. He was cut off abruptly at the tightening of her shield around his neck. He began to wheeze heavily, his lungs were burning for air and he was becoming light-headed. "Sue, this isn't right, you know that. Even he deserves it, you can't kill him," Ben said sternly. Through the haze of her anger and unshed tears Sue considered Ben's words. She had killed anyone before, now seemed as good a time as any to do it. Especially to someone who truly deserved it. But of course, if she killed now, there was no telling if she'd stop herself from doing it a second time. Maybe. "B- en's right Sue," N-Reed rasped. "Y- you kill me, you'll never go back to be sweet and innocent. What would I think of my sweetheart when I saw you again?" Sue felt her heart skip a beat, Negative-Reed smiled bitterly.
"That's right, I'd think you were a killer." He tired to laugh at her but ended up choking. Sue glared at him, he wasn't worth it. Releasing him from her grasp she watched him fall on his face in a coughing fit, she walked over to him. "Your not the same as my Reed," Sue snarled. Negative-Reed had not the chance to respond, he felt Sue's fist connect with his head and then darkness consumed him. Negative-Reed slumped against the warm surface unconscious. Ben regarded the counter-part's body wearily.
"He's alive, don't worry Ben," Sue said calmly. She wished he wasn't. Ben sighed in relief. "That's good." A pause. "Where's matches, I thought heard him talkin' to me?" The Thing muttered. Sue looked to the Fantasticar, motioning to Ben she headed over to the parked machine. "Err, Suzie, you sure I can fit in this?" Ben grumbled as she started it up.
Sue measured her friend up verses the Fantasticar's size the nodded. "Pretty sure. Get in Ben, no time to waste," Sue answered. The disgruntled Ben Grimm climbed into the car, he barely had time to make himself comfortable before the Fantasticar took off at top speed. Ben rolled across the back chair until he stopped against the wall, at the moment he wished there was a rear-view window so he could stare daggers at Sue's forehead. Sue reactivated the G.P.S. once again and locked on the positions of her brother and Reed - whose signal was faint. Silence lingered between the two comrades for some time, Ben never said anything to her but himself (usually complaining about something). Sue didn't say anything to him, she found it hard to force a conversation onto a person when neither were willing to the same. "Ben," Sue said, deciding to break the silence.
"What did Reed go off on his own for anyway?" Ben was tempted his shrug his shoulders for a second then reconsidered his answer. He looked up from counting his short fingers he found Sue looking back at him. "He went to find that dohickey of his. The I.D.M.," He said quickly. Sue nodded her head and focused her attention back on the roadless space ahead. When they arrived, Sue was not in the least to find her brother in the heat of battle, fending off what looked like . . . . giant insects? Sue was puzzled by this; Then again she was puzzled by this entire place. She wasn't sure how this 'space' was supporting them or anything for that matter.
She'd figure with a name like the 'Negative Zone' it spelt instant death for those who even dare venture outside without a space suit. With only with one hand on the steering wheel, Sue managed to park the car where her brother was fighting, there were plenty of meteors to jump across to where he was. Sue and Ben unloaded from the Fantasticar and took flight across the clustered meteors.
The insectoid creatures were in appearance, the same flies and multi-legged creatures you'd find on earth sitting on your shoulder or a plant. Only these creatures had fangs that would tear you apart, eyes that would probably burn holes in you if you so much as glance at them. Wings so large and utterly unsettling that it would be hard to keep a phobic from having a heart attack at the sight of them. Sue felt her legs shake slightly when one of them came after her, she fired one of her offensive shields at the creature. It splattered like a rotten tomato. Sue made a face and activated her invisibility.
Ben watched as several groups of insects were destroyed by the Invisible Woman's, he stomped and punched his way toward Johnny who stood a considerable foot away from Reed who laid on the ground, his hand in the I.D.M.. Ben swatted a bug away from the I.D.M. and stood next Reed, ready to fend off any more attacks. Johnny burned the last of the giant roaches off his back and smacked an on-coming fly to the side.
"What took you? There's something wrong with Reed. I can't touch him and he won't answer me," Johnny snapped burning through a group of flyers coming in his direction. Ben glanced down at the immobile Reed for a second then turned his attention back to the battle. "Whadya mean?" Ben replied. Sue jumped out of the way when a leaping spider came down from its observant perch, it let out a low hiss that sounded like a moaning corpse from a horror movie. Sue dispatched quickly with a wave of her hand along with a few others. This entire area was infested with bugs, they had to get out here before they were overpowered by the sheer numbers.
Sue jumped across three meteors to join up with the others. Snaking past Ben's large form she fell to her knees next to Reed. His legs propped themselves up, but he made no move to acknowledge her presence. The invisible woman raised a shield around the ground they stood upon, the insects ran into the shield splattering on impact. Ben could not shake the feeling that they were trying to weaken the barrier and were not just senselessly running into it. Sue kept her focus on the shield, she tried his face with both her hands but when they got close enough her hands went right through him.
Sue drew back in surprise, she looked to Ben whose blue eyes were now clearly visible under his raised brow. Johnny came up to Ben's side with the same astonished look. "See, that's what I mean! I tried to touch him and I went right through him. He's a friggin' ghost!" Johnny proclaimed. Reed did not react at first; His eyes were closed and moved rapidly underneath his eye lids. He shot up right with a small gasp, Reed shoulders hunched and he began to shiver. His skin seemed to gain its olive color the harder his shaking became, finally he opened his eyes.
Sue was slightly taken aback at the whites of his eyes staring back at her. Reed's head leaned against her face, a small shock ran up her arm and seemed to arouse Reed, his eyes reappeared. Reed smiled weakly. Another mild shivering fit overcame him, he knew it was a side affect from being electrocuted a second time. Sue became worried, she fought to keep her emotions in check. "Reed, what happened?" She whispered. Reed shook his head trying to pry his hand from the inside of the I.D.M., but it would not budge. His body felt cold and numb, with the exception that he could feel his heart beating hard against his chest, unnaturally so. Johnny sighed. "Seriously Sue, that's not gonna work," Johnny said walking up to them.
Sue glared up at her brother, Johnny, in his usual demeanor, made a face that indicated he was indifferent toward to what she was feeling. Her shoulder rebelled against her movement, she ignored it as her hands placed themselves on Reed's shoulders. When her hands pressed down on his shoulders, he cried out pain. Sue remembered him saying being hurt and removed her hands from his shoulders immediately. Reed slumped forward wheezing, his hand attempted to clutch his right arm his hand phased right through it. Reed groaned, he found it extremely hard to breathe against the tightness in his chest, he took a large intake of breath which resulted in a coughing fit. "My hand's stuck," He finally managed to say.
Sue glanced down at his extended arm, her eyes widened; His fingers, they had seeped into the cracks of the crystal that had long since turned black. She turned back to Reed, she placed a hand on his face. Reed stared up at her through the haze of pain clouding his mind. Johnny noticed what his sister was looking at, he glanced over at Ben who continued to keep vigil on the shield around them. Johnny sighed, he was getting tired of Sue's attentive behavior toward's Reed, they had to get out of here and he was growing tired of watching bugs explode. Its really boring after the first several hundred times. Johnny grimaced when he felt a small drop of green insect blood hit his face. Sue's shield was failing. Kneeling down to Reed and Sue's level, Johnny reached in and grabbed a hold of Reed's hand. "Johnny, what are you doing?" Sue snapped. "Calm down, I know what I'm doing," Johnny grumbled.
I'd advise against such a brash action. A voice came. The foursome's heads turned in all directions, the voice echoed all around them making the origin hard to determine. "Who said that?" Ben demanded. Simply put, I "was" Reed, but have returned to my original state. Reed should know what I speak of, The voice responded. All eyes fell on the shivering Reed. "It's . . p-probably, Reed, the kid," Said Reed. "Annihilus said someone else had followed us . . . I dunno how," Reed groaned, the tightness in his chest getting stronger. The voice continued.
When I died, I knew there was no possible way I could return to my realm on my own. When Reed came to my aid -all too late- I transferred myself to Reed's body knowing in its present state, it was easy to get past its defenses. In doing this, he obtains for a short time, my abilities of telekinesis or shield formations. In turn, I am able to keep his body from deteriorating any more than it has. But this is only for a short time. Return me to my dimension and your body may be able repair itself once the atmosphere of your world is stable enough for your molecules to heal. Johnny, Ben, and Sue looked at Reed who tried his hardest to keep his pain masked, his hand phased through his chest when he went to grip it. "I-I told you he was talking to me," Reed chuckled weakly recoiling his hand.
Sue's brow creased with concern. "How can we trust you?" Sue said irritably. There was a silence that made the foursome feel like they were being watched under a microscope. You can trust me. Besides, Annihilus is all but defeated. He wants the I.D.M. to use to get to your world. Contrary to your belief, but this system is dying - most likely in its last stages of decomposition. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Reed II's soulless voice echoed all around them. Johnny rubbed his arms at the feel of a chill running up his spine. He wondered how Reed was able to tolerate this boy's icy voice in his head. It was unbearable to hear. "What've got to loose?" Ben responded optimistically. Sue turned slowly to him, she whipped the blood running down her lip with the back of her hand. "Our lives," She answered dully. "D-don't worry, we can trust Reed," Reed said. Sue looked to Reed worriedly, his face was paling again, his body leaning against hers. Johnny was growing tired of all the talking, he just wanted to leave this place.
The young man paused for a moment staring back at Reed with uncertainty, Reed stared back questionably as the young man gripped his wrist again. Without warning, Johnny pulled at Reed's hand as hard as he could, which in turn made Reed cry out with equal strength. Reed's fingers slowly began to pull away from the black crystal, electricity spurted from the crystal and threatened to attack both men. Sue assisted her brother and Reed grabbing both their arms, Reed's hand finally came loose and the tiro went sprawling backward. Reed clutched his hand which was slowly returning to its normal shape, it burned like Johnny had touched him while on fire. Sue helped him off the ground, Reed stumbled backward unsteady on his feet. Sue kept a hold on him ignoring the increasing pain in her head. "You all right egghead?" Ben asked.
Reed grinned, his eyes were unable to open from the half-mass position they had fallen in. He couldn't see Ben's face all that well. "I'm c-cold. Other than that, peachy," He forced himself to say. Ben gave him a look that meant didn't believe a word he said, Reed didn't expect him to. Ben just nodded his head and stepped toward the edge of the meteor.
"As much as love to stick around and watch bugs hit the wind shield, I think its high-time we leave this place," The Thing grumbled. I concur. Sue lower your shields, I will deal with the attackers. Reed II's voice returned. Sue was hesitant at first but with a steady hand lowered her shields, the insects came them from all sides, eager to rip into their soft flesh (or in Ben's case - his stone flesh). Reed's hand -which had barely recovered from its ordeal with the I.D.M.- left his side and with one swift wave of his arm, released an attack much like Sue's. The insects were blown away like leaves in the harsh attack, breaking apart like rotten corpses.
Reed felt his energy drained from him after his arm turned to his side, he knees threatened to buckle beneath him. Sue kept a steady arm around his waist. "I don't understand, Sue could of done that," Johnny grumbled, as if jealous. Given the period of time she held her shield up, I highly doubt Miss Storm would be able to swat even 3 enemies away. Sue's face contorted with anger, her pride obviously wounded.
They began to move across the clustered meteors toward the Fantasticar when a terrible scream echoed all around them, the foursome turned their heads in the supposed origin of the sound. "I don't like the sounds of that," Ben grumbled. "We need to move," Reed said. "Now. Ben, Johnny, get the-" Reed fell silent."The what?" Johnny inquired curiously. "Yeah, the flying car? What's its name?" Ben spoke up almost teasingly. They all knew (or at least Ben did) had a general guesstimate of what the name of the car could be, but they wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth. Reed's face screwed up like a 13-year-old boy, he turned his head to the side. "Ugh . . . I'm not gonna tell you. You'll laugh," Reed stated defiantly.
"We will not," Johnny.
"'C'mon, just tell us. I swear on our friendship I'm not gonna laugh," Ben.
"I'll second that motion," Susan.
Reed however was not convinced. "Our friendship must not mean that much to you then!" He paused catching his breath. "I was sixteen years old! Your gonna laugh at me, I know it!"
"Are not!" The relentless tiro's faces became firm and determined. Reed felt Sue's fingers pluck his neck, he turned to glare at the invisible woman but Sue free hand flexed its fingers, giving off bursts of energy from her powers. Reed dare not look toward Ben (whom was rubbing his fist into his hand) nor Johnny (who was snapping his fingers, igniting them) for anymore motivation to speak. He felt his stomach twist in knots as he raised his head a little higher. "Its... um... the Fantasticar," Reed said quietly.
"I'm sorry? I didn't get that," Johnny blurted. "The Fantasticar!" Reed snapped angrily, his face growing red. The tiro's faces fell instantly, silence ruled for but a moment before laughter from Ben could be heard.
"Dude, the Fantasticar? You - what kind of name is the Fantasti-Car?" Johnny said over Ben's laughter. Sue said nothing and kept a straight face, at least she was generous enough to be silent in her mocking.
Reed glared at the 3 three of them indignantly. "I was sixteen when I came up with the name! Ben knows it, he just wanted to hear me say it aloud!" Reed proclaimed. Benjamin's laughing stopped in that second which was promptly followed another screech, stronger than the last. Poking fun at Reed was all but forgotten but had been pushed aside for now. Ben and Johnny rushed across the path of meteors towards the Fantasticar, Sue proceeded to follow but Reed's refusal to move with her stopped her.
"What are you doing, we have to follow them," Sue said sternly. "No, we have to repair the I.D.M.," Reed said. "The crystal isn't far damaged that we can't use it, we just need to new wiring." Sue opened her mouth to object -they had no wires to repair the infernal machine- when Reed removed the 4 crest from his chest, she knew what he was thinking.
Sue moved to keep her grip on his waist, her hand slid from his waist before she could question what happened. Reed moved back across the meteors toward the I.D.M. He kneeled in front the machine, he reached into the machine only to receive another shock. "Reed, this is crazy! We can't repair this machine without the proper tools!" Susan yelled.
Reed tried to touch one of the damaged wires, he reacted his hand at the first signs of electricity tingling around his fingers. "Your gonna have to do this Sue, I can't get near this thing without causing some kind of a electrical reaction," Reed groaned. Sue shook her head furiously. "No, I'm not doing it. We have to get to the Fantasticar - that's our only way out of here," Sue insisted. "No, the I.D.M. is. The only reason we were able to get here it because the Negative Zone and Earth's dimensions were connected. Connected by this machine, the only way we're getting out of here is if we fix this thing.
Now I've told you that I can't touch this thing, I'm telling you to fix this thing so we can go home," Reed finished sternly. Sue opened her mouth to say something but another screech cut her off. Reed stood up to get a better view on the approaching fiend; He focused his lenses on the desired target. It was huge, bigger, and wider than anything he had seen. If anything it borderline prehistoric bird.
Long and powerful beak and a wing span big and strong enough to create a tornado, a skin surface that resembled dragon scales. And to top it all off, Annihilus rode in the mouth of the approaching attacker - apparently screaming at several hooded figures that seemed busily working. "Oh no," Reed groaned. "What? What is it?" Sue asked quickly. Reed turned his gaze to the right, inside the Fantasticar Johnny and Ben were thumb wrestling for the drivers seat.
If he were one of those Japanese cartoons he imagined he would be on the ground with his feet in the air. "BEN, JOHNNY, GET MOVING!" He shouted angrily. Johnny and Ben snapped into their respective seats, Johnny at the wheel and Ben in the front passengers seat. "Annihilus is heading our way. We need you to distract him long enough for us to fix the I.D.M.!" Reed ordered. Johnny gave him a thumbs up.
"Shouldn't be a problem with me at the wheel. NASA hired me after all," Johnny proclaimed proudly. "Yeah, NASA also fired you," Ben grumbled as the car started. Johnny glared at him sideways, the Fantasticar turned and headed off the general direction Reed pointed out. Johnny took to the controls easily, he managed to figure out the navigational and tracking controls easily to Ben's surprise. There was a reason NASA hired him. "Look at the size of that thing!" Johnny proclaimed in awe.
Ben looked up from his knees to gaze upon the winged creature came fast toward them. If Johnny was going to distract this thing, now would be a good time. Ben swallowed a wave of nausea as the Fantasticar thrust downward right underneath the beast's belly. Johnny looked behind him to see if it had taken the bait. It had; The winged beast made a smooth turn away from Reed and Sue toward them, Ben grunted in mild surprise. "Looks like your trick worked. Now get moving matches," He said. Johnny nodded quickly keeping the speed of the vehicle up.
Annihilus roared in blind rage, his back stung, bleeding from his wings being severed from his body by that Golem.
"Faster! Faster! They will pay dearly for my misfortune!" He howled. Annihilus' hooded minions worked silently at controlling the corpse of the demi-lifeless beast, their fear kept them going when their bodies were too tired to motivate them. Annihilus roared again wishing nothing more for the power of his wings restored him. The golem would pay for his wrong doing, oh he would pay dearly.
Sue was busy at work on the I.D.M. while Reed watched Annihilus' vessel pursue the Fantasticar. His cheeks turned a bright pink at the reminder of Ben and Johnny's teasing. He turned around to gaze upon Susan, her face expressed the frustration he could practically sense from her. His hand slide down his side automatically, he looked down at his uniform wishing he had pockets to shove his hands in. "How's its going?" Reed said blandly. Sue looked up at her ex-boyfriend with a rueful smile, she could only shrug her shoulders.
"I've managed to reattach the crystal in the machine, now all that's left is replacing the wires," Sue answered. Her hand grasped the crest that belonged to Reed. Reed nodded his head understandingly, his gaze shifted skyward. Sue stared at his profile for a moment, trying to ignore the fact his arm was practically like that of a ghost. As she slowly removed her attention from Reed something caught her eye, her mouth fell agape. "Reed look out!" She screamed, raising her hand.
Reed reacted too late, Negative-Reed had caught him by surprise. Sue grunted in pain when he pushed against her shield, her shoulder burned like a fire had been set upon it. "Sue!" She barely heard Reed calling her name, her mind fogged with the familiar stages of unconsciousness. Negative-Reed could feel his fingers bending right through the Invisible Woman's defensive shield, his teeth shifted against each other in anticipation. "I-I can't hold this much longer . . .!" Susan cried, her arms beginning to tremble. Negative-Reed thrust his arms forward breaking Sue's shield, the woman was thrown back from the sheer force of the dissipating power. Her head hit the ground hard.
"Sue-!" Reed was bombarded by his double like a tackle dummy. They went rolling over the edge of the meteor and plummeted fast toward the darkness below. Reed fought to reclaim the breath he was robbed off, N-Reed's arms wrapped around his counterpart and began to squeeze. Reed's narrowed gaze locked onto N-Reed's crazed pale brown eyes. There was no point in trying to reason with this person - he was completely beyond that point now. Reed struggled to wriggle out of N-Reed grasp which was steadily growing tighter. "How hard do you think I'll have to squeeze to see your eyes bulge out of your skull?" He cackled. Reed cringed at the sound that came out of his counterpart's mouth, he kneed the man in the stomach.
N-Reed flinched enough for the scientist to attack again; This time he head-butted the man which promptly caused the villain to release him. Reed shoved away from N-Reed, he stretched his usable arm toward the meteor which was almost a mere speck in his sights. Please, allow me to assist you. . . . Reed II's voice caught the man off guard. "How are you going to do that?" Reed inquired as calmly as he could.
It's a simple matter really. Retract your arm please. . . Reed did as he was told, his arm returned its normal shape. The rate of his decent began to slow increasingly until he was simply hovering in mid air, Reed looked around him for the source of support but found none. Suddenly he found himself flying up toward the meteor. Reed let out a mild cry of surprise as he body maneuvered itself through the air and landed feet first on the meteor. When his limbs relaxed he could sense the feeling them returning steadily. Sue rushed over to the awed Mr. Fantastic. "Reed, did I see you flying just now?" She asked.
Reed himself wasn't sure if he had done it, actually flew from the depths of certain doom. I highly doubt your counterpart is gone, I suggest you make haste and repair your machine. For both our sakes, Reed II mused. Reed nodded his head then turned to Sue. The Invisible woman stared expectantly at the man. "Reed, I'm no good with mechanics. I can't fix this," Sue blurted. Reed begged to differ. "That's not true Sue. I can't touch that thing without getting electrocuted. Your going to have to fix the I.D.M., otherwise we'll be stuck here," Reed answered. Sue did not like the answer she received, however, she did not have time further press the subject. A metallic arm came out beneath her threatening to grab her.
Reed snatched the hand away from Susan's neck, its forearm trapped in his grip. N-Reed came up from below the meteor preparing to attack. Reed found himself jumping from Sue's side right at N-Reed, he (or in this case Reed II) attacked furiously at his other self. N-Reed ducked every attack with ease, he was surprised to see such resistance from the scientist. "Sue, fix the I.D.M., I'll handle him!" Reed cried out. Sue nodded reluctantly running back over the machine. N-Reed made a move to dodge his other arm when it passed right through him, Reed paused in mild shock. N-Reed punched the man hard in the chin.
Reed faltered as he tried to regain his balance, N-Reed attacked him with a bolt of electricity. Reed watched his arms raise over his head creating a force field. The electricity harmlessly washed over of the field. He was seriously beginning to feel like a puppet.
N-Reed came at him again with his arms, they wrapped themselves around his face smothering him. "Your not match for me, give up Richards," N-Reed laughed. Reed was in such a blind panic to get the man's arms off his face that he didn't realize that the burning in his lungs was non-existent. With a burst of telekinetic energy, Reed easily removed his counterpart's arms from his face. He charged N-Reed again. N-Reed made no move to evade the charging man, focusing his gaze on the demi-hero he raised his hands and made them into fists.
Half way to his destination Reed felt his muscles contract with pain, his joints locked in place. He ceased moving completely. "Damn . . .," He hissed through his teeth. Negative-Reed was pleased with the result of his mental strength, he released another bolt of electricity on the defenseless scientist. Reed clenched his teeth preparing for the blow to come, but it never hit him. He cracked opened his brown eyes which shifted to Sue.
Her hand was outstretched toward him, her face twisted with pain, blood running from her nose. Negative-Reed did not bother to attack the Invisible woman this time, he charged full force at the shield and destroyed it. Sue recoiled from the violent sensation that throbbed through her head, she left out a brief sigh of relief upon noticing Reed moving again. However, the reprieve of hope was broken when N-Reed coiled with his counterpart. Reed cried out as he was swung about in a circle by his collar.
With one final swing N-Reed sent Reed flying through the so-called air, Reed felt his body flip itself into an upright position and halting as though he feet had been dragged across concrete. Reed II was controlling him again. "Reed. Give me a heads up when your going to do that!" He snapped. You'll forgive me if I'm a bit brash to take control. . . Reed II answered bluntly. Reed yelped as he lurched forward.
N-Reed threw a punch, Reed ducked it all the while grinning like a mischievous child. Grabbing a hold of N-Reed's ankle he spun in a circular motion and flung N-Reed around like rag doll. Reed tossed his counterpart toward a meteor, he let out a gasp when the feeling in his limbs returned. N-Reed's body collided with the meteor creating a nicely sized creator on the surface. N-Reed felt himself sinking into unconsciousness as his body slouched out of the mold it created. The black blotches in his vision began to dominate his sight.
N-Reed fell forward and plummeted into the darkness of the world below. Reed was feeling far too nauseous to be impressed by his (or Reed II's) handiwork. He allowed Reed II to take control of him once more and the fly him back to the meteor where Sue was. "Reed," Susan cried, her voice full of relief. "I'm not sure how I did it, but I figured out how to make this thing work again." Reed landed in front of the I.D.M. with a thud, he dropped to his knees heaving. Sue was at his side her hands upon his shoulders.
Reed took a moment to gather what little pride he had left in him, he shook his head quickly as if trying to convince himself that he was fine. "I'm okay, I'm okay," He uttered repeatedly. "How'd you fix it?" He inquired finally. Sue threw the hair out of her face in an almost proud way. "It turns out you were right about the crystal. The moment I connected the wires of your communicator the thing started up again," Sue explained rather quickly. Reed only half-listened to her, the joints in his fingers stiffened as they tried to ball into fists, he made a choking noise that caught the attention of Sue. "Reed, are you all right?" She asked worriedly. Reed opened his mouth to answer but no sound came out, he felt his arms bend under his weight and his face grew close to the ground.
His chest burned horribly. "What's wrong!" Sue cried. I believe the term would be "I've been off more than I could chew" Dr. Storm. Reed II's voice resounded, genuinely strained. Sue stood up abruptly angered by the 'young man''s demeanor. "You shut up, what have you done to Reed?" She sneered. Reed glanced up at his ex-girlfriend perplexed and indignant at the same time. I overtaxed his deteriorating body, myself as well. This is a simple after affect of my strength used through this vessel. Sue glared angrily into space as though Reed II would suddenly appear.
Reed pushed himself up off the ground so that he was sitting on his bottom. "Don't be so hard on him. Technically Reed is still a child. He doesn't know any better," Reed wheezed. Sue folded her arms across her chest in defiance. I resent such labeling, Reed II would've growled if he could Reed rolled his eyes, a spike of pain rushed through his head.
"Sue, just hit the switch," Reed groaned. Susan had half a mind to tell him 'no, switch the damn thing on yourself'. However, given their situation she knew better than to let her personal feelings conflict with her better judgement. Kneeling down on one knee she reached over the I.D.M. and flipped the switch to 'on'. The machine came to life illuminated by a bright neon blue, Reed climbed onto his feet afraid history would repeat itself. Sue stepped back with him when sparks of energy started to burst from the antenna.
The darkness of space was suddenly illuminated by a dazzling spectrum of colors, Reed cringed at the memory of seeing such a sight before he blacked out. Sue cried out as the ground began to sink underneath them. Reed stumbled trying to keep his footing on the rapidly deforming meteor, he looked about his surroundings desperately. "Reed . . .," Sue's voice was unsteady. Reed did not waste his breath on words or thoughts, he grabbed Susan's wrist and found himself soaring through space the next.
Sue tried to keep herself composed as she tired to keep her grip on Reed's wrist. In an instant the meteor was swallowed in a vacuum that formed in the center of the once sturdy structure. "Where are Johnny and Ben!" She cried. "Try to contact them," Reed answered calmly. Sue nodded her head; That wouldn't be too difficult, she still had her communicator. She pressed her hand against the '4' symbol on her chest and shouted as loud as she could.
"Johnny! Ben? Where are you guy-!" Sue let out a screech of surprise when they were thrown into a spin from the shock-wave from the I.D.M. dispersing its energy. Sue or Reed barely had time to compose themselves when their bodies crashed against a hard surface. Sue kept a firm grip on Reed as she tried to turn herself upright.
She let out another cry of surprise at the sight of the prehistoric-like creature coming a them. "Hang on," She heard Reed say. Sue pushed herself forward and grabbed a hold of Reed's waist, hoping she wouldn't phase through him. When the creature was close enough Reed pushed off against the bone of its wing and they went hurtling away from danger.
Ben peered into the overhead mirror watching the two bodies continue to spiral out of control into the deep reaches of N-Zone space. "Uh, matchsticks, I think we hit Reed and Sue," Ben grumbled. Johnny looked down at the tracking monitor; The two familiar blue dots falling off the screen were indeed Reed and Sue. "So we did," Johnny answered indifferently, turning the Fantasticar around. The duo ignored the howl that emitted from the monster that threatened to swat the Fantasticar out of space with its wings as it flew by. Ben gripped the armrests of his chair sending a weary look in Johnny's direction. The hot-shot pilot ignored him and throttled forward at top speed. In spite of its horrible name, the Fantasticar was a amazing machine. "Johnny, this is Reed. Could you give us a lift?" Their leader's voice resounded in cabin. "Sure thing Reed.
We're on the way," Johnny answered. The Fantasticar was quick to reach the area Sue and Reed were currently drifting through. Johnny unlocked the doors and let the two inside. Johnny took a look behind him to examine the physical status of his teammates; Sue seemed fine in all honesty, besides the bruises she sustained and the injured shoulder.
Reed looked the worse out of the two; His body, which probably sustained its share of cuts and bruises, was still vanishing from sight, his skin was an unnatural shade of pale, and his uniform was nearly nattered from all that he went through. The duo pulled themselves up onto the back chair with heavy sighs, Johnny turned around before Reed could lock gazes with him. "Johnny do you see an energy anomaly on the tracing device anywhere?" Reed grunted.
Johnny stared down at the screen. Small tendrils of blue light could be seen blinking on and off in the right hand corner of the screen. "Yeah, why?" Johnny decided to inquire. Reed grinned weakly closing his eyes. "That's our ticket out of here. The shockwave should send us back to Earth and Reed back to his respective world. Assuming the I.D.M. recognizes my energy signature," The scientist responded. Johnny looked impressed by what the older man said to him to say the least.
"Really, it can do that? Just by reading your energy signature it'll send, you -and us?- and the kid (wherever he is) back to our respective homes? What about the other Reed?" Johnny said. Reed sighed in mild annoyance. "It should work with him too if he's in range of the I.D.M.," Reed mumbled. Assuming he's not dead. He leaned forward to elevate some of the pain he felt in his back and shoulder that had been hit by Annihilus. "Again, assuming the crystal isn't too deteriorated in its current state, the I.D.M. should be able to read our energy signatures pretty well. Not just mine," Reed replied with less enthusiasm.
Johnny opened his mouth to respond but caught a glimpse of Annihilus' organic ship. Gripping the steering wheel he turned the Fantasticar around. "Hang on, this is gonna be rough," He said mostly to himself. "Sue think you can shield us from that thing incase it gets too friendly?" Sue extended her arms in front of her, opening the palms of her hands she focused her energy on creating a shield. A small breeze began to circulate in the cabin of the flying-machine, Sue's shield got as wide as the space between her hands then disappeared. Sue tried again, the end result was the same. She threw her hands up in frustration. "No. My powers aren't cooperating," Sue snarled. Johnny nodded his head without bothering to turn it.
"Great. Now we're gonna end being' chowder for the freak-bird," Ben huffed. Johnny grinned wickedly as the Fantasticar picked up speed. Reed clenched his teeth as they rocketed past Annihilus' vessel. For a moment he swore he could've seen the humanoid's eyes meet his own. I would suggest rest, Reed. I'll try my best to keep you from getting any worse than you are now. Reed II came out of his remission causing Reed to grab his head.
It hurt a lot worse than it did when he spoke. Reed felt his head lower and his chin rest on his chest. He was asleep in mere seconds. The Fantasticar moved as fast as it could, even at full speed they didn't seem to be putting distance between themselves and the creature. No such luck was granted to them. Johnny periodically glanced down at the screen to see if they were still on track.
Flying through an asteroid belt didn't even seem to slow the creature which had seemingly become more berserk the longer their chase went on. "Does this thing ever give up?" Sue wondered. Neither male answered her question, their attention was focused on various things at the moment. The Fantasticar continued to maneuver its way in and out of the asteroids, Annihilus' vessel had a hard time keeping up the pace for its massive size made it extremely difficult to dodge any sort of obstacle. Once they left the asteroid belt Johnny stared down the tracking screen again; They weren't too far from their destination.
The Fantasticar suddenly lurched to a stop throwing its passengers forward. Johnny held onto the steering wheel trying to keep his head from colliding with the wheel by pushing himself against the chair. Ben literally went through the dashboard of the car sending a flurry of sparks everywhere. Sue was thrown from her seat along with Reed who was brought out of his slumber, Sue ended up being squashed by his body weight.
"Ugh! Get off of me Reed," She shouted. Reed stood up quickly looking about the back of the car; Above him he noticed there several teeth sticking through the roof. "Oh man, we're in serous trouble!" Johnny cried. Reed came up to the front, unconsciously he grabbed Ben's shoulder and pulled him out of the dashboard. Ben stirred slightly but it was obvious to anyone that he was senseless at that time. The dashboard was completely destroyed on Ben's side, it didn't take him to long to realize that there were going to be problems with controls.
"Johnny, get us out of here!" Reed yelled. "I'm trying Reed, that freak's got us in a bind!" Reed opened his mouth to say more, however, Sue's scream and smell of burning metal stopped him. He turned in time to see a piece of the roof give way and Annihilus fall through. Reed had no time to react, he was thrown against Ben's chair in an instant. Annihilus' was on top of him and attempting to crush his throat. Sue jumped on Annihilus' back trying to pull him off her ex-boyfriend, the self-proclaimed master of the N-Zone turned his attention away from Reed.
He grabbed the woman by the neck, Sue beat fiercely against his arm trying as she was lifted off the ground. She legs kicked wildly in the air, trying to find a target to hit. "Peon, what chance do you think you have against me?" He barked. Sue clamped her eyes shut focusing all her energy on her powers. Annihilus' grip on her throat was getting stronger, breathing was becoming her main priority.
As Annihilus could feel his fingernails touching against each other the hair upon his back stood up. "What?" His grip on Sue's neck was released, the woman dropped to the ground coughing. Annihilus growled in contempt as he felt his body turn against his will, his eyes narrowed as stared into the whites of Reed Richard's eyes. "Release me!" He bellowed through his teeth. Reed didn't seem to hear him at first, he stared down at the coughing Sue Storm for a while then focused his attention back on Annihilus. With a flick of his wrist Annihilus was sent up into air and flat against the roof of the Fantasticar, spread eagle.
Sue gazed up at him in astonishment, when had he gained this kind of power? "Relax, I'll take things from here," Was all he said to her. Turning on his heel Reed raised his arms overhead, Johnny yelped in surprise as the Fantasticar - no, the Fantasticar and the alien bird-freak began to move forward. "Whoa, what happened?" Ben said weakly, finally awake from his unconscious state.
He peered over his shoulder to find Reed unmoving from his position, his arms above his head and his brown eyes missing from sight. "My guess is that kid's controlling him," Johnny offered. "Right? Which Reed am I speaking to?" You are correct in your assumption. I am controlling Reed's body. Johnny looked to Ben who just shook his head. That didn't answer his question at all. Sue climbed off the ground and made herself comfortable on the chair behind her, she paid no attention to the strained grunting from Annihilus above her.
She simply glared at the back of her ex. The two vessels continued to pick up speed the closer they got to their destination, while their progress was good, however, the large output of energy Reed II was using was becoming a strain on his connection to Reed's body. Finally their destination was reached, below them resided the I.D.M.
"What do we now?" Johnny said. Reed shrugged his shoulders. "We hope this idea of Reed's works," Reed II answered. The three teammates did not feel reassured by these words at all. Reed II piloted the large creature upward for a while then drove into a nose dive. Sue gripped the back of the chair for dear life as they came toward the shockwaves.
"We're gonna die!" Johnny and Ben cried in unison as they collided with the shockwaves. Johnny and Ben were pressed against their chairs, Sue was thrown behind the chair and up against the back window of the Fantasticar, Reed was knocked off his feet. The only thing that kept him from being thrown forward and against the windshield were his feet which were placed against the backs of Johnny and Ben's chairs.
Reed's brown eyes reappeared, he looked around him bewildered. How did they end up like this? He wasn't even given the proper time to find out what had happened during his absence, a wave of pain assaulted his arm. He hunched over surprised. Reed stared down at his arm. He couldn't see it. Reed let out a soundless gasp. An electrical surge struck his body, he let out a cry of pain. The spectrum of colors he had seem before filled his vision, before he finally fell unconscious.
(TBC)
Next: VII: Corynorhinus (Finale)