Welcome back True Believers! So good to see you back to join us in another chapter of everybody's favorite Web-slinger alongside the Fantastic Family or should I say, their children?
Last we saw them, the new Frightful Four (Wizard, Yellowjacket, Mister Hyde and Diablo) made their move by hijacking the Forever Gate, sending them, alongside Johnny's ex-girlfriend/soulmate Sky and even themselves through the cosmos as they all vanished through the Gate, leaving Spidey, Lockheed, the Future Foundation and Ben Grimm's adopted children in a state of shock, so now it's time to find a way to bring back the family and fix this mess
Now, before we go to our story, let's check the reviews!
UnknownPlay123: I understand how frustrating it can get when I take too long. I hope you enjoy this new chapter
Wilcard Sparda: They could contact Iceman, but if then again, Bobby would be annoyed if he has to be constantly freezing him until a more permanent solution is found
Timeless Writer: Well, one things for sure: Sky and Johnny will have their confrontation... and it won't end nice for either of them, and as for the Webhead requiring assistance, you're about to see who will join him on that front
young justice 17: Thanks for the support! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Ka1zen: Like I said to Timeless Writer, it won't end up well once the rescue group reaches them (by them, I mean Sky and Johnny)
alphaknight99: Agradezco mucho el apoyo en verdad, Ojalá alguien les de ese chance aunque honestamente lo veo complicado XD Y aunque me halaga mucho lo de que tal vez Marvel debería darme empleo, sé que sería algo imposible, pero me conformo con que existan fans que aprecien el trabajo que hago por acá.
OK, with that said, let's move along!
Enjoy the reading!
SPIDER-FOUR: THROUGH THE FOREVER GATE
Chapter 4: Spider-Man and the All-New, All-Different Fantastic Four
"Oh my God… What happened here?" The concern in Spider-Man's voice pales in comparison to the scene he is witnessing: The laboratory being wrecked and the family's children starting to regain their consciousness. Peter rushes to help Franklin and Valeria while Alicia tries to help her adopted children.
"It was the Wizard" Valeria replies as she looks at the damage "Where's Mom? Dad?" she calls for her parents as she approaches the Forever Gate's control panel.
"Ben?" Alicia tries to call for her husband.
"Uncle Johnny? Sky?" Franklin calls for the rest of the missing people while the rest of the Future Foundation crew helps Alicia with her children.
"Alicia? Are you OK?" N'Kalla asks her adoptive mother while she stands up.
"Whoever they were, they must be found and are given the cruelest of punishments!" Jo-Venn exclaims with anger in his voice.
"Can somebody give me a recap of what I've just missed?" Peter asks while he looks around and right then he notices a certain dragon approaching the premises "Lockheed? Didn't I tell you to go back to the apartment?" he complains as his girlfriend's longtime companion arrives.
"Rrrawrr" Lockheed growls at him while he flies around.
"The Forever Gate's controls weren't damaged but it may take a while to not only reestablish the connection, but also to figure out where did everyone go" Alex Power explains while Franklin and Valeria assist hm.
"You said that the Wizard did this, right?" Peter asks as he tries to figure out the scenario "I doubt he made all of this on his own" he comments while he searches for clues.
"Because he didn't" Jo-Venn intervenes "One of them was a man with a funny accent and strange magic enchantments"
"And another one was a burly man with a grey skin and messy hair, but a mean attitude" N'Kalla adds to her brother's words.
"By those descriptions, those were Diablo and Hyde" Peter comments as he ponders about why they attacked "Meaning that Wizard made a new Frightful Four" he notices the pattern "So who was the fourth member?"
"It was a man in black and yellow armor, but he could disappear instantly" Bentley comments "He was the first one I caught"
"Disappear?" Peter asks but then he begins to connect the dots "Black and Yellow, instantly disappears, teleporter? No…" he then makes a realization "Pym Particles! It was Yellowjacket!"
"Yellowjacket? Wasn't that one of Doctor Pym's aliases?" Julie Power asks him.
"Yeah, but then this crazy corporate honcho called Darren Cross stole one of Pym's armors and took over the name, it was some weird thing going on in Miami" Peter replies with a very abridged version of how Darren Cross became the current Yellowjacket.
"Alright, the Forever Gate is fully operational again" Alex Power comments after having reactivated the Gate.
"Now we'll have to check the logs to discover where did everyone go" Valeria comments as she begins to check the records.
"But how did the Wizard learn to operate the Gate?" Alicia poses the question, prompting the Richards siblings to look at each other.
"That's a good question" Franklin comments "We're the only ones allowed to operate it, I mean, us and the Foundation" he comments as he looks at the Power siblings "But then, I noticed that the Wizard was protective of Bentley"
"Because he insist on taking custody and shape me into becoming his successor" Bentley replies visibly annoyed "It's like he wants me to look at things the same way that… wait…" right then he realizes something "Oh crap… Guys? Can you make a quick brain scan of my head?" he poses the question with concern in his voice.
"Now is the time for something like that Bentley" Valeria replies with indifference.
"Please! It could be the key to what went down!" Bentley's voice shows urgency, prompting Franklin to sigh and summon H.E.R.B.I.E.
"H.E.R.B.I.E. please perform a full brain scan for intruding mind waves, hidden devices and potential psyquic tampering" Franklin gives the command to the robot who begins to perform the scan on Bentley, beeping once the process ends as it floats away.
"I detected a microscopic neuro-synchronizer lodged within Bentley's brain" H.E.R.B.I.E. reveals the diagnosis, prompting the children, as well as Peter and the FF members to approach Bentley.
"A Neuro-Synchronizer? You mean that Bentley had something that allows someone else to enter his brain?" Peter poses the question.
"Wait, what if this acts as a remote-viewer?" Franklin throws another question, prompting Valeria to take notice of that while Bentley shows deeper concern because it confirms one suspicion.
"Oh God…" Bentley slowly begins to realize what happened "Wizard was spying on me… he is looking through my eyes"
"Looking through your eyes?" Peter asks him, but that revelation prompts Valeria to face him.
"Bentley, did you use the Forever Gate?" Valeria throws the important question, and Bentley's facial expression of shame and embarrassment just confirms the theory "Of course you did! And because of that, the Wizard gained knowledge of how to use it!" she angrily exclaims, prompting Franklin to grab him by the collar of his jacket.
"Why did you do that!? Now it's your fault that our parents are lost!" Franklin angrily confronts Bentley, prompting Peter to intervene and separate them.
"Kids! Kids! Enough!" Peter exclaims as he interferes and breaks the two teenagers "This won't help fix of the problem, so we must focus our efforts on finding them, especially because with Reed, Sue and Ben gone, I'm gonna have to be the 'Responsible Adult' in the room" he then quickly looks at Alicia "No offense Alicia, I mean, I wasn't trying to ignore you, you know"
"None taken" Alicia Grimm gently replies.
"Val, Julie and I will work on the Forever Gate data" Alex intervenes "As soon as we have news, we'll let you know" he adds with a calm yet serious tone, to which Peter and Franklin nod in response.
"Very well, keep us posted and we'll work on bringing them back" Peter replies as everyone begins to leave the laboratory, allowing the Power siblings and Valeria to focus on their work to find out where have they gone and how can they bring them back "As for you" he then looks at Lockheed "I know you hate me to the point of disobeying me because Kitty's still away with her friends but once she returns, the three of us are gonna have a conversation" he talks with a stern tone yet the dragon only puffs a cloud of smoke at him.
"Looks like you're dealing with a grumpy teenager, Spidey" Alicia quips at him while Peter only sighs in response.
AFTER A FEW HOURS
As time went by, Alex, Julie and Valeria were hard at work checking every data collected during the incident while the rest were waiting and trying to distract their minds with something else. Alicia decided to finish a couple of new sculptures of her children while Lockheed plays with them; Bentley decided to check the results H.E.R.B.I.E. gave him to find out how long has the Wizard manipulated him and if he indeed was able to 'see' every action he made through his eyes; Franklin was checking the surveillance data, trying to learn how they managed to fight them and figure out how can he strike back at them, especially at the Wizard, being the mastermind of the assault.
As for Spidey, he had his mind focused on reading Dr. Rachna Koul's notes about the 'Godpower' Theory, hoping to find the answer to Franklin's problem and also to Johnny's, taking every detail he can into consideration.
"Doctor Koul's notes are really well taken, yet I find hard to believe that she hasn't managed to find solid proof" Peter ponders as he reads the notes "The family has an actual connection to each other, and it's not even crazy to think that the Spider-themed heroes have their connection through the web, but then… what's Frankie's connection?" his thoughts go deep, trying to dig into Franklin's powers and how they are used, remembering through Reed's notes that Franklin was one of the key components for the rebuilding of the Multiverse following Doom's Battleworld. However, a beep in the room alerts him that the Future Foundation members have managed to resolve the situation about the Forever Gate.
"Spider-Man, we require your presence at the Forever Gate, please" the voice of Alex Power is heard through the in-house speakers.
"Oh well, seems like the principal's calling me" Peter jokes while he puts the notes aside and heads to the laboratory where the Power siblings were already preparing the Forever Gate "Hi there kids!" he quips as he arrives, to which Julie raises an eyebrow.
"You know? We're legally old enough to vote" Julie replies at him, which surprises him a bit.
"Whoa, I was joking" Peter replies with an apologetic tone "I know that you both have grown up, and to think you guys used to hang around with Frankie, so eagerly to be superheroes and now you are both that and scientific explorers, way beyond from those rainbow colored kids" he comments with a gentle tone, to which Julie sighs in response.
"Sorry Spidey, this whole attack put me in a bad mood" Julie replies, apologizing to him.
"And we do appreciate the compliment Spidey" Alex adds to his sister's words.
"It's alright, now, you guys managed to find a solution?" Peter asks them, prompting Alex and Julie to show the results on the screen.
"As we figured out, we found four different coordinates to which everyone has been transported" Alex explains as four different 'light streaks' are being shown on the screen.
"Of course, we managed to separate the signature of the Fantastic Four thanks to the markers embedded on their suits" Julie adds to the explanation by showing four mini projections with each member of the Fantastic Four assigned to each light streak.
"And we got a fifth one, which we assume is the bird lady who arrived here and tried to help?" Alex explains showing the image of Sky.
"Yeah, that's Johnny's ex, she came to help and ended up in the kerfuffle" Peter comments "And what about the Frightful Four? You got their location?"
"We separated the intruding signatures but they also took part of each trajectory" Julie replies and then looks at Peter "The good news is that we managed to repair and damage and we'll be able to send a search-and-rescue party to find and retrieve them"
"Well, I take that by that it'll be me and you guys, I mean, I even dressed the part" Peter jokes as he flaunts hi black-and-blue costume.
"Actually, we'll be monitoring the situation over here Web-head" Alex replies, scratching the back of his head.
"Then who's joining me?" Peter asks them with a quizzical look on his lenses.
"We'll be joining you" Valeria's voice is heard as she enters the laboratory alongside her brother, both now wearing their Fantastic Four uniforms with the 4 insignia on their chests.
"We're going to get our parents back" Franklin adds to his sister's words with determination in his voice.
"Well, there's no stopping you" Peter jokingly comments at them as they approach the gate.
"We are coming as well!" the voice of N'Kalla is heard, walking alongside Jo-Venn and Lockheed floating above them "Father may be in danger and we shall join you in our endeavor"
"Wait, does Alicia know that you're joining us?" Valeria asks them but Jo-Venn steps in to intervene.
"She is being reassured by H.E.R.B.I.E. that we'll be under the care of the dragon" Jo-Venn replies as he points at Lockheed.
"Odd, because this Dragon should be going home to wait for her companion and let her know that her partner will be joining her later" Peter faces Lockheed, who puffs a cloud of smoke at his face "Oh Come On!" he complains as he shakes his hands to wipe off the smoke.
"The dragon will accompany us, Mister Spider" Jo-Venn comments while Franklin and Valeria look at each other.
"Well, this was bound to happen one way or another" Valeria comments while Franklin nods and then they both head to a different section of the laboratory.
"What are you talking about?" Peter asks out of curiosity, a sentiment that is shared by the Power siblings as Valeria activates a panel on the wall.
"Ever since the end of the Cotati Invasion and taking into account how both Jo and Nikki helped us around, we knew that one day they would join us on a regular basis" Valeria begins to explain as a secret drawer pops out of the wall revealing two new Fantastic Four uniforms, but the difference is that while they both are mostly black, one has silver and green details while the other has purple and green details, the traditional colors of both the Kree and Skrulls.
"So we prepared for that eventual day by having two new Fantastic Four uniforms for both of them" Franklin comments as he takes the uniforms and hand them over to his adoptive cousins "Just like ours, they're made out of unstable molecules that adapt to your genetic structure, or in Nikki's case, her shape-shifting abilities" he adds while the Grimm children take their new uniforms and head to the back for a quick change.
"Alright, OK, so then the search-and rescue party will be us five?" Peter asks, to which the Richards children both nod in response.
"We're ready to go!" N'Kalla exclaims, now fully decked in her new uniform.
"Let this new mission begin!" Jo-Venn also exclaims as he walks alongside his sister towards the group. The five heroes walk to the Forever Gate's platform while Alex activates the portal and Julie sets the coordinates.
"Well… since technically most of us ain't Future Foundation, let this be the Inaugural journey of the 'Brand New Fantastic Five'!" Peter comments but then notices that no one around him reacts to his proclamation.
"Well, we were thinking that we should go more into the lines of the 'All-New, All-Different Fantastic Four' and Spider-Man" Valeria comments, to which the Grimm children nod in approval.
"I like that name!" N'Kalla chirps in.
"It sounds like a Legacy" Jo-Venn adds to his sister's comment.
"Am I the only one who thinks it's more like a mouthful?" Peter looks at the children "I mean, 'All-New and All-Different is a bit long and kinda kills the, aw screw it, who am I kidding? It does have a ring to it" he eventually resigns and allows them to keep the moniker "Onto the adventure we go!" he then exclaims while the portal opens and the group of heroes walk through it, with Spider-Man taking the lead, Franklin and Valeria following him and then Jo-Venn and N'Kalla right behind while Lockheed flies above them, but just as they walk through the Gate, Bentley rushes into the laboratory and runs through the place as he heads to the platform.
"Wait! I'm going with you!" Bentley exclaims to the surprise of his Future Foundation crewmates who try to stop him from running but he manages to reach the Gate and jumps through the portal just as it closes.
"Bentley! What the Hell!?" Julie exclaims as she returns to the control panel to check if his sudden appearance affects the travelling "Seems that things remain checked and balanced"
"Why would he do that after learning that it was because of him that we're in this situation in the first place?" Alex poses the question.
"Why do you think!?" Julie replies with a mix of sarcasm and frustration "It's because of that crush he harbors on Valeria !" she reveals Bentley's crush on Valeria, which surprises the elder sibling.
"He's crushing on Val?" Alex asks, sounding truly surprised but then changes to a concerned tone "Well, I doubt she'll ever return his feelings after this one" he comments as he joins his sister into the work, hoping that the improvised crew reaches their first destination and bring back the family before any further damage is done.
Alright everyone. First of all, I won't fill this with more of my excuses for the long delays (which seem to be taking longer, sadly). I hope that after this one I still keep fans and followers because while I appreciate the support, I can understand how frustrating it can be to wait too long for a new chapter and the longer the delay, the faster the reader loses interest, so if I still have my faithful followers in spite of my constant delays, I thank you from my heart and I hope to keep earning that trust and that support.
Second, I wish you all Happy (belated) Holidays and a Happy New Year! May 2022 be the year for great things for everyone. On the Marvel side of things, I've been following the Beyond storyline and it has been an interesting read, but I'm just waiting for Peter to make his comeback. And for those wondering, I won't explore the Beyond storyline here. In spite of how much the continuity has moved on, I still have the point set for the upcoming stories as well.
As for this story, it was a kinda short chapter but the point was delivered: With the family and Sky gone, it's up to Peter and the children to march into the unknown and rescue them as the "All-New, All-Different Fantastic Four"! And next chapter marks the first stop into a familiar ground for the children. Stay tuned for that one!
NEXT CHAPTER: BEN GRIMM AGAINST MISTER HYDE TO THE DEATH!?
