And we're back folks! Our family adventure featuring Spidey and the now officially introduced "All-New, All-Different Fantastic Four" goes on as the improvised team (with Lockheed and Bentley-25 now in tow) is jumping through the Forever Gate in search of their family. Which will be their first stop? Let's just say that it'll be a familiar one for those who followed the current run.
Now, before we go to our story, let's check the reviews!
Epiphany: I'm very glad you're enjoying the story, and yeah, they might have their issues but who knows? Maybe this adventure will finally be the one where they bond! Stay tuned for that development!
Cornholio4: Peter has to be the "Responsible Adult" in this one, good thing that at least Franklin listens to him
Timeless Writer: I hope you enjoy their adventures over here. I still have to work on the overall dynamic, but I hope to make this new iteration work, and yes the Beyond storyline is finally ending, it had its up and downs but I still find unfair that they have to screw up Ben once again (more reasons to ignore that storyline in my Alt-616 Universe), and yes, No Way Home was awesome in every sense of the word (a bit baffled by the amount of fanfics based around it though LOL!)
Wilcard Sparda: Now that you mention it, it kinda is, he must be like "This is Randy must've felt every time we left him alone with Gog". Peter is back thankfully (loved his comeback saving Felicia in the nick of time) so now we'll wait for the end
alphaknight99: Soy un tanto realista, ¿Quién no quisiera escribir para Marvel? Algunos escritores empezaron haciendo fanfics y sería un sueño pero hay muchas variables de por medio (y ni hablar de cómo dicen que muchos escritores deben hacer mandatos editoriales), pero bien lo dicen "Escribimos las historias que nos gustarían leer" y no hay mejor plataforma para ello que sitios como este
Ka1zen: Believe it or not, everyone has a source for their powers, including Franklin. Will Peter figure it out? Stay tuned to find out! (And I know you left me a message; give me time because it deserves an extended reply)
young justice 17: Glad you liked it!
Sergio Kirelli: I was considering a "New Uncanny Avengers" team with them, even using the Sinister War storyline to work it out, but due to my constant delays that made the continuity take a different road, I decided to scrap that plan. I'm considering a One-Shot to deal with the Sinister War/Kindred aftermath but that one might come a bit later (maybe during the next story featuring Ben and Angelica). As for your second idea, that's something in the works but there's a long road ahead before that.
OK, with that said, let's move along!
Enjoy the reading!
SPIDER-FOUR: THROUGH THE FOREVER GATE
Chapter 5: Pulling Out a Thing or Two
The flash of light opens in what is revealed to be a vegetal area with trees, vines and several bushes on the surroundings, right then the portal enlarges and the group of heroes walks out of it, with Spider-Man leading the way followed by the Richards children, then Lockheed and the Grimm children.
"Well, either we landed in the Amazon Jungle or we made it into a Jungle-themed planet or dimension or something" Peter quips as he looks around "Nowhere to swing around… man, I hate to be stuck in jungles" he mumbles in a very low tone of voice while the children walk away but right then a quick flash pops out, revealing the arrival of Bentley-25 into the scene "What the?"
"Bentley!?" Valeria quickly exclaims in annoyance while Franklin glares at him.
"What are you doing here!?" Franklin angrily asks him "It's your fault we're in this predicament in the first place!"
"Franklin! Calm down!" Peter once again intervenes to avoid a fight between them "I get that you're angry but lashing out won't fix the problem" then he turns to look at Bentley "Why did you wanted to come over here kid, shouldn't you be helping the Future Foundation?" he asks him.
"I'd rather help you" Bentley replies as he tries to calm down "I know I messed up, and I found out that the Wizard was spying us using a neural link, meaning that he could see through my eyes" he then looks at Valeria "I know that I messed up by using the Forever Gate when I'm not allowed to, but I want to atone for it and help you out"
"He seems sincere" N'Kalla intervenes in favor of Bentley, to which her brother nods in agreement.
"I concur, our father would've approved" Jo-Venn adds to his sister's words.
"Very well, we'll be keeping an eye on you, kid" Peter replies, much to the chagrin of Franklin and Valeria, although they are annoyed by different reasons "Now, do we know where exactly are we?" he poses the question, prompting Valeria to check her device.
"Well, our systems are a bit wonky but there's been a few other records of the Gate being used on this dimension" Valeria explains and then looks at Spidey "We should split and search for Uncle Ben, might as well get better luck in such a spread ground" then she looks at her cousins "I'll go with Jo and Nikki, I've just activated our communicators, we'll keep it open to make sure we can reach each other in case any of us find him first, good luck and let's hope they don't beat up each other first" she gestures pointing at both Franklin and Bentley as she turns and begins to walk away with Jo-Venn and N'Kalla following her.
"W-W-Wait, Val?" Peter barely had a chance to reply while Franklin facepalms and Bentley sighs in frustration "So, you're staying with us?" he asks Lockheed, who puffs a cloud of smoke to his face and then flies away to follow Valeria "He doesn't hate you sweetie, he's just very protective" he recalls his girlfriend's response about Lockheed's behavior towards him and then turns to look at Franklin and Bentley "Alright, Frankie, to my left, you Wizard Kid, to my right, let's march front ahead and see what we can find"
"Wizard Kid?" Bentley asks him with a tone full of disdain.
"Would you rather be called Wizard Junior?" Peter asks him back while he begins to lead the way and head deep into the woods.
"I still feel like we've been here before" Franklin comments as he looks around "The vegetation resembles the place of that Arboros dork" he mentions a name that irks Bentley.
"Who's this Arboros guy?" Peter asks, prompting Bentley to scoff at the sound of that name.
"He's a stupid prince who was constantly flirting with Val" Franklin replies, visibly annoyed after that "And of course Val was way too lovey-dopey-eyed whenever she was around him" he adds while Bentley gestures as if he was gagging "When we came home, she lost contact with him until we built the Forever Gate, and as expected, one of the first stops was this Arboros guy world, but I don't know what happened but Val came back crying and claiming that all men are jerks and blah-blah-blah"
"It would seem like her crush either was unrequited or he did something to break her heart" Peter comments, trying to ponder about that scenario.
"Whatever it was, the guy was an idiot and because of that Val no longer wants to date anyone, she prefers to focus on science" Bentley interjects, showing his frustration "Which is why he deserved that ass-whoop…" he then stops talking and covers his mouth with both hands as he realizes that he just gave away the reason why he used the Forever Gate in the first place.
"Hold up…" Franklin paces to intercept Bentley and face him "So you're saying that the reason you used the Forever Gate was visit Arboros and attack him?" he asks him with a mix of anger and shock, yet Bentley remains serious.
"He deserved that beating" Bentley replies "He shouldn't have treated her like that"
"So you tried to make a nice gesture and it backfired" Peter comments about what Bentley did "I'm sure you're expecting me to say something about being a mistake but can't argue against it because 'Been there, done that'…" he adds, reasoning that he cannot argue against him because it was somehow similar to how he went to Krakoa in a bid to convince the mutant island to forgive Kitty and allow her back, but it backfired after he insulted Charles Xavier when he refused.
"Still, it's his fault we're in this mess, and I'm not putting my trust in…" Franklin tries to argue but he is cut short by the noise of steps in the distance "You guys heard that?"
"I did" Bentley replies, cautiously looking around him while Peter stands in guard, but it was after a little while that his Spider-Sense begins to buzz in his head.
"Stay close to me kids" Peter talks to them "I'll pinpoint the enemy and then…" he stops talking when a group of red-skinned and black-eyed soldiers in black and green uniforms surround them pointing their spears at them, prompting both Franklin and Bentley to realize one crucial detail.
"Uhhh guys, I know why this place looks familiar…" Bentley comments, sounding a bit nervous about the situation.
"You don't say, Sherlock" Franklin sarcastically replies.
"Let me guess, this is the world from that Prince Arboros kid, am I right?" Peter comments as the three of them raise their hands in surrender.
"You have trespass the grounds that belong to our Crown Prince Arboros, and for that, you must be brought immediately to the Prince" the leading guard speaks to them with a serious, almost menacing tone.
"You wanna take us as prisoners?" Bentley defies them while Franklin glares at them.
"As odd as it sounds I agree" Franklin comments but once again Peter intervenes.
"Alright you two, let's not escalate things, please!" Peter sternly talks to them "Man, it's hard already to deal with them when they're at each other's throats" he mutters as he turns to face the guards "OK folks, we'll walk with you peacefully since we're actually on a search mission for one of our teammates, so I'm sure we can all cooperate and make it through in…" right then his Spider-Sense buzzes again but he fails to react after being shot with a tranquilizer that instantly knocks him out, while the young children fail to react since they are also hit by the tranquilizers.
"Take them to the Royal Grounds and have them join the Brute of Rocks" the guard's leader tells his crew as they pick up the bodies and carry on their way back to Prince Arboros' grounds.
AFTER A WHILE
"Hnnn" Peter slowly begins to wake up after being knocked down with a very powerful tranquilizer, starting to have a blurry vision "Wh-Where am I?"
"Yer finally awake Pete!" a gruff voice is heard near him while Peter rubs the back of his head.
"Kitty? Honey? Either you got laryngitis or something happened to your throat…" Peter replies as his vision becomes clearer and recognizes a massive rocky figure in front of him.
"Did you just confused me with your girlfriend, ya schmuck?" the voice now sounds slightly annoyed, but Peter immediately recognizes it.
"Ben? Oh my God!" Peter exclaims at the sight of Ben Grimm, having finally found him "What happened? Where are…?" he then realizes that he is in a cell with an energy wall acting as the division to the main aisle and the other cells "How did…?"
"How did I got here?" Ben finishes the sentence and then begins to explain "When the Wizard and his crew messed up with the Forever Gate, I ended up here; then I started exploring for a while but then I was brought to this Arboros kid, whom I never ever met before but as soon as he saw the Fantastic Four insignia, he branded me an enemy and locked me here" he ends his story.
"Just by looking at the logo? Why?" Peter asks with confusion in his voice.
"Why do you think?" Franklin's voice is heard from the cell across the aisle where he is locked alongside Bentley.
"I know! I know! This is all my fault! Geez!" Bentley exclaims with growing frustration.
"Alright, I gotta few questions" Ben looks at Peter "One, why are the kids here? And Two, why are ya blaming the kid for this?" he throws the questions, prompting Peter to sigh.
"Very well, first of all, Franklin, Val and your kids came here to find and save the rest of the family" Peter begins to explain "And as for the other question, Bentley previously used the Forever Gate to come here and pick a fight with Arboros, and also turns out that the actual Wizard was spying on you guys through Bentley, that's how he learned how to use the Forever Gate"
"That explains it" Ben replies "Now, back to the first answer, DID YOU JUST SAY THAT MY KIDS ARE HERE!?" he grabs Peter by the front of the suit, visibly upset to the fact that his adoptive children have arrived.
"WHOA! HEY! Yes, they're here! They insisted to come! They're with Valeria and Lockheed!" Peter replies, slightly afraid but Ben manages to calm down after that response.
"I'm sorry; it's just that I don't wanna see my kids getting involved in such a dangerous thing" Ben replies, concerned about his children's wellbeing.
"We know Uncle Ben" Franklin replies "They actually volunteered, and you have to admit that it was a matter of time for them to actually join"
"Yeah, I guess yer right" Ben comments and then helps Peter to stand back up "Sorry about that, webs"
"Is alright, I don't blame you, you're worried like every father should be" Peter replies "Now, how about any plans to get out of here?" he asks him but before they could reply, the group of guards enter the area and approach the cells, activating the gates to enter and put energy cuffs to the prisoners.
"By order of the Crown Prince Arboros, you are requested to appear to the Arena at once" the guard talks to them as they deactivate the walls but when the other guards approach them to put their cuffs on, Bentley makes his move and strikes the guard.
"How's this for a plan?" Bentley quips at Peter while Franklin joins the fray pushing away the other guards, allowing Peter and Ben to move away.
"Hey, as long as it works, it's fine by me" Peter comments as he runs alongside Ben "It's a good thing they didn't took away my web-shooters" he adds while Ben takes down another guard.
"The only thing I wanna do is to get outta here!" Ben exclaims as they rush down the aisle and search for an exit, trying to find their way in the mysterious place they landed. The group tries to avoid dealing with more guards until they find a glowing light in the distance.
"I think we found the exit!" Peter exclaims, to which the group takes the road to the light but as they approach it, Peter's Spider-Sense begins to buzz "Uhhh guys, I think there's nothing good on the other side…" he quips as they finally walk to the light, only to discover that they are in an outdoor location, surrounded by a cheering crowd of red-skinned people.
"I take it that we just went down the Arena just as that Arboros kid wanted" Ben mutters as the group look around them.
"At last! The intruders have arrived!" a child-like voice is heard from the distance, revealed to be from none other than Prince Arboros himself.
"Hey Kid! Don't cha remember us? My family helped rebuild this world!" Ben tries to make Arboros listen to reason, recalling that this planet was rebuilt by Reed during his Multiversal journey.
"And then one of you committed the atrocity of assaulting me!" Arboros replies with anger, prompting Franklin to once again glare at Bentley "Because of that, I proclaimed that the next arrival of anyone from you shall be met with the fiercest of punishments, and since you broke free from your cell, you shall deal with our hardest punishment, A COMBAT AT THE ARENA!" his proclamation provokes a loud cheer from the gathered crowd at the Arena while Peter and Ben show their concern "Your big rocky warrior shall fight TO THE DEATH against another prisoner"
"WHAT!?" Franklin angrily yells at him "You're insane! You can't do that!"
"Release the Monster!" Arboros proclaims, prompting the guards from the other side of the Arena to open the large gate and release a massive creature wearing what resembles a fight armor but made of vegetable material, including leaves and thorns, but he face reveals that is a very familiar one they were looking for.
"Hyde…" Ben clenches his teeth as he glares at him.
"Grimm!" Mister Hyde exclaims "I guess that kid really meant it when he said that if I take you down I'd get my freedom, so I'm gonna enjoy tearing you apart!"
"Then let me say this just once… IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!" Ben unleashes his trademark battle cry as they both rush towards each other and clash their fists, sending a shockwave that rattles the arena and yet the crowd keeps on cheering while Peter, Franklin and Bentley look with concern, only to be intercepted by another round of guards.
"Whoever this kid is, I'm definitively not a fan" Peter quips as he envelops a couple of guards with his webbing while Franklin and Bentley punch another guard.
Meanwhile, The Thing and Mister Hyde keep going at it against each other, trading hard-hitting blows that rattle their faces and bodies with each hit, even noticing a few cracks in Hyde's improvised armor. Ben grabs Hyde from the head and kicks him in the gut, bending him so he can grab him by the waist and lift him up to release a Powerbomb on him dropping him to the ground.
"Ya think ya got what it takes to beat me, chump!?" Ben taunts him as he stomps on his opponent repeatedly "Yer dealing with a Wrestling Champ, ya punk!" he then grabs him over his shoulders and drops on his back with a Samoan Drop "And this one's fer good measure!" he grabs him for a Full Nelson "Next time ya threaten my kids, I ain't gonna be soft on ya" he whispers as he turns the hold into a Suplex that drops him down for the count.
"Uncle Ben!" Franklin calls for his uncle just as they managed to beat down the guards while Peter wraps them with his webbing.
"Not too shabby Ben, might give Brock Lesnar a run for his money one of these days" Peter quips at his fellow friend while he stands above the beaten Mister Hyde.
"Your fight is not over!" Arboros exclaims from his seat at the other end of the Arena "This is a fight to the death and you must finish it!" he then stands from his throne "FINISH IT!"
"Ya want me ta kill him?" Ben glares at the Prince's throne "Because let me tell ya, yer barkin' at the wrong tree kid, this blue-eyed darlin' ain't no murderer and ain't gonna do it to please a bunch of crazy junior despots like you!" he points at the throne, but that moment of distraction allows Mister Hyde to land a kick at Ben and gain some distance in order to escape, but after taking a few steps he is intercepted by a barrage of flames that creates a wall in front of him, then being on the receiving end of another blast that knocks him down.
"STOP THIS!" a female voice is heard just as another group arrives, revealed to be Lockheed alongside Valeria and Jo-Venn, both riding N'Kalla who changed her shape into a larger and greener version of Lockheed.
"Valeria?" Arboros stands as he watches in awe her appearance just as N'Kalla lands; regaining her original shape once Valeria and her Kree brother get off.
"Father!" Ben's adopted children rush to their father's side while Valeria faces Arboros.
"Arboros, if you did this because I rejected your plea, you're just making me hate you even more" Valeria speaks to him with visible resentment in her voice "So if you don't want me to hate you, I ask you to allow us to leave with my Uncle and take this prisoner captive" right then, a new platoon of guards arrive to surround the group, but Arboros makes a gesture with his hand.
"I knew you wouldn't like my proposal, which was made abundantly clear when that boy came and assaulted me" Arboros points at Bentley as he argues and leaves his throne and descends to the Arena as he walks towards Valeria.
"Whatever Bentley did, was his problem, I can fight my own battles" Valeria replies, looking at Bentley with the corner of her eye "But my family doesn't have to pay for that, all we ask is to be granted permission to leave"
"If it's a peaceful departure what you ask, you shall have it under one condition" Arboros speaks with a serious tone but then he shows a smirk on his face "They will leave but you shall remain here as one of my brides!" he reveals his condition to the appalled look of the group.
"Wait, excuse me, WHAT!?" Peter exclaims in shock "Did you say Brides? Plural? Do you know about a little something called monogamy?"
"I don't know what weird mumbo-jumbo traditions you run here kid, but you ain't takin' my niece!" Ben angrily faces Arboros but the guards stand between him and the Prince.
"What's the problem with you?" Arboros angrily snaps at Valeria "I am offering you a chance to be one of my brides! One of the greatest women on my reign! You stand above many!"
"And that's why you don't deserve her!" Bentley interjects, stepping forward as he looks at Arboros "Val, I know you can fight your own battles, but you should know that I would never disrespect you" he calmly talks to her but then looks back at Arboros "If there's one thing we both agree is that Valeria stands above everyone else, she is the smartest and brightest girl I have ever met and even knowing my background she put up with me, I don't deserve her, much less after what I did that put her family in trouble"
"What is he talkin' about?" Ben whispers at Peter.
"Something about the Forever Gate but wait, that kid's speech's going somewhere" Peter quickly replies to him.
"But you insulted her by making her feel like she was just another ordinary girl for your personal collection, and that made it my fight, because it broke my heart that because of you she lost any interest in being with someone and I lost my chance" Bentley's speech actually begins to impress the group, especially Valeria who, while not showing it directly, her hand gestures as she toys with her fingers imply that she is touched by his words "I may not deserve her, but sure as Hell you don't either" he then faces him "I kicked your ass once, and don't doubt that I'll do it again"
"Bentley, wait!" Valeria intervenes to stop him "Allow me" she then turns and walks towards Arboros, who gestures to his guards so they can allow her to approach him "I know you will ignore Bentley's words, so please focus on mine" he walks towards him, getting closer to him "Because I have made my decision"
"And what shall it be?" Arboros asks her with a smirk on his face, to which Valeria replies in kind with the same gesture, followed by a swift kick in his groin that puts him with a visible look of intense pain on his face, prompting the guards, gathered crowd, and even Franklin, Ben, Peter and Bentley to wince and undoubtedly share the feeling.
"Whoa… not even Mom did that to Namor when he angered her…" Franklin comments; comparing the situation to the very similar ones that Sue Storm had with Namor's constant advances.
"That kick was a soft one, so if you don't really want me to end your possibilities of creating future heirs, you will allow us to go" Valeria sternly talks to Arboros, who nods in response in spite of the pain.
"You shall be released…" Arboros replies with a slightly squeakier voice due to the pain "Let them go" he announces, allowing them to be released and return home.
A WHILE LATER
After being released by Arboros, the group was allowed to take Mister Hyde in their custody, being escorted out of the Arena and even being given transportation back to the point where the Forever Gate brought them.
"As I was saying, while you guys went to the Arena, Alex and Julie contacted me, finally having fixed the transdimensional communicator, so they were also able to pinpoint your location, that's how we found you" Valeria explains to her Uncle how she managed to find them.
"But what happened to you, Father?" Jo-Venn asks his adoptive father about his captivity.
"How did they capture you?" N'Kalla asks him as well.
"Ya see kids, when I landed in this place, I crashed some plaza just as Hyde crash landed as well, and as you can expect, it went to the Clobberin' part very quickly" Ben explains what happened when he landed in this dimension "Next thing we knew, a buncha guards knocked us down, took us separate ways and ended up jailed"
"So now we have to return to the exact point where we landed so the portal opens" Peter comments and just as they stand still, the Forever Gate's portal opens in front of them "Well, as accurate as a Swiss clock" he quips while Ben holds Mister Hyde, having regressed to his human form as Calvin Zabo.
"I am starting to regret having accepted Wizard's offer" Hyde murmurs as Ben pushes him.
"Yeah, yeah, keep whinin' ya wuss!" Ben quips at him but then turns to look at Peter "Thanks for coming through, you guys are definitively like your old folks, and Webs? Take care of my kid, will ya?" he then walks through the portal to return home, but then Bentley steps forward.
"I'm going back too" Bentley comments, leaving the group a bit surprised, including Valeria "I know that everyone blames me for what happened so I think I'm better off helping the rest of the Foundation at home" he adds.
"Hey kid, no one is putting the blame on you, but it's good to see that you're willing to take the responsibility" Peter replies to his comment but then Valeria approaches him.
"Bentley, while I'm a bit upset about what you did with the whole Arboros mess… I'm glad to know why you did it" Valeria shows a small smile and then hugs him, much to the amazement o the group and the inner delight of Bentley, as evidenced by his goofy smile, which he changes to a more calm smile when she looks at him "When we get home, I'd to talk to you about something, OK?"
"OK, totally, I'll see you then Val" Bentley replies and then looks at the rest of the group "Take care everyone!" he waves goodbye and then walks through the portal, closing just as he walks through.
"OK… now what?" Peter poses the question.
"We wait a few seconds, the next portal will leads us to the next point according to the Foundation's coordinates" Valeria replies and after a few seconds, the portal opens once again.
"Alright kids, and Dragon" Peter recalls that Lockheed remains with the group "Stay close and here we go!" right then, the group jumps through the portal, heading to the next destination where they hope to find the next family member and imprison another member of the Frightful Four.
If you thought I was abandoning this story, you can think again! My life has become hectic but I'm never abandoning my work, my plans and of course, my remaining (and new) followers and fans as well. Thank you for the patience and the support guys, it means a lot.
Now, the All-New, All-Different Fantastic Four managed to rescue Ben from the realm of Prince Arboros, the kid who wanted to have Valeria to become one of his many brides and obviously, pissed her off. So with that, Ben Grimm is back home and the rescue mission hits the next stop, so what comes next? Let's just say that a certain "Hot-tempered" guy will deal with the aftermath of the very terrible mistake he committed, so stay tuned for that one, folks!
NEXT CHAPTER: THE TRIAL OF JOHNNY STORM!
