When Riley Richards was four years old, she told her older brother Reed that he was going to one day be able to see a star in person. He laughed at her and said she was mad. When she was six, she told him that he was going to fall off the balcony of their grandparents' roof in the country two years from that day, and he told her that she was completely barmy.
Two years later, he was in the emergency room with his arm in a cast, having fallen off the balcony after being dared by the neighbor to try to balance himself on the balcony edge. She tried very hard not to tell him she told him so, but she failed.
Riley Richards wasn't all that different from Reed Richards. She was dark haired and light eyed. She was highly intelligent, although her intelligence wasn't maths and science based. She was far more literature, writing, and creativity based. While he was more literal and had more dry humor, she was by far more sarcastic and had a more playful way about her. Her empathy and ability to "see" what was coming was more pronounced, even with Reed's urge to be at the forefront of technology.
While Reed was dating Sue Storm, Riley was attending the best boarding schools and colleges their family's money and her intelligence could provide. She met Sue a time or two. They got along alright. The majority of Riley's interaction with Reed's contemporaries was with Ben Grimm. In Ben she found a kindred soul, a person who didn't see a little girl playing pretend. Ben took stock in what Riley said she felt and saw. He took her warnings seriously and also allowed for her playfulness. He could also see that she felt a protectiveness for her older brother, even if Reed didn't.
Of the people scheduled for Reed's experiment being bankrolled by Dr. Victor von Doom, only Johnny Storm and von Doom are unknown to Riley. And of those two, von Doom gives Riley the most anxiety. She knows that Reed won't listen, but Ben will. And so, here she is, landing on Reed's doorstep, weeks before the experimental trip into space is set to commence. She's praying that her darling brother will for once just go with the flow and let her visit go unattested.
Approaching the Baxter Building, Riley is once again taken by the size. She wonders again why her parents bothered cutting her brother off. Their wealth is vast, even by most American standards, but they wanted their children to eventually be "self-made". Understandable, but Reed is a genius. Even if he has some pie in the sky ideas, eventually one would have panned out. Riley knew this, but her parents also believed in tough love. The lights will eventually go out in this building. How sad.
"Not on my watch," Riley whispered, entering when the doorman held the door. Her bags were being held until she sent for them. She only hoped it wouldn't be too long of a wait. Walking to the elevator, she was happy to note that they still had an operator. "Penthouse, please."
She exited at the top floor, and was chuckling to herself as she smelled what could only be described as ozone. Reed would forever be associated with that smell. "Reed?" She called, hoping he'd do his own version of Marco Polo. "Where are you brother mine?"
"Riley?!" She heard his voice coming from the direction of what appeared to be the kitchen. "What the dickens are you doing here?" His head popped up from under the countertop. "Did the parents send you?"
She laughed, seeing his hair sticking up undignified in every direction. "God no, do you honestly believe that Mother and Father would send me anywhere?" She shucked off her jacket and tossed it in the general direction of a chair where it landed perfectly. "What in the hell are you doing?" The kitchen, if that's the room they were in was a disaster. Everything was tossed. If he was looking for something in particular, he hadn't found it, or if he had, she couldn't tell.
"I'm trying to get ready for my trip," he said, standing up from where he'd been crouched. "I have a list of everything that needs done around here. And I'm trying to get to all of it."
Riley perched on a stool at the counter, careful of the mess. "Dear God, tell me what you're crossing off that's causing mass destruction?" She said, gesturing around her. "Or are you adding whilst subtracting?"
Reed groaned, realizing his little sister was correct in her deduction. He had been fixing a slight leak in the plumbing and created a complete disaster. Shaking his head, he returned to his question of why she was in front of him. "Don't distract me. Why are you here?" He said, tossing the wrench on top of the mess and grabbing a stool to sit next to her.
"I heard you were heading to space, dear brother." She said, turning to face him. The better to ignore the mess. "I thought I'd offer to house sit for you." She glanced around his mess. "I may even buy you one of those cute signs or welcome mats 'bless this mess'." She gave a shudder.
Reed found himself chuckling despite himself. His little sister had arrived just when he needed her for once. Dear God, when had he last seen her? "I think I may have missed you, Riley." He said, pulling her in for a hug that surprised them both. "I need time to get everything together, and Ben has to get his aggravation under control."
"What's got Ben's panties in a bunch?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow as she pulled away from the hug. "He gets to pilot a shuttle into space. He should literally be over the moon."
One look at Reed's face and she knew. Ben wasn't going to be the pilot. The hotshot, Sue's brother was going to be the pilot. Crap, no wonder, she could pick up the stress and anxiety of this trip before she'd even landed on this continent. Ugh, well at least Ben was getting to spend the last bit of time with his fiance Debbie.
"Alright, well, you take the time to get your scientific hoo hah together." Riley said, as Reed rolled his eyes at her very scientific term. "I'll take the time to find people to make sure your 'honey do' list is completed." Before Reed could argue, she held up a hand. "Reed, you aren't the only Richards with a trust fund. And I haven't touched mine, yet."
She smiled as he gave her an exhausted nod. "Is it alright if I call and have my bags sent?" She asked, making sure permission was granted. Another nod. "Good, now call Ben and tell him that little sister is here, and make sure he knows I want at least lunch before the final farewell to you lot!"
As Reed went off to make his phone call, and before she sent word for her bags to be sent, Riley took a deep breath. She hoped against hope that her feelings of panic were wrong, but she knew that they weren't. Something bad was going to happen. Something she couldn't stop, not even with warning. All she could do was be here for the fallout. And that's what she fully intended to do. That and warn Ben. Why? Because Ben was in the most danger, of that she was absolutely sure.