Fantastic Four (Movieverse) – Hunted

Summary:

Sequel to 'Retribution' - Following his failed attempt to destroy the Fantastic Four, Doom makes good on his threat "You will pay... you will suffer every bit as much as I have. Enjoy the time you've got, there's not much left of it..." Johnnycentric as always :D siblingness

Disclaimer:

For the last time: I do not own the Fan4

Author's Notes:

And so this is the end of Hunted :C This is just a little epilogue to tie up the many lose ends!

I can't believe I've had 43 reviews! My personal best! XD

Thanks to marinawings, ebuchala, jellybean367, ProdigiousDiscourse, penny3, Dark Respite, *pauses for breath* Autumnights, Oh-my-Ra, Tigerlily1221 and silverangel83 for reviewing! Phew, that was long :D

Enjoy!


Epilogue: Echoes

Echo Sands Resort, the Bahamas

The sunshine was gloriously bright as it hung lazily in the sky. The white sand beaches were blissfully warm underfoot whereas the crystal blue seas were refreshingly cool. The summer trade drew families and tourists as well as the honeymooning couples.

Ben watched some children nearby playing in the sand and felt a pang of regret run through him. He knew Johnny wasn't actually a kid, but they always seemed to remind the rock man of him. He vividly remembered the young man's face back in those woods. He was impossibly still and cold and deathly white...Ben closed his eyes against the images. That was two weeks ago. Things had changed since then.

"Ben? What are you thinking about?" asked Alicia. Even without her sight she could tell her new husband was upset. She leant against his arm to offer him comfort.

"Nothing...it's just..." Ben sighed heavily. He stopped looking at the children and took to staring across the seemingly still water. He felt guilty, that was the problem. That day he had been desperate to get to this place, to be on his honeymoon, and now here he was...it just didn't feel right. "It's just...do you think...I don't know."

"Come on Ben, spit it out," Alicia feigned exasperation.

"Do you think this is okay...us being here...after everything..." Ben vaguely explained.

Alicia leaned against his chest, feeling it rise and fall beneath her. She could hear his heavy heart beating under the rocky skin. "Is this about Johnny?" she felt Ben take a sharp intake of breath. "We said our goodbyes. We all just need to move on from this Ben." She could sense that there was more worrying him. "And Sue...well Sue needs to sort herself out." Her voice took on a more seductive tone "Besides, we deserve this Ben. We deserve some relaxation, some privacy..."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Ben caught Alicia's ever-so-subtle hint and hugged her closer, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He stroked her dark hair back from her face and suggestively continued "Let's head back to the hotel..."


The Baxter Building

It was gone. She was sure it was gone now. It had to be.

Susan sat on the bed she shared with Reed, her legs drawn up as she hugged herself tightly. Back in the woods she had fought it back. It had been too late, but it was still gone and that was all that mattered. Well, she hoped it was gone at least. But what the hell was 'it'?

Last year 'it' had driven her to violently drop Doom several storeys onto bone breaking concrete. Two weeks ago 'it' had pushed her to kill her brother just so that 'it' could taste revenge. Maybe Doom was right. Maybe she had the potential to become an evil villain like him. Maybe she was just a ticking time-bomb waiting to explode. Who would she hurt next?

"Is it safe to come in?" came a voice through the door.

"That's not funny Johnny." Sue replied as her brother opened the door a crack and peered through.

"I wasn't joking."

Sue just sighed and hugged herself a little tighter. Cautiously Johnny entered the room, but he left the door slightly open behind him as he stood a good distance away from his sister. It had been a close one, again. This time his heart had stopped. For a whole five minutes Johnny had been dead. Now it was like it had never happened. His arm was still wrapped tightly in a white bandage and sutures ran along his hairline but he standing and talking and pretty much back to being Johnny.

Unless he was around Sue. Then he was quiet and withdrawn. Scared. Whenever he looked at her he half-expected to see 'it'. He was having trouble sleeping, just waiting for Sue to snap so that she could finish the job. He hadn't been alone with her since the woods. When he had been out cold in the medical room Kayla had always stayed. She knew what had happened, even if she never admitted it out loud.

"What happened Sue?" asked Johnny, still maintaining a 'safe' distance. His sister looked up at him and he was relieved to see there was no darkness in her eyes.

"You remember then?" Sue replied, desperately hoping he didn't. The haunted look she received confirmed her fears. "You remember what happened last year?"

"Vividly." Johnny visibly shuddered and unconsciously placed a hand over the healed stab wound.

"That's when it first happened. You had just shown up and taken the hit. I thought you were dead...that's why I did it..."

"Did what?" Johnny asked tentatively, the image of the deformed Doom limping towards him appeared in his mind. He remembered not wanting to know what his sister had done then, and he still didn't want to know now, but he listened anyway.

"I trapped him in one of my force fields and carried him all the way to the roof of the building; and then some.

Sue levitated Doom over the edge, a horrendous drop between him and the ground.

"You wouldn't," Doom goaded, trying to hide his fear. "It would be very un-heroic of you."

"What? Ridding the world of a selfish villain? I think I'd be doing everyone a favour." Sue retorted viciously. She stared into the eyes of the man who had striven to ruin her life, and smiled. It was an evil, contorted smile, sealing his fate.

"There's hope for you yet." Doom stated as he admired his captor. Without another word the force-field around him disappeared. He fell fast, his metallic structure making him heavy. Sue watched satisfactorily until she heard the crunching sound of Doom meeting the concrete.

"I remember the satisfaction clearly. It felt so good to have finally inflicted some pain. But I knew it was wrong, part of me knew that I wouldn't do that...it was just so..."

"Evil?" finished Johnny. He had relaxed ever so slightly, knowing that it was his sister he was talking to. But he still didn't go any closer. Sue gazed up at him, tears threatening to fall.

"For the five or so minutes between you being hit and Doom smacking into the concrete it was like I was someone else. It was dark and full of hatred, but it still felt good," A scary smile flittered across her features but then disappeared. Johnny wasn't even sure he had seen it. "When it went away I just forgot about it. I assumed Doom was dead. I thought it was over. But then...then you disappeared..."

"So what? I'm the trigger? Something happens to me and you go dark side?" Johnny interrupted defensively. "Is that why you tried to kill me?"

"No! No, th-that wasn't it," Sue uncurled slightly and made a small move towards him. Johnny took a wary step back. "No, Doom offered me a choice, and I made a decision that I would never have made. He said that if I didn't he'd kill me too."

Johnny remained silent.

Sue sighed dejectedly. "If he had stopped there we'd probably both be dead right now. But that day, on the roof, he had seen the darkness and he knew exactly how to make it take control. He promised that if I killed you he would take the suppressor and I would have the chance to take him out for good. He offered 'it' the revenge 'it' wanted."

"The opportunity was too good to miss," finished Johnny coldly. "That's why you killed me."

Sue felt the words as if Johnny had burned her. The tears that had threatened for the past ten minutes fell freely down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Johnny. I'm so sorry. It's gone now though. I fought it and it went away. You know I would never hurt you..."

"I'm not so sure anymore." Johnny turned away slightly and placed a hand on the door. "Every time I look at you, I see it. You say it's gone but I can see that it's still there. I can't trust you anymore Sue."

"No, please, please don't say that..." Sue begged, but Johnny just left the room without looking back.

Nothing would ever be the same again.


Elysium Castle, Latveria

Doom shouted a series of expletives in quick succession. What did it take to kill the boy? He just kept coming back every time that Doom knocked him down. And Susan? That wretched woman could never do a job properly.

He hammered a metal hand down, denting his desk as he watched the screens before him. Their very existence enraged Doom. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment he began hating them, but he knew that unless they were eliminated he would never quite reach his true Godliness.

And he was a god. Superior to humans. Greater than the Fantastic Four.

And that's why he wouldn't resort to crude methods of eradicating them. His final revenge would have poetry. And this would be the final time. There would be no escape. No survival.

"Leonard..." Doom murmured. Immediately the small man appeared. "It is time to greet our guest properly. Bring the good doctor up."

Leonard disappeared just as mysteriously as before. Doom watched the monitors as he waited. The two siblings were talking in Richard's room. Sue was upset and Johnny was nervous. At least there had been some long term affect on the pair.

Abruptly the large doors to the room opened. Leonard marched in with two doombots following. Between them they held a semi-conscious man. His clothes were dirty and torn and he desperately needed a shave. His dirty-blonde hair was too long and hung down round his pale face.

Doom allowed himself a smile. Yes, this revenge would definitely be poetic.

"Dr. Storm, how nice of you to join us."


And that's your lot! This fic is now finished! XD However I am seriously considering a(nother) sequel. Mwahahaha, I just have to come up with a bit more plot :P

This has been really fun to write and I'd like to say one more final thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted this fic – hopefully see you for the sequel! XD

Until then, bye!