Disclaimer: See Chapter One

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. My laptop died along with all my files. Anyway, on with the story!

Crash and Freeze

Chapter Eight

"Where are you?"

Johnny smirked at the tone of her voice. "Why, doctor, I haven't even been out of the Baxter Building for five hours. Already worried?"

There was a pause at the other end, and Johnny could picture her narrowing her icy stare. "There are no heat signatures around you, indicating that you are at least one mile away from any other human, and I do use that term loosely. Are you trying to run out on me, Mr. Storm?"

"I'm not trying, Dr. McKall. I am," he stated firmly. "I am miles away from civilization. You can't and won't use me to hurt anyone."

The neurosurgeon on the other end of the phone actually chucked! "I knew you were going to give me trouble from the moment you woke too soon from your drug induced stupor. However, I underestimated you. I never thought you would knowingly walk to your own death."

Johnny scoffed. "If you even thought for one minute that I would use my powers to kill innocent people— "

"Innocent! The only innocent mutants are those that have been killed before they could use their abilities! If you cared about this planet half as much as you and your team claimed to— "

"Do you think I am stupid?" Johnny interrupted. "Even if what you asked was as innocuous as you say, which it isn't, I know where it would lead! You would have never let me go! You would have made me your puppet for life! Well, I am ending it here!"

His impassioned statement was met with utter silence for a moment until, finally, the cold voice of Allison McKall answered.

"Then you have sentenced yourself to a long, cold death."

OoooOoooOoooO

"Johnny," Sue called, knocking lightly on her brother's door. "Are you okay? You aren't still asleep are you?" She turned the doorknob and opened the door. "It's almost noon, what…?"

She trailed off as she was met with an empty room. Puzzled, she walked back into the kitchen where Reed and Ben were eating. "Have either of you seen Johnny?"

"Not since last night," Ben answered as Reed shook his head. "Thought he was in his room."

"He's not there," she said, growing concerned. "He wouldn't just leave without telling us, would he?"

"Doesn't sound like him," Reed commented, frowning. "He hasn't been acting like himself lately though…"

OoooOoooOoooO

His teeth chattered as he watched the sun rise to its highest position in the sky. He didn't realize that death would be this painful. A tear escaped from his eye before freezing on his cheek. He didn't want to die. Death had always seemed a million miles away for him, despite all the near-death experiences he had as a member of the Fantastic Four. They had always happened so quickly that his own mortality never really registered in his mind. Sure, he was well aware of the mortality of everyone around him, Sue dying for all intents and purposes in China was enough to hammer that into his head, but he figured no one ever thought about their own deaths in that sense.

Sue would be devastated when she found out. He didn't really know what Reed and Ben's reactions would be, but he hoped that they would be able to be strong for Sue, that's assuming that they would care at all. He kicked himself for even thinking that. Of course they would care. Sure, he and Reed hadn't always got along great, but he liked to think that they were good friends. Hell, the older man was the big brother Johnny had always wished he had. Surely Reed would care if he died.

Ben, he was sure, would want to kill him if he had even an inkling of what Johnny was doing. The big guy cared about the entire team, and was very protective of them all. He and Johnny messed with each other all the time and tried to drive the other crazy, but that was how they expressed their mutual affection. Ben had always been a mentor to him. Someone to look up to, someone who looked out for him. Johnny knew exactly what he would say if he could see him now.

'Kid, what the hell are you doing? Get your ass up and call for help! Jeez, hothead, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, why don't you think of what we'd go through if you just sat there and died? Do you even care about your team anymore?"

He managed to take his mind off the cold long enough to wonder when Ben's voice had replaced Sue's as his conscience, but he shook his head at the thought. No matter what voice the realization came in, he knew that he needed help. There was no reason to keep his plight secret. He couldn't hurt them if he wasn't with them.

He pulled at his phone, cursing when he saw that he had very little battery left. He'd have to make it quick. He dialed home, which was answered before it had the chance to ring twice.

"Hello?" came the worried gravelly voice that had only minutes before had only been in his head.

"Ben," Johnny croaked out in pain. "I need help."

Tbc…