The Next Day
Reed waited in the kitchen for Johnny to come back from his drive. He rested his chin oh his right fist and with his left, drummed his fingers on the table.
The teen hero entered the kitchen and pulled out a soda.
"Johnny!" exclaimed Reed, shooting up from his seat.
Johnny jumped from the scientist's bellow.
"Sorry," apologized Reed. "Just wanted to ask how your drive was."
"Awesome! I was in a race with some kid my age and won! I showed him not to mess with the Human Torch!" He finished his soda. "I'm gonna take a nap now."
Johnny went to his room. Once he was there, Reed took the keys to Johnny's car off the key hook.
He entered the garage and was about to open the car door when Reed heard the voice of his super computer H.E.R.B.I.E. come out of his comlink.
"Dr. Richards," spoke H.E.R.B.I.E. "What are you doing with Jonathan's car?"
"I'm uh. . . taking it to the mechanic."
"Why can't you just fix it?"
". . I don't feel like it."
"But you always fix things!"
Reed didn't have an answer. H.E.R.B.I.E. was getting worried.
"Are you feeling alright? You're not acting like yourself and you seem nervous about something."
". . . . . H.E.R.B.I.E., you need to keep this a secret. No one can know. Especially Johnny. He can't find out about this. Promise me you won't tell him or anyone else."
"I promise."
"I'm going to take Johnny's car out for drives when he's not around."
"WHAT!"
Reed winced at H.E.R.B.I.E.'s loud, surprised/scared holler.
"What you're about to do is suicide, Dr. Richards! Jonathan never lets anyone touch his car, let alone drive it! And you didn't even ask if it was okay! That's not like you, Dr. Richards! How can you even think of doing such a thing? What you're about to do is very reckless and irresponsible!"
"That's the point, H.E.R.B.I.E.!" exclaimed Reed. "I want-no need, I need to do something irresponsible!"
"What?"
"Once, just once, I'd like to do something wild."
"Is this about what Jonathan said the other day?"
"No. I felt the need to stop playing safe after I borrowed the car to go to my lecture. Johnny just gave me the push I needed."
"You took his car without asking before?"
"And it felt amazing! Now, I'm going to go before Johnny wakes up. Remember, you promised not to tell him."
"Okay," said H.E.R.B.I.E. "But it's going to be hard to keep this a secret from him. Jonathan's my friend."
"Well, I'm your friend too. And your creator," Reed pointed out. "So you should be loyal to me and do what I ask you to."
"Yes, Dr. Richards. Heehee. For a sec, you reminded me of Doctor Doom and something he would say. Next thing you know, you'll say something like, The word of Reed Richards is law. Ha!"
"God help me," muttered Reed, sitting in the driver's seat.
He gut on the sunglasses and drove out of the garage.
Reed was doing 100 miles an hour. He loved the speed of the car. He loved the wind in his hair. He loved blowing all the red lights. He couldn't remember there ever being a time he felt so alive.
"Fascinating! I should've done this ages ago!"
He stopped at the next red light so he could run his fingers through his hair and fixed it.
A guy in a car similar to Johnny's but in blue, just blue, no flames painted on, stopped next to Reed.
"Hey!" Reed turned to his left to see a man with dark hair and a few years younger then him. "You're that Mr. Fantastic guy, right? What's with the car? Looks like something the Human Torch would drive. No way someone like you can handle a car with that much power."
Reed lowered his sunglasses. "Is that so? Well, punk, why don't you test your skills against mine. We'll race from here to the tenth light."
"You're on, string bean!"
Both engines roared as the two drivers waited for the light to chance green. The second it did, they were off. They were both going passed the speed limit, neither one giving up.
"Hey!" called Reed. "You hungry? 'CAUSE YOU'RE ABOUT TA EAT MY DUST!"
He slammed on the gas and rushed passed the other guy with great speed.
"WOO-HOO!" proclaim Reed with joy.
'Now that was wild and crazy! I love it!'