Okay, I lied. Couldn't help myself - I might just finish the story today! But on with the story!

Yay! More evil Victor!

Chapter Fourteen - Revelations

Nothing could stay calm for long, not with Johnny Storm on cooped up inside and a vengeance-seeking Victor on the loose.

The first bad thing happened a week after Reed's plan was announced. I was checking up on my feed of information when I got wind of a story that shocked me to the core. Ned, one of the main investors in Von Doom Industries, the instigator of everyone pulling out of Victor's business, had been found dead with a giant, gaping hole through his chest. A hole with evidence of electricity. The same evidence that had been found on the late Doctor Tohns.

I was seriously considering the idea that Victor was a serial killer when Tessa appeared in my room the next day, a canvas wrapped in newspaper in her hands. She looked shell-shocked, and wordlessly handed me the gift and walked out. I was about to open it when, of course, Ben roared like a wild beast.

Setting the canvas on my bed, I followed the sound to the living room, where Ben stood, remote in hand, with none other than Johnny Storm standing in the middle of an arena, wearing his suit. Emblazoned on the shoulder was a 4, for Fantastic Four. Everyone was cheering, and he was obviously basking in the glory of his fans.

"Oh, no he didn't," said Sue as she and Reed joined us around the TV.

"Oh yes he did! Flame boy never listens!" growled Ben, and for once, I had to agree with his anger.

"What did he do to his uniform?" asked the older Storm, her hands on her hips. Reed glanced down at his own suit, supporting the 4 as well, and I would have said something if it weren't for the woman interviewing Johnny.

"You've made history in Moto-X. Oh, honey, I've gotta ask you about this outfit."

"Yeah, it's sort of Armani meets astronaut," he said, looking straight at the camera as girls crowed around him, calling his name.

"So what are your superhero names?"

Grinning, Johnny answered. "They call me the 'Human Torch'. Ladies call me 'Torch'." The bystanders laughed and 'oohed'.

"What about the rest of the team?" questioned the woman.

A photo of Sue popped up on the big screen. "That's the Invisible Girl," said Johnny.

"Girl?" Sue asked the television, obviously offended.

"What about your leader, Reed Richards? I hear you call him Mr. Fantastic."

"Could have been worse," said Ben, nodding to his friend.

"I guess," he responded, shrugging.

"Is it true what they say about him, that he can expand any part of his anatomy?"

Everyone giggled, and Reed blushed. Johnny came back with, "Well, I've always found him a little limp." The scientist stared in shock at the TV as the onlookers gasped.

Then a picture of Ben came on the screen. "What is that? What do you call that thing?"

With a smile, Johnny replied, "That's it. The Thing." Ben seemed to stand up straighter, fuming. "Yeah, you think this is bad? You should have seen him before."

"Okay, now I'm gonna go kill him." The rock-man turned to walk away, but the interviewer had one last person to mention.

"And what about her? This is the girl who killed all the electric devices after your famous bridge rescue, right?"

A photo of me, taken right before my powers emerged, with my eyes crazy and my hands outstretched, appeared.

Johnny smiled at the camera. "That's Voltage. She's more of our... sidekick. She's not really part of the team."

"And what does she do?"

"Well, she's a bit of a... shocker. But that doesn't stop me." Judging by the reactions from the crowd, he didn't mean pranks.

I could feel the lights around me flicker. I was angry, very, very angry. When I got to Storm, he going to feel how much of a "shocker" I really was. Sue reached out to touch my shoulder, and I turned around to growl at her. She stumbled back a bit.

"Sorry, Susan. But I'm about to go kill your brother."

Then I took off.

After practically physically assaulting a taxi driver (his name was Mark Stewart), I got to the arena as Johnny emerged with his preening fans. When they saw me stalking up to him, many of them cheered and one man came up to slap my ass. Spinning around, I grabbed his arm and shocked him unconscious. As he sank to the ground, I stepped up to the playboy and slapped him across the face, shocking his entourage.

"Hey, hey, hey. Voltage. Take it easy," he said, grabbing my wrist.

I curled my fingers around his throat. "Get the hell off me unless you want to be shocked so badly your grandchildren will feel it."

He smirked. "C'mon, Eve..." My response was shocking him so hard he was thrown a few feet back. "Ugh, I don't remember you being so violent."

I stepped up to him and placed my shoe on his chest. "Shut the hell up, Jonathon Storm! I am sick and tired of you and your stupid-ass remarks! You have no idea who you are messing with. I swear to God, I will kick your ass so hard that you won't be able to go out in public!" Pulling back, I crouched down and whispered in his ear. "You have no idea what I've been through, Storm. Decide to mess with me and my life again, I will personally make sure that you will never get a girl, never get a job, and never have any money. I will sic the FBI on you if I have to. Just stay the hell away from me from now on."

I stood up, and walked away, purposely avoiding the rest of the "Fantastic Four".

I returned to the Baxter Building before I realized I had meant to go home. Sighing, I walked up the stairs slowly, and passing through the living room, noticed the TV was still on. It was covering my attack on Johnny, and the subsequent fight between him and "the Thing".

Turning it off, I went into the kitchen and indulged. When I had eaten my full, I sprawled myself on the couch and promptly fell asleep.

For once, it was bright. I was in a cemetery. A familiar cemetery. Turning around, I saw my mother's grave, a plain stone with just her name.

"She left you with him. Why do you still love her?" a voice asked. Spinning around, I spotted not-Tessa standing behind me. "Should you not hate her for leaving you to suffer?"

I looked back at her grave. "I used to," I admitted, running my hand down the cool stone. "But then I found out she never knew about what he really did. She had truly believed him, until the end. I can't hate her, because she loved me. She really thought she was doing the right thing, letting him 'help' me."

"I do not understand. This Earthly love you shared... why do you not have it anymore?"

I shrugged. "Her death changed me. He changed me. I lost a lot, so I decided that, to protect myself from loss, I would never form bonds. I shouldn't have become friends with Tess, but I did. He was long gone, and I had a moment of weakness. Jessica too, I guess, although I never really bonded with her. A few doctors tried to diagnose me. I was paranoid, I had PTSD, I needed help. I never got it."

"But you are changing again. Forming bonds."

I looked at her, surprised. "No, I'm not."

"You already think of the Four as your family. Just as it should be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The blue cube materialized in Tessa's hands. "You are almost ready. Soon, it will come to you. First, you must find yourself a place in this world. There will be an offer in your future, one you cannot refuse. Take it, and find your path at last."

The cube expanded, engulfing us both.

I woke up.

The dream ended with a strange beeping. I turned to find my computer shouting at me, an alert popping up on the screen. The closest Von Doom weapons manufacturing plant had been broken into only a few hours ago, the guards killed like Ned. Several things were thought to have been stolen, though nothing was confirmed.

I bolted upright, closing my laptop and running to my room. I stuffed it in my bag, along with my phone and, after a second of thought, the small canvas Tessa had given me. Then I ran, down the stairs and onto the street, hailing a cab.

This chapter turned out way darker than I originally wanted it to be. You can see the dangerous Eve coming out! If you squint and turn it upside down, you might see her paranoia going away. )

Hmm... wonder what's going on with the cube & dream Tessa?

SPOILER ALERT - you don't find out until later stories. sorry kids.