It's been awhile! Sorry for the long wait. Been a bit caught up in some personal stuff, but I've been keeping this story in mind the entire time. I'm here now, and I plan on getting this story finished up, so please just be patient with me, the end will come soon enough!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fantastic Four

Chapter Ten: The Fish in the Net

He had done it. With support from Sue and a little pushing of his own, Reed had finally figured out a way to separate the Surfer from his board.

All he had needed was a pulse.

Having met with General Hagar, Reed and Sue explained the contraption that would ultimately help them get their hands on the Silver Surfer. Although Victor was supposed to be giving aid to the scientist, he had been nowhere to be found. Reed and Hagar left the man to his own devices, having their own worries to handle, but Sue had been a little less lenient with that.

Her heels clicked fervently against the floor as she marched her way towards the storage room, where Victor seemed to be spending most of his time. She quietly stepped inside as she slowly peeked out from behind the shelves, narrowing her bright blue eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked coldly, Victor standing up from the table he'd been leaning against and giving his former love-interest an unenthused stare.

"Don't you knock?"

"You're supposed to be helping Reed in the lab," she reminded as she stared through the lenses of her glasses, Victor rubbing his hands together as he shrugged.

"Don't worry. I'll be there to hold his hand and help him finish his little project." There was something wrong. Sue couldn't place it, but knowing Vic, she knew that he was hiding something. Because although he had said he was helping them and had pure intentions, she knew better than to believe him. Her gaze flickered down to whatever project the man had been working on alone as she gave it a suspicious stare. Noticing where her eyes had ventured to, Victor cleared his throat as he stepped forward.

"Anything else?"

"How'd you do it?" She had wanted to pretend she didn't care, but things just didn't seem to add up in Sue's mind. She stared hard at Vic as he gave her an innocent and questioning look. "How'd you come back?"

Quietly laughing, Victor took a step towards Sue as she narrowed her eyes. "Scares you, doesn't it?" he asked in an intimidating matter. "The things I can do." And although she wouldn't ever admit it, it did scare her.

"...Did you know I can make a force field inside a person's body and expand it until they explode?" She had never actually done it, but Sue wasn't opposed to experimenting with Victor. She watched intently as the man smirked as he opened his arms to her.

"Give it your best shot."

The two were locked in a staring contest for a moment, Sue s unwelcoming blue eyes gazing into Vic s dark brown eyes. After a stiff silence, the blonde shook her head as she turned and began to walk out. "Just get back to the lab."

Victor stared after the woman he once held feelings for. His jaw was screwed shut tightly as his hands balled up into fists.

The only feelings he had for Sue now were resentment.

"So you're sure that this is going to be able to work?" Lily stood beside Reed, hopping off the helicopter that had carried the team of five to the military base that Hagar was stationed at.

"Well, after last minute checks on my calculations, I'm about 99% sure this is going to work," Reed stated as Lily frowned.

"And what about that 1%?" The young woman's frown deepened at Reed's foreboding silence. She then glanced over her shoulder as Sue walked beside Ben and Johnny, and immediately she turned her attention back forward, staying right by Reed's side and away from Johnny's.

Said young man stared at Lily's back as they walked all marched inside. Immediately, Lily, Sue and Reed walked off with General Hagar, Ben lingering behind with Johnny. The dirty blond stood silently as he watched Lily disappear around the corner before he felt a hard hand gently land on his shoulder.

"Hey, you ok, Johnny?" Ben stared at the the young man with a concerned look on his face as the Human Torch blinked before giving the rock-man a wily smile.

"I will be once we finally get Silver," he stated evenly as Ben nodded.

The Thing knew that Johnny was trying to fool him. Something hadn't been right with him. And when he thought about it, something hadn't be right with Lily either. The pair had been completely avoiding each other, and if they were together, they didn't say a single thing to one another. Ben didn't dare ask Lily about it because he knew what sort of trouble that would get him into, but still, he was curious. And it seemed Johnny wasn't going to let up either, so the only thing the man could do was just wait. He was sure they'd figure out their issues eventually.

At least, he hoped.

"Well, Reed. According to your formula, the Surfer should be appearing in Germany next." Lily stared down at the map on the computer screen as she glanced at Reed, the scientist nodding as he turned to General Hagar.

"I just need to make a few adjustments to the pulse generators and then we should be ready."

"How much time do you need?" Hagar had been a bit easier to deal with, but Reed didn't look into it too much. The man was always so fickle with how he treated those around him.

"No more than ten minutes."

"Ten minutes it is. My men will be ready by then." With a nod, Reed, Sue and Lily watched as Hagar and his captain walked out of the room, leaving the super heroes to themselves.

"Has anyone seen Victor?" Lily asked suspiciously as Reed rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"He's probably around."

"Do you think it's a good idea to let that bastard roam around without someone to watch him?" the former teacher asked hesitantly as Sue stood beside Reed and watched carefully as he toyed with the generators.

"No, but we don't have the time to worry about him," the blonde stated as she looked over at Lily. "Once we get Silver Surfer, we can worry about Vic." Satisfied with that, Lily relaxed as ran her fingers through her hair.

"Well, if you've got everything under control here, I'll go find Ben and let him know we're getting ready to leave," Lily stated as Sue nodded, Reed only glancing up for a second from his work to watch the young woman leave.

"...Something's not right," Sue said with a frown as she stared after the young woman she used to baby-sit. Reed nodded as he stood up tall and sighed, staring after Lily.

"Yeah, and I have a feeling I know what's wrong."

Shutting the running water off, Johnny stepped out from the small shower booth that the military base supplied as he shook some water from his hair. He grabbed the towel he had asked for and began to pat himself dry. After doing that, he started to walk out of the bathroom but stopped as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His expression dropped as he frowned to himself and closed his eyes.

"It's always been you."

He wasn't really sure what to do. He couldn't seem to bring himself to talk to Lily, and the girl was obviously not planning on confronting him any time soon. He was still confused on what exactly had happened that night, but that didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that Lily had now pushed him completely away, and he wasn't sure how to go about this business anymore.

Maybe he should have been a bit more surprised. After all, he and Lily had grown up together, and she had been his closest friend, even after they had gone their separate ways. And when someone finds out that their best friend has feelings for them, well, aren't they supposed to feel shocked and confused?

The only thing Johnny felt was relief and comfort.

Shaking his head, the young man walked out of the shower room, making sure to keep the towel wrapped tightly around his waist. He stopped when he heard a familiar voice call out his name, and as he looked over his shoulder, he found Captain Frankie Raye approaching him.

"We're heading to intercept the Silver Surfer in 10 minutes, with or without you." Happy for the distraction, Johnny smirked as he turned around, giving the captain a curious stare.

"Were you just waiting for me outside the bathroom to catch me in a towel?" Smiling mischievously at the woman, the Human Torch's toned body began to sizzle, steam wafting from him entirely. Having meant to be funny, Johnny waited, but Captain Raye seemed to find no humor in his antics. She merely turned and began to walk away. With a sigh, Johnny quickly shuffled after her, stopping her in her path.

"That was supposed to be a joke," he said earnestly as the blonde gave him a less than amused stare.

"Why are you so down on me?" Johnny asked the captain as she raised a brow. "You don't even know me."

"Oh, I know you. I read your personality file," Frankie stated. "Confident, reckless, irresponsible, self-obsessed, border-line narcissism." Johnny couldn't deny that.

"Maybe you do know me."

"All I've seen, is a guy who almost got his team killed." And that had hit a sore spot for Johnny.

The man gave the woman a nod as he sighed. "Ok. So I've been a little off my game lately," he defended. He frowned at the way the woman narrowed her eyes at him as she shook her head in disapproval.

"This isn't a game." And with that, Frankie began to walk around Johnny. The young man sighed once more as he began to turn and follow after her. Without any thought whatsoever, he called after her.

"Look, Lily, I'm-" Johnny stopped himself immediately as his blue eyes widened and shined, the captain raising a brow as she looked back at Johnny. She stared for a second as he gaped, shocked at the mistake he had made. The young woman merely turned as she began to make her way back to the General.

"If you have something to say to Ms. Min then you should say it before we head out," Captain Raye said with a small smirk across her lips before she turned the corner, leaving Johnny to his own devices.

The dirty blond let out a tired breath as he rubbed his head and grumbled to himself, making his way to the room in which he had left his suit in.

Everyone had arrived to The Black Forest quickly, and General Hagar was efficient with what he wanted his men to do and where he wanted them positioned. The Fantastic Five stepped out from the hummer that had driven them to Reed's coordinates, Victor climbing out after them. The man was quick to walk off towards the tent that had been set up, leaving Mr. Fantastic to deal with Hagar.

"General, give us a one mile perimeter."

"Not a chance." Reed blinked as the other four glanced at each other, hanging back in order to let their leader handle business. "You lost your shot. Now it's my turn. This is a military operation, so once you jam the signal, get out of the way." Pushing past the hero, the general began to walk away.

"You don t understand-"

"No, you don t understand," Hagar shot back. "So listen up. I'm the quarterback. You listen to me." Everyone stared quietly at the general, even Vic stepping out to watch the scene unfold. "Then again, you probably don't know much about football, do you, Richards?" The smirk on Hagar's face made Reed narrow his eyes, the last of his patience all wiped clean.

"...You're right." Hagar stopped in his tracks as he looked back at Reed, the man staring down at the ground for a moment. "I stayed and studied like a good little nerd..." Looking up, there was a sudden spark in Reed's eyes that caught the general off guard.

"And now? 15 years later? I'm one of the greatest minds of the 21st century. I'm engaged to the hottest girl on the planet." That made Sue smile. "And the big jock who played quarterback in high school? Well, he's standing right in front of me asking for my help." The two were now nearly nose to nose, Hagar staring menacingly at Reed as the scientist met his gaze, unafraid to speak his mind.

"I say, he's not going to get a damn thing until he starts doing as I tell him, and starts treating my friends and me with some respect." For a moment, there was silence. Hagar didn't say a single thing as he stared down at Richards, his gaze relaxing for a moment. Reed said nothing as he gave the man a smirk, watching as he began to walk away.

"...Give him what he wants." A sense of satisfaction coursed through Reed's veins as he smiled, his friends behind him slowly approaching him.

Sue stood beside her fiancé as she leaned into him, a sudden heat wafting from her body. "I'm so hot for you right now," she mumbled as Reed smirked, a set of arms wrapping around his shoulder and familiar surge suddenly shooting through his body.

"Me too!" Johnny exclaimed with a proud laugh. Reed grinned as another jolt of energy ran through him, his powers belonging to him once again. Johnny quickly stepped back as Lily and Ben stepped up to his right side, the young woman softly elbowing him in the side.

"Look at you! I never thought I'd see the day come!"

"She's right, Reed. I'm impressed," Ben said playfully as the five laughed with each other, Victor watching closely from behind. He stared for a moment longer as he smirked and turned back into the tent.

He didn't like Reed, but he could at least respect him.

Just as Hagar had said, Reed had been given everything he had needed. He and his team carried four generators as they ventured through the trees, the man leading the way. They stopped at the edge of a crag, staring out at the forest around them.

"This is it," Reed said quietly as he looked at the four beside him. "We have to be fast," he warned as they nodded, making sure their ear pieces were properly set.

"Set up your posts and rendezvous back here." Nodding, the five separated, each on their own except for Lily and Ben. The two walked together, the stronger of the pair carrying the case over his shoulder with ease. As they began to prepare for the Surfer, Hagar set up his man on the other side of the forest, readying his men for whatever was to come.

The first one to finish setting up the generator had been Reed, who had been the most familiar with what he was working with. Johnny soon followed after, Ben and Lily just arriving to their post. Ben carefully set down the case as Lily opened it, prepping for the plan. She didn't bother looking up as a sudden roar emitted through the air. She smirked as she heard Ben step towards what she could only assume was a bear. Ben glanced down at the young woman, and seeing how she had control of the situation, he turned his full attention to the brown bear.

"Hey, it's ok, buddy," Ben cooed with a smile. "You're pretty cute-" The bear suddenly roared, catching Ben off guard as Lily stiffened. She looked up for a moment as she glanced at her friend, who pursed his stone lips before opening wide and releasing a yell of his own. The dark haired woman covered her ears from the loud sound as she winced, watching as the bear began to retreat.

"Yeah, that's right! Keep running, boo boo!"

With a sigh, Lily looked up at Ben. "Was that really necessary?"

"What's your status?" Reed's voice came over the speaker as Lily smiled.

"Finished up here."

"Me too." Johnny stated.

"Almost there," Sue said after her younger brother.

Lily stood to her feet as she brushed her knees off, and smiled. She looked to Ben and was going to suggest heading back to the rendezvous point but stopped as a sharp pain shot through her temple. Wincing, Tide leaned forward, Ben quickly holding her steady.

"Whoa, Lils, you alright?" Shaking her head, Lily said nothing as she closed her eyes.

"He is coming. My master awaits."

Eyes widening, Lily stood up through the pain as she blinked.

"He's here."

"What-"

"Guys..." Sue's unsteady voice caught everyone's attention. "We've got a problem."

"What's wrong?"

"He's here." Without wasting a second, Lily began to sprint towards the direction in which Sue was supposed to be. Ben called out after her as he quickly began to run after her, though he was not as quick as she. The 24 year old ignored Reed's voice over the ear piece as she jumped over a shrub, landing gracefully on her feet and continuing down the path to the blonde.

She had tried to warn Reed and Hagar about what she had seen. And although Reed had been more susceptible to her words, Hagar had shrugged her warnings off without hesitation. So, Lily had dropped it, but she knew. She knew that the Silver Surfer wasn't the one they needed to worry about.

No, there was something far worse awaiting Earth.

Sue stared with wide, doe-like eyes as the Silver Surfer hovered in front of her. She was sure to make no sudden movements as she glanced down at the generator. Slowly, she began to lean down to the button she needed to press, but she stopped when the Surfer zoomed closer to her. Tensing, the blonde quickly created a shield around herself, but her eyes widened even more from utter shock as the alien leaned through her shield, completely unfazed by it.

Knowing she had no other choice, Sue released the shield as she frowned. "Why are you destroying our planet?" she asked gently as the Surfer stared at her through his metallic eyes.

"I have no choice," he replied back, his deep voice nearly bellowing through her body.

"Susan!" Said woman looked over her shoulder as Lily appeared through the trees, stumbling to a halt. She panted, trying to catch her breath as the Surfer looked up, recognizing the young woman standing behind the blonde. Before Lily could say anything, she winced and released a yelp as Reed came rushing out of the forest, bumping into the girl.

"Lily?"

"Watch it, Reed!"

"Sorry!"

Tearing her eyes from the pair, Sue looked back to the surfer as she recalled what Lily had said after London.

"I know that the Surfer isn't who we're looking for."

"What do you mean you don't have a choice?" Sue asked softly as she gave the surfer a confused look. "There's always a choice."

"...Not always." Frowning, Sue continued with her questions.

"Why are you trying to destroy us?"

"I am not the destroyer." Reed's eyes widened as he looked over at Lily, the young woman giving him an "I told you so" type of stare before she took a couple steps forward.

"You said, 'your herald summons you'," Lily said, catching the Surfer's attention. She hesitated before she took another step closer. "Who is it you're summoning? And are they the reason you don't have a choice?"

"...You seek answers that you already know," the Surfer replied back, Lily's body stiffening at his reply. She and Sue glanced at each other before a whizzing sound caught everyone's attention. Reed's eyes widened as he watched missiles fly through the air, aimed directly at them.

The Silver Surfer turned as he held his arm out, motioning for Sue to take a step back. The blonde didn't bother to ask questions as she stepped back and stood beside Lily, their eyes glued to the missile. They all watched as the Surfer rose further into the air and stared intently. He then raised his board, absorbing the missile into it, and for a moment, the three Fantastics were speechless.

Without warning, multiple missiles launched through the air, the Surfer flying towards them and knocking them out of his way without trouble. He stopped in front of the army set up just across the way as he held his hands out, a wall of energy pushing the vehicles back and everyone taking cover.

"Sue!" Reed exclaimed as the blonde quickly recovered, leaning down to the generator and finishing what she had started. Lily turned her head to Reed, Ben and Johnny appearing from the trees.

"I was right," Lily pointed out as Reed nodded with a dark look on his face.

If the Surfer wasn't the issue, then what was?

The four watched as the Silver Surfer took out Hagar's men, Johnny's body flickering into flames for a short second. "Just let me-"

"No! Wait!" Because Reed didn't want to hurt the surfer, especially when he knew there was something he was missing.

"Sue!" the scientist called out as the woman gently set up the generator.

"Ok! I'm ready!" she yelled out as Reed glanced up, the Surfer soaring towards the five of them now.

"Reed..." Ben said hesitantly as he watched the alien fly without any apprehension. Reed waited for the right moment, Ben's eyes widening. "Reed!"

"...Now!" Pressing the button on the screen of his palm pilot, Reed held his breath. The five watched as a wave of energy shot through the Surfer, the entity suddenly falling to his knees and through the board. He did his best to grab on to his board but fell right through, hitting the ground and the board stopping gracefully and hovering in the air. The Silver Surfer cringed for a moment, the shininess of his body gone.

The Surfer did his best to keep his eyes open, his body going numb. There was only a second where he could feel anything, a jolt of pain coursing through him before all strength escaped. His eyes shut as he lied limply on the ground, a shadow hovering over him with a smirk.

"Not so tough, are you?" Victor leered over the creature for a second longer before he turned his full attention to the board hovering in the air just a few feet away. His smirk widened as he took a few steps toward it, hands locked behind his back.

Finally, he had finally gotten what he wanted.