Just a few chapters and it's over! I can't believe we've made it this far! Four years later...but still, at least work is getting done! I'm very excited to bring a conclusion to this story and to Lily and Johnny, although it'll be sad moment. But, for now! Here is the next chapter! Please enjoy, and thank you so, so, so much for everyone who has read and is reading this and who has reviewed and who has favorited and followed! I appreciate all of you and all of the support you've given throughout the years! I wouldn't have made it here without all of you!
Chapter Twelve: Surf's Up
The higher they ran, the colder it got. Every step they took, the more visible their breath was. But no one felt the chill. There was too much adrenaline going through them to notice at all.
"We've got to get to the roof!" Reed called out as he held tightly to the Surfer. "Our ride should be here by now!"
"What ride?" Ben called out curiously, but he received no answer. Just a mere smirk from his best friend.
Finally, reaching the door that led out to the rooftop, Ben marched through as Johnny and Lily followed after him, Sue and Reed after them. The three in front stared with wide eyes as Reed grinned, Sue chuckling at their reactions.
"Holy shit." Lily blinked as she and her companions stared at the aircraft in front of them.
"Reed!" Johnny laughed as he, Ben and Lily ran ahead, Sue and Reed following behind. "This is by far the coolest thing you have ever done!"
Rushing up to the edge of the roof, they all stared down at the jet, the logo for their team embedded on the hood of it. Johnny leaned forward to get a better look at the jet as Reed smiled playfully.
"Alright! Ben, you get inside. Johnny you fly behind us."
"Dude! You have to let me fly this thing!"
"Forget about it," Ben quipped. 'I'm the best pilot here."
"Wait a second!" Lily interjected as Ben and Johnny looked to her. "Reed promised I would get first dibs on this new toy of his!" The Human Torch laughed at that.
"You don't even know how to fly!"
"If you can do it then it can't be that hard." Ben laughed as Lily smirked, Johnny scoffing. Sue blinked as the three began to go back and forth at each other, Reed rolling his eyes at them.
"Shut up!" the man snapped, gaining everyone's attention. "And move it!" Reed and Sue pushed past the three, holding the Surfer around their shoulders.
"I'm driving." A hint of a smile was evident across Reed's lips.
Doing as told, everyone began to pile into the jet as Johnny waited patiently. "Sue, you think you'll be able to squeeze in with the Surfer?" Reed inquired as his fiancé nodded, carefully seating the weakening creature in the seat and buckling him. Reed nodded as he quickly took the captain's chair, Ben grumbling as he took a seat in the back, Lily buckled in all the way to the right.
"Alright, everyone ready?"
"As ready as we'll ever be," Ben called out as Sue and Lily nodded, Reed turning and holding on to the steering control.
"Then, here we go!" Taking the lead, Reed began to pilot his newest invention with Johnny trailing behind. He pressed a few buttons on the control panel, trying to find Victor's exact location. But the with man's constant state of flux, it was hard to pinpoint him exactly. He worked for a few more minutes before his eyes brightened.
"I've got a lock on Victor's energy trail. He's headed over Southeast Asia," Reed called out as the others nodded, Johnny soaring beside the jet.
"...Noran Radd." Sue blinked as Lily looked at the entity between them. "I was once called...Noran Radd." The blonde's eyes softened as she and the woman on the other side of Noran exchanged looks.
"Noran, we need your help saving our planet," Sue said gently. "Do you understand?" He said nothing after that as he merely looked up to the sky. Although he was separated from his board, he knew that the time was drawing near.
Lily stared out at the clouds as she glanced up at the sky above her. Her stomach dropped as she frowned before her eyes widened, an excruciating pain overwhelming her. She cringed as Sue's eyes widened, Johnny blinking before he quickly dipped beneath the aircraft, rising to Lily's side.
"Lily, what's wrong?" Sue asked as Ben looked over at the girl, Reed tossing a concerned stare over his shoulder. The young woman said nothing as she kept her eyes shut, flashes of an image appearing in her mind.
'Galactus.'
Lily's eyes widened as she held her head and looked to the Silver Surfer. He gazed at her with a knowing kind of look before he glanced up at the sky. Sue raised a brow at the young woman as she finally spoke.
"It's almost here."
"What?" Reed frowned as Lily grimaced.
"Galactus! We don't have much time left, Reed!" Lily exclaimed as the man looked at her and nodded. He turned his attention back to tracking Victor, but his brows furrowed in confusion as the screen glitched for a moment.
"What-" The entire ship jerked to the side, Reed losing control from an unexpected blast of energy. Everyone yelped out as Johnny quickly flew around.
It seemed Victor had found them.
"Victor!" Reed shouted out over the wind. "The board! It's drawing the destroyer here! You have to give it up!"
"You know I've never been the giving type, Reed!" There was no talking sense into Victor.
"Hold on!" Soaring towards the water just below them, Reed weaved between the land formations with Victor following closely behind. Johnny flew beside them but stopped, catching Lily's attention.
"Johnny?" she called out apprehensively as his sister looked back as well.
Taking a deep breath, the Human Torch began to fly towards Victor, but the man laughed behind his mask as he raised his hand up, a huge wave of water rising from the river below. Having not expected that, Johnny flew into the water, his flames doused out. He began to yell, Lily twisting her body in order to get a better look. She frowned as she quickly held her hand out, Johnny coming to an abrupt stop in the air. He blinked, surprised by the sudden halt as he looked up.
Having mastered controlling the water inside of her own self, Lily had been practicing on using that same power on other people. And although it was still a bit shaky, it had been enough in that moment.
Regaining his control, Johnny quickly reignited his flames as Lily then turned her attention to Victor, who was still trailing behind them.
"How is he staying connected to the board?" Lily asked as Reed swerved through the valley, dodging rocks that Victor had tried to attack with.
"He must have some sort of pulse emitter that keeps him linked to it," Reed explained as Lily looked back at the man.
"Reed, we're sitting ducks like this!" Ben pointed out as the leader of the team looked back at Victor. He began to pull switches as he nodded his head.
"We're gonna have to split up!"
"What?!" Susie was less than pleased with the idea. But having no control of the situation, and with Victor on their tail, there was nothing for her to do. So, she watched helplessly as the jet split into three sections. She looked over at Lily, who glanced back at her before she nodded, unbuckling herself from her seat and turning to face Victor.
Sue! Keep it steady! Lily said as the blonde nodded. Noran watched quietly as the black haired woman beside him narrowed her eyes, Victor deciding to fly after them. She smirked as she glanced down at the body of water beneath them before she pulled her arms up, several strings of water rising. She snapped her fingers and watched with satisfaction as the water froze over, turning into spikes of ice.
"Alright, Victor." Thrusting her arm forward, Lily watched intently as the spears of ice zoomed towards Doom. The man on the board quickly jumped, his feet avoiding the spikes. He quickly pulled his left arm up and away from another spike before he landed back on his board with ease. Lily narrowed her eyes as she then pushed her arms upward, a tunnel of water shooting up around Doom. The man laughed at her pathetic attempts to stop him as he held his arm up, a force of energy creating an opening through the water for him to fly through.
"God! He's so annoying!" Tide snapped as she shook her head. Her eyes widened as she watched Doom thrust his arms forward as they flew, a burst of energy hitting the back of the jet. Sue winced as their part of the aircraft jerked. Her blue eyes widened as Lily screamed, tipping over the side and falling.
"Lily!" Sue screeched as she swerved around but quickly rose higher into the air, Victor laughing as he forced the woman away from the falling girl.
Concentrating, Lily grunted as she quickly adjusted herself in the air before slowly coming to a stop. She panted and relaxed, shooting a glare up at Victor as he stopped and turned to her.
"You know, Lily. You should know when to give up."
"Coming from the man who came back from the dead just so he could lose again?" Lily smirked as Victor glared through his mask.
Without hesitation, Doom held his palm out towards Lily as he aimed a burst of energy towards her. She quickly pulled her arms up, a wall of water blocking his attack just enough to soften his blow. She stumbled back in the air as the man then pushed his hands towards her, water suddenly coming from behind him and rushing towards her. Holding her palms up, Lily flinched as she stopped the force of liquid, a strain falling on her arms. She winced as Victor pushed harder, Lily slowly losing against his strength.
"Hold on!" Lily's eyes widened as a ball of fire hit Doom on the back of his head. The man turned his full attention to Johnny as he readjusted his aim, the water shooting out towards the Torch. Tide acted swiftly as she thrust her arms out, stopping the water and giving Johnny enough time to fly around and hit him with another fire ball. Doom laughed as he swatted his hand to the side, a wall of energy dousing out the flame. Not wasting another second, Doom kept his eyes on Johnny but thrust his right hand out to Lily, unexpectedly hitting her with a ball of energy and knocking her balance off. She gasped as the wind was knocked out from her chest, her body tumbling towards the water.
"Lily!" Johnny quickly began to fly towards the woman as Victor took that moment to fly after the others.
He would get rid of Reed once and for all.
Not thinking, Johnny flew as quickly as he could to his falling teammate, Lily coughing as she tried to breathe properly again. He scooped the woman into his arms, but as he did so, his eyes widened. His memory slapped him across the face as he felt a jolt run through him, his flames suddenly gone. Lily's eyes widened as a bolt of energy shocked her and a heat began to spread through her blood.
"Johnny! You idio-" Before she could finish yelling at said idiot, the two cringed as they hit the water, twisting and spin as they lost control of their movements.
A strange sense of peace came over Johnny as he sank into the water. He closed his eyes as he listened to the way the water hummed in his ears before his eyes snapped open. He cringed and rolled up into himself as a screech echoed in his ears, a pain originating from his temples causing him to nearly choke.
That was the kind of pain Lily had been going through?
Johnny had been so engulfed in the agony that he hadn't noticed the figure reaching out to him. It wasn't until the pain suddenly disappeared that he noticed a hand holding his and pulling him up to the surface.
With a gasp, Johnny coughed several times, spitting out water he had almost accidentally swallowed. He slowly caught his breath as he looked over at Lily, the girl coughing as well as she looked back at him. She sighed after a moment as she looked up, any trace of Reed and the others out of sight.
"We've got to catch up."
"I'll just-"
"No!" Lily quickly pulled her hand away from Johnny's, the young man forgetting about his handicap once again. "You have to go ahead without me."
"Are you crazy?! I'm not leaving you here, Lily!" Johnny snapped as the two soaked heroes stared at each other, neither willing to back down.
"They need our help."
"Exactly! Our help," Johnny pointed out as Lily groaned.
"We don t have time for this!"
"...You're going to have to fly."
"What?" She had been trying to teach herself how to fly for a long time. Since two years before. But she hadn't been able to learn. And so Lily had settled with being able to float and to hover, because at the time, that was all she had needed. But now, circumstances were different. The world needed saving, and she needed to step up to the plate now.
"Johnny, you know I can't."
"Why not? You can! You just have to try."
"I have tried! It doesn't work like that for me. I can't just be you, where I shout a stupid catch-phrase and all of a sudden I'm flying!"
"Hey! That is not a stupid catch-phrase!"
"News flash, Johnny! It is!" Lily groaned as the pair treaded in the water.
"You have to go!"
"I already told you, I'm not leaving you behind!" Johnny snapped as he looked at Lily.
"Alright, listen. For once, Lils, you're going to have to just suck it up." Lily blinked at that as Johnny stared deeply into her eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know what your problem is? You're always counting yourself out before the game even starts." Lily stared with wide eyes as Johnny's expression softened. "You don't ever give yourself a chance, and you always try and run from the things you think you can't handle." The young woman's face relaxed as a vulnerable look washed over her. Johnny relaxed as he smiled at her reassuringly.
"Lily, I know you. I know you just like you know me," he said as the young woman stared at him. "You're scared, and I get it. But right now, we've got a lot at stake. So you just have to try believing in yourself a little more. For the world's sake, you're going to have to face yourself in the mirror."
She wasn't sure where the renowned wisdom had suddenly come from. Johnny was suddenly the one giving her advice. When had they switched roles? And as Lily's hazel eyes bore into his blue eyes, she was sure that he was a different person. He was still the same, playful idiot, but there was something about him that had changed. He was no longer some reckless guy. He was now a man.
"...I'll try." Smiling at that reply, Johnny nodded as Lily quickly pulled herself out of the water, solidifying the water for Johnny to stand as well. The two stood in front of each other as they stared before Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Johnny watched her carefully as he glanced in the direction in which the others had escaped to. He then turned his attention to Lily as the woman frowned.
"I can't-"
"Yes! Yes you can," Johnny insisted as he took a step towards her. "You have to keep trying." What Johnny would have gave to hold her hands and reassure her that everything would work out.
Hands rolling into fists, Lily concentrated on her body as she felt herself tremble. Her muscles flexed before she relaxed, slowly rising into the air as she always did when she wanted to float.
Now all she needed to do was add a bit of speed.
Lighting aflame, Johnny followed after Lily, hovering in front of her as her frown slowly began to disappear. His gaze softened as he slowly reached his hand out to her cheek but stopped as he pulled away. He glanced down at his fiery hand as he mentally sighed before turning his attention back to the woman.
'Johnny's right. I can't keep running away from my fears and from myself.' Lily sighed as she concentrated more, rising higher and higher in to the air. 'I'm tired of being such a coward and of acting like I have no control.' Opening her eyes, Lily smiled softly at Johnny as he stared at her, his entire body engulfed in flames.
"You were right, Johnny." Said young man blinked as he raised a fire-brow. It wasn't often that someone told him he was right, especially Lily. So when she said it, he almost hadn't believed what he had heard. "I was just running away from my problems and trying to avoid the truth." Lily shook her head as she smiled at Johnny.
"Before, you asked me what I would do with the last few minutes I had." Johnny blinked as Lily chuckled. "What I would really do, is tell you how much I care about you. I would tell you that even though you're pig-headed sometimes and that you're an idiot most times, there is no one that I would rather spend my days with." Johnny stared at the woman in front of him as his body began to tingle.
"In my last few minutes, I would take the time to tell you that I love you. As my teammate, as my friend, as the only person that I've ever felt so close with."
"Lily..."
"And I would also tell you, thank you. Thank you for dealing with me, and thank you for being there for me, and thank you for being the anchor that keeps me at bay." A strange heat rose inside of Lily as a sudden burst of power exploded inside of her. The woman smiled widely as she looked towards the direction Victor had run off to before she looked back at Johnny. He stared after her while his eyes widened, Lily suddenly flying off without warning.
A weight had been lifted off Lily's shoulders. She was done with running away and she was done with underestimating herself. Now it was time to do what needed to be done. And with no regrets left, if the world was to end, then at least she knew that she had done everything she could and she had said everything she needed to say.
"I knew you could do it!" Lily looked to her left as she soared through the air, Johnny beside her. He smirked as she laughed before flying ahead of him.
"Come on, Torch! We've got a board to catch!"