Hello! I'll try not to leave so long between updates again. But Year 12 is super unpredictable. So I hold no promises, unfortunately. Besides, we're coming up to some very important exams. So I have to study.
This is also a birthday present for Miss Daisy Dukes who had her birthday recently. Happy birthday, girl!
I own nothing except for Alena!
ENJOY!
…or not…
"I told you I felt fine," Susan smirked to me as I took of the armband used to measure blood pressure.
"Never hurts to double check," I retorted as I put the equipment away.
We were currently in the medical tent getting checked out by paramedics who were called out to the scene. I was checked out first at everyone's insistence. I almost collapsed on the way to the tent as my body temperature was dangerously high. So Johnny had to carry me to the tent although that probably wasn't the best idea considering he was still warm from protecting the little girl from the fire. Luckily, he got me there before things got worse.
Despite the protests of the paramedics, I began helping out with the checks. Even though they came from New York-Presbyterian where I currently reside, we didn't know each other because they started the same day I left for the launch site to go to the space station. They stopped arguing when I brought up that I was a doctor and I knew what I was doing.
Unlike that bitch of a nurse…
"Where are your ears?" Johnny asked Ben as I walked past.
I glared at Johnny, wishing I had Reed's ability to stretch so I could whack him up the head for his insensitivity. Ben was still sitting on the bed with Debbie's discarded engagement ring in his large hand.
"Ben, this proves that she wasn't worth your love," I begin, causing Ben to growl at me slightly, "Don't give me that. If Debbie truly loved you, she would have stayed by your side no matter what. She would have found a way to cope with this. But she didn't. One day, you will find someone who truly appreciates you; someone who can see beyond the exterior and see you."
Ben gave me a small smile. But I knew that it would take a while for him to recover from the breakup. Especially with the untactful way Debbie performed it.
"A bit hypocritical, don't you think?" Johnny asked me casually.
"How is that hypocritical?" I demand.
"Being by my side no matter what?" Johnny repeated what I said as he leant his side onto the table next to me.
"That's different. You cheated. I caught you. It's pretty black and white, Johnny," I retorted.
"She came onto me. I was pushing her away when you came in," Johnny defended himself; "It's not my fault that you refuse to listen to what happened."
"Why? To hear you lie your way out of it?" I spat.
"I haven't looked at another woman since I dated you, Alena," Johnny seethed, obviously trying to maintain his control.
"But you were a womaniser when I first stepped foot into that high school, Johnathan," I shot back, edging closer to him as I used his full name against him like he did to me, "And you were looking at other women when you were dating Missy. It's the only way you noticed me after all. Isn't there a saying, 'Once a womaniser, always a womaniser'?"
Johnny opened his mouth to say something in response, but the Chief Fireman came in, dissolving our argument for the time being.
"There's some folks outside who want to talk to you," he announced.
"We're not going public with this," I objected immediately as I stepped forward.
"We're scientists. Not celebrities," Reed agreed, speaking for the first time since we entered the tent.
"It's too late, son," the chief said.
We all glance at each other in confusion. How is it too late to not go public with our powers?
Then he turned on the TV.
A news channel was broadcasting the incident on the Brooklyn Bridge earlier this morning. Then the shot changed to us. It wasn't the shot of us that surprised me.
What surprised me was the tagline.
"That's what they're calling you. The Fantastic Five!" the chief told us.
The Fantastic Five? Who comes up with these names?!
"Nice!" Johnny cheered as he went to exit the tent.
"Where you going?" I demanded.
"I'm gonna go talk to them," Johnny decided.
"No you're not," I immediately objected.
"We should think this through," Susan decreed.
"Great. Brainstorm," Johnny smirked as he left the tent.
We all glanced at each other before deciding to take off after Johnny. Leaving Johnny as the 'spokesperson' for the Fantastic Five was the worst thing to do. Neither of us wanted to do this. But we knew that it wouldn't be good to let Johnny do this alone. Somebody needed to state the truth.
"Get back here right now! JOHNNY!" Sue hissed.
The reporters clambered with excitement when they finally noticed us. Lights began flashing as the cameras clicked. Reporters were shouting questions to us.
The chief stood in front of us, providing us with a temporary shield, before asking,
"So which one of you is the leader?"
"That would be me," Johnny answered.
I chortled. Johnny be the leader? No way.
The chief must have agreed with me, because he said, "No. Seriously."
Johnny deflated at the thought of the chief not taking him seriously. We all seemed to glance at Reed. He knew more about this than any of us did. Silently, we decided that he should be the 'leader'. The chief agreed.
"OK, son. You're on," he decreed.
The cameras didn't stop flashing and clicking. But the reporters seemed to quieten down, interested in what Reed had to say.
"Uh, during our recent mission to the Von Doom space station, we were exposed to as of yet unidentified radioactive energy, most likely some kind of nucleotide compound…"
The reporters were quick to cut him off, only interested in the facts that made a good story…
And some fiction.
"What happened on the bridge?!"
"Does it hurt to stretch?!"
I have to admit. I was interested in that one too.
"Were you really on fire?!"
"Is it true that you can fly?!"
Oh no. Here we go.
"Yeah. I'm working on that. It's actually a lot harder than what people may expect," Johnny answered.
"We don't know much more than you do at this point," Sue cut in, effectively silencing the reporters.
Since I am the one with the medical degree, I felt like I should be the one saying this,
"Which is why we will be going directly to our lab to diagnose our symptoms."
"Symptoms?! Is this some kind of disease?!" one reporter asked in fear.
"No, no, no," Johnny stepped forward as the reporters clambered again, "Please. If having powers is a disease, then year. We've got it bad. But we are going to blow your minds. A new day is dawning! The day of the Fantastic Five!"
Johnny wrapped his arms around me and Susan to demonstrate a silent point of unity between us. I couldn't help but wrap my arm around his waist since his arm was wrapped around my shoulders. It felt like old times before…this.
"Excuse me. That thing doesn't look fantastic," one reporter cut in, pointing to Ben.
Ben growled silently and clenched his wrist, still sensitive to the transformation.
Reed was quick to jump to Ben's defence, "Ben Grimm is a genuine American hero who has been through a terrible ordeal."
"What he's trying to say is every team needs a mascot," Johnny cut in.
I was quick to glare at Johnny while Ben looked away in shame. He was genuinely hurt. Unfortunately, one of the downsides about Johnny is he can be rather cruel with his jokes.
Reed finally snapped,
"Look! We went up to space to find a way to understand DNA, to cure disease and save lives. Well, now it's our DNA, our disease, our lives on the line. Thank you. No more questions."
We took this time to walk away, ignoring the press as they shouted even more questions at us. Something that reporters never understand is the phrase, 'No more questions'. But they're equivalent to bloodhounds. I wouldn't expect anything less.
"ALENA!"
I turned around to see a 5"10, 137 lbs man with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Admittedly, he looked a little scrawny. But was still good looking in his own way.
"Andy?!" I said in surprise.
"I heard it on the news at work and rushed over," Andy told me as he hugged me, "You ok?"
"More sensitive to heat than I was. But I'm OK," I answered truthfully.
"Yeah! I saw that thing you did with the water to save that fireman. It was awesome!" Andy crowed.
"Charleston's not mad, is he?" I asked nervously, referring to the Chief of Surgery at the hospital and my current (possibly former) employer.
"He's been in surgery all morning. He doesn't know yet," Andy told me.
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh no," I quietly moaned.
I turned around to see Johnny standing behind me, glaring at Andy. He could easily intimidate him. Johnny is 6"0 and 194 lbs and has more of an athletic build than Andy.
"Nice to see you too, Johnny," Andy spat, not bothering to hide his distaste.
"Why are you here?" he demanded.
"To see if Allie is alright," Andy answered.
Ignoring Andy, Johnny said to me, "We have to go. Reed wants us at the Baxter Building. NYPD's giving us a ride."
"I'll be there in a minute," I nodded.
"Now," he enforced.
"We're talking," Andy smirked.
"Five minutes," I pleaded.
"Two," he amended before walking away.
"I can see why you broke up with him," Andy remarked.
"We haven't broken up yet," I retorted, "We're on break."
"You're better off without him," Andy said before handing me a piece of paper, "This is my new number. I had to change it because of my crazy bitch of an ex. Call me when you feel like going out for a drink."
"I think I'll take you up on that," I smirked as I walked away.
"I was about to get you," Johnny remarked.
"That was not two minutes," I retorted.
"Fine. One second out. I wasn't really going to give you two minutes," Johnny admitted.
"Figured," I muttered.
Sue and Reed were going to go together in the backseat as there were two officers to a cruiser. Unfortunately, Ben can't fit into a standard car anymore. So he had to travel in a paddy wagon.
Which means that Johnny and I have to travel to the Baxter Building together in the same car.
Swell.
And done!
Em, sorry I didn't send this to you for editing before I uploaded it. But this was your birthday present! :D
Be sure to send her some birthday wishes, guys! Remember: her penname is Miss Daisy Dukes.
BYE!