So how's everyone doing? Yeah, it's been months. My bad. Sorry.
Cosmic Storm
By Robinyj
Sue yawned and rubbed at her eyes, frustrated that she was so tired. An hour ago she was so anxious and worried about her brother, and the fate of the entire planet, that she was sure she would be awake for days, but with the threat to Earth eliminated and Johnny now safely home she found that exhaustion had caught up with her. As she fought back another yawn she remembered there was a coffee machine just around the corner in Reed's lab. With all the late nights that Reed worked it only made sense for him to have one in there and it was calling to her. She was loathe to leave Johnny alone for any amount of time when he had only just returned but if she didn't get some caffeine she was going to be asleep in a few minutes anyway.
"I'll be right back Johnny, don't go anywhere," she joked as she got up, not too concerned since they were pretty certain that Johnny was just suffering from exhaustion after creating and maintaining an entire star, and would sleep for several hours.
"When he wakes up I just know he's never going to shut up about how he saved the world - again," thought Sue as she walked down the hall. "Then again, he seemed so focussed and responsible up there on the roof, and even before that, when he said good-bye, so it couldn't have just been the Power Cosmic. Maybe my brother's finally growing up."
This optimistic thought made Sue smile at her own naivete, but she could always dream. As she walked back towards the medical lab she cradled her coffee mug and took a long, slow sip of the rejuvenating liquid and then almost dropped it as she turned the corner.
"Whoa," she exclaimed when she saw her brother was now sitting bolt straight up in his bed, legs dangling over the sides and staring straight ahead. "Johnny you scared me."
She put her mug down on the table just as he started to stand with the same stiff posture and emotionless features. There was something wrong with his eyes, something vacant, cold. His silence and movements were so uncharacteristic that Sue halted the hug she had been about to give him and instead asked, "Johnny, are you all right?"
Instead of responding he continued to stare blankly forward and pay no attention to her. Suddenly his hand came up and the Silver Surfboard appeared at his feet. As he stepped onto it his body began to glow with the same pure white light as it had done before on the roof, but now at a much lower intensity.
"Johnny what are you doing? Johnny stop!" Sue yelled as she jogged towards him and instinctually created a forcefield around him. "Wait! Johnny!"
Johnny acted as though neither Sue nor the forcefield were even there. He looked up, chose his destination and flew straight up, through the ceiling, not phasing through it as Norrin often did but actually plowing through the cement and brick and then vanished into the distance.
"Johnny!" Sue was in shock but had enough presence of mind to form a shield to protect her from the debris falling from the hole Johnny had punched in the roof. Looking up she could see shattered brick and broken beams hanging precariously and just barely made out the bright white glow of her brother speeding upwards and away. Knowing she couldn't follow him she turned around and hit the button on the intercom system that connected the entire building.
"Reed, Ben get to the Fantasticar! Johnny's gone and he took half the building with him!"
"What?" Was the immediate response she got from them both and rather than explaining she replied:
"I'll explain in the hangar bay. We have to find him, now move!" she ordered as she raced down the hallway, not sticking by the intercom to answer any more questions that may slow them down from finding her brother. As she ran up a flight of stairs towards the Hangar Bay she met up with Norrin who was coming down from the roof level.
"Norrin! Are you okay? Were you up on the roof just now? Did you see where Johnny went?" Susan asked desperately.
"I am well Susan. I saw Johnny Storm leave in the direction you call north," Norrin explained.
"Okay, thanks, please, come with me. We have to go after him and we could really use your help," Susan pleaded. She had almost just ordered Norrin into the vehicle due to her worry for her brother but then remembered that Norrin was helping them of his own free will and was not a member of their team she could just boss around. Thankfully though, he did not need convincing.
"Of course, any assistance I can offer," he said as he followed her through a coded set of doors.
"Great, thanks. Do you have any idea what's happening to him? I was there when he left but he didn't say anything, he didn't even look at me, he just got on the board and flew away," Sue explained.
"I am sorry, I do not know."
Ben and Reed were just coming in through the door across the room as Sue and Norrin came into the Hangar bay.
"Susie, what's going on? What happened to the kid?" Ben asked immediately.
"I don't know," she said in frustration. "I left the room for one second and I came back and he was awake but he didn't say anything and he wouldn't look at me and he had this really blank look on his face. Then he just flew through the roof and left, Norrin saw him go north."
"Then we better get going," Reed said as they all climbed into the Fantasticar and Reed set the heading.
"Through the roof? As in a big gaping hole in our ceiling? Well, that's just as fantastic as the rest of us isn't it?" Ben muttered as he got into the oversized seat built especially for him and Sue took her usual spot in the middle with Norrin beside her. She frowned as she realized that Norrin had ridden in the car with her more often than her own brother who had been forced to fly alongside by himself last time they used it. Reed didn't have to be the smartest guy on the planet to see how concerned Sue was and offered the only words of comfort he had.
"Johnny's leaving a clear trail of cosmic radiation due to the Board, we should be able to find him in no time," Reed said.
But Sue wouldn't be comforted, "Why did he leave in the first place? What's wrong with my brother? I mean, I know he's reckless but to just tear a hole in the roof of our home - there's something wrong with him."
"You saw the same scans I did Sue, his body chemistry is extremely altered, even for him, it may be that he's simply confused and doesn't know what he's doing …" Reed stopped as he checked the sensors in front of him. "He's stopped. Twenty miles northeast - he's in the middle of nowhere."
"There's gotta be something out there," Ben said, just as confused as all of them as to why Johnny would fly away and then just stop a few miles away in a random spot.
"There's nothing, it's a wildlife reserve, there's just forest and animals," Reed supplied. "He really must be disoriented."
"Susan."
The Surfer's resonant voice easily gained the attention of them all, "Yes?"
"When Johnny Storm left I was on my way to tell you, there is something wrong with your brother."
"Well thanks Captain Obvious!" Ben blurted out in frustration.
"Ben! I swear, you're worse than Johnny," Sue warned. "What do you mean Norrin?"
"He is … changed," was all Norrin would say, as though he was struggling with the right words.
"Of course he is," Ben shouted again, "You're the one who changed him!"
"No, he was changed in another way beyond my doing. I cannot fully understand, but the being that returned to you was not the same Johnny Storm that left this planet."
"If you don't start making sense in the next two seconds pal!"
"Ben!"
"Hey! We're here!" Reed shouted over the argument beginning behind him. The fight was forgotten as all eyes turned to the front and the Fantasticar slowed down to gradually approach the glowing, motionless figure floating ahead of them. It was definitely Johnny, radiating white flames as before, his back was to them and he seemed to simply be watching the horizon even though there was nothing to see but trees, grass and water. It was silence as they approached, with all four of the car's occupants waiting to see how Johnny would react to their presence. But as they flew almost directly beside him it became obvious that he was not going to react at all.
"Johnny," Sue whispered finally. They were so close she leaned slightly out of the car and tried to touch him to get his attention, but her voice was enough. Johnny's head snapped round and eyes that were once a beautiful, joy-filled blue stared into her with an icy cold intensity surrounded by white fire. The hardness of the glare took her back but did not discourage her. "Johnny, can you hear me? Do you know where you are? What are you doing out here?"
Silence.
"Why don't you come back to the Baxter Building with us, please?"
"Yeah Matchstick, come back with us, we'll fix whatever's wrong with your head," Ben added in a surprisingly soft tone for his choice of words.
Sue grimaced and tried to smooth over Ben's attempt, "We'll do some tests, we'll figure out what's wrong. Just, come with us, okay?"
Johnny remained fixed in position, glowing, unmoving and floating atop his cosmic device. There was no recognition or emotion in his eyes even as he finally spoke and said, "Sue."
The whole team flinched as Johnny's voice came out hard and raspy, yet echoing, like grinding gravel was speaking from the bottom of a well.
"Matchstick?" Ben muttered in question, not quite sure that the thing he was looking at was any longer the person he had come to think of as a friend.
There was finally a flicker of emotion in Johnny as one side of his mouth came up in a half-smile, but it was a false emotion, it wasn't real, it was almost as though a switch had been flipped to test a theory of what would happen.
"Speech," the gravelly-Johnny voice said at last with some difficulty. "Yes, there is so much yet to learn … and see."
With these words Johnny turned away from them and faced the north once more then began to glide forward, as if preparing to leave.
"Johnny no! Reed!" Sue yelled, needing something to be done.
"On it!" Reed did the only thing he could think of and turned the car to be directly in Johnny's path.
"Johnny wait! Stop! Tell us what's going on!" Sue demanded now that they had his attention again for a brief moment. Johnny didn't answer, he just continued staring as if studying the four occupants of the car but he didn't try to go past them.
It was not Johnny but Norrin that spoke first, "Susan, I am sorry, that is not your brother."
"What are you talking about? Of course he is!" Sue replied automatically but was refused her denial as Johnny spoke unexpectedly with the echo-like timbre of his voice starting to smooth slightly into a regular speech pattern.
"The one you know as Johnny Storm is no more, but all he is shall live on through us, we shall always remember the Teacher," Johnny said cryptically and then started to leave once more. Reed didn't even have the chance to move the Fantasticar into his path this time, Sue did it herself with a forcefield.
"What do you mean Johnny's gone? You're Johnny!" Sue tried to stay calm but her emotions were spiraling despite her best efforts.
"I'm not sure that he is," Reed said to her softly as he continued to look at their teammate and found no recognizable signs of the person he once was. No joy, no laughter, no real emotion of any kind, and the stillness was the most disturbing thing - Johnny was always moving, flying, talking, always in motion - but this muted, solid structure in front of them lacking impulsiveness and spontaneity was definitely not their Johnny.
Before anyone could ask anymore questions, Norrin answered them all:
"You are the Gorgun."
Johnny's attention was drawn at this and he locked eyes with the Surfer for a moment then nodded stiffly.
"Yes, that is what you called us, therefore that is what we are, or at least what we were. We do not know what we are now, but we shall find out. There is much left for the Teacher to show us."
"What are you talking about?" Sue demanded of the Surfer.
"The Gorgun were not removed from this galaxy as you thought, they were transferred into your brother," Norrin explained. "The Gorgun have infiltrated Johnny Storm's body and overthrown his mind."
"That's impossible," Reed muttered. "The Gorgun are basic instinctual organisms they couldn't have the capacity to adapt and learn sentient thought, their structure is too simple."
"You can't be the Gorgun, Johnny destroyed you!" Ben added bluntly.
"No, Johnny Storm created us. He came to us and offered that which we need to live, we were drawn to him and within this body we are given unlimited energy. He offered himself to us and we accepted this body as a vessel, and from this mind we have learned of sentience, thought, speech, sight, of life itself instead of mere existence. Johnny Storm is our Teacher and our Giver of Life," the Gorgun explained as they continued to radiate a white glow but remained stationary, seemingly content to continue this conversation for the time being.
"All right, well you've had your fun, now get out of my brother and get out of our galaxy!" Sue demanded, her emotions raging as usual. It was beyond disturbing, seeing her brother's body speaking someone else's words, carrying something else's mind. It was causing her powers to be particularly unstable since she had to restrain her urge to strike out because right now she could not attack the Gorgun without hurting Johnny.
The Gorgun showed their first true emotional response at Sue's words as the Board pulled back several inches and what looked like fear seeped onto Johnny's face, "We cannot go back to what we were. To nothingness, to black, to the void. To return would be to lose all that we have learned and there is no need, this vessel's power can sustain us indefinitely, therefore we will remain."
"Of course, if the Gorgun live off heat energy then Johnny's natural fire abilities, combined with the Power Cosmic could make it possible for Johnny's body to be like an incubator for the organisms, providing them with an unlimited food source," Reed said quietly to the team, slipping into lecture mode.
"Reed," Sue said crisply, "We don't need science lessons we need a way to get my brother back to normal."
"Well, the Gorgun seem to have adapted an impressive intelligence, perhaps they can be reasoned with," Reed offered.
"Why do I have a feeling that words ain't gonna do much?" Ben wondered aloud but didn't stop Reed from trying.
"Uh … Gorgun, this body isn't yours, it belongs to Johnny and we think it only right that it be returned to him, as it previously was, with him as the sole occupant," Reed said, and waited to gauge their response.
"Johnny Storm remains in this vessel, therefore there is nothing to be returned," the Gorgun reasoned.
"If Johnny's in there let us talk to him," Sue requested urgently, but the Gorgun shook Johnny's head.
"The Teacher's thoughts are melded with our own, in our creation we became one, separation is not possible."
"I don't believe that," Sue said firmly. "The Power Cosmic is that of awesome power, if it allowed you to join with Johnny then it can divide you again."
"I agree. Gorgun, you say if you leave Johnny you will forget all that you've learned, therefore you wouldn't know what you had lost, so if you agree to leave Johnny now, you won't know that you lost anything," Reed tried to argue.
"Is this an existence you would willingly return to, where there is no thought, no substance, just the void?"
Reed didn't respond but the answer was obvious.
"No creature would willingly accept existence when there is a chance at life. We are leaving. Do not attempt to follow us or you will be destroyed regardless of the agreement we have made with the Teacher."
"Agreement? If you have an agreement with Johnny then the kid is in there somewhere," Ben accused as he desperately wanted to talk to their teammate and not this strange lifeform that had taken him over.
"The agreement was made when the Teacher joined with us. He gave us thought so that we may communicate and with thought came desire. We wished for life and were given this vessel, unchallenged, as long as your star remained untouched. We have upheld our part of this agreement and the Teacher upholds his. There is nothing to discuss and nothing to return."
With those words the Gorgun were finished speaking and turned to fly away, however they were still very close to the Fantasticar giving Ben the chance to reach for Johnny's arm.
"Hey, we're not done here!" Ben yelled in frustration. As soon as he touched Johnny's arm the white glow intensified and with a hiss of what was perhaps the Gorgun's first ever sensation of anger a shockwave tore through the sky knocking Ben back into his seat as it hit the Fantasticar.
"Whoa," Ben said as he fell and the controls in front of him powered down.
"Reed?" Sue questioned as the car was thrown back and began to descend.
"No power," Reed confirmed in a rush. "We have no power, we're completely shut down."
They were several thousand feet above the ground and falling fast with nothing to stop them.
Watching silently for only a moment, Johnny Storm's body turned and flew away.
"Nothing's responding, it's all dead," Reed reported. "Uh, Sue?"
"I'm trying!" she yelled as she closed her eyes trying to focus on her forcefields. The ground was flying closer.
Nothing happened.
"Sue, concentrate!" Reed implored.
"I'm trying," Sue repeated but knew that she was really thinking about her brother flying away from them with a cosmically enhanced being controlling his body. Her emotions were such a wreck from the entire situation that she had almost no control of her powers at all.
"Relax," a soothing voice said to her left and she suddenly felt her mind become entirely focussed on creating and maintaining her force field. An invisible bubble formed around the Fantasticar and their descent came to an abrupt halt with fifty feet to spare.
"Cuttin' it kinda close don't ya think?" Ben pointed out with a sigh from the back.
Sue continued concentrating until she had lowered them safely to the ground, "Yeah, sorry about that. Thank you Norrin, I couldn't have done that without you."
Norrin nodded his head but said nothing. Behind them, Ben climbed out of his seat and sent a tremor through the ground as he landed. Walking along the now powerless vehicle he voiced the confusion of the entire group.
"So, what was that?"
Reed never looked up from the controls as he responded, "Johnny, or rather the Gorgun, hit us with something like an EM pulse, it shorted all the Fantasticar's circuits. It seems like it should only last a few minutes but you can see the powerful result."
"You never thought to shield our systems against something like that?" Ben asked incredulously, unable to believe that Reed could miss something so obvious in his design structure. But of course, Reed hadn't.
"Actually the car has significant defenses against things like this happening, but then you have to take the Power Cosmic into account, in which case you really can't account for anything anymore."
"He could have killed us." The disturbing thought was voiced quietly by Sue who seemed to be in a state of shock from the entire incident, but was still the first to say aloud what they had all been thinking.
"Probably," Reed confirmed, but then added optimistically, "but they didn't. It might mean Johnny still has some sway over their actions, there certainly would have been much more effective ways to take us out of the picture for good with the sort of power they have. This definitely seemed more like a disabling tactic to get us out of the way."
"They did say Johnny made them promise not to hurt the Earth," Ben supplied.
"Actually, I think they promised not to eat the sun, which they haven't done. It may only be out of courtesy for the "teacher" that they didn't kill us," Reed surmised.
"Anyone else notice he wasn't as bright and shiny as before?" Ben asked.
"The Power Cosmic has been greatly diminished from Johnny Storm's actions in space, reducing his physical appearance as well. The Gorgun simply may not have had the strength to do us further damage," Norrin informed them, explaining the Gorgun's lack of glow and destructive power.
Reed perked up at hearing this and having the control board in front of him light up at the same time, "That could be good, if the Power Cosmic is running low then we may just have a chance of beating these things and getting Johnny back to normal. Our systems are up again, let's get back to the lab and grab the Tachyon Pulse emitters. Separating the Gorgun from the Board is our best chance at capturing Johnny unharmed, then we'll figure out some way to get those things out of him."
Ben quickly moved to get back in the car, eager to get Johnny back to normal and glad to have a semblance of a plan, when Norrin was forced to bring the mood of the team down once more when he told them:
"I am afraid your technology will no longer affect the Beacon."
"What? Why? They worked on you before?" Ben pointed out needlessly.
Norrin replied firmly, "When a weapon is developed against you, is not your first step upon survival to create a defense against such a weapon?"
Reed sighed, "Yes, it would be."
"It is the same with the Beacon. It is now shielded from the weapon you created, as effective as it initially was, it will no longer be of use to you in this endeavor," Norrin regretfully informed them.
"If the Board's learned to defend itself then I'm at a loss. We can track the Gorgun as long as they stay on the planet, but if we can't separate them from the Board I don't see how we'll get them to even talk to us let alone remove them from Johnny."
"Then what are we gonna do?" Sue demanded, breaking her silence. "We can't just let those things stay in my brother!"
"And we gotta move fast before they get any more of their Cosmic strength back and we lose all chance of getting the kid back," Ben added. Not surprisingly, it was Norrin's words that again changed the mood and outlook of the teammates.
"I may be able to stop them," he announced suddenly, "but it will be difficult and I will need your help."
"Help you can have, what we need is a plan," Reed told him despondently. It had taken him days of work in the lab last time to figure out a way to battle the Power Cosmic and he knew he wouldn't be able to do it again. Thankfully, Norrin had that covered.
"I can take the Power Cosmic back from the Gorgun and by all accounts render them helpless. I do not know if it will force them to leave Johnny Storm's body but it will greatly weaken their hold on him at the very least."
"What?" Ben shouted, doing his best not to strangle their alien visitor. "And you just thought to mention this now? You never bothered to tell us that you can turn Johnny back to normal whenever you want?"
"As I said, I can take the Power Cosmic back but it will not necessarily force the Gorgun out of your teammate. The small fraction of Power Cosmic that was left inside me was meant as a marker for the power to recognize me as their true master. I can force a transfer of the power back into myself but physical contact must be made and maintained – this is where I will need your help."
"That sounds great Norrin, but Ben made a good point. Why didn't you mention this before or try it earlier when he was here with us?" Sue asked softly, trying not to sound accusatory but needing to know the answer.
"I was reluctant to mention it. If this is done there is the chance Johnny Storm may be gravely injured in the process," Norrin said solemnly as he met Sue's gaze.
"But you were able to transfer the power before fairly easily, or so it seemed. You were both all right after a few minutes," Reed pointed out.
"There is a considerable difference between transferring the power willingly and tearing it out of one that does not wish to relinquish it. Great damage can be inflicted," the Surfer warned. The team considered this in silence for a few moments until Reed finally spoke.
"It sounds like it's our only option." He noticed that Sue hadn't said anything for some time and was clearly deep in thought. As much as Reed believed that he was the leader of this team he also knew that in this situation the choice of action was completely up to Sue. "Sue, what do you think?"
Her expression was set firmly as she looked up at him and nodded, "Like you said, it's our only option. We chance hurting him or we leave him like that, and we're not leaving him like that. I'm not letting some space mist take over my brother. We all know how much Johnny hates being cooped up and I know he'd want us to try anything we had to in order to free him. Norrin, do whatever is necessary."
Now that that was settled, Reed knew it was time to rally their efforts.
"All right, we have an idea, now we need a strategy. If the Gorgun can read Johnny's mind then they probably know you're able to do this Norrin, they won't let you near them easily."
Ben's ears perked up at this and he smiled mischievously, "So, you saying you need a distraction?"
Now that was something Ben could do.
Miles away the body of Johnny Storm flew to a stop once more high above a quiet stretch of forest. When the Gorgun were given sentience they essentially copied all the information and knowledge in Johnny's mind and it became their own, but even though they had this knowledge they had not yet analyzed it, nor were they anywhere near understanding it fully. Even as the Gorgun floated above the simple treetops they were in awe, because even though they already knew what trees and grass and animals were they had never before experienced the sensations of sight, smell and sound. Johnny's mind warned that there were greater, more complicated things in the universe such as cities and people that needed to be explored as well but for now the Gorgun chose these quiet, uninhabited areas to stay as they assimilated to sentience. The Gorgun observed and catalogued the sounds of birds, running water and wind and there was of course the ever present scream that had been with them since their rebirth.
When the Gorgun has first overtaken Johnny Storm's body there had been a battle for control and though Johnny was strong, the Gorgun were many and eventually gained complete control over the physical vessel they now inhabited. But Johnny's mind was not destroyed, it was intact and aware, and from it they learned and questioned, answers came unwillingly, but also there was the constant pounding, screaming, demanding for freedom. It was almost deafening as it came from within the Gorgun's own fresh mind in many ways and though they did not intend to obey it, they also could not silence it as Johnny Storm was an expert at always making sure he was heard. In an attempt to drown the sound of defiance the Gorgun took Johnny's body closer to the ground where there were more sounds and sights to enjoy and observe.
The Gorgun drifted through the forest slowly, taking in every nuance. They were not tired but could feel that the body they occupied was drained and capable of much greater strength than it currently possessed, but it did not matter, that strength would come back eventually and for now they had more than enough heat and energy to keep them fed.
A new sound from behind drew the attention of the Gorgun and as they turned they only just avoided the massive boulder that had been thrown towards their head. Immediately on alert the Gorgun pulled away and scoured the ground below – it was not hard to spot the cause.
"Hey SparkleBoy, we told ya, we want our friend back to normal and we ain't giving up until you get out!"
This last word was punctuated by Ben throwing another torso sized rock at the Gorgun which they easily avoided, but Ben's mission was accomplished as the space creatures came closer to the ground to confront their enemy. Ben was standing alone near a rockface but showed no signs of backing down.
"Your actions only serve to damage the body you wish returned, but it does not matter, you have been warned not to follow us. We will be left in peace!" It appeared the Gorgun had mastered the emotion of anger before all others as the glow around Johnny's body intensified and great gusts of wind whipped through the forest. With a sweep of their arm the Gorgun lifted a tree out of the ground and hurled it through the air towards the Thing.
Ben couldn't duck in time and was smashed against the rockface behind him but almost immediately shook off the blow and tossed the tree aside with a kick.
"That all you got? I guess since you're so new to thinking and all you haven't quite learned how to be creative yet," Ben taunted as he motioned for the Gorgun to take another shot.
Angered, the Gorgun came even closer and Ben could see energy come up through the board, into Johnny's body and then straight for Ben's head. The Thing had no idea what the energy would do to him – it had turned Victor back to normal more or less, but this could be entirely different – but could only bring up an arm to try to block the blow. However, the energy never struck Ben, instead it was stopped a foot from his face by an invisible barrier.
"It's good to know my force fields can stop something the Power Cosmic generates," Sue said with a touch of relief as she made herself visible beside Ben. She had been getting frustrated with not being able to defend herself against any Cosmically Powered force and was pleased she had finally deflected one assault at least.
"Your attempts are futile, this body is ours and will not be relinquished for any reason, least of all this poor attempt to harm us," said the Gorgun.
"Well get used to it pal, cause we ain't stopping until the kid's back to normal so why don't you just get out now!" Ben promised loudly. Beside him Sue created a forcefield under her feet to lift herself closer to her brother's body in an attempt to look in his eyes.
"Johnny please, I know you're in there – fight this thing! You can do it Johnny! You're the most stubborn person I know and you'd never stand for being locked away, now fight these things, come back to us!" Sue pleaded.
The new mind of the Gorgun pounded with screams of freedom from their captive, louder than ever before.
"Johnny fight them! You saved the world, now save yourself! Come on little brother!"
Johnny's will was strong and he wished to be free as well as keep these creatures from harming his family, so he banged and shouted and kicked relentlessly against the barrier the Gorgun used to repress his mind until the pounding noise, along with Sue's pleas, were more than the young mind of the aliens could handle.
"Silence!" the Gorgun demanded, their flames igniting brighter and higher as they released a torrent of crackling energy in Sue and Ben's direction. Fortunately, Sue had been ready for anything and raised her shield in time to protect them both but couldn't continue levitating herself and fell to the ground. Ben caught her as gently as possible as she somehow kept up her defenses as she fell. The energy exploded against the invisible barrier and the forcefield only barely held as the last of the Gorgun's anger was poured into it and Johnny's body was left gasping, exhausted from anger and exertion. It was the perfect time to strike.
"Reed now!" Sue yelled.
Johnny's repressed mind continued to yell for freedom, distracting the Gorgun just enough to slow their reactions and keep them from wondering until this moment:
"Where are the others?"
The question was answered by the wind shifting unnaturally behind the Gorgun. There was nothing to see but far too late the newly born sentience realized there was someone behind him. From the invisible Fantasticar Norrin Radd leapt from his seat, out into open air and directly towards the Gorgun – he only needed a moment of contact.
"No!" the Gorgun yelled in denial but could do no more, the Power Cosmic was essentially drained after its last energy assault, and they were barely staying in the air. The Gorgun had no hope of stopping a sudden, invisible assault from behind.
The Beacon shifted with the weight of another being, a being more accustomed to its power and rightfully its master. The Beacon welcomed its former captain, though the Gorgun did not, but it did not matter, contact was made.
"Transfer!" Norrin shouted as his hand connected with Johnny Storm's chest.
Contact.
A vacuum of sound.
Blinding light.
Electric air.
Screams.
TBC
Is this the end of the Gorgun? Of Johnny? Of the story?
No.
I have gotten some absolutely fantastic reviews for this story to which I send out my heartfelt thanks, and my super apologies for taking so long to update, but life has only recently gotten less crazy. I usually do individual thank yous, but I don't think anyone probably remembers what they wrote to me, so I'll just say thanks and offer this super long chapter as a redemption kind of thing. Hope it was worth the wait. Thanks for reading, Robin.