Hi, Hello, Greetings and every salutation you can think of, welcome to another chapter or our Fantastic Adventure featuring Spidey and the rest of the F4's children! As you saw on our last chapter, things are getting much more complicated: Wizard gained immense power thanks to a mysterious power source, leaving Reed Richards and our crew stuck in that dimension and putting the rest of the family in big, BIG trouble. How will our heroes do to reverse their situation? We're about to find out!
But first, let's check the reviews!
Timeless Writer: Things surely have gone bad, but you're about to find a silver lining in all of this. Glad you're enjoying the story! And well, let's hope how things turn for both of them once Wells' run ends
cornholio4: Actually, Peter asked her out on a date, which will happen after Dark Web in issues #19-20 (which won't be written by Wells but by Marvel legend Joe Kelly)
Wilcard Sparda: Well, I wouldn't say he's "thinking" about it in a way of fixing it, more like the words did hit him and he is depressed about it, but I will resolve that issue as well, mark my words.
Unknown Speaker: Thanks for the support and I'm glad you're enjoying my works!
Epiphany616: Johnny really needs that development but then again, Marvel has him stuck into being the perpetually single moron. Peter and Felicia both have grown up a lot from that time when she was only interested in Spider-Man and not about Peter and I agree, she deserves that second chance with him, I only hope that she doesn't become just a transitional girl for him before going back with MJ.
alphaknight99: Como ya he dicho, también espero que Peter y MJ queden separados para siempre, más con la revelación de MJ en la miniserie de Ella y Felicia, y curiosamente no descarto una conexión mística (ya que los números de Marzo parecen delatarlo). De paso, ¿Quién quita que haya más interacciones con la familia a futuro? XD
Street Poser: I'm actually considering something with the Guardians and both Novas (Richard and Sam). A friend of mine has helped me with a couple of ideas, adding a few ones I took from recent issues of X-Men Red, all I have to do is work out other details as well.
Shadow: Steve and Tony have their own reasons. Steve will surely just ask him if it's something he has to worry about and consider it a threat given the interdimensional scale but Peter will reassure him. As for Tony, he'll want to know about the dimensions and the energy levels and probably if he met alternate versions of him in any of those worlds.
Ralph: Who knows? It could happen. Just stay tuned!
Ka1zen: You can be sure that Kitty will be glad to see both her greatest friend and her love getting along just fine. As for the nerfing... yeah, sometimes the script needs that in order to avoid ruining the storyline by going for a quick ending, sometimes it works but mostly it's just annoying. And I'm really glad you're enjoying the stories. As the great Chip Zdarsky once said: "Write the stories you'd like to read" and I'm adhering to that mantra, but frankly I doubt I can be on the level of greats like them. Zdarsky, Claremont, Aaron, McKay, Thompson, Simone, Percy, Waid, Busiek, Brubaker, Fraction, DeConnick, Zub, Way, Bunn, Abnett, Lanning, Ewing, David, Hopeless, Straczynski and even the great Stan Lee are inspirations to me, but I'm flattered by the compliment, I really do.
And now, on to the story!
Enjoy the reading!
SPIDER-FOUR: THROUGH THE FOREVER GATE
Chapter 9: A New Gameplan
"I can't start the new era of the Frightful Four with three quarters of the group in captivity" The Wizard's words perk up the rest of his allies, still trapped inside the glass chambers that keep them under captivity "Allow me to get rid of that pesky obstacle" he then moves his hands, using his newly gained cosmic energy to melt the chambers, allowing them to walk out.
"Was about time!" Hyde complains as he steps out of his capsule.
"What happened to you?" Diablo asks him, noticing his boost in powers.
"I succeeded in my plan for power" Wizard replies to him, and while Diablo and Hyde look somewhat impressed, Yellowjacket steps towards him.
"So let me get something straight…" Yellowjacket faces him "Your plan was to get through that weird portal, fly to another dimension and gain power for yourself!?" he angrily emphasizes those last to words, something the other two villains notice that point "You were ready for us to take the fall while you take over, didn't you?"
"HEY!" Wizard angrily pokes his shoulder "I only told you about the plan, all of you were the ones who agreed and volunteered" he then faces the other two villains "But I'm not gonna waste more time dealing with idiocies and you should be grateful that I'm letting you go" he then turn his back on them to walk away "Now choose… Join me in my crusade or stay out of my way"
"Is that how's it gonna be?" Hyde confronts Wizard, looking less amused than his fellow villains, but Wizard simply gestures with his hands to hold them back.
"Is that how you thank me?" Wizard poses the question "I bring you in, I give you the chance to strike at the Fantastic Four, failing miserably by the way, and now that I got you out, you want to face me?" he then glows his hands as he clenches them into fists "You want to fight me now that I have more power than any of you combined?"
"If that's the case, I refuse to fight you" Diablo steps forward and joins Wizard's side "Gentlemen, you must now how to pick your battles, and I'm not that stupid to pick a fight against someone visibly more powerful than any of us" with those words, Hyde and Yellowjacket look at each other and then back at Wizard and Diablo, nodding in agreement.
"I'll admit it, I don't want to be a lackey but better this than going back to jail" Yellowjacket begrudgingly agrees.
"So much for the Frightful Four" Hyde adds in sarcasm while Wizard smirks at the scene.
"You are smart enough to make the right choice" Wizard replies, noticing that the Thing and the Invisible Woman are starting to regain their consciousness "Now, in the spirit of cooperation…" he then activates a device on his wrist, creating strands of energy that connects to the other three men "I'll give you a small amount of energy to boost your powers and make this fight a lot more easier for our side" he comments as his allies glow while Ben and Sue finally regain consciousness.
"UUUUGHN!" Ben groans as he stands up "Whoever did that, I'm sending ya to a world fulla pain" he then looks at the group of villains now released from their capsules "Ohhh boy…" he mutters noticing the disadvantage but before the Wizard could make a hit, a barrage of fireballs intercept his path, revealing the entrance of the Human Torch.
"Sorry for stepping out of my containment, but I ain't sitting and letting you guys have all the fun" Johnny comments, focusing his anger at the Wizard "I have a lot of frustration on my shoulders and you four are what I need to release the tension" he mutters as he throws a few fireballs at them, with Diablo and Yellowjacket dodging them to their left while Hyde blocks them with the lid of one of the containers and Wizard simply blocks them.
"You think that will stop us?" Wizard replies and then fires an energy blast at Johnny that pushes him away but when he fires at Ben, it is immediately blocked by a force field courtesy of the Invisible Woman.
"We're more than willing to try" Susan replies defiantly while her brother manages to stand up again.
"We're four, they're three, we should be able to win this one, right?" Yellowjacket poses the question to his group.
"Not with such a small room" Hyde replies to his partner as he keeps focused on Grimm.
"I agree with that statement" Wizard adds to their words and then looks at Diablo "Esteban, would you be kind in sending us out of here? I want the people of this city to witness the fall of their beloved Fantastic Four"
"Let's see if those powers you gave us will work" Diablo mutters as he pulls a couple of spheres, both of them now glowing thanks to the power boost given to him by the Wizard. Just as he was ready to throw them down, the Torch and the Thing jump at them, prompting Diablo to drop the spheres to the floor cracking them instantly, causing a large purple smoke to engulf both the Frightful Four and the active members of the family vanishing them from the place.
As the cloud begins to dissipate, a figure begins to approach from the aisle on the other side of the laboratory, unaware of what went down.
"Hello? Mister Grimm? Your wife asked me to let you know that…" Bentley-27 walks to the room but he stops once he sees the aftermath of the scuffle "What the…!?" he looks at the broken containers and then the panel of the Forever Gate, with Alex and Julie trying to regain consciousness "Alex? Julie? What happened?"
"Wizard…" Alex manages to mutter "He… came through the gate…"
"Where's Doctor Rich… Oh, never mind" Bentley tried to ask but he then realized that Reed is indeed still trapped inside that other dimension, and so is Valeria and the others "Can't let Valeria remain trapped in there" he mutters as he types the panel, trying to reignite the gate and bring them back.
MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE OTHER DIMENSION
"Well… we're trapped" Peter quips as he tries to look around but there is nothing but darkness, until Lockheed uses his flames to brighten the place at least for a little bit "Thanks dude" he then gather a few pieces of crystal, using his webbing to hold them together and then looks back at Lockheed "Care to do another one over here?" he asks for another flame, with the dragon obliging and firing another burst of fire, this one inside the improvised crystal container, using it as a temporary lamp "Alright, this will give us a little bit of light for a while, hopefully we can find a way out of here in the interim" he comments as he approaches the rest of the group, just as Franklin was helping his father.
"Dad… what the Wizard said…" Franklin shows a mix of curiosity and concern about those last moments before he left them "Is it true?" he asks him about the veracity of that previous statement about Reed's research, prompting the scientist to sigh and nod.
"Yes Frankie…" Reed replies "I was doing a lot of research about the power source of this place"
"Since when?" Franklin asks him.
"After my last foray with Ben" Reed replies "I took notice of this location but only had very few notes, I wanted to make sure that it was a suitable power source to recharge your powers, but also I needed to see if it could be a permanent fix or we would need to make periodic visits to this place in order to give you those recharges, and most importantly, I needed to know if it could be safe for you" he explains to his son "The Wizard knew about this and once we crash-landed, he wasted no time into going for the tetrahedron… by the time I was able to reach that location, he took a fraction of that power and was able to defeat me" he adds.
"Unfortunately, it seems that the source itself was limited after all, given how the Wizard destroyed the tetrahedron" Valeria interjects in the conversation, a point that unfortunately depresses Franklin, something that Reed immediately notices.
"Franklin, I know how you feel, I know that in a way you yearn to be your old self, to be able to mold and shape all those dreams and ideas you always had… and I know that one day you will accomplish all of that and more" Reed tries to reassure his son, giving him a much needed comfort through this ordeal.
"I know dad…" Franklin mutters, approaching his father to hug him "I know you're working to fix this, and I'm sorry we're all in this mess…"
"None of this is your fault" Reed replies calmly "We rebuilt the Multiverse together, we're gonna make it through again"
"Whoa, Whoa, wait a minute…" Peter interrupts the moment "I'm sorry to interfere like this but… did you say that you and Franklin were the ones who rebuilt the Multiverse?" he asks them with a hint of surprise in his voice "I mean, I remember back in that patchwork thing Doom held together after the whole Multiversal Collapse thing happened your plan was to take Doom's power source away from him, the Molecule Man"
"Yes… and after that ordeal, I used that power alongside Franklin and the Molecule Man to rebuild and explore the Multiverse" Reed replies, increasing Peter's curiosity.
"OK, just… walk me through, how did you guys managed to do that?" Peter asks him out of mere curiosity "I know it may feel like now's not the time but we have time to kill while a solution comes up" he comments, prompting Jo-Venn and N'Kalla to look at each other quizzically, Valeria rolls her eyes and Lockheed sighs.
"Very well…" Reed replies and takes a deep breath "When I received the power of the Beyonders and took care of Victor's situation, I started to rebuild the Multiverse, to do that, I combined the power with Franklin's and the Molecule Man's" he begins to explain the process, even gesturing with his hands "You see, once Franklin developed the building blocks of a universe from his vast imagination, I used the reality warping powers of the Beyonders to ignite the spark while the Molecule Man acted as the anchor, stabilizing the combining elements"
"So in a way… Franklin is the one who set the foundation…" Peter mutters, to which Reed nods in response but right then Peter steps away, beginning to gesture with his fingers as if he were drawing imaginary equations, recalling the data Reed just told him with what h already knew.
"Peter?" Reed tries to call him while he keeps gesturing until he finally, a realization dawns into him.
"I know how to fix it…" Peter mutters, prompting Reed to approach him.
"Fix what?" Reed asks him.
"Frankie's problem… I know how to fix it!" Peter exclaims to the astonishment of everyone in there. To say they were surprised would be quite the understatement, Reed and Franklin were the most impressed ones with the Grimm children and even Lockheed looking flabbergasted.
"Uncle Pete" Valeria interjects, being the only one who looks skeptical "You know that we love you and we mostly appreciate your attempts at humor but… even I know that Franklin's situation is not something to joke about" she speaks to him almost as if she was scolding him but he remains determined.
"Believe it or not, I'm not joking Val" Peter replies "I know how to fix it"
"Just… How?" Valeria asks him "Dad and I have been searching through a lot of other dimensions across the Multiverse for an answer about that"
"That's the thing Val; the answer is not in the Multiverse" Peter replies to her "The answer is the Multiverse" he finally reveals his answer "You see, as Reed explained, Frankie's powers as a shaper were the foundation that set the rebuilding of the Multiverse, the Beyonders' powers were the spark and the Molecule Man was the anchor, but when this Griever creature attacked, she wrecked the foundation and if you break the foundation that holds the building, the structure collapses" he explains, with Reed listening with attention "And that's how it dawned to me that since Frankie is the foundation to the Multiverse, he is holding countless worlds above him, therefore he was connected to so many of them, like cutting the cord to a bunch of balloons" he then looks at Reed and Franklin "Keeping in mind Rachna Koul's 'Godpower' Theory, while the Fantastic Four's powers are intertwined to each other, Franklin's powers are actually connected to the Multiverse itself, a Multiverse that has lots of connections in-between worlds" and right then, Reed reaches the realization.
"Of course… we were so focused on searching for a single connection that I didn't realize that Franklin shares multiple connections through each world!" Reed concludes, now truly amazed rom that discovery "How did I not see that!?"
"OK, we know the point of the trouble but how can you fix it?" Valeria throws the important question.
"By reestablishing the connection" Peter replies "And what better place to do that than a Multiversal Nexus Hub!" he exclaims, prompting Reed to remember the conversation they were having before the current ordeal.
"So wait… you mean it? You can actually fix my problem?" Franklin asks Peter, showing excitement, hope and anxiety about the answer.
"Yes Frankie, it can be fixed" Peter replies, prompting the young Richards child to jump up and down ecstatically at the joyous news.
"Peter… Thank you" Reed smiles at Peter, thankful for having brought good news in the middle of such a problem, especially given Franklin's situation.
"Reed, I know you would've come to that conclusion eventually but I'm glad that I've been able to help" Peter kindly replies "Now, does anybody knows how can we get out of here? Because I'm really, really trying to remain optimistic about it"
Right in that moment, the sound of static begins to echo in the place, followed by a distorted voice trying to speak. The group tries to look around for the source until they notice that comes near from where Valeria is standing.
"FFZZZZKKTTT-al? Val? Are you-FFFZZZKKKT!" the voice comes from Valeria's communicator, one that she quickly recognizes.
"Bentley? Bentley can you hear me?" Val tries to call back, once again hearing static.
"Val? Val! FFFZZZKKKKTT!" Bentley's voice once again sounds cut off by the static.
"Bentley, listen to me! We're all here and we're trapped, my dad's here as well, you have to open a new portal to our exact location, use whatever you can from the signal to pinpoint it and link it to the Forever Gate!" Val gives a quick explanation, hoping that Bentley has received the message.
"You think he got it?" Jo-Venn poses the question.
"He should…" N'Kalla replies and then sighs.
"We're gonna have to wait so until that happens, anybody wants to tell some funny stories?" Peter once again tries to joke in an attempt to lighten the mood but before anyone could speak, a flash of light emerges revealing a new portal "Would you look at that? He did get the message"
"Come on everybody!" Reed leads the way through the portal with everyone else following him, finally reaching their way home.
THEN, BACK AT 4 YANCY STREET
Once they walk through the portal and return to their home, the first thing they discover is the damage already done by the Wizard's attack against the family.
"What happened here?" Reed poses the question as the rest of the group walks through the portal, which closes immediately behind them.
"Bentley! You did get the message!" Val rushes towards Bentley, who looks relieved at the sight of her coming back.
"It was partially cut off by the static but when you mentioned to pinpoint the signal, I knew what to do" Bentley replies and explains what he did "Unfortunately, the Forever Gate I running out of juice so we're gonna have to keep it down for a while"
"OK, good job kid but Reed just asked a very important question so allow me to reiterate, What Happened Here?" Peter emphasizes the previous question.
"Where's everyone?" Franklin joins in the enquiry, prompting Bentley to gesture with his hands to calm them down.
"To answer the first question, The Wizard happened" Bentley begins to respond "He came through, wreaked havoc and released the other three giving them an extra boost of power he brought with him"
"Oh no…" Reed mutters with concern while Bentley activates the screen to reveal a news bulletin showing the fight between Susan, Ben and Johnny against the Frightful Four.
"And there's the answer to the second question, Diablo moved the fight outside and then Alex and Julie went to calm down Mrs. Grimm" Bentley explains the rest of the situation to them "I stayed here to find a way to bring you back"
"And you did good Bentley" Reed replies "I have to go and help my family" he then takes his leave, heading to the outside and join his family into the fight.
"We're going too!" Jo-Venn exclaims after Reed leaves.
"Those four will regret ever facing our family" N'Kalla joins her brother and they both leave to join the fight as well.
"Well, we're not staying here either" Valeria looks at her brother who nods in response.
"We gotta help them" Franklin replies to her comment but as they were ready to march, Peter interjects grabbing their shoulders.
"Kids, wait! Hang on!" Peter exclaims, much to their surprise "I know you want to join them, trust me, I do too but look at that" he then points at the screen revealing the battle, with the family making a defensive play against them "Even with Reed, it's gonna be difficult to beat an almost-cosmically empowered Wizard and company so if we're gonna have a chance at that, we're going to fix one problem first"
"What are you talking about?" Valeria asks him but Franklin immediately realizes what he is talking about.
"He's talking about me!" Franklin replies "Yeah, our family needs our help and we know I can beat them with my powers restored"
"Exactly" Peter confirms Franklin's affirmation and then looks at Val "Val, you said that this thing can take you to other universes, right?" he asks her.
"Yes, it does, we're still working on that but we can go across the actual Multiverse" Valeria explains but then Bentley interjects.
"Guys, just so you know, if I'm going to use the Forever Gate, it has power for one more jump and that's it, are you sure you want to risk it?" Bentley speaks with a serious tone but Peter nods his head in response.
"Is alright, once we reach the destination we'll find the way back without the Gate" Peter replies and then looks at the Gate.
"Where are we going?" Franklin asks him, now sounding more ecstatic.
"To a Multiversal Nexus Hub, which I happen to know" Peter points out that detail, prompting Valeria to remember the conversation he was having with her father earlier today.
"Oh right! You were talking about it with dad when he mentioned that Spiders thing in Times Square!" Valeria exclaims while the Gate activates with them standing in front of it and Lockheed floating above them.
"Where should I set the coordinates?" Bentley asks them as he sets the Forever Gate.
"Earth-001" Peter replies "We're going to Loomworld" Right then the Gate activates the portal, with Peter looking at the children and then at Lockheed "Alright guys, let's go!" he exclaims as they jump through the portal, ready for their last stop before joining the final battles.
Here you have it folks! Peter Parker finally found the answer to solving Franklin's problem with his powers and the best way to fix it is with a quick trip to Loomworld!
Before I wrap things up, I want to add a couple of notes over here…
First, I'm sure you've seen how things are going in the Spider-comics front. Dark Web is raging and with Ben being firmly established as a villain, Peter will have a rough way to go for the second half of the event. Wells' run remains somewhat mixed; I'm still looking at it with the mentality of Michelle Jones but the only good point has been the PeterFel dynamic rekindling their relationship (although the MJ/Felicia miniseries seems to imply a different path) and apparently we'll finally get some answers about what did Peter do that made (almost) everyone hate him in March (and I'm willing to bet that Wells' run will end by issue 25).
Finally, I want to wish you all Happy (belated) Holidays and a Wonderful New Year! 2022 has been a challenging year for me both personally and with various projects, including my fics, but on this front I have received a good chunk of support both from folks who have been around since my early stories and newcomers who have enjoyed my works. I want to thank you all for the overwhelming support and I promise you that I will do my best to keep working these stories and make sure you enjoy reading them as I enjoy writing them.
With that said, stay tuned for the next chapter when the family deals with the superpowered Frightful Four while Peter and the Richards children venture into Loomworld in order to finally reignite Franklin's powers. See you next time!
NEXT CHAPTER: THE ANSWER LIES IN THE WEB!