Written by Jeff Melton

In Sector 17 of the Negative Zone, Mr. Fantastic is being interrogated by Terrax the Tamer, Annihilus, and Blastaar. The leader of the Fantastic Four is looking up from the ground, where he is bound hand and foot in metal restraints. On his back is the anti-matter harness he invented for travel into the Negative Zone. Terrax is standing over him, brandishing his cosmic battle-axe, while Annihilus and Blastaar look on with interest.

"Terrax likes to envision himself in control of the situation," Annihilus silently muses, while looking on. "No matter. He will soon find out otherwise...much to his undying regret."

"There is something you need to understand, human," Terrax admonishes. "I will not hesitate to cleave your head from your body if you do not do as I command!"

"I know all too well of your inhuman brutality," Mr. Fantastic replies defiantly, looking up at his tormentor. "But I also know what you would do if you were led to the Earth. You may kill me here and now, but know this…I will not betray my entire planet by leading you there! You can kill me if you wish, but you will live out the remainder of your existence here in the Negative Zone!"

"You dare?!" Terrax exclaims, his hand shaking violently in his rage. "You will DIE, human! You will die NOW!!!" With that, Terrax swings his axe on a downward spiral heading at Mr. Fantastic.

However, before it meets its mark, it is intercepted by a large uru hammer, which connects with the axe, driving it out of Terrax’s hand, sending it flying to the ground several feet away. Mr. Fantastic looks relieved at the assistance, as he makes his entire body pliable, oozing through the restraints, which fall to the ground.

All of the villains turn towards the place from which the hammer was thrown, and is even now returning…to the hand of the Mighty Thor! Beside him are the Thing, Johnny Storm, and the Invisible Woman. The Thing and Sue have anti-matter harnesses on their backs.

"The impudence!!" Terrax exclaims. "Who would dare strike the hand of Terrax the Tamer?!"

"The god of thunder doth dare, tyrant!" Thor proclaims, holding his hammer in his hand once again. "Well doth I know of thine evil ways, Terrax. There will be no victims today."

"Sue..Ben..Johnny!" Reed says softly, while his body returns to normal. Looking on, he thinks to himself: "I wish they hadn’t come. I certainly had not intention of putting them in danger."

"Enough talk!" the Thing exclaims, leaping across the distance separating them, tackling Blastaar. "It’s time to clobber somebody!"

"You fool!" Blastaar responds, indignant. "None dare to touch my person!"

"It amazes me that three egos like those managed to get together long enough to do anything," Sue comments.

"Yeah, well, it won’t do them any good, sis," Johnny replies, rising into the air, his body aflame. "It’s about time to shake things up in the Zone!" So saying, Johnny sends out fireballs at Annihilus, sending him back.

"Fool!" Annihilus counters. "Do you think your puny fireballs can harm me? Have you learned nothing from our previous encounters?" Annihilus adjusts his cosmic control rod, as cosmic energy surges from the rod towards Johnny.

"I don’t think so!" Johnny replies, flying away from the blast, flames trailing behind him. "I never was too keen on target practice…especially if I’m the target!"

"Have at thee, villain!" Thor announces, throwing his hammer at Terrax. The hammer hits him in the mid-section, driving him back, where he smashes into…and through…several floating rocks. "I know not thine intentions luring Reed Richards hence, but thine evil plans will come to naught!"

As the Thing kneels over Blastaar, Blastaar fires his energy blasts into his face, stunning him. "Back, you mindless brute!" Blastaar demands. "Perhaps you need to be reminded of my power?!"

"Nah, I remember, ya bloated loudmouth!" Thing replies, quickly recovering. He is quickly getting to his feet, as Blastaar is doing the same. "Talk never meant a whole lot to me, and believe me…I’ve heard plenty of it in my time! I gotta admit, though. Ya blow your own horn as much as Doom!"

"Such matters do not concern me!" Blastaar exclaims, firing blasts at the Thing, who is leaping towards him, avoiding the blasts. "My only concern is leaving the Negative Zone, and furthering my own interests! If I must do so over your corpse, that is no matter!"

"You’re all heart!" the Thing responds gruffly, as he lands on Blastaar again, and hits him in the face with his closed fist, jerking his head to one side violently. "I’ll just remember that when ya start beggin’ me for mercy, ya Planet of the Apes reject!"

Thor moves towards Terrax, pressing his attack against Galactus’ former herald, who gleefully led the devourer to more and more worlds to consume.

"Your blow was nothing to one such as I!" Terrax proclaims, while getting to his feet, pointing his cosmic axe at Thor, and unleashing waves of cosmic energy at the thunder god! "I got my power from Galactus himself!"

"Well do I know of thine former master!" Thor retorts, casually blocking the energy with his hammer. "Galactus and I hath fought before.* Seek not to impress me by the name of another!"

{*The first of which was the perennial classic Thor #161 (Feb, 1969)—strongly recommended for all Thor fans!...Jeff}

"I do not care to impress anyone!" Terrax responds, angrily, as he leaps at Thor, tackling him around the shoulder, and bringing them both to the ground. Terrax is known for his quick temper, and he cannot stand the thought of anyone not bowing to him. He has always cherished power, and he has enjoyed his cosmic power, and the feeling of control it has over others. The thought of someone not recognizing this fact infuriates him.

Thor falls on his back and flips Terrax away, where he lands hard on a large floating boulder five times the size of the two combatants. Terrax turns to get up, but Thor is upon him. Thor hits Terrax with a right cross that makes Terrax stumble. He can feel his knees start to buckle. He had no idea...! Terrax shakes off such thoughts. After all, he is Terrax!

Terrax swings his cosmic axe, which is blocked by Thor’s hammer. "My cosmic axe has the power to cleave though anything!" Terrax proudly proclaims. "I shall take great pleasure indeed when it takes off your troublesome head!"

"That day will never come!" Thor responds, as the two lock their weapons in a warrior’s struggle for supremacy. Terrax tries to push forward, but Thor counters with his own strength, and Terrax is send back, crashing against the boulder once more! "The Silver Surfer hath told me of thy villainy, Terrax! He and I fought once, out of a misunderstanding,* but thou art nothing like the noble Norrin Radd!"

{*In the classic Silver Surfer (vol. 1) #4!...Jeff}

"How that name sickens me!" Terrax exclaims with a vicious scream of anger, while sending out waves of cosmic energy that buffet Thor, sending him back a few steps. "I grow weary of the comparisons with my predecessor! I need not hear them now...from you!"

Terrax takes the opportunity to rise to his feet, rushing at Thor with his axe over his head, ready to strike! Thor quickly puts up his hammer, blocking the charging villain. The two struggle once more, but Thor surges forward, overpowering Terrax, and sending him back! Terrax raises his axe once more, but Thor throws his hammer, knocking it out of his hand. As the hammer returns to Thor’s hand, Terrax looks for his axe, seeing it floating through space.

"Thou will have no time to retrieve thy axe!" Thor comments, quickly leaping the distance between the two combatants, striking Terrax in the face with a blow that staggers him. Thor puts his hammer in his belt, as he prepares to fight Terrax man-to-man, without weapons.

Terrax sends out a blow to Thor, who blocks it with his forearm. Thor counters with a blow to Terrax’s stomach, doubling him over! Before Terrax can counter, Thor has delivered an uppercut that sends Terrax staggering backward. He looks at Thor, but cannot see him clearly, and his legs are having difficulty supporting his weight.

"I hath heard of thy tyranny over those inferior to thee in power," Thor proclaims. "Know thee this, Midgard is under the protection of the god of thunder, and the likes of thee will never suppress the will of the people there!"

"You do not know the meaning of power!" Terrax argues, trying to regain his footing. "Power is nothing if not used!"

"Well does the god of thunder know of power," Thor counters, sending out an elbow to Terrax, who stumbles, catching himself on a cluster of rocks. "But, there are many uses, and it sickens me to think of harming others when far greater good can come of its use!" Thor then delivers a roundhouse right that sends Terrax to the ground...and into unconsciousness!

Meanwhile, Johnny Storm is dodging the energy blasts from Annihilus. "Don’t give up your day job, ugly!" Johnny exclaims. "You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barrel!"

"Find amusement where you may, fool!" Annihilus remarks coldly. "All is proceeding according to plan," Annihilus adds, thinking to himself. "I merely have to finish setting the appropriate events into motion."

Mr. Fantastic stretches his arm across the distance separating him from Annihilus, delivering a blow to the evil denizen of the Negative Zone!

"I hate to admit it," Reed thinks to himself, "but Ben was right. I don’t know how Annihilus did it, but he must have created the false readings with the help of Terrax. I just don’t understand why he would bring Terrax to the Negative Zone for just that purpose! There must be more here than meets the eye!"

"Your blow is but an annoyance!" Annihilus counters, turning his attention to Mr. Fantastic, sending out a blast of cosmic energy at the leader of the Fantastic Four. Mr. Fantastic, however, uses his body to stretch out of the way of the blast, causing it to go wide right, and completely pulverize a series of floating rocks in the background, behind the combatants!

Mr. Fantastic stretches around Annihilus’ head, obstructing his vision, and angering him, while Johnny Storm flies in front of the two, watching and waiting for an opening.

"You went to elaborate means to just get out of the Negative Zone, Annihilus," Reed comments, while stretching his body around Annihilus’ upper torso. "Convincing Terrax that his former master was after him again, and manufacturing the readings on my equipment...! Surely, there must have been a reason for all of this subterfuge?"

Annihilus sends out a charge throughout his body that stuns Reed, and forces him away from the villain, flying back through space.

"My plans are my own, human," Annihilus coldly replies. "However, all will be made known to you soon."

"I know enough now!" Johnny retorts, sending blasts of flames at Annihilus, which drive him back. "It’s always the same old story with you and Blastaar...always trying to get out of the Negative Zone and cause problems on Earth! Haven’t you learned your lesson yet?!"

"Ha!" Annihilus laughs to himself, pleased with what the young human is saying. However, he also knows it is much easier to convince Johnny Storm and the brutish Thing than it will be to convince Reed Richards. Although he knows that Reed Richards’ intellect is no match for his own—he is merely a human after all—still, he knows also that he must retain some grudging respect for Mr. Fantastic...while he yet lives. "You know nothing! However, I am certain you have grown accustomed to that."

"I don’t think I like your attitude!" Johnny jokes, sending out more flames at Annihilus. Johnny’s never liked being called ‘stupid’, but he tries to laugh it off.

"Your objections could not concern me in the least," Annihilus remarks with his cold tone. He puts up an energy shield with his powers that easily deflect Johnny’s flames. He then expands the energy shield into a shatter blast that stuns Johnny and sends him flying back into a cluster of floating rocks! "No more than do your meager powers!"

The Thing lands a roundhouse right into Blastaar’s jaw, stunning Blastaar and knocking him from the floating rock he was standing on, back through space, where he lands amid a series of other rocks, demolishing them upon impact!

"You villain types must read the same handbook," the Thing comments, as he leaps after Blastaar, "because you’re all the same way—all talk and no action!"

"Ignorant beast!" Blastaar remarks, quickly getting to his feet, just as Ben lands directly in front of him.

"Ya got the wrong guy!" the Thing jokes, hitting Blastaar in the stomach, doubling him over. "The guy you’re thinkin’ about is blue, and spends his time with the X-Men...or is it the Avengers this week? I never could keep track of it!"

"Must all humans chatter incoherently?" Blastaar interjects, energizing his fist, and hitting Ben across the chest with it, sending him back. "I learned from my initial visit to your planet that you are all mindless! I could teach Sandman nothing, and he was more of a hindrance than an assistance!"*

{*Blastaar met the Sandman during his first visit to Earth, and the two teamed-up briefly in the classic Fantastic Four #62-63 (May-June, 1967)...Jeff}

"Look at what you were workin’ with!" the Thing responds sharply, kicking Blastaar in the leg, bringing him to the ground in a move that obviously surprises Blastaar. "I may not be one to talk, but ol’ Sandy ain’t gonna win any IQ contests!"

Thing then kicks Blastaar in the face, sending him flying back, seriously stunned by the Thing’s attack.

Blastaar slowly rises to his feet, motioning for the Thing to back away, as his hands are both powered with his energy. "Away, fool!" Blastaar warns, but his tone is unconvincing, due to his weakened state. "I will destroy you where you stand!"

"Oh, ya got some new power in the last couple’a seconds?" the Thing responds mockingly. "’Cause I sure ain’t seen ya do nothin’ like that the whole time we been fightin’!" With that, the Thing slams his fist into Blastaar’s jaw.

Blastaar is knocked back by the blow, and staggers, trying to regain his footing. The Thing hits him again, and he struggles no more! Blastaar falls backward, landing on the hard rocks underneath his feet...unconscious!

Annihilus advances on Johnny Storm, whose body is starting to have patches of flame once more, but he has not fully flamed back on. "I will overcome my most persistent adversaries without you ever knowing why you were lured here," Annihilus comments, while adjusting his cosmic control rod. "However, I do not want you to force your puny intellect to consider such things. I shall now destroy you and put you forever out of your misery!"

As Annihilus sends out his blast of energy at the still helpless Johnny, an invisible force field blocks the cosmic energy, causing it to splash outward in all directions! Sue Richards, floating on a rock nearby, strains to keep her force field active for the duration of Annihilus’ attack. "That’s my brother you’re picking on, Annihilus!" she comments, half-jokingly.

"Ah, Sue Richards," Annihilus remarks, non-chalantly. "I am pleased that you have decided to join the fray. However, you should know that there are always consequences with interfering with the designs of Annihilus!" So saying, Annihilus sends out a blast of cosmic energy at Sue’s feet, catching her completely off-guard. Her force field was directed at protecting Johnny, and she was unprepared for a frontal attack on herself. She falls to the ground, knocked unconscious by the impact!

Annihilus does not have the opportunity to enjoy his victory, however, as Mr. Fantastic’s fist, stretched out over the distance separating the two, strikes him in the side of his face, jerking his head to the other side. "If you’ve hurt my wife, Annihilus," Reed exclaims, "there will be nothing you can do to protect yourself!"

Johnny shoots forward, his body bursting with flames as hot as his temper. "You’ll pay for that!" Johnny promises, shooting fireballs at Annihilus!

"I must not allow these two to distract me," Annihilus thinks, putting up an energy shield to deflect Johnny’s attack, even as Reed rushes across the distance between them, stretching his legs to make giant steps. "Terrax is down. I can sense it. The moment has come!"

Reed tries to strike Annihilus again, but only manages to strike the cosmic energy shield that he has erected. Reed instinctively pulls back his hand by the burning sensation of striking the energy shield, but if it effects him otherwise, he makes no sign of it.

"Reed!" Johnny calls out. "Let me tend to Annihilus! Go check on Sue!"

"You’re right, of course," Reed acquiesces. "Annihilus seems to be taunting us, as if trying to make us too angry to think properly." Reed adds to himself. "But, I do not have the time to focus on that at the present." Reed takes two giant steps, landing on the rock where Sue is lying. He bends over to check on her, to make sure that she is not seriously injured.

As Johnny fires his flames at Annihilus, the villain steps back to where he had been when Johnny, Sue, Ben, and Thor arrived. "He’s retreating!" Johnny thinks to himself. "I guess he knows what’s good for him!" Johnny continues his assault, as Annihilus flies back to a large rock, which houses a giant machine. "Running won’t help you, Annihilus! There’s nowhere to go!"

"Fool!" Annihilus comments, reaching out and throwing a lever on the giant machine. "You have merely played into my hands!" Johnny can only look on, stunned, by what happens next. Annihilus grows slightly before his eyes, and his body irradiates energy, glowing through the darkness of the Negative Zone.

"Oh no," Reed comments, looking up for a moment from tending to Sue. "If what I suspect is true..."

"Your suspicions have indeed been confirmed, Richards!" Annihilus proclaims. "That fool Terrax did not consider that the module that let me project his power in such a way as to deceive you regarding its nature, could also allow me to claim it for my own! With his power added to my own, I am more than a match for you all! Terrax also did not realize that, with this power, he could leave the Negative Zone at any time!"

Johnny fires streams of flames at Annihilus, only to watch them spread out before touching him. "He’s definitely more powerful!" Johnny thinks to himself. "And he’s right...this is all my fault! I let him go just where he wanted, because I thought he was running from me!"

"Do not think too harshly of yourself," Annihilus comments, seeing that Johnny is frustrated. "After all, your meager intellect is no match for that of Annihilus! And now, neither is your power!" With that, Annihilus sends out a cosmic blast that strikes Johnny in the chest and sends him flying back, landing on a floating rock, unconscious!

"So, this was the nature of your scheme—getting us all here just so you could rob Terrax of his power?" Mr. Fantastic asks, stunned.

"That is but part of my plan, Richards," Annihilus replies. "How easy it was to lure you here, playing on your desire to find a new power source....some new device to further your small scientific accomplishments."

"Only a madman like such as yourself could have conceived such a scheme, merely to monopolize more power for yourself!" Reed argues.

"More power than you could ever dream, Richards!" Annihilus retorts, coldly, basking in the glow of the energy that surrounds him.

"Power has never interested me, Annihilus!" Reed argues, still holding Sue’s head in his lap. "I’ve seen many tin-plated tyrants come and go in my time, Annihilus. All of them have two things in common—they all claim that they are going to conquer everything in sight, and they all answer to justice in the end!"

"Your simplistic notions of ‘right and wrong’ amuse me, Richards," Annihilus retorts. "But not enough to let you live. Prepare to die, human...now!" Annihilus builds up a cosmic charge and prepares to release it from his fingertips.

Just before he can release his energy at Reed and Sue, a object moves faster than the speed of light, striking Annihilus hard in his face, and driving him flying back through several floating rock formations, demolishing them all in his wake!

"Nay, villain!" Thor challenges, his hammer streaking back to his outstretched hand, as Annihilus is finally able to reverse his momentum, and stop, turning to face his attacker. "The Fantastic Four are under the protection of the god of thunder!"

"No matter!" Annihilus remarks, as Thor flies over to his, holding his hammer in his hand. "It is merely necessary to eliminate you before the others. Rest assured, that will be nothing more than a minor inconvenience!"

"Many are the times that Thor has heard such words," Thor replies, hitting Annihilus in the face, driving him back. "But still doth Thor stand, ever eager to fight for justice!"

Thor starts to spin his hammer in a circular motion in front of him, as Annihilus starts to feel the pull from the vortex that Thor’s hammer is creating. "The pull of that vortex is strong...!" Annihilus silently considers, while channeling his power in both of his hands, and adding to it with his own power he derives from his cosmic control rod. "I will have to finish Thor quickly, before he is able to send me to the other side of the Negative Zone!"

"What’s goin’ on, big brain?" the Thing asks, looking on at the conflict between Thor and Annihilus.

"Annihilus has managed to add Terrax’s power to his own," Reed explains, "and he is determined to leave the Negative Zone with his added power." Reed looks on, shaking his head: "I don’t know how he’s done it," Reed thinks to himself, measuring the power that Annihilus is emitting, "but he has somehow managed to bolster even that power during the energy transference!"

Annihilus sends out a massive charge of energy at Thor, who continues to spin his hammer, intending to channel the cosmic energy into the vortex that his hammer is creating! There is a blinding flash of light, as energy cascades all around the combatants! Reed and Ben have to shield their eyes, so intense is the illumination!

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

For a moment, there is complete silence, then Reed and Ben hear a sound that chills them to the bone...it is the sound of laughter—a sound so sinister that they know it can only be that of Annihilus!

Ben rubs his eyes, squinting to see amid the swirling shapes and colors, while Reed does the same. They finally are able to make out a shape...it is the form of Annihilus, his head thrown back and laughter emitting from it.

"Where’s Thor?!" the Thing asks, looking around in all directions.

"He is dead!" Annihilus proclaims, completely satisfied with his power. "He sought to stop me, and he was utterly destroyed, completely disintegrated by the power that I now have in my possession!"

Needless to say, to be continued!

Next issue: The thrilling conclusion, with plenty of questions answered and more action than you can shake a stick at! Be here!

Hopefully, the ending of this issue made it interesting for everyone. :o). This issue offers some explanations as to why Terrax and Annihilus got together (from both perspectives), and makes Annihilus even more dangerous than he normally is. I hope everyone enjoyed the fight scenes in this issue, because I enjoyed writing them. I look forward to any and all comments at my e-mail address, which is jx2melton@aol.com.

Hey, Jeff:

I just read your Fantastic Adventures #1. I have to say that I quite enjoyed it. Your characterizations were spot on. Everything seemed to flow very nicely. I look forward to the rest of the mini. There is nothing I would change. Keep up the good work..

Tim Hartin

Thanks, Tim. I’m having a lot of fun with this series, and the characters are a lot of fun to write (particularly the Thing and Thor). I hope the rest of the mini-series lives up to your expectations.

NEXT ISSUE we learn more about the Negative Zone, meet some new people, and see plenty of action in the conclusion of FANTASTIC ADVENTURES! Be there!

Jeff Melton