FANTASTIC FOUR # 429
by Mark Bousquet
PROLOGUE TO DESTINY
Prelude to THE LATVERIAN CONNECTION
PIER 4
His name is legendary, though few know him by sight. His actions are eternal, though few have ever known of them. His touch is unmistakable, though few would recognize it as his.
Why? Well, to be honest, when people say, "That was the stuff of nightmares" they give little thought to the person behind them.
Nightmare doesn't mind. There are worse jobs in the Everything than scaring people while they sleep. At least he's not one of the delusional "Rulers of Hell", who can keep all of them straight?
He has come to Pier 4 on this night because the future is going to be a rather interesting place for the Fantastic Four and, well, he'd like to put a bit of fright into them if he could.
Unfortunately, no one is home. So he waits. And watches out a window at the scene below him ...
OUTSIDE
"Mommy! Daddy!" Franklin Richards runs to his parents, joy in his heart.
"Franklin!"
"Son!" Reed and Sue exit from the starship provided by Mentor at their Pier 4 headquarters and rush to meet their son. Ben and the She-Hulk exit behind them and walk past the parents and child to greet Johnny Storm and Alicia Masters.
"It's good to be home," Reed proclaims as the Fantastic Four are reunited.
"Yeah, but for how long?" Ben grumbles.
"Huh?" Johnny asks. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Reed and I have come to a decision, Johnny," Sue answers her brother, her face unable to meet his gaze. "It's best if everyone would step inside and listen to what we have to say."
Reed, Sue and Franklin walk past the other four and into their headquarters.
"What's going on, Ben? What happened to you guys?"
"Let's just go inside," Ben answers. "Things are about to get real tense around here."
A CASTLE - SOMEWHERE
A man encased in metal sits on a throne and watches his beloved monitors. The large center screens show the reunion of the Fantastic Four. The screens to the left show an exterior shot Diablo's castle in Spain, an inside view of the alchemist working on his schemes and a third camera showing a scared young woman in ragged clothes named Sharon Ventura sitting on an airplane. To the right is a fortress inside Germany. A being of incredible power lies in a dormant state within the Red Skull's layer. It will be awoken soon, as it is a crucial link in the ongoing plans.
A door slides open and a Doombot enters the room. "Master, everything is in order."
"Excellent. I must prepare my message for the Fantastic Four. It is time they came to ... Castle Doom!!!"
THE PLANET AK'YEN'JA
The Elder Council sits in session, debating what to do.
"He has betrayed our planet!" Tykan, King of the Unthans declares, pointing at Ioeya, Chieftain of the Eaau.
"I did what was just," Ioeya counters, his voice calm and level.
"You gave the Starjammers a means to escape!*" Porunesclamano, Emperor of the Wenthorians recounts. "We had them dead to rights and you let them escape! We had a chance to give the Shi'ar a gift beyond all gifts. They would have left us alone!"
* (See last issue - Reminding Mark)
"They leave us alone now!" Ja'lana, Healer of the Ba'na'ay reminds the Council. "Ioeya let them leave to save us. Had we given the Shi'ar the Starjammers they would have begun to meddle in our affairs!"
"But he went against the decision of the Elder Council!" Haak squawks.
"And he must pay for his indiscretion!" Tykan booms. "I demand he be removed from his position on the Council!"
"No!" Ja'lana screams. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Silence!" Victor booms.
"No, visitor," Ioeya answers, his voice still calm. "You will remove yourself from this chamber. You are not one of us and your presence here is only allowed at our choosing. If one of us wants you to leave, you must. So go, we will call you if we want you to return."
Victor Von Doom says nothing, but his eyes are ablaze with hatred. Mockingly he bows to Ioeya and exits the Council's chamber.
Outside he runs into Tytan, son of Tykan and fiance of El'kana, a daughter of a Ba'na'ayan farmer. Their marriage was arranged to be an example of peace between the planet Ak'yen'ja's six cultures.
"What is it, Victor?" Tytan asks. "Why have you left the chamber?"
"I was not wanted inside, so I left," Victor answers, his voice giving no hint of the anger burning inside of him.
"That damned Ioeya!" Tytan exclaims. "It must have been him!"
"Lower you voice, child," Victor commands. "And follow me, we have plans to go over."
"P-Plans?" Tytan asks.
"Plans," Victor answers. "And I will need help accomplishing them."
Tytan follows in silence until they reach Victor's private quarters. "What is the plan for, Victor?"
Victor pauses for a second and then his answer comes in one word, "War."
PIER 4
" ... and then Baluur exploded," Sue continues as she relays to Johnny, Alicia and Franklin the recent events they lived through.*
* ( See FF 423 - 428 - Tired Just Thinking About All that Work Mark )
"I still think I could've helped, sis," Johnny whines. "I don't see why you had to leave me behind."
Reed's head stretches into the room at that moment, interrupting Sue's answer. "Do you think you could come in here for a moment, d- Sue," Reed says cautiously. There are still bad feelings between them about the decision they have come to in regards to Mentor's offer. And they still haven't told the team, or Mentor, about that decision, yet, becasue there are a million things to do first. And the slim hope the other might change their mind.
"Sure, Reed," Sue answers and follows the stretched neck back to Reed's body.
"What's the matter, Johnny?" She-Hulk asks. "Don't like baby-sitting your nephew?"
"Oh stop, Jen," Johnny says, irritated.
Ben sits with his arms folded, not listening to anything. "I'm going for a walk. Anyone wants to join me, they can." He stands and exits the room. Johnny and Jen turn to look at Alicia.
"Oh, right," she smiles, "I guess he means me." She stands and follows the sound of Ben's grumbling out of the room and down the hall.
"Ben, wait," she says. "I don't know the hallways in your new headquarters like I did in Four Freedoms."
Ben pauses and waits for her to get to him. He feels the same old thrill he always feels when she runs her fingers along his rocky hide. "Right this way, Alicia," he says politely. They walk for a few minutes, each enjoying the company of the other. Each finally beginning to feel like they have been reunited in soul as well as body.
"We need to talk, Ben," Alicia begins cautiously.
"Do we have to?" Ben asks. "I'll just say something to mess things up."
"No Ben," Alicia says quietly as she stops walking and moves to face Ben. "I don't think you will." A pause. "Do you love me?"
"Always."
"And if you were to ask me the same question, I would give the same answer."
"Well, that's good news, right?"
"Don't talk, Ben," Alicia smiles. "You might mess things up." They hold each other close as time passes by, enjoying nothing more than the feeling of just being together.
"Let's make it work, Alicia," Ben chokes on the words.
"Lets. It's time we had some happiness."
RED SKULL'S HIDDEN FORTRESS - GERMANY
The Super Skrull lays motionless, strapped to a table. Mental dampeners in his brain keep him in this coma-like state. He hasn't moved in months.*
* (See Super Villain Team-Up Annual # 1 - Still on Sale if You're Lucky Mark)
A man encased in metal teleports into the room and attaches a device to the Skrull's brain. A push of a button, an injection of liquid into the blood stream, a loosening of straps and two minutes of waiting. The man watches, it would be nice if the Super Skrull awoke, but it is hardly necessary to his plans. They are an innumerable amount of goons who could fill this portion of his plan.
But Fate has smiled on him this day as the Super Skrull's eyes begin to flutter open. "W-Where a-a-a-a-am I-I? I? I?" The Skrull asks as he pulls the device off of his head.
The man says nothing, but steps back into the shadows.
The Super Skrull shakes his head and swings his legs around. Slowly, he raises his torso off of the table. "H-H-How did I g-g-get here? So c-cold."
When no answer comes, he steps down off the table and onto the floor of the laboratory. He takes a couple of deep breaths, shakes the cobwebs and roars to infuse his life with a blast of adrenaline. "Aaaaaaarrgggh!!!"
And then he returns to unconsciousness, falling forward, slamming his face into the cold, damp floor.
"Hurm, that could've gone better," the man in the shadows says to no one. "Time to return home, then."
PIER 4
"I don't believe you, Johnny!" Sue screams at her younger brother. "How could you do what you did?"
"What, sis?" Johnny asks. "How could I do what?"
"You were supposed to be watching Franklin!"
"I was! I tried to stop Thanos, but I couldn't! I mean, it was Thanos!"
"I know damn well who it was!" Sue shouts. "What I didn't count on was you leaving Franklin unnattended so you could go put the moves on the Black Cat!"*
*( FF 424 - but it really wasn't the Black Cat, was it? - Trust No One Mark )
"B-But," Johnny stammers, "there was someone at the door and-"
"I don't want to hear it!"
"Sue, please ..." Reed tries, but Sue will have none of it.
"I wouldn't go there, Reed!" Sue spins on her husband. Reed puts his hands up and backs away, as if to say, "Do what you want."
"Look, sis, I know I should've brought him with me, but HERBIE was watching him."
"What?" Reed and Sue ask together.
"What do you mean, HERBIE was watching him? HERBIE hasn't been around in ages," Reed says skeptically. "Besides, he didn't show up on any of the monitors. Really, Johnny, I know you were upset at not being included on the mission, but to resort to lying ..."
"I'm afraid Johnny is telling the truth."
Reed, Sue and Johnny all spin to look at a figure they didn't see enter. "Nathaniel," Sue says. "Explain. Now."
"I built a new batch of HERBIE bots. You saw them at the Storm Museum*," Nathaniel Richards explains. "Since I designed the entire secutiry system and HERBIE bots off your blueprints, son, I configured them to go undetected on certain video feeds. I was unaware until just now that the bots would show up undetected here, as well. My apologies to you and Sue."
* ( The Storm Museum debuted in FF 422 - Curator Mark )
"See?" Johnny asks, vindicated.
"But why, father?" Reed asks.
"Why did I build the HERBIE bot? To protect Franklin, of course." Nathaniel says with a smile.
Sue notes, with all the irony she can muster, that the external alarm chose that exact moment to go off.
PIER 4 - ENTRANCE AREA
The Fantastic Four, along with Nathaniel and She-Hulk, arrive at the entrance area and what they find is not what they expected. A super-villain, yes. A tourist, probably. A malfunction, possibly.
But no one expected to see Sharon Ventura, still clothed in rags, curled up in a fetal position, sobbing on the ground.
"Sharon, honey," Sue comforts, kneeling down to Sharon's form, "what's wrong?"
Sharon raises her tear soaked eyes and sees a room full of friends. "D-Diablo ..."
"What about him, girl?" Ben asks, stepping closer.
"H-He made me h-his s-s-slave," she gasps through a raw throat.
"We'll take care of him," Ben assures her. "Just tell us where he is and he'll find out how big a mistake it was to mess with a member of the Fantastic Four."
"Ben, wait, just a minute," Reed starts.
"No, Stretch. No waiting. This won't go unpunished," Ben says, his voice steady and calm, holding his growing anger in check. "It's time you and Suzie-Q here tell us your decision about Mentor's question so we know if you're coming with us or not when we go show Diablo a Clobberin' good time."
Reed and Sue look to each other, and around at Johnny, Jen and Nathaniel. Reed notes that Nathaniel actually looks a bit surprised. 'That's not something you see everyday,' Reed thinks.
"Go get Alicia and Franklin and meet us in the Communication Suite," Reed says calmly. "We've got an announcement to make. An announcement that will effect everyone in this room."
COMMUNICATION SUITE
The requested parties stand in the Communication Suite, waiting for Reed, Sue and Franklin to enter and tell them if they're taking Franklin and leaving. As requested, Ben has hailed Mentor over the Deep Space communication device.
"What are they gonna say?" Johnny asks.
"Beats me," Ben answers.
"They can't go to Titan, can they, Ben? And leave us behind?"
"I wouldn't be surprised, kid."
Finally Reed, Sue and Franklin enter. It's pretty apparent to the assembled group that the three of them have been doing a fair amount of crying.
It is Reed who makes the announcement. "Mentor, everyone here, you're all aware of what Mentor has offered us. I will be honest with you, we are split on what to do. Sue wants to go to Titan and I want to stay here." Reed's voice cracks.
"So we let Franklin decide," Sue continues, holding tightly to Franklin as she talks. "It looks like we won't be needing your hospitality, Mentor. Thank you for your kind offer."
"I respect your ... cumulative wishes," Mentor says. "But know you this, our home is always a place where you can come, should you ever change your mind. We would hope, young Franklin, that you can come visit us someday and take advantage of our wisdom. Good-bye Fantastic Four. And good luck."
Mentor signs off and ends the transmission. The room is eerily quiet. Nathaniel watches the assembled parties and knows this team, this family, is in trouble.
"Crrrr-kkk!" the Communication Monitor screeches, as the visage of Doctor Doom appears on screen. "Greetings, Fantastic Four! It has been too long since our paths have crossed. I will remedy that immediately. You will come here and surrender to Doom, or this young fool will die at my hands!" Doom picks up the bound and gagged form of Kristoff Vernard. "He ... will ... DIE!" And then Dr. Doom pushes a button and the transmission feed is broken.
Nathaniel watches the figures in the room come out of their funk, a new purpose in mind.
"Right, then," Reed asserts, his voice firm and commanding. "It was only a matter of time before Doom came back into our lives. Get a good night sleep folks, because tomorrow we're heading for Europe. We've got two stops on our agenda. Stop one, we visit Diablo. Stop two, Castle Doom. It's time for the Fantastic Four to take to the offensive and shut these guys down. We're coming for you, Doom. God help you when we get there."
EPILOGUE:
4 AM. Sleep finally comes for Susan Richards. She had Reed convinced to go to Titan before Sharon arrived, but that changed everything. It has made sleeping tough.
When she finally does drift off, it is a restless sleep, made all the more difficult by the intusion of Nightmare.
"Hello, Susan," Nightmare smiles. "I am called Nightmare. Welcome to my Land of Dreams." He motions to the darkness around him.
"What do you want?" Sue asks, half-convinced it really is nothing more than a dream.
"I wish to give you a gift," Nightmare says.
"What kind of gift?"
"Why, a nightmare, of course," Nightmare smiles. "In the form of a message. Are you ready for it?"
"Yes."
"Very well, then," Nightmare says as he walks around and around Sue, moving faster and faster until he is a whirlwind of emotions in the emptiness. "Impending doom ... a departure ... betrayal by two who stand close ... a rock that destroys and a rock that binds ... a birth ... a ruler of Limbo will come seeking what is his ... high places for a friend ... a telepath will know, but won't tell ... an angry brother ... a new mentor for Franklin ..." Sue falls to the ground as the swirling form of Nightmare becomes too much for her. "And finally, Susan," Nightmare says as he stops spinning and leans in very close to her face, "know you this ... you will come to a conclusion, only to discover you are very, very wrong!"
"Big deal," Sue scoffs, trying to regain her balance.
"Let us see if you feel the same way when that decision leads to the death of a member of the Fantastic Four!"
END FF 429
FANTASTIC FORUM
Got any thoughts? Send your e-mail to FANTASTIC FORUM, c/o mariner2@tiac.net
On to this issue's letter:
I now have all of your FF issues read...great stuff!! You've successfully captured the spirit of the team and the stories are well-developed. Your FF is one of my required reads. Great job!
-- Kell Carpenter
Thanks, Kell! Your comments are much appreciated.
And, as always everyone, thanks for reading!
NEXT ISSUE:
FANTASTIC FOUR 430 - THE LATVERIAN CONNECTION, PART ONE - The kick-off of the storyline that will leave our mystery villain revealed and the FF torn asunder! Wait, didn't reveal our mystery villain this month? Wait and see! The FF pay Diablo a visit to pay him back for what he did to Sharon! Two of Nightmare's warnings will come to pass! Plus, if that ain't big enough for ya, Doom declares War!
MBQ 3.2.98