Fantastic Four

440 - January, Year 3 - MV1

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

written by Mark Bousquet

PIER 4 - MEDLAB 2

"Come on, Stretch, do something!"

Reed Richards, one of the most intelligent men on the planet, doubted he could count as high as the number of times his best friend, Benjamin J. Grimm, has said those words in the past few days.

"Ben, darling, you know Reed is doing the best he can," Alicia Masters said softly from the bed by which Ben Grimm has taken up a vigil.

"I know, I know," the Thing responded, grumbling as he turned to look down at the woman he loved. He placed a rocky hand on top of her thin, white arm, patting it gently. "But, geez, sometimes the smartest man on the planet-"

"I'm sorry, old friend," Reed answered, no chance of him losing his patience when he faced a scientific challenge, "but I'm not well versed in Veda Ree diseases. That appears to be what Alicia has, a kind of virus that is playing havoc with her internal functions."

Reed walked over to a large bank of computers along the far wall. He pushed a few buttons and an image appeared on the large screen above him. "As you can see, Alicia's bloodstream is populated with what I'm calling Ree Amoebas. But they are not spread throughout her body evenly. Instead, they travel in bunches and at will through the blood. They are not bound by the current that the pumping of her heart produces. They move with the stream sometimes, and against it at others."

"Can't you just take it out?" Ben asked, sounding desperate.

"Not unless I performed a full blood transfusion, something I'm not prepared to do at this time," Reed answered cautiously.

"Why not?" Ben asked, nearly exploding in place.

"I have full faith in your abilities, Reed," Alicia added, a softer complement to Ben's hardness.

"Thank you, Alicia," Reed nodded to the blind woman, "but from all the data I have gathered, the Ree Amoebas aren’t doing any permanent damage and there's no guarantee, based on their ability to travel against the bloodstream, that they'd be flushed out in the process."

"What about Marcia?" Alicia asked with a whisper that could cut through the middle of a battlefield. She turned her head toward the door, knowing that her daughter was being kept down the hall.

"Yeah, Stretch, ain't it about time you let the little girl go? She is Alicia's kid, after all."

Reed frowned. He'd been delaying telling them this as long as possible.

"I've seen that face one too many times, Reed," Ben said, the calmness in his voice showing the true seriousness of the situation. "Spill it. Whatever it is, come out with it."

"Well," Reed began, looking at Ben and Alicia, knowing that the two friends deserved to know the truth. "Alicia is, as we all know, human. Marcia was created when the Veda Ree impregnated Alicia. It follows, then, that Marcia is a Veda Reen/Human mix, a new breed of life. The Veda Ree had no concern for Alicia's life and no concern about prolonging Marcia's life. We learned that when we discovered that Marcia had been artificially aged to five years of age."

Sue chose that moment to enter the MedLab. "Reed, honey, don't forget the reception at the Storm Museum toni- oh, I'm sorry," she caught herself when she saw the long faces. "I can go."

"No, Suzie, stay," Ben said, somehow feeling better that Sue would hear this, too. He wondered if it was because it'd save them an explanation later or because he thought Reed would be more willing to temper what he was about to say with Sue there listening.

"Go on, Reed," Alicia said, pain evident in her voice.

Reed took a deep breath, "The Ree Amoebae that populate in Alicia's bloodstream and cause her illness are matched in Marcia's bloodstream by another Amoebae which I'm calling the Veda Amoebae. Right now, the Veda Amoebae are dormant."

"So why can't I see her, Reed?" Alicia asked through a stuffy head.

"Because if you come into close proximity with her, the Veda Amoebae become active," Reed said softly, looking to Sue.

"And she gets the flu, too?" Ben asked, thinking that didn't sound so bad.

"No," Reed answered, looking Ben in the eye. "They don't cause any real harm to her, not as the Ree Amoebae causes Alicia to take ill. In fact, from my observations and calculations, bringing Marcia into this room will cure your flu, Alicia."

"Why can't I see her, then?" Alicia asked again.

"Come off it, Stretch!" Ben raised his voice. "Get to the blasted point."

Reed let out a deep sigh, "When Alicia and Marcia are apart, the Veda Amoebae lays dormant and the Ree Amoebae becomes active, which is why you're ill now, Alicia. However, when you and Marcia are close together, the Ree Amoebae becomes dormant and the Veda Amoebae becomes active."

"And this means what, Stretch? Get to-"

"When the Veda Amoebae becomes active," Reed raised his voice, "Marcia ages at an accelerated rate. In other words, if Alicia and Marcia stay apart, Marcia has a normal life and Alicia stays sick. But if they come together …"

"I get better," Alicia said weakly, "and Marcia's entire life flashes in front of our eyes."

"I'm sorry, Alicia," Reed dropped his head. "The more time you spend together, the faster the acceleration works inside her body. I've got simulations running on seventeen different computers trying to find a solution, but there's nothing else I can do until they run their course. And that won’t happen until morning."

PIER 4 - MEDLAB 6

Franklin and Marcia sit together on a small couch, watching television.

" - and it is here, at the Storm Museum tonight, that Reed and Susan Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, will dedicate an exciting new exhibit to New York's newest museum called 'Super Hero Science' which seeks to inform the public about the numerous good deeds that scientists have achieved in the world of super-heroics. An all-star roster of heroes is expected to attend the event this evening with a key-note speech given by Dr. Richards himself. This is the first of two grand openings for the exhibit, the first tonight for the city's elite and the second this fall when the public school year starts. The exhibit, sponsored in part by the Maria Stark Foundation, is designed to excite children about science and math, two subjects -"

"What's it like being a mutant?" Marcia asked.

"Aren’t you a mutant?" Franklin answered with a question.

"I don't think so," Marcia responded.

"But you could talk to me with your mind."

"I thought that was you doing that?"

"I don't think so."

"Huh. Weird."

"What was it like? Being used by the aliens?" Franklin asked, admittedly unnerved by Marcia's presence.

"I dunno. Didn't feel too bad. I mean, part of them is me, right?"

"Right, I guess, but they were using you …"

"Yeah, but without them, I'd have never been born. Weird, huh?" the five year old girl smiled at Franklin.

"Yeah, weird," Franklin answered, turning his attention back to the television, wondering if this is what other kids felt like around him.

EXOTICA

Johnny Storm and A'kimba sat at the best table in the house, thanks to Johnny's celebrity and the $1,000 bill he slipped the restaurant's head waiter. Johnny had to admit to himself that he hadn't been this happy just being with a woman in ages. It scared him a little, how suddenly he had fallen for A'kimba, but love moved in mysterious ways, he'd learned a long time ago and he wasn't about to start questioning it now.

"I cannot believe how delicious this food tastes," A'kimba gushed across the table at Johnny. "It is as if the chef was, himself, Wakandan."

"He is," Johnny beamed back. "Exotica has chefs from all over the world, specializing in all the very best of the various cuisine the world has to offer. Unsurprisingly, it's a big hit with the United Nations crowd."

"I believe the Bugle referred to it as the 'place to be' in their dining section," A'kimba sipped gently on a fine red wine.

"Anyone who's anyone," Johnny grinned back, happy to make this beautiful woman happy. "Only the best for you, A'kimba."

"I could eat nothing but processed, greasy, fast food so long as I was with you, Johnny."

"Remember that next time when I take you to- hey!" Johnny turned around, annoyed at whoever had bumped into the back of his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry," a seductive voice said, turning around. "I didn't watch where I was- why, if it isn't Johnny Storm, out on a date, no less. You never called back, handsome."

Johnny felt something inside him drop. "Hello, Sable."*

* Johnny and Silver Sable got to know each other in FF 420 & 421

"Shush, Johnny," the silver haired woman smiled down at him, "that's Silver Sable when I'm being introduced socially. Who's the new girlfriend?" she asked, nodding to A'kimba.

"My name is A'kimba," she answered strongly.

"A'kimba, fancy that," Silver Sable smiled. "Just the woman I've been looking for."

A'kimba's face dropped at that, but Johnny wasn't paying her any attention. He stood up from his chair to get in the beautiful Sable's face and got a large whiff of her perfume in his face. It hit him like a ton of bricks, remembering waking up with that smell on a pillow that he lay on. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Perhaps," she grinned, looking past him to A'kimba, "but there is someone who would desperately like to meet you, my dear."

"She's not going-"

"Yes, Johnny, I am," A'kimba rose to her feet. "I think it would be wise for you to come, too."

Sable let the Wakandan woman walk past her and then leaned in close to Johnny's ears, "The plot thickens, Torch. And this one's a doozy. Stay close to me so you don't miss anything."

PIER 4 - MEDLAB 2

The silence is deafening. Alicia Masters lies in bed, coughing harshly, an IV tube running into her left arm as Ben Grimm stands by her left. Alicia, blind, can not see the man she loves but she can feel his presence beside her, can hear his choked breath. She knows he is crying, knows that the harsh rocky exterior hides a gentle, kind heart that has been broken too many times during his life.

She knows he loves her, suspects that he wants to marry her, but the arrival of Marcia has changed things. She still loves Ben and still wants to spend her life with him, but there's a child in the picture now and she's not sure if Ben is ready to be both a husband and a father.

"Ben," her voice cracked.

"What is it, baby?" Ben asked, his attention completely focused on Alicia's needs. Reed and Sue could go play socialite if they wanted to but there was no way he was living this bedside.

"Can you set up a monitor for me? So that I can see into the other room? So I can see my little girl?"

"Sure thing," Ben answered and hurried over to the bank of computers Reed had used earlier. "Just a simple matter of connecting wires."

"Ben?" Alicia called out, her voice rasping violently.

"Yes?" he asked, turning around.

"What do you think of … of this? Of me? Of Marcia?"

The Thing was silent for a few moments, but Alicia could hear his breath start to come a bit quicker, even from across the room. "Alicia," he said softly, "I'm just glad you're okay. I'm glad Marcia's okay. I don't have any idea how or … or why this all happened, but I know we'll find a way to make it work."

A tear formed in the corner of Alicia's eye and the only words she could choke out were the only words Ben needed to hear. "Thank you."

STORM MUSEUM

Reed and Sue mingled with New York's financial, social and political elite, sipping expensive drinks. There truly was an all-star cast on hand this evening and Reed and Sue were the toast of the crowd.

"Do try to smile a bit more, Reed," Sue whispered to him when they had a moment alone in the crowd of people.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, smile," Reed answered absently, watching a HERBIE bot hover around the room, bringing drinks and snack cakes to the patrons. "Those HERBIE bots are doing things I never programmed them to do," he muttered. "I wonder who has tampered with them."

"Probably your meddlesome father," Sue shook her head, her eyes watching the HERBIEs perform their function splendidly.

"Could be, but the HERBIE-"

"Oh, Reed, please stop," Sue smiled, wrapping her arms around her husband. "They're the HERBIE robots for god's sake. Shouldn't you be thinking about a way to help Alicia."

"I'm trying, Sue, but I'm running every simulation I can think of. They're fascinating, from a scientific standpoint. The Veda Ree must engineer it this way to get the full capabilities of the telepath to come to the fore. I just hope I can find some way to help Alicia."

"I'm sure you'll do your best, darling," Sue smiled. "Now, hush, we're going to have company."

"Dr. Richards, hello!" came a cheery voice with a slight midwestern accent. "How do you do this evening? And you, as well, Mrs. Richards."

"Hello," they answered together, Reed reaching out his hand to the slightly overweight man who looked to be in his mid-forties. "I don't believe we've met?"

"Chancellor Etten," the man answered proudly, shaking Reed's hand enthusiastically. "The new Chancellor over at Empire State University. How do you do this evening? Wonderful speech, by the way. Science is fascinating, init? It's a shame more young folks don't turn to the sciences, init?"

Sue wanted to ask Chancellor Etten to slow down, but she didn't get a chance.

"It's what I wanted to talk to you about," he said, lowering his voice a little. "As you now, funding is hard to find at-"

"The Storm Foundation has been quite generous in the past when it comes to research and equipment grants, Chancellor," Sue cut in, knowing if she didn't Reed would promise all of the Foundation's holdings over in the name of science.

"Yes you do, Mrs. Richards, and we are mighty pleased and thankful that you do. But that's not what I want to talk to you about."

"What is it, then?" Reed asked, glad the conversation was turning away from money.

"See, funding is hard to get. Our budget is always slashed and dashed by the Board of Trustees or the state of New York. And our endowments never come close to equaling our rival schools like Columbia." The man stopped and smiled warmly. "This is where you come in, Dr. Richards."

"How?" Reed asked.

"You are aware, I'm sure, of your celebrity status? You're traditionally ranked among the most highly respected men in the world. You've got good relations with not only our government, but other advanced nations like Wakanda and Attilan. The Fantastic Four is the most widely recognized group of super heroes in the world, and the most popular."

"Not to be rude, Chancellor," Sue smiled, "but is there a point underneath all that butter?"

Chancellor Etten laughed loudly, "They were right about you, Mrs. Richards. I apologize for my long-windedness. To get to the point, I want to offer you a position on the faculty at ESU, Dr. Richards."

"What?" Reed asked, surprised. "I'm flattered, of course, but-"

"We're willing to be as accommodating as we can," Chancellor Etten continued, but with a more serious tone in his voice. "You'll be a visiting professor and you'll teach one class with no more than ten of our brightest and best scientific minds. The class will be five hours a week, but you can teach it whenever you want, all in one block or one hour a day. You can vary it from week to week as your busy schedule permits. All of the students enrolled will be hand-picked by you, or you can let our other professors select the six. You set the agenda for the class. Whatever you want to teach."

"That's certainly a tempting offer," Reed admitted, his mind thinking about their decision to leave Earth for Titan.

"Your presence will, we feel, help us generate income, both from an expected rise in applications, to more media coverage to more endowments coming in."

"I'll have to think about this, Chancellor," Reed said, extending his hand again to let Etten know he didn't need any harder of a sales pitch.

"I understand, sir," Etten grinned, then nodded to Sue. "Evening, Mrs. Richards."

They watched the man go in silence and then turned to each other.

"I would like to teach," Reed began slowly, unsure of what Sue's reaction would be.

"It'd get you out of the lab-"

"I can set my own agenda and my own time schedule so it shouldn't take away from the-"

"You'd make a great teach-"

"It'd help a good science program that's underfund-"

"But, of course, there's-"

"Titan."

Reed spoke the word they'd been thinking about. He knew Sue wanted to go, to have a more normal life where they could spend more time with Franklin. "I just can't see leaving right now, Sue. Not with Alicia. Not with-"

"Shh," she answered, putting a finger to his lips. "Why don't you go tell Chancellor Etten that you accept … Professor."

Reed bent low to kiss Sue gently on the lips, then extended his head across and over the room, looking for Etten. He found him in a deep discussion with one of the HERBIE bots.

"Amazing, really. How much does one you go for, Mr. HERBIE? I know I'd-"

"Chancellor," Reed poked his head in, "I hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all, Mr. Richards."

"When can I start?" Reed asked and both men broke out into broad smiles.

WAKANDAN EMBASSY

"Sable, we've already seen the Embassy tonight," Johnny spat as they entered the building. "What's this about, anyway?"

"You'll see," Sable smiled, taking, she had to admit, a little too much joy in this.

They entered the grand main lobby, A'kimba silent as a stone, her eyes avoiding Johnny's, her arm avoiding his touch. They turned into a library off to the right where they found A'kimba's father, Moyo Lumumba.

"Father!" A'kimba cried, seeking the old man with a bandage on his forehead. "Who did this to you?"

"Isn't it obvious, A'kimba?" came a deep, menacing voice from the corner of the room. "It is I, the man you and the world foolishly thought dead, the man your dear, departed mother arranged for you to wed all those many moons ago."

"Why are you here?" A'kimba asked defiantly.

"Why, to take you as my wife, of course," the tall man smiled down at her. He looked mockingly at a shocked Johnny Storm. "Don't you think, A'kimba, it is time for you to stop playing with boys and become a woman? It is time for you to become the wife of … the GREY LION!!"

END FF 440

Fantastic Forum

What a long, strange trip it's been. Without doubt, someday someone will find our MV1 project and sit down and read through (or at least look at the gatefold page of) the Fantastic Four stories and perhaps wonder why I decided to take 4 issues off. The truth is that it's been over two years since I last wrote an issue of FF and in the time between then and now I've written close to 100 other stories for MV1 - from All God's Children to Captain America to the Inhumans to the West Coast Avengers to Ms. Marvel to Punisher and a whole lot in between. But other than AGC, I haven't written nearly as many issues on one book as I did with FF, my first book here in MV1, way back during the "First Wave".

My plans for the book now as opposed to what I had planned when I left are, of course, different. Many of the stories I had planned on running here have turned up elsewhere, notably over in the WORLD WITHOUT storyline in WCA and a few FF flashbacks in AGC. Some of the stories I wanted to do are now no longer of interest to me, some have been done elsewhere and some can not be done because the characters or scenarios have changed.

To address a quick, extrinsic factor, I am going to publish FF as a bi-monthly throughout Year 3. As I sit here today, most of the MV1 titles have reached Year 4 and it is my (and Alvaro's) wish to get this book back up near the front of MV1 continuity as quickly as possible without losing any story quality. Publishing bi-monthly will enable us to get FF into Year 4 in the not-too-distant future. Once I hit Year 4, we'll go back to the monthly schedule.

For those interested, I started fresh this time around. I looked at what I'd written and what Tim had written and based my plans from there. Tim's excellent Origin of the Species story-arc has given me plenty to work with, notably the addition of Marcia and A'kimba to the cast. I'm sure what I do with these characters is different than what Tim would have done, but then, what Tim did with Alicia's pregnancy is different than what I had planned, so these things all balance out. As writers, we take what's on the table and run with it.

I hope you give me a chance to get this book going again and make it a must read here amongst all the excellent MV1 titles.

It feels great to be back.

NEXT ISSUE: FANTASTIC FOUR 441 - ALPHA PRIME TIME - What's been going on with the Inhumans and the suddenly not primitive Alpha Omegas? The FF go searching for answers. Well, since Ben's refusing to leave Alicia's side and Reed's busy at ESU setting up his class and Johnny's busy getting his head kicked in by the Grey Lion that leaves Sue and She-Hulk to go searching for answers.

-- Mark Bousquet

22.August.2000

Northern Bear Productions