by Marv Wolfman
With savage fervor he rubbed at his right arm and hand. He scraped away the greasy film that covered him. He concentrated; his hand flared for a moment, then faded. Not enough. Still not enough. He worked with a second rag, then a third. His face was sweating with anxiety.
He heard himself gulping for air. He staggered forward to the door, tripped, fell. He lifted himself to his feet again and fell forward, this time to the wall. Grabbing with his hands, he pulled himself along the wall as he felt his feet weaken from under him. He could barely stand up. Could barely walk. But he had to make it to the door.
He stumbled and turned, then tripped backward. The door was next to him now. He could feel the knob in his sweaty hand. Now, with all his concentration, with every fiber of his being behind him, he willed his hand to ignite. He would center all his power into one hand. If that wasn’t enough to do the job, it would all be over.
The door itself was steel, but the frame around it was something different, something plastic. It glowed under the heat, turned bright red, then blue, then white. It began to shift form, to melt, to drip.
Johnny felt the pain overwhelm him. There was so little air to begin with, and his flame was using what was left. He had less than a minute left. He fell to his knees and felt a sharp pain stab through his legs. He had to ignore it, ignore everything but the flame. Had to keep the flame glowing, had to keep burning the framework around the door.
Suddenly, he felt a cool breeze wash across his face. Johnny stared up through half-closed eyes. There was a tiny puncture in the doorframe.
The air gushed through the hole, enlarging it. Johnny grinned as the coldness whipped past him. Hungrily, he swallowed the air, let it play in his throat. Then he collapsed.
He was unconscious for only a moment. His eyes opened and he saw two vague figures before him. They sharpened into view.
“Figgers, junior. Yer always takin’ a nap. Didn’t ya get no sleep?” Ben Grimm’s voice could not be mistaken.
“You great big ape. Get me outta here.” Johnny extended a hand as Ben ripped the door off its frame. “Just tell me one thing, big fella. Where were you when I needed you?”
“Playin’ games with a bunch o’ King Arthur rejects.”
The other figure stepped into view. “Are you all right, Johnny? What happened in there?” Sue was plainly worried. “I found Ben and then we heard you groaning.”
“I guess I’m fine. Just barely. Doom tried to kill me. He almost succeeded. Hey, where’s Reed?” He was sorry he had asked almost as soon as he spoke. Sue’s chin was trembling; her eyes were liquid. “What happened to him? Tell me, damn it. Tell me!”
Ben shook his head and grumbled. “We don’t know, kid. We ain’t been able ta find ’im. We searched everywhere.”
Sue’s voice quivered with fear. “I’m scared, Johnny. I don’t know what Doom’s done to him. What if he’s—” She couldn’t bring herself to finish her thought.
Johnny was grim-faced. “Then we’ll split up and search some more. I don’t think Doom would’ve taken Reed away—not and keep us here. Search every corridor, check if doors lead to phony doors. Knowing Doom, it’s possible Reed was right before us, only we just didn’t see him. Fan out.”
“You don’t have to.” A trembling, weak voice came from behind them. They whirled and saw Reed propped against a pillar, his costume torn, his face white. He staggered forward almost out of control. Then he fell. Ben caught him in his massive arms.
“Stretcho! Wha’ happened?”
Sue pushed passed Johnny and took Reed’s hand. “Darling, talk What did Doom do to you? Please, for God’s sake, tell me. I’ve got to know.”
For several agonizingly long minutes, Reed let his breath return. He waited until he could easily open his eyes. Johnny fetched him some water. Slowly, carefully, he drank it, savoring each mouthful. “I was trapped like a rat in a maze,” he began. “Trapped, with nowhere to go, no lights to see by, and a torrent of burning acid crashing toward me.”
He saw Sue tremble. He lowered his voice to calm her. “I had taken the wrong tunnel hoping to find the maze’s exit. Somehow I had to get through the gushing torrent of acid and head for the correct corridor.
“I could hear the wave rushing toward me, but that was all I heard. I realized then that Doom had shut off the flow of acid into the maze. I also knew that the acid had by now branched off into every corridor, filling each tunnel as it passed by. I was in the farthest section of the maze, and the torrent had diminished by the time it had reached me. There was enough to flow through the tunnel, certainly enough to burn me if it hit me, but not enough to fill the tunnel from the floor to roof.”
He paused again, took another sip of water. It hurt him to talk. He still felt the pains of his escape. Ben scowled. “C’monl C’mon! This is like the end of a serial chapter. I ain’t waitin’ till next week ta find out how ya escaped. Talk, big man . . . talk!”
Reed smiled weakly. He saw the others relax. Ben’s offhanded humor always eased any situation. The big, brawny Thing had a way of seeing right through to the humor of any given problem. “All right, all right,” Reed allowed. “Just give me a moment.”
He sipped some more water, then felt the strength return to his aching bones. “I stretched toward the ceiling, and propped my arms and legs against the walls. I was a paper-thin blanket slithering over the torrent. An occasional wave washed by me. I wanted to scream, to grab my wounds, but if I did, I’d drop to my death.
“I had to press on, fight the pain, edge my way to the end of the corridor, take the other tunnel and continue across the roof until I reached the door. That’s where I faced my toughest problem. I had to somehow open the door without burning my hand. Unfortunately, the doorknob was under the current of acid. There was no way I could get to it.
“I stretched my hand toward my boot. That was the thickest part of my costume. I knew I had to take the risk; otherwise, I would eventually weaken and drop.
“With my hand inside my boot, I reached into the acid. The boot began to smoke instantly. You all know I constructed our costumes out of unstable molecules. It allows me to stretch inside my uniform, Johnny to flame on without destroying his, Sue to turn invisible and take her costume with her. Unstable molecules can do almost anything, but they still burned. I felt acid trickle in, but I kept my hand inside the boot and guided it blindly toward the knob. My fingers began to burn, but I couldn’t stop. I had no choice. The pain became terrible. I thought I would black out at any moment, but I didn’t. Sometimes I wish I had. My face was contorted; I was crying from the terrible pain. It would have been much easier to give in.
“But finally, the door opened. I stretched through, stayed on the ceiling until I was far from the maze. Then, finally, I fell to the floor, where I heard voices. I was still too dazed to realize they were yours, but I inched forward, ready to fight. Then I heard Ben speak, and I knew that voice could belong to only one man. That’s it. That’s all.”
Ben Grimm scratched his brickish chin. “Ya see, even when I ain’t around, I save lives. I’m a regular Florrie Nightingale.”
Johnny shot Ben a glance, then smiled. “You mean Daffy Duck, Ben. Both of you are quacks.”
A huge orange arm shot out, and four stubby fingers grabbed Johnny’s waist and hoisted him in the air. “Wha’d ya say, junior? Ya mind repeatin’ it so’s I can hear ya an’ respond in a manner fittin’ yer statement?”
“All right, you two, stow it. We haven’t got the time for bickering.” Reed stood up, shaky at first. “I want to find Doom, now!”
Twenty-One
There were five guards waiting for them at the end of the corridor. Their guns were drawn, ready to fire. Ben shot a glance at Reed. “Want me ta take care of them, Stretch?” He cocked his fist in gleeful anticipation.
Reed shook his head. “I want them stopped, not crippled. Sue—?”
Sue nodded and stepped into action. Five separate energy bubbles appeared around the astonished guards. They tried to fire
their guns, but the bullets wouldn’t emerge from their chambers; Sue had clogged them with separate energy bursts.
Reed approached them with confidence. “Where is Doom?” They didn’t know.
“I don’t believe ’em, high-pockets. Gimme a chance ta work ’em over a bit.”
“No, Ben. They’re telling the truth. Doom wouldn’t bother telling any lackeys his plans. C’mon. I want to get to his central complex.”
They rushed through the corridors, Johnny flying behind them. “Reed, what makes you think Doom isn’t here? You seem to think he’s left.”
“Our escapes wouldn’t have been possible if Doom was monitoring us, Johnny. In every case he could have made some adjustment, held us back, possibly have succeeded in destroying us. I think he’s left, but I don’t know where he’s heading, unless—” His eyes grew wide with realization.
“Blast it! Of course! Why didn’t I realize it? This was all a setup to capture us—to take us away from New York. Whatever Doom is after, it’s back in the States. And unless I miss my bet, it has to do with our headquarters. Doom wants something inside the Baxter Building, and to get it, he had to get us out of the way.”
They entered Doom’s main control room, and Reed saw Boris sitting in a wooden chair next to Doom’s throne. The old man looked weak, and not at all surprised to see his master’s enemies standing there, still alive.
“I am pleased you lived. Death can be so horrible,” he said, his voice soft.
Ben plodded toward him. “I didn’t see ya tryin’ ta stop Doomsie, little man. Ya just stand right next ta him an’ do everythin’ that blasted walkin’ can-opener tells ya ta do.”
Boris let his fingertips run across his face. He was old, perhaps too old. He should have died many years ago, but his curse was continued life. “Doom is my master. I must honor him. I cannot disobey him. But you cannot understand that. You do not know me, our people, our ways. I may not approve of his actions, but long ago I swore to his father that I would remain at his son’s side until I died. I have kept that promise for many, many years. I intend to fulfill that promise until I am relieved.”
Reed interrupted. “Where has Doom gone to? America? The Baxter Building? Please, you’ve got to tell us. Many lives depend on your answer.”
Boris shut his eyes and welcomed the darkness. “He has gone to claim his destiny. He has lived his entire life for this day. At this moment, his jet is nearing your homeland. Soon he will enter your headquarters. It seems, sir, that you and my master have been competing with each other for years. Both of you are brilliant men, equally brilliant, I would say. For each discovery you have made, my master has made an equally ingenious discovery. But you have succeeded in one area that has always eluded my master, from before the days of the explosion. Time after time he has met failure trying to uncover what you already had learned. At last, he felt, he could wait no more.”
Johnny felt the anger overcome him. He grabbed the old man by the collar. “So he tries to kill us and take what he wants. What kind of madman do you serve? How can you accept him? Don’t you have any gumption, man? How can you just sit there and serve that maniacal killer?”
“Leave him alone, Johnny. We’ve got what we came for. Let’s go.” Reed put his hand on the youngster’s shoulder and urged him away. “We’ve got a long trip back to America.”
They ran from the castle into a band of robot sentries. Laser pistols were drawn and aimed at them. Johnny took to the air, flaming on as the Human Torch. With his arms outstretched, he unleashed a volley of fireballs at his targets.
Ben Grimm leaped at one robot and squeezed its base until the mechanoid shuddered and blew apart. A second robot fired at him; the blast grazed his shoulder. Ben fell forward, tumbling behind a massive rock.
With a herculean effort, he hefted the twelve-ton boulder and hurled it at the steel assassin who had shot him. He grabbed another robot and tossed it more than half a mile away into a small stream.
Reed Richards felt the laser blast skim by him, missing by a fraction of an inch. He was still weak, but these robots were not about to stop him. Not now. He stretched thin and wide and oozed beneath several robots. As the sentries adjusted their rifles, he came up around them, enveloped them. His fingers stretched toward their controls, broke open the control box, and ripped the main fuses from their housings. The robots fell dead to the ground, useless piles of metal junk.
Sue Richards faded from view and ran toward a rocky area. Three robots pursued her, their radar picking up her electronic heat pattern. Laser blasts flashed on all sides of her as she ran for shelter. They homed in on her with deadly accuracy. Instantly, she became visible again, with a force shield formed before her. Laser blasts splayed off it, then vanished.
With a massive display of power, she threw the force field toward the sentries. Like a battering ram, it knocked them off their pins, sent them scattering.
She sensed another robot approaching her from the rear. A second robot was at her side. She dived between them, they fired, but she rolled out of the way. Then she smiled briefly.
Sue paused, allowed the robots to adjust their aim. Without moving, she turned the robot behind her invisible. She had to time this correctly. If she was a fraction of a second off, she would be caught in their crossfire.
As one, they fired their lasers as she dived from sight behind a wide oak tree. She heard the invisible robot scream as its companion blasted it apart. A moment later she saw its scattered fragments littering the ground.
Reed stretched toward her, grabbed her hand, and tossed her to Ben. Johnny Storm flew in low. “I got this one, Reed,” he said, firing his concentrated heat blast at the sentry. The robot halted instantly, shimmered, then flowed to the ground as molten steel.
Johnny flew high again, then stared at the area around them. “Some more sentries headed this way, Reed.” Johnny pointed north. “Let’s intercept the buggers.”
Reed shouted in protest. “No. We can’t take the risk. Let’s run the other way. Besides, we have to reach the airport. It’s our only way out of here.”
Johnny flew above them, scouting the area as they ran. Suddenly, he arced low and flew toward them. “Several dozen sentries are closing in on all sides, Reed. These look bigger than the ones we just fought.”
“Any way out, Johnny?”
“Yeah. They’ve left an opening, but it takes us through the village. If they catch us there, innocent people could be caught in the fighting.”
Reed grimaced. “I’m certain that was their strategy, Johnny. They’re leading us on like cattle.”
“Big deal. We can stay here an’ clobber ’em.” Ben Grimm was ready. “Or mebbe yer too chicken ta face ’em again.”
Ben, Johnny, and Sue waited for Reed’s reply. “We can’t let them fight us here. There are too many of them, and I can’t be sure we can take them on. Our only hope is to make it through the village and head directly for the airport. It may be dangerous, but it’s the only choice left to us. You with me?”
Sue grabbed Reed’s arm. “Of course, Reed.” She stared at Ben. “Ben? Are you coming?”
Ben nodded reluctantly. “Well, I ain’t got anythin’ better ta do. Awright, so we paint the town red. Big deal. Hoo-hah! Let’s go, awready!”
“Then, let’s move,” Reed said, trying to be hopeful, but failing miserably. “We make it through town, and the next stop is home.”
Twenty-Two
As they watched the Fantastic Four running down their main avenue, Doom’s robot sentries on their tail, firing their dreaded laser rifles, the frightened Latverians ran into their homes, bolted their locks, and prayed that this battle, like the ones before it, would pass them by. They had often been caught between Doom’s troops and runaways. Over the years they came to realize no harm would befall them if they simply minded their own business, locked themselves away, and came out again when the church bells chimed, indicating all was once more clear.
A miniature missile exploded on
the road before the Fantastic Four. “We ain’t gonna make it, Stretch. Let’s stand still an’ fight ’em. Runnin’ won’t get us anythin’ but killed!” Ben Grimm shouted; his voice rang like cannon fire.
Johnny Storm circled and fired at the onrushing army. A wall of fire sprang up before them, but the robots braved their way through. “I think Doom prepared these guys for us, Reed. They’re fireproof.”
Reed leaped at a tree, his hands grabbing its trunk. He saw another oak across the narrow street. “Ben!” he shouted. “Grab my legs! Tie them around that other tree!”
“Huh? What’re ya doin’ now, big-brain? Gonna pretend yer a clothesline an’ hope they’ll pass us by?”
A volley of missiles was fired at them. Reed relaxed his body as he stretched into a wide sheet. The missiles hit him, three in the chest, two in the stomach. Sue shut her eyes in horror. Ben’s fingers, firm on a tree stump, closed tight. The stump shattered under his grip.
The missiles stretched Reed’s body backward. He seemed to elongate almost to the end of the block. Concentrating, Reed snapped his body forward like a rubber band, shooting the missiles back at Doom’s robots. Four were instantly destroyed. The shattered fragments lodged in two others. All six were useless.
“C’mon, let’s go!” Reed shouted, his long legs leading the four of them. He stretched upward toward Johnny, saw three divisions of robot sentries approaching from varying directions. There were just too many of them. They’d never make it out of Latveria alive.
“Come, this way, hurry. You haven’t any time.” It was a girl’s voice that called out to them.
Reed shrank back to normal height. “Who are you?”
The girl shouted at him angrily. “There isn’t time for introductions. If you want to live, follow me. Hurry.”
Reed turned to the others. “There’s no other choice. Let’s go.”
They ran down a side street and ducked through a low door. Johnny landed behind them and followed. A dark tunnel appeared before them, but the girl held a small candle which she had picked up at the door. “Follow me. Be quiet,” she whispered softly.
