What If: Whence Came The Fantastic Four free porn video

An interlude between Chapters 3 and 4 of "Whence Came the Spider" to explain how the Fantastic Four came to be the Fantastic Four they are in this "Whence" Universe. What If: Whence Came the Fantastic Four By Bill Hart I am Uatu. Once more you have returned to learn more of the multiverse. I bid you welcome to my hidden lair once again. As you all well know by now, I am one of those mostly solitary beings known more simply throughout the multiverse as Watchers. We shall soon return to our observations of young Pamela Parker. But in this world where Peter Parker suffered the bite of a massively irradiated dying female spider and ultimately became Spider-Woman, other events have occurred differently as well. It is one of those many events we must observe before continuing with Pamela's ongoing tale. For we must first observe how they became who and what they are before continuing on. Let us look back in time and watch together as those events unfold. Let us learn together the origin of this world's Fantastic Four. *** "I'm really sorry about this, Dr. Richards," smiled the man in the three-piece suit from the government. "For the foreseeable future, this spaceship of yours is going nowhere." "What are you talking about, Carstairs?" asked Reed Richards. "The ship's all but finished. We'll be ready to lift off by the end of the week, if not sooner." "No, you won't," replied Carstairs calmly. "The government has new questions they want answered about this space ship of yours. They've also decided they may need to suspend their partial funding of your project." "They can't do that!" snapped Reed. "Not now! Not when we're so close." "Don't yell at me, Richards," Carstairs growled back. "I'm just the messenger." "But it's been my dream to travel among the stars since I was a student at State University. I designed and built this spaceship, Carstairs. Nearly all the money invested in it was mine." "And the rest - small as it might have been - came straight from the government," replied Carstairs. "Your spaceship was also constructed at a facility leased from the government. That gives them a big say in what happens there. I'm afraid nothing will be lifting off from that facility until the government is fully satisfied." "What do they want from me now?" Reed had known this day was inevitable. When he'd made his decision to accept limited government funding, he'd also had a no strings offer from the small country of Latveria to consider. But Reed had never trusted Victor von Doom when they were both students at State University. He'd seen no reason to change his opinion of that risk- taking maniac. Later events inside Latveria had proven his decision correct. Carstairs took a small pad of paper from his coat pocket. "They're worried about the ship's shielding, Richards." He turned to the next page. "Their experts say it's inadequate." "There's nothing wrong with the shielding." "For normal levels of radiation, they agree with you completely," replied Carstairs. "But you're talking about unknown levels as well as potentially unknown radiation. They're worried; it's their job. They'd rather err on the side of caution. More simply, they don't want to take any chances." "Your experts aren't taking any chances," snapped Reed. "They aren't going anywhere; I am." Carstairs flipped to another page of his notepad. "That's something else they're concerned about. They all think you're too valuable a resource to be taking these kinds of risks unnecessarily." "That wasn't part of our agreement," snarled Reed. "The agreement's been amended," replied Carstairs. "You're too stubborn for your own good sometimes, Dr. Richards. You need to learn to be more flexible of mind." "I'm not stubborn," denied Reed. "I'm just totally focused on achieving my life long ambition." "Have it your own way. Focused... or stubborn, it's all the same to me. Personally, I think it was your choice of crew that brought about this action," said Carstairs. "They're a little worried about you, doctor." "What for?" snapped Reed. "What's wrong with my choice of crew?" "They had no problems with Ben Grimm as the pilot," replied Carstairs. "He was an excellent choice. He's a good man." "As unlikely as it seems, Ben the football hero and I were roommates at State University." Reed stared at Carstairs. "When I told him about my dream to fly among the stars one day, he promised to pilot the craft. I took him up on his promise." "As I said, Grimm wasn't an issue. They had problems with the others. There were no members of the military among those you selected. If I had to guess, the only choices of crew that might have upset them more were your wannabe actress girlfriend or her hot-tempered teenage brother." Carstairs flipped to another page of his notepad. "They're also going to insist on a military presence on the ship before it launches." "It's a civilian ship." "Funded in part by the government." Carstairs closed his notebook and slipped it back into his coat pocket. "I'll be in touch with you in a few days, Dr. Richards. I'm sure all the questions the government has will satisfactorily answered by then." *** "He called me a hot-tempered teenager!" exclaimed Johnny Storm. "How dare some officious twerp call me hot-tempered." As he began pacing back and forth, he thought about what he should do to the fool. "Calm down, kid," said Ben Grimm. "Someone like that isn't worth getting excited about." "I can't help it, Ben," replied Johnny. "If that pompous jackass were here right now, I'd shove his little notebook up a place where the sun doesn't shine." "It wouldn't help much." "Maybe you're right, Ben," smiled Johnny. "But I'd sure feel better." "Did he really call me a wannabe actress?" sniffled Susan Storm. Reed put his around Susan. "He was an idiot, Sue. He was nothing more than a government lackey." "But he still said it. Didn't he?" A tear ran down Susan's cheek. "Maybe he's right. There have been too many times when I've gone to an audition and sworn no one had seen me." She looked up at Reed. "Do you think people fail to notice me when I'm around?" "Why would they, Sue?" Reed smiled at Susan as he wiped away her tear. "People would have to blind not to notice you, Sue." "I'll second that notion, Susie," smiled Ben. "You're beautiful." "Any one that thinks different will have to answer to me, Sis," added Johnny. "Nobody knocks my sister when I'm around." "Thanks, guys," smiled Susan. "You're the best." "Are you up for a little test flight, Ben?" asked Reed suddenly. "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about taking my spaceship out for a little spin around the solar system." "You're kidding," replied Ben. "You of all people know we haven't done nearly enough research on cosmic radiation. It could kill us all if the shielding isn't strong enough." "It might be our only chance to make the flight." "I can't in good conscience do that, Reed," said Ben. "If you're so determined to fly among the stars, then you're going to have to fly that ship yourself." "You can't mean that, Ben," said Susan, before Reed could speak. "We've got to take that chance. We could all die tomorrow anyway. But if you're afraid..." "Afraid? I'm not afraid, Susie!" growled Ben. "Whatever else you're thinking about me right now, I'm no coward!" Ben smashed his fist down on the desk beside him. "Nobody's ever thought me a coward before." He turned to Reed. "Let's go get the ship. I'll fly her anywhere you want to go no matter what happens." "I'm going with you," said Johnny. "So am I," added Susan. "But..." "No buts, Reed dear," smiled Susan. "After what I said to Ben, I think the four of us must take this 'fantastic journey to the stars' together. It's our destiny." *** As they neared the facility where their spaceship was located, Reed made one more attempt to talk Susan out of coming along. "Ben and I know what we're doing, Sue. But you... and Johnny..." "Don't finish your argument, Reed. I can't speak for my brother, but I'm going and that's final," said Susan. "You and I are going to be married someday. Wherever you're going, I'm going too." "If Susie's going with you, Reed, then I'm going as well," added Johnny. "Somebody has to look out for her while you and Ben are busy flying the ship." "They gotcha there, Reed," smiled Ben. "The two of us might be able to handle all the controls, but having a couple of crewmembers along will make a lot of things that much easier." As they approached the front gate, Reed was surprised to find an armed soldier stationed there. There had never been one there before. "They're not going to let us inside, Ben." "That's just what I was thinking." "We're going to have sneak in." "No kidding. Are you a mind reader now too?" grinned Ben, as he stopped the car. "This should be just about the perfect place. We shouldn't have any trouble sneaking onto the base from here." Several minutes later, having cut through the wire fence, the four intrepid soon-to-be space travelers were headed unnoticed for the spaceship still sitting upon the launching pad where it had been constructed. *** "We can't ask for flight authorization," said Reed. He'd already helped Susan and Johnny strap themselves into their own seats before joining Ben. "Tell me something I don't already know," grinned Ben. "It's a good thing all the controls have manual settings." Ben flicked several switches. "Everything looks good here, Reed. Are you ready for lift off?" "Whenever you are." Ben pushed the button igniting the rocket engines. Within moments the ship and its occupants were soaring into the heavens and headed for the vast unknown. "What do you think you're doing, Richards?" crackled the voice over the loudspeaker. "We know that has to be you in there. No one else knew about this spaceship. No one else would have the nerve to try stealing it." "Ignore them," replied Reed. "We'll deal with them later. It'll be interesting to see if they can make that ludicrous charge of stealing my own ship hold up." Ben flicked another flick. "Consider them ignored." "I knew it," smiled Reed. "She's behaving perfectly." He was clearly overjoyed that his baby was working well within its projected normal operating parameters. "Except for the cosmic rays. No one really knows what they're capable of doing." Ben Grimm was tough, but he was still worried about the ship's shielding. "The ship's outer skin has gotta be real tough to keep us safe, Reed," he'd told his old friend. "I'm still worried about it. I'm not entirely convinced the shielding will be tough enough to withstand highly intense cosmic rays." Higher and higher roared the sleekly designed spaceship until finally earth orbit was achieved. "We did it, Reed. We're in earth orbit." "That's great, Ben. We just had to be the first into orbit." "The next part's going to be a little tricky. Once we're through the Van Allen Belts, the only protection we'll have against cosmic rays will be the ship's shielding," said Ben. "Are you still sure you want to do this, Reed?" "I'm positive." "That's what I thought you'd say." Mere moments after they'd passed through the Van Allen Belts, the emergency radiation alarms began sounding. "It's the cosmic radiation," said Ben. "I wasn't expecting it so soon, but it's just what I was worried about. It's penetrating the ship as if there were no shielding at all." "I don't believe it," scowled Reed. "According to the readouts, this level of radiation resulted from an enormous solar flare. I'm sure they must have known all about it when they postponed the flight. Carstairs was probably told to tell us nothing about it." "So we're just plain guinea pigs now," snapped Ben. "Why aren't I that surprised?" "How much time have we got left?" asked Susan worriedly. "I don't really feel anything," said Johnny. "Are you sure the alarms are working properly? Couldn't this all be some kind of malfunction?" "Not likely," snapped Ben. "I'm afraid the alarms are for real, kid." "I'm not surprised you feel nothing, Johnny," explained Reed. "Cosmic rays are electromagnetic energy just like light or X-rays. You can't feel them, but they'll affect you just the same. We just don't know exactly how." "My head is pounding," complained Susan. "So is mine," agreed Johnny. "It feels like my head is going to explode any second." "I'm sorry, Ben. You were right; I was wrong," said Reed between gasps for breath. "We should have waited. We should have installed heavier shielding." "Don't worry about it," snapped Ben. "The government wanted a few lab rats to find out what this radiation could do to people. They set us up. They didn't want us waiting for heavier shielding." And yet, inexplicably none of them died from the exposure to so much intense radiation. And it kept pouring through the ship without end. "I suddenly feel like I'm burning up!" exclaimed Johnny. Steam was visibly rising from his body. "I feel like I must weigh a ton," groaned Ben. "I can hardly move." Several electrical systems within the ship were burnt out under the radiation's continual onslaught. Some of the mechanical systems were also reduced to slag. Only the strength and sheer determination of Ben Grimm managed to somehow turn the crippled ship back towards Earth again. Only moments later, the automatic pilot finally kicked in and assumed full control. It was just in time, as Ben fell exhausted to the floor. But it too had been damaged by the radiation. It couldn't prevent the small crippled ship from crashing somewhere in upstate New York. Most remarkably, given that the ship was a total loss and they'd absorbed so much assumedly lethal radiation, all four crewmembers survived. As Johnny Storm and his older sister stumbled away from the wreckage, Susan Storm abruptly vanished. "Where's my sister!" screamed the hot-tempered Johnny Storm angrily. "Susie! Where are you? Where did you go?" A moment later, he lit up both the crash site and the surrounding area as his body burst into flames. Within the wreckage, Ben Grimm and Reed Richards struggled to escape. Suddenly and quite inexplicably, Ben casually tore a sprung hatch door away from its support columns. To Reed's total amazement, his old college friend had just lifted a ton and a half of wreckage before tossing it aside as if it were nothing more than just the lightest of feathers. "Wait just a minute. I forgot something inside the ship, Ben." As Reed slowly turned around, his arm - as if he were now somehow made entirely of rubber - unexpectedly began extending back into the debris from which they'd just escaped. "What has happened to us?" he asked as his newly elastic arm returned clutching the flight recorder he'd left behind. He stared at Johnny Storm who, even though totally engulfed in impossible flames, seemed both unhurt and unfazed by those same flames that should have swiftly consumed him several minutes before. He looked around the surrounding area. "Johnny! Where is Susan?" he asked worriedly. "I'm right here beside you, Reed." She unexpectedly flickered back into view. "What just happened to me? I felt so strange." "Thank the heavens you're safe," sighed Reed. "Susie, you're all right!" exclaimed Johnny with relief as his flame abruptly self-extinguished. "What has happened to us, Reed?" asked the confused teenager. "Have you got any idea why Ben is looking so orange all of a sudden?" "Orange? I have no idea, Johnny." He looked over at Ben and was stunned and surprised by his old friend's odd new color. Why hadn't he noticed Ben's orange skin color before now? "But I sure intend to find out." "I'm not sure any of us are all right," growled Ben. "Susie could become invisible again at any moment and stay that way. Johnny might not be so lucky the next time he bursts into flames. And you're a giant rubber band." Ben looked at his hand. "I'm orange now." He shook his head in disgust. "Orange was never one of my favorite colors, you know. Why couldn't I have become a nice baby blue instead of orange? Just in case you missed it in there, Stretcho, I've got the strength of at least twenty guys now." "Ben's right, Reed," said Johnny. "We're far from all right." "Do you think anyone knows what happened to us?" asked Susan. Reed shook his head. "I doubt it," he replied sullenly. "But I definitely intend to find out." *** Reed Richards wasn't too surprised when the government provided him a fully equipped laboratory to investigate their unusual situation. Clearly, they wanted to know what had happened to them as much as he did. Nor was he that surprised when the government pressed no charges about him allegedly stealing his own spaceship. They had, however, denied any and all knowledge of the massive solar flare. He didn't know whether he or the government was more disappointed with what he'd discovered... or rather, what he hadn't. After a long couple of days of nearly continuous tests, Reed still had very little idea and even fewer clues about what had actually happened to them. Nor had he discovered anything along the way that might be useful in reversing their changes. However, he had developed a theory that seemed to fit the facts. At least, his new theory fit all the facts, as he currently understood them. Somehow, the prolonged exposure to the intense cosmic rays must have supercharged their bodies with an incredible amount of energy. As a result of all this stored energy in their cells, mutagenic alterations had subsequently been triggered in all of their bodies. These strange alterations on a cellular level had resulted in them gaining these incredible powers they now possessed. Very little was known about the developing new science of mutagenics, but clearly some still unknown factor in each of them had resulted in their powers developing differently. Reed Richards himself now possessed a body that stretched like a giant rubber band. His form had become so malleable that he could easily slip under doors, if he wanted to do so. He could reshape parts of his body to fill any function that was required. All he had to do was consciously will something to happen and his body would willingly do it. Not liking the name Rubber Man, he decided he would call himself Mr. Fantastic instead. Susan Storm easily toggled between visibility and invisibility with just a mere thought. In addition, she could project, for small distances, an invisible force field. She decided on the name Invisible Girl. It just seemed to fit her so well. Like the others, one of his single thoughts could turn Johnny Storm's body into a raging inferno of fiery plasma, that would neither hurt nor consume him. Another simple thought was all that was required to switch off his flame and return his body to its normal state once again. He could also project jets of flame and toss fireballs at will. To pay homage to a comic book hero from his childhood, he selected for himself the name Human Torch. Benjamin Grimm had continued growing stronger and stronger. The tests gauged his strength as the equivalent of several hundred men. He had also become increasing more and more orange in color as the hours and days passed by. In addition to its strange new orange coloration, Ben's skin had also grown considerably harder. His skin was now nearly impenetrable and felt more like stone than flesh. However, unlike the others, Ben had swiftly lost the ability to re-assume his original human form with a simple thought. He decided he'd become a thing and was no longer merely human. As long as he retained this form, he'd answer to the name Thing. After explaining his theory to the others, Reed told them that they'd all have to live with these changes for the time being. There was simply no other course of action available to them at the present time. "Eventually, I'll find some way to make us all normal once again," Reed told them. "I promise you all that. I swear it." Reed shook his head. He wasn't sure he could keep that promise. "However, the four of us together have more power than any other humans have ever possessed before." "I hope this ain't gonna turn into one of your typical longwinded speeches, Reed," grumbled Ben. He wasn't too happy about being a Thing. "I think we all understand that we've got to use these new powers of ours to help all mankind." "You got that right," added Johnny. At that very moment, the Human Torch, the Invisible Girl, the Thing, and Mr. Fantastic united under the banner of the Fantastic Four. They would use their newly-gained powers for the benefit of all humanity. With the Fantastic Four to protect them, the world would never be the same again. However, the same might have also been said for the newly formed Fantastic Four. Unknown to Reed Richards and the others, these changes they'd already experienced were merely harbingers of additional transformations yet to come. Mutagenics was still a new and inexact science filled mostly with plenty of questions whose answers only prompted several additional new questions. How could any of them have even begun to guess that their bodies were not yet finished changing? How could they have possibly known that enough pent up energies still remained in their cellular structures to trigger further mutagenic changes to their bodies? *** The following morning, Johnny Storm woke up feeling oddly energized, but at the same time strangely out of sorts. However, he wasn't overly surprised he felt so peculiar. Over the previous couple of days, it seemed as if Reed had drawn blood from him every time he'd turned around. He was tired of all these tests. He'd had so many needles stuck in him that he felt like a human pincushion. He also wondered if he had any blood left in his body at all. But any and all thoughts of strangeness quickly evaporated once he passed by the mirror above the bathroom counter. Could he have possibly seen what he'd just thought he'd seen? "What the..." He stopped abruptly, wondering who it was that had just spoken. It certainly couldn't have been him; it hadn't even been his voice. After a swift look around verified he was still the only one in this small room, Johnny's gaze reluctantly returned to the mirror. He stared in a combination of dumbfounded shock and total amazement at what he saw reflected there. "This can't possibly be true." It was that strange sounding voice again. Being reflected back at him from the mirror was an attractive and rather busty teenage girl with waist-long blonde hair. She was a girl that would bring a whole different meaning to the "Human Torch" name he'd chosen to call himself just last night. He was very clearly, in the vernacular, hot, to put it mildly. How had something like this happened to him? "Perhaps, Reed will know," said Johnny in that same soft soprano - and very definitely female - voice he now realized was somehow his own. As Johnny stepped out of his room into the hallway, he ran into a slender willowy brunette already standing there looking around. The brunette looked almost as puzzled as Johnny did. She was also a good- looking girl with shoulder length hair. As Johnny looked her over, he was certain he'd never seen her before. He typically never forgot a pretty face. And she was definitely pretty. But something about her seemed oddly familiar. For several seconds, Johnny and the brunette just stood there, not really knowing what else to do or say to one another. As they stared at one another, a sense of disbelief began growing in both of them. "Who are you two girls?" asked Sue, as she came out of her room to investigate the commotion in the hall and broke the silence. "How did both of you ever get in here past all the security? Just what do you two think you're doing wandering around inside the Baxter Building this time of the morning?" "It's me, Susie," said the blonde of the pair. Johnny took a long deep breath before continuing. "I know you don't recognize me right now, Susie." He shuddered as his hand ran along the soft curve of his now slim waist. "I don't even recognize me right now, Susie. Just look at me closely. I'm your brother Johnny." Susan gasped. "And I'm... Reed," added the brunette hesitantly. "I'm having some difficulty believing any of this myself." "That can't possibly be true!" gasped Susan again. "There's no way you can be Johnny and Reed. You're girls!" "Tell me something I don't already know," said Johnny and Reed in near perfect unison. "What in the blue blazes is going on out here, Susie?" asked Ben as he noisily lumbered into the hall. "Are you having a party? Do you know what time it is?" He noticed the altered Reed and Johnny. "Who are these two skirts, Susie? And what are they doing here this time of the morning any way?" However, none of them made an attempt to answer his question. They were far too shocked by all the new changes Ben had undergone during the night. He was still the same orange in color, but he was far more massive than he'd been the last time any of them had seen him. In addition, he now looked as if he were some patchwork quilt made of several large stones thrown haphazardly together. "Is that really you, Ben?" asked Reed. "Of course it's me. Who else would I be, girlie? Now who the blazes are you?" snapped Ben. Despite his altered appearance, Ben still sounded like his old self. And then an abrupt light of recognition inexplicably flashed behind his still disbelieving eyes. "Reed?" he asked the brunette. "Is that really you in that body?" He then shook his head, before turning to take a better look at the other girl with him. "If she's really Reed, then I suppose you're gonna try telling me that you're Johnny Storm, blondie. There's not too much of a resemblance." "I suppose I must be Johnny, but that's only because I am," he replied calmly. "I know I don't look much like me, although I would have thought I'd look more like my twin sister than this. But I'd be a little more careful with that kind of name calling, you know. It sure looks like we're all in the same boat. I mean, if you haven't already done so, you really should take a real good, long look at yourself in a mirror, Ben. With all it implies, you're built like the proverbial orange brick shithouse." "I suppose that explains it. I was kinda wondering about the odd placement of this pair of huge boulders hanging on my chest," grumbled Ben. "They didn't feel right being there, but they didn't feel all that wrong being there either. How come we've changed again, Reed?" He looked over towards Susan and frowned. "Why didn't Susie change this time?" "I don't know, Ben. After we'd stabilized, I'd figured we were through changing. Apparently, I was wrong again. However, I certainly wasn't expecting anything like this to happen to us," frowned Reed, as he looked at his now smaller hand. "But you'd better believe I'll figure out some way of reversing this." "I should hope so! I don't want to be a girl!" snapped Johnny. "Maybe my sister didn't change as we did this time because she was already female," he suggested, while running his small hand through his new silky mass of long blonde hair. A very brief exploration by his own small hand also quickly verified his new gender. Johnny, in spite of his objections, was very definitely and quite undeniably female. "Perhaps you're right, Johnny. It's a reasonable explanation to start with," replied Reed. "I'll start to work on finding on a cure for this new development right away." "I hope you find it quickly, Reed," groaned Johnny. "I don't really want to be a girl," he repeated. "My girlfriend Doris won't like it a bit that I'm better endowed than she is." "At least, you're good-looking, Johnny," grumbled Ben. "People are going to look at me and faint dead away. On the other hand, you'll be fighting off the guys with that new flame power of yours," he grinned. "Oh no!" Johnny suddenly paled. "I hadn't thought about that." He turned toward Reed, his long blonde swishing around his body. "You've got to find a cure for this fast, Reed. I don't even want to imagine any guys fighting over me." *** However, after several additional days of running tests as well as testing potential cures, Reed Richards was no closer to finding a solution - or even a better explanation, for that matter - than he'd been that very first day. There was simply not enough known about these unusual kinds of mutagenic effects. In the course of his investigation he'd found answers to at least a dozen outstanding questions of the mew science. Unfortunately, each new answer he'd found had simply generated several score more new questions. None of the existing theories he'd perused - or even those he'd subsequently revised - had been overly helpful either. Reed was convinced he'd find a cure eventually, provided one actually existed. That might take only a few more hours of research. On the other hand, Reed had also realized finding that elusive cure might just as easily take several years. There was also that very distinct possibility - one he didn't want to admit to the others just yet - that no cure for their current condition existed at all. For the time being, the Fantastic Four would simply have to adjust to their current situation and move forward. And adjust - something they would somehow always manage to do well - was exactly what they'd done. Reed Richards had adopted the name Rachel for herself. She - if they were going to be outwardly female than that was the role they'd all have to play - had decided the name she'd previously selected was now somewhat inappropriate, not to mention obsolete. However, names were easily changed. From that moment of her decision forward until the day a cure could be found, Rachel Richards would be known to the world as Ms. Fantastic. Johnny Storm had simply kept the name 'Human Torch' she'd earlier selected. Even though the comic book hero she'd chosen to honor had been a male android, there was simply nothing inherently male or female about the name 'Human Torch'. In addition to that, the 'Human Torch' just seemed to fit her new female self just as well as it had her former male self. For as long as she remained female, she would also answer to the name Jeannie. She just hoped Reed found the cure soon. Jeannie doubted her girlfriend Doris would remain her girlfriend very long once she discovered just how she'd changed. Susan Storm, having apparently remained physically unchanged, saw no reason to change her previously selected name. She would simply remain the Invisible Girl to the rest of the world. However, she was still strongly attracted to Rachel Richards. That worried her somewhat. What would the world think of them as a couple? And finally, Benjamin Grimm decided on keeping the simple name 'Thing'. Picking that name before had been a relatively simple matter. And deciding to keep the name had been no more difficult. In her mind's eye that - some kind of monstrous Thing - was exactly how she pictured herself now. She'd briefly toyed with the idea of changing her name to "She-Thing", but had finally decided that a Thing by any other name - or gender - was still just a Thing. She'd also decided to call herself Bertha. It just felt right in a way she couldn't begin to explain. However, Bertha also knew that the very first clown down on Yancy Street that dared refer to her as 'Big Bertha' would find himself on a swift cross-country flight without the benefit of an airplane. So was born the Fantastic Four now known to the rest of the world. *** Rachel Reed removed several pictures from the manila envelope she held in her hand. "I have a few pictures I want to show you," said Rachel to the other assembled members of the Fantastic Four. "Pictures?" asked Jeannie Storm. "What kind of pictures you got?" asked Bertha Grimm. "I hope they aren't some kind of pin-ups. I've sort of outgrown them, you know." Rachel showed them all a picture. "Take a good look! All of you! This used to be an atomic reactor in central Russia." It appeared as if it had dropped into an enormous sinkhole. "What could have made that happen?" "No seems to know." Rachel handed out the other photographs that had been in the envelope. "It's clearly the same thing that happened to all these other reactors in the photographs I've been given." "This one says it's located in northern Australia," said Susan Storm. "It looks the same as the first one." "This one doesn't look much different either," added Jeannie. "It says the reactor's on the Atlantic coast of South America." "They all look pretty much the same to me, Stretchie." "That's just it. It's happening to reactors all over the world," replied Rachel. "No knows how - or even why - this is happening." Suddenly alarms began ringing. "It's my new and improved seismometer!" exclaimed Rachel. "According to the steady seismic P and S waves it's recording, I'm afraid another reactor cave-in will soon be taking place." *** Half way around the world, in one of the few remaining outposts guarded by the French Foreign Legion, a group of soldiers stand guard at the site of a nuclear reactor. "What is wrong, Pierre?" asked one. "I do not know, Hendrick! I know this sounds strange insane, but all the sand beneath my feet suddenly seems to be throbbing. If I didn't know better I'd swear something large was moving below the ground." Pierre's expression suddenly took on a nervous look. "Don't you feel it, Hendrick?" "I feel nothing. It is just your imagination." Hendrick laughed at his companion. But very abruptly his attitude changed. "Help!" he screamed, as the earth began shaking violently. "It is an earthquake! This is impossible. There's never been an earthquake here." "Impossible or not, Gustav, my friend Pierre almost fell to his death during the shaking," said Hendrick. "I'm glad the ground has stopping shaking." But the ground was not quite finished. "The earth is trembling once again. I no longer think it is an earthquake. What else could it be?" "I do not know, Lars," replied Hendrick. "It is like the earth itself is going mad." "I don't believe it. The ground has opened up. The entire installation is caving in?" "But there were no caves under it when it was built. The geology is all wrong for caves. They would have never built it here if they'd known there might be any caves beneath it." But something worse was yet to come. Less than a minute after the collapse of the nuclear reactor installation, something inexplicable appeared in the mouth of the hole. "In the name of heaven!" "What the hell is that?" 'What the hell' may have been more than an apt description. It was a gigantic pair of claws, unlike anything ever seen on earth - or perhaps any other planet in the solar system - before. The claws were simply unbelievable. The mere sight of them staggered the mind. And yet... they were real... very real. "Artillery, Lars!" shouted Hendrick. "Hurry, Gustav! Hurry! Bring in the heavy artillery! Hurry, Arturo!" Artillery? Of what possible use was artillery against this enormous creature whose skin must be so tough and powerful to withstand digging its way up through the countless tons of rocks it must have encountered? Artillery? Of what use was artillery against a monster that can easily crush a heavy tank in one of its claws? Was there nothing that could halt - or even slow - the nightmarishly monstrous creature? It seemed highly unlikely. And yet, a shrill commanding voice brought the hulking Goliath to a complete stop. "That is enough! Return to the earth's core!" commanded the voice. "Our mission here is now completed." *** At the Baxter Building, the members of the Fantastic Four were gazing in stunned astonishment at Rachel Richards' new incredibly sensitive seismometer. It had pinpointed the place of the latest attack - what else could it have been - in equatorial Africa. "But how is that possible, Rachel?" asked Susan. "And why?" "That's exactly what we need to find out," replied Rachel. "I've analyzed all the cave-in data carefully. There's a small island equidistant between all of the reactors. I'm sure we'll find our answers there." "What island is that?" asked Jeannie. "On the charts, it's called Monster Island." "Monster Island? Bah!" grumbled Bertha. "That place is just some stupid fairy tale. There ain't no such place." "There's only one way to find out for sure, Bertha," said Susan. And finding out was exactly what was on their minds as their boarded their newly constructed Fantasti-jet and headed for the mysterious Monster Island. *** Hours later, as they approached the co-ordinates of Monster Island, they were surprised at their first sighting of the island. It was clearly one lone mountain rising from the ocean's depths. But far more surprising than its solitariness was the island's unusual appearance. For all intents and purposes, it reminded them all of some kind of giant grotesque unearthly face peering menacingly up at them from the ocean's surface. They were convinced that they had found Monster Island. "That's it," said Rachel confidently. "It must be." With no place to land on the rocky island, Bertha easily landed the multi-purpose Fantasti-jet in the ocean just off the island's northern shore. Within only a few short heartbeats of their landing, an inflatable Fantasti-boat was headed for the island. "It's certainly rough and rocky," said Jeannie, once the Fantasti-boat landed on the island's small rocky beach. Susan quickly agreed. "It certainly doesn't look like anyone - or anything - is here." "I think we'll have to check the crater at the top of the island," said Rachel. "That means we'll have to do a little climbing." "Oh great!" grumbled Bertha. "I forgot my walking shoes." "It's the only way we'll find out anything important." Rachel then led the team along an ill-defined path up the side of the mountain. "This better not be a wild goose chase, Stretchie," warned Bertha. "If it is, you're in deep trouble, girl." She rubbed a hand across her chest. "If my boobs weren't made of rocks like the rest of me, they'd be severely chapped by now." "Save your breath, gruesome," smiled Jeannie. "I agree with you that having boobs is a real drag, but you'll going to need all your breath for this climb." The remainder of the climb was done in near silence. But finally, the four girls reached the summit and peered down into the crater. "Hold it!" exclaimed Rachel. "I hear something!" "What is it?" asked Susan. "It seems to be coming from below us?" "Look at that! They look like giant eyes!" exclaimed Jeannie. "What can possibly have eyes that size?" Abruptly, they found out the answer to Jeannie's question. A giant three-headed winged monster had erupted from the crater and was heading straight toward them. "Quick, Sue! Turn invisible!" shouted Rachel. As Susan suddenly vanished from its sight, the monster was clearly bewildered at the disappearance of one of its intended victims. But even if one of them were gone now, the others weren't. At the same time, Rachel had extended her arm, making of it a giant lasso. Within moments of her warning shout, she'd lassoed the middle head of the monster. "Got him!" she beamed, before easily tossing the captive monster into the ocean below. "Simply incredible," she said in stunned amazement. "I'd heard several old seamen's tales of some strange three-headed monster guarding Monster Island." "Clearly, they weren't just stories, Stretchie," said Bertha. "That didn't look like some old seamen's tale to me." They looked down where Rachel had tossed the beast. There was no sign of the monster. "It doesn't look like it will be guarding the island any longer." "Being winged, it probably doesn't swim very well." But abruptly the ground began shaking. Before Rachel Richards and Jeannie Storm could react, the ground opened up beneath them. "Look out, Jeannie!" "It's a cave-in, Rachel!" As the two girls fell into a hole that suddenly seemed a bottomless pit, Rachel flattened out her body. "Grab my hands, Jeannie!" she shouted as she extended her arms toward Jeannie. Once she felt her hands clasp hers, Rachel felt relieved. "Now hold on tight, Jeannie!" Together, with Rachel acting the part of a parachute, they drifted slowly downwards. "Continue holding on tightly! I don't know when we're going to finally touch down." "What's going on around here?" gasped Jeannie. "It's a good thing Susie and Bertha weren't standing beside us when the ground opened up and swallowed us. I hope they're all right." "So do I, Jeannie." Suddenly, the two girls reached the bottom of the pit into which they'd fallen. They were relieved their fall had finally ended. And yet, at the same time they were worried about the unknown all about them. "It's pitch black down here, Jeannie. What sort of place can this possibly be?" Jeannie was slowly feeling her way around the wall. The place was so confining she dared not flame on. Maybe with a little more experience using her power - provided she lived that long - she would gain the necessary control to escape situations like these. "Rachel! I feel something!" she shouted. "I think it's some kind of trapdoor in the wall. And even worse, it's beginning to move." Abruptly, the trapdoor swung open bathing the small area in an unknown blinding light. "That light! Where does it come from, Rachel?" "I have no idea, Jeannie. It's so blindingly brilliant, I can't see a thing." "My head hurts." "So does mine. I don't know why, but I think I'm going to black out." Rachel dropped to her knees. "Jeannie, are you all right?" she asked weakly, before collapsing in a heap to the floor. But Jeannie - not that Rachel would have known - never answered the question just asked her. Her consciousness had already fled. *** At the summit of the island, the other members of the Fantastic Four were momentarily stunned by what had happened to Rachel and Jeannie. "Rachel... Jeannie... We've got to find them, Bertha," mumbled the still invisible Susan Storm. "Wait! What's that noise behind me?" But Susan's weren't the only ears that had heard the menacing noise. Another pair of eyes also beheld an odd sight that Susan would need to turn her head in order to see. "Duck, Susie!" shouted Bertha, as she stripped off her outer confining garments. "Just get out of the way. I'll handle this new beast - thing to thing." Even though this second guardian of Monster Island was apparently powerful beyond belief, Bertha Grimm was more than up to the task of defending herself and Susan Storm. Her body, even if it had been male once, was still fully charged with the energy of the cosmic radiation to which she'd been exposed. This guardian was about to discover that The Thing was a foe that could not be easily stopped. It was less than a minute later that the Thing had lifted her opponent off the ground and easily flung him - or it - into the ocean far below them. "You've done it, Bertha!" gushed Susan. "You've beaten that horrible monster." "Just what were you expecting, Susie girl?" Bertha looked down where she'd thrown the beast, but saw no sign of it in the water below. "I am the ever-loving Thing. Ain't I?" She grabbed Susan's hand. "We need to go find Rachel and Jeannie. They've got to be somewhere down below. If anybody's hurt them, then they'll be answering to me." *** After the passage of minutes... or hours... maybe even days, Rachel and Jeannie began slowly regaining their senses. Somehow they found themselves garbed in strange form-fitting adhesive suits that appeared to be protecting them from the blinding, unearthly glow that must have caused them to pass out. "Oh my aching head," groaned Jeannie. "Most fascinating," said Rachel, as she clutched at her head. "That strange blinding light all around us. It actually caused us to lose consciousness." She suddenly realized what she was wearing. "How did we get into these strange suits?" "So you have finally recovered your wits," said a shrill voice from somewhere nearby. "It's about time. I'd begun wondering if you'd become damaged by your exposure." "Who are you?" asked Rachel. "I can't see a thing." "And where are you?" added Jeannie. "The reason you cannot see is a very simple one," replied the voice. "You were blinded by the intense glare coming from the Valley of Diamonds. As for me, my dear young ladies, you may call me the Moleman." Having introduced himself, the Moleman led them away from the blinding dazzle of light. After a few more brief few moments, Rachel and Jeannie found themselves in an opulently decorated room fit for a King. As their visions slowly cleared, they discovered their captor was a very small, homely man of an indeterminate age. He was wearing a cape, as well as an odd looking pair of glasses that looked more like some Halloween mask. And yet, calling this man homely was clearly an understatement of massive proportions. "From your reactions, I take it you have never heard of the Moleman," said the strange little man. "I'm not surprised by that. However, very soon now, the entire world will hear of me and know all about me. It won't be much longer before I, the Moleman, have the entire world in my power." "How did you get here?" asked Rachel curiously. "What is this place?" "It was long ago," mused the Moleman. "It began the day I was born. Even as a baby, I was homely and repulsive. The people of the surface world - even my parents - mocked and tormented endlessly about my appearance. But then, a pair of pretty girls like you surely have no idea what that might be like." "You might be surprised what we know," said Jeannie. "Perhaps, but I find it doubtful," replied the Moleman. "Do either of you know what it's like being told you won't get the job for which you're qualified because you'd scare the other employees away? How many times have you been asked if that was your face or some mask?" Rachel and Jeannie exchanged quick glances, but said nothing. "That's all right. You don't need to answer what I see as perfectly obvious," growled the Mole Man. "Even he cruelly laughed in my face at the merest thought I loved him." "He? You were a woman?" "Once, but no more," replied the Moleman. "But even as this man I've become, I'm still as homely and hideous as I ever was." He smiled at Rachel and Jeannie. "I hear pretty girls like powerful men. Maybe one of you will consent to become my Queen when I become the ruler of the world. But I'm getting ahead of myself." He continued smiling at the girls. "However, no one can continue taking such abuse forever. I finally decided I needed no one else; I'd strike out alone and unimpeded by any of those fools that might otherwise cross my path." The Moleman paused for a moment. He seemed to be enjoying the confused looks his captives were giving him as he explained things to them. He was thrilled at the sense of power it gave him. "Taking my cue from the works of Jules Verne, I decided to seek out that legendary land situated at the center of the earth," he explained. "Once I found that brave new world, I knew I would, despite my hideousness, become its benevolent Queen. "My travels took me to the four corners of the world and back again several times. It was a lonely existence. But loneliness and I were already well known to one another. This loneliness, which neither of you could possibly imagine, was infinitely superior to enduring the continuing cruelty of the rest of mankind. "But I had little luck in my search for that much fabled land. I was even ready to abandon my search entirely, when a freak storm swept my little skiff ashore here on Monster Island. It was here that I found it - a strange cavern that led straight to the land of my dreams." The Moleman sighed and sank back into his chair. He was reliving a moment of triumph that both Rachel and Jeannie realized the man couldn't have experienced happened him many other times before, if at all. "I followed that cavern downward to the very center of the earth. It wasn't quite what I'd expected and yet I still shouted out with overzealous abandon, 'I've found it! I'm at the center of the Earth!' A mistake to be sure. My sudden outcry in the silence of the cavern precipitated a terrible avalanche of stone." "What happened next?" asked Jeannie. "How did you survive?" asked Rachel. "An interesting question for which I have no good answer. I should have died slowly and painfully. I know it," replied the Moleman. "And yet, I survived. The slide opened up the Valley of Diamonds. For an unknown amount of time I was bathed in their unearthly glow. I lost nearly all my sight. I also lost my womanhood, not that being a woman had ever proven itself to be much of a benefit to me. I've never missed being a woman." He smiled at each of the girls in turn. "But I'd become little more than a human mole." "Did you hear what he said, Rachel?" asked Jeannie. She turned back to the Moleman. "Are you saying that the light emitted from those diamonds turned you into man?" "That's exactly what I said. Are you hard of hearing?" snapped the Moleman. "That's why the two of you wear the protective suiting. I wouldn't have wanted to see either of you changed in any way," he smiled suggestively. "You see, my tastes are as decidedly male now as is my body. I have other plans for you pretty ladies." "What is it with guys anyway, Rachel?" queried Jeannie in disgust. "Why was I ever cursed with this body?" "I don't see that delightful body as a curse," leered the Moleman. "You wouldn't, you nasty old lech." Jeannie suddenly began smiling. "If I remove this suit and went back to the Valley of Diamonds, then would it change me into a man?" "I don't think that's a good idea, Jeannie." "Perhaps, it would. Perhaps, it wouldn't. But I believe you'd be better off listening to your friend, silly girl," replied the Moleman. "I've seen the effects of the diamonds' light on scores of stranded seaman and perhaps as many as a dozen women. None of them changed gender as I did, unless you consider becoming a neuter a viable change. None of them even remained human, as all of them became what you'd very likely call monsters." "Maybe I'll just stay here," said Jeannie sheepishly. "We have enough monsters in the Fantastic Four already." "There are others with you? No matter," said the Moleman calmly. "That day marked the turning of my luck in my favor," he smiled. "I've mastered all the creatures here in my domain. They do my bidding without question. With their aid and assistance I have carved out an enormous underground empire. I am their King now." Rachel and Jeannie exchanged worried glances. It was obvious their captor was insane. Clearly, the light from the diamonds had damaged his mind as well as his eyes. There was no way of knowing what the Moleman might do next. "I've conquered everything and anything about me. As compensation for my nearly total loss of sight, I've acquired a sense of things about me in the darkness." He tossed a long wooden staff to Rachel. "I'll show you what I mean. Try to strike me with that pole, girl." "I have no desire to fight with you," replied Rachel. "You have no say in this, girl," snarled the Moleman. "I said try and strike me. If you don't, I'll strike you down anyway." Having no other option, Rachel swung the staff towards the Moleman. It was a blow he easily parried with his own comparable staff. "I sensed that blow coming a mile away, girl," gloated the Moleman, clearly impressed with his prowess. "Nothing can ever take me by surprise." He easily avoided another swing from Rachel's staff. "And if that isn't enough for you, I've developed other senses too. Like a bat, I possess a natural sonar sense. I can evade any danger that foolishly attacks me." Another swing; another miss. "Compared to me, you are slow and clumsy, girl." The Moleman began laughing. "See how easily I've defeated you." He easily disarmed Rachel, then forced her to yield. "It will be the same with any others foolish enough to defy me." Rachel slowly regained her feet. She'd had just about enough of this mad Moleman. "Before I mercifully slay you, dark-haired girl, behold my grand master plan." He pointed to a map showing a crisscrossing of tunnels within the earth itself. "This is my underground empire. Each tunnel leads to a major city of the world. As soon as I have destroyed every foul nuclear reactor, my mighty and unstoppable moloid forces will attack and destroy everything that lives on the surface." The Moleman smiled wickedly. "The blonde shall remain here as my queen. But at my next signal, one of my creatures shall dispose of the dark-haired witless fool." "I don't want to be your queen!" snarled Jeannie. "It's decided, my dear." The Moleman reached for the cord above his head. "You have no choice in the matter." "I wouldn't count too much on that if I was you, Moley," snarled Bertha Grimm, as she and Susan Storm entered the opulent room. "It's the Thing." "Am I ever glad to see you?" said a relieved Jeannie Storm. "Have you got any idea what he was thinking of doing?" "I heard enough, girl," replied the Thing. "I just can't do much about the number of sickos running around loose in the world. The Moleman pulled the cord. "It's too late now, you simple fool." He began laughing. "The die has been cast. There is no longer any way of turning back." He turned towards Jeannie. "It's a shame you must soon die as well, my golden haired beauty." "Give me a break!" snarled Jeannie. "Thing! Look out behind you!" shouted Susan. Having heard the Moleman's signal, the largest and most likely the deadliest creature of his underground army ponderously lifted itself into the room. In its mindless rage, it saw the Fantastic Four as evil threats to its master, the Moleman. As a result, it began making its way toward them with clear intent. "Enough is enough," snarled Jeannie. "Look out, Rachel. I'm gonna burn my way out of this stupid suit and then give that monster hell." After a moment of concentration, Jeannie burst into flames that swiftly consumed the suit the Moleman had somehow put on her. "Good girl, Torch!" shouted Rachel in encouragement. "Now let's see if we can warm things up a little bit." Like an annoying mosquito, Jeannie buzzed back and forth around the monster's gigantic head. Vainly the creature attempted to grasp its fiery foe. But it was unsuccessful. Whether it was too slow or Jeannie was too swift, the monster clearly grew increasingly frustrated. "Rachel!" shouted Susan. "The Moleman is escaping." Rachel had already managed to free her upper body from the suit she'd been wearing. "Not if I can help it, Sue," she grinned. With ease, Rachel stretched out her arm faster than the Moleman could run. As she caught him, she grinned. "And help it I certainly can." Like a well-oiled fighting machine, the Fantastic Four, with their foe the maniacal Moleman within their grasp, raced for the safety of the surface. And yet, somehow the Moleman seized another signal cord. "You girls haven't beaten me yet!" bellowed the Moleman. "You can't possibly defeat my entire underground horde!" "Hurry, Rachel!" encouraged Susan. "Geez, Stretchie," grimaced Bertha. "Couldn't you even hold on to one little runt?" The noise coming from behind them grew steadily louder. Like figments straight out of some madman's worst nightmare come roaring, running, and snarling the Moleman's entire army of subterranean gargoyles. They've heard his call for help. And were on their way. But no one had counted on the unbelievable power controlled by the Human Torch. As she flew between her equally fantastic allies and the pursing horde of the Moleman, Jeannie blazed a fiery swath that swiftly melted the soft earth. "This will cause a rock slide between us that should seal us off from those approaching creatures," grinned Jeannie. Moments later, the Fantastic Four led by the Human Torch emerged safely from the Moleman's domain. "We've done it! We're free!" she shouted. "But even better than that, the entrance to the Moleman's empire has been forever sealed." Within minutes, the Fantasti-jet had lifted off the ocean's surface. "What happened to the Moleman, Rachel?" asked Jeannie. "I left him behind on the island. He's a sorrowful case," replied Rachel. "With his power base destroyed, I doubt he'll ever trouble anyone again." Within the next heartbeat, the words of Ms. Fantastic were proven prophetic. A thunderous explosion had destroyed any remaining visible traces of Monster Island. "He's destroyed the entire island," said Bertha. "He's sealed himself down there with his monsters forever." "It might be better that way, Bertha," replied Rachel. "There was no place for him in our world. He'd already told us his story. Perhaps he'll find peace down there now. I certainly hope so." "I just hope we've seen the last of him," said Susan. "You and me both," sighed Jeannie. "Are you sure about that, Torchy?" grinned Bertha. "I mean, just how many chances are you going to get to become somebody's queen." Jeannie glared at Bertha. "Shut up, Thing!" she exclaimed. And as she blushed a brilliant crimson, the other members of the Fantastic Four laughed. *** THE END - Fantastic Four Interlude