Twenty-Four
You Can Read the Previous Chapter HERE!
Doom arced forward and Reed saw a stream of smoke appear from under his long green cape. Blast! He has a jet pack. I should have realized he’d be prepared for this. He’s been waiting for this moment, waiting to do whatever it is he’s planned.
Reed watched as Doom alighted on a floating asteroid. Then he removed his cape and spread his arms upward toward the center of the Negative Zone. Tiny suction devices lined Doom’s armor; intricate circuitry crisscrossed his chest beneath his tunic. Good Lord, he’s absorbing the negative energy—that’s a “power drainer” he’s wearing.
The iron Monarch laughed. “You understand what I’m doing, Richards?” he shouted at the tumbling figure rushing past him. “Do you understand? I needed to tap this dimension’s power. I’ve reconstructed my armor for this very moment. Even as we speak, even as you rush headlong to your death, negative power is being absorbed into my power condensers. I feel my strength increase, my very body changing, growing.”
“It isn’t gonna grow for long, Doc.” The Human Torch unfurled half a dozen fireballs at Doom as he fought the tremendous suction grabbing him. He would get Doom, stop the iron madman, then find a way back into the Baxter Building.
But Doom was ready. His fingers were spread apart and the air pulsed around him. The fireballs skidded off the energy shield Doom created. “You are a moron, child. This negative energy has given me powers you cannot even dream of. There is nothing I cannot do. Observe, you dolt—observe!”
He held his hands high, then asteroids suddenly altered course and circled Doom. He began to grow; he was more than one hundred feet tall when he paused and stared into his iron palm. Light danced across his fingers, changing shape, forming duplicates of the Fantastic Four. “With my new cosmic powers I can recreate life . . .” suddenly the figures burst into flame, then withered, ash slipping through his fingers—“. . . and I can destroy that life just as simply.”
Doom glanced at Ben, falling toward the destructive core. A glow surrounded the orange monster, then faded, leaving not the powerful Thing in its place, but the slimmer, human, Benjamin Grimm. “You despise your monstrous body, Grimm. It makes you little more than a mindless beast. It keeps you from the woman you love. ‘How could a monster marry a human?’ you cry to yourself each night. With little more than a thought, I can make you human once more. I can make your miserable life happy. You could return to your loved one not as a lumbering monstrosity, but as a human . . . as a man.”
Ben Grimm gasped. It had been years since he was human, since he had become the Thing. And Doom was right—it was only his monstrous orange hide that kept him from proposing to the blind Alicia Masters . . . kept the two of them from finding happiness. But now—now he was human again. Now he—his flesh faded; it turned pink, then orange. His skin hardened, became thick, brickish. He was no longer Ben Grimm. He was the Thing again, and he was mad as hell.
“Why’d ya do that, ya slimy little filth? Why’d ya make me this monster again? If I gotta die, lemme die like a man!”
Doom’s voice was like a madman’s: shrill, oblivious to his surroundings. “I want you to suffer, monster. I want you all to suffer. I want you to feel pain, to know failure, to realize you will soon die and there is absolutely nothing you can do to—” Doom paused; his eyes grew narrow. “NO! The Negative energy is changing me . . . taking over my mind. It would have driven me mad, but now I have mastered it. You four will simply go to your destruction, while I leave this dimension, and wield this energy as I had long planned.”
Reed saw Doom rise from the asteroid and fly back toward the Baxter Building portal. He breathed a sigh of relief. Doom would shut the door behind him. When the Negative Zone exploded, at least the Earth would be safe.
He wished he had time to explore this dimension to unravel its mysteries, to probe its special properties. On his scanner he had seen worlds populated by strange alien creatures. There was so much he could learn, so many cosmic secrets to unlock yet there was no time. Soon they would all be dead. Soon this dimension would be destroyed. It was such an utter waste.
Johnny’s voice pulled Reed from his thoughts. “I think I can fight the force, Reed. If I can just get some push, that’s all I need.”
“Lemme toss the matchstick, Stretch. I used ta be a great pitcher back in my little-league days.”
“What can I do, darling?” Sue asked. She desperately wanted to be next to Reed. If she was to die, she wanted to die alongside the man she loved.
“There may be a way, Johnny. It’s risky, but it’s the only chance we’ve got. Ben, I’m going to stretch between two of these asteroids. You pull me back like a slingshot. Johnny, I’ll stretch into a pouch shape, then you douse your flame, and fit inside the pocket I form. Sue, use your force field to surround Johnny. It might not eliminate the gravity pull on him, but it will reduce the pressure. It may make it possible for him to get close enough to the Baxter Building portal to flame on and make it all the way back. Once there we can communicate by radio. Got that?”
All three nodded as Reed stretched into position. It was more than three hundred feet between the hurtling asteroids, a greater distance than Reed had ever stretched before. He wasn’t sure he could make it, yet he said nothing. He had to try, even if it tore him apart. At least one would be safe. And once safe, Johnny could rescue the others.
He stretched, farther and farther. At last his hands gripped the far asteroid. He was in place, but he could feel his back aching. His arms were weak. He didn’t know if he could hold on for long. Pain cut through him, but he wouldn’t give in. “All right, Johnny, fly in, then flame off. I don’t want you burning me."
Johnny increased the flame behind him, rocketing him toward Reed’s outstretched body. He counted the seconds. Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . He doused his flame and a moment later Reed caught him. “All right, Ben, get behind me, and pull me back as far as you can. Sue, cover Johnny with your force shield”
Ben pulled Reed backward, bracing his legs on the asteroid. He didn’t see Reed wince with pain, didn’t see his friend lose consciousness. He continued to pull back, wondering how long it would be before Reed cried out. But the leader of the Fantastic Four said nothing. “Awright, ya ready, kid?” Ben waited for an answer.
Johnny shouted back toward the Thing. “Yeah. See if you can get a hole in one, Ben. I don’t think we have the time for another try.”
Ben released his grip, and Reed snapped forward. Johnny shot out, curving his body slightly to correct his path. The door was rushing toward him. He felt himself slowing down; the initial momentum was wearing off. He kept his eyes forward, but shouted out as loudly as he was able. “All right, Sis, lower your shield—NOW!”
Instantly, he flamed on and fired all his energy behind him. Once again he shot forward like a rocket. The door was directly ahead of him now. Doom had closed it: he would have to melt a hole through—it was the only way, his only hope.
He paused, concentrated, then lifted his arms before him. Wait a second, he thought. If I blast open the door, I won’t be able to shut it again. There’s gotta be another way.
The lock—I’ll burn through the lock. I can always reseal it after they’re safe. The lock melted and the door swung open again. Johnny flew on through and welded the door shut behind him. Just hold it tight . . . tight enough for now, yet loose enough to blast it open to let the others through. We’ll permanently reseal it when everyone’s safe.
Johnny flicked the radio control on his belt. “I’m safe, Reed.” He waited for an answer, but for a moment there wasn’t any. Then Sue’s voice came over the receiver. “Reed’s unconscious, Johnny. The strain must have been too much for him. But thank goodness you’re safe.”
Then Ben’s voice crackled over the radio. “Kid, ya gotta find us some kinda rope or somethin’ ta grab onta. Send it through that doohickey Reed set up ta explore the Neg Zone without openin’ the door.”
Johnny smiled. “Good idea, big man. Hold on tight, will ya? I’ll be right back.”
He ran through the lab door to the stairwell. “FLAME ON!” he shouted. There wasn’t time for the elevator. He had to fly up to the next level, then get inside the storage room and find some heavy cables.
A moment later he was back before the Negative Zone computers. “I’m here, Ben. Is everyone all right?”
“Sure, sure. We always get off on hurtlin’ ta our deaths. C’mon, punk. Move yer butt.”
Johnny’s hand reached for the computer, and his fingers danced over the controls. He had seen Reed work these dials a dozen times. He knew them by heart.
Using the controls, he could create a small opening to the Negative Zone, connected to the computer by an equally narrow airlock. Johnny could then feed the cable through the computer and it would emerge somewhere in the Zone. Using the scalar grid on the computer terminal, he could arrange it to appear by the entrance back into the Baxter Building.
At the same time Johnny knew the cable would be drawn to the Negative Zone core just as Reed, Ben, and Sue were. But it, being lighter, would soon overtake them. They, in turn, could grab the cable, and Johnny, using a hoist, could draw them back home.
If it worked, of course, and Johnny wasn’t sure it would. They never had to use pinpoint accuracy in the Zone before, and without such accuracy, his teammates would surely die.
Johnny shut his eyes and activated the airlock. On the viewscreen he could see the cable unfurl, one end still in the Baxter Building, the other unwinding into the Negative Zone.
“The creep did it, Susie! He did it!” Ben was shouting with joy as the cable floated toward them. Reed was still unconscious in Ben’s arms. Why didn’t he say he was hurtin’? ’Cause he didn’t want us ta make ’im stop. He knew if we suspected he was in pain, we’d never’ve let ’im go through with it. Reed may be a big-talkin’ scientist who seems kinda cold now an’ then, but the guy has a heart that just never stops.
“Ben!” Sue’s voice was filled with horror. Then Ben saw the reason why. The cable was veering off, away from them. They wouldn’t be able to catch it.
Ben shot a glance at Reed. If he were conscious, there would be no trouble. He could stretch to the cable, bring it to them, but he was barely breathing.
Then Ben saw Sue move. Her temple was glowing. Although he was unable to see her send out an invisible coil of force, he knew what she was doing. He watched the cable suddenly twist toward them, as if grabbed by an invisible hook. “Susie, yer a dream gal. Ya did it.” He remembered the early days of the Fantastic Four. Sue had often wondered if she contributed her share to the team. Her powers of invisibility seemed useless. But since those early days she had learned to harness her force field, and now she was probably the most powerful member of them all.
“C’mon, Sis, grab the cable.” Johnny was shouting into the radio as he watched the drama unfold. He saw her stretch out a hand and bring the cable to her. Ben Grimm leaped off his asteroid and grabbed the cable in one hand, still holding Reed with the other.
“All right, hold tight. I’m using a winch. You should be safe in a few minutes.”
Johnny watched as they floated closer to him. He could see the stress on their faces. The terrible forces within the Negative Zone still lashed out against them. It took all their strength to grasp the cable and not let go.
They were coming closer. Johnny strapped himself to a steel post, then tied steel cord around it, the other end ready to lasso Ben and Sue as the Neg-Zone door opened. They were by the outside portal now.
Once more he blasted open the door. It flew open, and an overwhelming force cut through the room. Johnny felt himself being drawn into the Zone, but he was held tight to the post. Unknown energy contorted his face as he shouted. “Grab the cords . . . tie them around you, then pull yourself in! When you’re safe I’ll shut the door, again. Just hurry! HURRY!”
Sue faltered, and her fingers slipped from the cable, but Ben caught her with his free hand while gripping the cable with his legs. “C’mon, Susie, ya ain’t gonna go fallin’ back inta that mess after all o’ this.”
Sue shouted to be heard over the roar of energy whipping past her. “I can’t hold on, Ben! I haven’t got the strength! Save yourself and Reed! Forget about me!”
Ben shook his head violently. “No way, lady. I save us all, or I don’t save any of us. Got that? Ya want yer hubby breathin’ again, ya gotta try ’n’ pull yerself in, too.”
Through the portal Ben could see Johnny. He was helpless, tied to that post. If anyone had to make a move, it was up to Ben, but both his hands were tied. “Awright, lissen ta me, Susie. I’m holdin’ onta ya real tight. See if ya can slip that cord around yerself and Stretcho. If ya can, I can toss ya back inside. Then I’ll follow. Got that?”
Sue nodded, saying nothing. She could barely think. Her hands reached out and grabbed the cords. She pulled one around her; the other she tied to Reed. “All right, Ben. I’ve done it. Now what?”
Ben said nothing as he threw back his massive shoulders, then pitched Sue forward as if she were little more than a baseball. Reed followed a moment behind. Good, Ben thought. At least they’re safe. Now ta get me outta this revoltin’ development.
Arm over arm, he pulled himself along the cable. It vanished into a small hole, but the hole was alongside the gateway back to safety. If Ben could pull himself close enough, he could grab the door and drag himself through.
He felt the raw energy lash into him, sting him, whip him. He was in incredible pain, but he kept moving forward.
Suddenly the door was in front of him. His right hand grabbed the edge and he leaned forward. His left picked a handhold, and he slowly pulled himself through. “Hot head, shut the blasted door behind me, or I’ll go sailin’ right back out.”
Johnny shouted back, trying to keep his balance in the fury of the Negative Zone wind. “Pull yourself all the way through, Ben! You’re still sticking out! C’mon! Get through, you big buffoon! Hurry!”
Ben was through. Johnny freed himself from the post and he was forced toward the Zone door. If he didn’t time this perfectly, he would go back through, never to be found. Neither Ben, Sue, nor Reed had the strength to search for him. He had to make his move now.
He reached the door and slammed it shut. The door fought to stay open, but Johnny welded it in place. Suddenly the pressure stopped and Johnny fell to the ground, his chest heaving in pain, his lungs desperate for air.
He allowed himself to rest for a moment. Then he completed the welding job. The door to the Negative Zone was sealed, and Johnny thanked God for that.
He didn’t want to go through hell ever again.
Continued...Tomorrow at Atomic Kommie Comics
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