Twenty-One
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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.”
