Altered Visions: A Marvel Fan Fiction Project

Issue #1
January 2006

"In The Dark"

Written By Tony Thornley

Reed Richards closed his eyes briefly. He never enjoyed these meetings. The calls came weekly. Someone had messed up a huge experiment and the government of that particular country wanted Reed to fix it. Usually he could do it over the phone. The last one was that case. The scientists were working on a quantum singularity and accidentally sucked a dinosaur into their laboratory. After convincing them that a triceratops was not a vicious meat-eater (apparently they read little about paleontology), he talked them through sending the reptile into its own time while he read the personal finance section of that

This time, the call came from his own government, and they refused a solution over the phone. They needed him in person, as soon as possible. With the US Government, that usually meant military or something very very bad. This time it seemed to be a mixture.

"Are you okay Doctor Richards?"

Reed looked up with a smile. "Yes, sorry General Jenkins," he replied. "Small headache from trying to read your briefing outline without light. Easy to fix. I just need to enlarge my eyes to gather more of the room's ambient light." The general shrugged and continued.

"As you can see Doctor," he said, "our team arrived on-site seventy-two hours ago. We received the hourlies we expected until twelve hours ago. After they sent this photograph, we didn't receive another message." Reed looked up at the image Jenkins was displaying on PowerPoint. It was a large ring, ornately decorated and engraved, suspended parallel to the floor. Connected to it were what appeared to be three anchors/ generators. Another, much smaller ring was anchored next to it and suspended about two feet about the level of the ring, which itself was only about six inches off the ground. Reed stretched his neck to the painting to get a closer look. It appeared to be made of an alloy that he didn't recognize, even with his extensive experience with extra-terrestrials.

"Fascinating," Reed whispered.

"Indeed," Jenkins said. "The last report the team gave stated simply after an analysis of the ring: 'We think it's a gateway. We're going to try to activate it.' Our satellites registered a power surge about twenty-three minutes later. There's been nothing since."

"Again, fascinating," Reed muttered, restoring his neck to its normal placement. "What do you think happened General?"

"I think those morons have brought doomsday upon us," he growled.

"Hmm, possibly," Reed said, still staring at the picture of the ring. "Well, I agree with the hypothesis that the structure is a gateway. From the manner of construction and appearance of the inner surface of the ring- which appears to be completely smooth- it's very likely. The power surge seems to be consistent with different modes of teleportation I've seen in my lifetime." Reed looked up at the general, raising his eyebrow. "What are you looking for me to do?"

Jenkins frowned. "Take your team down there and..." Jenkins looked at the slide of the ring and held his arms out towards it. "...smash, crush, clobber, whatever the hell you do! Just do destroy what our boys let through that gate!" It was Reed's turn to frown. As he did so, his eyes narrowed.

"General," he said calmly. "The Fantastic Four are explorers, adventurers, inventors and scientists. We are not exterminators, especially if you wish us to exterminate members of a sentient species." He stood, leaned forward and placed his fists on the table. He looked at the table for a couple moments, reminding himself that he was sitting in a government installation with a high-ranking military officer in front of him. Ignorant, but high-ranking. He looked up at Jenkins again. "We will go to this Antarctic dig site if you wish General. We will find out what happened to your people. We will help evacuate the survivors. We will even send back anything they transported onto our world. We will not kill xenoforms."

"Do you mean aliens?" Jenkins asked.

"Yes, General, aliens. Am I clear?" Reed stared at Jenkins, his eyes slightly narrowed. The general walked up to the edge of the table, flipped through several papers, looked at a hard copy of the photo of the gateway, then looked back up at Reed.

"When can you leave?"

Johnny Storm seldom had solemn moments, but tonight he did. Her name was Angela. Or Amanda. Sometimes he forgot. All he knew for sure was that she was the latest in a long line of girls that honestly, Johnny really wasn't all that interested in. He knew the feeling was mutual too. All they wanted was a night on the town with a celebrity, hopefully have sex and if she got pregnant, then there'd be a great scandal and lots of publicity for her. The first time Johnny discovered that was someone's motive, he was appalled, but he gradually realized that this was how modern society really was.

It was that night with Amanda (or Angela) though that really brought things into perspective. He was just a couple months away from turning thirty years old and the only woman he'd ever really loved was an alien shape shifter who was light-years away. It was that night, with Angela cuddled up against him that Johnny Storm realized something about his life, if something didn't change soon, he'd end up alone. And to the Human Torch, that was the scariest thing he could imagine.

Johnny slid away from Amanda and kissed her softly on the cheek. What was wrong with him that this is how his life was? Why couldn't he find someone he really cared about like Reed and Sue or Ben and Alicia? He sat up on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands.

"What's wrong with me?" he whispered. He heard Angela stir. She pulled herself over to him and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Johnny, baby," she said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, "just thinking." He looked over at her. She was beautiful. Her hair was strawberry blonde, although there was a touch more red in it than most. Her eyes were perfectly shaped and a deep brown color. Her nose was thin and rounded at the bottom. Her lips were full but not too big. And yet even though he felt strongly about her... What wasn't right about this?

"Do you love me?" Johnny asked. He was shocked that the question escaped his lips, but now that it was out there, he genuinely wanted to know.

"What?" she asked, slightly taken aback.

"Do you love me?" he asked. "I mean we've been dating for a few weeks, and tonight was great, but... There's just something... I don't know..." Angela sat up, gathering the blankets over her breasts.

"Johnny... I..." She looked down at herself. "I don't know. You surprised me with that question... I'll have to-" Angela's thought was cut off by the ringing of Johnny's cell phone. It was a distinctive ring set for the number from the Fantastic Four's quarters in the Baxter building.

"It's my sister," he muttered. "I have to take it." He picked it up, flipped the phone open and placed it to his ear. "What's up?"

"Is your communicator off?" Reed's voice asked. Johnny sighed.

"I'm on a date," he explained. "I left it at the Baxter Building." Johnny stood and slid his jeans on. If it was Reed that meant it was FF business.

"Okay, that's fine," he replied. "I need you back here ASAP. We're needed." Johnny pulled his shirt over his head.

"Sure thing boss-man," he said. "I'll be there as quick as I can." He flipped the phone shut and looked down at Angela. "I'm sorry."

"No," she said with a smile. "No need. It's the peril of dating a superhero. Never know when he has to run off and save the world." She stood, wrapping the blanket around herself. "I'll think about your question too." She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Tell me though, if I do...?"

Johnny smiled. "Then we'll have to have a long talk." He leaned down and kissed her. They held the embrace for a several moments then pulled away. She looked down and stepped back. He turned and took several steps to the door.

"Johnny," she said. He turned and looked at her again. "If I don't... I've really had a great time."

"Me too," Johnny said. "Me too."

"Where's Matchstick?" Ben Grimm rumbled. The Thing was anxious to get moving. He was hoping for a good tussle today. It had been a long time. "It's been twenty minutes already!"

"He was on a date Ben," Sue Richards replied. "He'll been here soon." Susan Storm-Richards was always the voice of reason in the Fantastic Four. Even though Reed gave the orders, Sue gave quiet leadership to the team, continuously giving an example to them all. The fact that she was arguably the most powerful member of the team also contributed to that.

Jen Walters strode into the room. She wasn't "hulked out" as she usually called it. Tonight was a quiet night of baby-sitting- probably a day long ordeal for the team. Jen was actually looking forward to it.

"Anything else I need to know?" she asked Sue.

"Not really," Sue replied with a frown. "Valeria just got over an ear infection a few days ago, so it shouldn't bother her. Are you sure it's okay that you take the kids?"

"No problem!" Jen laughed. "It's going to be a couple weeks before my next case gets going really and I told the boss I needed a couple days off for my sanity. It's fine." Sue gave Jen a skeptical glare. "Really Sue! Stop worrying!" Sue smiled at the reassurance and turned back to Ben. Johnny was entering the Four's quarters right then. His shoulders were slumped and his hands were buried in his pockets. If Sue didn't know better she would have thought there were tears in her brother's eyes also.

"There ya are!" Ben exclaimed. "'Bout damn time." Ben grinned at his teammate. "How'd it go?"

Johnny gave Ben a weak smile. "Fine," he replied. "Not really in the mood to talk about it." Ben laughed and started shadowing Johnny.

"She dump ya?" he asked.

"Ben!" Sue exclaimed. "Leave him alone!"

"Awww, come on Suzie," Ben whined playfully. "What's wrong with some good natured ribbing?"

"Well," Johnny said, a malicious grin crossing his face, "when the ribs are that ugly..."

"Oh, you're getting it for that one!" Ben exclaimed, and took off after Johnny. Johnny laughed and sprinted into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Ben stopped, placed his hands on his hips and glared at the door.

"Suzie," he said without turning away from the door. "Remind me again why Reed made Johnny's door outta vibranium?" Sue and Jen both laughed.

"So you don't do what you're thinking about doing right now," she replied. "Let Johnny get dressed. We need to get going."

"Stretcho," Ben said, "remind me again why we're going to the coldest place on the planet?" He was already shivering and they had just crossed the southern coast of Chile. Johnny resisted the temptation to make a pun.

"Just doing the government's dirty work," Reed said adjusting several instruments on his control console. "They fear that a team they sent down here opened a singularity to another portion of the universe. The singularity possibly admitted entrance to a group of xenoforms onto the planet. We're here to investigate the machine that created the singularity and assess whether the life forms admitted are a threat."

"In English?"

Reed turned with a smile. "We're stopping a possible alien invasion." Ben glared at Reed.

"Why do you never say stuff like that the first time you're asked?" he growled.

"Hey," Johnny said, "too bad you can't regulate your own body temperature. I'm toasty right now."

"Can we throw him out?" the Thing asked, leaning forward.

Sue laughed. "We're almost there Ben. Just calm down."

"We are there," Reed said. The team's jet slowed considerably as they reached the site of the government dig. As the engines turned and switched to a hover, Johnny looked out the window. His face contorted with anger.

"Reed, open the hatch- now!" On reflex he opened the hatch as Johnny jumped to his feet and ran to the exit of the ship.

"Flame on!" he screamed and jumped out of the ship, his body igniting.

"What got into him?" Reed asked. Ben stood and followed Johnny's path to the hatch.

"I think he just saw why yer scientists disappeared," he said, pointing at a silvery object in the rapidly approaching ice. "Skrulls!" Ben jumped, following Johnny.

The Thing hit the snow pack and rolled. He then stood, brushed the snow off his arms and broke into a sprint, following the Human Torch. The Skrulls had raised their weapons and began firing upon the Torch. Johnny dodged the blasts, moving through the air quickly. He then drew back, building a hotter flame around him. As the Skrulls continued to fire, Johnny fired back, balls of flame hitting the ice around them and instantly boiling it.

"You missed 'em!" Ben yelled as his put his shoulder down and charged into the midst of the Skrulls. He knocked two of the troopers down, and grabbed another and threw him into the air. The small battalion quickly regrouped, half focusing on the Thing and the other on the Human Torch.

"I wasn't aiming for them Rock-brain!" Johnny yelled. "I was trying to create an ice slick!"

"Now you tell me!" The four Skrulls that turned to Ben began to shift in form, one becoming a large lizard, another rock beast, the third a werewolf-looking creature and the fourth a massive gorilla-lizard thing. They jumped at the Thing all at once.

"Urgh!" he bellowed. "Strength in numbers huh?" Ben smacked aside the lizard with his right arm and punched the rock monster in the face. "It's all the same to me!"

Johnny turned the heat up, throwing fireballs at the aliens, who responded in kind. He dodged left, right, up, down, each time throwing a fireball.

"Johnny! Ben!" Sue cried.

"We've got it Sue!" Johnny yelled back. "No worries."

"No!" Sue screamed. "Stop!" Force fields blinked into existence and separated the two heroes and the Skrulls. Sue stood at the edge of the field of combat, Reed directly behind her.

"Thank you sweetheart," Reed muttered.

"Any time," Sue said, continuing to maintain the field. Reed walked into the group.

"Which of you Skrulls is in charge?" Reed asked. One the first three Ben had attacked raised his hand. Mister Fantastic stretched his torso directly in front of the Skrull.

"You just arrived, didn't you?" he asked. "The ice around your ship is freshly frozen." The Skrull nodded. "Why are you here?" Reed's lower body walked up to his torso, and his body resumed its normal form.

"We came because we lost contact with one of ours," the Skrull said. "My name is Retall, by the way." The Skrull stuck out his hand in greeting. Reed looked at the hand and frowned. The alien was training in Earth culture. He was probably looking at an insertion and espionage team leader.

"I wish I could say it's a pleasure," Reed growled. "One of your agents was impersonating one of our scientists on this investigation?"

"Indeed," Retall replied.

"Why?" Reed growled. He placed his hands on his hips and drew himself a little taller to intimidate the alien slightly.

"We were just as interested in the findings of this dig are you humans are," Retall replied.

"Sue," Reed said, still looking Retall in the eye. "Let them go. It might be beneficial to work with the Skrulls on this one." The force fields winked out of existence just as easily as they came into being. "Our combined resources might be needed. I'll give you one condition though."

"Yes?"

"The moment our investigation is concluded you will take your team and depart from our planet. You'll leave Earth alone, or so help me I will forcibly remove you from our planet myself. Understood?"

The Skrull was taken aback. "My superiors won't be happy," he stuttered.

"Then tell your superiors that if they have a problem to address them to the Fantastic Four," Reed growled. "And if they come in force, we will respond in kind."

Ben and Johnny looked at each other. Ben leaned towards the Torch. "Wow, remind me not to make Stretcho really mad," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"No kidding," Johnny replied.

Reed sat down in what appeared to be what the dig team's operating center. He spun his chair to face a laptop that sat on the desk. He pressed the power button above the keyboard. The computer blinked into life. He tapped his communicator.

"Ben, Johnny, can you hear me?" The two groups had combined to form four groups of three, with the remaining Skrulls staying on the surface as sentries. Reed and Sue were grouped with Retall, while Ben and Johnny were accompanying a young female Skrull named Courni. The other two teams were obviously composed entirely of Skrulls.

"Just like they say," Ben's gravely voice replied. "Loud and clear."

"Good," Reed replied as the computer booted to the point he could began accessing its files. "The other two teams are looking for the dig team. I want you three to search for the gateway. I'm going to upload an image of it to your handheld. Inform me the moment you find something." Reed took a palm-sized device from his belt and tapped the screen with his finger. Although it resembled a PDA, it was actually a hand-held computer with the same capabilities as most laptops. He set the computer on the desk as a holographic keyboard blinked to life. The lasers that generated the image followed the motion of his fingers as he typed. He began typing several commands, finding the image file that General Jenkins had shown him the previous morning of the gateway. He opened the file and then inputted the command to upload it to Johnny and Ben's hand-helds through their wireless link. After a moment the small computer beeped, indicating that the file was sent.

"It's been transmitted," Reed said, tapping the comm. again.

"Got it," Johnny replied. "Thanks, we'll find it."

"Let me know," Reed said and closed the line. He turned to look at his wife, who was looking through paper files. "Find anything yet?"

"Just hard copies of the daily reports that they sent to the Pentagon," Sue declared. "Nothing really that we didn't already know." Reed nodded.

"Not surprising," he replied, turning his attention back to the laptop. "Retall?"

"Yes Mister Fantastic?" the alien replied. Reed rolled his eyes slightly.

"You find anything yet?" The alien sat at another computer terminal, extracting data also.

"Nothing," he replied. "Well, wait... this file looks like a personal journal of the second-in-command of the expedition." Reed turned and stretched his neck over to the monitor of that laptop, looking over Retall's shoulder.

"Hmmm... let me download that," Reed said, scanning through the file. "Sue, do you have a data storage device?"

"USB or floppy?" she asked.

"USB," Reed replied. "I think we might have our first breakthrough."

Shakat peered down the empty hallway. He was a veteran Skrull infiltrator. He'd been on his assignment on Earth for nearly a year now, and it would be ending soon. He looked forward to the upcoming day that he would be able to see his mate and offspring again. Although the Earth assignment was vital to the empire, he missed Katari deeply.

"I see nothing," he declared in Skrull, and lead his team down the hallway. He shivered. How the humans could tolerate spending time in an area of their planet such as this was beyond him.

"Shakat," Forno whispered from behind him. "My scanner is picking up a powerful energy form in front of us. And another just appeared. A third... Gods below! They've surrounded us!" Shakat turned to his fellow infiltrator.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "That quickly?"

"Yes!" Forno exclaimed. Shakat gritted his teeth and cocked his energy blaster, priming a round in the chamber.

"Trut," he whispered to the other member of their team. "Draw your weapon. We fight." Shakat reached down to his side and drew an illuminator. "Fire on my mark." He raised the light, leaving it off until the last moment. He counted, hearing the click of the creature's footsteps.

"Mark!" Shakat flipped the light on, illuminating the hallway. The three Skrulls didn't have a chance to see their adversaries before they attacked, killing Forno and Trut instantly. Shakat pulled the trigger of his blaster futilely. His head rolled across the walkway and the light blinked back off.

Ben shone his light into the chamber. He grinned and turned to his companions.

"Jackpot," he said. He walked into the chamber that housed the gateway, followed closely by Johnny and Courni.

"Incredible!" the young Skrull said. "It's almost beautiful!" She walked in front of her companions, reaching out to touch the gateway.

"Yeah," Johnny said. "Definitely." As Courni touched the structure, an arc of electricity lanced up her arm. She cried out and jumped back. Johnny rushed to her side, placing his hand behind her back and grabbing her arm.

"Whoa," he said, looking into her eyes. "Are you okay?" She looked back and smiled for a moment.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm fine. You know, in our stories about the Fantastic Four, the Human Torch is a ruthless warrior. I never pictured you caring about a Skrull girl to stupid to not touch shiny objects." She patted his hand that was holding her arm.
"Uhm," Johnny stammered. He didn't know what to say. "Sure, it's nothing." Suddenly the sound of blaster fire filled the air.

"Holy crap!" Ben yelled. "Something's happenin'!" The Thing started to run towards the source of the sound.

"Ben, wait!" Johnny said. He let go of Courni and ran over to his friend. "Why don't you call the other teams first?"

"That's a good idea," Ben said. "Must be something wrong if you're having one of those though." Johnny's expression changed to a glare.

"Uhm, guys," Courni said. They turned to her.

"Yeah?" they said in unison.

"Do you hear that?" The three fell silent. A clicking sound filled the air, reminding Ben of the sound of crabs walking on a hard surface. From the sound there was dozens of sets of legs all around them.

"Johnny..." Ben rumbled. "A light please?"

"Flame on!" Johnny exclaimed. As Johnny's fire lit, it illuminated the room and the source of the sound. Like Ben had guessed, dozens of pitch black alien insects surrounded them, watching them.
"Turn the light off Matchstick," Ben said. He reached down to his communicator and flipped it on. "Uhm Stretcho... we could use a little help down here..."

In Fantastic Four #2: What are these aliens? What are the Fantastic Four going to do about them