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Issue #15 April 2010	"The Challenge" Part 1 of 4 Written By David Golightly

PREVIOUSLY IN FANTASTIC FOUR:

The Fantastic Four have finally returned! Trapped inside Dr. Doom’s castle, the substitute heroes consisting of Scott Lang, Jennifer Walters, Frankie Rayes, and X-51 were about to make their last stand…when the roof was blown open and Marvel’s First Family mopped the floor with their archenemy! But they didn’t return without undergoing some changes, as their powers have somehow been altered and enhanced.

“I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay.”

Scott Lang, the heroic Ant-Man, followed after Dr. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. Back at home in the Baxter Building, the group had barely had time to recollect themselves before the media had started pounding on their doors. Reed briskly stalked down the corridors to his laboratory, either ignoring or avoiding Scott’s questions.

“Everything is fine,” Reed replied as he entered the access codes to his lab.

“Are you sure? I checked with Franklin and Valeria. They said you haven’t been in to see them since you came back yesterday. I just…I just thought you might need someone to talk to about what happened to you guys.”

“I appreciate you looking after the children while we were away,” Reed said. “I assure you that everything is normal. Please, I have important work to attend to. Good day.”

The door slid shut, cutting off Scott from both Reed and his lab. The spotless stainless steel door reflected his own image back at him, showing him just how confused he actually looked.

Something wasn’t right here. The Fantastic Four had been transported off the planet for an extended period, and since they had come back they hadn’t yet given an explanation as to their whereabouts. To make matters more extreme, they had obviously undergone some sort of trial while they were away. Scott likened it to post-traumatic stress but couldn’t say for sure since none of them would remain in a room with him long enough for a proper discussion.

Neither Reed or Sue had spent more than a handful of minutes with their own kids. Johnny had completely blown off Nova when she had tried to welcome him home, just as Reed had done to Scott. Alicia Masters, Ben Grimm’s longtime girlfriend, had been waiting for him at the Baxter Building, but the mutated Thing had barely spoken to her.

Whatever had happened to them, it had changed them mentally as well as physically. The Fantastic Four that Scott had known for years were gone, replaced by these cold and heartless people with an obscene amount of power.

There was no doubt as to their identities, however. Machine Man had made sure of that by comparing their DNA to samples stored in the Baxter Building. This was the real Fantastic Four…they just weren’t acting like it.

---- 4 ----

“Ladies and gentlemen of the press,” the Invisible Woman said, “I assure you that everything is normal.”

Dozens of camera flashes dazzled her eyes. From behind the podium, where she so often stood as the Fantastic Four’s press secretary, Susan looked over the people gathered in front of her. They were all eager to get answers, answers she wouldn’t be giving today.

While it wasn’t unusual for the team to leave the planet, it was unusual for them to disappear during an altercation with a supervillain.* No sooner had Granix been defeated than the Fantastic Four had vanished without a trace. They had returned just as strangely, but for now they weren’t revealing just what had happened to them.

* [Fantastic Four #9]

“Ms. Richards!” one of the closest reporters shouted. “Ms. Richards! Please, can you tell us anything about the reported incident in Latveria yesterday afternoon? We understand that Dr. Doom, who was rumored to be involved in your disappearance, was reportedly buried and left for dead in the ruins of his own castle. Can you comment?”

“The destruction of that castle was a direct result of Victor Von Doom’s aggression against the Four,” she replied smoothly.

“You mean the Fantastic Four? Or the four heroes that were temporarily taking your place in the Baxter Building while you were away?”

“We are only the Four now, and will be referred to as such. This conference is over. Please, vacate the area as quietly as possible.”

Several of the reporters traded looks with each other. None of them considered themselves best friends with the heroine, but they had worked with her often enough in the confines of the press room to know that she wasn’t acting like herself. There was almost a hint of arrogance in her voice that caught them off guard.

A flurry of questions were launched at her again, but she ignored them, instead turning away from the podium and leaving the stage behind.

---- 4 ----

The liquid fire form of Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, swept in through the air vent that fed into Reed’s lab. While his family had undergone similar changes to their physiology, it was the Human Torch that had gone through the most extreme physical change.

Whereas he could ignite his body before and control the licks of flame surrounding him, now he could transform himself into living flame. Like his namesake, he was now an actual human flame, akin to the fire elementals of yore.

He circled the top of the lab twice before settling down and landing a few feet from the other three adventurers. He doused his flame, converting his body into human form once more. He shot a sneer at Ben Grimm, the bulky Thing, and flashed orange fire in his eyes.

“I’ve got women waiting,” Johnny said to the waiting trio of heroes. “What do you want, Reed?”

“If you could manage to address your short attention span to the overhead screen,” Reed said, trailing off.

He flicked a button on his remote that was designed to operate most of the machinery in his lab. The large flatscreen monitor that hung overhead displayed a moving, stylized number four, but at Reed’s command the image was replaced with Dr. Doom’s armored face.

“If you are watching this, pseudo-Fantastic Four, then I can only assume that you managed to escape my castle,” Doom’s image said. “It is unlikely, but if you are anything like your predecessors, it is possible.”

“What the hell is he talkin’ about?” grumbled the Thing. “Pseudo-Fantstic Four?”

Reed paused the message. “I believe this message was intended for Scott Lang and the others,” Reed replied. “They were operating in our typical capacity while we were away. According to what they told me, before we arrived to kill Doom he spoke of a challenge. While uploading my files as directed I came across this message, which must have been sent automatically from Doom.”

“Oooo, scary,” Johnny said, mockingly. “The Ghost of Christmas Doom! What does he want?”

Reed motioned to the monitor and the video started to play again.

“If you wish to take up the mantle where my worthy foes left off, then you must be tested. Tested in a gauntlet unlike anything your predecessors could have hoped to survive. Only Doom had the strength to kill the Fantastic Four, and I hold you responsible for robbing me of my glory.”

“Even in death he’s an arrogant son of a bitch,” the Thing murmured.

“Of course, like any good challenge, a setting is required. You will go to Monster Island and await further instructions. Richards undoubtedly kept charts of the island in his files, as that was where they first encountered the Mole Man. Leave at once or there will be consequences. As a contingency of my defeat I have placed a timer on a device that you will find most interesting in regards to your motivation for obeying me. Failure to heed my directives will result in the solidification of the Earth’s core, which in turn would stop the rotation of the planet and lead to the death of all life as we know it.”

“This is ridiculous,” Johnny whispered. “I got three chicks waiting on me. I don’t have time for this.”

“Richards and his company never learned their place in the world,” Doom continued. “I trust you will not make the same mistake. Obey me and you will have a chance at saving not only yourselves, but everyone on Earth.”

The video stopped, returning the screen to the floating stylized number four. Reed set his remote down and crossed his arms over his chest. “I understand that this would be against would main directive,” he said, “but I think we should go to Monster Island.”

“Why waste our time,” Johnny said.

“I agree,” Sue added. “The message wasn’t even for us.”

“No, but Monster Island has vast resources we could use,” Reed responded. “Natural resources. If the device that Doom spoke of is real then tapping the geothermic energies of the planet would move up our time table considerably.”

Ben Grimm shifted his stance. Since enlarging to nearly double his original size it was difficult for him to stand still very long. “Move it up how much?” the Thing asked.

“The original timeline we were given was to exceed two years. If we go to Monster Island and take control of this doomsday weapon, I estimate we can be completed within two weeks.”

“We can build the city that quickly?” Sue inquired. “I assumed that converting the Baxter Building was the most logical starting point.”

“It still may be, but we won’t know unless we go to Monster Island.”

---- 4 ----

“What do you mean they just took off?” She-Hulk exclaimed.

“I went to talk to Johnny about…” Nova sputtered off, trying to decide on whether or not she should confide in her fellow heroes. “Well, he…he proposed to me just before we fought Granix and they disappeared.* It was kind of left unresolved, but when I went to ask him about it, he brushed me off again and they left in Reed’s new Fantasticar.”

* [At the end of Fantastic Four #8]

“God, how many of those things do they have?” She-Hulk remarked.

Machine Man, Ant-Man, and She-Hulk were clustered around Nova in one of several recreation rooms in the Baxter Building. The two youngest members of the Richards family, Franklin and Valeria, were playing their Playstation 5 that Reed had designed for them last year. Alicia Masters sat with them, making remarks about the video game industry in general in order to keep the kids detained.

Scott shot a look at the kids before turning back to face Nova and the rest. “And they just left without a word…” he said. “Something’s wrong here. Something is very, very wrong.”

“Well, we’re going after them, right?” She-Hulk stated. “I mean, there’s no question as to that, right?”

---- 4 ----

The blazing jets of the Fantasticar finally died off as the aircraft settled down onto the clearing that the Thing had chosen to land in. The mostly tropical fauna had overtaken the entire island, making it difficult to find a place to land, however Ben Grimm’s expert piloting skills had proven themselves once again.

The Human Torch blazed into liquid fire and took to the air as soon as the hatch opened. He spun around, surveying the terrain. “I kind of assumed that a place like Monster Island would have…you know, monsters crawling all over it,” he said.

“The wildlife here is far more dangerous than you think,” Reed replied as he began to scan the area with a handheld device he had taken from the cockpit. “The unique properties of this island generate some of the most bizarre creatures the world has ever seen, making it possible for someone like Doom to sweep in and take over easily.”

“Where is the rust bucket?” the Thing demanded. He lumbering over to the closest tree and uprooted it. His immense rocky bulk granted him the strength needed to simply dislodge the entire tree like it was a mere weed. “I’m pretty sure we killed him back at his castle in Latveria, but you never know with that guy, right? I mean, I sure as hell hope he’s dead, but that guy has more lives than a bag of cats.”

“There was no way he could have survived the entire structure falling on top of him like that,” Sue commented. “He’s not here. He’s dead. Finally.”

“How many times have we said that?” Johnny countered. “He planned this island deathtrap in the first place. He’s probably waiting right around the corner.”

“Actually,” Reed responded as he lowered his scanner to face the ground beneath them, “it’s possible someone is und—”

An uproarious rumble shook nearly the entire island. The Fantasticar slid over on its side from the force of the shockwave and before Reed, Sue, or Ben could move to safety the earth shifted beneath them.

The three changed heroes dropped into a pit that encircled them by a hundred feet in circumference. Reed and Ben were caught by an invisible platform created by the Invisible Woman, saving them from the twenty foot drop straight down. Johnny swung by overheard, a smile on his face.

“What the hell are you laughing at, boy?” the Thing demanded as he ground his teeth. Sue set him and Reed down and then landed beside them in the pit.

“You’re so fat now that even the ground can’t support you,” the Human Torch shot back with a laugh.

“This pit was caved in on purpose,” Reed said. “It’s a trap.”

“Well, duh!” Johnny exclaimed. “We came here expecting one, remember? God, and you’re supposed to be the smart one.”

A piercing screech stabbed their ears before Reed could respond to the insult. They looked skyward to see a silhouette sweep in front of the sun, blotting out its light partially. The silhouette grew larger and larger as it descended toward them, its massive wingspan now visible.

“That one of the monsters, Stretch?” the Thing asked as he cracked his knuckles.

Reed held his scanner toward the creature. “No…no that’s something we’re come across before.”

The creature shrieked again and a gout of flame reigned down upon the heroes. Sue erected a shield encapsulating them, displacing the pillar of fire into smoke and heat. The attack continued, relentless in its attempt to melt them into heaps of dead flesh.

The Human Torch whisked between the rest of the Fantastic Four and the creature, spreading his arms wide open. He positioned himself so that the pillar of fire slammed against his chest, but instead of twisting in pain he only smiled. “Ah, that hits the spot!” he said as he began to absorb the fire. “You’re right, brainiac. This feels familiar.”

The creature, seeing its flame fizzling out uselessly, closed its mouth and swung away, moving out of the sun’s circle of light. Its purple skin shone magnificently against the afternoon sunlight now, revealing its full body to the heroes.

“Ha!” the Thing exclaimed as he pointed at the creature. “Dragon Man? Seriously? Dragon Man was Doom’s secret death trap? C’mon! You’ve got to be kidding me! That automated lizard can’t even take down Matchstick by himself, let alone the rest of us!”

“Which is why Doom thought it prudent to collect all of us,” someone said from behind them.

The Four shifted to see the squat form of Mole Man standing on the lip of the pit, glaring down at them with contempt from behind his dark glasses. His staff was clutched tightly in his hand and a wide beast with long jagged claws stood beside him. It was the same creature that no doubt had dug out the pit at his command.

But the sight of Mole Man and his minion was not the only sight to behold. While Dragon Man circled them overhead, three more shrouds joined its flight. The armored Wizard hovered nearby, propelled by his anti-gravity discs. The maniacal laughter of Annihilus was heard just as his green, hardened wings carried him toward them. A shimmering fireball burst into view, quickly turning into a rock solid alien that was suspended by an invisible force field, that could only be the Super-Skrull.

Flanking them at the edge of the pit to their left five more figures stepped into sight. The masked Diablo, who hefted several of his deadly trinkets that could possibly disable any one of them. A pillar of water that transformed into the torso of Hydro-Man. The tall amazon known as Titannia, who flexed her muscles with anticipation. An insane looking man that had one hand replaced with a sonic emitter, that could only be Klaw. Slashing tendrils of adamantium were pulled back into the wrists of the Constrictor, who rounded out their small but deadly group.

“This is going to be fantastic,” Trapster said as he stood up to the edge of the pit opposite the other five villains. “I’ve been waiting a long time to get you guys back.”

Trapster was joined by another five villains, all of which looked ready for action. The Mad Thinker was perched atop the shoulder of his Awesome Android. Attuma, master of the sea, had returned from his recent conquests and now hefted an Atlantean battleaxe over the Four.* The Puppet Master looked gleefully down at them as his hands molded one of his famous clay statues. The Red Ghost, joined by three of his Super Apes, couldn’t help but grimace down at them. Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man, swung his iron ball and chain around in a circle, eager to smash it against something.

* [Check out the latest issues of the AVENGERS to see where Attuma has been!]

Sixteen. Sixteen, not counting the avatars such as the Super-Apes and the Awesome Android, of the Fantastic Four’s deadliest foes had been gathered together in order to defeat the heroes that had temporarily replaced them. It was a virtual army of supervillains, and how Doom had been able to get them to work together was anyone’s guess.

“Susie Q,” Ben said. “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore. But you know somethin’? I think I’m going to like it here.”

“Your death is all but assured!” the Mole Man hollered. “You can’t hope to stop us all! Not when we have you surrounded.”

“Watch us,” the Human Torch said.

“Beware of your actions, boy,” the Puppet Master replied. “You’re on a time limit. Waste too much time playing with us and Doom’s machine will stop the Earth’s core cold. We wouldn’t want that, now would we?”

“So what will it be?” the Wizard added. “Race to the world’s salvation? The only path lies through us. All of us.”

---- 4 ----

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