Fantastic Four, The World's Greatest Online Fan-Fiction Comic Magazine #3

Fantastic Four #3
"Child's Play, Part Three!"
By Paul E. Schultz

Detective Turner blanched at the "taste" of the brown water that had just assaulted his tongue, forcing himself to swallow the acrid instant swill he had purchased from the hospital's vending machine.

"Good, God!" he choked, dropping the wax-lined cup into the nearby waste basket.

"That bad?" asked the man standing beside him in the little, empty waiting room.

"That bad," declared Turner.

"So, what now?" asked the man.

"I'm gonna find me a decent cup of coffee, go about my day, go home, make love to my life, retire in twelve years, watch my kids go off to college, have a second honeymoon, probably in Hawaii this time, die happy, all the while hopefully never remembering that foul excuse for coffee."

The man looked at him blankly, then: "I mean about my wife."

"Oh, sorry, Mr. Taylor," said Turner, half laughing in spite of himself. "It all depends on if the docs can wake her up. Hopefully she can shed a little light on exactly what happened twenty years ago."

The two men stepped from the area as a gaggle of nurses rushed past them, huddling hurriedly into a room at the end of the hallway. From where they stood, they heard urgent commands and the pinging sounds of various machines emanating chaotically from the room.

"What's going on?" Turner asked the nurse at the counter across the hallway from him as the two men crossed the carpeted floor.

The nurse, a heavyset woman with a mole on her forehead Frank Taylor found it impossible not to stare at, eyed the detective with contempt for a heartbeat, before spotting the badge hanging from his jacket. "A John Doe," she said, looking down the hallway towards the commotion as well. "Coma victim. Seems to be coming out of it."

"Coma?" said Taylor.

"Seems to be the day for it," said Turner.

"You'd think that," replied the nurse in a knowing tone. "But this guy's been here since I started working here. Something like forty years. I guess he was a kid when they brought him in."


"Alliance, assemble!" called Captain America, leaping forward, his red and white-striped shield gleaming in the dusk sunlight. Powerful leg muscles as steel-hard as the star-spangled Avenger's determination propelled him across the gulf of air outside the shattered window. His target, the hovering figure of Doom had only to wave his metallic hand to stop Captain America's trajectory. The Super Soldier struggled, confused, as he hung in midair like some puppet on invisible strings.

"Honestly, Captain?" scoffed Doom, letting slip a slight bit of delight in watching the Alliance's leader dangling in paralyzed confusion several stories above a panic-ridden street. "There is no need for such theatrics. Since first leaving the aisle of Latveria, I have been forced to listen to the constant bravado of you...so-called super heroes. But, enough!"

"Island of Latveria?" Reed Richards wondered aloud.

"Yer one ta talk, Doom!" shouted Ben Grimm, his rocky muscles lifting the drawing room's couch as if it were little more than a shoe box. Like a battering ram, Grimm charged headlong towards Doom. "I got a catch praise, too. Maybe ya heard it once or twice?"

Grimm sent the couch sailing with the swoop of his heavy arms. The projectile cleared the broken window, but froze in midair as well.

"Ah, yes," retorted Victor Von Doom. "'It's clobbering time,' is it not? A bit juvenile, don't you think? But then you don't think much, do you? You leave that to Reed Richards. After all, he's the brains of your little quartet, is he not? Always doing those experiments and telling you what to do, promising he'll cure your...rocky situation. How is that working out for you?"

Before the wide, disbelieving eyes of the others around him, Ben Grimm's monstrous appearance seemed to melt away.

"Reed?" called Susan. "What's happening?"

"I don't know for certain, darling," replied the man known the world over as Mister Fantastic. "But I have a theory."

By this time, where once stood The Thing now stood the figure of Ben Grimm. Ben looked down at his hands, blue eyes wide in shock. "What the...?"

"A theory, Reed Richards?" Doom scoffed. "You don't have a clue!"

"His mind!" gasped Professor Xavier, hands pressed tightly to his bald head, teeth gnashing in pain. "I can't...read...his...mind! Impossible!"

"Impossible," Doom laughed, "if this were a fair fight!"

"He's got a hold of me, too, Cap!" called Tony Stark through an immovable suit of gold and crimson armor, servo motors whining frantically in protest as he struggled.

"Reed, he's not making any sense!"

"I'm afraid he is, Susan," announced Reed. "I just can't figure out--"

"And you won't," Doom cut in. Turning to look at Captain America, he added, "Let's try a little experiment of our own, shall we, Captain? Let us see if the law of gravity applies in this world as well."

Suddenly, Captain America felt the sinking feeling of his invisible strings suddenly severed. He began to plummet to the street below. At the exact same moment, Doom released his "hold" on the couch as well.

"Flame on!" shouted Johnny Storm, diving after. Clearing the window, he was a ball of fire, rocketing downward. "I got him!"

A heartbeat later, Johnny's flames were dashed away is if extinguished on a gust of silent wind.

"No!" cried Johnny, gravity taking full hold on him. "Flame on! Flame on! Flame...!"

Susan screamed, leaping for the window, riding a disk of pure psionic energy generated from her cosmically altered mind. A cry of panic ripped from her lungs as she felt the pull of invisible strings holding her aloft. "Johnny! Johnny!" she cried, immobile.

With no regard for Johnny or Captain America, Doom drifted in to land softly within the drawing room.

"Reed?" asked Ben, confused, still in shock from his transformation. "What do we do?"

"All right, Nuadu!" shouted Reed. "Enough is enough!"

Doom's eyes flashed hatred and confusion behind his garish iron mask.

"That's right!" said Reed. "I've figured out your little game, boy! Play time is over!"

For a moment, no one spoke, the whole nightmare seemingly freezing in time, each hero struggling to comprehend what was happening.

Suddenly, Doom laughed, turning to Ben, saying, "Do? What can you do, you ask? The only logical thing you can do, of course! You die!"

Like an iron statue, Doom stood still as the room about him scattered to atoms in a burst of white-hot brilliance.


"What seems to be going on?"

Detective Turner heard the soft voice behind him. Peering over his shoulder, he looked at the bald man standing just to his left. His experienced eyes took the man in with the curt glance. Tall, a little overweight, the guy clearly liked to spend money on his suits.

"You know that guy?" asked Turner, thumbing towards the room at the end of the hallway. The "John Doe" inside seemed to be crying, the doctors and nurses working to calm him.

"I believe so," said the bald man calmly.

"Who is he?" asked Turner.

The bald man watched Turner for a moment, and said, "My son."

Turner chuckled slightly, "I think you got the wrong hospital, buddy. The guy in there is about your age. At least forty, I'm told."

The bald man looked away from Turner, watching the room a moment, then: "I'm afraid he is older than that, Detective Turner. Much older."

"How'd you know my--?"

"Hey, Detective?" asked Frank Taylor, snapping Turner's attention away from the bald man.

"Yeah?"

"Who are you talking to?"


Susan was the first of them to stir. Through a fog-filled mind, she took in the sight around her. With all the strength she could muster, she pulled herself to a sitting position upon her lower legs, glancing around her. The others, Reed, Ben and Johnny were stirring now as well. The four of them lay on the roof of the Baxter Building, warm sunlight bathing them.

"Oh, my achin' brain!" groaned Ben.

"Ben!" said Johnny, pointing. "You're your ugly self again!"

"Don't remind me," muttered Ben, looking down at his hands, wiggling the thick, stoney digits he had to call fingers once again.

"Johnny!" cried Susan, leaping for her little brother, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "You're alive!"

"I'm not gonna lie, sis!" laughed Johnny. "I was pretty sure that was it back there. No matter how I tried, I couldn't change!"

"Speakin' of 'back there'," said Ben, lumbering to his feet. "Where in blazes was 'back there'? And where are the others? Where--"

"I believe I can answer your questions," interrupted Reed, putting up an elongated finger. "At least part of them. But, let's get below. There's something you all should see first."

The four of them headed for the elevator.

"I swear if this thing sticks again," grumbled Ben, "I'm gonna stick to stairs the rest of my life."

A short ride later and they were in one of Reed's computer labs, which lit up automatically upon their entry.

"At leas the power works," said Susan.

"So, what gives, brother-in-law?" asked Johnny, his sister finally releasing him.

"I could explain," said Reed, his fingers flailing quickly across one of the many keyboards, "but for now, watch this."

A massive screen lit up, catching their attention...



"What...the...hell was that?" uttered Ben, rocky jaw slack in shock and disbelief.

HOLY CRAP!!!! That was awesome! I think I know what happened but I don't want to say because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else. Damn, Paul, this is an AMAZING story! Best FF story I have EVER read, hands down!

You probably have, Craig, and thanks. I should have issue four up in a few days. Just gotta smooth out Reed's long-winded explanation scene. Although issue four will be the finale, my the series isn't over. It's just gonna take third place in my writing line-up.

That was pretty amazing. I haven't figured it out yet, but you sure construct a solid plot. I'm stoked for the next one.

Paul all i am going to say is this rocks and the ending had me going....."I cant believe he did that"

"This video does not exist." ....FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

YouTube, she is a fickle mistress. Lemme see what I can do.