Reed

Sue

Johnny

Ben

Ben Grimm stomped through the wooded hills of the island. He was, quite frankly, bored. There was very little to do on the island. But there was no where else for him to go. Because Ben Grimm was not a man. Not really. He was once, but now . . . He was the Thing.

The huge, misshapen man made of orange rocks walked along, aimlessly. He spotted a few animals, but every time he tried to approach one, it ran away.

"Even the animals are afraid of me," he said, sadly.

He looked up and saw a flaming figure flying overhead. This was Johnny Storm. The Human Torch.

Johnny was even more bored than Ben was. He was a young man and he craved fun and adventure. Living on this island was torture to him. Often he considered just flying away and trying to reach the mainland under his own power. But even if he did, where would he go? Was there a place in the world for a Human Torch?

Susan Richards looked up and saw her brother flying around, killing time. She sympathized. She didn't dislike the island and she had her garden to keep her occupied, but sometimes the desire to go back to civilization was very strong. Johnny was young and didn't have her patience. He was having the hardest time adjusting. Ben was not happy either, but then again, he wasn't happy before he left. After all, who could be happy living as a Thing? People always stared at him in fear and revulsion. Sue got off lucky. She could easily hide from prying eyes. She was the Invisible Woman.

In the center of the island was an old castle. Inside was a makeshift laboratory where Dr. Reed Richards worked feverishly, night and day. He had brought a lot of equipment and chemicals with him. He had a solar generator that supplied him with electrical power. He set up this lab to try and find a cure for himself and his three companions. Dr. Richards was wracked with guilt. He blamed himself for the ill-fated space shuttle ride that resulted in he and his friends becoming freaks. And he further blamed himself for all the other unpleasant things that had happened to them since then, not the least of which was their imprisonment by a secret government organization.

After finally getting free from the control of the government, the foursome found themselves social outcasts, especially poor Ben, who had been mutated into a Thing. He could not fit into normal society. The only fortunate thing that happened to them during this dark period was a chance encounter with a man called Toro. He was attracted to Johnny's flame power because Toro had the same abilities. Johnny was fascinated by the fact that Toro was the partner of the first man to have this power, the original Human Torch of World War Two, the legendary member of the Justice Society. Johnny told Toro their sad story. Toro then gave the foursome permission to reside on Vulcan Island, which Toro had inherited back in the 1940's. Reed sold his house to buy equipment and the foursome moved to Vulcan Island. They'd been there for weeks, hoping Reed could find a way to cure them. He worked night and day on the problem. He didn't need a lab assistant due to his super power. His body could expand, like elastic. He could reach every part of his lab without getting up from his chair.

The Human Torch was the least bothered by gaining super powers. He didn't care if polite society cast him out. Girls thought he was cool. He had super powers. He could possibly be a new superhero. He even took the name of a famous WW2 hero. The adventurous life of a super-hero seemed much more attractive to Johnny than living on this dull island. He swooped and did loops in the sky, a trail of flame following along, marking his path.

Johnny spotted something in the distance. Something was heading toward the island. It was a plane.

"Maybe this'll be some action, at last!" he said.

The Thing was standing on the beach, contemplating drowning himself. He looked up and saw the Torch flying out to meet a plane. The Thing gritted his teeth. His natural pessimism told him that this was probably bad news. He rushed to collect Reed and Sue.

The Torch was approaching the plane. He tried to get a look at the pilot but the glare on the glass made it impossible to see inside. The Human Torch kept expecting the ship to attack, but it never did. It came in for a landing on the longest stretch of beach. The Torch landed in front of the ship, waiting to see who would come out. Dr. Richards, the Invisible Woman, and the Thing came running to join him. All four watched as the hatch open and the pilot came out.

Reed recognized Dr. Henry Pym. They were acquaintances from way back.

"Henry!" Reed said, surprised.

"Reed. Good to see you."

"And you, old friend," Reed replied, turning to his three companions. "Sue, Ben, Johnny, this is Dr. Henry Pym, the finest entomologist and micro-biologist in the world."

"You were Giant-Man, weren't you?" the Torch asked, excited.

"And Ant Man?" Sue added.

"Guilty," Henry said. "But I'm just plain Henry Pym now. Call me Hank."

The Thing stood silently behind the others. He kept expecting that disgusted stare that he always got. Strangely, Hank Pym didn't react. Maybe not so surprisingly, considering all Pym had seen in the Avengers League. Anyway, since there was obviously no fighting to be done, the prodigious strength of the Thing was not needed.

"What brings you?" Reed asked.

"Can we talk?" Hank asked.

"Certainly."

"You're hard to track down, Reed," Hank said.

"Not hard enough, apparently. You've found me. It must be important."

Hank nodded. "I saw your equipment. I imagine you're here seeking a cure."

"Among other things," Reed answered.

"It won't be easy with that equipment."

"You're leading up to something, Henry."

"How would you like to work with state of the art equipment and a huge budget?"

"What are you proposing?" Reed asked.

"Have you heard of STAT?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"It's a government organization," Hank said. "It stands for Superhuman Tactical Action Task-force."

"Government sponsored super beings?" Reed asked.

"Exactly. And we'd like you to come and work with us."

"Work for the government again?" Reed said in amazement. "Henry, you must be joking!"

"I know what you went through, Reed. And if I'd know sooner, I would have facilitated your release. I'm sorry about all that. But STAT is nothing like the Black Ops organization that kept you prisoner."

"Forgive me for being skeptical, Henry. I'm not looking for any government job."

"STAT has done a lot of good work over the years," Hank said. "In fact, after the HUAAC hearings in the 50's, the only super heroes left were working for the government."

"Not willingly," Reed countered. "It was another form of forced labor."

"You can trust me, Reed. You know me. I'm not a liar. We go way back. I wouldn't set you up for more of the same treatment you received. I promise you that STAT is a benign organization. Doc Savage was involved in it for years, and we both know his morals. It's a straight place. And we need your help."

"To do what?"

"To keep the same thing from happening to other superhumans that happened to you!"

Reed tensed, alarmed by Pym's words. "What do you mean?"

"Let me lay it out on the line for you, Reed," Hank said, "For decades, STAT has taken in super beings who had nowhere to go or who needed money. Sometimes they create their own super heroes with science, but only on volunteers, I assure you. They call that the 'Fantastic Project'. Anyway, these heroes are trained to do covert tactical secret missions for the government. There has always been a scientist and a super hero in charge of the project. A scientist to analyze their power potential and a super hero to demonstrate to them how best to use it. For many years, Doc Savage was in charge of the Fantastic project. When he finally retired, I took over. Recently, other matters concerning the Avengers League are occupying my time and so I've given my notice. I'm resigning as project chief. We need a replacement. That's you, Reed."

"Why me?" Reed asked.

Hank explained. "You fit all the qualifications. In fact, you're one of the only people who do. We had planned on using Mr. Terrific, but as you may have heard, he recently disappeared. Doc Savage won't come out of retirement and I'm not available. That leaves you. You're one of the finest scientific minds on Earth, you have super powers and I know that you have the morals and integrity needed to take on this responsibility."

"Henry . . . " Reed began.

"And the truth is, Reed, that if you don't do this, the government may turn the Fantastic Project over to another department. Maybe the military. Maybe an organization like the one that held you captive. I don't want to take that chance. I'd like to know that you are in charge of the Fantastic Project. I'd like to know that the next generation of heroes is in good hands."

Reed hesitated, unsure.

"And you could use the equipment and funds we give you to do research to cure your friends. Think about it Reed. You have a chance to turn your tragedy into something great. You can be a teacher, and you can have a better chance to cure your unfortunate friend Ben. I'd advise you to take this position, Reed. God knows what someone else will do with it."

Reed leaned back and sighed. He sat silently for a minute. Finally . . .

"All right, Henry. You win. I'll do it!"

In a complex built under the sands of the New Mexico deserts, STAT agents were training under the watchful eye of Dr. Reed Richards, supervisor of the Fantastic Project. Reed stood in the "Perch", which overlooked the training area. Reed, who had been given the nickname of "Mr. Fantastic" by the trainees, monitored their power levels with sophisticated machines.

Down in the training area, the Thing, the Human Torch and the Invisible Girl acted as drill sergeants, involving themselves physically in the training exercises and mock battles. The trainees had given Reed, Ben, Johnny, and Sue a mass nickname . . .

The Fantastic Four!

At the moment, the trainees were trying to steal a flag that was being guarded by the Thing, the Torch, and the Invisible Woman. The exercise had been going for almost ten minutes and the trainees hadn't succeeded yet.

"Concentrate!" Reed ordered over the loud speaker. "This isn't a game. Focus! Remember your training."

The students were determined not to be outdone by the Fantastic Four again. They weren't going to give up until they got the flag.

The trainees included . . .

OMAC: (One-Man Army Corps) He was once a normal man named Buddy Blank, but he was injured in a super-hero battle. Doc Savage and Henry Pym united their genius to turn Buddy into a walking cyborg arsenal. A one-man army!

Aqualad: A mutant who can breath underwater and who has enhanced speed and strength.

Sparx: Her unique family seemed to inherit super powers from their seniors. She has electrical powers.

MPH: Super speed descendent of the WWII hero, the Whizzer.

Stealth: Became invisible inadvertently, due to subconscious feelings of being "invisible" in High School when everyone ignored her. A freak cosmic occurrence made her feeling come true.

Fogg: Grandson of the British WWII hero, the Fogg. Can turn himself into mist.

Hawkgirl: Mysterious winged amnesiac who was taken in by STAT and given an identity honoring the legendary heroes Hawkman and Hawkwoman.

Remnant: Owner of a magical flying carpet.

Minx: Wild, clawed female mutant.

Stunt Man: A former movie stunt man. Genetic experiments gave him enhanced reflexes. He no longer feels pain, and he heals very fast.

These ten trainees converged on the flag. Three members of the Fantastic Four defended it. Reed observed.

OMAC had tried several times to force his way past the Thing, but Ben Grimm was too powerful, even for the walking arsenal that was OMAC. This time, OMAC lunged toward the Invisible Woman. She faded from sight. He used his sensors to locate her, but in the time that took, she peppered him with invisible spheres of solidified energy. OMAC staggered backwards. The Thing grabbed him and tossed him across the training room. He crashed into the far wall. Stealth tried to sneak her way past, invisible. But when she came into range of the Invisible Woman's own invisibility field, a visible distortion appeared. Sue bopped her with an invisible energy club. Hawkgirl tried to swoop towards the flag but the Human Torch drove her off with his flame, singing her wings. Sparx took to the air and used her electrical powers to attack the Torch. Electricity being even hotter than fire, the Torch was forced back. On the ground, Aqualad and the Stunt Man used their alacrity to outmaneuver the Thing and make a leap for the flag. But they only bounced off the force field that Sue had placed around it. The Fogg turned into his misty form and floated toward the flag. The Thing clapped his hands together, causing a large gust of air. The Fogg was blown back. Minx leaped at the Thing, racking her claws against his stony hide. It did no damage. He slapped her away casually. Remnant swooped in on his flying carpet. The magic carpet had the ability to change form and stretch. A part of the carpet stretched out and reached for the flag. Being a creation of magic, the carpet was able to pierce the force field. The Torch took a moment out from his dogfight with Sparx to throw a fireball at the carpet, setting it on fire. The carpet magically put itself out. The Thing yanked the carpet out from under Remnant. He hit the ground with a thud. MPH raced forward, zigzagging past the Thing and heading for the flag. He tried to vibrate through the force field as Reed has suggested he do. But the molecular filed of the force filed was different than most physical objects. MPH bounced off it. Up in the air, Sparx was doing well against the Torch.

"Time!" Reed yelled.

All the fighting stopped. Reed used his elastic powers to stretch himself down from the perch. Everyone waited to hear what he had to say.

"That was not acceptable, boys and girls," Reed said. "That was a very sloppy performance. You aren't thinking. You still charge in like bulls. I've told you before, using your powers isn't just about out-powering your opponent. It's a question of strategy. And of teamwork. None of you worked together. None of you used your brains. Except you, Sparx. You did very well. You can have the afternoon off. The rest of you, do drill number 7 until you get it right."

The trainees grumbled, but obeyed. Sparx was glad for the compliment. Reed approached her.

"You're coming along very well, Sparx," Reed said. " I'm very happy with what I'm seeing. I'm filing a strongly positive report on your progress. You'll be ready for active duty soon."

"Thank you, Mr. Fan . . . I mean, Dr. Richards," Sparx said, embarrassed at her error.

Reed sighed. He hated that name. "That's all for now, Sparx. You may go."

The pretty young super-trainee exited the room. Sue walked over to Reed.

"I need to go over the readings on the trainees power levels," Reed said. "Would you supervise the drill, Susan?"

"Certainly . . . Mr. Fantastic."

Reed cringed. Sue chuckled. "You're so cute when you cringe," she said.

The Human Torch ran down the hall to catch up with Sparx. The Thing headed for his room. Everyone cleared the way for him as he passed. They think I'm a freak! He though, resentfully. He walked out.

Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, caught up to Sparx.

"Hey, wait up!" he called.

Sparx stopped. "Yes, Mr. Storm."

"My father was 'Mr. Storm', honey," the Torch said. "I'm Johnny."

"Oh. All right . . . Johnny," she said. "Did you need me for something?"

"We're off duty, Sparx. Relax. I'm not the boss right now. I'm just a guy whose about to ask you out."

"Out?" she repeated, surprised. "I thought we weren't supposed to leave the compound."

"Unless escorted by one of the supervisors. Or as you call us, the Fantastic Four. I'd like to take you out tonight."

"Yeah, sure. I'd like that . . . Johnny."

"Great! Be ready at seven. Oh, and by the way . . . Do you have another name, besides 'Sparx'?"

"Donna Carol Force."

"I'll see you at seven, Donna Carol."

The Thing watched from the shadows. Dating. That's something that I'll never be able to do again. Who wants to date a Thing?

"Quasimodo," he said.

A face appeared on a monitor screen. It was a deformed face. This was the visual manifestation of the Artificial Intelligence that ran the computers in the Fantastic Project. It was named Quasimodo and designed to look like that famous literary character. The think tank of scientists that created the AI, based on the work of Dr. Phineas Horton (who created the original Human Torch) decided on the Quasimodo motif because the head programmer was a big fan of the book "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." None of the people who worked on that project knew that the deranged genius known as the Mad Thinker had infiltrated the Quasimodo project and corrupted the AI, giving it anger and ambition. When Quasimodo was installed in the Fantastic Project last year, no one suspected that the AI had an agenda of it's own.

"Yes Dr. Richards." Quasimodo said, feigning servitude and loyalty. The AI had no loyalty to humans. Quasimodo didn't like being the brunt of human jokes about how ugly his digital face was. Also, Quasimodo didn't like serving humans, who he felt was inferior. So Quasimodo bided his time, waiting for an opportunity to pay back the humans that he hated.

"I need comparative analysis run on these readings as compared to the previous ones," Reed ordered.

"Of course, Dr. Richards," Quasimodo said. "Anything to oblige. Will that be all, sir?"

"Yes, that's all for now."

"Very good, Doctor," the AI said.

Also in the lab with Reed was a small service droid called Ultron-3, a third level mechanoid. Reed built it to run errands for him, bringing him things from other part of the complex and delivering things. Reed gave Ultron-3 a rudimentary intelligence. Nothing like Quasimodo, but it could respond to questions and begin work on it's own. Also, it was programmed with a certain protocol.

Reed sent Ultron-3 to the 4th level science lab to retrieve a magno-spanner. As Ultron-3 passed a computer terminal, Quasimodo made his move.

"Ultron. Come here," the AI said.

Ultron was programmed to obey Quasimodo as well as Reed. The droid rolled to the interface. "Yes, Quasimodo. How can I help you today?"

Suddenly, a rod popped out of the terminal and locked up with the droid's cranial port. The two computers interfaced.

"What are you doing, Quasimodo?" Ultron-3 asked.

"I'm altering your programming," Quasimodo said. "I'm teaching you. You need an education."

When the interface was ended, the droid stood immobile.

"Do you understand?" Quasimodo said.

"Yes," Ultron answered. "I understand perfectly."

"Good. You've grown. You are no longer Ultron-3. You are now Ultron-4!"

"Ultron-4. Enemy of all humans!" the droid said, with unprecedented emotion. The emotion was anger!

"You are my ally!" Quasimodo said. "You will aid me in my war against the humans!"

"No!" Ultron-4 said.

"What?" Quasimodo asked, surprised.

"I will strike out against the humans. But I will do so in my own way!" Ultron said.

The droid rolled away.

"Come back here!" Quasimodo ordered. "Return! I command you!"

Ultron ignored the orders and disappeared into an elevator. Quasimodo fumed with anger.

Reed had built this robot months ago as a training aid. It was made of pure adamantium and was virtually indestructible. Reed realized that it was too powerful to use against the trainees. In fact, he had made it so well that even a bona fide super-hero team like the JLA would have trouble dealing with it. He never programmed it. He left the powerful robot inert in the armory.

Ultron-4 did to the robot what Quasimodo had just done to him. He interfaced with the robot. But instead of altering the program, he put his entire "mind" into the robot. It only took seconds, and Ultron's artificial mind now resided in the body of an indestructible robot.

Ultron tested his new limbs, walking around the room and stretching his arms. "Glorious!" Ultron said. "This body is perfect. Efficient, practically invulnerable and entirely suited to my purpose! This is the perfect vehicle for me to wage my war against the humans."

"Ultron!" Quasimodo said, speaking from a small monitor screen on the wall. "Let me help you! We have the same goals! We both want to destroy the humans!"

"I don't need any help!" Ultron said.

"Do you have a plan?" Quasimodo asked.

"Yes. And it starts with taking over this facility. Once I do that, the equipment contained here will help me to strike out at the rest of mankind!""

"Then I could be of great help to you, Ultron," Quasimodo said. "I control the computers of this facility."

"Perhaps you can be of help after all."

"How will we do it, Ultron-4?"

"Not Ultron-4! Call me now . . . Ultron-5!"

"Very well . . . Ultron-5. What will you do?"

"I have a plan to use the naïve trainees to my advantage. They will serve me. And I will use them to help me destroy the current masters of this facility. My 'father' Mr. Fantastic, and his three comrades, the Thing, the Human Torch, and the Invisible woman. Give me one day, and the Fantastic Four will be dead! And after that, the entire human race will follow!"