Reed

Sue

Johnny

Ben

The sentient android Ultron-5, encased in an impervious shell of Adamantium armor, has taken control of the minds of nine of the trainees of the Project, and captured Sue Richards, the Invisible Woman. She is meant to be a hostage against her husband, Reed Richards, who is Ultron's enemy and "father".

At the moment, the beautiful Sue lay on the floor of the hanger deck, groggy, trying to focus her thoughts. She was still stunned by the effects of a laser blast from one of the trainees. Also, Ultron had given her an injection designed to induce disorientation. This prevented Sue from forming one of her powerful force fields. She could manage, just barely, to turn herself invisible, but since she was tied hand-and-foot, being invisible was not much use at the moment.

Ultron was waiting for Reed to agree to his terms of surrender. If Reed didn't accept in ten minutes, Ultron would kill Sue. The nine brainwashed super-trainees stood motionless, like zombies, waiting for further commands from their master, Ultron-5.

Ultron looked down at Sue. "Your husband will surrender at any moment," Ultron said. "Humans are so sentimental, so weak. He'll accede to my demands. And then I'll kill you all!"

Sue put on a brave face and tried to focus her thoughts toward escape.

His three companions stood watch, knowing they'd only be in his way. Their names were Ben Grimm (The Thing), Johnny Storm (Human Torch) and Donna Carol Force (Sparx). They marveled at how much Reed had accomplished in five minutes, especially considering the power was off - except for emergency lights - ever since Reed deactivated the rebellious master computer Quasimodo.

Reed finally turned to his allies. "We're ready! Let's take the fight to Ultron!"

"What's the first step?" Johnny Storm asked.

"First, we eliminate Ultron's 'army', the trainees!" Reed said.

"How?" Sparx asked, concerned both about her fellow trainees and about Sue.

"Chemistry!" Was Reed's only reply.

Reed had created a chemical grenade, which he tossed into the air vent. "The chemicals are heavier than air and so should flow down, filling the lowers floors, where the enemy is located," he said.

"What is it?" the Thing asked. "Some kinda tranquilizer?"

"No," Reed said, "I didn't have the right chemicals to make a tranquilizer that would expand throughout all the lower levels and still be strong enough to overwhelm all the trainees."

"So what does this stuff do?" Johnny asked.

"It's a hallucinogen," Reed said. "It's step one."

Reed picked up the other object he had been working on the last few minutes. It was a small box that looked like a cable TV box. Reed pressed some of the buttons on it.

"What's that?" Sparx asked.

"It's a renovated version of a communications device that I originally built to tap into satellites from foreign governments," Reed said. "I've adapted its programming. I have no doubt that Ultron is using my design for nano-technology to control the trainees. I'm going to use this to tap into the control devices."

"Can you free them?" Sparx asked hopefully.

"Doubtful," Reed said. "And I'm not going to try. That would probably cause them severe brain damage. I'm just going to add some images that will accentuate the hallucinations that they will already be seeing. I plan to control what they see."

"And what do we do?" Thing asked. "I don't wanna just sit here!"

"Be a little patient, Ben," Reed said. "There'll be a time to attack later, after Sue is safe!"

He didn't notice that his nine slaves were starting to wobble, groggy. They were being infected by the combination of the hallucinogenic compound and the transmission into their nano-devices. The double attack totally distorted their sense of reality . . . Just the way Reed wanted it!

Reality warped . . .

The young super rookies were in a surreal haze. Nothing seemed right. The world was like a delirious, abstract dream. Before them stood this gigantic silver man, stalking menacingly around the swirling room. Some part of their minds told them that this was their master, but another part said that this was the enemy. And both sides of their enslaved minds feared him. That fear seemed to be growing swiftly, building, increasing. Something was warning them about this horrid creature.

The monster turned and barked out some orders, but they couldn't understand what it was saying. Its voice was a murmuring drone of unintelligible sounds. Stealth actually giggled, thinking that the monster sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher. Whaa-whaa, muh whaa-whaa.

The monster seemed to be getting angry. It shouted at them in its strange garble, and shook its large fist. It frightened them. A voice in their heads told them to defend themselves.

Ultron was shouting orders at his servants, but they weren't responding. Some backed away, frightened. Some just stared, dumbly. Stealth actually giggled. Ultron was furious. Were they rebelling? Had his control devices failed? Or had their weak human minds merely broken under the stress. Whatever the reason, he had to regain control.

Ultron grabbed the nearest trainee, Aqualad, and lifted him into the air. "This is what happens to those who disobey Ultron!" he yelled.

Out from Ultron's eyes came a powerful energy ray that sliced through the boy's body, cutting him in half. Aqualad screamed, and then died. Ultron threw down what was left of the body. "Do the rest of you want to be next?" Ultron asked. "Or will you obey me now?"

Sue Richards, less affected by the hallucinogenic effect, since she had no device in her brain to receive transmissions from Reed, gasped as the young man was sliced in two brutally.

Through their delirious haze, the trainees saw and understood what had just happened. The fear that had been filling their brains rose to a crescendo and panicked them. The little voice that was telling them to defend themselves was right. They had to defend themselves or die!

The trainees charged forward, their rebellion spurred on by both a vengeful rage and fear of their lives. They attacked their "master", who they could no longer understand or even recognize. They just knew that he was the enemy and had to be killed. The transmissions that they had previously been receiving from Ultron had been replaced and superseded by Reeds messages. Their only thought right now was to destroy the silver monster!

Ultron was surprised when they attacked, en mass, piling over him. MPH hit him first with dazzling speed. The other seven swept in quickly behind. OMAC rammed Ultron with cyborg strength. Remnant used his magic carpet to blind the robot. Hawkgirl hit him high, and Stuntman hit him low. Minx attacked savagely. Fogg tried to get into Ultron's internal systems. However, something unexpected happened. Previously, Fogg had left his head partially solid, at Ultron's command. But now that Ultron was no longer calling the shots, Fogg turned totally to his misty state, even his head. And when he did, the only thing left solid was the nano-control device. It fell to the ground. Fogg felt like he was coming out of a fog. He was free!

"What the hell . . . ?" he muttered, before everything came back to him. He was horrified!

Mr. Fantastic was watching. He had squeezed his pliable body into a duct that led to the hanger deck. He spied on his handiwork, having taken a pill to protect himself from the gas. He noticed that Fogg had lost his control device. Reed stretched a hand down and got Fogg's attention. Fogg drifted up to the duct.

"Mr. Fantastic, thank God!" Fogg said, relieved at the sight of his teacher. "This is crazy! What's going on?"

"Stay calm, Fogg," Reed ordered. "I need your help to get Sue clear. Give me some cover."

"Yes sir," Fogg responded.

While Ultron was distracted by the trainees, Fogg covered the area with a blanket of mist. Reed saw his opportunity, popped out of the duct, grabbed Sue, and headed for the door to the hanger.

Ultron saw someone running away through the fog carry someone else, and used his infrared sensors to get a better picture of who it was. He managed to identify the person in question.

"Ah, father!" Ultron said. "Finally!"

Ultron was a split second away from firing his deadly energy beam at the Richards, when he was jostled by an attack from OMAC. The energy ray missed. Reed managed to flee the room with Sue in his arms.

"Cursed humans!" Ultron shouted.

Ultron turned his hostility to the trainees. The first thing he did was to rip one of OMAC's mechanical arms off. OMAC staggered away shocked. Ultron swatted him away with OMAC's own arm. Remnant tried again to blind the robot with his magic carpet, but Ultron fired his beam right through the carpet, setting it on fire. Remnant pulled back. MPH tried a few super-speed attacks, but could do no damage against Ultron's indestructible Adamantium hide. He was only hurting himself. Stealth sneaked in closer, under the cloak of invisibility, and grabbed OMAC's discarded arm. She correctly guessed that there was a charge left in OMAC's arm. Ramming it into Ultron like a shock-stick, she hoped it would cause a short circuit. It didn't. The shock was less than an annoyance to the robot. Ultron used his Infrared device to spot where Stealth was lurking. He slapped her disdainfully. She fell, injured. Ultron picked her up and threw her at the wall with enough force to break every bone in her body. MPH rushed to block the impact. She crashed into him with formidable impact. MPH was knocked unconscious. The Fogg tried again to get inside Ultron's internal systems, but Ultron released a static charge that stunned the Fogg, even in his misty form. He regained his human shape and passed out.

Hawkgirl, Remnant, Minx, and Stuntman where the only ones left conscious at this point. They were still blindly compelled to attack Ultron, but deep inside they knew that they had no chance.

"Just rest, my love," Reed said. "You've been through a lot."

Sue smiled. "I'm feeling much better, darling," Sue answered. "I'm ready to help out any way I can."

"Don't rush yourself," Reed said. "Give it a minute."

The Thing and Human Torch came rushing down the hall to join Reed and Sue. Johnny rushed to his sister's side. "You okay, sis?"

"Vital signs are stable, little brother," Sue answered. "I'll live to be an old Invisible Woman."

"Ultron'll be comin' for us pretty soon," Thing said.

"We'll be ready for him," Reed said.

"I hope so," Sue said. "He's scary!"

The Torch looked around, "Hey! Where's Sparx?"

"So! The last of the children comes home," Ultron said. "Welcome to the last moments of your life."

"Shut up, monster!" Sparx screamed.

Sparx unleashed a massive electrical pulse across the hanger. The pulse shorted out the remaining control devices of the trainees. It also, momentarily, disrupted Ultron. His Adamantium shell shielded his inner workings, and so his circuits weren't burned out. It took a few moments for his systems to repair themselves, however.

Sparx, having over taxed her powers, lost her electrical glow. She returned to the all-too-human form of Donna Carol Force. She took a few moments to check on the well being of her injured fellow trainees. Only Remnant and Hawkgirl were still conscious.

"We've got to get them out of here!" Sparx said.

Remnant and Hawkgirl agreed. Remnant expanded his carpet. The trio started to pile their injured young friends onto the floating rug. However, Ultron had recovered by this point.

Ultron stomped toward the trainees, with murderous intent. Donna shoved the last of the trainees onto the magic carpet. "Move it!" she yelled to Remnant.

Remnant commanded his carpet to fly for safety. He tried to get around Ultron, but the robot had a long reach and was much faster than Remnant expected. Ultron grabbed the carpet and yanked it. Eight of the nine young humans all fell to the ground, except Hawkgirl, whose wings kept her aloft. Remnant hit his head and passed out. Hawkgirl made a desperate attempt to stop Ultron, but failed. Ultron grabbed her by the wings and slammed her into the wall.

Only Donna Carol was left, awake and aware of the danger. Ultron stalked her. She backed up, her power not having returned yet. Ultron blocked the door.

"I'll get a great deal of satisfaction out of killing you, girl!" Ultron-5 said.

Suddenly, someone else arrived in the room. The newcomer tossed some type of grenade at Ultron. It hit the robot on the shoulder. Acid splashed out all over the robot. It was a powerful type of acid, and it actually singed Ultron's Adamantium armor. Ultron turned and saw Mr. Fantastic.

"Father! At long last!" Ultron said. "I was hoping you'd come!"

"It's time we settled things, Ultron," Reed said.

"Long past time," Ultron responded. "Just give me a moment to kill this pathetic human female and I'll be right with you."

Reed had to get Ultron away from Sparx. And he knew just the way to do it. Ultron was new to the concept of emotion. He wouldn't know how to deal with all the sensations yet. His ego was out of control and he couldn't control his temper. That was the way to get to him.

"You might as well kill a helpless girl, Ultron," Reed said, "because you've been woefully incompetent about killing me and my three friends. We're you're real enemies. Or aren't you intelligent enough to realize that?"

Ultron seethed at the biting comment. "Don't you dare insult my intellect, you hairless ape," Ultron yelled. "I know who my enemies are! I will kill you next, be assured."

"I sincerely doubt that," Reed said. "You've displayed Neolithic incompetence. I'm shocked by your consistent bungling."

"Shut up, human!" Ultron yelled. "I will not tolerate that from an organic inferior being."

"I'm embarrassed to admit I created you," Reed stated, calmly. "My creations usually work very well. I can't understand why you're so inefficient. I must have made a mistake while building you. You're a faulty piece of machinery. You belong on the trash heap! Right next to my old toaster!"

"I'll destroy you for that!" Ultron screamed, enraged. "I'll make you suffer!"

Ultron forgot about Sparx and charged at Mr. Fantastic with hate filling his AI "brain". He swung at Reed, but the elastic super human easily evaded the swing.

"Is that the best you can do, Ultron?" Reed asked. "You're ineptitude increases with each passing second. You're proof that machines are inferior to us humans."

"SHUT UP!" Ultron screamed, firing his energy beam. But Ultron's thoughts were so unfocused, due to this overwhelming flood of emotion that he didn't re-calibrate to take Reed's flexibility into account. Reed knew when Ultron was about to fire, because his eyes glowed for a half-second before firing. Therefore, Reed was able to evade the blasts.

Sparx took advantage of the distraction to get out of harms way. Reed continued his verbal assault.

"Sloppy, Ultron," Reed taunted. "Very sloppy. You're my worst creation yet."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Ultron cried hatefully.

"You'll have to catch me first," Reed said, springing for the door. Ultron fired a few more energy beams but they all missed. Reed got safety out of the room.

"There's nowhere you can run, Richards!" Ultron bellowed, following him into the hall, "The bulkheads have sealed off the Fantastic Project from the outside world. Without Quasimodo to open them, you're trapped! I'll find you and squash you like a bug! You and your fellow humans! You're all dead!"

Ultron lost track of Reed in the hall. Furious, he continued to hunt for him, determined to torture him to death. He decided to use the injured trainees as hostages to draw Reed into a trap. Ultron returned to the hanger.

Ultron bellowed with fury when he found the hanger empty. Reed and the others had doubled back removed the trainees, hiding them somewhere. Ultron had lost his hostages. He roared with hatred.

Suddenly, Ultron heard the whirring sound of machinery. The complex was active again. The power was on. Ultron debated the ramifications of this. Clearly, Richards needed the machinery of the Project to build a weapon. That meant that Reed was up to something and Ultron had to quash it quickly. But where would Reed be? He certainly didn't reactivate Quasimodo. Not even a human would be dumb enough to do that. Therefore, he was not in the photonic memory core. Where, then?

Auxiliary control. Where else? That was the only alternative. It was designed to take control of the facility if there was a malfunction in Quasimodo. That's where Reed would be!

Ultron headed for the auxiliary control, but to do so, he had to pass all the obstacles that Reed had been forced to get through earlier. Ultron casually passed through the laser beams. They bounced off his armored hide. The cryo-fluid engulfed him in a block of ice but he broke free of it. He smashed the crystal dome, bent the iron bars and walked unharmed over the electrical plates. The force field gave him a few moments pause but he crashed through soon enough.

Ultron got closer to the auxiliary control room. He passed an open door and detected something moving inside it. He went in to check it out. The room was the trans-mat dock. It was a large room, with most of the equipment on the far side. Ultron spotted four people inside.

Mr. Fantastic. Invisible Woman. Human Torch. Thing.

The Fantastic Four!

"All four of you in one place!" Ultron said. "Excellent! I can kill you all in one fell swoop!"

"This is the showdown, Ultie," the Thing said.

"It's you or us," Invisible Woman added.

"It ends here and now!" the Torch said.

"This is where we hold the line!" Reed stated. "And we're going to earn the name Fantastic Four!"

"Call yourselves whatever you wish," Ultron said. "It won't help you! You know what I am! Invulnerable! Unstoppable! The ultimate, unbeatable war-machine! I feel no pain! I never get tired! I will not stop until you're dead! You should run, but I hope you don't. Stay and accept you inevitable deaths! Just as all humans will soon meet death at these indestructible hands! I am the future!"

"Are you finished?" Reed asked.

"Yes, I suppose the time for talking is over," Ultron said.

"Good. Then lets get this over with." Reed looked to his three partners. "Hit him hard, and don't hold anything back!"

"At last!" the Thing said. "It's clobberin' time!"

The Fantastic Four attacked Ultron-5 with everything they had. The Human Torch fired an intense flame blast at Ultron but the robot's Adamantium form was immune to heat. The Thing rammed into the robot, eager to avenge himself on his recent humiliating defeat. Ultron knocked him away. Sue unleashed an invisible block of solidified energy, which rammed Ultron head on. The powerful impact knocked him off balance and he staggered back. Reed, stretched out behind Ultron, did the old schoolboy-tripping maneuver. Ultron tripped over Reed and feel to the floor. Sue used an invisible brace to pin him down. But slowly the robot forced his way back to his feet.

"You don't understand!" Ultron said. "This is fruitless. Soon there will be no one left to mourn to passing of the human race! This is the end of the era of man! I am the Adam of the machine age!"

Sue struggled to keep Ultron down, but he was too strong. The Torch flew for another attack. The Thing was getting back to his feet. They were prepared to go down fighting if necessary.

"We have to force him back twenty-five feet," Reed said. "At a thirty-seven degree angle."

"A where?" Thing asked.

Reed pointed. "That way, Ben. Over there!"

"Oh, gotcha."

Sue was trying to push Ultron into the corner with her force field. The Thing joined her, adding his incredible strength to her efforts. Ultron refused to budge.

"Whatever you're up to, it will not work!" Ultron said. "Nothing can harm me! I am here forever!"

The Torch melted the floor underneath Ultron. The robot started to slide backwards. Ultron didn't know what they were trying to do, but he wasn't going to let them. With all his power and weight, he leaned forward, pushing against the humans. He tapped into all his reserves, becoming a truly irresistible force. Nothing could stop his forward motion. Not even the Fantastic Four.

"Now!" Reed yelled.

Suddenly, the force against Ultron just . . . stopped. Sue's shield vanished and the Thing leaped to the side, out of Ultron's path. Ultron tumbled forward, unable to stop his own momentum, especially since the Torch had made the floor slippery. Suddenly, Reed stretched himself across the room, like a rubber band. Ultron tumbled into Reed's elastic form, stretching Reed out. Abruptly, Reed contracted himself, like a human slingshot. He fired Ultron across the room. Ultron flew to the back of the trans-mat dock, at a 37-degree angle.

Ultron crashed down, on top of a metal platform. His feet still wet, the robot tried to stand up. Reed quickly stretched himself over to a control panel. Ultron regained his footing.

"You're only making this harder on yourselves!" Ultron said. "Surrender, and I'll make your deaths quick and painless. I'll . . . "

Ultron stopped talking suddenly. He noticed the platform under his feet. This wasn't part of his knowledge when he was a mere service droid. He didn't recognize it. He tried to step off, but Sue blocked him with a force field.

"You're probably not familiar with the trans-mat," Reed said. "I never asked for your help on it. It means transport and materialization. It's teleportation device. Actually, it's a bulk transporter. It's not designed to transmit human tissue. But your Adamantium body is another story, isn't it?"

"Teleport?" Ultron repeated, as the danger of his situation dawned on him. "No!"

Ultron struggled against the force field holding him, but his feet were still slippery and he couldn't get enough traction on the smooth, metal platform.

"I've chosen an inescapable prison for you, Ultron," Reed said. "It's an asteroid called 433 Eros. It's a rocky needle, 6 miles in length, several million miles from Earth, in the heart of the asteroid belt." Reed activated the controls. "Goodbye, Ultron."

"NOOO!" Ultron screamed . . .and then vanished.

It was over.

"Thank God!" Sue said.

Reed looked sad. This was not how he wanted his project to go. Sue and his friends were almost killed. Most of the trainees injured. Aqualad was dead! It shouldn't have ended this way.

While Reed oversaw the renovations, he had some time to think. It was so easy for Ultron to take over the minds of the trainees. The argument could be made that they were mere rookies, but this sort of thing wasn't limited to inexperienced heroes. While Ultron was holding Sue, he could have enslaved her, too. Reed had heard a rumor that the JLA member known as the Vision had been reprogrammed to murder on two occasions. And hadn't there also been an incident recently where the Doom Patrol member, known as the Robotman, was taken control of by Dr. Doom and used to unleash Godzilla on Japan. Hadn't Princess Namorita also been hypnotized by Doom during that tragic affair? And what about Young Justice and that Phoenix thing?*

*(In Detective Comics #6-7, Doom Patrol #1-12, and Young Justice #50, respectively)

Reed did some research, using the resources of the government computer banks. He discovered an alarming trend. Super heroes being controlled or going berserk was an all-too-common occurrence. And it was a problem that had been ignored for far too long. After giving the matter considerable thought, Reed used his influence as director of Project Fantastic to get an audience with one of the President's men.

"It's a frightening situation," Reed stated. "And it needs to be addressed. Just take a look at the file I've given you. I've researched this carefully. This habit of super heroes going bad - either intentionally or by being controlled - goes back decades. Even the JSA, who most people consider the epitome of what super heroes should be, had a traitor in they're midst. You may have heard of that whole 'Answer' debacle.* That sort of thing is still going on."

*(JSA Annual #3, JSA #31-35)

Most of the people present agreed.

Reed continued. "Also, there is another trend that I'm seeing in recent years, which is the amount of force that the so-called 'heroes' are using on their enemies. While we still have some noble men, like Captain America, we have far too many of these 'Bad Boy' types running around. What I find just as alarming as the fact that good heroes are going bad, is that bad heroes are getting worse. Gentlemen, powers like mine are dangerous. They are not toys, they are a responsibility. They must be handled in a mature, responsible way. Otherwise, it's like giving a child a gun."

Again, the government men agreed.

Reed went on. "I respect the heroes that protect the world. They do a difficult and necessary job. But they are still flawed human beings. I respect the police that protect the population, but we have an Internal Affairs division, which ensures that cops don't abuse their powers. Those of you in the military are familiar with tribunals to investigate improprieties from your own people. Even doctors have the AMA looking over their shoulders, and they can lose their medical licenses if they act in an improper manner. I greatly admire all those professions, but the people who oversee their behavior are necessary. The same should apply to super-heroes. They've proven that they're not infallible, and so they must be regulated. Whether their actions are a result of brainwashing, or of being corrupted by their own powers, or just using their powers irresponsibly, they must be made to answer for their sins. No one should be above the law, not even superheroes . . . especially not superheroes!"

The men all talked among themselves for a few minutes. One of them stood up. "Dr. Richards, we thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, and I'm sure that the President will agree with you, just as we do. We will advise him to go along with your recommendations."

"Thank you," Reed said, hoping that his cause wouldn't get caught up in endless red tape.

When all the fussing over the wording was done, the President called a press conference.

The President spoke. "Good day. I come before you today to talk about a problem which has troubled me, and the members of my staff, for some time. And I know that many of you share my concern. It regards the super heroes who guard our shores and our world. We all have great respect for these amazing marvels who swoop down from the sky to do good deeds. But even the most noble of men are prone to temptation."

The President went on to read the file that Reed Richards had prepared. It listed all the superhero improprieties as far back as the incident with the 'Answer', all the way through the most recent circumstances. After finishing the report, the President repeated all of Reed's arguments as to why even the saviors of the world should be supervised. All over the world, super beings watched, with varying reactions. The JLA, Young Justice, the Doom Patrol, and others.

The President continued. "There is an old saying . . . 'Who watches the watchman?' In our society, no one does. And to be honest, the super heroes have gotten away with certain types of behavior that would not be tolerated among the rest of us. No longer! No one can be above the law. Just as the Police are required to report to internal affairs when they break departmental rules, so the need has arisen for a meta-human version of internal affairs. That is why, effective today, I have passed the Fantastic Act. It dictates a strict code of behavior, which absolutely no super being must ever violate. It draws a line that no meta-human may ever cross. If so, they will be arrested and placed in a special holding facility. I must point out that this is not designed to tie the hands of our super-powered protectors. It is merely an assurance that none among them will ever abuse their power. It also protects you all in the event that a super-being, or team, is controlled by an outside influence. That is where the Fantastic Act comes in. And to oversee the behavior of these powerful beings, I have recruited a super-powered Internal Affairs team. That team will speak to you right now. Ladies and gentlemen . . . the Fantastic Four!"

The President gave the microphone to Reed Richards. The other three FF members lined up behind him.

Reed spoke. "Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Reed Richards. Some of you may know me as a scientist, but you may prefer to call me by my new code name . . . Mr. Fantastic. These are my partners. They are called the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing. We have been entrusted by the President to ensure your safety in the event that any meta-human violates the Fantastic Act. I hope that it will not be necessary for us to act in this capacity, but if the need arises, as it has too often in the past, we stand ready to bring any super-being to heel. Whether it be someone as powerful as Thor or Wonder Woman, or as fast as the Flash, I promise that any offender will be arrested."

Reed paused, to allow this statement to sink in.

He continued. "If you doubt our ability to do this, you're making a mistake. I've been keeping meticulous records on each and every super hero out there today. I know your weaknesses and I have contingencies to exploit those weaknesses. Remember that I'm a scientist as well as a Meta. Whoever you are, we have your number. Every Achilles has a vulnerable heel, and I've spotted it for each of you. And I should add that we have a reserve force of nine other Metas that can be called upon if need be, as well as the resources of the United States military. Believe me when I say this . . . If you violate the Fantastic Act, you will be taken down by any means necessary and you will be imprisoned. I am supervising the creation of a special holding facility, which I'm calling the Gulag. It is designed to deal with super abilities, and I can program it to adapt to, and negate, any individual super power. When you're in the Gulag, you will not escape. I sincerely hope that I never have to use it, but it will be ready soon, just in case. And we of the Fantastic Four stand ready. From this moment onward, the super heroes of this country will act heroic, or they will be held accountable! This is the new law of the land. It's a new day. It's the era of responsibility. Order over chaos. I vow to uphold this law. Violate it at your own risk. If you do, you must face the Fantastic Four!"