Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Just a few days later had the team at the newly renovated Baxter Building.
“Hey honey,” Sue said as she walked into Reed’s lab. “The city’s trying to charge us for three squad cars they say we destroyed.”
Hunter looked up from her work, “From when?”
“From the armored car robbery, but I only remember two squad cars getting thrown,” Sue responded as she looked at the paper she held.
“What?” Hunter said as she got up. She took the paper from Sue and read it. “They’re only trying to get money from us, those stinking rats.”
Sue smiled, “As usual.”
She turned to Reed, who was focused on his new hand-held palm reader.
“Reed,” Sue said.
When she didn’t get a response, she narrowed her eyes and the reader disappeared. Reed sighed.
“Alright, I’m putting it away,” Reed said as he looked at her.
“Okay, I need to steal your power, that’s the only way to get his attention,” Hunter said. “Short of throwing a bucket of water over him.”
Reed rolled his eyes as Sue chuckled.
“Get back to work,” Reed said.
Hunter stood straight and saluted him, “Yes Sir! Back to work!”
Reed grinned at her antics as Hunter went back to her desk. He looked at Sue, “You were saying?”
Sue smiled, “I have a fitting in half an hour, the musicians after that, and I haven’t even picked out place settings or the flowers. There’s so much to do.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Reed said as he took her hands and pulled her towards him. “I’m sure, between the two of us, we’ll get it all done.”
“And what were you doing when I just walked in?” Sue said as she looked over his desk.
“I was inputting my to-do list,” Reed said.
“Really?”
“Scouts honor,” Reed said, putting up three fingers.
“You were never a boy scout!” Hunter exclaimed.
“Hush you,” Reed said.
“Hey guys, new uniforms just showed up,” Johnny’s voice rang as he entered the lab. Hunter got up and stood next to Sue as they looked at the new uniform. “What do you think?”
“Ugh,” Sue said, making a face.
“I agree. Johnny, our uniforms were just fine before, why do we have to…to…destroy it?” Hunter said.
Johnny looked at them and slowly dropped his hands.
“I think there’s no way we’re wearing that, Johnny,” Sue said as she passed him.
Hunter followed and stopped in front of Johnny, “Sorry babe, I have to agree with her.”
Johnny sighed, “You girls have no sense of fashion here!”
“Actually, Johnny, I think you don’t. At least with the uniforms here,” Hunter said as she kissed his cheek and continued to follow Sue.
He watched her walk away, “You have no sense of capitalism!”
Hunter simply waved her hand at him. He turned away and faced Reed, who went back to his desk.
“What’s this?”
“Just a little hobby of mine,” Reed responded.
“Yeah? Would it make a good toy or is it something, uh, science-y?” Johnny asked as he looked at the covered contraption.
“A little of both. Uh-uh,” Reed cautioned as he caught Johnny taking a hold of the white sheet.
Johnny surrendered and watched Reed as he typed information into his palm at super-speed.
“You know, I’ve always been both impressed and disgusted at that,” Johnny said.
Reed smiled as he stood up, “Yea, Sue says I’m addicted to it.”
Johnny shook his head towards the ground, “I wonder why she’d say that.”
Reed walked away and called for Johnny as he entered into another room of the lab.
“Keep it quiet, but, uh…I’ve cross-referenced and analyzed the global disturbances,” Reed said as he sat down and Johnny stepped onto the platform.
The wall activated and images of stars in space, and numbers appeared.
“They’re being caused by cosmic radiation, not unlike the kind which gave us our powers.”
Johnny set the uniform down and sat in one of the chairs, “Wow, that’s really…boring. So listen, I have a really serious wedding problem we have to talk about.”
“Yeah? What is it?” Reed asked.
Johnny wheeled over and looked at him, “Your bachelor party.”
Reed looked over at him and chuckled nervously, “No. Seriously, Johnny, no.”
Reed wheeled away to the other side as Johnny responded.
“John.”
“What?”
“Focus testing showed that “Johnny” skewed a little young,” Johnny said.
“Seriously Johnny, no bachelor party,” Reed repeated. “It’s not my kind of thing.”
Johnny rolled his eyes and wheeled to Reed. “Then do it for Ben. It means a lot to the big guy. You’re gonna break his heart.”
Reed wheeled away as Johnny continued, “He does have some sort of rock-like heart, doesn’t he?”
“I’ve got too much to do before the wedding,” Reed said. “Frankly, I think Sue might have a problem with it.”
Once again, Johnny wheeled over to Reed, “You know what I think Sue would have a problem with?”
Reed sighed and wheeled away again.
“If somebody told her that you were actually investigating global disturbances and cosmic radiation, instead of actually focusing on the wedding, like you promised.”
Reed wheeled back slowly as he looked at Johnny. Johnny looked back at Reed as the older of the two smiled. Reed looked back to the entrance as if to check if Sue was coming back or not.
“A bachelor party could be fun,” Reed relented.
“Yes!”
“But no exotic dancers,” Reed said.
Johnny sighed.
Meanwhile, in Latveria, in a seemingly empty castle, a lone statue stood in a room. Inside the large metal box, an old enemy woke up.