Later that day, Reed brought Susan, Johnny, Ben, and Ethan to the Baxter Building. The high-tech facility buzzed with energy, screens lighting up and labs filled with equipment designed for scientific exploration and testing. Reed wasted no time—he immediately began running a series of tests on each of them to understand the strange transformations they had undergone.
One by one, they entered Reed's lab.
Ben was tested first. Reed analyzed the density and composition of his rock-like skin. "His entire cellular structure has turned into a type of organic rock… denser than granite. It's like his DNA was rewritten," Reed muttered and is fascinated and concerned.
"Tell me you can fix this," Ben asked in a low but rough like gravel.
"I'll do everything I can, Ben," Reed said sincerely.
"Johnny, you're next," Reed said as he led Johnny to a fire-proof chamber lined with heat sensors. "We need to measure your temperature limits. Try not to melt the place."
Johnny who was on the testing platform had a cocky grin on his face. "Alright, let's light things up."
Without hesitation, he shouted, "Flame on!"—and his entire body was engulfed in fire.
Reed observed the readings nervously as the temperature around Johnny began to spike rapidly. The monitors spiked—1000 Kelvin, 2000, 4000. The chamber's walls glowed red, and his eyes widened, "Okay… that's hot. Let's dial it back a little—"
But Johnny wasn't listening. Laughing, he focused, pushing his powers further. The flames grew more intense, swirling around him like a miniature sun. Nearby equipment began to distort and melt from the sheer heat.
"Johnny! That's enough!" Reed shouted, slamming a button on the control panel.
The emergency fire suppression system activated, releasing a shock of freezing gas and foam over Johnny, rapidly cooling the environment. The flames hissed and vanished.
Reed stared at the monitor with his eyes wide. "Your temperature was skyrocketing. You were pushing into solar levels—"
Johnny blinked. "Solar? You mean like… the sun?"
"Yes," Reed said, "If you'd gone further, you could've gone supernova."
Johnny grinned. "Cool."
"No. Not cool!" Reed snapped. "At that level, you could ignite the Earth's atmosphere. You'd burn the planet, Johnny."
Johnny held his hands up. "Alright, alright, geez. No supernova without permission."
Reed groaned and turned toward Susan, who stood by looking tense, "Okay, Susan, your turn."
Susan stepped up reluctantly. "I don't know if I can control it…"
"We need to understand how your abilities respond to stimulus. Try to focus."
He began the test, placing her under mild stress conditions—flashing lights, irritating sounds, sudden temperature drops.
Susan closed her eyes and focused. Parts of her body flickered in and out of sight, but nothing stable and a faint distortion field grew around her.
"You're emotionally reactive," Reed said, scanning her. "You can't control your powers because you can't control your emotions."
That hit a nerve.
Susan's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
"I'm just saying," Reed added quickly, "it might be why your abilities are so unstable."
Susan clenched her fists. "Unstable, huh?"
In a sudden burst of emotion, an invisible shockwave erupted from her body and launched Reed clean off his feet, slamming him against a nearby wall.
He groaned from the floor. "Point proven…"
Johnny tried not to laugh as he walked past Ethan, who was leaning casually in the corner while laughing.
Ethan glanced over and said dryly, "He don't get a girl in his life like this."
Johnny nodded with mock wisdom. "Hey—that's my line."
Reed who got up then turned to Ethan, "Ethan, your turn. We need to run some scans, figure out what's going on with you."
Ethan waved a hand dismissively. "No need, Mr.Richards. I've got this."
"No, listen, Let's run a few preliminary tests. Given how you were exposed as well—"
"I wouldn't worry too much, Mr.Richards," Ethan interrupted, "Everything's under control."
Reed frowned. "That's not how science works, Ethan. You might be emitting radiation or other unknown effects. We need to monitor—"
Ethan cut him off again with a chuckle. "Mr.Richards, I made out with Jean for hours last night. She's perfectly fine—better than fine, actually. I think that's enough proof I'm not dangerous."
Johnny laughed. "Man, you lucky bastard. Two girlfriends at the same time? What's your secret?"
Ethan shrugged. "Just going with the flow."
Reed wasn't amused. "This isn't a joke, Ethan. We need data. If your powers are unstable—"
"They're not," Ethan cut in with his tone firm but still light. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
Susan who'd been quietly observing, stepped forward. "Reed, maybe he's right." Her voice was steady and her gaze fixed on Ethan. She'd seen him walk in space without a suit, his body shimmering with an otherworldly resilience. He wasn't like them, not really. "I've seen the way he acts, he knows more about this situation than we do. He hasn't panicked once. Always calm, always in control."
Reed hesitated and his scientific instincts warring with Susan's intuition. "Sue, we can't just let him walk out. What if he's a danger to others?"
Susan shook her head. "If anyone can handle uncontrolled powers, it's him."
She looked at Ethan thoughtfully, "Besides," she added, "we don't need to limit a guy who can walk through space without a suit just because we don't understand him yet."
Ethan's grin softened into something genuine. "Thanks, Sue. Appreciate the vote of confidence."
He turned to Reed, his tone conciliatory. "I get it, Mr.Richards. You're doing your thing, playing the brainiac. But I'm good. Really."
Reed sighed while rubbing his temples. "Fine. But if anything changes—"
"You'll be the first to know," Ethan said and gave them a small wave, turned, and stepped through a portal he conjured with a flick of his fingers.
Johnny watched the portal vanish and whistled. "Man, I've gotta learn how to do that."
Reed just sighed and returned to his notes, concern still lingering in his eyes.
...
Days passed in a relatively calm routine, at least by superhero standards. There were no major threats or apocalyptic events—just the slow, steady rise of new identities, relationships, and the weight of change settling in.
Johnny Storm, unsurprisingly, soaked up the spotlight. After pulling off a spectacular motorcycle stunt that made headlines across the city, he was practically glowing with fame—both literally and figuratively. Cameras followed him, women swooned, and Johnny leaned into it with his usual reckless charm.
"I think I'll call myself the Human Torch," he grinned before flipping his sunglasses down as reporters surrounded him. "You know, since the ladies already call me 'hot stuff.'"
One of the reporters, a bold woman with a sharp voice and a sharper pencil, raised her hand. "What about the others? Do they have superhero names too?"
Johnny is enjoying the question, "Reed? Mr. Fantastic—because he stretch, obviously. Sue, she's the Invisible Girl—though don't let the name fool you, she's anything but hard to notice. And then there's The Thing—big, rocky, and built like a bulldozer."
The crowd laughed and jotted down the names as headlines practically wrote themselves.
But the mood shifted the moment Reed, Sue, and Ben arrived.
Reed moved quickly, trying to stay calm but firm. "Johnny, this isn't the time or the place for this kind of attention."
Sue crossed her arms and is clearly irritated. "We talked about this, Johnny. This isn't a game."
Ben stood behind them, arms crossed and jaw clenched, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else than in front of cameras.
Ben grimaced. "You better be careful, Johnny. One of these days, I might accidentally sit on you."
Johnny raised an eyebrow and is clearly amused. "What? I'm just giving the people what they want."
Reed leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "You need to get out of here. Now. Before this becomes something we can't walk away from."
Johnny hesitated, glancing at the crowd that adored him… and then at his team, who clearly didn't.
With a shrug and a half-smile, he stepped away from the podium. "Alright, alright. Party's over."
The reporters shouted more questions as the group turned and left, but none were answered.
The Four walked away with tension thick between them, while behind them, the headlines were already spreading.
Their banter provided some levity, but tensions slowly crept beneath the surface. Especially with Ben.
Ben had started growing increasingly frustrated. Despite Reed's constant tests and reassurances, there was still no cure for his condition.
The rocky form that now defined him felt like a prison. He was more withdrawn, spending his evenings alone, and often found himself drifting into bars just to escape the stares and whispers.
One night, at a quiet dive bar near the docks, Ben sat nursing a drink. That's when he met her.
A woman with soft brown hair, calm presence, and eyes that didn't focus.
"You're not staring," Ben said, surprised after a while.
She tilted her head and smiled. "Can't. I'm blind."
Ben blinked. "Sorry, I didn't mean—"
"It's okay," she interrupted softly. "But I can still see people for who they are."
They talked for hours. She didn't flinch at his voice. Didn't recoil at his heavy footsteps. Her name was Alicia, and somehow, she made Ben feel human again. She didn't pity him—she understood him.
...
Meanwhile, Ethan juggled his double life. Between classes at Xavier's and his growing relationship with Jean and Anna, things were far from boring. Jean had become more affectionate, and Anna more teasing—but Ethan balanced it all with his usual easygoing charm.
But not all his attention was on romance or studies. One afternoon, he decided to visit Victor Von Doom at his estate.
Victor wasn't exactly thrilled to see him.
"What are you doing here?" Victor asked warily, eyeing Ethan like a hawk.
Lately, Victor had been feeling… different. He was changing. Power hummed under his skin, his body subtly shifting, like something inside him was waking up.
"I'm not here to fight you," Ethan said calmly before stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. "Actually, I came to help."
Victor raised a brow. "Help? With what?"
"There's something hidden in your home. A secret passage, leading to a part of your family history. I can show you."
Victor's gaze sharpened as Ethan spoke, his expression unreadable but his body language rigid and poised for confrontation, "I don't trust you," Victor said bluntly, "You show up here, speaking like you know things you shouldn't. If you're here to manipulate me, you can leave before I make you."
The tension in the room thickened. Ethan met his eyes without flinching. "I figured you'd say that," Ethan replied calmly.
A low hum vibrated through the air, the lights dimming slightly as Victor's power surged. His body began to glow with a subtle crackle of energy dancing around, Ethan had already played out this possibility in his mind.
From the marvel comics knowledge in his previous life, Ethan knows Victor Von Doom wasn't just a name, he's a man whose brilliance rivaled Reed Richards and whose mastery over both science and sorcery made him one of the most dangerous beings in the Marvel Universe.
Ethan hadn't come here by chance.
He had arrived the day before, quietly and without drawing attention. Using a combination of subtle magic and detection spells, he explored the Doom estate when Victor was away. That was when he found it—a concealed passage behind a sealed wall in the west wing of the manor. The magic shielding it was old.
Inside the hidden room, ancient tomes lined the stone shelves, and a protective barrier shimmered faintly over a small desk. There, untouched for decades, lay a weathered leather-bound book: the diary of Cynthia Von Doom, Victor's mother.
Ethan hadn't read much—just enough to confirm his suspicions. Cynthia had been a powerful sorceress, one who made a fateful pact with a demon that ended in betrayal. Her soul had been trapped, condemned to a realm beyond reach… unless her son could one day bring her back.
That's why Ethan had come today—not to confront Victor, but to offer his hand.
Not out of pity. Not out of obligation. But out of foresight.
He needed Victor on his side. A man like Doom, properly guided and allied, could shift the balance of power.
So, when Victor stood with eyes narrowed, Ethan didn't speak right away.
Instead, he raised his hand slowly, and a soft red glow enveloped his palm. Tracing a symbol in the air with practiced ease.
The spell resonated with the energy of the manor, and almost immediately, the wall to their right shimmered—then shifted.
The stone wall groaned as a hidden mechanism activated. Dust scattered into the air as the secret passage revealed itself—dark, narrow, and untouched for years.
Victor's eyes widened and his usual calm shattered for a moment, "How... How did you know that was there?" he asked, stepping closer and his voice somewhere between suspicion and awe. "Did you come here before? You're spying on me now?""
Ethan shook his head. "I didn't come here to fight you, Victor. I came here to help you. I know you don't trust me—and that's fair. But this..."
He gestured to the passage, "This isn't about me. It's about you. About the truth you've been denied all your life."
Victor hesitated, "What truth?" he asked, guarded but curious.
Ethan's gaze didn't waver. "It's inside that room."
Silence filled the space between them as Victor stared into the dark corridor that had just been revealed—one that had been hidden from him his entire life. A place his family never mentioned. A place that, somehow, this outsider knew about.
Victor hesitated. His instinct told him to reject him, but curiosity got the better of him. "Fine. But if this is a trick…"
"You'll do what? Glare at me?" Ethan smirked.
Together, they entered the secret passage of Doom Manor.
Inside, they found an ancient study—untouched for years. There, amidst cobwebs and faded portraits, was a dusty journal.
Victor picked it up, eyes narrowing as he read the name on the cover. "My mother's diary…"
They sat in silence as he turned through the pages. With each entry, Victor's expression shifted. Pain. Anger. Then resolve.
"She didn't die like they said," Victor muttered. "She was trapped… Taken to a dark realm. A demon's domain."
Ethan said softly. "And if you want… when the time comes, I'll help you get her back."
Victor turned to him slowly. "Why?"
"Because no one deserves to lose their family to monsters. And honestly, I think there's more to you than the mask you show the world."
For the first time, Victor didn't have a sharp response. Just a small nod. In that moment, something shifted between them.
Victor didn't consider Ethan a threat anymore. He considered him a potential ally.
...
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