psinex@yahoo.com Strange Attractors 9 of 25 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: They're all Marvel's, except for Todd and Danny, who're mine. Please don't sue. WARNING: Some frank discussion of body parts, and a rather brutal death. Please be warned ... -------------------------------------------------------- Mass. Acad. Medlab: 9/3/2003: 20:15 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- "Saints preserve us ..." Todd looked around, smiling nervously, as the nice lady with the funny accent examined him. #She feels nice, but she's scared, too,# he thought, watching as the doctor - Cassidy, he thought her name was - looked him over, especailly examining his skinsuit. "Ye puir little lad," Dr. Cassidy said, ruffling his buzzed blond hair. "Whoever did this t'ye d'serves t'be boiled alive. I promise, we'll get ye out o'that hideous thing - it c'ld just take a while." "Thanks, ma'am," Todd said. "It ... does feel funny." "We'll help you, kiddo - oh my GOD, Frank, we have a SON !" Ray cheered, hugging him. #Gosh, she's so little,# Todd thought, smiling wider as he relaxed. #But she 'feels' 'kay too - jus' brighter 'n b'fore.# #So's Daddy,# the 6-year-old observed, looking at his father. Frank met Todd's gaze with an awed smile, squeezing the younger boy's shoulder carefully. "Todd ? Can you tell us what your future's like ?" Frank asked gently. "It's scary, Daddy," Todd gulped. "We were fightin' these robots - Sent'nels - an' - an' -" He cried, clutching Ray's arms, and sobbed, "They blew ya an' Unca' Lew up, an' the bad man took me 'way an' made me wear this bad suit an' -" Ray hugged him to her, ignoring the spikes on the boy's Hound uniform, and let her tears mingle with his. "Shhh ... you don't have to be afraid any more," she soothed. "We'll protect you - we're NOT going anywhere ..." "God - another future where the Sentinels go wild," Frank growled, hugging Todd as well. "Not THIS time. We're here, Toddster - we'll protect you. You don't have to go anywhere either." "Really ? I c'n STAY !?" Todd smiled, his tears forgotten. "An' - an' can I use my tel'pathy ?" "Sure !" Ray exclaimed. She tried not to gasp when a faint tickle teased at her mindshield, probing it gently, and opened her "public" mind to the boy's psi-probe. Frank did the same, and Todd let them go deeper without entering their psyches too deeply. ~That'd be rude,~ he sent, trying not to cringe when they saw his near-conversion to Hound status and Luna's rescue of him before their timejump to the present. ~I din't mean t' -~ ~You did nothing wrong !~ Ray replied, hugging him again both mentally and physically. The family returned to their own bodies, and Ray slid onto the exam table beside Todd. "We love you, honey," she smiled. "You were a victim. We're not gonna make you go away or stop loving you just because you were caught by Ahab. And we ARE gonna get you out of that nasty Hound suit - right, Aunt Moira ?" "Aye, lass," Moira nodded, approaching with a compressed-air hypogun. "This'll sting a little, Todd, but it's necessary t'undo th' bondin' process that abomination o' a skinsuit underwent with yuir body." "Good grief - a self-bonding skinsuit ?" Frank whistled, watching as Moira injected Todd with the hypogun. "Aye, but th' molecular reaction's th' same as if the Genoshans had done it," Moira replied. "Th' suit's a variant o' unstable molecules, but with a twist - instead o' merely adoptin' th' physical properties o' its' wearer's skin, it literally duplicates that tissue, an' nanites within th' suit recycle waste products int' food an' water. T'is yuir father's work perverted, Franklin." "Grampa ? I never met 'm," Todd said hopefully. He started to scratch and said, "Itches." "Good," Moira smiled. "T'will be as if y'had skin peelin' from a sunburn - OCH ! I never considered th' effect th' drug'd have on yuir - oh dear." "Moira ... ?" Ray asked, fear in her tone. "Hold still, laddie - aye, never mind, we're all right," Moira nodded, scanning Todd with a handheld sensor. "I was concerned th' bondin' reversal would've caused skin peelin' across all o'yuir body, but yui'll be all right." "It REALLY - hey !" Todd smiled. He waved his hands and saw the fingertips of the suit begin to droop. Ray reached at the base of his neck, breathing a sigh of relief when a seam appeared from the neck to just above Todd's buttocks. "Hold still, Todd," Ray said. She began to pull at the suit, peeling it off of him and helping him with the arms. "Cool," Todd smiled, seeing the top portion double over as he finished baring his chest and arms. He blushed and looked at Moira, asking, "Do I gotta take off the pants here ?" "I do need t'do a full-body bioscan, little one," Moira said apologetically. "She's a doctor, kiddo - we've all been naked in front of her," Frank said gently. "Don't be embarassed." "OK, Dad," Todd nodded. He slid off the table, letting Frank catch him, and shimmied the suit off as rapidly as possible. #Ev'rything's OK !# the boy thought, smiling as he saw his naked body umblemished by the suit's removal. "And now to get RID of this damned thing," Ray snarled. She manifested the Phoenix, incinerating the Hound-suit with contempt while Frank helped Todd back onto the exam table. "Just a few seconds, OK, pal ?" Frank smiled. "OK," Todd nodded back while Moira scanned him. "That's it," she smiled. "Yui're healthy physically - there're clothes from this era in th' back room." "I'll help you get dressed - you can wear boxers to bed, if you want. We'll get you more clothes tomorrow," Frank said, walking Todd back to the men's locker area. "You can sleep in my room. Your Uncle Nate -" "Unca Nate's ALIVE !?" Todd asked, surprised, as he pulled on a pair of boxer shorts. "But he died killin' 'Pocalypse b'fore I got born !" "Nate - KILLED - whoa," Frank gaped, looking outside as Ray came running with a shocked expression. ~WHAT did Todd say !?~ she asked Frank mentally. "Unca Nate made 'Pocalypse go 'way b'fore I was born," Todd explained, stepping outside. "But 'Pocalypse made th' reg'lar folks REAL mad, so they sent t' Sent'nels t' ... kill mutants ..." He shivered, letting Frank kneel in front of him and hug him. "You're safe here, Todd," the older boy said. "I know we're not as grown up as the parents you knew, but we do love you and we're gonna protect you. I swear." "I know, Daddy," Todd smiled, hugging Frank back. "'M glad 'm here - I love you an' Mommy too." His eyes widened, and he looked at them with concern. "But if y'r not married, will th' guv'ment letcha keep me ?" Todd asked fearfully. "That, kiddo, is why we have the best lawyers on the planet," Ray winked. "Now - YAWN - let's get some sleep. We all had a long day today, and we need to snooze before tomorrow." "Willya take me swimmin' t'morrow, Dad ?" Todd asked, walking with Frank across the quad. "Y' always did it b'fore in th' mornin's." "Bud, I'd be honored," Frank grinned. #I can actually TEACH him stuff - whoa, Richards,# the teen reminded himself. #He's not a dog - this is a SERIOUS commitment. But I'm gonna do it right. I AM gonna be here for Todd ...# #Like your dad was never there for you ?# an ugly part of his mind taunted while they entered the boys' dorm. #That's a damned lie,# Frank told himself angrily. #Dad WAS there - in the lab, but he let me watch, and we got closer over the years ! And he DID make my swim meets ...# "I mean it, Toddster," Frank said, letting the yawning boy ride his back upstairs. "I'll be here for you - and of course your mom will, too. And the rest of the New Mutants'll love you ..." "I met Aunt Luna. She's really nice," Todd said, sliding off of Frank's back as they entered the darkened dorm room. Nate rolled over, sitting up on his elbows on his bed and sending, ~Frank ... ? Who's there ?~ "Sorry, Nate - just your brother-in-law-to-be and your future nephew," Frank teased. Nate's eye flared bright, and he slowly smiled as Todd waved at him. "Holy COW ! This is SO COOL !" Nate laughed. Frank turned on the light, and Nate let Todd sit on the bed beside him while Frank began to change for bed. "Hi, Unca Nate," Todd smiled. "'M from -" "The future, yeah - your dad - DAD ! - 'pathed me the details," Nate smiled. "Tell ya what, you can take my bed, and I'll get the sleeping bag out." "Really !? Thanks !" Todd smiled. He crawled into bed, looking at Nate and Frank as Nate unfurled the sleeping bag and crawled into it. "Cool. We're all wearin' boxers," Todd observed. The older boys looked at each other, then at Todd, and chuckled. "He's got your brains," Nate grinned as Frank shut off the light. "Good night, Todd." "G'night, Dad - g'night, Unca Nate," Todd called. He settled into the bed, and sent, ~G'night, Mommy ...~ ~G'night, kiddo,~ Ray sent, the Phoenix hovering over the bed for a moment. Todd smiled, letting sleep carry him downward to dreams. Frank watched him doze off in the moonlight, then sent, ~Red ? We gotta talk too ...~ ~I scan,~ Ray replied. ~He's a real commitment, all right. But whatever it takes, Frank - WE are his parents, and I don't want him foisted off to my folks or yours. I don't CARE if we're 14 and 13 - we can do this !~ ~We're both 13 - I was born in'90, not '89 like Ms. Frost's records show,~ Frank noted. ~Some kinda computer glitch. Anyway, you're right. We can do this, and we gotta ... we might be the only ones who CAN.~ ~Oh God - I didn't think about that,~ Ray agreed. ~Our SON - Jesus, Frank, how powerful will he get !? Not that that matters - he's our little boy. I just feel this - CONNECTION - and he's so decent and kind and sweet ...~ ~And he got us for parents,~ Frank teased. ~Har de har HAR,~ Ray replied, psmirking. ~Good night, hubby dear.~ ~Good night, lovemuffin,~ Frank winked, shutting off the link. He watched Todd for a few moments longer, then settled into his own bed and prayed, #Lord, please let this work ... he deserves the best ...# -------------------------------------------------------- Somewhen else: -------------------------------------------------------- "Oh Lord ..." Nathaniel Richards looked into the Pool of Infinity as his daughter, Huntara, stood beside him with a dour expression. "You should be ashamed," Tara frowned, shaking out her long black hair. "Todd is an innocent victim - he only has telepathy at present, why not leave him alone ?" "He is a son of Franklin and Rachel's !" Nathaniel shouted. "If Kargul were here, he'd agree with me - the boy can't be allowed to grow up !" "HE IS NOT HYPERSTORM, YOU OLD FOOL !" Tara shouted back. She slammed the base of her psi-scythe on the viewing-room floor and yelled, "Hyperstorm is gone, Father - consumed when Reed trapped him with Galactus ! Johnathon Reed Richards' menace ceased to exist when the Devourer of Worlds entered into that feeding-loop with him !" (SEE FF Vol. 1, # 414 for the canon tale of Hyperstorm's undoing ...) "THAT Hyperstorm may have been consumed by Galactus, but the potential danger of any child of Franklin and Rachel's is too great, 'Tara !" Nathaniel demanded. "I was prevented from kidnapping this timeline's Franklin, and the Fantastic Four can't be depended upon to prevent another disaster !" He depressed a button on his armor's left gauntlet, provoking a curse from Huntara. A time platform consumed Nathaniel before the young warrior-woman could keep him from disappearing. "By the Sacred Timelines - ! No wonder Reed loathes him so," 'Tara growled. She touched the Pool of Infinity again and asked, "What will come of this ... ?" The images rippled, finally coming together into one picture. And Huntara, veteran of thousands of battles, wielder of the psi-scythe - - screamed. "By all that is ... NO ! No good will come of this - whoever wins, there will be mourning in the House of Richards !" she sobbed, dropping to her knees. Huntara steeled herself, standing, and muttered, "Very well then. As much as I may be persona non grata at Reed's table, my half-brother and his circle must be warned, and Franklin PREVENTED from facing Nathaniel. Otherwise ... that dire future will come about." She cleft space, stepping through the portal, and prayed she wasn't too late. -------------------------------------------------------- 9/4/2003: 05:00 hrs EDT: Mass. Acad. Boys' Dorm: -------------------------------------------------------- #Gosh ...# Todd's eyes opened, and he looked around with a scared expression. #Hadda dream - a man came f'r me,# he thought, gazing at his still-sleeping father and uncle with a pensive expression. #But Daddy's 'sleep -# Todd stifled a gasp when a square of light appeared 6 feet above the side of his bed, falling and revealing an armored figure. The being turned to him and took off its' helmet, revealing an old man with a cybernetic right eye. "I'm sorry, Todd, but you're too dangerous," the man whispered, levelling one glowing gauntlet at Todd's head. The boy squeaked, too frightened to move - - but the man was dragged outside through the shattering window by a giant talon of flame. "YOU SON OF A BITCH !" Ray screamed, crushing Nathaniel with psionic claws. Frank and Nate leapt to wakefulness, gaping as Ray tore at the Warlord's armor with rage. ~Red - whoa - RAY ! DOWN ! Please - let him talk BEFORE we kill him, OK !?~ Frank called. Todd clutched Frank's leg in terror, pleading, "Daddy, why's he here, is he Ahab ?!" "No, he's your great-grandpa," Frank said, lifting Todd into his arms. They teke-floated outside, while the rest of the campus came running in pajamas or less and Ray dropped the battered Nathaniel to the quad. "OWW ... damn you, girl, there's a REASON behind all - GHARKC !?" Nathaniel choked as another Phoenix-talon grabbed his throat, and Ray got in his face. "Yeah. You're a piece of SHIT," she snarled, soft enough so Todd wouldn't hear. "The ONLY reason I'm not gonna disembowel your sick ass across this quad is because my son doesn't deserve to suffer by seeing graphic violence. GET. LOST. Or I'll parboil you inside that damned armor, great-grandfather-in-law or NOT." "Rachel ! Please - my father may be an idiot, but he's still family," Reed called, appearing from a dimensional portal with the rest of the FF and Huntara. Sue looked at Todd, who smiled widely and called, "Gramma ... ?" "Oh MY GOD - YES !" Sue smiled, running to hug the boy. "Uhm ... surprise," Frank smiled sheepishly, explaining the situation while Ray stood beside him. "Well, of COURSE he should stay with you," Sue agreed after Frank and Ray finished, looking at Reed meaningfully. "He can get an education here, and no young child should be separated from his parents for long periods of time. RIGHT, Reed ?" "Oh yes of course dear Father what ARE you thinking ?" Reed nodded, chastizing Nathaniel. "I'm taking matters into my own hands and protecting the multiverse !" Nathaniel yelled angrily from where he lay on the ground. "I - what the - oh NO -" The mutants and the FF looked up as a fat green humanoid with a horned helmet and a red loincloth appeared over Nathaniel with a huge battleaxe. "Heed me, humans !" the being boomed. "I am Kargul, ruler of Elsewhen and Guardian of the Sacred Timelines ! I raised Huntara for Nathaniel Richards after the girl's mother died. In return, Nathaniel has betrayed my trust in him !" "AND FOR THAT, THERE IS BUT ONE PENALTY !" Reed cried out, reaching for Kargul's axe, while Sue held Todd's head to her chest and the Mutants looked away in horror - - as the axe fell upon Nathaniel's neck. "DEAR GOD !" Emma cried out. "I will NOT permit this kind of brutality on my campus !" "It is done, Emma Frost," Kargul bowed, taking Nathaniel's head with him as he vanished. "Holy SHIT," Johnny Storm whistled. "Reed ..." "Father ..." Reed whispered, covering Nathaniel's headless body with a sheet Moira gave him. "'M sorry, Reed," Moira said. "I ken we're nae th' closest, after that spat over Kitty, but -" "Old history, Moira. Thank you," Reed nodded. He turned to Frank and Ray, who were joined by Todd, and smiled sadly. "Son, Rachel ... take care of Todd," Reed asked. "We'll be around if you need us. For now ..." Frank strode forward and hugged Reed, whispering, "I know, Dad. I'm sorry. I really am - I didn't hate Grandpa ... and I love you." "I love you too, Franklin," Reed said, wiping his eyes. The Thing gathered up Nathaniel's corpse, and Huntara silently opened a portal back to Pier 4, tears rolling down her face. The FF waved, vanishing, while the Mutants and Todd waved farewell. "Christ, this place is getting WEIRD - future kids, killer alien kings, and what else ?" Danny muttered. "Let's see - Erik's a 75-year-old savant stuck in the body of a 14-year-old, Ray's the living embodiment of a cosmic deity, and -" Bill smirked as Tom slapped him. -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Secret Origins Night at a FAMILIAR watering hole ;) -------------------------------------------------------- end _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com