MARY RICHARDS
THE ORIGIN

STARRING:

Reed Richards
As
Mr. Fantastic

Susan Richards 
As
The Invisible Woman

Johnny Storm
As
The Human Torch

And
Benjamin J. Grimm
As
The ever-loving blue eyed Thing


PART ONE: Falling Towards Apotheosis

THE BAXTER BUILDING

	"Goo boo," said the adorable little blond moppet.
	"Ah, isn't that just heartbreakingly cute?" asked Sue Richards.
	"Yes, dear," replied her husband.  Reed was currently deeply 
engrossed in a fourth dimensional model of the expanding multiverse from Big 
Bang on.  "That's nice."
	"Oh, look, she's smiling!  Look at her smile!" Sue grinned at her 
baby, tickling her.  The baby, Mary, smiled.
	"Great smile, dear," Reed said, absently, his thoughts elsewhere.  
Now, if the law of Energy/Matter conservation holds true in a infinite 
dimensional setting, then . . . what?  I really wish that I could get an 
appointment with Eternity.  Maybe Dr. Strange . . . 
	"Are you even paying attention, Reed?" she asked, vexed.
	"But of course, dear."  Now then . . . the hypothesize would be that 
the so-called crunch of the universe would be happening a lot quicker with 
the infinite creation of a universe with each decision that every person on 
Earth, not to count those of the uncounted alien worlds in addition to the 
infinite number of sub-atomic particles . . . So, that can't be right.  Or 
can it?
	"What did I just say, Reed?" she challenged.
	"Uh," Reed dithered.  He said, very sub-vocally, "Personal Recorder: 
replay last minute of conversation."  He listened very briefly, all the while 
umm-ing and err-ing.  "Of course, dear.  You said, and I quote, 'Oh, look, 
she's smiling.  Look at her smile.  Isn't that just plain adorable?  I just 
want to eat you up, yes I do.'  Then it degenerated into meaningless baby 
talk."
	"Oh, sometimes you infuriate me, Mr. Richards!"  She stalked out of 
the gigantic lab, carrying her baby with her.
	"What?" Reed asked, looking after her in confusion.
	"You just don't get it do you, Big-Brain?" came the gravely voice of 
Ben from another entrance. 
	"Don't get what?"
	"She knew you listened to that recorder you carry with you."  
	"Oh.  Darn."
	"Yeah, yeah.  You can make it up to her with a big-big dinner at some 
fancy restaurant, you know?"  Ben handed Reed a can of beer, and gulped down 
his own can.  "Here, drink this down."
	"No thanks.  And you're right.  Big dinner . . . fancy restaurant . . 
. flowers . . . babysitter," Reed mumbled, ticking off his fingers with each 
item.  "Romance, not one of my strong points."
	"Well, that's why you've got me, Stretch-o."

	"Sometimes he makes me so mad.  Doesn't he make you mad, Mary?" 
	"Goo boo."  Mary wriggled in her mother's arms, and smiled some more.
	"Oh, that's my little girl," she cooed.  
	"Ah, Sue, sweetheart?" Reed said quietly as he leaned into the 
nursery.
	"I'm still angry," she glared at him.
	"Ah, I . . . umm . . . was wrong to ignore you like that.  It's just 
that-"
	"Stop.  Cease and desist.  Just repeat the first part," she said, 
holding up her hand to her husband's face, and looking quite stern.
	"What?  I was wrong?" he said, puzzled.
	"Again."
	Reed sighed quite deeply, but then he smiled quite widely and wrapped 
his arms around his wife and daughter and said into Sue's ear quite softly, 
tickling her, "I was wrong, dear.  Let me take you out to the Russian Tearoom 
and then to some ballroom dancing."
	"Well . . . alright.  But what about a sitter for Mary?" she asked, 
looking at Mary, who smiled once again.
	"I'm sure that we can find someone," he said reassuringly.
	"You think?"
	"I know.  After all, if you can't trust the smartest man in the 
world, who can you trust?"
	"Well, there's always Dr. Doom."
	"Uh-huh.  You know I could go to the Tearoom with Namora.  Ouch."
	"Less than you deserve for that little statement," Sue mock-growled, 
referring to the punch she gave Reed.  She then looked down, and sighed.  
"Reed, you've wrapped us with your arms . . . again."
	"Oh.  Sorry."
	"So, who do you want to baby-sit Mary?"
	"How about Jennifer Walters?"
	"Hmm . . . think she's available?  I thought that she was in space 
with the other Avengers."
	"No, she's in New York trying to track down her cousin."
	"That's . . . nice."  Mental Note: Check structural integrity of 
building.
	"So, how do you think of the She-Hulk as your babysitter, Mary?" Sue 
asked her baby.
	"Goo boo."

	"Aren't you the cutest thing," Jennifer gushed, looking down at the 
baby in the bassinet.
	"Well, Jennifer, I hope that this isn't too much of an imposition," 
Sue asked anxiously.  
	"Oh, it's not a problem, Sue.  Really," she replied.  "And if any 
super-villain were to attack, well I'll just send them over to the 
restaurant, double-quick!"
	"Don't you dare," Sue replied, mock-threateningly.  "I want this to 
go off without a hitch.  And that means no bad guys to fight no wars to stop 
no massive warps in reality to fix.  This is one evening that will not end up 
like a bad rerun of the Twilight Zone."
	"More power to you.  I can't remember the last time I went on a date 
that didn't turn into a slug-fest."  
	Reed stepped into the babies room, and said, "Sue, darling, we really 
should be leaving now.  Our reservation is for eight, and it's already ten 
minutes till."
	"Oh, stop worrying, Reed.  If we're that late, we'll just take the 
jet."
	"You know that the mayor doesn't like us to fly the plane that low," 
Reed replied.
	"I was joking," Sue replied, looking stern yet smiling.
	"Oh."

THE RUSSIAN TEAROOM

	"So then he said that since we first 'encountered' him, we should 
handle him from now on," finished Reed.
	"Ooooh, no, no way in hell," said Sue.  "I absolutely refuse to deal 
with -what does he call himself again? - Kang the Conqueror, even if a 
hundred Captain Americas begged us to.  If he wants to get tromped by the 
Avengers every other week, that's his call."
 	"Yes, well, no offense to Dr. Pym, what they need there is not an 
engineer but a scientist."
	"Why, Dr Richards," Sue said in mock shock.  "Who knew that you were 
just as much an egotist as Dr. Doom?"
	"Bow before me, peasant, for I am Victor Von Doom, absolute ruler of 
cheese!  Yea, though I walk through the valley of corny dialogue, I shall 
forevermore haunt my asinine enemies with even more idiotic robots!" went 
Reed in a very overblown Doom imitation.  "To me, my HERBIE!"
	"S-s-stop it!" Sue said, trying hard to be coherent in between her 
laughs.  "You're so corny!"  
	"It's been a while since I've seen you laugh, Sue, darling," Reed 
said.  He paused, then after a little rambling down memory lane, said, "You 
know, I think that the very first time I saw you laugh, that was when I knew 
that I would marry you."
	"The first time you saw me laugh was when I was twelve; you were in 
college, and I was laughing at you," Sue said.  "So if that romantic twaddle 
is true, you, sir, should seek professional help."
	"Just call me the original dirty old man!" 
	"Ha!"
	"If you don't appreciate my humor, I'm sure that Namora would."
"Ha!"
	They stopped talking, and just enjoyed each others company the glow 
of their love warming them.  Of course, that was just the time that their 
beepers went off.
	"Intruder alert, multiple interlopers detected within headquarters," 
said the tinny voice of Reed's personal computer within his ear.
	"Come, Susan, there is are intruders within the Baxter Building," 
Reed said, as he got out of his seat and, with great strides from his 
elongated legs, quickly went out the door.
	"Ah, shit," muttered Sue.  She quickly settled the check, and was out 
the door.  She caught up with her husband, and said, "Where's the signal 
flare?  You know that it could have been the Silver Surfer popping in again, 
with some of his friends."
	"Just in case, Sue."  Reed called for the Fantasti-Car, which 
followed them wherever they went, and waited.  Soon enough, they saw a fiery 
numeral four light up the New York skyline.  "Well, that cinches it."
	"I really hope that Jennifer is all right," said Sue, unable to voice 
her fear for her daughter.
	"I'm a bit more worried about the building."

NEW YORK SKYLINE

	"And then I found out that she was a Skrull!" said Johnny 
incredulously.
	"That's some dream, matchsticks," Spider-man commented.  "Though with 
your B-movie ossified brain, I'm not surprised that you dreamt that you 
married an alien."  Not to mention your intense fear of commitment, he 
thought.
	"Oh, laugh all you want, web-head," grumbled the Torch.  "But that 
wasn't all.  My niece had turned into a teenager, wore this really stupid 
armor, and was calling herself Miss Psi-gon.  And Sue acted really angry and 
. . . out of character, I suppose.  Oh, and she wore this really skimpy 
bikini thing . . ."
	"What ho!  Dost mine ears hear the not-so-faint stirrings of 
incestuous lust?"
	"Don't be sick."  Johnny then sent a small stream of fire in Spidey's 
direction.
	"Still, maybe it's time that you got yourself another girlfriend."
	"Don't I wish.  Ever since I dropped out of ESU, my dating pool has 
been limited to the super-heroine crowd.  And while a lot of them are hot, 
none of them really float my boat, you know?"
	"You could always go out with a super-villainess."
	"Oh, right!  Like I would go out with one of them!"
	"Don't knock it till you've tried it."
	"Oh, get out of here.  Dating a villainess never works out; you know 
that.  Look at what happened to Daredevil."
	"Ah, that's a fluke.  Besides, you could bring them over to the Light 
Side of the Force with your devastatingly good looks and incredibly huge ego!"
	"Well with my incredibly huge something!"
	"Ha!  Say . . ."
	"What?"
	"Ever get the feeling you're in a Hemingway novel?"
	Before a discussion on the relative nature of reality and fiction, 
Torch noticed the FF signal flare light up the New York night sky.  The Torch 
turned to Spider-man and said, "Listen, I've got to go.  It's probably 
Galactus come to chew on Australia again."
	"Alright.  Have fun with the cosmic stuff while those of us who don't 
have a space ship try to handle the simpler things like muggers and thieves 
and the Punisher . . ." With that, Spider-man swung away from the Human Torch.

THE HELLICARRIER
	
	The pot was high, the gamblers were rock steady, and the smoke from 
the various cigars filled the air with a pungent, musty aroma.  
	"Well, gents, time to put up or shut up," purred Loren.  "Straight 
flush."
	The grumbles that came from the other players made her day; ah, the 
sounds of defeat, the soft plastic chink of the chips as she gathered them 
in.  Wonderful, it was.
	"I'm still uncertain as to why this game of 'Poker' would change my 
belief that humanity is basically without merit," asked the Silver Surfer.
	"It's the human experience in a microcosm, my friend," said Dr. 
Strange.  His apprentice, a rather angsty young fellow, just grunted in the 
background.  "All right, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration.  But you 
can learn quite a bit about people as you play a game of cards."
	"Like the fact that Fury folds faster than my sweet aunt Petunia," 
shot out Ben.  He immediately got hit upon the head with a cigar.  
	"It is talk like that that'll get you thrown out of the 
Hellicarrier," said the head of SHIELD, as he lit another cigar.  "So anyone 
want to talk shop?"
	"I thought that you spy types knew all about us," commented Ben.
	"Well, sure, eventually.  But it takes a long time to get the quiet, 
non-flashy stuff."
	"Well, recently, I, along with the Silver Surfer, and the rest of the 
Defenders, stopped a plot by Mephisto to steal the souls of Americans by 
using television to rot their minds," said Dr. Strange.
	"How could he steal peoples' souls by rotting their brains?" asked 
Loren.
	"Mind control," said the angsty young man in the back.  He then 
raised his arms, spread his fingers, and went, "Wooooooo."
	"Cute, kid.  Now why don't you go back to sulking."
	"Anything on the mutant front?" asked Fury of Loren.
	"Not much.  Polaris has been pretty quiet; the Sentinels seemed to 
have stopped breeding like rats.  We beat a bunch of rich fops called the 
Hellfire Club.  And we saved the universe."
	"Yeah, yeah, you bunch always save the universe."  Hmm, mused Fury, 
some of the richest people in America has set themselves up as a team of 
villains?  Freaking typical.
	"Wait a minute, the Hellfire Club?  I really don't see why the 
Hellfire Club would be interested in mutants," said Dr. Strange.
	"It's 'cause they're mutants, too," said Loren.
	Dr. Strange did not respond beyond a slight widening of his eyes.  He 
then withdrew within himself and started muttering.
	Hand after hand went on, with Loren winning the most, and the Thing 
and Dr. Strange tied.  Nick Fury was soon going through his cigars like a 
fan-boy through comics, grunting in pain with each hand.  His torture went on 
for a while, until the phone on the bar started ringing.  With a 
not-too-sincere apologetic grin, he picked it up and said, "What?"
	He listened for a few seconds and hung up.  He went back to the 
table, where most of the other players were pretending that they didn't know 
what his cards were, and said to Ben, "Trouble at the Baxter Building.  The 
signal flare was sighted."
	Ben grunted, and got up.  "Thanks, Nick," he said.  He said to the 
others, "Well, guess I've got to save the world again.  See you next week at 
my place, alright?"
	"Sure," said Loren.  "But only if it hasn't been blown up.  I hate 
playing in rubble."
	"You know where the hangar is," said Fury.  
	"Yeah."  Ben started jogging out of the room, his footsteps causing 
the floor to vibrate horribly.  He said with some regret, "I had a great 
hand, too."

THE BAXTER BUILDING

  	When they arrived at the Baxter Building, almost simultaneously, they 
discovered that the floors were an absolute mess, though not in rubbles.  The 
furniture was destroyed, and the walls showed blast signs and impact craters. 
 And nearly everywhere were the sparking remains of decimated attack-robots.
	"Ah, jeeze-freakin'-weeze," muttered the Thing as he surveyed the 
damage. 
	"Jennifer!" yelled Sue, as she started looking around the floor.  
"Jennifer!"
	"Over here!" yelled Johnny, finding her beneath a still mostly intact 
attack-robot.  The Thing lifted it off her, picked her up, and placed her on 
a now upright couch.
	"Oog," she moaned.  "Did anyone catch the personality of that Hulk?"
	"Jennifer!" yelled Sue, as she took her friend by the shoulders and 
shook her.  "Where's Mary?"
	"Please, Susan.  She may have a concussion," said Reed, as he tried 
to stop her.  
	"Sue?" whispered She-Hulk, squinting slightly.  "I'm sorry . . . 
those robots surprised me; like they just appeared out of thin-air, and 
blitzkrieg me."  She paused, and swallowed.  "They . . . took Mary."
	"No.  Oh no," said Sue, her face turning ashen with fear, as did the 
others'.  "Who?"
	At her words, an attack-robot reactivated, though much of it was 
missing.  It sparked and screeched, its speech systems coming back online.  
And it said, "Standby for message.  Standby for message."  
	Its optics glowed for a brief instance, and suddenly a life-size 
hologram of Dr. Doom appeared in the room.  Even though it was obviously a 
recording, it still gave the impression that it was staring at them.  The 
hologram began to speak.  "Hello, Richards.  I have captured your daughter, 
as you have discovered by now.  I shall keep her quite safe, as safe as if 
she were my own.  However, if you interfere in my plans . . . well, on your 
own foolish head does the consequence lie, Richards.  Farewell."  And with a 
slight, arrogant chuckle, the hologram disappeared.
	The robot head immediately exploded in a burst of shrapnel.  Reed 
snapped his hand back, and glared at what little remained.  
	"Why that dirty," Ben said, trailing off.  He looked at Sue, who had 
fallen to the ground.  
	"Wow," muttered Jennifer, "that looks like fun."  And she too became 
unconscious.

CASTLE DOOM

	Doom stared at the baby; the baby stared back at him.  He was rather 
nonplussed that the tiny little thing was not at all disturbed at having been 
taken from its home to a, admittedly, gloomy place such as Castle Doom.  
Suddenly he cracked a smile, though it was unseen behind his impassive metal 
mask.  It was to laugh, for the great Dr. Doom, the most feared man in the 
world to be so off-put by a child, even a child such as this.  
	"Hello," Doom said to Mary.  "I don't know if you can understand me, 
but I need someone different to . . . exposit to, if only for a little while. 
 Automation, follow with the child."  Dutifully the artificial humanoid, 
which was cradling Mary, followed in Doom's footsteps.  "If your father 
remains true to form for this heroic game that he insists on playing he shall 
try to defeat my nefarious plot.
	"I wonder how that would make you feel if you were truly sentient, 
little girl?" Doom asked rhetorically.  "Would you understand his 
motivations?  Would you feel resentment?  No matter, this is a moot point."
	Soon enough, Doom reached his destination.  Large doors opened, and 
technicians in bulky body armor took Mary and placed her into the womb of 
most intricate machine, one that took up the entire huge chamber.  The 
technicians scurried about busily, making certain that all was ready.  
	"You see, my dear, the point of this was not to take over the 
so-called American Government but you," Doom said with a great deal of 
satisfaction.  "Though you probably do not appreciate this, seeing as how you 
have all the mental acuity of, say, your father, you would realize that this 
was a bit of, dare I say it, sheer bloody genius.
	"I had become aware, over the years and through various means, of 
portents that state the coming of one who shall be likened unto a god.  
Naturally at first I assumed that it was myself, however I soon came to 
realized who it would actually be.  And finally, with one final confirmation, 
I knew that it would be you.  Isn't that right, Nathaniel?" Doom asked, and a 
holographic window appeared in mid-air, showing a scene of horror.  Hooked to 
various devices whose only purpose could only be torture, there hung a rather 
wiry and elderly fellow, an eye missing and the socket bloody.  A kind of 
grim determination was the only thing keeping him awake, as he glared at 
Doom.  "Have you nothing to say to the grand-daughter you have betrayed, old 
chap?"
	"You can join your whore of a mother, you filthy bastard," spat out 
Nathaniel Richards with the last of his strength.  He then slumped 
unconscious when a surge of electricity fired all his nerve endings.
	Doom seethed in silence then finally killed a random technician.  
"Well," he said, urbane once more, "that certainly put a pall to my 
apotheosis.  Oh well.  Now then, young Mary, when I realized that it was not 
I who was in for God-Hood and that it was, in fact, the daughter of my 
nemesis (slight laughter), I became quite depressed.  However I had yet 
another revelation.  Fate is a blind mistress.  The who doesn't matter so 
much that the role be filled, that destiny not be denied.  And so, young 
Mary, I'm afraid that I shall have to steal your power and thus your role in 
this grand game that is life. Doctor!  Begin the procedure."
	And begin they did.  Energies of unknown properties crackled through 
the air.  An entire group of psions forced their concentration through 
machines directed at the womb.  Various mages began chanting a spell of 
channeling.  A clear dome closed over Mary, and the energy collectors based 
upon the one used for the Silver Surfer activated.
	"It's working," muttered Doom, as he focused upon not on his normal 
sense or even upon his armor's sensors but rather his own quite sensitive 
mystical senses.  "My god, I feel it . . . feel her."
	And suddenly the psychics cried in pain as their brains were 
destroyed, sizzled by the brief contact with the vast consciousness that they 
had helped to bring about, the vast machinery began to spark and finally 
explode, unable to compensate for the power it was absorbing.  The mages 
burst into flames, their screams brief, and their death swift.  Klaxons rang 
everywhere, as all the technicians ran out of the room, as the sprinklers 
overhead turned on.  
	"No," muttered Doom as he stared at Mary, who had started to glow.  
"Ultimate power . . . it's right here.  I shall not let it escape my grasp.  
I shall not!"  Armored arms crashed through the clear dome that covered the 
womb, unmindful of the vast energies trapped within that escaped.  Doom 
activated within his armor systems the energy absorbers that he had 
installed.  He stared at Mary with both pain and exultation.  "Ha!  I . . . I 
see so much, I feel so much!  Gods, what power!"
	Mary, who had been mostly quiet through this entire ordeal, cried 
when Doom's hands clutched at her, her nimbus growing brighter and brighter 
until it obscured all sight.  Doom cried out, as his eyes were burned, as the 
power suddenly turned deadly.  "No," whispered Doom as he felt something 
invade his mind.  "No, I shall not let you in.  No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
	A cry escaped from Doom's lips, as something brushed against his 
mind, against his very soul, and he collapsed.  Automatic systems imbedded in 
the very masonry of the castle activated when its sensors detected Doom's 
state.  A powerful teleportational matrix, one designed primarily to teleport 
singularity cores the size of the moon, appeared and shunted the vast 
machinery to the one place that Doom considered appropriate for his trash.

THE BAXTER BUILDING

	"I feel the need for violence," Sue said as she loaded yet another 
hand-cannon.  It soon joined the others that were on her back.  "A great deal 
of mindless rage needs must be expressed."
	"Ah, yeah, sure, Suzie-Q.  Now why don't you give me those until we 
actually get to Latveria," Ben said, as he went for the arsenal.  Sue glared 
at him so fiercely that he backed off.  "Right.  Your guns."
	"We should have gone to Latveria in the first place," Johnny said, as 
he had done all throughout the day, "instead of stopping those 
Life-Model-Decoy things."
	"If we hadn't, Johnny," Reed said, as calm as ever, "they would have 
surely undermined the government beyond repair."  He paused.  "At least, 
that's what I'm telling myself."
	"Uh huh," Johnny said.  "Could you hurry up with that transport 
platform?"
	"I'm trying to find the correct frequency to transport through the 
shielding around Latveria," Reed said, as he looked from the real-time 
S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite feed to the transport platform.  "There, it's done."
	"Finally," Sue growled out, as she sprang up from the couch.  She 
went over to the other side of the laboratory and tried to lift the 
Vibranium-reinforced solid-sound blaster.  However, after many attempts, she 
finally placed it within a bubble that floated behind her.
	"Don'cha think that's a bit of overkill?" Ben asked.  She answered 
with a look, and he backed away once again.  "Guess not." 
	"Well, come on, everyone," Reed said, "get on the platform."
	"Right-ho," Jennifer said, as she also got up from the couch weakly.  
	"Jennifer," Sue said quite gently, a change from her recent attitude, 
"you're much too weak to come along.  Thank you, though.  Besides with all my 
guns, I'm certain that I'll make more than enough collateral damage for the 
both of us."
	" . . . all right," Jennifer said, agreeing for she did not wish to 
be a liability, especially in this mission.  "God speed, Sue."
	"Ok, I'm scanning your patterns," Reed said.  Out of habit, he 
checked once more with the real-time read-out, to make certain that Doom had 
not strengthened his shielding.  That saved their lives.  "Holy god."  The 
display of Castle Doom was one of utter carnage.  Nearly half of the castle 
was seemingly gone, with fires raging across the roof.
	"What is --oh great googily moogily," Ben said, as he too stared at 
the ruins of Castle Doom.  "I . . . I'm sure that Mary's all right," he said 
quickly, laying a rocky hand upon Reed's shoulder.  He did not reply, too 
transfixed by the horrible image.  The others stepped off the platform and 
when they saw the feed, they too were stunned.  Sue held onto Johnny for 
support.  Jennifer too went over to her friend and made comforting noises to 
her, while Sue shook in fear.  
	A strange hum filled the air, and the ghostly image of piles of 
eldritch machinery transposed itself against the laboratory.
	"Everyone OUT!" shouted Reed, knowing what was happening, if not how. 
 Quickly, they raced out of the lab, and out of the phantom machines.  The 
hum turned into a brief high-pitched squeal then the ghost machines turned 
all too real.  
	"This is Victor's technology," Reed said, as he examined the 
wreckage.  "I recognize the design philosophy behind it.  He must have 
transported this here when the explosion occurred.  He always was a spiteful 
sort."
	"How do we get to Latveria now?" Sue said.  "The transport platform 
is buried somewhere in there, and you know that our planes will never be able 
to get across the borders."
	"Don't worry, dear," Reed said, "we'll figure out something.  We will 
get Mary back, I assure you."
	Then, the sound of metal being moved about carefully came from deep 
within the wreckage.  
	"Good lord," Jennifer said, her powerful hearing detecting the subtle 
sounds, "there's someone in there."  She quickly tore into the machinery.  
Ben soon joined her, and they worked in unison to reach the buried person.  
Finally, they dug a huge tunnel, turned smooth by Johnny's carefully placed 
fire-blasts, to the trapped person.  
	"Wow," Johnny said, as he stared with appreciation at who they had 
found.  It was a girl, about sixteen with ash-blonde hair and deep blue eyes. 
 She was dressed rather strangely, all swatches of fabrics put together 
randomly by a mad tailor.  "Hi, my name's Johnny.  What's yours?"
	She stared at him blankly for a moment, as she slowly walked down the 
tunnel, not saying a word.  Then, she caught sight of Sue and Reed.  "Mommy!  
Daddy!" she cried, as she ran towards them.  Shocked, they did not stop her 
when she drew them into a huge hug.
	"Wha-" Sue said.  Reed, however, had more presence of mind, if only 
slightly, so he said, "Ah."
	"Did she say 'Mommy'?" Johnny asked Ben. 
	"It sounded like she did," Ben replied.
	"Think it's possible?" 
	"Hey, I learned after turning into a livin', breathin' pile o' 
bricks, anything's possible, especially with this group," Ben said sagely.
	"Nuts," Johnny said, "I was really looking forward to having a date."

CASTLE DOOM
	In the chaos after the explosion, the power to Nathaniel's restraints 
ebbed, just enough for him to make good his escape.  A doorway of light 
appeared, and he fell through it.  Instantly, a healing field hit him, 
numbing the pain slightly, as the Doc-In-A-Box went about its job.  He 
activated a screen, and it showed the event occurring in the Baxter Building. 
 He smiled.
	"It's all going according to plan," he said.  "Naha.  Nahaha.  
Nahahahaha.  NAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!! . . . Hack, oy my throat's 
dry."       

ELSEWHENWHEREWHYHOW

	In a place beyond description, beings of vast power stared at one 
another.
	"Well, that one went down like a lead balloon," said one, a figure in 
elaborate armor.  "She was supposed to waylaid here during her 
Instrumentation.  What now?"
	*{WE WAIT}*           

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
FINALLY DONE WITH THE FIRST FREAKIN' BIT!  Tell me what you think, where I 
should improve, where I'm perfect, etcetera etcetera.
Next up for one of the five/six/seven people posting to XXY currently, and 
certainly the most, umm . . . not sure.
-Murmur the Fallen

"Darlin'!" yelled Jean Grey sent telekinetically directed electrons toward 
her darling.

"Wagh!  Jean!" screamed Scott in alarm, then he sprinted away from the girl 
he was hitting upon.  "EEEYYYAAAAHHH!!!" he screamed, as he was hit with ten 
thousand volts of Phoenix Retribution.

"Such is fate," Charlie said solemnly as he clapped his hands ritualistically.

Urusei Mutants, coming to a illness addled mind near you!

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