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Ben pounded across the lobby. He noticed Johnny and Rachel enter. "Christmas come early! Check it out!" He held up an action figure of Ben: a horribly bloated body topped by a tiny pin head. Johnny pushed a button.
"IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!" With one arm, Ben shoved Johnny into a wall.
"Johnny! Ben stop!" Rachel cried. With his other hand, Ben grabbed the toy and smashed it into a wall, inches from Johnny's head. They toy lodged into the plaster.
"Hey! That's a prototype."
"Go back to the drawing board." He then strode away.
"Oh my god. Johnny are you okay?" Rachel ran over to comfort him.
Before he could answer, Sue sped out of the elevator. No sign of Ben. She ran into Johnny and Rachel who shook off the counter. "Did you guys see Ben?' sue asked worriedly.
"Yeah, for the last time, I hope. I'm done with this freak show. I'm moving back to the real world." He said.
"Wait what? Johnny what do you mean?" Rachel questioned.
"Is that what you call it? "Real"?" Sue asked.
" At least it beats living in a lab like somebody's science project."
That hit home for Rachel. Sue got quiet. Johnny turned to go. "Johnny, slow down. Think." Rachel said.
"She's right. You know mom didn't raise us too--"
"Look around, sis! She's not here. So you can stop talking to me like I'm your little boy --" Johnny said angrily.
"As soon as you stop acting like one. " Sue retorted.
"Come on, you're smarter than this." Rachel said. "You think those people out there care about you? You're just a fad to them." She tried to grab his hand but he pulled away.
"Let's try something new: you live your life. And I'll live mine. And just for the record: they LOVE me." Johnny said. He strode into the night, leaving Rachel alone. The Fantastic Five was no more. The family had split apart.
Tears came out of Rachel's eyes. "Did he just break up with me?" She asked.
"I-I don't know." Sue pondered the thought for a moment. "I'll go talk to him." she said before running out to find him.
Rachel took a seat on the couch. She couldn't even fathom it. As she sat, the lights went haywire. Rachel immediately knew what was going on. "Oh my god. Reed."
---- ----
Lights flickered in darkness. The door ripped open. Rachel lunged inside. She saw through the smoke and sparks, Reed swayed in the chamber. Rachel wondered if it worked.
Reed slumped to the ground. His eyes fluttered back. His body was warped, twisted -- one half remained tense, hard, while the other half was loose, soft, and almost melted. "What did you do, Reed? What did you do?" She asked.
Rachel struggled to lift Reed -- half of his body was stretched out, devoid of any semblance of bone structure. One side of his face looked like it was melting off. "I can...make it work." he said.
"Reed, stop, you need to rest your --" Rachel tried to help.
"The power...I need...more power...to control...the storm --"
"You need a doctor dumbass."
Suddenly, Reed lost consciousnesses. Rachel quickly carried him out.
---- ----
Loud music and pulsating lights. A young crowd danced and grinded to the beat. Among the colorful lights, sat a man drinking beer, hoping his problems would wash away.
Johnny sat in the VIP section, a woman sat next to him. She tried to get closer to him, closer and closer. The candles around them started to melt and she started to sweat. "What do you say we get out of here? " He asked. She looked at him awkwardly as a large man stood up.
"This your boyfriend?" He asked. Her boyfriend didn't look happy.
"Is that all you do? Bar tricks and and stealing chicks....? I thought you have a girl. Or did you steal her from someone else?"
Now it was personal. Johnny felt attacked. He did have a girl, but he was a jerk to her. Now that he looked at the girl, she did look a lot like Rachel.
He had one last trick. He tapped the guys drink which ignited it into a burst of flames. The boyfriend dropped his glass, which smashed on the ground, which made the floor catch on fire. The boyfriend quickly moved in and stamped it out. "What are you doing?! You could have burned somebody!" The girl cried.
The boyfriend took his girlfriend's hand and, they started to walk off. She turned back for one last comment. "You know, if I had your power I'd be doing something with it, like protecting My girl ,not wasting my time doing cheap bar tricks, hitting on some other guy's girl." She said.
Johnny looked a little embarrassed. The couple left. Johnny glanced around. His fans looked down, away. He saw how quickly they could turn. Rachel was right. The crowd parted slightly.
He looked alone. He was alone. He felt bad. With or without powers he hurt people. As if some kind spirit possessed him, he knew what he needed to do.
He needed to go back to the team.
He needed to go back to the one he loved.
He needed to go back to Rachel.
A/n: Sorry this one was short. But on another note, 2 chapters in one day?
