Play Date • Johnny Storm

• Chapter Seventeen •

After ignoring everyone's calls and texts, Kayla finally decided to head back home after wandering around town aimlessly as she was consumed in her thoughts.

Once she had entered the Baxter Building, she dropped the hood of her favourite baby pink hoodie as she slowly made her way towards the elevator, where she pressed the button to take her up to the loft.

Once, she had stepped inside the lift, she leaned herself against the wall as her thoughts ran back to Johnny just as they always did.

Why couldn't the man love her the way she did him? Was she not good enough for him? Was she even worth fighting for?

She must not have been because he would have come running after her, pleading for another chance even though he had to earn that as well as her trust.

'Guess that year and a half was nothing, after all.' She thought brokenly and wiped away a stray tear that had slid down her cheek.

The sound of the elevator doors opening had snapped the brunette from her thoughts.

She silently stepped into loft and ran a hand through her hair before reaching into her pocket for her keys.

"I'm back!" She called out and tossed her keys onto the table as she walked past. "Reed--" She paused in step as her eyes fell onto Ben, who stood in front of her in his human form instead of his rocky one.

But that wasn't what shocked her because standing in front of him was Victor Von Doom. He appeared to have a large silver scar running down along the left side of his face with two smaller scars just above his right eyebrow and a slightly bigger one along his jaw.

The two men turned to face the newcomer, Victor smirking at the 5'2" woman while Ben gave her a worried glance.

"Well, if it isn't little Kayla Richards." Victor drawled out.

Kayla's hazel gaze turned into a cold, icy glare. "You look a little different there, Vic." She taunted, folding her arms. "Did you get into a fight while shaving? Let me guess, the razor won?"

"Charming as always, aren't we, Little One." Victor said with a glare of his own.

"Cut the crap! What did you do?" She demanded, seeing the machine, that her brother had been working on, had been used just minutes before she had entered.

Victor let out a dark chuckle. "Well, I'd be more than happy to tell you, Kayla, but let me finish my chat with Ben first, hmm?" He said as his hands began crackling with electricity.

Kayla took note of this and before Victor could make his move, a dome of water surrounded Ben, protecting him from the jolts.

"Don't you dare touch him." She seethed as Victor turned around to face her.

With a smirk, the scarred man tilted his head to the side. "Alright." He said. "Let's see what happens when electricity meets water?"

The brunette's heart began to race but that didn't stop her from letting down her guard as he continued. "Or, better yet, what it could do to a water bender when they come into contact with a current?"

Just as Kayla threw up a wall of water to protect herself, Victor had thrown his hand out towards her. A jolt of electricity shot out and collided with her body which made her let out a piercing scream.

Agony wouldn't even be a word to describe the pain she was in, in that exact moment. It felt as if her entire body had been engulfed in white hot flames, burning her from the inside out as she gave in to the darkness.

"Kayla!" Ben yelled in horror as he watched her body get thrown back into the wall like a rag doll as volts of electricity continued to dance along her body and it wasn't long until her body ceased movement.

The 5'7" man stood frozen in shock as he gazed at her still body. This is what he gets for trusting Victor. He should have known!

It's his fault that Kayla could end up dead.

"I'll be right with you, Kayla." Victor taunted, smirking in accomplishment as he turned away from the unconscious brunette and towards Ben.

All of a sudden, Ben felt himself get thrown across the room, his face throbbing in seering pain, before he slipped into unconsciousness after falling into some metal shelving and knocking over some chemicals in the process.

"One down, four to go." Victor smirked.