save us

When it came to powers, Johnny had always known where he stood. He was less without his powers than he was with them, would go from being a hero to a nobody if they were ever permanently taken away. Ben, too, had always had a clear stance, though it was entirely on the other side of the spectrum from Johnny’s. He’d never quite known where Reed or Sue stood, though, and part of him was afraid to ask. If they’d known what the end result would be when they’d stepped into that rocket, would they still have gone? The idea that they wouldn’t, that they would have stayed behind to pursue normal lives, was somehow terrifying. Johnny already hated knowing that the best moment of his life had been the worst of Ben’s, and while he might be able to stomach knowing it had been the worst of Reed’s, he didn’t think he could go on if Sue felt the same.

Sue had always been his guiding force, showing him the right way to do things ever since he was a little kid. When he was in high school, young and angry and stubborn, she’d been the one to refuse to allow him to drop out. She made him do all his homework, made him go to class, made him march across that stage to get his diploma. Sue had always made Johnny a far better person. If not for her, he probably would’ve been in prison for punching the president weeks ago. “Really?” Johnny’s face brightened at the idea of setting Bar Creep on fire, though the idea was quickly abandoned when a much more tempting target took the stage. “Maybe I should set him on fire,” he murmured, glaring daggers at the stage as Doom exited. “Uh. Make a perimeter? A distraction? Offer up a free s’mores station? You’re the brains here, sis.”

When the team had returned from that fated space mission, Sue had been monumentally angry. Their progress, given the fact that the takeoff had been unauthorised, was going to be buried, their careers were all but in the toilet, and her brother had suffered something traumatic that was at least partially her fault. She was supposed to protect him, defend him. That was the only job she had for the first twenty odd years of her life, and she prided herself on doing it well. Of course, it turned out that the opposite was the case. Johnny thrived as a result of his powers, the team was formed to save the world on more than one occasion every week, and Sue’s career sky-rocketed quite literally. They travelled to new dimensions, new planets and solar systems, they were adventurers, and they were heroes.

“A bell?” Nadia’s face lit up at the revelation, and she looked incredibly excited. “I would love to get a bell! I could make the bell bigger, if you think that would help. It may change the pitch, though. Do you think that would make a difference?” She loved things like this, loved being presented with problems to solve. In the Red Room, it had been something that allowed her a temporary escape, a way to forget where she was and what she was doing. Someone presented her with an issue and ordered her to invent something that would solve it, and Nadia had done so gleefully. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, those solutions had been given to terrible people and were likely used to do terrible things. She tried not to think of that part as much, tried not to consider what the Red Room had done with what she’d given them.

Nadia nodded, looking thoughtful. “He might have been able to figure it out,” she replied uncertainly. She was unsure how to feel about her father now that she knew what sort of man he was. For most of her life, she’d idolized him. It had been difficult, learning that he was, perhaps, not a good man at all. “I think we should try it,” she added, brightening up as the subject veered away from her father. “We can find out how to talk to him! It would be fun.” Her smile widened at Sue’s promise, and she looked pleased. “Good. I hope I can be there to see him off.”

“Hopefully insanity otherwise that’s bleak,” Karen said, cringing at the prospect. She couldn’t imagine people seriously sacrificing one and other to demons, but in New York, and caught between misery and detox, it didn’t seem entirely improbable. Slowly, the years had really taken away from her faith in humanity, Karen realized, and she wasn’t proud of that. Hell’s Kitchen wasn’t a kind place, however, and as the saying went, only the strongest survived. Luckily, they had heroes seeking out resources to keep from any serious tragedies and Karen truly hoped that would continue. “I can’t wait,” she said with a smile, genuinely appreciating Sue’s suggestion. As far as she knew, Sue wasn’t aware that Karen typically had a notebook tucked in her purse, ready to write any brilliant ideas down. Her phone never felt as genuine. “I stay in New York,” she replied. “My family doesn’t get together anymore.” It was the truth, she supposed, just without any detail. “Do you and Johnny stay here too?” Sue rarely discussed the Storm’s, and Karen knew better than to ask for any intimate details. “It sounds like he did a one eighty in order to become the president,” she said, wrinkling her brow. “Men like that don’t typically end up elected… they lack the charisma,” Karen was obviously thinking out loud, but she imagined Sue had grown used to that with Reed around. “I would love to do it now,” she replied before finishing the last of her drink. “I really appreciate this, Sue. I know it’s risky,” Karen continued as she rose from her seat.

“I tend to go for the more optimistic side of things if I can help it, so I would be inclined to agree that’s the best option of the two.” Sue had always been something of a cynic, though she would prefer to call herself a realist. Still, as the years had progressed, she had learned that the world was dark and dangerous enough that it didn’t need her projecting her problems onto it. If she regarded the people around her and the situations with optimism and humour, then they were a lot easier to cope with. None of the facts changed, but the way that she dealt with them altered. She had learned a lot during her time with the FF, and it was mostly thanks to friends like Karen, who opened her eyes in ways that they hadn't been before. “New York has better decorations anyway,” Sue said, “if you can bypass the insanity that comes with holiday shopping.” Sue tended to order all of her gifts through the year, scheduling them for delivery well before December, hiding them in various places around the Baxter Building. It prevented her from going out into New York in the midst of wintertime bliss, which was more dangerous than fighting Galactus. Definitely more irritating. “Yeah, we usually spend it in the Baxter,” she said, “or at least in New York. All our closest friends are here.” Sue was eager to spend Christmas with Wanda, as well. “Risky is my middle name,” she said, “I have it stitched on the necks of all my t-shirts.” Sue lifted up her hand, forming an invisible shield around it, and then tapped against it to demonstrate to Karen. “It’s made a lot less risky when you can pack invisible body armour,” she said. “Hopefully we won’t need it, but demons seem to pour out of Doom’s every orifice.” Gross metaphor aside, it was true, and something to be considered!

Personally, Diana was much more concerned about the fact that if magic was involved, she had no notion of how it would have been employed or how to stop it, only the vague sense that this was something she might have known, had she studied harder. But concern was concern, and she nodded once, sharply and emphatically, in agreement. “I believe this should be brought to the attention of someone who is more versed in magic than I, if you would be comfortable with that.” In Sue’s place, she would want anything possible done to restore her mind to what she knew it ought to be, but she couldn’t speak for the other woman, even in this case, where it was something that she thought was common sense.

“If Stark asks, I’ll tell him honestly that there was never any contest.” Rich grins and shrugs his shoulders, resists the urge to roll his eyes at the mere mention of the name. There was a reason that Carol was a member of the Avengers and he wasn’t–she was extroverted and powerful in all of the ways the Avengers valued, practically made for the public spectacle part of the job–where Rich was singularly devoted to the Nova Corps alone and had very little taste for being anywhere but space. “We don’t exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things–he made an ill fated pitch to me about going through the proper channels when I came back from space, as if saving his rich ass from the calamities of the universe wasn’t enough.” He’s sure that if Stark knew he was alive again he’d get another lecture about registering–which would ensure the same reaction of Rich firmly telling him where exactly he could shove his registration forms. He’d never give over anything related to the Corps, which Sue understands–precisely why he’s more than willing to work with the Fantastic Four over any of the other teams in New York currently. 

“Oh I’d swear it to anyone–you wanna bring your brother in here, I’ll tell him to his face you’re the best member, definitely number one out of four.” He laughs and shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t ally the Corps to just anyone, I believe in what your team is doing here–what you’re doing here.” He smiles warmly, hope settling warm in his chest in a way that he hadn’t really anticipated. Maybe he would–talk about what had happened on Xandar, or even one day–how he had died. It could help him better explain it to Jane, the one person who deserved to know, who had missed him. It could make him a better leader–but he wasn’t there yet. He needed to carry the pain around for a little while longer, needed it to remind him. “Well when you put it like that.” He nods his head, feels his smile soften around the edges. “Your company is something that I would be an idiot to refuse.” 

“No myth, the Worldmind is what gives every Nova their power, and it contains all of Xandar’s history and culture and knowledge.” He can’t help but grin at the look of amazement on her face–he rarely gets to share what he knows with the heroes of Earth, and he knows some amazing things–he’s grateful that his choice is proving to be the best one he could have made. “When Xandar was destroyed I absorbed it into myself, I bet with your technology we could create a kind of database that you could access–and that would really drive Stark crazy.” 

“Good,” Sue said, with a warm smile on her face. “Stark is a good man, but anything that shaves a few inches off his ever growing head is a good thing.” No compliments would ever slip from Sue’s lips to the prodigal engineer, put it that way. She was careful to monitor her enthusiasm, had learned a long time ago that putting her faith in people occasionally turned out extremely badly (Victor Von Doom being the prime example) and usually reserved it for the team and her family. Rich was going to be working along with them in the future, and that meant that he had a season pass to that amount of regard as well. Hopefully he didn’t take it quite as much to heart as her brother, who shared Tony’s penchant for big head syndrome. “The proper channels?” Sue repeated, raising an eyebrow. She burst into laughter, struggling to contain herself by placing a hand over her mouth. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. That’s not funny but … okay, it’s hilarious. What did he want you to do? Put through a request form while you were staring down a Bilgesnipe invasion?”

After years of relying on her entirely, Johnny knew Sue well enough to know exactly what she needed at any given time. As a child, he knew when she needed him to be quiet so she could work on her homework in peace, knew when she needed a distraction from said homework that allowed him to be loud, knew when she needed him to set something on fire and when she needed him not to do that. Tonight, he could see she needed a rescue, and he was more than willing to provide that. They’d been saving each other long before they were superheroes, after all.

He flashed the guy who’d been attempting to pick her up a bright smile, raising a brow. It had been a little easier to scare creeps like that off when he was a kid – no one ever wanted the added complication of a kid with a hookup, especially when Johnny, always the actor, had batted his lashes and asked the men if they planned on being his father – but the whole ‘protective brother who can also set himself on fire’ bit went pretty far, too. The man looked a little stiff as he turned away, and Johnny couldn’t help but snort. “Oh my god,” he laughed, following Sue’s lead to the snacks. “What a creep. You need me to set him on fire? You haven’t let me set anyone on fire in forever, sis. I’m getting kinda antsy.” He loaded his paper plate with more snacks than he could realistically eat, figuring he’d claim that setting yourself on fire burned a lot of calories. “He seems like the kind of guy who likes going all out,” Johnny murmured, making a face that demonstrated just what he thought of Doom. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the man took to the stage, and Johnny couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Great. Now what?”

At the beginning of the Fantastic Four, the enemies had been easy to face. They had been impersonal, they were aliens with faces that looked nothing like humans, they were giant Kang the Conquerors who wanted nothing more than everyone on earth dead. It was clear to see where the line was drawn, and Sue could keep a straight head the entire time. The only challenge was her physical power. As the years progressed, though, and the Fantastic Four made a name for themselves, the villains adapted. They started to mess with their minds. Psycho Man turned her against her team, transformed her into something she never wanted to be. Victor -- he felt like something personal too, even if he wasn’t an opposing force to the Fantastic Four (yet).

“How would anyone in New York go on if both gin and coffee were unavailable?” Karen mused. There was no attitude in her words, she was genuinely posing the question. New York City was in a perilous position, and while she and Sue were capable of joking about it, the fact of the matter was quite simple: inevitably, they would begin running out of luxuries, and when that time came, the population would have to adjust. Karen was concerned people weren’t capable, New Yorkers were… vain. “I would love that,” she said with a laugh. “I’m always looking for new notebooks, especially the nice ones.” Hers was a simple Hilroy, no fanciness to be remarked upon, but it would be nice for that to change. After all, Karen was a professional. As their conversation shifted into a serious tone, Karen took another sip of drink, as if bracing herself for the truth. She always sought it out, but more than anyone, she understood intimately how difficult honesty could be to face. “What was he like before?” She asked quietly, her brow furrowing. If Sue knew him years ago and he had no interest in politics, that was a great lead. “I hope he understands, too, but if he doesn’t… this is how we protect people. When should we go?”

“They wouldn’t. They would start sacrificing each other to the demons, either out of insanity or boredom.” The situation in New York was, to be frank, extremely dangerous. For all of the Fantastic Four’s knowledge on cosmic threats and other dimensions, they were completely in the dark. Even the world’s greatest minds combining their ideas together were utterly baffled by what had occurred, and no one seemed particularly eager to speak up against Doom unless it was in the safety of the back storage cupboard at the Bulletin, or their own living rooms. “I will get you a stack of them for Christmas. If we’re back on earth by then, do you stay in the city, or do you go home to family?” Karen rarely spoke about her upbringing, Sue knew only what she had done since arriving in New York, but Sue always wished to know more about her friends. It also meant she would know where to send the very elaborate Christmas present she was yet to come up with! A notebook was only the beginning of what Karen deserved. “Melodramatic,” Sue snorted. “Always had a chip on his shoulder when it came to Reed. Overconfident, until he wasn’t. Wore a lot of black, listened to Metallica when he was in the shower, thought he could sing when he couldn’t. I only noticed after we broke up that he was, in Johnny’s words, a ‘complete creep-fest.’” Sue took a breath, looking down at her watch. “No time like the present, unless you would like something to fill up your schedule sometime this week?”

Though she was partial to the Avengers due to Natasha’s connection with them, Nadia couldn’t deny that she held no small amount of affection towards the Fantastic Four as well. They were a team that had started because of a scientific curiosity that she was intimately familiar with, a team that understood exactly what it meant to see the world and long to know how it worked. It was lead by one of the smartest men on the planet, and Sue’s intellect was certainly nothing to scoff at, either. Perhaps most intriguing, the Fantastic Four had a familial bond that no other superhero team seemed to be able to replicate. As someone who had no real family left to speak of, Nadia found something wonderful about that.

“House pets wear collars, yes? Did he have a collar? Do you have it with you? Maybe he’ll be more agreeable if we put it on!” It seemed a reasonable enough thought. “Can he use similar methods to communicate with all sorts of animals? My father once manufactured technology to help him communicate with ants. Maybe we could alter that to better understand your bug friend?” Nadia was eager to help, and while she might have hesitated in offering use of her father’s  tech to anyone else, she figured Sue was trustworthy enough to understand it. Nodding hesitantly, Nadia found that she still felt uncertain about the idea of keeping anything in a cage. When Sue looked back at her and offered an alternative, Nadia’s relief was visible. “I like that,” she smiled. “I think it’s a great idea! He deserves to live on his own planet, with creatures like him. To be free.”

Diana was about to ask ‘why not’ when Sue went on to explain herself. She didn’t see the point in ignoring it when someone had rightfully earned her disdain. But what Sue was describing was something else, and it concerned her. Not for the first time, she wished she had spent as much time studying magic as a child as she had spent on her sword-work. At the moment, all of the knowledge she didn’t have would have come in very handy. The fact that she could not change what she had chosen didn’t mean she couldn’t or wouldn’t regret it. “That is concerning,” she said thoughtfully, wracking her brain to try to remember anything that might be helpful. All she could come up with was the vague sense that it sounded like the magic of her youth. “Such a thing could be accomplished with magic, though I admit that I don’t know the means for doing so - or, unfortunately, for reversing it once it has been done.”

She nodded emphatically. Any location that took them out of the public eye was fine with her. Suddenly, with the direction that their conversation had taken, being exposed did not seem wise. Perhaps she was only being paranoid, but in the current circumstances, perhaps a little paranoia wasn’t the worst idea. “The Baxter Building is fine. Besides,” she continued with a lightness in her voice that she didn’t particularly feel, “I am a curious person by nature. It will be interesting to see the place that you operate from.” It didn’t take away any of the seriousness of their conversation to interject a moment of lightheartedness, and even if she wasn’t really feeling cheery, it did improve her own mood.

The explanation made much more sense, and she smiled in agreement. “In that case, I would be honored to collaborate with your team.” It was intriguing that she’d come around to much the same subject that Diana had already wanted to discuss. All the better, as far as she was concerned. If they were both thinking along the same lines, it would make future cooperation easier. “Remember some of the people I work with. I think your brother cannot possibly be as trying as certain members of the League.”

@invisiblewomcn

The party was in full swing, with a crowd on the dance floor and people scattered all around lost in conversations. Johnny felt energized by the warmth of the bodies surrounding him, a wide grin set in place as he weaved through the crowd, stopping occasionally to speak to someone he knew or strike up a conversation with a stranger. No matter his feelings on Doom (which were hardly positive), he couldn’t deny that he was having fun at the party.

Spotting the back of a head he’d know anywhere in the crowd ahead, Johnny politely excused himself from his conversation and made his way over. He threw an arm around her shoulder, grinning as he leaned in to speak. “Hey, sis!” He greeted enthusiastically. “How’s it going? You had a chance to hit up the snacks table? They’ve got these little kebab-looking things. I have no clue what’s in them, but they taste great!”

Parties were a lot more fun these days than they ever had been when Sue was a child, or even when she was in college. Johnny could blend in seamlessly with a crowd, could immediately find himself at home with a group of people that he had only met mere moments before, but Sue had always felt more comfortable with those that she knew. In the past few years that had changed, she had come out of her shell massively and found that she had a good time doing it, but tonight, in a place that she was more suspicious of than anything else, she was keeping to circles that she knew well already.

@ofelements

“I don’t think I want to imagine a gin drought right now,” Karen admitted. New Yorkers were haughty at the best of times, but without liquor to calm their nerves, she envisioned it being absolutely horrific. There would be riots, paranoia, demands, and right now, they needed to be operating as a team in order to be free of their strange circumstances. Karen might not drink excessively herself, her reliance on alcohol was questionable and unhealthy, but not everyone had her vices. “Well, at least that leaves us with a little more usable paper,” she joked. Their resources and lack thereof was something that terrified Karen, she understood the direness of their situation, but she also understood that humour was necessary in situations like their own. “They’re definitely amazing,” Karen agreed with a smile. When Sue agreed to her offer, Karen was surprised. Her job required investigation, especially since she prided herself on honest journalism, but Sue would be taking a risk in helping her — especially against the President. “Are you sure you know what you’re offering?” She asked, worry evident in her tone.

“It would be almost as catastrophic as a coffee drought would be for the academic population,” Sue said, thinking fondly of how the labs at the Baxter were piled high with empty coffee mugs and Starbucks bags. Black coffee from the decanter was her port of call considering it was often the quickest and easiest option, but she had to admit, she was relieved to hear that there were more resources out there that would mean she didn’t need to mourn for her caramel latte just yet. “If you wanted paper, we could definitely go to Daphne’s house. I don’t think she’s written anything in her rather large, expensive looking notebook all year besides jotting her name down a thousand times per class.” The things that Sue had to deal with, honestly. She almost found the micro aggressions of her students more irritating than the demons infiltrating the city, though obviously it was far less serious, and her perception of things was warped from years of superheroics. “Oh, I’m more than aware,” Sue said, turning serious. “I don’t trust Doom as far as I could throw him. I’m in a unique position where I knew him before he was … what he is now. If things go south, I’d hope he would understand where I was coming from.” It was far from the truth, but it was wishful thinking, which was in desperately short supply these days. Nothing would dissuade her from assisting Karen in any way she could, and her friend had to know that.

The Fantastic Four was a team Jen never anticipated joining. Obviously, considering how much she’d bounced from superhero team to superhero team, Jen never foresaw herself joining any team permanently. Somehow, that had changed and it definitely wasn’t intentional. She just fit properly on the Fantastic Four, tormenting Johnny, clobbering with Ben and spending quality time with Sue. Unsurprisingly, Sue was who she got along best with in a technical sense, and that was largely because Susan Storm was a genius and one of the most kindhearted people Jen had ever met. She truly believed that some people you connected with naturally and that she was one of them, lucky for Jen. Inevitably, she would most likely leave the Fantastic Four, either to go solo or to join another team. Commitment had never suited Jen well (besides the law, she was very committed to that) and staying on a single team was difficult. Everyone needed a little help from She-Hulk!

“You should see me in court if that impressed you,” Jen replied with a wink. “I can’t imagine ever breaking any hearts, Sue. How dare you?” Honestly, she tried to avoid breaking hearts. Her fear of commitment wasn’t solely with teams, but also in relationships, and she had only been exclusive with two people. It wasn’t something she analyzed often, knowing that it most likely stemmed from bullying years ago and her complete love for law, super heroics and her friends. The hearts she broke were entirely unintentional. “Thank god you’re with me and never have to worry about unwise company,” she replied lightly. It was peaceful, standing here with Sue, bantering, but in seconds, they would be in the wasteland searching for resources. “Reed would be so envious,” she replied, following closely behind Sue. After a moment, Jen stepped in front of her friend, a small precaution but one that was easy to justify. Unlike Jen, the Invisible Woman wasn’t invulnerable. “I can’t see anything either,” she replied, sounding surprised. There were demons around, that went without saying, but for resources… nothing. “Please do,” she replied, glancing down at Sue with a smile. “I’ve always wanted to fly.”

“I think I’ve found as good a place to start as any.” He says and smiles, a genuine thing that doesn’t feel like its a strange contortion of his face. He’s a little bit spellbound, that someone could be so honest and empathetic and brilliant all in the same breath, in the middle of all of the chaos happening outside–maybe because he doesn’t think he could ever be, not after dying rearranged the major parts of him in new configurations, tarnished some of the idealism that had lead him to lay it all on the line and shut the door to the Cancerverse. Or maybe it’s just the same kind of wonder of seeing a star up close for the first time, of basking in brilliant and borrowed light even for a moment. He can’t imagine why anyone would ever chose to not have that, and he feels sorry for all of those aunts and uncles who couldn’t be bothered. “Though I gotta be honest, I’m starting to think the rest of your team might pale in comparison.” 

Her touch is light on his arm, and he’s suddenly aware of how long it’s been since he stopped long enough for someone to touch him like that, with gentle ease and concern, without his armor providing a kind of physical and emotional barrier. He wonders if he should touch her hand in return, but he decides against it just in case–he’s well and truly out of practice and he doesn’t want to ruin a good thing. “It was a while ago, the kind of weight you get used to eventually.” He says and shrugs his shoulders. That would have been enough for one lifetime, but Rich seemed to draw in tragedy, as if somewhere along the line the universe had decided that he was going to draw his strength stacked against his losses. “Thank you Sue, really. I wouldn’t want to take up any of your space–from what I hear Reed Richards is probably our best hope of getting out of here, and I’m sure he doesn’t need my tragic backstory taking up any room.” 

He laughs when he sees a tick of excitement on her face when he describes the Corps, and if she didn’t firmly have a place on Earth with her team he’d offer her a helmet right here and now. “Dishwashing robots? Somewhere on Long Island my mom is losing her whole mind.” He shakes his head, grins. “I’d like that–I’d like to be useful in any way I can. You’d probably enjoy working with the Worldmind–it’s mapped an incredible amount of space, galaxies worth.” 

Sue spent her life nowadays surrounded by amazing, powerful, compassionate and empathetic people. As a child, she had been relatively alone, raising Johnny as best she could while working three jobs to get them both through school. Isolating herself, remaining invisible, had seemed the easiest option, mostly because she didn’t have the time - or the heart - to open herself up to anyone else that wasn’t Johnny. Things had changed since then, and Sue was impossibly happy that was the case. The Avengers, the Justice League, the Young Avengers, all of them were vital to the cause in their own ways, and provided homes for people that were previously lost. Richard, though, was something else. Sue found herself marvelling at what he had been through, losing the people that he had fought alongside, those that he relied on with his life in their hands. He was the last of his kin, burdened by something that no one else could possibly understand, the powers of which even he was probably unaware of the extent of.

“One can hope.” Despite everything, all of the years that she had spent waiting and working, Diana still held onto that hope that things were improving. And in some cases they were. She could see the changes, even the small ones. It was all about perspective, she thought. She had a longer view of the world and the people in it than most of its other residents. “Sometimes it does happen.” Of course, sometimes it didn’t, but she didn’t think that needed to be pointed out. The cynical point of view could take care of itself without her needing to acknowledge it. “I concur. The timing is extremely suspicious. I suppose it’s possible for it to be a coincidence, that he already had people looking and the timing just…worked out.” She wrinkled her nose, making her disbelief clear. The world simply didn’t work that way.

Now that was the absolute truth, and she nodded solemnly. “Unfortunately true. Although in this case, I don’t think I’d like to accept that as the case.” And from what Sue said, it seemed that she felt the same way. That was good. Perhaps not as much the fact that neither of them felt that they could trust the only leadership available to them at the moment, but the fact that she wasn’t alone in her suspicions was comforting. “That process of seeking answers is part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I think it’s about time we had that conversation.” Besides which, if she stayed at this protest any longer, she was likely to garner too much attention that she didn’t want and hadn’t earned.

She smiled fondly at the offer. “Thank you. I do have the League already, but if that changes, I will let you know.” Although it wasn’t quite the same as having a small team that she could always rely on. The League was large, and its members frequently had their own interests to pursue on top of teamwork. It was a kind offer, and she appreciated it. Of course, she didn’t know what sort of situation would require her to accept that offer, and wasn’t sure she wanted to contemplate it. But it was still kindly met.

In the Red Room, Nadia had studied numerous different scientific fields. Astrophysics had been one touched on only briefly. The Red Room wanted weapons, wanted destructive forces and things that could be used to hurt and kill. Looking to the stars seemed silly. They were not a space-based program, had no desire to continue their espionage missions on the moon. Nadia learned about the world beyond the skyline only in snippets, and it always left her hungry for more. When she met the Fantastic Four, when she heard their terrifying tale of a trip to the stars, she’d felt unbelievably jealous. It was something she longed for, and for the first time in her life, it was an actual possibility. She had more possibilities now than she ever had before, and she intended to exercise every single one of them.

“He eats sofas? Is that what you feed him? Did he tell you it has more flavor?” The entire concept was incredibly exciting. Nadia had never chased down a creature such as this before, and since escaping a lifetime of captivity and what essentially amounted to enslavement, she was always looking to explore new activities. “Are you sure? I don’t know that anyone can thoroughly enjoy a cage.” She bit at her lip as she spoke, the words hitting a little too close to home. Being caged was not an experience she wanted anyone to have.

“Good choice,” Karen said approvingly. “We can always share,” she added, having every intention of snagging a few sweet potato fries. Food had been found in the wasteland, same with potential farmland, but that didn’t necessarily ensure that they would be able to successfully keep New York fed. Karen intended to indulge while it was certain that she could. “Gin is really popular right now. There’s lots of distilleries in the city, that could be why.” They never had to import that, thank god, and that meant that the population could continue drinking. Karen was always wary of ingesting too much alcohol, not because of her tolerance, but because of her dependence, but she did want to witness angry, sober New Yorkers. “Do you think any of them really will?” Karen asked, mildly amused by the idea of teenagers willingly studying. It sounded completely unreal, even to Karen whom had been a good student once upon a time, let alone young adults. “Those are still good missions!” She replied, meaning every word. The Fantastic Four were continuing their jobs, that was incredible. “Sorry about the dates though. Stories are all a work in progress, it’s hard to find evidence, people are good at hiding. No one to speak of,” she lied, trying to remain casual about Frank. Mentioning her feelings for a man technically dead and a serial killer was problematic. “You can always help me find evidence. Invisibility is good for stealth,” Karen said with a smile.

The entire situation surrounding the discovery of resources in the wasteland was still something that was weighing on Sue’s mind. She knew that it was a good thing, and ultimately it would have been inevitable considering how many of the most amazing scientists in the city were working on the issue, but it seemed as if it was extremely convenient timing. She was deeply suspicious of Doom - that was an easier way to refer to him, rather than Victor, rather than old friend - and it felt as if she had a good reason for that, but she couldn’t rationalise it. It was extremely irritating, but being with Karen and distracting herself with dinner was ultimately what she needed. “Thank God,” Sue muttered. “New York is never the happiest place on the world, but imagine it if there was a gin drought.” She imagined there would be monsters less terrifying. “Absolutely not,” she said. “They’ll probably use their notes as kindling for the fire. I don’t mind. We’ll get back on track once we return.” It wasn’t an if, it was a when, of that much Sue was sure. “They’re pretty amazing,” she admitted, “even if they’re standard.” She was insanely lucky to have her life, and she knew it. “If you ever want to call on me for a hand, you know where to find me. Now that the kids are off, I’m definitely going to need something to occupy my time. What better than helping you nail the bad guys to the wall, huh?”