The Baxter Building
Madison Avenue at 42nd Street
Manhattan, New York

Debra Bernard jogged up the wide sweeping steps heading towards the vast, smoked glass entry way to the building’s lobby. The stone work sparkled, the white marble veined with various shades of blue, the overhang of the marquee barely shading the stairs so early in the morning. She glanced up and saw the words wrapping about the silver and blue marquee, proudly boasting the building’s name, overshadowing the bronze plaque near the doors only slightly.

THE BAXTER BUILDING

It still sent shivers down her spine, even after the almost six months that she had been assigned to the site as a SHIELD liaison and Office Manager to Mrs. Richards. She was more than that now of course- much more. And less too she supposed, in a way. Debra Bernard, Agent of SHIELD shrugged her light, autumn jacket higher onto her shoulders and continued to the door.

The internal computers had still not been aligned yet for easy access. Fury had been adamant that the building’s security remain at ‘Red’ level until both Richards and Stark- as well as their combined computer techies were satisfied that all of the bugs were out of the system. It was annoying of course, and she looked forward to the day when the DNA Scanners would simply approve her approach when she got within range of the doors, labeling her as a ‘Low Risk Regular’ rather than a potential threat.

She could see the inner lobby beyond, through the smoked glass. There was only one door operating, the others and the many revolving doors locked down; set aside for entry for the few people already working in the lower floors of the building, the construction workers of every sort that needed front access, and people like her. Even as she stepped towards the one swinging door that would allow her entry she saw the flat screen monitor flickering and swirling, the now familiar face morphing into focus on the screen-

“Stand and Deliver!”

Debbie’s lips twisted into a sneer as she stared at the computer generated image of Scott Lang. It was only natural that Richards and Stark would allow Lang to set up the Entry Codes; he had been a member of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers- sort of, and he had worked for Stark before that as a security consultant. Before that he had been a high-tech thief. There was probably no one better for the job at hand, and he had glowing recommendations from not only Stark and Richards but Henry Pym and Captain America as well. Still, she imagined that Lang was still giggling over the little ‘personal touches’ he had added into the security protocols.

“Bernard, Debra Jane… SHIELD Agent 867Delta509…”

She saw Lang’s face grin as the computer processed her voice, the instrumental Musak version of ‘Like a Virgin’ playing lightly in the background. Debbie sighed…

“Please… Swipe your Identity Card in Five… Four… Three…”

Debra slid her ID card smoothly through the reader’s slot, tapping in her PIN number as the wall device ‘pinged’. Lang smiled-

“Hold for Retinal Scan…”

Debra held position, trying not to blink as light bathed her face. It was supposed to be painless, but she swore that she felt a tingle as the scanners washed up and down, sparkling in her eyes as they took a reading of her retinas to compare to the data on file. It took barely three seconds, and when the light finally winked out she saw the image of Lang smile widely-

“Enter freely and of your own will…”

SHIELD Agent Debra Bernard sighed and shook her head as she shouldered her bag, waiting for the ‘Clear’ signal on the door. There was a metallic chime and a green light flashed. Debbie shoved through the door, ready for another day…

MAXIMUM ANNIHILATION!

Part I: The Nickel Tour

By Curtis Fernlund

She approached the desk with a smile, her worn cowboy boots clacking on the slick white tiles, echoing up into the vast, open lobby. She crossed the dark blue ‘4’ that sat dead center of the huge entry, glancing peripherally at the décor that had changed since the day before. Someone had positioned plants about the area in huge, cylindrical pots; low maintenance fauna like ferns and aryllia- even a set of small evergreen trees. Gold leaf Art Deco visions of the Seven Wonders of the World- both new and old- were interspersed with large photo renderings of Manhattan through the ages, most centered on the earlier versions of the Baxter Building and Four Freedoms Plaza. There was a huge American Flag strung high up behind the main security desk- a tribute to 9-11. Construction lights still dangled overhead, and there were painters assembling a scaffold against the far wall, but for the most part the lobby of the Baxter Building looked ready to rock.

Debbie stepped right up before the huge front desk that dominated the back wall of the lobby, a huge ‘4’ centered just above and behind, the state flag and the stars and stripes just to one side. The desk was massive and NY state of the art; with an inlaid computer screen and touchpad flush with the glossy mahogany top. The actual top of the desk was almost barren and polished; computer, phones, monitors, everything laid into the desktop and basically visible only to whomever was on duty. There was only a yellow legal pad atop the desk, and a pen held and tapping by the agent on duty-

“Morning, Agent Murphy,” she said as she slid the grid-lined legal pad about, extending two fingers to borrow his pen and sign in. She noted that Murphy looked tired and figured that he was on his last legs in the last hour of the night shift at desk duty- a truly boring job. And a job that might have been hers if not for a quirk of fate and apparently a word of recommendation from the Invisible Woman.

Debbie Bernard had been in the right place at the right time when Susan Richards had needed someone to safeguard her two children; Franklin and little Valeria. Being a SHIELD Agent and literally under the supervision of the Fantastic Four for the interim she had had little choice in the matter- not that she would have declined at all. Actually Debbie had volunteered when they had learned that Mister Fantastic was battling the Sub-Mariner for some reason or other. As Agent Bernard she had of course wanted to go to the fight to help. As Debbie Bernard however, Brooklyn native with three younger siblings she had the natural instinct to take care of the kids- no matter they were the progeny of the World’s Greatest Fighting Team.

She had been surprised when the Director himself had paid her a visit on site a couple days later, accompanying Mrs. Richards and the two of them literally corned her at her station and offered her the job. It was not really a hard choice in the end. She had volunteered for the less glamorous security detail straight away when it had been offered up on the SHIELD Bulletin Board for Field Agents with tech experience at her level and rank. In a plain light it seemed a boring task, working at the Baxter Building construction site, doing security as well as a bit of hard-wire work as her talents allowed. Something actually that she had been hoping to avoid when she had first signed on with the NYPD, years ago now.

Debra had wanted to do something after 9-11. Like most of the country her patriotism was tested, but unlike her two brothers a military stint was not for her. George and Roy had both rushed out and volunteered within the week; both to the Marines, but for Debra, that did not seem the answer. Instead she had applied for the Police Academy, taking the required enrollment tests and doing surprisingly well, scoring within the top 99% of the newest recruits. Even before she had actually started the Academy however, she and a few of the other top newbies had been offered the opportunity to transfer to the government academy for the Treasury Department; the Secret Service itself. That of course had been a no-brainer…

But it had not ended there.

Bernard went through the government training quickly, advancing easily and again at the top percentile of her class. She seemed to have a natural aptitude for the basics; simple martial combat, weapons, clerical, and even excelled at the harder sciences like Forensics and Computers. It was hard of course, but her dedication saw her through, and did not go unnoticed. When she had been approached by Special SHIELD Agent Jasper Sitwell at graduation, and offered a starting position as a field agent in the ranks of SHIELD, well, she had almost lost it all by fainting. Luckily they had not held that against her.

There had been more learning and tougher training over the following months. The Treasury Academy had been a cake walk compared to SHIELD’s training, and it seemed that everyone in her class was at least as good as everyone had thought she had been before- if not better. It had been grueling, even terrifying at times and probably far worse than anything her brothers probably endured even in Boot Camp for the USMC. She had survived however- some of her friends had not, washing out- and still in the top 90 %. When the Director himself had shaken her hand at the Graduation Ceremony, congratulating her with the Vice President and the Secretary of Defense looking on she had almost fainted again.

At first though, work with SHIELD had not been what she had expected. Growing up she had seen the Fem Force on the news, but that had been disbanded some time before. Being a woman, despite her high scores in the fieldwork she had been assigned to clerical in the beginning. There was a pecking order apparently, and dues had to be paid. Oh, there had been a few lesser assignments that included actual action, and she had been transferred to a base office in France for two months, which had been nice, but for the most part Debra was not filling her desire to actually defend her homeland in the manner she had envisioned after 9-11.

The opportunity had finally presented itself with the Baxter Building assignment however. Debra’s rank and tech level were well above the minimum requirements, along with the work she had done in security for SHIELD as well as her electrical skills that she had learned early on from her father. She had been accepted for the ‘mission’ without doubt, at first working with the staff assigned to getting the building in working order, up to the specifics as laid down by SHIELD, Wakanda Tech and Anthony Stark himself. It was still basically grunt work, but it was good and dirty and she was out of the office- at least for awhile. It did not take too long for her clerical background to rear its ugly head again. When the staff secretary Agent Pfeiffer came down with a ruptured appendix, Debra had been transferred again, this time to the direct supervision of the Invisible Woman herself; Susan Richards. It had been a step up really, and a raise in security rank and pay, but still it was the boring drudgery of being an office manager. Not a bad job of course, it had its merits and perks, but it was not what she had wanted at all.

Now however, with the endorsement of both the Invisible Woman and Director Fury himself, things had changed. Her actions in volunteering to look after the Richards children had been the right move apparently. Debra Bernard had been advanced again, and quickly, and just as fast placed on detached duty working for the Fantastic Four- through SHIELD. Granted, she was not out fighting Hydra or AIM, but this was the Fantastic Four! The adventure would come, eventually. And besides, the kids were great-

“Deb?”

Debra Bernard blinked, snapping out of her reveries at the voice of the security guard. Agent Murphy sat at the huge desk, lights flickering beneath the glassy surface of the inlaid monitor board waiting for her to respond to the next step in the entry process. Debbie smiled sheepishly-

“Sorry, Murph,” she said as she swiped her ID card through the hand held register that Murphy had raised before her. “Day dreaming, y’know?” She feigned a yawn, stretching as the device vibrated, processing her official data into the main computer for comparison. “Not quite awake yet either, I guess. I was on the night shift too long.”

“Tell me about it,” Murphy said with a knowing grin. The register finally pinged lightly, its lights signaling green for clear. He started typing on the desktop itself, his fingers flying over the huge touch pad keyboard that Debbie could just barely make out beneath the dark glass. It appeared twice the size of the normal keypad that she had used when she had sat in Murphy’s chair for a couple days. “It’s hard staying awake sometimes,” he continued as he typed, “and god forbid I take twenty winks and Fury show up for some reason. Bye-bye Murphy, say hello to the penguins.”

They laughed as Murphy finally gave her the thumbs up sign and her daily pass, which she pinned to the lapel of her shell top. One perk in working for the Fantastic Four directly, she was able to leave the skin-tight SHIELD uniform in the closet. Mrs. Richards had told her to dress casually and make herself at home for a few reasons. One was that she was considered one of them from straight away- at least Susan said she should consider herself that way. It might take awhile, but Mrs. Richards tried her best to make Debbie feel comfortable with her new status from the get go. Two: the work would be dirty at times, and there were still many parts of the building that were filthy with construction work, and would be for some time to come. Mrs. Richards had explained that even when the main building was finished, her husband was always converting and expanding, and despite the best efforts of a huge cleaning staff (augmented by robotics in classified and dangerous areas) and despite the apparent cosmetic cleanliness, the headquarters of the Fantastic Four was always a dirt magnet. Third, they were not expecting any attacks from any old foes. The arrival of the Sub-Mariner a few days before had not been an attack really, though it had escalated into a fight. The Invisible Woman was still confident however that the poly-mesh field uniform would not be necessary for the time being as she would usually be surrounded not only by fellow agents and Guardsmen, but within the close proximity of one of the FF as well. The uniform was good for what it did; capable of protecting against most lower level assaults, but it was hot and tight, and for some reason had always itched. Debra was glad to be able to wear regular, normal clothes again, and those casual, usually jeans and a tee shirt along with her well-worn cowboy boots. Lastly, Susan had said that she wanted both of the children to become comfortable around and with her. She had wanted Debra to be more easily identifiable- not a problem for Franklin but still a test for the far younger Valeria. Looking like a cookie-cutter SHIELD Agent in her field blues would not help the baby do that, even as smart as she seemed to be.

“It picks up in an hour or so though,” Murphy continued as he reset the hand held and slipped it back into the recharging pocket hooked to his side of the desk out of sight. “About seven the office folk start trickling in trying to beat the nine o’clock rush. The joint gets jumpin’ around then, but Lincoln’s on duty at eight so that’s on him.” Murphy smiled conceitedly as Debra giggled. She had been running late just the day before and gotten stuck in the morning rush. The line waiting to get in had stretched across the lobby, broken at the door and then down the steps to the sidewalk. Mrs. Richards had said that almost all of the office space in the building had been filled, but Debra was always surprised by the sheer number of people that could be crammed into any of New York City’s skyscrapers on a day-to-day basis. At eight there would be a goodly number of guardsmen on duty as well as additional agents throughout the day, all filtering people through this one front desk. The construction crew, luckily, had a higher security clearance and were fortunate to use the other entrances around the building’s back with access to the basements and freight elevators connected to the outer scaffolding that still ran along the building’s sides. There was still a process for them, but it was more advanced and usually faster compliments of Tony Stark again.

“Thanks, Murph,” Debra finally said as she headed towards the rear of the lobby, giving her friend a parting smile. She passed along the many banks of elevators used by the numerous people that worked in the building’s lower floors, steering for that one solitary door set in the far wall and flanked by two Guardsmen. She noted that the lighting grew brighter as her heels clacked along the marble tiling, the dark paneled walls shining, broken with gold leaf here and there, yet another ‘4’ inlaid in the floor and sparkling before the elevator itself.

That ‘4’ was more than just decoration she knew even as she stepped into the center of its enclosing circle and paused. The two Guardsmen said nothing as the familiar tingle washed over her once again, various hidden machines coming to life to give her a final scan before she entered the car that would carry her to the private residence and headquarters that dominated the upper floors of the Baxter Building. It took a few seconds, her body feeling the wash of the scans, a myriad of low-level radiations safely modified to- in essence- read her DNA along with more readily accessible body functions like blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol and the like. All of these were compared with previous logs, accompanying the other scans that had been done since she approached the main steps outside, matched and cataloged with her recorded files from previous days. There was never a problem, though the computer never gave her a full one hundred percent. There always seemed to be a slight variance day-to-day, a bug in the system that neither Richards or Lang had so far been able to trace. Still, knowing the Guards on duty was a plus, and access was always granted-

“We’re getting an ‘unidentified weapons warning’ Agent Bernard,” one of the two Guardsmen said stepping forward. Jenkins she thought, though it was hard to tell in the generic green, full body armor. The other almost casually raised his arms, displaying his palms and the opening iris set within his gloves. Debbie saw the crackle of energy suddenly online and pointed in her direction. Jenkins held a magnetic wand in one hand as he escorted her from the circle-

“Display your weapons please,” he said calmly. Debbie complied with a forced smile, watching the other as she slowly pulled her jacket open and dipped two fingers to the butt of her service automatic holstered near her left breast. It was a standard SHIELD issue ‘Needler’ that fired a shower of tiny stun darts; the safest weapon really that she could carry and still be around the children. The needles paralyzed the target with a nerve toxin, stunning and incapacitating but doing no serious lasting damage unless the victim had a history of some form of nerve disease. The Richards’ had been adamant that no ‘lethal’ firearms should be in the presence of the kids, no matter what or who, all the way up to Fury himself. Debbie liked that and had no problem with it at all. She doubted that the Needler would ever need to be drawn in all seriousness, as the usual types of terrorists that the FF faced were far too tough. They did however take on more street level felons occasionally; the Monacle, the Mad Thinker, the Mole Man and the like. Debbie hoped that it never came to her having to face any of them- for the children’s sake. She was the last line of defense-

“You do anything to this, Deb?” Jenkins asked finally with familiarity as he passed the wand along the weapon. “I’m getting an anomaly in the cartridge.” Debra shook her head negatively as the other offered a suggestion-

“Could be a build up of neuro-toxin in the cartridge,” ‘she’ said casually. The other Guardsman was a woman apparently, thus unknown to Bernard as all the armored guardians that she had met were men. “Memo came down a couple days ago of a similar occurrence at Valhalla. Said if the cartridge was loaded just after a refill of chemicals in the process there was a chance of build up in the quinine. Should show as a peak in the alkaloid registry if that’s the case.”

“Pop the clip, Deb, and I’ll check.”

Debra complied, sliding the small cartridge from the base of the gun’s butt and handing it to Jenkins who in turn passed the wand over the clip. He glanced at the liquid display screen in the handle of the wand and nodded.

“Good call, Michelle. You’re clear, Deb,” he said, handing Bernard the clip and stepping aside. Debbie slipped the cartridge into place and holstered the gun giving Guardsman Michelle a thankful smile as the other woman finally lowered her arms and powered down.

“Here comes Storm!”

The three at the back elevator turned towards the doors at Murphy’s warning. Despite the outer tint to the glass, Debbie could easily see the street outside; any glare from the rising sun eliminated and any shadows compensated by the unique qualities of the safety glass- one of Richards’ more minor inventions from years ago now owned by Gideon but available to the public. She saw Johnny Storm dismounting from the back of a slick, black motorcycle being driven by a rather tall and curvaceous woman. She could see he was dressed in his darker uniform- the official style of the team’s new incarnation having yet to be chosen- wearing a common team jacket over that. He also wore a helmet, which he removed and locked onto the rear of the bike before leaning in to give the dark haired woman a quick kiss on the lips. She could not see the woman’s face clearly, but she had a body to die for if her black leathers were any indication. She was glad too that the Human Torch had found someone to occupy his hormones. Debbie had been on the receiving end of his rather chauvinistic ‘charm’ too many times to count already.

“Who’s the woman?” Debbie asked already starting towards the elevator. She knew that the Torch would have to pass through security as well, but his process was advanced and a hell of a lot faster than the common SHIELD agent’s. She wanted to be in the elevator and away before he got that far.

“Dunno, Deb,” Jenkins said as he assumed an easy stance flanking the elevator doors once more. “She’s dropped him off a few times the last couple weeks, but she’s never come inside as far as I know.” Debbie shrugged as she stood before the closed darkly paneled doors of the elevator, fumbling with the hidden stud on her belt buckle.

“Guess we’ll all find out soon enough,” she said as the plate covering the buckle popped open to reveal the IR emitter set within the hidden compartment. The private elevator of the Fantastic Four no longer activated by a simple Infra Red beam but worked on a myriad of radiance set so far above the invisible red that there were few that even knew the range of the light spectrum existed let alone had the capability to see or duplicate. The new beam was on a ‘Doom’ scale, and only the super geeks would have a knowledge capable of bypassing this final barricade. Debbie pressed the apparatus, watching, straining as the slightest glow illuminated the dust floating in the air between her and the elevator for a micro second just before the elevator doors slid silently aside. Quickly she stepped into the empty car-

“Not gonna wait for Mister ‘Wonderful’, Deb?” Jenkins chuckled as Debbie smiled back.

“He can still fly, right?” she said with a giggle as she touched the button for the proper floor. She heard Jenkins’ hollow laugh echoing as the doors slid shut, the Torch rushing forward too late.

There was the slightest change in pressure as the car started to move upward and Debra knew that the Grav-well generators had taken hold. It was another of Richards’ innovations actually based on the findings of one of his greatest foes; the Wingless Wizard. Geiger had lost all rights to his patents with his terrorist activities early on in his corrupt career, and SHIELD’s backing corporations quickly and efficiently had snatched his advancements in artificial gravity up. With the likes of Stark and Pym working on improvements, and Richards as well, it was not a surprise that many of Geiger’s innovations might be incorporated into the latest version of the Fantastic Four’s headquarters. The ride was smooth for the most part, though there was still a bit of turbulence when the car passed from the lower office levels and into the more secure upper residence of the Four. It was quick too, faster than the express elevator up into the Empire State Building, and without the queasiness that Debra usually experienced with that ride.

As soon as the doors opened Debra stepped out of the car and into the main reception area of Fantastic Four Inc. The room was pretty much finished, the carpeting laid and a lighter shade of paneling lining the walls. The rising sun could be seen glowing in the distance over Queens, casting the room in a cheerful radiance, the colors making everything bright and warm. There were portraits of the team’s various members lining the walls including not only the core four but the likes of the She Hulk and Powerman as well as Medusa and Crystal of the Inhumans. In fact the only member missing was HERBIE the robot, the construct that had taken the Torch’s place for a short and best-forgotten stint. Debbie could see the Invisible Woman’s touch in the décor, which was bright and cheery as well as comfortable with potted plants arranged effectively and comfortable furniture placed for the visitors forced to wait on appointment.

Debra felt the shift in pressure as she stepped away from the elevator, the doors sliding shout behind her, the car returning to the lobby no doubt to pick up Johnny Storm. She strolled forward towards the desk that had been her station just a little over a week before, smiling at the woman that had taken her place as Sue Richard’s office manager. Janice Reynolds was an agent of SHIELD, and Debra knew her from the academy, though not well. She was a plump woman in her thirties who had excelled in clerical but had not been cut out for the physical strain of fieldwork. Janice did not seem to care that she had been delegated to a desk for the interim, at least until Richards got his robotic secretary Roberta up and running again- if he did. Debbie knew that Janice was top of the line, the best at what she did.

“Morning, Debbie,” Janice said merrily flashing a huge smile showing a mouthful of sparkling white teeth. She looked a bit like an overweight Farrah Fawcett with shorter hair and was dressed in a sharp dress and blouse, gray and pink respectively, apparently casual but corporate. She had a head set on, but turned the microphone aside as she slid a log in pad about for Debbie to sign; the last security check in Debbie’s arrival.

“Morning, Jan. You’re in early,” she said signing her name and noting the time on the log.

“Yeah. Mrs. Richards rescheduled the weekly meeting for this morning. The Professor has another appointment this afternoon with the Director.”

“She’s in?”

“You know it.” Janice smiled as she slid the log back into its assigned place on her prim and proper desktop. Debbie noted that Janice seemed just a bit anal at her job, her desk clear for the most part and everything that had to be there was neatly placed and in its proper position. “She got here early, before me and I was in at five thirty as per orders. Want me to let her know you’re here?”

“Please…”

Janice twisted her mike back into place and depressed a slight stud on her intercom. Debbie heard the slightest buzz and a second later Janice Reynolds started talking-

“Agent Bernard’s here, Mrs. Richards… Okay…”

Janice looked up. “Go on in…”

Debra Bernard crossed the reception area and opened the door to the Invisible Woman’s offices as Janice buzzed her in. Like the reception area, the inner office was bright and cheery; light paneling on the walls, plants and flowers scattered about, a creamy mahogany desk situated near the floor to ceiling windows on the far wall. There were doors to a closet, bathroom and the residence along the side walls and a few pictures in between showing landscapes mainly, though one was a framed NYC Subway map. There was a television running silently, attached to an upper corner framework above the inner walls. A coffee cart sat along a bare wall as well as a small shelf set up with the inner workings of a home entertainment system; DVD player, stereo, VCR, VCD, and a half-dozen other like machines most of which that were in stand by mode. Leather, plush furniture was arranged pleasingly about the huge office; a short couch and matching easy chairs as well as more compact and functional chairs set in a semi-circle before the desk.

Susan Richards looked up with a smile as Debbie entered, motioning for the younger woman to take a seat as she spoke on the telephone. Debbie nodded a greeting and sat, crossing her legs. As soon as she sat she saw Valeria come bouncing out from behind the desk strapped into her walker and making good time. The baby’s face lit up in a wide grin as she bubbled forth and rolled towards Debbie, Bernard gushing in return as she leaned over to kiss the youngest member of the Four on the cheek, only half-listening to Mrs. Richards’ conversation-

“I know Tony, but… Listen… No! There’s still a lag in the outer perimeter and Scott said…” Sigh… “Yes, yes, I understand. No… I know he will, but so help me if he doesn’t get it fixed by the thirteenth we will find out just how sturdy our resident Ant-Man is under the heel of my shoe. All right then… Good bye, Tony.”

Debbie Bernard had unhooked Valeria from the straps of her walker and was bouncing the baby on her knee as Mrs. Richards pulled the head set away and tossed it onto the desk. She sighed again, taking a drink of coffee before finally leaning back in her chair and smiling again at Debbie-

“Sorry about that.”

“No problem, Mrs. Richards.”

“Sue, Debbie, please…”

Debbie nodded, smiling at Valeria as she giggled, bobbing on her leg. Sue Richards looked fantastic- no pun intended- considering the hour and the mileage. She was old Debbie knew, but she still looked in her thirties, her body almost perfect, her skin clear and milky smooth looking beautiful and with not a lick of make-up. The only thing that seemed out of perfection was a slight frizzing of her luscious blonde hair, as though she had taken a quick shower that morning and simply ran a towel over her head. Susan Richards, like a few of her peers such as Janet Van Dyne and Wanda Maximoff had been on People Magazine’s top twenty-five most glamorous celebrities for years running, if not the top ten more often than not. Debbie knew there had been things in the past of the Fantastic Four that had happened to make the team appear younger and healthier than they could possibly be given the time frame. There was also speculation that Reed Richards had found a ‘Fountain of Youth’ at some point, though that had never come out officially.

“Sue…” Debbie said as the Invisible Woman opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a thick stack of files.

“I had to reschedule the weekly meeting this morning. So I’ll be off in a few. Obviously Val’s up and about- at the crack of dawn I might add,” Sue said with a smile as she gazed lovingly at her daughter. “Franklin’s still asleep. Get him up by nine, okay? Make sure he brushes his teeth- he’s been just wetting the tooth brush I think- watch him. Breakfast should be up by nine-thirty, though Val’s been fed already. Nap at noon for her if she doesn’t fall out before then. Make sure Franklin does his homework too before lunch. After that you’re all free to do what you want.”

“Okay,” Debbie acknowledged as she gave Valeria a hug before returning her to her walker and strapping her in. The baby shot off like a rocket as soon as she was free. Val could walk a bit already, but she still took a tumble now and then, thus the walker. Franklin was technically in the Second Grade now, but Home-Schooled for the most part. She felt a little sorry for the older of the Richards children, that he would never really experience the art of Public School. He was missing out on some real development in his life, never knowing the alleged hell that most kids had to endure, not making friends or having enemies. Debbie understood however. Franklin was special, a mutant and had a face and name that was easily identifiable. Even in disguise it would not take long for him to be found out and god knows what would happen if some bully tried to make a name for himself by beating up the son of the Fantastic Four. The least scenario would be the Torch or the Thing going to school and intimidating the bully. The worst being that Franklin’s latent mutant powers come to fore and he destroy the known universe. Not a pretty picture no matter how you looked at it.

Susan Richards was stuffing files into her briefcase, rushing for some reason. Debbie knew that whoever she was meeting along with her family would wait as she was the true driving force behind the team as well as the corporation. Even Fury respected her.

“I don’t know just how long the meeting will be. After that I have an appointment with the Mayor and his staff, then a meeting with Fury at three-fifteen. I have dinner scheduled at six at the 21 with New World concerning the movie, but other than that I’m free, though I’ll be out. I wanted to go by Home Depot and look into a new closet shelving structure that I saw in their last ad. Hopefully I’ll make it. I’ll leave my Cell on though if there’s a problem.”

“Okay, Sue,” Debbie said still watching Valeria as she tooled about the room. “Don’t worry.”

Susan Richards smiled, relaxing just a bit. “I’m not, Debbie, really. Just a bit harried is all.”

Debbie nodded and stood as Susan finally stood herself and slipped a black jacket over her uniform. She was still wearing a suit she had worn briefly years ago; a modified mini-skirt and boots set off nicely by the jacket and her gorgeous blonde hair. She picked up her case and headed for the outer office. Janice handed her some papers in passing, which she quickly thumbed through and stuffed roughly into her case-

“Remember, I’m just a call away…”

“I know. Please…”

Susan smiled warmly as she activated the device in her belt, waiting for the elevator. Debbie heard the slight hum as the car started moving through the shaft once more.

“I know,” Susan said with a shrug, stepping back as the elevator opened. She stepped within the car, turning about. “Thanks, Debbie…”

Debra Bernard nodded as the doors of the elevator slid shut. She turned and smiled once again at Janice Reynolds then hurried back to the office of the Invisible Woman as she saw Valeria speed past the open door in her walker, giggling madly, happily…

The morning passed rather uneventfully.

Debra Bernard checked the day’s itinerary time and again to stay on schedule, but it was fairly easy to follow. Valeria’s energy died out at about the time she was to awaken Franklin so she put the baby in her playpen surrounded by plush toys, the baby hugging a fluffy version of Captain America as she drifted off to sleep. Satisfied that the baby was fine and with her remote baby monitor hooked to her belt she went to look in on the Richards’ son.

She woke Franklin with a bit of fun tickle torture, the boy giggling as he scrambled out of bed. She let him wash and dress on his own as he was old enough, but watched as he brushed his teeth as suggested. They had breakfast, then Debra and Franklin sat down and she helped him as needed with his homework. He was bright, and advanced for his age- not a stunning fact considering his parents. Still, she had to explain the finer points of long division to the boy who listened attentively and she almost believed that he was actually interested.

Lunch came quickly, and while Franklin enjoyed grilled cheese and tomato soup, Debbie woke the baby and fed her Gerber chicken and rice, then Tapioca. She changed the baby’s diaper afterwards, then strapped her back into her walker and let her roam free about the room while she and Franklin played at Pokemon on his Play Station 3 for a bit. The kid was good, his Treco beating her time and again. It was after one when Debbie looked up to the sound of the door to the residence opening.

There was a man standing in the doorway, a little overweight with dark brown thinning hair. He was dressed in coveralls and wearing a Fantastic Four jacket, but the look in his eyes…

Debbie was on her feet, gun in her hand as she stepped in front of her charges. The man blinked as though just seeing her for the first time, raising his hands in defense as she leveled her gun-

“Easy, kid,” he said, his voice rough and gravelly, but Debbie did not back down-

“Don’t move!” she commanded aiming at the man’s chest, glancing slightly at Franklin and Valeria, then at the alarm button on the far wall. She could hit the panic alarm in three quick strides, but she had no idea who the man was or what powers he might have. If he was a Marvel, odds were that he was faster. She bit her lower lip, sliding the Needler into auto-mag.

“Who are you?” she asked, the man stepping through the door and stopping again as it closed automatically behind him. “I said freeze!” She shivered as she held the gun trained on his chest-

“Unca Ben!” Franklin gleefully shouted as he ran past, charging at the man-

“Franklin!” Debbie shouted, reaching for the boy, but she was too slow. Franklin leaped at the intruder, wrapping his arms about the man’s legs. Then it clicked-

“Uncle Ben?”

The man smiled as he ruffled the boy’s hair, finally scooping him up and raising him high overhead kicking and laughing. “Unca Ben in the flesh, eh Franky?” Both man and boy laughed and even now Valeria was charging forward, the tiny bells on her walker jingling as she trotted across the floor, giggling. Debbie Bernard lowered her gun slightly, realizing who this must be.

She had met the Thing once, but he had been in his rocky form and it had been brief. Not too long after he had traveled south to Florida for some reason that she was not privy to. She knew that he had recently returned, but she had never met the man- the hero in his more normal human form. She felt her skin flushing with embarrassment as she lowered her gun-

“I’m sorry, Mister Grimm-“

“No!” he snapped, setting Franklin back to the floor and sweeping his beefy hand over the girl’s head, ruffling her golden hair as well. “You did yer job, kid. You did right, though if I was you I wouldn’t have dropped my guard that quick. Franky knows though. He’s got a sense about him.” The man smiled. “Ya done good. I can see why Suzy speaks so highly of ya.”

The man stepped forward, one hand extended, the other encompassing Franklin’s and Valeria bobbing behind in her walker. “Ben Grimm, the Thing…”

“Debbie Bernard,” she said holstering her weapon and shaking the man’s hand. “My husband’s a huge fan. I should have known-“

“How could’ja?” Grimm said with a shrug, bending over to pick up the baby from her walker. Debra noticed a small disk-like device affixed to the back of his neck, the base of his skull and wondered if that was some innovation of Reed Richards that allowed the man to revert between Thing and Grimm, human and rock. “I should’a introduced myself when I got back. My fault, kid. Don’t worry about it.”

Grimm held the baby in his arms, bouncing her and cooing happily. Franklin was already back at the video game, disappointed that he had lost in his brief absence-

“Meeting’s over,” Grimm said, scratching the baby under her chin and laughing as she giggled. “Suzie’s off on her next meeting. Reed’s back in his labs. Johnny’s handling the press with the latest announcements. Me, I got nothin’ but time…”

Grimm smiled at the baby, laughing himself as she giggled at his tickling. It took them all a moment to realize that the room was getting brighter…

“What the…”

Debra turned to the source of the glow, her gun in hand as she surveyed the room. there was a sparkling in the center of the room, an expanding light that seemed to contain shapes within. There was something huge and beast-like, and something else that had the vague outline of a woman. Debra ran forward and pulled Franklin behind her, ignoring his protests as she aimed. She glanced at Grimm, her eyes growing wide to see his skin mottling and shifting, darkening to a rough orange and becoming lumpy. He still held Valeria, but the baby seemed oblivious, laughing at the excitement.

A creature emerged from the crackling, expanding glow. It was huge, thick and bulky, brown. It had jowls and enormous lips, but its body was pure muscle despite looking fat. There was a tuning fork crackling with energy imbedded in its brow. It glanced about casually, a massive tongue snaking out of its over-sized mouth to slobber over the huge muzzle as it chomped, yawning…

A woman stepped forward at the huge ‘dog’s’ side, fading into view as the energy slowly popped and crackled, fading away. She was tall, statuesque really with a firm body. She was beautiful, dressed all in shades of purple, though her outstanding feature was the massive amount of wild hair that whipped and writhed about her head as though of its own accord. She looked tired though, beaten and burnt and in truth Debbie could see charred marks on her costume. It took a moment- a moment too long- but Debbie finally recognized the woman and the over-sized dog-

“Medusa-“ she barely got out as the long, red locks snaked out and wrapped about her. The inhuman’s hair enveloped her, pinning her arms to her sides, her legs together. The slightest bit of force and Debbie felt the gun ripped from her grasp, vanishing into the mass of hair that threatened to immobilize her and strangle the very breath from her lungs. Debbie’s eyes went wide as the strands of red snaked into her mouth, clogging and sliding down her throat and making her gag. She felt her feet leave the floor-

“Auntie Medusa!” Franklin cried as Debbie struggled in vain. The Inhuman’s hair was like bands of steel, pinning her, trapping her. She saw the Thing step forward, still holding the baby gently and swathed in red strands himself-

“Grimm! I need-“

The Thing shook his head, easily raising his arm so that his hand was before the woman’s face. “Uh- uhn, Red…” he said as he flicked a finger casually, impacting the woman’s chin. Her head snapped back and she fell top the floor immediately with the force of the blow. Debbie felt the locks of living hair start to recede. She glanced at the huge dog- Lockjaw- but the beast simply belched, licking his muzzle.

“You okay, kid?” Grimm asked, helping Debbie to her feet and handing her the still bubbly Valeria. Franklin had charged forward again and was standing at her side, his finger hooked through her belt loop as he looked down at the fallen Inhuman-

“Yeah…” Debbie said glancing about and scooping up her gun, training it on the fallen woman, resting the baby on her hip. Grimm’s massive rocky hand fell over her own and forced it back down, shaking his head.

“This is a friend, kid,” he said calmly, glancing at Lockjaw. The gargantuan dog-like Inhuman seemed unconcerned as it squatted, licking itself. “Hit the Panic Button, would’ja?” he said, finally scooping the beautiful red head up into his arms and heading for the door again. “I think somethin’s probably up. And frankly, jus’ between you an’ me, Black Bolt an’ his nutty family always gave me a headache.”

Grimm smiled as he carried the unconscious woman from the room, the huge dog yawning and plodding off after. Debra watched for a moment, then ran for the nearest window, holstering her own Needler and scooping up another thin gun as she passed the coffee table-

“Open! Center hole!”

The dark glass before her shimmered and seemed to turn weepy as a hole melted in the center of the window pane. Debra Bernard ignored the fascinating effects of Reed Richards’ new ‘Stable Molecules’, thrusting her arm out through the hole and squeezing the slim trigger of the gun. She felt Franklin at her side as she watched the glowing arch of fire rising into the clear sky only to finally explode in a brilliant blaze. The huge flickering ‘4’ seemed to expand, hovering for just a moment before starting to slowly descend.

“Debbie!” Franklin shouted at her side. “What’s going on?”

Debbie Bernard glanced at the baby, still oblivious and chirping merrily in her arms. She rested her hand on Franklin’s shoulder as the three of them watched the shimmering emergency flare sputter and sparkle, drifting on the wind. “I wish I knew, Franky,” she said as she commanded the window to seal once again, stepping away.

“I wish I knew…”

NEXT ISSUE: “The Road To Attilan” – the Fantastic Four head to the Great Refuge to find out just what is up with the Inhumans. It’s part 2 of Maximum Annihilation as things start to heat up for Comicdom’s First Family and their friends. Be here!