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

“It was Maximus…”

Debra Bernard licked her lips nervously, watching, straining to hear the barely audible words of the woman lying on the examination table far across the adjoining room. The woman seemed exhausted and beaten, and in truth when she had first appeared her clothes had been tattered and charred as though from some battle. Even now, almost an hour after she had first arrived and with the careful ministrations of Mister Fantastic she still moaned and lay restlessly, almost in agony.

Her name was Medusa, one-time member of the Fantastic Four, but probably more importantly the wife of Black Bolt, the ruler of the mysterious hidden race known as the Inhumans. Debra had read the files as part of her training for her new job in the Baxter Building; she had read ALL the files and that was what she blamed for the afternoon’s misunderstandings. She remembered the Inhuman’s strange history; their first and subsequent meetings with the Four over the years as well as their encounters with other Marvels and SHIELD too on occasion. The last report was that the Inhumans for the most part had returned to the Blue Area of the Moon there to rebuild their home, the fabled city of Attilan.

It had not been totally beyond reason then that she had not been expecting Madame Medusa to suddenly appear. Debbie had been minding the children of Reed and Susan Richards; Franklin the older son and little Valeria the daughter when a shimmering ‘hole’ had opened right up in the makeshift playroom where she had been with the children earlier. She had seen the ‘dog’, Lockjaw fade into view within the blinding portal that he had opened, such was the creature’s power to easily pass through dimensions of time and space. She should have recognized the Inhuman’s huge, beast-like companion, and even more so the woman with the wildly whipping red tresses that appeared at his side just a heartbeat later, but in that initial excitement she had not.

Debbie had dreamed of a life of adventure for most of her life, and more importantly a way to help after the events of 9-11. Growing up in the Age of the Marvels, one could not help but be a part of it all, but she had wanted more. That was why she had joined SHIELD ultimately, and finally taken the position of ‘Nanny’ to the Fantastic Four who were now technically under the jurisdiction of SHIELD, at least for the duration. Little did she dream that that adventure would rise up so soon and so dramatically.

Medusa had appeared, and Debbie had not recognized her. Not at first at least, but by then it was too late. The Inhuman had wrapped Debbie up, binding her in her living locks of scarlet. If it had been a real villain she would have been dead or held captive at least and so too would be the two children in her charge. That was what bothered her the most. First time out of the gate and she had failed in her duty. She had hesitated. She could blame the sudden over abundance of the FF’s history and information- it was confusing and convoluted to say the least, and how might she remember one face out of that long line. She could blame her concern for the safety of the children too, though that was her job and should not have been a distraction but rather a reason to try harder. She could have blamed the queer energies that had almost blinded her, or the strange appearance of the huge dog and the bizarre woman, but SHIELD had trained her, and well they had thought to ignore the oddities and simply react.

But she had failed, pausing just long enough to be attacked and grabbed. If not for the timely intervention of Ben Grimm- the Thing- there was no telling what might have happened. He had stepped in and simply flicked his finger knocking Medusa unconscious. He had not seemed concerned at all as he had scooped the woman up into his rocky arms and carried her away, leaving Debbie once again in charge of the children and to signal the other members of the world’s greatest quartet. He had trusted her, though why and how Debra had no idea.

She had failed.

Debra had used the Fantasti Flare to signal the others, firing out the window and watching as the blazing ‘4’ exploded over Manhattan’s towering buildings in a glorious brilliance that could be seen for miles across the Tri-State area. Within seconds the Human Torch had appeared, blazing up and through the open window of the playroom from the small plaza below on Madison Avenue. He had burst through the opening ready for battle, his usual guise of an immature womanizer set aside, all thoughts of his own safety secondary suspecting that his family was in danger. When he had seen Debra however, standing protectively in front of Franklin and Valeria he had quickly doused his flaming shield and settled lightly to the reinforced floor.

Oddly she had been the calm one as she tried to explain, Johnny Storm firing questions at her faster than he threw fireballs. He had finally listened, flaming on again and flying off in the wake of the Thing even as Susan Storm had returned. She had simply stepped through the window seemingly walking on thin air; in reality supported by one of her invisible force fields. She was calm and assured, barely ruffled by her ‘flight’ across the city and looking sharp in her business dress and heels, raking her long, golden hair into place as she glanced about the room. Susan hugged her children as Debbie quickly explained again, noting gloomily once more how she had failed. If not for the Thing-

“It doesn’t sound that way to me,” she had said, turning towards Debbie once again and sending Franklin to her side. “You weren’t hired to battle super villains, Debbie, but to protect my children. You’re putting yourself down, but it sounds,” she swept her arm from one child to the other, “and appears that you did just that. I’ll speak with Ben, see what he says, but don’t berate yourself. I think you did just fine. Now come on,” Susan had said, rushing towards the doorway. “We need to find out what’s happening.”

Debbie had scooped up Valeria walker and all and hurried to catch up with the Invisible Woman, Franklin racing at her heels as they rushed through the adjoining rooms; the living quarters and Susan Richard’s offices then into the long, polished hall. Stable Molecule doors warped open instantly to the Invisible Woman’s presence, another innovation from the fabulously fantastic mind of Reed Richards. The entire building was like one huge living ‘being’ that operated in unison with the organisms that lived within it. They seemed like antibodies to Debbie, traveling the arteries of that body; the more important ones having full access while others that did not belong would inevitably be driven out by the building’s immune system, the defenses. It was amazing, and Debbie had marveled every day, every step of the way as she grew accustomed to her new surroundings and life.

Finally they had passed into the Medical Lab after a short ride to the upper floors where the Fantastic Four’s real work was conducted. Debra saw that the Thing and the Torch were there already of course, both powered down and standing well out of the way of Reed Richards as he examined the still unconscious Medusa. Storm and Grimm were flanking the huge dog that lay curled up between them apparently unconcerned, its massive head resting on its forepaws as it drooled, occasionally licking its thick lips. Madame Medusa seemed dead at first with Richards working feverishly over her prone body, his face a mask of grim determination-

“Wait here,” Susan had said as she stepped fully into the lab and Debbie had seen the slight shimmering effect like heat rising from a hot desert highway as the Invisible Woman ordered the door to the lab sealed but transparent. So Debbie had stood, and waited, and thought.

About her future and failure…

And what might happen next…

MAXIMUM ANNIHILATION!

Part II: The Road to Attilan

By Curtis Fernlund

“Maximus…”

“Just rest easy Medusa,” Reed Richards said as the Inhuman tried to sit up. He eased her back down quickly though and she seemed too tired and weak to resist, his gentle hand pushing her ever so slightly to lie down again. She moaned slightly, her head lolling for just a moment then snapping to again as though she were struggling to stay awake.

“You’re in shock, Medusa,” Mister Fantastic continued while adjusting an overhead lamp that provided both cool light and heat. “And you’ve suffered some minor injuries; burns and abrasions mainly, though nothing that can’t be fixed with a bit of antiseptic and rest. You need to calm down however, relax so you can tell us what happened.” Reed Richards forced a smile before raising a complicated handheld device up to his eyes and peering within. He scanned the woman on the table, a slight violet glow emanating from the machine’s lens as he adjusted his view to trace her body from head to toe. On the screens above the table various images appeared: one Infra Red, another a wire framework of the Inhuman’s form that radiated a bluish wash in many varied places, a flimsy, ghost-like image in pulsing pale green shivered in a third, while a rotating reproduction of her skeleton spun freely in yet another; all showing a continually changing read out of bar graphs, scales and a long litany of words and numbers flashing by almost too fast for the naked eye to follow. Richards occasionally glanced at the monitor screens for no more than a sparse few seconds at a time, shrugging almost negligibly, sometimes nodding, and usually frowning before returning his attention to his old teammate and friend.

Finally Richards lowered the device and nodded to the others, beckoning them forward. As one the remaining members of the Fantastic Four approached and surrounded the examination table, all trying to smile down at the injured woman before them. Susan Richards reached out and took Medusa’s hand, squeezing gently as the Inhuman looked up-

“Susan,” she said, her voice a hoarse whisper again as her head turned, her gaze shifting. “And Reed, Johnny… and Ben?”

Benjamin J. Grimm nodded with a reassuring smile, realizing that it had been some time since Madame Medusa had seen him not covered in an exo-skeleton of orange rocks. “It’s me kiddo. In the flesh, so ta speak.” Medusa had to smile at that, even briefly, before her face shaded with doubt and concern once again.

“But if you are no longer the Thing, then all might be already lost. My long journey may have been for naught, for I fear that only the combined might of the Fantastic Four might succeed in defeating the mad plans of Maximus!”

“You’ve mentioned Maximus several times now, Medusa,” Richards said, his long arm stretching across the lab’s width to grab a small cylindrical device from one of the many shelves lining the far wall. He reeled in his arm quickly and adjusted several dials on the metallic device before easing it against the woman’s arm. Medusa flinched but did not try to stop him, showing her continued trust in one of the few humans to ever earn it. Richards set the device aside without explanation, continuing, “It was my understanding that Maximus was still exiled in the Negative Zone. At least we received no news to the contrary. Has he somehow escaped?”

Medusa looked up at Mister Fantastic, for the first time hearing the slightest edge of uncertainty in his voice. She knew he was unconcerned over the threat of Maximus- they all had been, too many times in the past. And of course there were the familial ties to consider. Maximus was after all a member of the Royal Family and brother to Black Bolt himself and amazingly brilliant. He was also, unfortunately, quite, quite mad. His insanity had been his own doing, true, and a penance of sorts as he had watched the deaths of his parents when he and Blackagar had been youths. Deaths that he had caused through his manipulations and dealings with the Kree. Ever since that day his bouts of sanity had been few, his visions of clarity twisted to devious schemes to disrupt the harmony of Attilan and usurp his brother’s rule in hopes of placing himself on the throne. Too many times he had come close to succeeding, and more often than not it was only with the aid of the Fantastic Four that his plans had been thwarted. Medusa sighed, remembering, nodding-

“He has. Let me try to explain…”

The Blue Area of the Moon
Attilan…

Crystal Amaquelin Maximoff reached out tentatively, the soft black leather of her gloves brushing the cool glass of her prison. She felt the tingle of power immediately, the tinge of static as she concentrated, trying to draw forth the energies that kept her elemental powers at bay. She licked her dry lips nervously as she saw the slightest of sparks, a flicker of pale blue and drew on that, focusing. She felt the swell building, the power growing-

There was a flash as the queer light exploded again over her head. Once more she was bombarded by the odd radiations that sapped her will and energy, her strength, driving her to her knees. She felt the power vanish instantly, her link to the elements severed as though sliced by a blade, cutting out her heart in the process. She gasped, hugging her stomach as she doubled over her folded legs at the bottom of the thin tube that had been her home these past several days. She retched feeling the bile rising in her throat once again, sweat pouring from her brow, dizziness making her sway on her knees. She had been so close…

When her vision cleared and she looked up once more she saw Timberius watching her, his wooden face twisted into a mocking, leering grin. She noticed too that his long, gnarly fingers hovered over the control board, the apparatus that monitored her conditions; all of their states of being. Maximus had made it quite clear that if any of the Royal Family escaped he would hold the plant-endowed Inhuman renegade totally responsible with threats of locusts and fires. Timberius apparently believed his leader, and Crystal did as well.

Maximus had indeed changed since his return from the Negative Zone. He had always been dangerous, true, but now where he was once simply mad with delusions of grandeur there seemed to be a cold and calculating insanity with dreams of annihilation in his merciless icy eyes. Before there had been the slightest thread that had stayed his hand; a devotion to family perhaps, or at least to the people that he wished to rule. Now there was nothing. Nothing but the madness and the genius driving towards whatever goals swirled in his twisted vision. Again she wondered what he had experienced within the Negative Zone that had changed him so, driving him over that final edge.

Crystal stood shakily, feeling the shock that perpetually ran through the glass of her tube-like prison. It was not enough to actually harm her, but it was sufficient to remind her that she was a prisoner as the mechanisms within the clear cylinder continually siphoned and sucked at her elemental powers to keep her weak and trapped within. She had tried several times over the past few days to draw on that energy, to redirect it back to her benefit but to no avail. Maximus had designed her prison far too well.

She wondered again just how he had constructed the machines that held her and all of her family so quickly. Granted, he was a genius, but to create all that he had seemingly in the space of a day- it boggled her mind. He was so like Reed Richards in that respect, like some twisted mirror’s reflection, a darker image of the leader of the Fantastic Four. Too, he had a virtual army of slaves at his disposal; the Alpha Primitives that were always easily swayed by his presence and posturing. They had served his mad goals more than once over the years, and apparently did so once again. He had brought many with him on his return from exile, changed as well from their tenure within the Zone. They seemed stronger and more savage, but just as devoted to Maximus as always, at least according to Karnak.

Poor Karnak, he had been the first to encounter Maximus and his army as they made good their return. He had been the first to fall. Crystal stared at him longingly, sympathetically as he hovered helplessly in his own tube. Maximus had created some form of gravity well within Karnak’s tube, which held her cousin immobile and inches from escape. She knew that his eyes were focused on the weakest spot in his prison- such was his skill to find that point- but held in the grip of gravity as he was and unable to move he was helpless. She knew full well how frustrated he must be, and even more so as he had been the first to fall.

He had told them all, his speech slow and slurred- the only movement he could manage was the slightest tremble of his lips or the flutter of his eyelids- How he had been meditating in the Hall of the Ancestors when Maximus had somehow opened a portal to the Negative Zone. Poor Karnak had thought it some sign from those that had passed he had said with embarrassment, watching in awe as the Alpha Primitives suddenly spewed forth and overwhelmed him. Oh, he had fought, and he had beaten many but these followers of Maximus were brutal and savage and in the end their sheer numbers had dragged him down to defeat.

Crystal heard Timberius chuckle as he returned his attention to whatever he had been reading before she had tried to escape. She glanced at him coolly, her gaze drifting finally around the room as she looked to the rest of her family. All were encased within the many glass tubes, some of which were larger than her own, some smaller and more confined. Each was designed to hold a specific member of the Royal Family or a friend, such as Iridia, though she had had no real powers beyond flight and enhanced senses. Maximus had had Leonus rip her beautiful butterfly wings away and allowed him to ravage her before throwing her screaming and crying into her tube. She remained curled up and almost catatonic ever since.

Next to her, Triton lay as best he could dehydrating. Maximus had stripped away the apparatus that Reed Richards had created allowing him to live for longer periods beyond the waters that had normally been his home. The green-scaled Inhuman now slumped at the bottom of his containment tube, his ragged breath gasping for air, his scaled skin cracked and parched. His only relief was the occasional burst of steamy mist that sprayed his tube, barely enough moisture to keep him alive and semi-conscious.

Gorgon faired no better, his muscular body locked head to toe within metallic bindings in such a way that he could not utilize his great strength. His arms were locked behind his back in a sturdy bracer that fastened about his throat and threatened to strangle him at the slightest movement. His elbows were held fast, and his wrists, his hands lost within huge binders that engulfed them totally at an odd angle. His legs too were bound with metal bands above and below his knees and again at his ankles, all doubled up and locked in place. His massive hooves were encased in a box of sorts that was attached to the bonds preventing him from stamping or kicking. He was forever on his knees, his tube was so tight, his face pressed against the glass. She could see the unbearable agony that he had endured these past days in that position etched on his face, in his blurry eyes, but to his credit he had yet to beg or cry out for release.

In the next tube stood her cousin and liege, Black Bolt. His arms were bound like Gorgon’s to accommodate his great strength and negate it, but there was more. He wore binders on the thin antennae, which sprouted from his brow. Maximus knew all too well that his brother drew cosmic energy from the very air about them through those antennae, and the fragile binders he had clamped there seemed to divert that energy leaving Blackagar Boltagon weakened dramatically. Finally there was a gag; a huge cumbersome thing that encompassed Black Bolt’s mouth and nose preventing even the slightest sound to escape. It allowed him to breathe, somehow, but that was all, holding his head in place, locking his jaws shut and sealing his lips. Still, despite his captivity and confinement, Black Bolt remained standing throughout, proud and determined. There were times that he was the only thing that gave Crystal hope, to see him standing there, his eyes warm and comforting, full of eternal hope.

There were other tubes as well. Some occupied, but a score standing empty like the one just beyond the one containing her king. Medusa had been there just yesterday, but when Crystal had awakened that morning after a fitful sleep the tube had been empty. Medusa had escaped? Doubtful, as Timberius or Stallior or whichever of Maximus’ renegades scheduled to guard would be a bit more concerned. But then, where was she? Where was Medusa, her sister?

Crystal looked up at the sound of a metallic chime and the door to the chamber slid open. She saw Timberius shoot to his root-like feet, assuming a rigid stance almost at attention as Maximus the Mad strolled in. Crystal gasped to see he was holding a baby in his arms, her heart fluttering wildly until she saw that it was her nephew- Ahura- Black Bolt’s son and not her own older daughter, Luna. She bit her lip, ignoring the slight shock as she pressed against the confines of her tube, watching Black Bolt stiffen as he beheld his son in the arms of his brother-

“Kootchy- kootchy- koo…” Maximus said as he strolled forward, tickling the babe under the chin. He was dressed in full regal regalia, wearing his silver armor adorned with bangles aplenty that jingled and tinkled with his slightest movement, a long, thick cloak dragging the floor in his wake. There were others with him, his entourage. Two huge and burly Alpha Primitives flanked him as bodyguards, their faces twisted cruelly as they scanned the room for possible threats. Behind them strode Falcona, her thick blue gown trailing, and a peregrine on her arm. Just behind her was Sereen, scantily clad as always in gossamer silk that left little to the imagination. She was one of three sisters that the Terrigen Mists had transformed; each receiving the ability to manipulate minds, to dominate with a word or song. A useless power in Attilan as the power did not affect any Inhuman beyond the Alpha Primitives, however most effective on Humans and apparently Mutants. Directly behind the statuesque blonde crawled Quicksilver, Pietro Maximoff, Crystal’s husband on his hands and knees. Sereen had dominated him obviously, bringing him to bow and grovel at her sandal clad feet when the group came to a halt.

“Hello, brother,” Maximus grinned as he stared up at Black Bolt. The eyes of both men were wide; Blackagar’s filled with emotion and concern to see his son bouncing in his brother’s arms, the eyes of Maximus wild with madness. “Such a fine child you’ve spawned, brother,” Maximus continued and Crystal could hear the mocking cruelty in his voice. “You should be proud.”

Black Bolt stared, unmoving but moved obviously. Crystal could feel the tension-

“Where’s my daughter?” she shouted, slamming her fist against the glass of her prison, shivering slightly, fearful as Maximus’ hate-filled gaze slowly came to rest upon her. He smiled-

“Little Luna is fine, cousin,” he sneered as he bounced Ahura in his cradling arms. “She is right where she belongs, little Human freak that she is. Out of sight, out of mind, children best seen and not heard, eh?” Maximus chuckled as he shifted his grip on his nephew, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and holding him out at arm’s length before his brother. Maximus shook the babe that was now screaming in pain, writhing and crying-

“Take a last look at your whelp, brother!” he shouted, leering. “Medusa will be here soon with the Fantastic Four I’m certain, and then the final act of our little drama can begin in earnest. She has to be here, you see? Her and your ‘saviors’. I would have invited the Avengers as well, but I just don’t think we have enough chairs to go around.” Maximus finally lowered his arm but left the baby dangling in his grip, kicking and screaming. He seemed oblivious, shouting over the child.

“Dead…” Crystal heard Gorgon’s pain-filled grunt and turned to see her cousin’s face twisted in rage against the glass of his prison. “Kill you, mad man… Should have years ago…”

“Oh shut up,” Maximus sniffed, nodding to Timberius who pressed a button on his control panel. Gorgon screamed and quickly fell silent, slumping to an even odder angle in his tube, unconscious and smoldering. Crystal heard the two women laugh.

“Pietro!” she shouted, banging uselessly on the glass again to get her husband’s attention. “Pietro! Break free! For the love of Agon, help us!” If Pietro heard her however, he ignored her. His head was a blur as he bowed at the feet of his mistress, licking and kissing her sandals. “Pietro…”

Crystal sagged, trying to hold back the tears as Maximus chuckled. He swung the screaming baby casually to and fro as he strode before them, flaunting his freedom-

“Oh, don’t worry brother. I won’t let any harm befall your get. Not yet at any rate. I have BIG plans for my beloved nephew.” Maximus pulled Ahura up again, cradling him in his arms. “He is both the end and the beginning; the end of your putrid reign, the beginning of mine. You see, I learned a few things in my exile,” Maximus gloated as he plucked a small metallic cylinder from his belt, holding it up for all to see. It seemed vaguely familiar, but Crystal could not concentrate, could not remember where-

“The Negative Zone is a well-spring of untapped force and energies. It took just a bit of convincing to wrest this device from its previous owner, but in the end he saw that I was the better man, the best owner and recipient of the powers it contains. This little Nega-Rod combined with the altering abilities of the Terrigen Mists will transform tiny Ahura into the next generation, the next step in our stagnant evolutions. What comes from that transformation will be the greatest Inhuman ever conceived, with a mind just waiting for my guidance. The people will rally ‘round my flag again, brother, and the name of Blackagar Boltagon will be forever remembered as the blight in history. That ruler that held us back, kept us, the race of Inhumans forever from our rightful place as rulers of this world and all of its pitiful chattel. That’s what the Kree intended when they first conceived us ages ago. Our father could not see it, nor could you. But I have vision, brother, and I will take our people to new heights of glory!”

“Maximus…” Crystal pleaded, staring at her husband, tears in her eyes. “Please…”

“No need to beg, child. I’m more than happy to do it. I wonder what the Nega Rod might do to your little girl, hmm? Might be worth finding out, eh?”

Crystal screamed, slamming her fists over and over against the unbreakable glass of her prison. Static flared at her effort, each strike draining at her strength until at last it was too much and she felt her consciousness slipping away. As she slumped to the floor of her tube she saw her husband staring at her blankly. Lost…

They were lost…

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

Debra Bernard stood, watching as the world’s greatest family of Marvels prepared to leave. She had her foot on the lead to Valeria’s walker, keeping the baby just a few feet away, struggling to get across the floor and to her mother. Franklin was at her side, his finger hooked through her belt loop again as he stared, watching, his other arm wrapped about her leg.

Medusa was sleeping in the other room, the Thing having carried her to one of the guest quarters. Mister Fantastic had decided that she was still far too weak to accompany them back to Attilan despite that they might need her. They would get by. He had given her a sedative when he had touched the metallic tube to her arm, a bit of adrenaline that would quickly wash through her body and burn up whatever anxieties she had, allowing her to finally sleep peacefully.

“I don’t know how long we might be gone,” Susan Richards said as she squatted down to give both her son and daughter a kiss. Debbie could see the concern in her face, in her eyes. Every time they left on an adventure she was certain that the Invisible woman considered it potentially the last time that she might see her children. It was heart wrenching to watch, but Debbie tried her best to keep a strong façade, a front to aleve the children’s worries. “Hold down the fort,” Susan said with a smile, giving Franklin a final hug before standing. If he knew what was happening he did not let on, and Valeria just gurgled happily, bouncing in her walker.

“I will,” Debbie assured the invisible Woman with a smile. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m not,” then, “ I won’t.”

“Susan?” Reed Richards said, his own good-byes long done. “We should go.”

Susan Richards nodded, walking backwards to join her family at Lockjaw’s side. They were dressed in their new uniforms, finally approved by SHIELD and looking like a team again. Susan, Reed and Johnny Storm were dressed in the form-fitting two-piece suits of Unstable Molecules; dark blue with black gloves, boots and belt with a wide collar. There was a stylized ‘4’ emblazoned on each chest; black surrounded by white and contained with a wide black circle. Reed Richard’s additionally wore a vest- also black- with pockets that contained various apparati and devices that a gadgeteer of his caliber might be able to implement on the fly. For his part, Ben Grimm had shifted again to rocky form and was wearing only a pair of dark blue shorts with a wide black belt, smoking and chewing on the stubby bit of a cigar. He seemed the most impatient to leave.

“Can we get this over with please,” he grumbled, puffing on his cigar. “Survivor’s on at nine, an’ if I miss Tribal Council I am gonna be pissed.” Debbie had to smile, knowing that Grimm was just kidding to ease the tension- or so she hoped…

They gathered about the dog, Lockjaw, the great beast struggling with its mass as it rose to stand on thick legs as it licked at its nose and muzzle unconcerned. Energy sparked and crackled from the antennae affixed just over his brow as he gathered energy for the jump through space; their destination, the Moon. Debbie shivered-

“Good luck, guys, ” she said, putting her hand on Franklin’s shoulder.

“Hey,” Johnny Storm said with a wide grin, “we don’t need luck. We’re the FF! It’s all about skill, babe.”

Susan sighed and shook her head. “Be safe, Debbie.”

“And look in on Medusa in about an hour,” Reed added. “The sedatives will be wearing off soon. See if she needs anything.”

“I will. Be safe.”

Energy crackled and flared from the dog’s antennae and suddenly they were gone in a blinding flash of light. She could only imagine that Lockjaw trusted them and would take them to the Great Refuge. She had read the Torch’s files on the first time that he and Wyatt Wingfoot had used the beast, trying to get to Attilan, but Lockjaw had led them on a merry, interdimensional wild goose chase for a time as he was trained not to lead people back to home.

She hoped that they would be safe.

Debbie looked down at Franklin, still holding onto her belt loop, his eyes wide as he stared at the spot where his family had just been. He was clinging to her leg as she ran a hand through his hair-

“Hey, champ,” she said with a wide smile, “what say we go get some ice cream? I think we deserve some Ben & Jerry’s, how about you?” Franklin looked up at her, his big blue eyes wide but there was a smile on his lips.

“Okay, Debbie. Sounds good.”

She ruffled his hair and gathered the lead to Valeria’s walker, taking a final glance over her shoulder as she clicked off the light and left the lab, her two charges in tow. Now came the hard part. The waiting…

The waiting was the hardest part…

NEXT ISSUE: Maximum Annihilation continues as the FF travel to Attilan… Yeah, okay I know I said that last time, but this time for sure. Be here as the Fantastic Four fight the Inhuman Renegades and probably some Alpha Primitives for good measure just to confront Maximus in all his twisted glory! Be here for Maximum Annihilation Part 3 – “Battle Royale” as shock follows shock. Answers are revealed, and someone dies! Dare you miss it?