Paradoxical (Fantastic Four)

5.

We had made it back to New York a lot quicker than I thought. Debbie had called me explaining something was wrong with Ben when she saw him the previous night. We had a better chance of finding my brother. 

The four of us were in a taxi trying to get back to the city as fast as we could. Reed rode shotgun while I was in the middle of the Storm siblings, Johnny on my right and Susan on my left. I kept staring ahead for any sign of Ben I barely noticed Johnny holding my hand as if assuring me that we would find my big bro.

We were on the Brooklyn Bridge when the taxi driver hit the brakes just as the traffic flow suddenly stopped. The four of us got out having strong feelings that something wasn't normal. Subconsciously, I knew Ben was somewhere ahead on the bridge as we ran toward a huge crowd of civilians. The police were barricading the crash sights. We needed to get through somehow.

"What are we gonna do now?" Susan asked.

"We're not gonna get past these guys," Reed replied and then turned to her, "But you could."

I nodded at Susan giving her the needed confidence. She closed her eyes, willing herself to become invisible. Even though her body disappeared, her clothes didn't.

"Sue, your clothes. Lose them," Reed whispered to her as people around us stared in disbelief at what they were witnessing.

"Oh. Right." Susan started taking off her clothes one by one.

"This is so wrong," Johnny turned in the other direction as his sister stripped in front of him.

I covered my mouth as Susan's body reappeared but she was in her bra and undies.

"What?" she asked. 

"Everyone can see you," I muttered as I pointed at her bare legs.

Susan gasped and hugged herself in embarrassment as Johnny kept staring the other way.

"Wow. You've been working out," Reed took notice of her body.

"Shut up!" she glared at him as I picked up her jacket for her to cover herself, "Any more great ideas? Why don't you strip down and have 100 people stare at you?" Susan snapped at Reed as she became invisible once again.

"Sue," he reminded her that no one could see her.

"What? Oh?" Susan dropped her jacket and pulled off her undies and bra.

"I'm gonna need therapy," Johnny remarked to me as he still looked away.

"You've needed it long before this," I shook my head at him, "Plus, you've seen all of my lingerie!"

"Hey, come on. Let's get outta here," Reed got our attention.

I quickly scooped up Susan's discarded clothes and followed the guys as we traced Susan's invisible form that managed to get through the crowd, which looked like a ghost was getting through, but could touch physically. 

Who ya gonna call? I thought as we got past everyone without being seen.

"I still can't believe you made me do that?" Susan frowned once she was visible and had dressed back behind a wrecked RV.

"We got through, didn't we?" Reed reminded her that her invisibility had helped get past the crowd, "Just find Ben."

I nodded as we split up to find my brother. To get a better vantage point, I climbed on top of a taxi and stood trying to spot him.

"Ben! Ben!" I called out hoping he would hear me.

Right at that moment, a human figure made entirely out of rock revealed himself. I knew it was my big bro! He had a devastated expression on his face like he was blaming himself for the collision that it broke my heart.

Before I could run out to my brother,  a gasoline tank exploded as a result of one of the burning vehicles. People scattered out of the way as the explosion sent cars tumbling. Johnny had rushed towards a young girl crying for her mother and leaped over the cars, wrapped his body around her, taking the blow himself. Susan threw her hands up to protect herself and shot out some type of force field at the blast, containing it until it went out and Susan collapsed having used up her energy.  I held out my right hand, and a mixture of frost and snow landed on the flames of the other burning vehicles. 

Right ahead, the back of a fire truck went dangling off the side of the bridge. One of the firemen struggled to hold on. Ben had grabbed the front of the truck to try and prevent it from falling off the bridge. I ran all the way and held out my left hand and vines from the rose tattoo coiled both sides of the fire truck hoping it would make it easy for my brother as he struggled to pull in the large vehicle. The firemen lost his grip and Reed caught him before he could hit the water.

The vines tightened their grip on the fire truck and Ben with newfound determination, managed to pull the vehicle back onto the bridge with a little extra help from me.

I ran to my brother as he took a breather. 

"This is the police! Get down on the ground!" a cop shouted through a bullhorn.

At once I stood in front of Ben, letting him know that I was always at his side, no matter what happened. 

"Don't shoot! He's a hero!" a woman shouted from the crowd.

The sound of applauding flooded from the walkway and the firemen. The police lowered their weapons and joined in. 

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! I thought as Reed, Susan, and Johnny met up with us.

Among the crowd, Debbie had arrived and stood in front not even happy at all as everyone else was. The sight shattered my heart as she pulled off her engagement ring and placed it on the ground and walked away. I shook my head at that action. She didn't deserve someone as caring as my big bro.

Ben struggled to pick up the ring as his large fingers made it hard for him to pick it up. I went over to him and picked up the ring and placed it in the palm of his hand. I gave Ben an assuring expression that he had me to back him up. Reed approached us and turned to my brother.

"I swear to you," Reed expressed with full determination, "I will do everything in my power until there is not a breath left in me. You're gonna be Ben again."