Paradoxical (Fantastic Four)

13.

I pushed myself back on my feet despite being told to slow down and take it easy for a minute.

"Ari, don't push yourself too fast," Susan told me.

"I can't," I groaned as I used one of the chairs to balance myself and catch up with her as she assisted Reed, "He needs us right away."

"Not in that condition."

"Speak for yourself."

The three of us looked like we survived a war. I was still weakened from the double shots of electricity making me realize that ice and plants were susceptible to it. Long as I don't get zapped again, I was good to go.

I managed to get to the elevator and press the button to open it for Reed and Susan by using the wall to support myself.

Arriving at the ground floor, we were greeted by Layla, Howie, and Ingrid.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked as I felt bits of energy coming back to me from the long elevator ride.

"We thought you dudes could use a ride," Howie replied as he helped Susan with Reed just as a car horn honked and Cameron peaked his head out from the driver's side of an SUV.

"Cam hotwired it," Layla replied as all of us headed outside.

"Hey, I know it's breaking the law," Cameron remarked, "But right now it's one of the best options."

Before Ben found him, Cameron was involved in gang activity, and one of his knacks was hotwiring cars and breaking into locked places without a key. Nowadays, it all came in handy in emergencies.

Cameron managed to drive us to the main center of the city where it looked like a disaster zone. Ben was on the ground and Victor carried a pole towards him.

"You guys drive outta here," I told my friends as Reed, Susan, and I got out to confront the megalomanic set to kill my big bro, knowing that the situation would get dangerous.

"Not without you guys," Layla shook her head.

Knowing my best friends were stubborn, there was no point in arguing with them.

"Alright, try to get as many people as you can away from here," I nodded and willed myself into a gust of snow and leaves and flew to catch up with Reed and Susan and waited for my cue.

"I can't let you do that," Reed shouted just as Victor was about to plunge the pole into Ben.

"Reed?" Victor laughed not realizing the latter was leaning against Susan who cloaked herself invisible, "I'll be right with you."

The sociopath was about to resume his attempt to pierce my brother when instead Susan became visible and sent out an energy blockage that shielded Ben, preventing Victor from committing the act.

 "Hello, Susan," the masked narcissist turned around once again.

I took that as my cue to make an entrance and aimed ice shards and razor-bladed leaves at him and flew toward the ground and willed myself back to my human appearance just as Ben got himself standing up.

"You four are pathetic," Victor snarled at us and got ready to attack when a fireball hit him by surprise. 

Johnny landed next to me and the flames went out giving Victor a hard stare, "You missed me."

I mentally sighed in relief that the hothead himself was back in one piece.

"Had a little relapse huh?" Johnny turned to Ben with a smile, "Welcome back."

"This is gonna be fun," Victor grinned wickedly under the mask and raised his arms out letting the electricity and energy close by filling his veins with streaks of lightning striking the streets.

I could only hope Layla and the others got as many civilians away from the scene. I created a thick ice wall, shielding any nearby civilians from Victor's lightning strikes. More lightning bolts hit the windows of a bus and a building, causing shards of glass to rain on the crowd. I caused a nearby tree to grow to the size of a two-story house and made its foliage thick that it covered the people like an umbrella.

One of the megalomaniac's bolts hit Johnny's shoulder and another sent Ben flying backward. The other hit a street pole slicing it in half and nearly hitting several other people nearby when Susan threw an energy blockage, shielding them from impact.

Victor shot at her with another electric beam, which she was able to block with a force field.

"I can't hold it!" Susan hollered as she struggled to keep the barrier up.

Reed stretched his arm at a nearby postbox and threw it at Victor, preventing Susan from getting zapped, and then rolled towards the masked sociopath and stretched himself like a giant blanket to cover Victor, preventing the psychotic man from bringing more injury to anyone else.

"Johnny! Supernova!" Reed shouted.

"I thought we agreed that was bad," Johnny had a confused expression worrying that his extreme heat could potentially roast the entire planet Earth like a marshmallow over a campfire.

"Now!"

The hothead lit on fire and flew upwards to get a headstart.

"Ben!" Reed called out and my brother quickly yanked him off of Victor before Johnny started flying around the psycho repeatedly heating up the interior like a hot oven.

"Sue! Think you can contain it?" Reed hollered over the roaring flames and Susan sent out a force field containing Johnny's supernova.

And I didn't think to bring my sunglasses! I thought as it was too bright for any of us to take in.

"Flame on, kid," Ben smiled.

After a little bit, I noticed Susan starting to get worn out as her nose bled from using so much of her energy. The force field started to disintegrate and Johnny landed on the ground and Susan collapsed to her knees in exhaustion as the energy barrier vanished.

As the flames died down, Victor was standing engulfed in piping-hot metal, "Is that the best you can do?" he taunted us, "A little heat?"

"Time for your lesson-- Chem 101," Reed called out to him, "What happens when you rapidly cool hot metal?"

Ben kicked a fire hydrant open and water gushed out like a geyser. Right on cue, I manipulated the water and directed it at the megalomaniac, and a massive cloud of steam filled up the city center.

Reed signaled us, and Ben closed up the hydrant and all of us waited with suspense for the steam to clear. As the center cleared, a human figure that had been Victor Von Doom stood frozen and encased in metal. There were no words I could think of or let alone say.

"Whoa!" Ben gasped at the results.

 I went over to my brother just as he commended Johnny while Reed helped Susan back to her feet. Turning to the cheering crowd, Layla and the others smiled at us. I grinned back at them.

"Man I love this job," Johnny smiled as he wrapped an arm around me.

"Job, huh," Ben turned to him.

"Well, we do have the suits," Reed shrugged.

"I'd work with it," I nodded glancing over at my cheering best friends.