With a loud electrical hum, the device turned on. A moment later the portal to the Negative Zone opened in its cradle, the three claw-like nacelles hummed and vibrated as they poured power into forming the portal. "I wasn't able to find the exact position where Franklin appeared on the other side, but we are within at least two miles of it. Ben, you lead off, the rest of us will follow. Remember, the Negative Zone is practically empty of most matter as we define the term, so it will be like being in midair. You'll need to use your rocket packs to move. Our mobility and speed will be limited in space without them."
Johnny grinned, flaming to full power. "You slowpokes might need those things but not this hero. Later, guys!" And with that he flew off the floor and sped through the portal.
The Thing grunted and followed, the seriousness of the current crisis making him unable to even come up with a witty comeback to the flame-brain. Susan and Reed followed quickly, leaving a barely mobile Wyatt behind to watch the controls.
Reed's estimate of the time it would take them to follow the trail was off by quite a bit. Slowed by their reliance on their thrusters, the Fantastic Foursome had been traveling through the Negative Zone following Reed with his scanner for what seemed like two, or maybe even three hours without seeing anything of their target. It was just as Susan was about to lose her temper that they came upon a body.
It was very definitely a body. There was no way a person, even a being with green scales and fangs could live with a large piece of what looked like granite stuck straight through their chest and out their back. Johnny, who had taken to ranging all around the slower trio, was hovering next to the corpse waiting for them to catch up. "I think we can definitely say that it was Annihilus who took Frankie now, can't we?"
Reed sighed and nodded. "Yes, his followers were a part of this. Pity I thought he was a more cautious sort. Trying to attack us like this doesn't seem his style." Unless what he had to gain overrode his caution, Reed mused. "I wonder if Annihilus himself is involved as well. With his cosmic control rod, he is a formidable threat."
"Quit your jawing and let's get moving." The Thing grunted. "If we have to throw down with Annihilus because of this, then he'll learn what 'clobberin' time' really means!"
Susan forged ahead silently, wondering what the death of the creature meant for her Franklin.
It was another hour and the debris field had started to close up around them, giving the FF more camouflage against prying eyes but slowing them down. About fifteen to twenty minutes later, it was hard to tell in the Negative Zone, the four began to hear the mutter of voices ahead of them, or at least a voice. The voice was speaking, oddly enough, in a clipped British accent. The foursome paused as the words became intelligible, struck dumb by the incongruence of such a strangely soothing and normal sound against the backdrop of the Negative Zone.
"And that's the last of them, little mate. I wonder what old green skin wants with you so bad to send out so many of his troops against me of all people. I thought I'd bloody well taught him better than that! Oh, well needs must."
The next noise they heard was a happy baby gurgle, again, a strange sound against the backdrop all around them, but this time it sparked a movement from all four. Susan took the lead despite her husband trying to grab her, shooting around the asteroid they had been hiding behind. The sight that greeted her was so wonderful she almost cried.
Standing on top of an oddly shaped rock formation hanging in the middle of a floating field of broken bodies and debris, was a young man dressed in a black body suit from the neck down with bright, almost luminous, green eyes and wild black hair. One hand was loose at his side while the other was waggling his fingers at the object that held her attention. Her baby Franklin was laying on his head and the baby was cooing and pulling at the young man's hair. From where she was moving towards them, she couldn't even see a single mark on Franklin. Frantic relief stopped her throat for a moment, and she simply jetted forward, with the others after her.
The man hadn't noticed their presence yet, still speaking to the baby on his head. "And can I say again what a wonderful presence you've been in my life for the past week? It was such a bore not having an audience that would appreciate my sense of humor and technique. Though if I didn't know the spells to dispose of waste it would be a different story and we'd be having a much different conversation, little mate."
The baby noticed the approaching foursome first and started cooing and waving his fat little hands frantically from his perch. The young man looked around as Susan finally got control of her voice and shouted, "My baby, Frankie, you're all right!"
The man's eyes widened momentarily and then he smirked a little. "Well, I have to say I didn't expect anyone to be able to come after the little tyke. You must be his mother, Madame." And he bowed in a slightly formal manner towards the blonde woman, not bothering to remove the baby from his head as he seemed to be stuck there by some force. As she came closer, he took a moment to assess her, and very purposefully bit his tongue. In his opinion she was a MILF, but he wasn't going to comment on it out loud. Even after five years alone in this place he had slightly more sense than that. Not a lot more sense, but some. Now if she turns out not to be married to any of the blokes behind her that'll be a different story.