PREVIOUSLY ON THE FANTASTIC FOUR:

Reed Richards, Susan and Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm rode an improperly shielded rocket headed for the moon, only to be bombarded with cosmic rays which gave them amazing powers! Together, they became the Fantastic Four, sworn and intrepid adventurers seeking to face the dangers of the unknown.

WHAT'S GOING ON 1,2,3,4…
A mysterious discovery of irradiated rocks floating in our space brings the Fantastic Four onboard one of NASA's space satellites to investigate. Meanwhile, a vessel known as the Xenoship makes its way across the galaxies, destroying everything in its path to Earth. Its appearance in our solar system, or to be precise, near the satellite causes a reaction in the irradiated rocks that unleashes mechanical insects which will devour anything. Intrigued, the Fantastic Four venture into the bowels of the ship, only to be overwhelmed by an onslaught of attacks that leaves the Invisible Woman and Johnny Storm in the hands of the Xenoship…

"Run! Run!" Ian Merrick pushed the surviving crew forward down the dark corridor, as the scuttling of tiny limbs drew closer to their bearings. His greyish-brunette hair was wet with blood; the machine drones had cornered him at one point and grazed him in the back of his head. His spectacles were shattered by the high-pitch screeching that wasn't unlike the shriek of crickets, only higher. The 3 three crew members kept moving ahead of him, as they turned to the left corner. "They sense heat," Merrick muttered. The freezer vault wasn't too far off now; if only they had three minutes.

The longest minutes of their lives.

Suddenly, the insect-like drones burst through the steel walls of the satellite as if they were nothing; they crawled from above the ventilation ducts and on the ceiling, their pace gaining on the humans. Ian couldn't hear a sound; his heart was beating 78 a second, faster and faster…it felt as if it could explode. "There! In there," yelled one of the crew, an African-American Tony, who slammed his hands on the vault hatch. All four of them struggled to twist it open, as the insects were inches away. Ian yelled as a sharp pain burnt through his back; they were crawling up onto him, and biting into his flesh. "GAH…! Go in!" He pushed the trio inside as soon as possible, and shut it with all his might. They drones were already all over him, and he managed to slam some against the wall. It was too much of an effort; in seconds, they had overwhelmed him.

Inside the quarters that were for the Fantastic Four, Victoria Richards dozed silently in her playpen, unaware of the sounds of crickets in the room. A horde of them were crawling towards her, blanketing the floor like a carpet of steel. They stopped, as they began humming silently, as if in a trance. There was one heat signature in the room; Victoria's…and then…another. An insect drone suddenly lunged from its position on the floor and at the pen, only to be ripped into shreds in mid-air. Something moved within the room, like lightning; an invisible defence mechanism perhaps? Maybe. The insects suddenly spotted the other energy signature, and leapt at it instead of the baby. The being stepped back, revealing his blue translucent form to the attacking drones, and aimed his arm at them. Suddenly swinging it, an azure blade materialized in his hand, slashing through the insects as if they were merely nothing. In a minute, he stood above the ruins of the machines, and turned to stare down at the dozing Victoria, whose lips made a soft smack sound. "…as long as you need me," the being finally said to the sleeping child, as it became invisible again. "I am here to guard you, for Cento Ani…!"

The man fell into a series of spasms, a blue layer of energy forming around his body. Through his chest an axe-head had pierced the axe of Terrax the tamer, who lusted for bloodshed. "You were foolish to think that you can escape by hiding from me," he said heartedly, as he stood before the human child. At the moment, Victoria woke up, and seeing the terrifying face of the herald, yelled and cried. "Silence," he grumbled, seemingly ready to twist the little girl's neck. Then, he stopped, calming himself down. "All this…for the master," he grumbled angrily, as he held the baby up in the air. He shook the baby, frightening her. "You are a lucky whelp, for your destiny is already assured." Placing his knee to hold down the corpse of the blue being, he lifted the axe out and walked away.

[Do you know what I am?]

Susan's eyes glared at the machine-like being who sat on the throne in the heart of the room. It was seemingly made out of wires, steel plates and steel tentacles from the ship, and energy brimmed from the small gaps between the metal. Its eyes, mechanical, were gold in hue, and its hands were stretched out and raised into the air. Behind it, there was a chamber of water; within it a being of light which did not twitch or even move. "A can opener, hopefully," Invisible Woman replied, as she struggled against the coils that bound her against the wall. Her I.U.M. suit had been charred and burnt, and the heat from the fiery blast that struck still lingered within. She beat the monstrous cables back with her invisible force as the robotic sentient sat on the techno-organic throne that manifested right in front of her. Susan Storm swam through the slinking wires, which held down her invisible walls to minimum.

[There is a thousand volts of electricity in my fist,] the being said, as he lifted his open palm into the air. He slammed it onto Sue's forehead, and she screamed, as energy ripped through her mind. [Your nerve impulses; the only cells that do not regenerate…they are sensitive to even a single motion of static.] A field of flame suddenly appeared between them, pushing him away. Firelord did not stir, as he held the firestaff up at the machine's face.

"You do well to leave them intact, Quasimodo," the herald said sternly. "He who sleeps has bestowed you the power cosmic for his purposes, not yours…you do well to remember that."

"Qu-quasimodo," Sue muttered, garnering the attention of the two heralds. The wire-like machine called Quasimodo reached out for her hair and pulled her face to his.

[You remember. Do you know what I am?]

Sue said nothing, as she was pushed back against the wall. She remembered vaguely, things about Quasimodo; the one she remembered was hazily hunchbacked, the creation of the Mad Thinker back in the heydays of the Fantastic Four. Abandoned by the Thinker then after, she couldn't recall what happened to the creation…until now.

Quasimodo hovered back, his chair moving fluidly into the heart of the chamber. His hands were clasped onto the throne chair, his hands moulding onto the techno-metal. Four green opaque screens appeared in front of his metal face, its interface moving under his control. His eyes however shot past through the screens and were staring at Sue's. [I am the Quasi-Motivational Destruct Organism, whose objective was your destruction. I was born of the hands of the Thinker, who betrayed me to oblivion.] A holographic image of a gigantic bulk with a distorted face of a man appeared in his face and he surveyed it with disdain. [A pitiful wretch. My own whims to finally reinstate myself into a higher level of techno-organism brought me up against the super-powers of Earth, and it was an android such as me who ultimately cast my essence into space. However I was imbued with power cosmic by the master, who gave me face and so-]

He was interrupted by the sound of the explosions, as the corridor lit up in flames. Quasimodo was drawn back with nonchalant amusement. [Has the Human Torch escaped,] he asked Firelord. [As I ordered you to?]

"Yes."

[Good,] the robot said, its circuit-board face forming an eerie grin. [Let them come.]

"Are you sure, Johnny?" Mr. Fantastic repeated his question in the earnest to his brother-in-law, who only nodded (the pain of his wrist and ankle were numbing, to say the least). Despite of that, the Human Torch flew ahead of them, as he and the Thing pummelled through every machine drone salvo that flew into their path. "Seems ta me they ain't pulling much of a fight," Ben mumbled, as crunched his fists together, squashing one he caught in his hand. "Not that yer ever-blue-eyed so-and-so here mind that and all…why's it seem so…"

"Like a trap? Maybe," Reed replied they reached the end of the tunnel. Suddenly, the whole ship was flooded with a brilliant light, and they all fell back. "Energy signature's familiar," Mr. Fantastic declared to the team, only to realize whom they were fighting. "…fall back! Fall back or…!"

A sudden surge of power cosmic tore through the whole corridor, and the ship quavered, as it in itself began launching the dreadnoughts. The satellite in its path was ripped to shreds like paper, as the Xenoship pushed towards the Earth. Unaware of the destruction, the Thing stood up relatively unharmed from the first strike. "Y'know what? Ya ain't so tough, whoever you are…we Fantastic Four faced worse than a giant tin can full of bees!" The unworldly mist pervaded the air, as the Thing trudged through the pathway, unaware of his enemy. Taunting him, maybe, would work. Maybe. "Ya know that, huh!?! Unless yer friggin' Galactus or something, ya ain't…!"

He stopped, as the giant foot stomped onto the ground, shaking the whole ship apart. "…well, shoot me, Aunt Petunia," Grimm mumbled under his breathe, as Galactus in his full glory stared down on him, as if he were merely a speck of a bug.

The Invisible Woman watched in trepidation as the Xenoship hovered above the Earth's atmosphere, its cannons hovering steadily like silent harbingers. On the opaque screens, the machine watched the human reporters scramble to get the last exclusive they may ever have.

[All is falling into place,] Quasimodo uttered, as he lifted himself away from the command screen. He then pointed towards the chamber of light, which was slowly being drained away. Firelord stood in silent contempt.

"Airwalker's sacrifice," he said to the robot. "Must not be in vain, Quasimodo. He is my friend. It must not be in vain."

[And it will not.] With these words, the fiery herald grew silent, drawing back and pressing his hands against the glass chamber which kept the unbridled light being at bay. From within, Airwalker screamed out to his comrade and friend, only to die out in the darkness, his energies and the power cosmic that kept him alive drained away to bring life to the master. Suddenly, Terrax smashed through the walls, bringing in the crying child.

"Here," He said angrily, shoving Victoria into Quasimodo's arms. "Take your puny little human, she is of no use for amusement."

[As prophesised. Her destiny is to follow,] Quasimodo interjected. With a cocky smile, he turned to mock Sue, only to find the cables and wires that bound her torn apart, electricity brimming across the singed floor.

Suddenly, Firelord was smashed through the chamber, and flung against the wall. Quasimodo turned in surprise, only to have a giant cable fly at him, slamming onto his bod. Dropping to the ground the Invisible Woman flung her hands, as a force field bubble encased the robot, its attachment wires to the ship ripped apart.

"I don't see us going anywhere with this," Sue said strictly on grounds of professionalism. Baby Victoria flew out of the hands of the robot and into hers, as sheer gestured her hand in a throwing motion, aimed at Terrax. The rampaging herald was against the floor, despite himself, startled at the sheer power Sue had suddenly wielded. "Don't you ever dare touch my baby. Again."

[Override field.] The bubble that caged Quasimodo exploded into shards, and Sue found herself being pushed away by her own powers on instinct. Against a wall, her one hand shielded Victoria from the oncoming sharp pieces of the force field, her other lifted into the air, impulsively lifting up a force field that neutered the debris. The Xenoship roared in pain and anger along with Quasimodo, both becoming one in the process.

"Sue!" Reed's voice echoed throughout the ship, and had caught her attention. Mr. Fantastic stretched towards his wife, covering her back as Firelord shot a cosmic bolt at her. "Why are you doing this…!?!" Reed exclaimed, as his hands stretched out and grabbed hold of the firestaff. They struggled against each other, as the Human Torch appeared out of the corridor, pulling the Thing away from the battle.

"Galactus! They brought back Galactus," yelled Johnny, as he dropped Ben onto the ground.

"Galactus? The Galactus?" Sue said it with scepticism, as she dodged the long axe of Terrax by sidestepping to the left. "But Galactus is dead!"

"Tha's right, 'cept that, y'know, there's no such thing as dead," Thing replied, ramming Terrax away from the Invisible Woman. "When yer a god." Punching Terrax in the jaw, the Thing found himself slamming the axe onto the wall, and leaving it there to hang. In rage, Terrax struggled against the man's grip, when something pulsed through him, causing him to yell.

"Ugh…A GAAHH!!! UGFhag!!!…N-no…no one…mocks the Despot of Lanlak!" Ben slammed his fist three more times onto Terrax's face, knocking him out. Getting up, he kicked the ruthless monster in the ribs.

"Boo-flippin'-hoo."

"You do not understand, Richards," Firelord exclaimed, as he found himself without his staff. Mr. Fantastic stretched back and held it in his hands. Apparently, their one-time ally was willing to talk rather than fight.

"There's no need to fight," Reed explained, as he walked towards the herald. Firelord looked into the man's eyes and did not doubt his sincerity. Walking hesitantly towards Richards, he found himself suddenly bombarded by a mental attack.

"Ah…AHG!! AAAGAGH!!!!" Dropping onto the floor, Firelord squirmed in pain, unleashing several bolts flame across the room.

"Whoa, there!" Reed heard, a cry of surprise from Johnny. The scientist knelt before the semi-conscious Firelord, who held his hand out trembling. "Firelord…are you…?"

"It's a lie…a lie…"

"What?" Reed stepped closer, trying to hear the words of the herald.

"We...we're being enslaved…s-lave…chips…head," He said, as he began fading into unconsciousness. "Don't…trust…enemy…he is…Xenoship…" Suddenly, a spasm pulse through Firelord's body and he dropped unconscious. Mr. Fantastic, heeding the words of the Firelord, turned the head of the herald to find and a wire-like drone attached to his body. With his outstretched hand he squashed it, and lifted it close to his eye to inspect it. He had recognized it anywhere.

The Huamn Torch flew around the disgruntled robot, who was firing cosmic blasts at him. [Stand still,] It said in annoyance, and Johnny just laughed carelessly.

"Oh sure, all you villains just keep on saying that. What do you want, a Kodak moment?" From the Human Torch's hands flew balls of flame, surrounding Quasimodo in an inferno. "Where's Smokey the Bear when you need him, huh?" Suddenly, the steel tentacle shot out and slammed against his broken wrist. Johnny fell onto the floor in pain, only to have Quasimodo's hand wrapped around his throat, tightening.

[I've had enough of your quibbling,] he said angrily. [There aren't any words…say maybe, "goodbye".]

"QUASIMODO!"

Reed Richards held he crushed drone in his hand, garnering the attention of the robot. "This is your handiwork, reminiscent of the Mad Thinker. You've enslaved the heralds of Galactus…and brought him back yourself?!?!" The exclamation and surprise in Reed's voice did not betray his revelations. Quasimodo just smiled.

[Enslave only those who would not succumb and follow the will of Galactus. Those who did, like Airwalker...] He stared at the broken tank, which its glass gave off his reflection; the old and distorted one. He then pointed at the Invisible Woman, who held Victoria in her arms. [I only followed my master's will. And I have only followed the prophecies.]

"…prophecies?"

[Surely, you do not have a clue as to what,] Quasimodo said, as a single lone wire flew out of his back, crawling its way towards the mechanical throne, wherein the control panel for the Xenoship were. [However, you do know this; several months ago, you battled the entity known as the Cosmicus, a construct created by your own son Franklin, is that not correct? As well as the threat of diverging realities, the changes in your powers, the supposedly new Hate Monger?]

"Yes, we did, but…"

[And, is it true, that a month ago, you faced the Dark Lords, who apparently appeared out of nowhere, only to be dispersed by the Watcher. Do you realize that they should not have existed at all, if not for the new and old reality merging into one? A healed rift in reality?]

Reed pondered quietly. "…Franklin…?"

[No. Not your son…who is no longer of our purpose.] Reed's eye drew to their daughter, who giggled without an idea of what was going on.

"Oh my god," Sue said in realization, cradling her daughter even harder. Quasimodo just smiled, as the wire he let out crept up onto the throne, and inserted itself into the circuitry. Suddenly, the Xenoship shook angrily, as the dreadnoughts fired at the Earth, its shots permeating through the atmosphere.

[Everything is no longer preordained. It is all over now,] Quasimodo declared, as he dropped the squirming Human Torch onto the floor. Hovering above the Fantastic Four, he held his arms outstretched as billion flashes of information surged throughout the ship. [The Earth is destroyed. The prophecy is distorted. The future will change.]

"Ya yutz!" The Thing lunged at the machine, while Johnny got his bearings and burst into flames. Both Sue and Johnny unleashed a barrage of flame and force, only to have Quasimodo push Ben into the crossfire.

[Accept defeat.] Throwing the Thing back at the two, Quasimodo found himself bound by Mr. Fantastic's elastic grip, his two hands enlarged and holding him tight. Likewise, steel tentacles wrapped itself around Reed's abdomen, pulling him away from the robot. Getting up, Sue clenched her fist, catching the herald in mid-air. Suddenly the whole of the Xenoship shut down, and they were caught in pitch black darkness. Then, the stern began to shake, as it was ripped away from the ship. The air of space was strong, and the Fantastic Four found themselves huddled together, in Sue's Invisible Bubble.

"HERALD."

Galactus' face stared down before the almost drained Quasimodo, who floated lifeless in space. He held the robot in one hand and his unconscious heralds in the other, standing above the Fantastic Four like a majestic scarlet tower whose omnipotence was near limitless. "YOU HAVE BROUGHT ME BACK FROM THE DARKNESS. AND IT IS OUR FUNCTION TO BE THE DESTROYERS…THE PLANETS WE RAVAGE, OUR UNIVERSAL FUNCTION. HOWEVER."

Reed looked past behind him, seeing the Earth intact. Then he looked back at Galactus, who did stir from his place. "I SEE THROUGH YOU, HERALD. YOU SEEK YOUR REVENGE AGAINST HE WHO WRONGED YOU, NOT IN THE SAKE OF THE PROPHECY. YOU ARE WRONG, AND YOU WILL BE PUNISHED, ACCORDINGLY." He then crushed Quasimodo in his hands, leaving nothing but rubble and pieces of living debris of the still-alive machine. Then, he loomed over the Fantastic Four, who were taken aback. This was the Devourer at his prime; an unstoppable destroyer. Without the nullifier, without time, could they…?

"I HUNGER," said he, as he stared down onto them, who seemed like mere insects. The living god held his free hand outstretched, grabbing the Earth by its bottom. Reed winced as he imagined the impact Galactus had made, his hands pressing deep into the crust and waves as if it were mere clay. "MY ENERGIES WOULD BE SUSTAINED BY YOUR PLANET'S LIFE-GIVING CORE IN AN INSTANT."

"I know," said Reed meekly, as if he was humbled by the presence of a god. He couldn't move, as if some unknown was pulling him aside warning him…this was not the devourer that he knew. Indeed, his ruthlessness was something that, while wasn't new, took some time to adjust to. Galactus' eyes shifted to and fro, from the earth that was in his hands to the Fantastic Four. Suddenly, he let go, leaving the world as it was.

"BE WARY, REED RICHARDS. YOUR FUTURE IS CAST IN STONE, AND YOUR LIVES ARE BEING NUMBERED BY GRAINS OF SANDS FADING INTO NOTHINGNESS IN THE PALM OF THE WATCHER'S HOURGLASS," he said. Behind him, the Xenoship began moving on its own, straight towards the Devourer. "THE UNIVERSE WILL BE JUDGED BY THE FANTASTIC FOUR'S LIFE AND YOUR DAUGHTER'S DEATH. THE EARTH SHOULD BE LEFT IN CALM. FOR NOW."

The ship enveloped the Devourer like a cocoon, moving fluidly as if it were not a ship that instant, but a void. Reed and his Fantastic Four covered their eyes, as the cocoon shined brightly, like a white dwarf star dying a hundred times over; ten supernovas that pale to the awesome dazzling light that sparked before their eyes. And then, he was gone; and left only in their sights, as they floated gently in Sue's Invisible Bubble, were the shimmering of stars, failing to compare in their twinkle. "…the universe will be…by our daughter's…oh god," Sue muttered, as she lifted Victoria into her arms. Johnny turned to her, snapped out of his stunned phase. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, as she held her baby close to her heart. She fought the pain that was swelling up inside, biting her lips and trying to convince herself that crying would not make anything better. It was destiny, and…she couldn't bear its burden. Hold it back. Hold it back.

"Should…should I make an Invisible ship and fly us down?" Reed noticed his wife's uneasiness, yet said nothing. He saw in the corner of her eyes, tiny droplets of sadness forming and dissolving, as if forced to stop from showing her pain. Her secret pain, one she'd probably keep from Johnny and Ben. But from him?

EPILOGUES AND PROLOGUES:

In the distance, a blue, translucent body floated lifelessly in the vastness of deep space. He was human, yet not truly so…Juan Romero was his birth name, but no longer his to claim…he was 79, and part of the great cycle. His death will have repercussions to all things, yes, but that is true for everything as well. In those depths of space, he was laid, his grave the cold air of emptiness. A tiny space shuttle was moving away from him, making its way towards earth. Within it, his fellows were in solemn prayer, holding in their hands the blue symbol of a horizontal eight figure in their hands; it was the symbol of infinity, for the more things change, the more they stay the same.

"79 is dead," one of them whispered silently. "Let his be cast aside in the sands of the Watcher's hourglass...and his mission be taken up by another."

"…Romero was nice to me…"

"Quiet," he said harshly to girl, 13, who interrupted the solemn rites with her stupid human concerns. They were no longer part of the human race anymore, and those concerns no longer matter. She would learn after this, by the pain of horse leather and coal. "He was blessed to take the mantle, and was worthy of it in the face of annihilation. Let us remember him."

The crew, all sixteen of them, were silent.

"For the cause. For the advent. For the Centenary."

"Cento Anima."

NEXT ISSUE: The Fantastic Four take a breather from the big-slam-bang action to re-examine their lives, in the past, the present and the future.

Hey guys,
Oooo…intriguing prologue arc, eh? Okay, that's my opinion. Please tell me that those subplots intrigue you…pretty please? Ah cripes, never mind. Anyway, I hope this lived up to all those great expectations about this book, since there's been positive stuff that's been generated over it. I mean Galactus, people! Now that he's back, the whole universe is going to be in trouble…and not just from him. See you next issue!

Mo_o.