1131 52nd Street; New York; New York
Late Evening

“Is this all yours, Ben?”

“Yeah, Alicia…”

“I’m afraid I might trip over something…”

“Well, I’ll have it all tightly tucked away before tomorrow morning. I promise.”

“Ben… what’s the real story behind you moving out of the Plaza? What’s the truth behind it?”

“Let’s just say-- people change.”

Alicia places a hand on my hard rocky exterior, as I look around to all of the boxes that I had taken from my quarters at Four Freedoms Plaza.

“I’m gonna miss Frankie and Victoria, Alicia. But Sue made it clear that I was no longer welcome there, she’s not herself, not at all. D’Spayre changed the entire team. No one has trust in anyone anymore. It’s not good, definitely not good. She thinks I hurt Johnny… and I didn’t. I wouldn’t. Johnny’s like my brother, Sue’s like my sister… the fact that she thinks I would hurt Johnny leaves me to believe that she definitely has no trust in me any longer. The Fantastic Four aren’t Fantastic anymore. Hell, we aren’t even four.”

“Ben, things will work out—I’m sure.”

“I sure hope so, Alicia.”

Ben wraps his arms around Alicia, and turns to the door as a knock is heard. He walks over to the door and touches the doorknob and opens the door to see that no one is there.

“Hmm… that’s odd.”

Suddenly, he notices a small fly going across the floor and he smirks.

“Who is it? Ben?”

“It’s Ant man—Scott Lang.”

The ant increases in size and a handsome blonde man stands wearing a black leather suit with a silver metal helmet.

“Ben, we need to talk. It’s about D’Spayre.”

Four Freedoms Plaza
Late Evening

“What in the hell do you think your doing?!”

“I’m playing with my nephew, what’s wrong with you?”

“Johnny--- stay away from my son.”

“Mommy, it’s okay. Uncle Johnny is helping me building a tower with my blocks.”

Sue grabs Johnny’s arm and uses an invisible force blast to knock him into the wall of the room, he counter-attacks by flaming on.

“Sue… what’s gotten into you?”

“You will not hurt my son, whether you’re my brother or not.”

“Get a grip, Sue… I’m not going to hurt him. I wouldn’t. Don’t you trust me?”

“I said ‘Get Away from my son’.”

“Yeah, I heard ya the first time.”

“Mommy? Uncle Johnny didn’t do anything. He was just helping me build a tower with my blocks. Why can’t he be near me? What’s wrong mommy? I’m getting scared.”

“You hear him, Johnny? He’s getting scared.”

“Yeah, because his mother is like freaking’ loosing’ her mind or something. Maybe you should have Reed give you Prozac or something. You’ve completely flipped.”

The Invisible Woman creates a invisible crossbow and pulls it back, releasing an invisible arrow towards Johnny. Johnny’s flaming body just barely misses it. As the room becomes a battle zone, She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters) walks in.

“What in the hell is going on in here?!”

Yacht; Pier 15
Midnight

“Dr. Birely? Dr. Birely… It’s Reed Richards.”

Richards walks down the foggy pier in a trench coat, looking around for Dr. Birely. The man whom called and set up this meeting.

“Shh…. Mr. Richards.”

“Dr. Birely?”

“Yes.”

A frail old man steps out of the dark and faces Reed. He, himself, is wearing a trench coat and a hat. The night sky makes for a eerie feeling that runs up Reed’s back.

“Dr. Birely, I’m here. How can I help?”

“Mr. Richards, I understand that you have recently undergone an ordeal with the villainess D’Spayre. It has shattered your team, leaving the Fantastic Four broken. The Fantastic Four may very well be the last hope to solve a crisis that may very well leave the world crippled.”

Reed’s curiosity kicks in and he can’t help wonder what the man is talking about.

“How could the Fantastic Four be the last hope for solving this crisis that you describe?”

“Because it’s the way it is, I can not tell you more. You must believe me, Reed.”

“Ok, Dr. Birely… but what is the crisis?”

“In the past, the Fantastic Four have defeated world-eating creatures such as Galactus and powerful beings such as Onslaught, and brought tyranny to an end from such villains such as Dr. Doom. Soon, a new evil will rise and will be a challenge unlike any the Fantastic Four or the world has gone up against. You must be ready, Mr. Richards. The world depends on you.”

Reed is not sure whether to believe what Dr. Birely is saying, but knows that if he knows of the Fantastic Four’s battles with such creatures as Galactus… that he must at least know what’s ahead for the team.

“How am I suppose to be sure that I can believe in what you say?”

“You either do or don’t, Mr. Richards. You will either have to take this seriously or as an old man telling a wise tale.”

Reed thought hard on what the man said. He remembered recent battles with Dr. Doom and others from the Fantastic Four’s rogue gallery. Suddenly, he had faith in his team again. The trust that was thought lost was found. He would have to help the others regain their trust before it’s too late.

“Thank you, Dr. Birely. I will take your warning into consideration. I must return home to my family. Be safe, Sir.”

“Of course, son.”

Reed turned to see that the man had disappeared, back into the darkness of the pier no doubt.

1131 52nd Street; New York; New York
A little After Midnight

“SIT!”

She-Hulk forcefully pushed on Johnny’s unflamed shoulder, pushing him back into the recliner.

“You two are not leaving until you talk this out.”

“You tell ‘em, green lady.”

“Franklin, call me Jen… please.”

“Ok, green lady.”

She-Hulk sighs.

“Listen Jennifer, I appreciate you trying to get involved—but this is between Johnny and I. He was going to harm Franklin.”

“I was not, you stupid blonde twit!”

“Oh, that’s it.”

“ENOUGH!”

She-Hulk looks to Franklin and the gurgling Victoria whom sit on the sofa across the room. She then turns her attention back to Johnny and Sue.

“D’Spayre is responsible for your lack of trust in each other. He left you broken and full of doubt and distrust in each other. He’s torn the team apart. If it were not for Alicia letting me know that Ben had moved in with her, I would not have known that this was still going on. Once I saw you two at each other, I knew that it was true.”

She-Hulk looked to Sue, and then to Johnny, and then to Sue again.

“You love each other. You are the best brother/sister combo ever in the history of heroism. You shouldn’t let one psychotic madman tear you apart. You need to overcome this.”

Sue lowered her head and then looked up to Johnny, before looking to Jennifer.

“You’re right. What have I done? I trust Johnny; I trust him as well as Ben for crying out loud.”

“And I trust you too, Sis. I guess I just got carried away. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.”

A heartfelt hug brings the two together.

“Well, this is what I like to see.”

“Ben!”

Sue breaks her hug with Johnny to give Ben a firm hug.

“I’m sorry, Ben… I’m really sorry."

“It’s okay, Suzie. You weren’t yourself. I understand that.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry too. I guess I just got carried away.”

“It’s okay, matchstick.”

Ant-man and Alicia Masters stand in the entrance way of the Living Room watching as the Fantastic Four become a team and loving family once again. But things would definitely be different from here on out, they’d never be the same again.

“I’m glad you got the Thing to come, Scott.”

“It wasn’t easy, Jenn, Ben’s more stubborn then an ox. He’s the size of one too.”

Reed walks in and Franklin runs towards him.

“Daddy! Daddy! You’re home!”

“Yes Franklin, I’m home.”

“Reed? Is everything okay?”

“I’m not sure, Sue. I just met with an interesting man, a Dr. Birely. He gave me a warning of something that’s too come. I’m not sure whether I believe him or not, but I get this strange feeling… that he what he warns may come true. But sooner than he thinks.”

“This isn’t another ‘Coming of Galactus’ is it?”

Reed chuckles.

“No Ben, I have a feeling the Fantastic Four are going to take a new path down a new road. We’ve come a long ways my friends and family. We’ve faced many odds and have always come out on top. I fear that our greatest challenge may still lye ahead.”

“You going to get rid of the stupid costumes, Dad? They are kind of dorky.”

“Yes, Franklin. Infact, the Fantastic Four are going to be ‘Reborn’ with a new look, a new attitude, and a new way of thinking.

“Sounds like we’re putting the ‘Fantastic’ back into the ‘Fantastic Four’, Reed.”

“Very True, Johnny. Very True.”

Reed look around the room to Franklin, Victoria, Scott Lang, Jennifer Walters, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, and his beautiful wife Susan Storm-Richards.

“The Fantastic Four Survives.”

NEXT ISSUE: Fantastic Four 2003 Annual!

Fantastic Forum:
This issue was pretty easy to write and only took me a total of two and a half hours to plot and script. I'm pretty happy with the outcome of the issue. As you can see, it's gearing up for the new direction which starts soon after Fantastic Four 2003 Annual. The title will go through what will be considered a "Morrison Growth Spurt" which will sort of make the title into its own. The Fantastic Four has always been a great title, and it deserves T.L.C. and I fully intend to give it that and much more. As you can see, I really like the family aspect of the title and I will continue to work with it. Stay Tuned, the best is yet to come!

~Jason Bruss