The MARVELOUS Muppets: Four Plus Two Over Five

[muppetwriter]

Chapter Four​

“Oh, Kermie.” said the excited Miss Piggy, as both she and the apparently exhausted Kermit stood before what would soon be their new boarding house in Queens, which was half completed at the time. “The house looks just as beautiful on the millionth time you’ve seen it.”

“Uh, yeah…that’s terrific and all, Piggy.” Kermit said, with a yawn. “But did we really have to come out here this early in the morning?”

“Of course.” Piggy said. “You were the one that said how beautiful it looked at the break of dawn.”

“I did?” Kermit said, a little confused. “Wait a minute, Piggy. I think you heard me wrong. I believe I said, ‘It would be beautiful if we all got a break from Pepe the King Prawn’. He was urging us to stop by a Hooters restaurant for breakfast on the way back to the Hotel. Though I’m still not convinced that breakfast was what he was aiming to get.” Piggy just looked at Kermit for a while, feeling a bit sheepish over her “little” mistake.

“Oh.” She said. “Well, the house still looks beautiful at dawn.”

“Sheesh.” Kermit uttered, with a sigh. “Listen, Piggy, I’m gonna head back to the Studebaker and get some shut eye. You can stay here and keep on looking at the house until the sun comes up.”

“Oh, oh! But wouldn’t you wish to stay with moi ‘til then, Kermie?” Piggy asked, obviously anxious to have Kermit by her side as she awaited the moment of sunrise.

“I really need to get some rest, Piggy.” Kermit said. “If we’re going to get Manhattan Melodies back on stage, we’re going to need all the rest we can get. You remember how hard it was getting on stage the first time, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course.” Piggy remarked. “But…couldn’t you just stay with me for a few more minutes? Pleeeease!” Before Kermit could answer, something moving in the bushes near the right side of the house attracted their attention. They both wondered for a moment if it could’ve been a dog or a cat that probably wandered from one of the other houses in the pleasant neighborhood.

“Uh…maybe we should just leave right now, Piggy.” said Kermit, who was frightened over the movement in the bushes. Whether there was a dog or a cat in those bushes, the animal would definitely be better than the frog.

“I’m not gonna let some dumb house pet scare me away!” Piggy exclaimed, just as the thing in the bushes came out and revealed itself to Kermit and Piggy. The figure was huge and shadowy, but the pig and the frog were barely able to make out the new appearance of Ben Grimm, who was twice the size he once was, having an orange rocky surface covering his entire body. Due to his huge figure, he was forced to break into a Big & Tall shop and steal articles of clothing that would suit him, such as a trenchcoat, a fedora, and black slacks. Neither Piggy nor Kermit knew who Ben Grimm was; and even if they had, neither of them would bother to talk to him that moment. “TIME TO GO!!!!”

“No, please! Wait!” Ben yelled, and as he moved towards Kermit and Piggy, the two immediately jumped into the Studebaker and speeded away from the scene. The sound of the vehicle’s tires rubbing hard against the concrete attracted the attention of several neighbors. Lights began to flicker on, and Ben knew that it was time for him to leave. He knew that if he couldn’t seek help from anyone else, then there was a definite chance that he couldn’t see his fiancée again. But the man that was once (and still was) Ben Grimm still made his way pass Brooklyn, just so he could see his fiancée once more. It was hard for him to watch her, as she stood near the bedroom window, waiting anxiously for him to return. But after a while, when it seemed as if he would never return home, she turned off the lights in the bedroom and went to sleep.

Ben never felt so heartbroken and alone in his entire life. With no one and no other place to turn to, he fled to the Brooklyn Bridge before the sun came out. As soon as he arrived there, he sat himself on a steel girder above the road, and that’s exactly where he remained until it was finally daylight. Sitting on the edge of the beams, he stared down at the river below, brooding and muttering to himself.

“A few days in space, it’ll be great,” muttered a sarcastic Ben, “What’s the worst that could happen?” That’s when a pigeon fluttered past him, dropping a white gooey “gift” on his left shoulder. “Perfect. Thanks.” As Ben took his big, rocky, four-fingered right hand and brushed the goo off his shoulder, he heard a familiar voice speak out next to him.

“Goodbye, cruel world!” The voice shouted, and Ben turned his head to see Dr. Phil van Neuter standing right next to him, not even noticing or realizing that Ben wasn’t a statue. Down below, on a pedestrian walkway, Neuter’s assistant, Mulch, was looking up at Phil, while dressed in an attire best suited for a funeral (in that case, Phil’s funeral). “I have nothing left to live for! I didn’t even get the chance to join Victor Von Doom in his experiment! I don’t deserve to stay on this earth any longer! And if this is the only way to get beyond the heavens, then so be it!” Phil looked down at Mulch, with a sad look on his face. “Goodbye, my dear Mulch! Tell Composta that I’ll always love her!”

“Urgh!” Mulch grunted, not seeming to care very much about Neuter’s suicide attempt; he was only there for the marvelous view from the Brooklyn Bridge.

“Are you kiddin’ me with this?” Ben interjected, and Phil jumped in surprise when he heard Ben’s voice, and he was even more surprised when he looked directly at Ben. “Take a good look at me, pal, and then say you wished you were part of that experiment again!” The terrified and speechless Phil van Neuter slipped off the girder and fell toward the roadway. But he saved himself in time, grabbing a narrow beam; his fingers held tight while his legs thrashed over the speeding traffic.

“MULCH!! MULCH!!!” Phil screamed. “HELP ME!! HELP!!!!!!” But Mulch didn’t bother to turn to see the danger that Phil had gotten himself into, because he was too interested in the marvelous view. Meanwhile, Ben was shaking his head and asking himself why Phil had to put himself in danger at a time like that. He stepped out to help, but his weight was bending the beam. “You…You keep away from me! You…You…THING!!!!”

“Hey, if yer gonna be like that, then I might as well just leave ya there.” Ben said, and just as soon as he said that, Phil lost his grip on the beam and fell to the road, landing hard on the highway. A few pedestrians noticed Ben and pointed at him. Their pointing caught the attention of Mulch, who turned away from the view and realized that his boss was in trouble.

“Urgh?” He grumbled, as Ben looked up and saw a massive truck bearing down on the helpless Phil. He dropped to the street and landed in front of Phil, who he swept out of the way before focusing on the eighteen-wheeler cab. The driver slammed his brakes, causing the truck to swerve; it couldn’t stop and continued to come towards the frightened Ben. Shutting his eyes, Ben shoulder-blocked the incoming truck, which made it buckle, popping a wheelie and crumpling all the way to the windshield. Soon it looked like a metal car-compactor. The truck was swerving hard, with its tail smashing into steel girders. A lot of cars screeched, swerved, and slammed into each other, causing a four-lane traffic accident. One of the cars was an NYPD cruiser that cops had soon hopped out from. Meanwhile, a short distance from the huge accident, Fozzie had put the brakes on the EM bus, nearly causing all of its passengers (from Reed to Rizzo) to fly out of their seats.

“Yo, what’s up?!” Rizzo exclaimed.

“Sorry, guys.” Fozzie said. “There’s a big accident up ahead.” Everyone noticed the action on the bridge. Reed, Sue, Bunsen, and Beaker all locked eyes with one another, sensing the worst. Their attention was soon directed to a news van that had pulled up right next to them, with the letters K, M, U, and P printed on the side of it.

“Oh, dear.” Bunsen muttered, as the group watched Pepe and the Muppet newsman jump out of the van and move towards the sight of the accident, where Ben stood in the middle of the chaos, staring at the destruction. Phil van Neuter could not get over the sight of Ben Grimm, as his assistant approached to check on him.

“Mulch! Save me! Please!” He cried, hiding behind his confused assistant. “Save me from whatever that thing is!”

“You know, pal, you’re really tickin’ me off with that ‘thing’ crack!” Ben yelled; his voice was like one coming through a megaphone as he shouted at Phil and Mulch, who both were scared stiff. “I was just tryin’ to spare your hide from a bad case of tire tracks!”

“Oh, yeah?” Phil said. “Well, you didn’t really do much for the driver of that vehicle.” He pointed to wrecked truck’s driver, who was bleeding and trapped in his cab.

“Aw, Jeez!” Ben uttered, before moving to the burning hunk of steel. He swiped through the shattered window and punched the airbag, popping it like a balloon. Ben tried to grab the seatbelt, but his fingers were too big. “Come on, pal! Help me out here! Hit that button!” The driver was too woozy, and since neither him nor Ben could get to the button, Ben simply tore off the door and ripped the driver’s seat right out of the cab. The sight made Phil and Mulch scream from the top of their lungs, as they started running away from the scene.

“HE’S GONNA KILL US ALL!!!!” Phil shouted, as they passed by a group of cops, who arrived in time to see Ben holding onto the driver; they raised their guns at him, as if he were some sort of criminal.

“Freeze!” An officer demanded. “Put the man and the seat down!” Ben looked at the cops and noticed how pedestrians were pointing at him. He realized how he must’ve looked at that moment, especially in front of Pepe and the Muppet newsman, who were doing a report on the incident that very moment.

“We are live right now on the Brooklyn Bridge, as this…this…this monster is holding a dead truck driver in his grasps!” The Muppet newsman exclaimed, seeming to be frightened himself as he reported.

“He ain’t dead!” Ben told him. “He’s just unconscious!” Pepe immediately noticed how right Ben was, and he aimed the camera at the newsman’s feet again, in order to correct him.

“I believe Rocky Horror is right, h’okay.” Pepe said. “The man isn’t dead, otherwise his chest would not be going up and down like dat.”

“Who cares?!” The frightened newsman yelled. “I’m getting the heck out of here!!” The Muppet newsman ran away from the scene and hopped back into the KMUP news van, driving away with it. Pepe, ignoring the newsman’s retreat, aimed the camera back at Ben, the unconscious truck driver, and the cops, just as Ben put the seat down, with the driver on it. He then lunged behind a truck, and the cops tried to follow, but the flames pushed them and Pepe back, while Ben lurched away, head down and self-conscious. He tried to hide from onlookers around him and pedestrians on walkways.

Near the scene, Reed and the others raced towards the flames, while all other people headed in the opposite direction. Bridge police were herding everyone, including Pepe the King Prawn, away from the accident. As soon as Rizzo and Gonzo found Pepe at the scene, they immediately confronted him.

“Pepe, what are ya doing here?” Rizzo asked.

“T’is was not my idea, h’okay.” Pepe replied. “Da newsman urged me ta come, waving a large sum of money in my face. How could I resist, h’okay?”

“Let’s just hope that none of our audience gets the idea that Ben Grimm is a murdering monster.” Gonzo said, and Pepe was in awe, after realizing who the rock-like creature was.

“Now dat’s freaky, h’okay.” He said, while Reed, Sue, Johnny, Beaker, and Bunsen were swapping glances.

“Oh, dear! This is definitely not good!” Bunsen exclaimed, just before approached the bridge officer. “Excuse me, sir. But could you please let us pass long enough to retrieve our friend? He’s out there in trouble, and we need to get to him before…”

“Maybe you didn’t hear me, pal.” The officer said. “Those cars are gonna blow sky high in any second.” Realizing that no one was ever going to pass the officer, Reed turned to Sue, signaling her with a look and a nod.

“What?” She asked, not seeming to understand.

“We need to get past them.” Reed muttered, and once he motioned to her body, she began to understand. Concentrating really hard, she started to turn invisible before the eyes of everyone around her, including Pepe, Gonzo, Rizzo, and the Guardians (who had never seen her turn invisible before).

“And I thought I was the only one who could do that.” Hay Lin said.

“Sue…Your clothes…Lose them.” Reed said, and when Sue noticed how her clothes weren’t invisible, she started unbuttoning her blouse (though she wasn’t thrilled with the idea). She wriggled out of her pants, showing off her skivvies, while Pepe was becoming very excited. But when she reached back to undo her bra, she momentarily lost her concentration and became visible. The sight of Sue in her underwear had both the cops and Reed transfixed. Pepe was looking towards the heavens; he closed his eyes and prayed.

“Thank jou, God, for dis glorious day, h’okay.” Pepe uttered, while Beaker was shielding his eyes with his shaky hands and the Guardians were turning their heads. The realization that she wasn’t invisible hit Sue like a ton of bricks. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused; nothing had happened, and she was left feeling embarrassed and furious.

“Any more ideas, Reed?!” Sue yelled. “Maybe you should strip down next and see how it feels to have fifty people staring at you!”

“Don’t feel so bad, h’okay.” Pepe told her. “Jou have a nice body. Jou must really work out, h’okay.”

“Shut up!!” Sue screamed, while Irma backed her up by standing in front of her, so Pepe couldn’t see any more.

“Close your eyes…NOW!!!” Irma ordered him, just as Sue disappeared again, leaving her underwear floating in the air. Eyes widened and jaws dropped, as both Irma and Sue herself realized that she was invisible again. It wasn’t long before the underwear dropped and the invisible Sue had moved past the astonished cops, who tried to see her leave. By the time they turned back around, Reed, Johnny, Bunsen, Beaker, and the Guardians were gone as well, disappearing into the clouds of smoke.

“Where did your friends go?” An officer asked Gonzo, Rizzo, and Pepe.

“What friends?” Rizzo asked.

“Sí…what friends?” Pepe said. “We’ve never seen t’ose people before…except for de sexy blonde woman in the bra, h’okay.” Gonzo just shook his head and slapped his forehead over the two muppets before him.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR​

 

[The Count]

Good chapter. You might want to correct a few things...
When Ben's hiding in the bushes, you mentioned something about "the business"?
And when Sue's seen by everybody in her undergarments... You might want to change that to "wasn't invisible" or "was visible".

Thoughts later when the comp's giving me less resistance.

 

[muppetwriter]

When Ben's hiding in the bushes, you mentioned something about "the business"?

I guess we know now why Ben was in those bushes.


jk

I went back and corrected it. Thanks, Count.

 

[muppetwriter]

Chapter Five​

A news chopper flew around the Brooklyn Bridge, trying to capture the best angle on the action. Out of all the abandoned vehicles on the bridge, there was one that was still moving across it, passing through them all. It was a school bus that was painted in a greenish color, driven by an elderly female frog named Mrs. Appleby, who was leader of a “Frog Scout” that Robin the Frog was involved in. He and Mrs. Appleby were with several other young Frog Scouts, who were acting rather unruly during the ride back from their camp trip near Alkali Lake.

“Children! Children!” Mrs. Appleby exclaimed, trying to keep her eyes on the road and on the scouts at the same time, oblivious to the danger up ahead. “Children! Please behave! I am trying to get through this nasty traffic!” She took her eyes off the road for a moment to turn to the scouts, not noticing how she was coming towards the crowd of bridge officers and innocent bystanders (including Gonzo, Pepe, and Rizzo).

“Hey! Hey! Stop! STOP!!!!” The bridge officer yelled, just as a flaming gas tank exploded, taking several empty vehicles along with it. Reed was standing nearby the crowd as the explosion went off, and he swiped his arms out, holding the people back. His arms flattened to form a barricade, with faces indenting in his skin.

As the flames lashed out, the Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions released the danger they were in, and Taranee attempted to use her Guardian powers to settle down the flames, but it was too late. Johnny and Beaker saw how the girls were in danger, and they both leaped into action. Beaker speeded towards Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin, pushing them away from the path of the flames. Meanwhile, Johnny embraced Will and Cornelia, shielding them from the flames that burnt his back; no scars were left—only charred clothing.

Bunsen and the visible Sue, who was dressed again, also had flames coming towards them; they both screamed, putting up their hands in reflex. As Sue raised her hands, the air seemed to ripple around them, almost like force-fields, while some sort of crystallization process seemed to have been taking place from Bunsen’s hands. The two turned to each other, surprised and confused, and then looked to their hands, wondering what was happening. Sue’s invisible fields spiraled out over the massive crystal wall that Bunsen unwillingly developed, both partially containing the blast. Its pressure proved too much for both scientists to handle. Soon the crystal shield had shattered, and Sue was able to push the force down into the road. She and Bunsen collapsed, as the blast deflected off the street and into the Frog Scout bus.

“Mrs. Appleby! Look out!!” Robin shouted, just before the bus was knocked off the ground, slewing sideways. All of the frogs in the bus held on tight, as the bus’s tail slashed out, punching through the guard-rail. The back of the bus dangled out, hundreds of feet above the water, with the rear emergency door flinging open and leaving any of the passengers liable to fall out of the bus and into the water far below. Inside the bus, unaware of the position the bus was in, Robin (who was sitting at the rear of the bus) got up and checked on his friends. “Is everyone al…?” Before he could finish his question, the bus teetered, causing Robin to accidentally fall through the open rear emergency exit; he almost fell away from the bus completely, if he had not grabbed onto the floor of the bus as quickly as he did.

“Oh, dear lord!” Mrs. Appleby cried, noticing the serious danger that Robin had suddenly gotten himself into, as the little frog hung hundreds of feet from the back of the bus. She wanted to get up from the driver’s seat to help him; but she would only risk throwing the bus completely off the edge of the bridge with her weight. Robin’s small, light figure was the only thing keeping it partially leveled.

“Somebody help me! Please!!!!” Robin yelled, as the Guardians looked over the guard-rail and noticed the tiny frog’s danger. Will, who had gotten very close to Robin over the past months (due to her love for frogs and the great friendship she had with his uncle), was stunned to see him in that kind of position.

“Hold on, Robin!” Will yelled. “Everything’s going to be alright! Help is…” But Will stopped once she heard the sound of something hard dragging across the concrete. She and her friends turned their heads to see Ben, who was wasting no time in rescuing the Frog Scouts, grabbing onto the front of the bus and digging his heels into the ground.

“What the heck is that?” asked Cornelia, who was sharing her shock over Ben’s new appearance with the other girls.

“I don’t know,” Will said, “But it’s doing us a huge favor.” They continued to watch Ben as he screamed, straining with all of his might. His muscles rippled, and he took his first step back; more screams and steps followed, as he pulled the bus back onto the bridge, inch by inch, with thudding footsteps. Robin was still in danger, however, dangling from the back of the bus. And just as the rear of the bus was near the concrete of the bridge, there was a slight bump that knocked him off the rear and falling towards the river. Robin screamed, and his teary eyes were shut, not wanting to witness his own unfortunate fate. But that’s until his falling had ceased, as he landed on something rather soft. He opened his eyes and looked around, seeing how he was amidst a humungous pair of human hands.

“It’s alright.” Someone said, and Robin looked up to see Reed Richards, with his body extended far over the bridge, and his arms extended towards Robin. He enlarged his hands as much as he could, just to catch Robin like a baseball. “You’re safe.” Robin smiled at Reed; he wasn’t freaked out over his unusual flexibility—in fact, it amazed him greatly.

“Wow.” Robin uttered, as he slowly snapped his body back into its normal place, bringing both himself and Robin back onto the bridge, just as Ben finished bringing the bus back to the bridge. He afterwards slumped to the street, exhausted, as wary cops closed in to cover him with weapons. “No! NO!!” Robin jumped out of Reed’s normal-sized hands and rushed over to Ben’s side, forcing the cops to aim their weapons at him instead. Not wanting to harm the little frog, the cops lowered their weapons. “He saved our lives.” Robin was joined by Mrs. Appleby and his fellow scouts, as they began to applaud for Ben, as well as Johnny, Sue, Reed, Bunsen, and Beaker; it wasn’t long before the rest of the crowd joined in as well. With the exception of Ben, who seemed very uncomfortable at the moment, the heroic team was touched by the reaction. Firemen stepped forward to offer coats to Reed, Robin, and the others.

Outside the applauding crowd, Phil van Neuter and Mulch weren’t very impressed over the positive reaction that the team was getting. Neuter’s jealously had increased greatly, wanting that to be him there and getting all of the attention and respect. Bunsen and Beaker had noticed him and Mulch amongst the crowd, and as they stepped forward to make contact with them, they both turned away, hopped into a nearby taxicab, and drove away from the scene. Confused over Phil’s attitude, Bunsen and Beaker just assumed that he was going through post-traumatic stress after all that happened on the bridge and went back to their adoring fans.

However, it soon dawned upon Bunsen and Beaker that with all of that attention and respect, there was no way that they would ever be able to have a regular life; it would all get in their way of their duties at Muppet Labs. So, instead of hanging around to be interview by several reporters, they both agreed to leave Johnny, Sue, Ben, and Reed to take in all of the gratitude, while they went back to the EM bus, where Fozzie had been watching the entire scene from the driver’s seat.

“Wow!” He exclaimed, as Bunsen and Beaker came in. “Did you guys see what happened there? The stuff that those four people did!” Hearing the number of heroes that Fozzie was referring to, Bunsen and Beaker were somewhat pleased that the both of them weren’t credited over their involvement in the heroic deed that was done that day. It meant to them that if Fozzie was oblivious to their involvement, others would be as well.

“Um…yes, Fozzie.” Bunsen said. “It was rather fantastic, wasn’t it?”

“You bet!” Fozzie remarked. “They should call those people the ‘Fantastic Four’!” Bunsen and Beaker pondered over that team name and admitted that it sounded very amusing.

“It’d be a lot better than the ‘Spectacular Six’.” Bunsen murmured.

“Huh? What did ya say, Bunsen?” Fozzie asked.

“Oh, nothing.” Bunsen said, pleasantly, and Fozzie seemed a little puzzled, especially when the two began to head to the back of the EM bus.

“Hey, wouldn’t you guys want to see how your friends from Von Doom Industries got so fantastic?” Fozzie asked, as Bunsen and Beaker settle themselves down in a seat at the rear.

“No, thank you.” Bunsen said. “Trust us. We have a good idea how they got so fantastic.” Bunsen and Beaker just smiled, not bothered one bit over their refusal to get into the public’s eye any longer.

---------------------

A moment later, Dr. Phil van Neuter and Mulch arrived at the Von Doom Industries tower, where Victor was sitting in his office with a remote control in one of his hands, staring at his plasma television set. On the set, he saw a crowd of firemen applauding the new Fantastic Four, a team name that everyone else seemed to have agreed with Fozzie on; for the first time, the four heroes struck a heroic pose. Victor noticed Reed putting his arm around Sue, as he covered her with a jacket. As his ferocity peaked, he felt something odd; he looked down at his right hand, seeing how glints of gleaming metal were poking through his flesh.

“MR. VON DOOM! MR. VON DOOM!!!” A voice shouted, from outside Victor’s office, and that’s when Neuter and Mulch busted through the door, rushing over to the agitated Victor. “Mr. Von Doom! We need to talk!”

“Not now, Neuter.” Victor said, silently.

“Have you…” Phil said, and he stopped when he spotted the footage of the Fantastic Four on his plasma set. “Oh, never mind. You have it on right now. How…unfortunate.”

“Urgh.” Mulch agreed, as they watched the heroes freeze on television, obviously shocked by the crowd of press and the fifty cameras flashing at them. Johnny was eating up the attention, while the self-conscious Ben was turning, with Reed noticing. But Reed had soon turned away from Ben, when he saw how all eyes were on him.

“Uh, during our recent mission to the Von Doom space station, we were exposed to as yet-unidentified radioactive energy, most likely some kind of nucleotide compoun…” Reed was talking, but none of his audience came from science class. He looked around, wondering where Bunsen and Beaker were; he could’ve really used their assistance at that time, especially with the questions that soon overwhelmed him.

“What happened on the bridge? Does it hurt to stretch? Were you really on fire? Is it true that one of you can fly?”

“Working on it.” Johnny confirmed. “And it’s a lot harder…”

“We don’t know much more than you do, at this point.” Sue stated. “Which is why we will be going directly to our friend, Dr. Jerome Christian, so he can help diagnose our symptoms and…”

“Symptoms? Please.” Johnny interjected. “If having powers is a disease, then…yeah…we got it. And we are gonna blow your minds. There’s a new day dawning…the day of the Fantastic Four.” Sue and Reed just stared at Johnny in bewilderment; not only was he ignoring the fact that their condition could possibly be fatal, but he and everyone else was ignoring the other two involved in their heroic deed on the bridge: Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker.

“Excuse me for saying this, but…that thing doesn’t look too fantastic.” A reporter stated, pointing directly at Ben, whose fists tightened from the comment, causing the sound of rocks crushing together. But it was a small frog named Robin and his Frog Scout buddies, as well as the Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions, to come to his aid, as they all appeared on the screen.

“Hey, he may not look fantastic, but he saved our lives back there.” Robin said, and Will gave him a gentle pat on the back, proud that he had the courage to step up and defend Ben on television.

“That’s right.” Reed said. “Ben Grimm is a genuine American hero who’s been through a terrible orde…”

“What he’s trying to say is…every team needs a mascot.” Johnny said, and the reporters laughed, only fueling Ben’s rage even more, as he turned his head away. Neither Reed nor the other people that were personally involved with the Fantastic Four appreciated Johnny’s pigheadedness.

“Look, we went up to space to find a way to understand DNA, to cure disease, and save lives.” Reed said. “Well, now it’s our DNA, our disease, and our lives that are on the line.” Reed just sighed for a moment, before he concluded the interview. “Thank you. No more questions.” After the Fantastic Four and their friends disappeared from the screen, Phil pressed pause on the TiVo and turned back to Victor.

“That should’ve been me up there!” Phil shouted. “I’ve come to tell you that I cannot stand being ignored any longer! Either I get some respect, or I…I…”

“You’ll what? Quit?” Victor said, showing a bit of his frustration. “You’ll go back to doing lame segments on a ridiculous program for idiotic puppets?!” Phil was stopped cold by Victor’s words and attitude; he had never seen him that frustrated before. “Let me tell you something, Neuter! As long as you’re developing new inventions in this company, you’ll leave when I say you will! You’re not quitting, and you’re gonna throw any more hissy fits! You’re gonna learn that there’s no ‘I’ in ‘Team’!” As Victor spoke, the lights in the office began to flicker, as if they were responding to his anger. Realizing that, Victor calmed himself down as he buttoned his coat and headed towards the door. “Please tell me that we have an understanding here, Dr. Neuter.”

“Uh, y-y-yes, Mr. Von Doom.” Phil said, and Victor nodded, before leaving his office. “I understand that I’m gonna have to do a lot more to earn your respect.”

“Urgh?” Mulch grumbled, confused by Phil’s last comment.

“Come, Mulch.” Phil ordered, with a wicked glare in his eyes. “We have a lot of work to do.”

END OF CHAPTER FIVE​

 

[ReneeLouvier]

Dr. Jerome Christian! *squeals* I love Doc, and the Fantastic Four, I really can get into!

I love this story, and I can't wait for more!!!

 

[muppetwriter]

Thanks.

It'll be a while until I get the next chapter in, because I'm starting a new semester at my university tomorrow. So I might have my hands full for a while. But, have no fear, this F4/Muppets crossover will eventually get done.

 

[muppetwriter]

Chapter Six​

The Baxter Building, a towering high-rise located right next to the KMUP station, belonging to Reed Richards himself. A police convoy drove up to the building; Sue, Reed, and Johnny got out of the police car, while Ben stepped out of a big paddy-wagon, which immediately bounced back up to the normal axle position. Cops hold back the press that were being admired by Johnny and being ignored by Ben, who was holding his head down.

As the Fantastic Four entered the Baxter building, greeted by an old-time doorman with a kind smile, the crew at the KMUP station were watching them with interest from the front of their headquarters. Just as Fozzie pulled the EM bus up to it, Bunsen and Beaker were the first ones to step out, while Gonzo, Rizzo, Pepe, Fozzie, and the Guardians soon followed. They were greeted by Clifford, who didn’t hesitate to start screaming at Pepe.

“How come we’re the only station in Manhattan that doesn’t have anything on that new team over there?!?!” He yelled, and Pepe thought long and hard for a good answer to Clifford’s question.

“Bad scheduling?” Pepe remarked, and Clifford shot him a dirty look. “Sí. I told jou dat we should’ve put dose Dog City reruns before the American Idol finale, h’okay.”

“Hey, cut us some slack, Cliff.” Rizzo said. “It was pretty rough out dere today. We nearly could’ve been killed.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Clifford said, “But those people could’ve been the perfect thing we needed to heighten our ratings.”

“It’s not too late for us to get in on the story, Cliff.” Gonzo stated, right before he gestured towards Bunsen and Beaker, who were sneaking past everyone and trying to get inside without being noticed. “Beaker and Dr. Honeydew know the members of the Fantastic Four personally. Heck, they were up there in space with them, days ago.” When Bunsen and Beaker heard their names mentioned, they quickened their pace, shoving several crew members aside to get inside.

“Yo! Bunsen! Beaker!” Clifford shouted, but the two were out of sight, before Clifford even had the chance to ask them a question. Their sudden attitudes puzzled Clifford and the others. “Wonder what they’re problem is.” That’s when one of the KMUP crewmembers, a fish named Charlie, started screaming horrendously, and everyone turned to see him grasping onto his right fin, which was completely crystallized from top to bottom.

“WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FIN?!?!?!” He screamed, and Clifford’s eyes widened in bewilderment, as he and the others stared at the crewmember’s crystallized fin.

“Dat is definitely some freaky chácharas, h’okay.” Pepe uttered.

“What did you do, Charlie?” Clifford asked the fishy crewmember.

“I was just standing here, trying to get a glimpse of that new Fantastic Four team, and then Bunsen and Beaker come by, shovin’ and pushin’ me.” Charlie explained, before he used his other fin to lift up his crystallized one. “And the next thing I know, this happens!!!” As Gonzo stared at Charlie’s crystallized fin, he thought for a moment…Was it possible that there could’ve been one more super-powered beings in this fantastic group? He looked over at Will, who seemed to have been pondering the same thing, because she looked right at him after analyzing Charlie’s crystal fin.

“Maybe Bunsen accidentally spilled some funky chemicals on you.” Clifford assumed. “Sorry, Charlie.”

“Aaah! Good one, Clifford!” Fozzie exclaimed, and Clifford just gave him an odd look, before spotting some movement at the left corner of his eye. He turned his head and noticed how Gonzo and Will were heading towards the Baxter Building with Rizzo, Pepe, and the other Guardians.

“Hey, where ya’ll going?” Clifford asked them, and they stopped and turned to him for a brief moment.

“We’re…uh…gonna see if we can get the scoop on these new heroes.” Gonzo grinned after saying that; he was again reminded of his old days at the Daily Bugle, especially with the phrase “get the scoop” coming out his mouth.

“Now that’s what I like to hear.” Clifford said. “Ya’ll go and get us some ratings, while we try to get Bunsen and Beaker to return Charlie’s fin back to normal.” Gonzo and the others nodded, and they continued onward to the Baxter Building, where Reed, Sue, and Johnny had met up with Doc Christian (their friend, colleague, and mentor) and his pet dog, Sprocket. They met him on the twentieth floor of the building, which Reed had owned from there to the sixtieth floor, standing in a massive atrium, with daylight shining through the skylights far above them, illuminating that section of the complex.

“That is an interesting story, Reed.” Doc said, after being told about the origins of the team’s newfound abilities. “I know I should be intrigued by what you four can do now; but I cannot help but wonder about the limitations to your powers.”

“What do you mean by limitations?” Johnny asked.

“He means that just because we’re fantastic doesn’t mean that our powers can’t do us great harm.” Reed said. “We’re still just getting used to what we are now, Johnny.”

“Correction: you guys are still getting used to it.” Johnny said. “I’m already used to my abilities. And I’m loving this new life, baby!”

“Grow up, Johnny.” Sue said. “You don’t wanna go the rest of your life walking around on fire, do you?”

“Is that a trick question?” Johnny bantered, and Sue just shook her head at him, while Reed was taking things more seriously.

“It’s obvious that the three of us can turn our powers on and off at our own free will,” Reed told Doc, “But Ben is the only one who is forced to remain in his rock form. There has to be some way we can get him and maybe the rest of us cured from this.” Doc pondered over the situation that he and the Fantastic Four were facing that moment, as he watched Sprocket crawl around the atrium and sniff some of Reed’s machines.

“If we’re going to get you kids cured, then you’ll have to stay here until we can define the extent of your changes and figure out how to reverse them.” Doc suggested.

“Agreed.” Reed said. “Let me show you to your rooms.” As Reed, Johnny, and Sue headed into another area filled with separate “apartments” and all the services of home, Sprocket approached Doc and barked giddily at him. Doc knelt down and smiled, patting his playful dog on the head.

“You’re right, Sprocket, my boy.” Doc said, looking around the atrium. “This is one big room.”

Meanwhile, inside the Baxter Building’s lobby, Gonzo and friends were entering an elevator that would take them up to the twentieth floor (which they found out from the doorman belonged to Reed) at the same time Robin the Frog did. The group just stared at him strangely, knowing how the frog got past the huge crowd outside but confused over why he was actually there.

“Oh, no, no, no, no.” Will told Robin. “You are not coming up there with us.”

“Why not? I have every right to see the Fantastic Four more than you guys.” Robin said. “They did save my life, after all.”

“Well, this is different, Rob.” Will said. “We’re going up there for business, not pleasure.”

“What kind of business?” Robin asked.

“Don’t you and your scout buddies have some cookies to sell or somethin’?” Rizzo inquired, and Robin shook his head in reply.

“Look, let’s just let him come with us, guys.” Gonzo said. “We probably won’t be up there long enough to find out what we want about Bunsen and Beaker.”

“What’s going on with Bunsen and Beaker?” Robin asked, and before the others could’ve replied, two people stepped into the elevator just as the doors closed. It was Dr. Phil van Neuter and Mulch, who both had strange grins on their faces and two bags that had rolled up blueprints in them.

“Hello, friends.” Phil said, and the others were more than delighted to see them.

“Oy, hermano.” Pepe uttered. “I hope dis elevator moves really fast, h’okay.”

“What are you freaks doin’ here?” Rizzo asked.

“Is that really any way to treat fellow employees?” Phil said.

“Dat depends.” Rizzo remarked. “I never worked at Walgreens before.” Gonzo, Robin, Pepe, and the Guardians laughed hysterically over Rizzo’s joke, and Phil laughed over it in a mocking manner, clearly offended.

“Typical Muppet humor.” Phil muttered.

“Seriously, Phil,” Gonzo said, “Why are you bothering to visit the team? I hear you were freaking out over Ben Grimm at the bridge?”

“That was before I found out that he was the actual Ben Grimm.” Phil said. “I’ve controlled my fear now. Instead of fearing Mr. Grimm, I want to help him and the rest of the team as well.” Gonzo, Pepe, Rizzo, Robin, and the Guardians were taken by surprise. Since day one of the recent experiment that Von Doom and his team were involved in, Phil van Neuter wanted nothing to do with them, due to his jealous rage. Him wanting to help the team after the experiment was a failure was very confusing.

“You’re gonna help them?” Taranee said.

“By doing what?” Cornelia asked. “And if it’s anything gross or weird, don’t tell me, because I don’t want to hear it.”

“You’ll soon find out, my friends.” Phil said, just as Pepe noticed a look in his eyes that freaked him out a little.

“I knew he was a fruto from de voice,” Pepe whispered to Rizzo, “But I am beginning to t’ink dat he really has stepped out of dat lab closet one too many times, h’okay.” When the group finally arrived at Reed Richards’s floor, they stepped out of the elevator and into the atrium, which they were captivated by.

“Whoa!” They exclaimed.

“This is a big room.” Will uttered.

“A really big room.” Robin said.

“Can we help you?” said a voice that startled the group and made Phil and Mulch accidentally dropped the bags of blueprints. The blueprint posters rolled over to the feet of Victor Von Doom, who had arrived there shortly before they did; he was standing next to Reed Richards and Doc Christian at that time.

“What’s this?” Doc said, reaching down to pick up one of the blueprints. After unrolling it, he glanced over the designs of Phil van Neuter’s ideal invention with Reed and Victor. The more they stared at it, the more each of their eyes widened with glee, realizing what Phil had come up with.

“This is it!” Reed exclaimed, taking the blueprint from the hands of Doc and grinning at it. “This is the answer to all of our prayers!!” That’s when Ben Grimm stepped into the room, hearing the conversation as he did and curiously interested in what was going on.

“What’s going on?” He asked, and when Victor looked at his rock-hewn body up close, he tightened, trying to comprehend the fact that this thing was once a man. Phil, meanwhile, was trying desperately not to freak out again, in order to keep his plan working.

“These are blueprints to a machine that has the capability of generating a cosmic storm similar to the one that we were expose to, provided by Dr. Phil van Neuter.” Reed said. “Ben, it’s exactly what we need to cure us all…especially you.” Ben looked at the blueprint that Reed had been holding; though he didn’t understand any of the technological things printed on it, he took it as a sign of hope.

“You mean…” He said, looking at his rocky, deformed hands, “I can be me again.” He looked at Reed with tears in his eyes.

“We can all be ourselves again.” Reed said, while Victor was still glancing at the blueprint. He looked away from it for a moment and down at his right hand, which still had a hint of glowing beneath the skin. The storm had done something to him also; but he wasn’t certain if he wanted to be cured from it or not.

“So, Mr. Doom?” Phil said. “What do you think? Am I a perfect example of cooperation or what? Come on, everybody! Sing with me!” Phil was getting too into his plan, as he started singing and dancing around Victor. “Cooperation! Make it happen! Cooperation! Working together! Sing it! Cooperation! Make it happen! Cooperation! Working together!”

“Ugh. I knew dat was comin’.” Rizzo uttered, with his head down, while Victor’s annoyance was beginning to get the best of him. His emotions again affected the electricity around him, causing the lights to flicker. Phil stopped singing and dancing, and he noticed the flickering lights along with everyone else, excluding Victor.

“Do yourself a favor, Reed, and pay your electric bill. Then get started on Neuter’s machine and get things back on track!” Victor exclaimed, just before turning his attention to Phil. “And you…follow me downstairs. We need to talk.” Victor stepped away with Phil and Mulch, all heading toward the elevator. As Mulch and Phil were walking away, they looked back and noticed how Rizzo, Pepe, Gonzo, and the Guardians were smiling and waving “goodbye” to the two, which only aggravated them some more.

“I know I said that I wasn’t going to call another guy this, after my spill with Martin,” Irma said, “But that guy is one of the biggest losers I have ever seen. I mean, he could gain a thousand pounds one day and lose it the next, and he’d be an ultra-loser.”

“We get the idea, Irma.” said an annoyed Cornelia, as Victor finally entered the elevator with Phil and Mulch and departed from the twentieth floor. As they had gone down, it was uncomfortably quiet; between Victor’s stress and Phil’s enthusiasm over his plan, there was the mindless, emotionless Mulch and a great deal of tension.

“You know, there are times like this when I really just impress myself at what I do.” Phil said. “I mean, did you see the look on Richards’s face when he looked at those blueprints? That was priceless! My plan will work for sure! And owe it all to you, Mr. Doom! If you hadn’t given me that pep talk back at headquarters, I never would’ve…”

“DON’T YOU EVER SHUT UP?!?!?!” Victor screamed, startling both Mulch and Phil, right before he slammed his fist into a steel wall. Phil and Mulch couldn’t believe how the wall buckled and the steel dented, after Victor punched it.

“Good heavens!” Phil exclaimed. “Mr. Doom, are you al…?” Phil stopped when he and Victor noticed something bizarre about the hand that Victor used to punch the steel wall with. Under the skin was a rippling metallic shell. They stared at it in horror, seeing how the dark surface was pulsating with electric energy. It was at that moment when Phil realized that Johnny, Reed, Sue, and Ben weren’t the only ones that had changed after the experiment.

“Swear to God that you won’t tell anyone about this.” Victor demanded Phil.

“I will…” Phil acknowledged, “If you swear not to tell anyone what that machine Reed and Doc are building is really for.” Victor stared oddly at Phil; he noticed the wicked look in his eyes, beyond the goggles, and wondered what the mad scientist had been up to. Whatever it was, Victor figured that it couldn’t have been anything sane.

END OF CHAPTER SIX​

 

[The Count]

Another extremely well done chapter. Loved the comedy with Pepe and Clifford, or Pepe and whoever else he was talking to.
"Bad scheduling?", classic.

And of course, there's the whole scene at the Baxter Building and KMUP Studios.
Charlie the Fish getting his right fin completely crystalized...
"Co-Operation Makes It Happen" from Sesame Street.
And it shows that you've seen this week's episode of W.I.T.C.H. with the Knights of Destruction. Though I wonder why there were only four instead of five this time.
Oh well... Splendid story, please post more!

 

[muppetwriter]

Chapter Seven​

“Hey, Bunsen!” Clifford shouted, as he knocked harder on the door to Muppet Labs. “C’mon, man! Open up! We need to talk!” From inside the lab, Bunsen and Beaker heard Clifford’s knocking, but they were desperately trying to ignore it, as they were working down in their lab. It had become very hard for Bunsen and Beaker to do any work in their lab, with their new powers and all. Everything in the room either crystallized under Bunsen’s touch or shattered to pieces from Beaker’s. Within minutes, half of Muppet Labs was made out of crystal, while the other half was covered in dust and ash. “C’mon, Bunsen! Can’t we just talk for a minute?”

“Please leave us alone, Clifford.” Bunsen begged. “It’s…It’s not safe in here.”

“Ha! When is it ever?” Clifford murmured, but he then took the situation seriously again, as he turned his head and noticed how Charlie the Fish was still crying over his crystallized fin. “Bunsen! C’mon, man! We’ve got a fish out here who thinks he’s turning into a sculpture. We know you guys have got something to do with it, so open up!”

“I know. I’m working on it now.” Bunsen remarked. “Just…Just tell Charlie that I’ll have him back to normal in a week or so.” Charlie heard what Bunsen said and freaked out even more, running down hallways and screaming.

“Bunsen, what’s going on here, man?” Clifford asked. “What funky experiment are you working on now?”

“It’s…uh…top secret!” Bunsen said, while he was trying not to touch anything else inside the laboratory. Half of his clothing had already crystallized, making it very difficult for him to move around. “Beaker and I are…” Bunsen looked over at Beaker, whose entire body was still vibrating; he started to reach for a beaker, thinking he could practice on controlling his vibrations, until Bunsen jumped in and grabbed it himself. “No, Beaker. We must refrain from…” Bunsen stopped when he noticed how the beaker didn’t crystallize once he touched it; in fact, any glassy object in the room wasn’t a victim of Bunsen’s power of crystallization.

“Mee meep mee mo mee!” Beaker exclaimed.

“It would appear so, Beaker.” Bunsen said, and he watched himself for the first time in days holding a object normally. “My powers do not seem to have any affect whatsoever on glass. I suppose that makes sense, considering that…”

“Bunsen!” Clifford yelled, and both Beaker and Bunsen were becoming very agitated by Clifford’s knocking and shouting. “You asked for it, man! We’re gonna go find Sweetums, and we’re gonna get him to bust down this door!”

“Mee meep mo mee mo.” uttered a desperate Beaker.

“I must admit that you are right, Beaker.” Bunsen said. “As much as we wanted to stay away from Reed, Susan, Jonathan, and Mr. Grimm, in order to stay out of the public eye, I’m afraid we have no choice but to turn to them for help. Otherwise, you and I will be left with nothing more than a destroyed lab, an angry boss, and a fish with a crystal fin named Charlie.” With that, Bunsen and Beaker sneaked out through the secret exit inside the lab, which led out into a dark alleyway. They disappeared, just as Sweetums busted down the door to the lab.

“There ya go, Cliff!” Sweetums said, as Clifford stepped inside and noticed how odd the lab looked, with Bunsen and Beaker nowhere to be found. Sweetums also noticed the strangeness of the lab and scratched his head. “What the heck happened in here?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Clifford uttered.

-----------------

“Wow! Bunsen and Beaker are superheroes like you guys!” Robin exclaimed, sitting on Will’s lap, as they all sat together in Reed’s laboratory, discussing over what happened during the failed space experiment. “That is so awesome! Boy, I can’t wait ‘til I tell Uncle Kermit about that. I wonder what he thinks about this whole situation.”

“He, Fozzie, and Piggy are probably already putting it in the next issue of the Bugle.” Gonzo assumed. “But the public only knows about four super-powered beings, not six.”

“Poor Bunsen and poor Beaker.” Hay Lin said. “It must be awful for them to be ignored like that.”

“If anybody noticed on the way back to the KMUP station, they didn’t seem to care.” Gonzo indicated. “They were pretty quiet though.”

“Sí.” Pepe agreed. “When I tried to sit next to dem on de bus, dey told me to see in de seat across from dem,. Dey are discriminating, h’okay! Before jou know it, king prawns everywhere will be suffering from de ‘Rosa Parks Syndrome’.”

“No, no. It’s not like that at all, Pepe.” Susan said. “Bunsen and Beaker have limitations to their powers, just like we do.”

“Yeah, neither of them can touch anything without somethin’ happenin’.” Ben stated, and soon after he said that, the chair that he was sitting on collapsed beneath him, leaving him sitting on its remains on the floor. “And I can’t blame ‘em.” As Reed and Sue helped Ben to his feet, Doc and Sprocket came into the room, with Doc carrying the space uniforms that Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben wore during their expedition.

“Well, after analyzing each of your abilities, I went and analyzed your uniforms, and did I ever come up with a remarkable discovery!” Doc exclaimed, while handing each of the uniforms to the team members. “Your uniforms were exposed to the storm, just like you were. So they can transform like you, becoming invisible, changing size on demand, or remaining impervious to flame.”

“And if Bunsen and Beaker were here, their suits would copy their powers as well, right?” Gonzo asked.

“That’s right.” Doc replied, as Ben looked at his uniform and frowned.

“I wouldn’t be caught dead in this.” He uttered.

“He’s right.” Johnny said. “These costumes are…missing something. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“They’re not costumes, Johnny.” Sue said.

“We’re not taking them out.” Reed added. “We need to do as Doc suggested and stay here ‘til we’ve stabilized.” Johnny just shook his head in frustration.

“Man! I’m getting sick of being trapped here! NASA wasn’t even this strict!” Johnny yelled. “I mean, what about Bunsen and Beaker? They’re out there, probably living it up with their powers!”

“Ahem!” Someone said, and everyone turned to see Bunsen and Beaker standing near the door to the stairs, which they had taken instead of the elevator, fearing that something terrible might happen on the way up to the floor. Bunsen was gesturing towards the door, which had crystallized entirely just as soon as he touched the doorknob. “Do you call this ‘living it up’?”

“Yo! Bunsen! Beaker!” Rizzo exclaimed, and it was obvious that they were all happy to see them out and about, despite their uncontrollable abilities. They attempted to go and greet them, but Bunsen raised his hands in protest, forcing them to stop in their tracks.

“Bunsen, you and Beaker don’t have to worry anymore.” Doc said, tossing their uniforms to them. “Wear these, and I assure you that your powers will no longer go haywire on you.” Bunsen and Beaker wanted to ask Doc how he, as well as Gonzo, Pepe, Robin, Rizzo, and the Guardians, found out about their newfound abilities; but they just assumed that Reed, Johnny, Sue, and Ben must’ve told the entire story to them.

Bunsen and Beaker looked down at their uniforms and then to each other. They came to the Baxter Building to seek help, and as soon as they entered, they got it. The first thing that Bunsen slipped on was one of the gloves; he was surprised to see that it didn’t crystallize like the rest of his clothing. In fact, as Bunsen held his uniform with his other ungloved hand, it didn’t crystallize from his touch.

“It matches with my power! Remarkable!” Bunsen exclaimed, and as Beaker slipped on his own gloves, he realized that his hands had become the only part of his body that stopped vibrating that moment.

“Meep mee meep!!!” Beaker yelled, excitedly.

“Yes, Beaker!” Bunsen remarked. “With the suits, we can get more work done without any problems.”

“If you’re planning on heading back to KMUP studios, then you can forget it.” Johnny said, still showing his frustration. “Because we’re all gonna be quarantined here in Reed’s apartment.”

“I’m sorry if this comes as a surprise.” Doc told Bunsen and Beaker. “But I’m sure that it won’t be for very long.” Bunsen, Beaker, and the Fantastic Four looked to one another, wondering if Doc could’ve been wrong about that. If they were to stay inside Reed’s building for very long, would they go stir crazy?

“T’is could be like somethin’ out of Big Brother, h’okay.” Pepe said.

-----------------

Later that night, after some convincing to Doc and Reed, Ben was able to slip on his ragged trenchcoat and fedora, taking a thirty-minute stroll down Brooklyn, just to get some fresh air. It was dark and streetlights were flickering; if anyone had noticed Ben and his rock-hewn appearance behind his disguise, then they had good eyes. He was alone on a sidewalk, passing by several buildings and houses during his stroll. By the time he had reached the first of many dark alleyways that he would pass through, he heard the sound of a woman screaming.

“What the…?” Ben uttered, just before he stomped his way down the alleyway, making several left and right turns until he reached a chain link fence. On the other side of that fence was a beautiful young black woman who was being tormented by some kind of Muppet monster that was part dog and part lion. It was Doglion, formerly one of the Muppet-mutants that was cured during the incident of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, who was now a beggar on the streets of New York.

“C’mon, lady!” Doglion yelled. “Just give me a Lincoln or a Washington! Something to help me get back on top!”

“Please!” The woman begged, as she wrestled over her purse with Doglion. “Please understand that I don’t have that much money myself! I need what I got now!”

“You! You! You!” Doglion shouted. “That’s why my buddy, Sweetums, and I went our separate ways! It was always about him! Him! HIM!!! Why can’t it ever be about me for a change?!”

“Because you’re just a big, dumb…whatever the heck you are with no respect for other people’s things!” Ben exclaimed, and Doglion stopped wrestling over the woman’s purse, long enough to look over at Ben, who removed his fedora from his head and grinned at Doglion.

“I can’t believe they replaced me with a rock muppet already!” Doglion complained. “Now that doesn’t make any sense!”

“I’m not a muppet, you moron!” Ben shouted, as he tore through the chain link fence and advanced towards Doglion. “In case you haven’t heard, I’m one of the Fantastic Four! I’m the big, ugly, mean one!” Doglion wasn’t too intimidated by Ben’s appearance; in fact, he was hysterical.

“Ha, ha! What’re you gonna do?” Doglion inquired. “Beat me at paper, scissors, and rock! Ha, ha!”

“Try rearrangin’ that order, pinhead…while I’m rearrangin’ your face!” Ben yelled, just before he engaged in a fierce fight with Doglion, who proved to be no match for Ben. “Time to take out the garbage!” That’s when Ben lifted Doglion high in the air and threw him into a nearby dumpster, closing the lid afterwards. He then jumped up and grabbed the fire escape above the dumpster, tearing down its entire structure over the dumpster, pinning the lid down and keeping Doglion from getting out at any time. “Try and make your own Muppet Show from in there.” Ben dusted off his hands and picked his fedora off the ground, while the woman that he saved was getting to her feet.

“Thank you.” She said, as Ben helped her up.

“No problem.” He said, and he was a little surprised that the woman didn’t flinch when he came near her, like everyone else had. But that’s when Ben noticed her blank stare, lack of focus, and the white cane that she suddenly pulled out. She’s blind, Ben thought.

“That’s the first time a muppet ever mugged me.” The woman said, trying not to laugh over the bizarre situation that’d just happened. “Hopefully, it’ll be the last.”

“I think he was the only one.” Ben said. “Don’t know too many that’d hold up someone off the street.”

“That is, unless Oscar the Grouch’s been keeping secrets in that garbage can.” The woman said, and Ben chuckled; that was the first time in a while that he had a good laugh.

“Good one.” Ben said. “You wouldn’t be telling me a great joke like that, if you could see what I look like.” The woman just smiled, right before she put a hand on Ben’s face; something in her tone and gentle touch allowed Ben to let her.

“Such a sad face.” She uttered. “You know, sometimes being different isn’t a bad thing.” Ben chuckled and rolled his eyes over that sentiment.

“Trust me,” He told the woman, “This ain’t one of those times.” The woman smiled softly, taking her cane and starting to walk away from the alleyway. Ben noticed how her purse was still sitting on the ground, and he picked it up to hand it to her. “Don’t forget what that creep was after.” She took the purse from Ben, with the smile never leaving her face.

“Thanks.” She said. “My name’s Alicia, by the way.”

“Nice to meet ya.” Ben said. “I’m Ben Grimm.”

“The famous astronaut?” said an impressed Alicia. “I know these streets are safe with you around, Benny.” Ben watched her disappear down the alleyway, smiling for the first time since his change. He turned to the dumpster that Doglion was trapped inside of, knocking on it and making a loud hollow noise.

“Thanks for the break.” Ben uttered.

“Uh…you’re…welcome.” Doglion uttered, with a groan.

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN​

 

[The Count]

Tis a good chapter Sean. I'll say this, your Pepe dialogue's been much improved over the course of this story and I commend you for that. Loved the scene where Bunsen and Beaker are trying to get some work done in the labs, the halves divided in examples of their powers' handiwork. Also liked when they got to the Baxter Building and got the uniforms. The scene with Ben and Doglion was funny and action-packed.
But there's a problem I have. The black blind woman, that was Alicia? Guess that's sticking out like a rock-hued hero because you did mention Alicia being Ben's girlfriend in one of the previous chapters. So for her to make her introductory appearance now as if she didn't know Ben from before kind of clashes with how the Thing felt after returning to Earth, ashamed of letting even her see him in his current state.

In other news, I watched the new Fantastic Four series premiere on Cartoon Network last night, and a new episode of W.I.T.C.H. though only the last half. I have some thoughts on both, LMK if you want to talk about it.
It's a good story you got going on here, post more soon.