The MARVELOUS Muppets: Voyage of the Fantastic

[muppetwriter]

While everyone's enjoying the X-Men/Muppets story, I thought now would be a better time than any to post another "MARVELOUS Muppets" story, just so no one will lose interest in one story while waiting for the next chapter to begin. This way while you're reading a couple or few chapters to one story, I'll be working on the chapter to the other for you to read.

In a way, this "MARVELOUS Muppets" story takes place during the events of the most recent story. So while Gonzo is having an adventure with the X-Men, our favorite Muppet Labs scientists are having fun with the Fantastic Four, along with Pepe the King Prawn and some of our favorite Sesame Street characters, like and

The MARVELOUS Muppets
Presents
"Voyage of the Fantastic"


Chapter One:​

Lake Launch Facility—11:00 a.m.

A spacecraft (or a sleek take on a space shuttle) stuck out from the facility, as it sat on its launch pad, with the craft’s nose was pointed straight up, ready for launch. Workers in jumpsuits were scattered around the two-hundred foot tall scaffolding, performing routine checks, while a crowd of reporters and everyday people gathered around to see the launch. It was an exciting day for everyone there, because Victor Von Doom, a billionaire industrialist, was launching the spacecraft with his own operational crew of scientists/pilots, in an attempt observe clouds of cosmic energy in space. The crew involved Drs. Reed Richards and Susan Storm, along with Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm.

As a scientist and inventor, Reed Richards is widely acknowledged as a super-genius and one of the most intelligent people on Earth; he held Ph.D.s in Physics and Electrical Engineering from Harvard University. Reed had enrolled in college by the time he was fourteen, attending such prestigious universities in California and New York. At Empire State University, he met and became the roommate of Benjamin J. Grimm; by that time, Reed had already begun designing a starship capable of traveling in hyperspace, which Grimm jokingly volunteered to pilot. When Reed continued his education by attending Columbia University in Manhattan, he rented a room in a boarding house owned by Susan Storm’s aunt. To his embarrassment, Susan instantly fell in love with him, and although Reed had to move on, they continued to carry a torch for each other. Also while at Columbia, he met Victor Von Doom, who had considered Richards to be the first person who could rival him intellectually and became increasingly jealous.

Susan Storm was a native of Long Island and daughter of a physician; she was the “big sister” to her younger brother, Jonathan, as well as the brilliant young scientist who led Victor Von Doom’s Department of Scientific Research. Life for her and Johnny was anything but easy; her mother died because of a car crash and even with the medical expertise of her father, he was unable to save her life. After his wife’s death, Dr. Storm became a gambler and a drunk, which led him to accidentally killing a loan shark. With their father in prison, Susan had to become a mother figure for her younger brother.

The Cantankerously lovable, cigar-smoking native of the Lower East Side that was Ben Grimm was born on Yancy Street, where he grew up in poverty and succeeded his deceased brother in becoming leader of the Yancy Street Gang (which was where he obtained funds illegally for the family’s income). After his parents died, Grimm was taken in by his uncle, who had risen up from poverty to become a successful physician; he left his life with the Yancy Street Gang behind and entered Stuyvesant High School, receiving a football scholarship to Empire State University (which was where he met Reed Richards). Upon graduating, Grimm went into the U.S. Air Force and became a highly skilled test pilot and astronaut. On the day that Grimm left the military, Reed came to him and reminded him of his promise to pilot the starship.

Johnny Storm, the second of two children born to a physician and his wife, grew up comfortably on Long Island. Despite the fact his mother died in a car crash when he was nine, Storm developed an interest in automobiles at an early age. Johnny passed much of his leisure time in the company of automobile mechanics and enthusiasts, learning to totally overhaul a car’s transmission before he was fifteen years old. For his sixteenth birthday, his father bought him his first “hot rod.” As the co-pilot of Reed’s experimental spacecraft, Johnny shared a teasing but affectionate relationship with Ben Grimm, the pilot.

Along with Reed, Susan, Johnny, Ben, and Doom were Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker; they were both involved in Victor Von Doom’s Department of Scientific Research and close friends of Reed Richards and Susan Storm, who were the ones that insisted in bringing them along in their journey for their great intelligence and expertise.

Bunsen Honeydew was a bald, bespectacled, lab-coated scientist who strangely had no eyes but only glasses (yet he could still see through them) and his experiments always went awry, usually causing great harm to his long-suffering assistant Beaker, a nearly mute character with shocked red hair. Beaker would end up being blown up, electrocuted, eaten by large monsters, or having body parts fall off; he only communicated by expressions of fear, typically “meep.”

While the crowd of reporters and citizens were waiting for the launch of Von Doom’s space shuttle to begin, a Muppet newscaster with black horn-rimmed glasses and in a loud checked sportcoat was at the scene, reporting the big news story in front of a video camera that was operated by Pepe, a king prawn with a heavy Spanish accent. They were both broadcasting in front of the crowd of onlookers, which were all at a safe distance from the space shuttle’s launch pad.

The Muppet newsman began his broadcast with his usual opening, “And now for a…”

“Hold it. Hold it, Mr. Newsman.” said Pepe, as he turned on the camera. “Now you’re on the air, okay.” The Muppet newsman, frustrated with the small mistake that Pepe made, once again tried to begin the broadcast with the usual opening.

“And now for a Muppet newsflash!” He exclaimed. “We are here at the Lake Launch facility—during a beautiful, sunny California day—awaiting the launch of Victor Von Doom’s magnificent space shuttle, which will carry a team of research scientists and expert pilots to observe cosmic-radiated clouds in deep space.” The newsman’s broadcast was soon interrupted by Pepe, who seemed to be fascinated by the news story.

“What was that you said, okay?” Pepe inquired.

“Cosmic-radiated clouds.” The newsman replied, and Pepe chuckled with glee.

“I’d hate to be up there with those pobrecitos when they get near all that radiation, okay.” commented Pepe, as the newsman’s patience began to grow thin.

“Could we please get back to our broadcast?!” He yelled.

“Oh, yeah. Sure, sure.” said Pepe, focusing the camera on the Muppet newsman again.

“As I was saying, before our brief interruption, Victor Von Doom has personally hired the members of his team of researchers to go with him on his quest amongst the cosmos, in search for the magnificent clouds they seek.” Again, Pepe interrupted the newsman’s broadcast.

“Oy muchacho! That was deep, okay.”

“Will you please not interrupt me?!?!?!”

“Alright. Alright. Just speaking out my opinions, okay.” Again, Pepe focused the video camera on the newsman, who continued with his story.

“Von Doom’s research team includes Reed Richards, Susan and Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm,” He stated, “As well as the two independent scientists from the Muppet Labs facility in Victor Von Doom’s Department of Scientific Research, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker.”

“Ugh, these people are really in trouble then, okay.” murmured Pepe, as the Muppet newsman pulled out a walkie-talkie from underneath his sportcoat.

“With me now, via walkie-talkie, is Bunsen Honeydew, who is in preparation for his mission with Richards, Grimm, and the Storms at this moment in time.” The Muppet newsman then spoke into the walkie-talkie, contacting Bunsen Honeydew. “Come in, Dr. Honeydew. Do you read me?”

“This isn’t a James Bond flick, okay.” Pepe told the newsman. “You don’t have to sound like you’re on a secret mission.”

“You just focus on holding the camera, while I concentrate on my story…okay?” The newsman ordered.

“All I know is that if you ask me to mow your lawn after this, you and I are gonna do it toe-to-toe like Holyfield and Tyson, okay.” Pepe said. “You do even wanna know where I’ll go after your ear. We’ll have the biggest reyerta you’ve ever been in, buddy!” While Pepe was threatening the Muppet newsman, Bunsen Honeydew’s voice had come through the walkie-talkie as clear as a bell.

“Yes, I read you loud and clear.” He remarked, from inside the Lake Launch facility’s locker room, where he, Beaker, Reed, and Ben were unpacking their gear into their lockers. “We are now inside the locker room, taking off our clothes and…”

“Hey, hey, companero!” said Pepe, over Bunsen’s walkie-talkie. “This is live television, okay. So, unless they’re beautiful women in that locker room, keep your descriptions to yourself, okay?”

“Oh, sorry.” Bunsen said. “But it is an exciting moment for the seven of us, being only an hour away from our takeoff from Earth and into the skies above, in our mission to study a cosmic field that might hopefully enhance our planet’s evolution.”

“Enhance the evolution?” Pepe said, highly interested in the concept.

“Will you please be quiet?!” The newsman demanded.

“No, no! I wanna hear this, okay.” Pepe said. “Hey, Honeybuns! Did you say that this cosmic field will speed up the evolution? Say, if I wanted to evolve from a prawn to Enrique Iglesias, you can make it happen?”

“Well, I…I suppose we can make it happen.” Bunsen responded, and loud, insane laughter was heard over his walkie-talkie.

“I’m gonna be sexier than ever, okay!!!” shouted Pepe, and just as Bunsen was about to talk some more into the walkie-talkie…

“Captain on the bridge!” A voice exclaimed, and Ben went to attention on reflex, while Johnny Storm snapped a picture with a digital camera; he then advances as Ben realized who it really was. “Digital camera: 254 dollars. Memory stick: 59 dollars. The look on your hard-as-nails former CO’s grill when he finds out he’s your junior officer: priceless.”

Ben eyeballed Johnny and suddenly reached up as if to grab him; Johnny flinched and so did Beaker, who knew about the uneasy relationship between Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm and didn’t want to see anyone, including himself, get injured before the mission began. But Ben just reached for Johnny’s zipper, adjusting his uniform.

“I can handle the ship. I can even handle Mr. Blonde Ambition.” Ben stated. “But I don’t know if I should be flying or playing Vegas in these suits.”

“Meep. Meep. Meep.” said Beaker, and Bunsen (as usual) translated for him.

“Beaker says that they’re just for flying, Benjamin.” Bunsen said.

“Well, I don’t get why it’s so important that I should wear it while flying.” Ben said. “I mean, who the heck came up with them?”

“Bunsen did himself.” A strong, feminine voice said, and the men turned their attention towards the entrance, where Susan Storm entered, wearing her blue, wetsuit-like uniform and carrying a stack of flightsuits; she handed them out to the guys. “The synthetics act as a second skin, adapting to your individual needs to…”

“Keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool.” Bunsen interjected.

“Meep! Meep!” exclaimed Beaker, as Johnny turned to the both of them, winking and smiling.

“Exactly.” He said, while Reed stared at Sue in the skintight outfit.

“Wow. Fantastic.” said Reed, and she wondered and maybe hoped: is he actually checking her out? But her unasked question was soon answered, as Reed analyzed the outfit itself. “Material made from self-regulating unstable molecules. I’ve been working on a formula for this.”

“As have I, Dr. Richards.” Bunsen said. “That is why Victor Von Doom had personally set us up as the designers and developers of these fantastic suits that we shall wear in our voyage in space.”

“Meep. Meep. Meep. Meep. Meep.” uttered Beaker, as he tore open his shirt like Superman and revealed the exact uniform that Sue was wearing, which was hidden beneath his usual clothes.

“And I see that Beaker has been wearing his suit for some time now.” indicated Bunsen, while Beaker sniffed his suit a little and realized that there was no odor to it.

“Meep. Meep. Meep.” Beaker said.

“Yes, Beaker. That is one of the key essentials to our uniforms.” Bunsen stated. “All of us can go days without bathing, and we will still be clean as a button, thanks to the uniform’s immunity to body odor.”

“Yeah, we’ll smell like roses with the suits on,” Johnny commented, “But once they’re off…well…let’s just say that I don’t wanna be standin’ near Ben anytime soon.” Ben glared at Johnny over his comment, as he continued to dress himself in readiness for the mission.

“I guess great minds think alike.” uttered Sue, referring to the intelligence level between Reed and Bunsen; she was still disappointed in Reed’s failure to notice her.

“Guess some think faster than others.” Another voice said, and that time it was more masculine and powerful. Everyone turned to see Victor Von Doom himself as he entered, wearing his custom-tailored flightsuit. “I owe Dr. Honeydew a great deal for designing the pattern. These colors will look great on camera.” The mentioning of camera reminded Bunsen that he still had the Muppet newsman on hold over the walkie-talkie; immediately, he went back to talking into it.

“Right now, Victor Von Doom has entered our locker room.” Bunsen said. “He is the man who is funding our…” Before Bunsen could have continued his description of the incident over the walkie-talkie, Victor walked over to him and took the walkie-talkie out of his hands, shutting it off afterwards.

“Whatever one reporter wants to know, he’ll find out the same way everyone else will.” Victor told Bunsen, who nodded in agreement.

“Yes, Mr. Doom.” said Bunsen, and Victor smiled at his best scientist.

“Please, Dr. Honeydew,” He said, “Call me ‘Victor’.”

“Meep. Meep. Meep.” Beaker remarked.

“Beaker wonders if ‘Dr. Doom’ would suffice.” Bunsen translated.

“Tell Beaker that I think he’s been hanging around the gamma spheres for too long.” bantered Victor, as the door opened and Leonard, the Director of Communications, entered in a sharp suit.

“They’re ready for you, sir.” He informed.

“Showtime.” Victor uttered.

TO BE CONTINUED....​

 

[muppetwriter]

Here's the rest of Chapter One:

Chapter One (Part Two):​

Outer Space—1:00 p.m.
Von Doom Industries’ funded space station rotated in orbit high above the Earth, as the space shuttle departed from the Earth’s atmosphere, with its booster rockets falling away and leaving the shuttle to fire its thrusters. As soon as it was near the space station, the shuttle eased in and docked; once inside, Victor and Sue led the others into the command center.

“If you behave, maybe next time Daddy will let you drive.” Johnny told Ben, with a “dad voice.”

“Keep talking, there won’t be a next time.” warned Ben, as Beaker focused on the Earth through the nearest airtight-sealed window.

“Meep. Meep. Meep. Meep.” Beaker said, and Bunsen heard him and noticed how he was staring out the window at the Earth.

“Yes, Beaker.” He said. “It is a long way from the projection booth at the Hayden Planetarium, isn’t it?”

“Meep. Meep.” agreed Beaker, as Reed and Sue overhead their conversation and were reminded of how they spend their time at the planetarium. The both of them share a short and awkward look at each other for a moment, and then Reed turned his glance towards the stars with eyes wide open, like a little kid. Sue figured that Reed was far more interested in the solar system than he was in her; she walked away from him and passed by Johnny and Ben, who both exchanged a look of their own.

The group entered the nerve center of the space station. Victor went to a computer console on the observation deck below; however, the windows were closed, so there was nothing really to observe.

“Leonard, how’s the feed?” Victor said into the comlink.

“Recording, sir.” replied Leonard, over the comlink. “We see you perfectly.” Victor glanced at a camera mounted into the console, while Sue and the others discussed about the space station’s command center.

“We can monitor the cloud’s approach and observe the tests from here.” Sue indicated.

“Meep. Meep. Meep?” Beaker inquired.

“Oh, of course it’s safe, Beaker.” Bunsen assured. “The shields on the station should protect us.” Beaker and Ben caught that one word that Bunsen mentioned in his statement at the exact moment.

“Meep?” Beaker said.

“Should?” Ben uttered, as Victor approached them.

“What’s wrong, Ben?” He asked. “Eighty-million dollars worth of equipment not enough for you?” Ben turned to Victor, with a little tension growing between the two, which Reed was able to cut.

“Let’s start loading those samples.” Reed said. “Get your suit ready, Ben.” Unfortunately, Victor was still keeping his eyes on Ben.

“So you still do all the heavy lifting?” uttered Victor, giving a friendly smile and patting Reed. “Maybe you should have stayed back in the lab. Field work never suited you.” Reed didn’t defend himself, so Ben stepped up instead.

“He does the talking. I do the walking.” Ben told Victor. “Got it?” Victor held tight to his smile; he nodded, condescending.

“Got it. So take a walk, Ben…” He acknowledged. “I’m going to borrow Susan for a second.”

“Sure.” affirmed Reed, while Beaker and Bunsen had been paying close attention to all of the tension that was taking place, both fearing over a possible brawl in space.

“Meep. Meep?” Beaker asked.

“I’m sure we didn’t come all this way to see a ‘Star War’ between Mr. Doom and Mr. Grimm, Beaker.” Bunsen remarked. “Let’s just think positive about our mission here and not worry ourselves about them, shall we?”

Moments later, near the air lock that led to the outside, Ben and Beaker prepped themselves for a space walk, putting on a helmets and boots. Johnny unloaded a set of clear sample boxes off of a cart, each containing a variety of plants.

“Please tell me your dawg’s not trying to rekindle things with my sister.” Johnny said.

“Meep?” uttered a confused Beaker, seeming to be uncertain about something Johnny said; unfortunately for Johnny, he didn’t understand a “meep” that came out of Beaker’s mouth.

“I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking me…I’m not even sure if you’re asking me anything!” Johnny exclaimed.

“I think he’s wondering what you mean about Reed rekindling things with Sue.” Ben told Johnny. “Like Reed, Beaker and Bunsen pay less attention personal stuff and more on business.”

“Meep. Meep.” Beaker stated.

“Ya see there?” Ben asked Johnny.

“See what? All I heard was just two ‘meeps’ come out of his mouth!” said a frustrated Johnny. “I’ll tell you what I do see. Sue has two choices: Victor, stud of the year, more coin than God? Or Reed, the world’s dumbest smart guy worth less than a postage stamp. Hmm…it’s a toss-up.”

“Put your tiny little mind at ease.” Ben said.

“Don’t you wander off, boys.” said Johnny, just before stepping out of the air-lock and shutting the door. He looked through a small window to see Ben and Beaker give the thumbs up. The airlock door opened, and Ben & Beaker gracefully stepped into space.

During the time that Johnny, Ben, and Beaker spent in the airlock, Sue and Victor were inside the observation deck, where Sue descended the stairs at Victor’s behest and joined him.

“Surprised I agreed to Reed’s proposal?” Victor asked.

“I understand the business reasons.” Sue replied.

“Well, when you’re looking at your future, it never hurts to find closure about the past.” Victor commented, and Sue’s eyes narrowed, wondering what the whole moment was all about. “Susan, every man dreams that he’ll meet some woman he can give the world to.” He pressed a button and the observation deck’s outer windows opened up, revealing a spectacular, romantic view of the Earth. “In my case, it’s not just a metaphor.” While she stared out the window, Victor reached into a pocket, revealing a ring box.

Meanwhile, inside a nearby corridor, Reed and Bunsen were checking the data on a work station that was set on a wall. The results of Reed’s calculations were not what he expected, which was what Bunsen realized while seeing the wind velocity digits rise.

“Oh, dear. Oh, dear, dear, dear!” exclaimed Bunsen, while Reed was taking notice of his sudden outbursts. “This is a most unforeseen occurrence indeed!”

“What is it, Bunsen?” asked Reed, and he did a double-take when he saw the readout: “Event Threshold, T-Minus 10:00.” “No…no…impossible.”

“It’s accelerating! Incredible!!” cried Bunsen, but his enthusiasm was soon replaced with fear. “B-But it’s not supposed to be!”

“No, it isn’t.” Reed uttered.

Back on the observation deck, Victor held the ring box in his hand, hiding it behind his back. He knew exactly what he wanted to ask Sue and didn’t hesitate to do it.

“You’ve been with me two years now.” Victor told Sue, who didn’t know where he was going with the conversation; she treaded lightly.

“It’s been a good two years, Victor…” She said, “The company’s accomplished so much.”

“Right, of course, the company…” Victor said, “But you see, I’ve come to realize all the accomplishments in the world mean nothing without someone to share them with.”

“Uh, Victor, I hope I haven’t done something to make you think…”

“Sue, I’ve lived my life unafraid of taking big steps. And this is the biggest step yet. If it helps, think of this as a promotion. A merger of sorts…” He had gotten real close to Sue, “Four little words that can change our lives…” He was about to spring the ring on her; she looked like a deer in the highlights, opening her mouth, and…WHAM! The doors slammed open and Reed & Bunsen rushed into the room.

“The cloud is accelerating!” shouted Reed, as Victor quickly put the ring back in his pocket. “We don’t know what happened.” Sue quickly moved to a nearby control panel to verify Reed’s and Bunsen’s claim, punching buttons and confirming Reed’s findings with a nod, while Victor hardened in control.

“We’ve got minutes until it hits, not hours!” Bunsen exclaimed. “Oh, this is most unexpected!”

“Victor, that storm’s deadly and the radiation’s lethal.” Reed stated.

“WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!” yelled Bunsen, and he started weeping, as Reed continued to convince Victor.

“We need to abort.” He said.

“Get a grip, Reed.” remarked Victor, and he turned to the weeping Bunsen. “And get a hold of yourself, Dr. Honeydew!” Bunsen tried his best to restrain his fears. “We didn’t come all this way to lose our nerve at the first little glitch. Just close the shields…”

“Ben and Beaker are still out there!” Reed indicated.

“So reel them in.” Victor suggested. “We came here to do a job. So let’s do it. Quickly!”

Moments later, outside of the space station, Ben and Beaker were carefully arranging the sample boxes of plants. That’s when Beaker began to feel a little uneasy and immediately let Ben know about it.

“Meep. Meep. Meep!” Beaker said.

“Why didn’t you go before we left the station?” Ben inquired.

“Meep. Meep. Meep.” uttered Beaker, disappointedly, and Ben knew that if Beaker didn’t go any sooner that he would eventually go inside his suit, despite the fact that it was water resistant.

“Alright, alright. Go ahead.” Ben said, and Beaker started floating away from him, heading back towards the airlock that they departed from, only minutes ago. “But get back here as soon as you can, because we’re not done yet!” Once Beaker had gotten himself back inside the space station, Johnny was a little surprised and really confused to see how early he arrived.

“Done already?” He said, and Beaker shook his head in reply, jumping up and down to indicate his reason for coming back in; it didn’t take Johnny long to realize it. “Oh! No problem, Beak-man. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go.”

“Meep. Meep.” Beaker said.

“It’s down the hall on the right.” said Johnny, and while Beaker headed for the bathroom, Reed and Bunsen approached Johnny and the airlock, seeing Ben still outside and directly in the path of the cosmic storm.

“We need to get Ben back in here…now!!” Reed demanded.

“Why? What’s going…?” asked Johnny, and before he could finish his answer, he noticed how the cosmic storm was only a yard away from Ben. “Holy…!” Bunsen contacted Ben through the comlink, warning him about the danger he was in.

“Mr. Grimm, we need you back inside immediately!” He exclaimed, and Ben turned to see them staring from the window.

“I ain’t done arranging the flowers.” Ben said, as Reed spoke into the comlink.

“Ben. This is serious.” Reed said. “Turn around!” Ben saw Johnny motioning for Ben to look behind him; he turned and noticed the cosmic storm, rumbling toward the station…not close, but not far…it got Ben’s attention quick.

“Roger that, on my way.” affirmed Ben, and he turned back towards the ship, with the storm growing behind him.

Inside the command center, Victor rushed into the room and looked at the monitors; he saw the others near the airlock on one screen and the approaching cloud on another. Anxiety crept across his face, as an automated voice warned everyone on board that the event threshold was in two minutes. Back near the airlock, Reed, Johnny, and Bunsen stood by the airlock, waiting for Ben; just as Victor heard it, they heard the automated voice as well, and it panicked Reed.

Outside the station, a wake of turbulence from the cloud hit Ben, making it harder to maneuver; the cloud’s tendrils snaked toward him. Johnny, Reed, and Bunsen could see Ben outside the window, still twenty yards away. The entire corridor rumbled, and the lights flickered and sparked.

“Oh, dear.” murmured Bunsen, as he watched helplessly with Johnny and Reed. Inside the observation deck/command center, Sue watched the monitor (also helpless), while Victor marched right up to Sue, annoyed by the indecisiveness. He practically shoved her aside as he hit the intercom.

“Reed, you need to get up here so we can close the shields! Now!” ordered Victor, and Sue glared at Victor; his lack of compassion shocked her.

“Not until Ben is inside!” Reed said, over the comlink.

“It’s too late for him, and soon it’ll be too late for all of us.” said Victor, and he didn’t bother to wait for a response; he took over the console, punching keys.

“What are you doing?” Sue asked him.

“Raising the shields.” Victor replied.

“You can’t leave them out there!” Sue exclaimed, and she glared with as much contempt as her face could muster.

“Watch me.” Victor said. “Reed had his chance. You can’t help them any more than I can.” Sue took a step toward the door; she wasn’t sure what to do.

“I can try.” She uttered, and with one final glare, she bolted from the room. Back near the airlock door, Reed bit his lip, thinking and deciding.

“Victor’s right.” He said, turning to Johnny and Bunsen. “Get to the command center and close the shields.”

“I must first find Beaker!” exclaimed Bunsen, and he ran down a corridor, while Johnny was still focusing on Reed.

“What about you?” asked Johnny, and one look from Reed told Johnny that he wouldn’t leave without Ben. Johnny eyed Ben, steeling his courage; he wasn’t going either. “Come on, big guy, you can do it!”

Inside one of the corridors, Sue raced down the hall, not panicked but with determination. Near the airlock, the exterior door slid open, while Ben reached to haul himself inside in agonizing, weightless slow motion. The leading edge of the cloud hit: Ben was pelted by a hissing mass of space dust, splattering his suit with orange stains; larger particles and small pellets peppered him. He hauled himself in the last few feet by pulling on his tether. Johnny punched controls to close the exterior airlock door, while Reed opened a first-aid kit and grabbed a thermo-elastic blanket.

Inside the observation deck, Victor stood defiantly while clutching the diamond ring and showing absolutely no concern for the others; he was interested only in the event itself. Lights and equipment fell, crashing around him, all at the same time the control panel exploded in his face. He jumped back and into the falling equipment, collapsing under the weight.

While so much was happening around the station, Beaker was the only one that was oblivious to the cosmic storm’s sudden arrival; he just finished “handling his business” and stepped out of the bathroom, as the nervously frightened Bunsen approached him with alarm.

“Beaker! We must get to the observation deck immediately!” Bunsen cried.

“Meep?” remarked a confused Beaker, just before Bunsen brought him over to the nearest window and revealed the cosmic storm, which had gotten a foot closer to the station. Sue rounded a corner and saw Bunsen & Beaker; she was about to head towards them, until everyone was frozen in position as Johnny was hit with sparks of flame from a control panel, Reed reached out for Ben and the airlock door, a vapor stream poured down on Sue from a blown gasket, the space dust burned into Ben’s skin, radiation flowed through Beaker’s feet as he attempted to run away, and Bunsen was inside a crystal cylinder as he was engulfed in radiation himself.

Just before the exterior airlock door closed, a single particle zipped through the narrowing gap and hit Ben in the back, ripping through his suit. The exterior door shut and sealed, as the station lost all its power, leaving everyone and everything in darkness. As quickly as it came, the cloud passed on and whirled away, leaving the space station intact. Power quickly flickered on and there was absolute silence, time resuming. All six picked up exactly where they left off; they were unaware of anything that just happened to them.

Inside the command center, Victor emerged from the rubble; he stood and checked his body, noticing a few scrapes, but nothing that he considered serious. However, there was a thin, throbbing cut on his head; he touched the wound, but it was not bleeding.

Near the airlock, Reed and Johnny scrambled to open the interior airlock door; Sue, Bunsen, and Beaker joined them, as they pulled the unconscious Ben inside, trying to remove his helmet.

“He’s not responsive!” Reed indicated.

“Ben! Ben!” Johnny cried.

END OF CHAPTER ONE​

 

[Beauregard]

This is good stuff! I really like it, indeed I do. Clever use of B and B! And Pepe, and tehNEwsman, h'okey.

 

[muppetwriter]

Thanks, Beau.

I figured Bunsen and Beaker would be a perfect connection with the FF, only because they are researchers and adventurers just like them. The only trick is deciding what superpowers to give Bunsen and Beaker, after their ill-fated encounter with the cosmic storm.

Whatever powers they might be, they're definitely going to be zany.

 

[muppetwriter]

When we last read about our friends from Sesame Street, it was only a brief cameo in the Spidey/Muppets tale. Let's see what role they'll play in this story by reading Chapter Two.

Chapter Two (Part One):​

Hours after Von Doom and his research team had encountered the cosmic storm, they were all brought back down to Earth and placed in a hospital that was personally owned and established by Victor. It was a modern facility of glass and stone, nestled in the forest; it was in stark contrast to the lush greenery surrounding it. The hospital compound was where Victor and the others were being tested for any chemical reactions that they had received from their disastrous experiment in space.

Word had eventually gotten around about Von Doom’s failed experiment, which was evidently putting a bad reputation in his name as a businessman and scientist. The broadcasters of Channel Fifteen were the first ones on the story, and their very own Muppet newsman was the one that had broadcasted the story over television. Everyone tuned into Channel Fifteen to listen to the story, including the friendly gang at Sesame Street, where they all had their eyes glued to a television set in front of Hooper’s Store and paying close attention.

“And now for a Muppet newsflash!” said the newsman, over the television set. “Yesterday morning, Victor Von Doom and his team of researchers had blasted off into deep space to study a cosmic storm that was forming in…in…” The Muppet newsman seemed to have lost the next page of his notes; he began searching for it, until Pepe appeared on the television screen and set the next page on the desk in front of the aggravated newsman. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, okay.” uttered Pepe, and he turned towards the camera, smiling and chuckling as he walked off the stage and left the newsman to continue his broadcast.

“…in space.” He said, and he was a little surprised of how brief the notes on the page were. Looking on the front and back, he realized that “in space” were the only two words on the sheet. “Is…Is that it? That’s all I was supposed read? Good grief! I could’ve stayed home and watched this channel, instead of being on it! Ugh!” The Muppet newsman threw the paper up into the air and moved off the stage, leaving the camera videotaping only an empty set. Then, Pepe’s head came into view, looking around to see if the newsman had absolutely left the set, and he afterwards chuckled in a scheming way.

“Hola, you fabulous people out there in television land, okay.” Pepe said. “My name is Pepe, and I am one of the sexiest king prawns you will ever see on television, okay.” He started modeling in front of the camera, as if he was doing a photo-shoot, and then he swung his body left and right, singing. “Till everything burns, While every one screams, Burning their lies, Burning my dreams! All of this hate, And all of this pain! I’ll burn it all down, As my anger reigns, Till Everything burns!” He stopped singing for a moment and looked straight into the camera, with a seducing look. “Anastacia…if you’re watching this…I want you, okay! I want you to be my wife and live with me for eternity, okay! Oh! Anastacia! It burns! IT BURNS, OKAY!!!”

With nothing much more to hear about the story on Channel Fifteen, Gordon switched the set to another station that was going into more detail about Von Doom’s experimental disaster in space, mentioning names of the people that were involved, what the cause of the disaster was, how it could have been prevented, and what will happen to Doom next. Everyone at Sesame Street was paying close attention to the details, except for Oscar the Grouch, who was sitting in his trash can and reading a copy of the “New York Trash” (his favorite newspaper), and Big Bird, who had just got up from taking a four-hour nap.

“Oh, boy!” Big Bird exclaimed. “I can’t remember when I had such a great nap. I wonder if Rip Van Winkle felt this good, after he had that long, long, long nap in that story.” Oscar was a bit distracted by the sudden break in the silence that he was enjoying, while reading his paper; it really angered him.

“Hey, ya big turkey!” He snapped. “Why don’t ya buzz off? I’m trying to read this article in the ‘Trash’!” Big Bird was a little embarrassed; he didn’t mean to disrupt Oscar’s reading time.

“Gosh, I’m sorry, Oscar.” said Big Bird, as he looked around the street corner. “I was hoping that Gordon or Maria would wake me up, as they usually do. I don’t want to spend the whole day away sleeping, when there’s so much to do on a sunny day.”

“Well, I can tell you one thing that you can do on a sunny day like this.” Oscar said.

“What’s that?” Big Bird asked.

“Shut up and…SCRAM!!!!” roared Oscar, and he was so loud that the others had to turn to him and shush him, which angered Oscar even more. “You can’t shush me, after I told you to shut up! It’s unnatural to shush a grouch after he tells you to shut up! I’ve never been so insulted!” While Oscar was complaining, Big Bird took notice over how the others were paying close attention to what was on television.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He inquired. “Is there a big football game on?”

“Who cares?” Oscar grumbled.

“Well…I do.” Big Bird remarked.

“Well, if you’re so interested in what those creeps are doin’ over there, then take your big tail over there and ask them. Oh, yeah, and don’t forget to…SCRAM!!!” shouted Oscar, and just as before, the others turned and shushed him. “Ah, shut up!!” After Oscar ducked back into his trash can and closed the lid, Big Bird walked over to his friends, as they listened to a press conference with Victor Von Doom that was held outside the facility. Victor had looked worse for wear: a few hairs out of place and a small bandage on his face.

“You’ve been accused in the past of moving science a little too fast…” A reporter stated.

“Accused by whom?” Victor asked. “My competitors?”

“But surely this accident gives you pause…” Another reporter said.

“Danger is always part of discovery.” Victor contradicted. “What would have happened if Ben Franklin never went out in a storm? Without risk, there’s no reward.” The Sesame Street gang shook their heads over the comments that Victor was making.

“This guy sure is quite the daredevil.” Gordon commented.

“You’ve got the ‘devil’ part right.” Bob told him, and they kept silent as they listened to more of the conference.

“So where’s the reward? You promised a cure-all.” A third reporter stated, and Victor paused, for the first time, just a flicker.

“And you’ll have it.” He said. “I’ve never come up short. And I’m not going to start now.”

“So you’re still taking V.D.I. public?” A reporter asked.

“Yes, of course.” Victor replied. “I’ve never been more confident in the…” Gordon muted the television set, allowing himself and the others some time to speak out their thoughts and opinions on what they’ve been hearing.

“What about the research them?” Maria asked. “I mean, wasn’t Dr. Richards the one responsible for the whole experiment?”

“He is.” Gordon said. “Only it’s Victor Von Doom that’s taking more of the credit and not Reed Richards.”

“Reed ought to consider himself lucky that he isn’t getting the credit now.” Bob indicated. “Because there’s a lot of heat against Victor Von Doom, after he let the whole experiment hit rock bottom.”

“Hit rock bottom?” A confused Telly uttered. “I thought this whole experiment was in outer space.”

“It was, Telly.” Baby Bear said. “That was just a figure of speech.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Telly, and as he was beginning to understand everything, Big Bird was still left in the dark.

“Hey, everyone.” He said, and the others were happy to see him awake.

“Hey, Big Bird!” They said.

“We were wondering when you would wake up.” Bob said.

“Well, I was hoping Gordon or Maria would wake me like they usually do.” said Big Bird, and Gordon & Maria exchanged shameful looks, neither of them realizing how late they were in waking Big Bird up. “But I guess there’s something a lot more important going on, with everyone gathering around the television and all.”

“Well…there is, Big Bird.” said Maria, hoping to help him understand the reason she and Gordon were late. “You see, something terrible has happened to Dr. Richards.” Big Bird was still confused, not even recognizing the name that Maria mentioned.

“Dr. Richards?” He said.

“You know him, Big Bird.” Bob uttered. “The nice scientist that lives in the Baxter Building, just around the block.” Big Bird remembered the building that Bob mentioned, since it was actually the tallest building on Sesame Street.

“Oh, yeah.” said Big Bird, remembering only a fraction about Reed Richards. “What’s happened to him? Is he okay?”

“Oh, he’s fine, Big Bird.” Gordon said, and Big Bird was confused more than he was before he got involved.

“Then…Then what’s all the commotion about?” asked Big Bird, and everyone exchanged looks, wondering if they could explain such a complex story to the simple-minded Big Bird.

“Well, Big Bird…it has a lot to do with science.” Gina stated.

“You mean like the science that you use to help everyone feel better, Gina?” Big Bird inquired.

“Well…it’s something like that.” Gina rejoined. “You see, Dr. Richards and his companions were involved in an experiment on cosmic rays in space, and it was supposed to be a six-month experiment, until the cosmic rays had shown up earlier than expected and placed Dr. Richards and his companions in great danger.”

“What kind of danger?” Big Bird asked.

“Serious danger, I’m afraid.” Gina replied.

“The rays were in strong contact with the space station that Dr. Richards was on, which means that everyone on it could’ve possibly been exposed to a great deal of radiation.”

“You understand any of this, Big Bird?” Gordon inquired, and Big Bird shook his head.

“Not really.” He said. “But from the way you all are making it sound, I guess it is a pretty big thing to worry about, especially when it concerns Dr. Richards.”

“You think they’ll be alright?” said a worried Gabby.

“Oh, they’ll be fine.” Luis assured. “They’re lucky enough to survive that chemical accident and make it back to Earth in one peace.”

“Gee, I wonder if they might end up like Spider-Man.” Telly uttered.

“In what way, Telly?” Baby Bear asked him.

“Well, the whole radiation thing…it’s bound to give them awesome powers.” said Telly, and everyone around him chuckled.

“I don’t think so, Telly.” Gordon said. “Not all kinds of radiation give you super powers like Spider-Man.”

“But…” murmured Telly, and before he could’ve made his statement, Bob (who was staring at his wristwatch) interrupted him.

“Oh, boy. I’ve really got to get going.” He said. “I’ve got to take my niece out for ice cream. See you all later.”

“See ya, Bob.” The others said, as Telly again attempted to make his statement, only to be interrupted again by Gordon.

“Well, Big Bird, how ‘bout Maria and I treat you to a nice ‘Play Hour’?” Gordon insisted.

“Yeah, it’s the least we can do for forgetting to wake you up.” added Maria, and Big Bird thought about their offer for a second.

“Well…okay.” Big Bird said.

“Alright.” said Gordon, just before he turned to the others. “You all are welcomed to join us.” The other members of the Sesame Street gang cheered (that is, except for Telly) as they all followed Gordon, Maria, and Big Bird for their “Play Hour.”

“B-B-But…But…” Telly stammered.

“Come on, Telly! Let’s go play!” exclaimed Baby Bear, and Telly watched everyone walk away, shrugging his shoulders and giving it up.

“Oh, well…I’d just slow down the story’s pace anyway.” uttered Telly, and he shouted out to his friends. “Hey, guys! Wait for me!”

TO BE CONTINUED....​

 

[ReneeLouvier]

What happened!? OOH....you've left us HANGING HERE!!!

Please post more if you're able, MuppetWriter!!

 

[muppetwriter]

Aargh! I am strongly considering revising this one!

I just didn't like the way this one turned out. I don't feel that the Sesame Street characters belong in the Marvel Universe for some strange reason. I guess that's why I'm allowing them to have their own spotlight, with Kermit the Frog, in the Muppets/DC Comics story that I'm doing.

I'm thinking of rewriting this particular story and including characters from Fraggle Rock in it instead.

 

[ReneeLouvier]

Cool, either way....I'm actually MORE interested in what Bunsen and Beaker's powers are with the Fantastic Four, to tell the truth. I love the thing where it seems most everyone understands Beaker's 'meeps' but Johnny dosn't. XD