Was Reed doing this on purpose?
Ben Grimm refused to believe it.
Yet for some reason, a flicker of doubt crept into his heart.
He shook it off and shouted,
"No! It's impossible! Reed wouldn't do something like this."
Nolan smiled faintly.
Ben Grimm continued, his voice grave, even addressing Nolan formally now,
"Mr. Locke, whatever your intentions are, I urge you to stop."
The reason was simple: Nolan's words felt strange, alien even.
Nolan wanted to see Reed killed by Victor.
Even if it wasn't Reed, who could expect someone to desire such a thing?
Ben Grimm's expression hardened. He had to keep his eyes on Nolan.
Below them, the battle had reached a fever pitch.
Victor was smart, but extreme in his methods.
Perhaps Reed's actions had something to do with it, but it was also in Victor's nature.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to secretly eliminate a few shareholders of the Doom Corporation.
Honestly, Nolan had done similar things before, yet he still found Victor's approach crude.
If this continued, even without the current chaos, the authorities would eventually investigate.
Victor would become a wanted man, without a doubt.
Even Nolan himself, if given a second chance, would never do it the same way.
He was certain S.H.I.E.L.D. had long been watching him, though lacking evidence and deterred by his rapid growth, they ultimately gave up trying to act against him.
In Nolan's eyes, Victor had many ways to achieve success. Take this battle for example: he could have easily won over Susan's support.
After all, Susan had previously worked closely with Victor as his secretary.
But Victor had ruined a winning hand.
Fortunately, his strength was formidable.
His metal body was nearly impervious, and his control over electricity made the Fantastic Four helpless against him.
Victor, confident in his overwhelming power, had already begun counterattacking the three of them.
Reed's elastic body was strong; for a time, Victor couldn't get the upper hand.
But anyone with eyes could see that this couldn't continue.
Seizing an opportunity, Reed moved closer to Susan.
"In my lab, there's something that can take him down," he said.
Susan nodded.
Yet luring Victor to Reed's lab was easier said than done.
Johnny flew through the air, desperately dodging attacks.
The surging currents were a severe threat.
In fact, among the three, he was in the most danger.
Reed wasn't afraid of electricity. Susan could deploy her force fields to block, but Johnny could only rely on reflexes.
"We need a plan!" Johnny shouted.
Susan glanced at Reed and didn't hesitate, charging toward Victor.
A bolt of electricity streaked past. Her force field deployed too late, failing to fully protect her.
The current struck her body, sending her crashing to the ground.
"Susan!" Johnny yelled.
Victor's expression remained cold.
He did have feelings for Susan, but in the face of hatred, those feelings meant nothing.
As Victor pursued, Reed and Johnny tried to intervene, yet Susan had been injured. The battle tilted sharply.
The endless currents danced across Victor's body.
The city's power grid fed his strength.
The electricity was so intense it lifted him into the air.
"Reed! Pay for what you've done!" Victor roared.
He didn't realize that the three were retreating strategically, heading toward Reed's lab.
On the rooftop of the Doom Tower, Ben Grimm tensed at the sight.
"Mr. Locke, we must stop Victor!"
Seeing Nolan in the armor, and having faced the Hulk before, Ben knew Nolan was far from powerless.
He also knew Nolan had no intention of killing.
Nolan remained silent.
Grimly, Ben gritted his teeth and dashed forward to reactivate the gamma reversal device.
Before he entered, Nolan's voice rang out,
"Think carefully. Human genes are adaptive.
Once you choose to become the Thing again, reversing it later will be extremely difficult.
Perhaps… for the rest of your life, you will live as the Thing."
Ben Grimm didn't hesitate.
The moment he moved, his decision was made.
Watching the device close, Nolan felt a surge of frustration for Ben.
Reed had a friend willing to risk everything. It was almost cruelly unfair.
Nolan didn't sabotage the device, even though he easily could have.
When Thing Ben emerged, he leapt from the Doom Tower rooftop.
Boom!
The ground shook as the stone giant landed, leaving a deep crater.
"Ben!" Reed exclaimed with relief.
Ben had transformed back into the Thing.
Victor's expression darkened. The Fantastic Four had reunited.
Even as Reed prepared to combine their strengths against Victor, a massive mechanical suit crashed to the ground.
"Thunder Hammer!"
Reed's face darkened at the name.
The appearance of the armor meant Nolan Locke was inside.
Victor frowned.
"You broke your word," he said bluntly.
Nolan should have blocked some of the Fantastic Four.
Now, not only had Susan and the others arrived, but Ben had regained his powers as the Thing.
This angered Victor.
Nolan removed his helmet, his expression calm.
"That's why I came down," he said.
"Nolan, you…" Susan gasped.
She hadn't expected Nolan to side with Victor.
Nolan spoke,
"I don't like Reed Richards, so in my eyes, his death wouldn't have been a tragedy. I didn't act, of course."
He shook his head, then continued,
"Reed claimed Victor wanted to kill Ben Grimm. The result? Thing Ben has returned. I'm merely stating my perspective on Reed and Ben's outcome."
The message was clear:
It's Reed's fault, all of it.
Seeing Ben, Reed's confidence surged.
In his mind, Nolan and Victor were the villains.
He, of course, was the inevitable hero.
Why? Because he was Reed Richards!
"Nolan Locke, what do you have to say for yourself? Helping Victor commit so many atrocities, betraying Susan's trust!" Reed shouted.
Nolan glanced at him.
"I may have contact with Victor, but I'm just an observer. That's what your mind tells you, that I assisted him.
Besides, aren't you the one in the wrong?"
He laughed, disdain filling his gaze.
"If not for you, none of this would have happened.
Today, Ben would have returned to human form, Susan and I would have been safe in my villa.
Instead, because of you, Ben became the Thing twice in a short period. His genetics are likely fixed now, losing the chance to return.
And Susan was injured because of you.
You claim Ben is your brother, Susan the one you love. Is this how you treat your brother and the person you love?"
Reed's breath caught. Then rage consumed him.
"You're twisting things! Victor stole my technology. You took Susan. Even without you, Ben would have returned!"
Reed had snapped.
Nolan heard the hysteria in Reed's voice.
Nolan was twisting the argument, yes, but so was Reed.
They were evenly matched in hypocrisy.
Yet the ultimate results were clear: Susan injured, Ben robbed of everything.
"Ben!" Reed yelled, lunging at Nolan.
He had never respected Nolan Locke.
A mere tech user.
He, Reed Richards, was the true genius, the smartest man alive.
There was nothing he couldn't accomplish!
A mere Nolan Locke!
Reed's mind roared.
Victor was formidable, but first, Nolan had to be taken down!
But…
Ben hesitated.
Nolan's words had planted doubt.
And Nolan hadn't harmed him before, or he wouldn't have stood here.
Ben didn't act. Susan and Johnny naturally followed suit.
Nolan was Susan's boyfriend, and what he said made sense.
Why would she help Reed attack him?
Johnny shrugged, doing nothing.
Facing Reed's attack, Nolan remained composed.
He dodged with agility, drawing his blade as Reed struck again.
The sword hit Reed's arm. Not enough to pierce his defenses, but enough to cause pain.
Nolan pressed the attack.
Reed was brilliant, but he couldn't read hearts.
He didn't anticipate the others standing still, not even Victor.
Power-wise, none could match Nolan.
"Damn it!" Reed cursed.
Dodging again, he shouted at Ben,
"Ben! What are you waiting for! Kill him! Kill that bastard! That's what brothers do!"
Ben, already torn, felt a sudden clarity.
Reed wanted him to strike Nolan, but he knew Nolan hadn't attacked him.
Brothers weren't tools to be used.
Pain and despair filled Ben's gaze.
Reed's betrayal cut deep.
Seeing Ben's look, Reed realized,
"Ben! You betrayed me!"
He had anticipated this day.
He disliked Victor, so he wouldn't aid him.
He saw Susan liking Nolan and wanted her back.
He had accounted for Victor's powers, possibly Nolan's.
He didn't care; his plan would succeed.
Susan would return, Ben would remain his friend, Johnny would grow.
Yet none helped him. Even Ben became a traitor.
All of them were bastards.
Reed glared at everyone, feeling the world itself was against him.
Enraged, he turned and dashed toward his lab.
Intellect allowed him to remain calm.
Back in the lab, no one could stop him.
Victor pursued relentlessly, determined to kill Reed.
Ben Grimm stood stunned.
Johnny glanced at Susan, curious.
Susan walked to Nolan's side, her expression conflicted.
Nolan had deceived her.
"Nolan, why did you do this?"
"Because I want to live. I don't care about being a hero or a villain. I just want to live, earn some money, and continue my research.
Reed disagreed.
And…" Nolan glanced at Susan.
"I haven't deceived you. I'm merely an observer.
Remember, it was I who recommended Reed, and when the Doom Corporation faced a crisis, I offered Victor a lucrative partnership.
Unfortunately… effort doesn't always yield results."
Susan sighed.
Nolan was right.
He had helped Reed and Victor alike.
Yet now… Reed nearly got him killed and tried to manipulate him.
Susan, smart as she was, had already sensed something was off with Reed.
That was why she trusted Nolan.
Victor, however, had finally chosen the path of evil.
This was not Nolan's desired outcome.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
The battle had attracted the police.
"Let's go. This isn't over yet." Nolan said.