The Monster's Secret!

Trapped in a flooding cave, Sue Richards is at the risk of drowning. As the cavern fills with water she attempts a desperate gamble: enveloping herself in an invisible force field she hopes that she has enough air for the water currents to push her to the surface. Meanwhile, at a hospital, Reed tries to struggle free from the doctors that are trying to get him to rest after suffering from extreme exhaustion. Seeking to break free and search for his missing wife, Reed struggles with hospital staff until they are able to sedate him.

At the Baxter Building, Johnny and Ben have gone through the Fantastic Four's files and discovered the identity of Sue's kidnapper, the so-called Creature of the Lost Lagoon. The pair recall how they originally encountered the creature not so long ago. Recalling how they discovered it was an alien and it ventured off into space with its mate and unborn children, the pair wonder what the creature is doing back on Earth, and why it kidnapped Sue.

Back in the underwater cave, Sue is still trapped and is quickly running out of air, when the creature suddenly finds her. Realizing that she is in grave danger, Sue's kidnapper plugs the floor and the cavern begins to drain of the floodwater. This allows Sue to drop her force field, but she is left to wonder why the alien has captured her and what it could possibly want from her. While at the hospital, Reed shakes off the effects of the sedative and more determined than ever to rescue his wife manages to put on his costume and force his way out. Reed only gets as far as the roof before he is struck with another wave of fatigue. But when the hospital staff surrounds him, Reed allows himself to fall off the roof and turns his body into a glider to float away.

Meanwhile, at the Baxter Building, Johnny recalls that the lost the creature near a lake in Central Park and goes for some diving gear. As the Torch rockets off on his own, Ben tries to follow after him in the Pogo-Plane only to realize that it does not have any fuel. Rushing down to the parking garage, the Thing then lifts Johnny's sports car out of its parking space and speeds off to the park as well. At that very moment, Reed spots Johnny in the distance and also begins floating to their intended destination. When they all arrive minutes apart from each other, Reed tires to go off after his wife alone, but is held back by both Ben and Johnny. When Reed refuses to stand down, Ben is forced to knock their leader out. While Johnny and Ben dive into the lake, the Creature brings Sue aboard his ship, then abruptly leaves her alone with more questions.

Swimming to the outer lake, the Creature crosses paths with Ben and Johnny. When the Creature fights back, the Torch uses his powers to heat up the water and force the Creature to the surface. There Ben and Johnny pile onto their attacker, but soon Reed gets into the middle of their battle, pointing out that the creature has come for help, not to fight. Convincing the Creature that they mean no harm, it brings them to its ship where it reveals that Sue is unharmed. She explains that the Creature returned to Earth to get medicine when his mate contracted an illness from their last time on Earth, and desperate for aid, it kidnapped Sue for help. With the explanations out of the way and the Creature's mate cured, both aliens blast off in their ship, leaving the Fantastic Four behind.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Monster from the Lost Lagoon (Mowfus), The creature’s mate (Bisq)

Continuity Notes

• The Fantastic Four refer to their last encounter with the Creature of the Lost Lagoon from Fantastic Four #97.

• The race of aliens seen in this story are later identified as the Quon in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #8. The creature was named Mowfus in Marvel Encyclopedia: Fantastic Four. His mate is identified as Bisq in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #9.