Fantastic Four #363
Innerverse!
With Sue and Franklin prisoners of the Gem Guild of the Inniverse, the rest of the Fantastic Four have come to this dimension in order to free them. Equipped with Oscillation Jackets they are able to pierce be barrier between dimensions. On the other side they find an army of warriors waiting for them an engage in battle. The warriors are ill prepared for the three heroes super-human powers and are sent fleeing, leaving a number of weapons behind. Utilizing an Encephalotracer, Reed is able to key into Sue and Franklin's brainwaves in order for them to search for their missing family members, directing them to a nearby city. As they continue their search, Johnny notices that the planet is ringed with jewels floating in its orbit. Reed also finds this interesting and hopes he has a chance to examine them later when Sue and Franklin have been rescued.
Deep in the city, Sue and Wildblood are being carried through as prisoners. Blindfolded, Sue is calling out for Franklin. The pair are soon delivered to Occulus, the ruler of this world as well as his wife Landa and his closest adviser, Dangor. The captain of the guard turns over the gem that Wildblood had stolen, and for his troubles is incinerated by Occulus for allowing it to be stolen in the first place. When Occulus condemns them to his Crypt of Anguish, Sue tries to appeal to him, telling the ruler that she is not of their world and means them no harm. Dangor tells Occulus to dismiss it and turn his attention to a great gift they have found along with their prisoners. Franklin is brought before him, and Dangor displays that the boy has the ability to manipulate the powers of the gems. When a gem is brought into close proximity of the young boy, it begins to glow with power up to the point where it suddenly explodes. Seeing this display of great power, Occulus deems the boy a threat, much to the protests of his wife who doesn't wish to see the child destroyed. Seeing this as her opportunity to act, Sue tells Franklin to hit the deck and then sweeps the room with an invisible force barrier knocking everyone around her aside. However before she can free herself, the Invisible Woman is taken down by a blast from the gem that is in the place of Occulus' right eye.
At that moment not far away, some of the citizens of this world have uncovered a cache of gems using a massive drilling device. As they marvel over their find, they are interrupted by the Thing who frightens them off. Reed calls the move unnecessary, but Ben remarks at how fun it was, secretly hoping he can lighten the mood since everyone is so grim since Franklin and Sue were captured. They continue on their path toward the city, still unsure how far Franklin and Sue really are, and unaware that they are secretly being watched. Deep below the castle, Wildblood and Sue are being led into the Crypt of Anguish. With the guards not paying close attention, Wildblood is able to pick the lock on his shackles and frees himself. After dispatching the guards, he also frees Sue and leads her to an upper level where a number of Sky-Serpents are kept. When Wildblood offers to fly her to safety, Sue refuses, not willing to go anywhere without her son. After commending her for her bravery, Wildblood takes one of the Sky-Serpents and takes wing. Meanwhile, in the thronerome of Occulus, Dangor appears to his master telling him that the boy can be used as a matrix to harness the power in every gem in their world, something that they have been seeking to accomplish for some time. This is met by more protests from Landa, who tries to appeal to her husband, reminding him that he used to be a just leader before he was corrupt by having absolute power. Occulus refuses to listen to her, telling his wife that he can only serve his people by obtaining absolute power. At that very moment one of the guards enters the room to warn his king that the prisoners have managed to escape.
At that moment, Wildblood is spotted by the rest of the Fantastic Four, and Reed manages to snare the Sky-Serpent, throwing Wildblood from it and into the arms of the Thing. When Reed demands Wildblood rescue his wife and son, the alien refuses. When Johnny tells him that they have him surrounded, Wildblood doesn't believe so, turning their attention to an army of warriors that have sprouted up around them. Back at the castle, Sue has managed to use her invisibility powers to sneak into the throne room, where she witnesses Franklin being strapped to a machine lined with a number of gems. Occulus manages to see her thanks to his gem eye, blowing her cover. No longer needing to be invisible, Sue unleashes a flurry of invisible spheres to knock everyone aside. When Occulus tries to attack her with his gem eye again, she is able to block it with a force field, and then knock him back with an invisible force blast. When Occulus tries to fight back, Sue tries to disorientate him by raising an invisible cylinder under his feet. When he tries to blast her from three different directions, she is able to shield herself. Sue gains the upper hand when she places an invisible force sphere around Occulus' head, blocking off his supply of oxygen. This proves to be a short lived strategy, as Dangor places a dagger up to Franklin's throat and threatens to kill the boy. This distracts Sue enough to make her drop her force fields and is blasted by Occulus. The ruler of this realm then activates the machine, ignoring more protests from his wife.
With the gem matrix activated, Franklin is bombarded by energies that causes him to scream in agony. Outside, the situation between the Fantastic Four and Wildblood's rebels takes a pause when suddenly they notice the palace beginning to glow. Checking his Encephalotracer, Reed is horrified to see that it can no longer detect Franklin's brainwaves. Reed is unsure if this is due to a malfunction, or the possibility that Franklin might be dead.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Wildblood, Occulus, Landa, Dangor
Continuity Notes
Reed was able to get the brainwaves of his wife and son thanks to the scans he did of their minds back in Fantastic Four #357.
Ben mentions that Johnny doesn't need another shock after losing his wife. Some facts...:
Back in Fantastic Four #300, Johnny had married who he thought was long time Fantastic Four associate Alicia Masters.
However unknown to the Fantastic Four, Alicia was captured and replaced by the Skrull spy known as Lyja. This happened around Fantastic Four #265.
Lyja was later exposed in Fantastic Four #357 and seemingly died in Fantastic Four #358 on the mission to rescue Alicia.
