Nick Peron

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Fantastic Four #556

World's Greatest: Part 3

C.A.P. the Nu-World's robotic guardian has disabled its safety protocols and escaped. Arriving in Alaska to seek out soldiers to neutralize it comes across some soldiers out on patrol and eliminates them. It then makes its way to the nearest airbase and decimates it. This is all monitored by the tracking devices at the Earth-Trust, the creators of Nu-Earth. Ted Castle and his wife Alyssa Moy are scrambling to figure out a way to shut down C.A.P. Alyssa tells her husband that a strong super-hero presence could be enough to stop the robot. Ted puts in the call to every super-hero in the books.

In Manhattan, Johnny Storm is woken up by a technician for the new reality show that is being produced about Johnny's new band, he tells Johnny that his agent is waiting for him. His agent is upset that Johnny didn't show up for practice. Johnny insists that he was held up stopping a diamond heist. Fed up with how flaky the Human Torch is, his agent tells Johnny to call when he's serious as he has other potential clients more worthy of his time. With the cameras not set up in his room yet, Johnny rushes back to his room where Psionics is getting dressed. She finds it funny that he's panicking about sleeping with a super-villain instead of turning her into the authorities, but she assures him that she will keep their secret. She then tells him that she has work to do, but assures him that she will call.

At the Baxter Building, Sue learns that Reed is still away leaving her to puzzle over a new nanny for the children to herself. Suddenly Alyssa teleports into the Baxter Building and asks for the team's help. Although Reed is not back yet, Sue agrees to mobilize Johnny and Ben. She tells Franklin to look after her sister before they depart for Alaska. There Alyssa informs Ted that Mister Fantastic is going to be away for another hour and learns that forty heroes were gathered to fight C.A.P. but were defeated eight minutes prior. The three members of the Fantastic Four clear the next ridge and see the combined might of the New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, the Initiative, the Young Avengers and other assorted heroes unconscious at the hands of C.A.P.

The Fantastic Four attack the massive robot but it is able to fight off its defenses. This distracting gives the other heroes a chance to recover and fight back as well. However, the robot teleports away and takes down Fort Greely before teleporting to Russia to take down the defenses there as well. Just then they get radio contact from Mister Fantastic who tells them that he is on his way.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Alyssa Moy, Ted Castle, New Avengers (Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange), Mighty Avengers (Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Black Widow, “Spider-Woman”, Wasp, Wonder Man, Sentry, Hercules, Ares), Young Avengers (Patriot, Hawkeye, Vision, Hulkling), Initiative (“Yellowjacket”, War Machine, Gauntlet, Doc Samson, Stature), Gravity, Black Panther, Storm, Justice, CAP, Psionics,

Continuity Notes

  • The individuals posing as Spider-Woman and Yellowjacket are actually Skrull spies as revealed in Secret Invasion #1. Jessica Drew was replaced prior to New Avengers #1, while Henry Pym was swapped out before the events of Beyond #1.