Before the Fantastic Four: The Storms #1
Burn Victims
Professor Henry Brandies is pouring over ancient Rosicrucian texts from the 12th Century in order to learn the secrets of an impossibly old amulet. As he examines it he notices that its increasing in temperature.
Down the street at the Storm residence, Johnny Storm is working on a car when he suddenly sees wet female legs passing by. Rolling out from under the car to try and charm the young woman he is disgusted when he realizes that he was checking out his older sister Sue, a revelation that she is grossed out by as well. Sue quickly changes the subject to how they are supposed to have dinner with their Aunt Mary that night and that Johnny not be late. Sue begins lecturing Johnny about how she won't be around to dote over him once she travels to California to pursue a career in acting. Their discussion is interrupted by Sue's friend Cammie Brandies who asks Sue to come over to hang out with her and some classmates, hoping this will prevent her Uncle Max from boring her with his archaeology expeditions. Johnny is completely smitten by Cammie, but can't get a word in edgewise and she ignores his existence. Johnny finally pipes in and invites Cammie over to their house for dinner instead, giving him the opportunity to talk about the work he has put into her car. Cammie tells Johnny to give it a break because he is only fifteen and she is sixteen years old. This leads to a bickering match over how Johnny got binoculars for his birthday and the two women quickly realize that Johnny used them to spy on Cammie's midnight pool party instead of Boy Scouts like he said he was using it. However, before they can give him grief over this Johnny suddenly smells smoke and they quickly notice that there is a fire over at Cammie's house.
Meanwhile aboard a cruise ship, the legendary man known as Comte St. Germaine is heading to the city of New York. As he approaches the modern-day metropolis he can sense the object that he seeks.
Back in Long Island, the police are going over Professor Brandeis study where the man was incinerated in what appears to be a case of spontaneous human combustion. As they go over the impossibilities of such a scenario the officers have Cammie, her mother, and her Uncle Max Perrish come in and answer some questions. After answering questions about the state of the room when the accident was first discovered. Soon they leave the room, and with the coast clear, Johnny Storm doffs the suit of armor he was hiding in and begins snooping around the crime scene. Johnny thinks about how upset everyone is about Professor Brandeis demise. It's then that he picks up the strange amulet that Brandies was examining. Before he can consider it he notices that he is late for dinner and leaves the amulet behind to rush home.
While on the expressway Comte St. Germain is stuck in traffic. His limo driver offers to call a helicopter to airlift him to the location of their quarry, but St. Germain is content to take it slow as time is on their side once again.
Three days later, Sue, Johnny, and their Aunt Mary are at the funeral for Professor Brandies. When discussing the death, Johnny recounts what he saw in the study, but Sue doesn't believe his tale, thinking it merely an excuse for not being late for dinner. As they go to pay their respects, Sue meets and is smitten by Max Perish, Cammie's uncle. They are also greeted y Comte St. Germain who claims that Brendies was a colleague. With the arrival of this strange man who appears to be sweating blood, Johnny notices smoke coming out of the pocket of his pants. Reaching in he pulls out -- much to his surprise -- the strange amulet he found in the Professor's study. With police on the scene, Johnny worries that he will be accused of lifting it from the crime scene. When he notices St. Germain trying to get close enough to grab the amulet, Johnny flees into the forest. With a heavy rain setting in everyone decides to depart. Returning to his car, Comte sends out a legion of minions in after Johnny in the forest.
Also looking for him is his sister Sue who is suddenly surrounded by strange beings. Johnny leaps to her rescue but the two are soon swarmed by this legion of drones. That's when Max Perish arrives and fights them off. They are also joined by Cammie who comes crashing through their attackers with her car. Everyone hops in and they floor it out of the woods, easily getting away from their pursuers. However back on the cemetery grounds, they see that their exits have been blocked off by the procession of people leaving. Taking a risk, Sue floors it and manages to eke out through the gates narrowly avoiding a collision with one of the other cars. With their pursuers chasing them in other cars, Sue heads for a nearby tunnel hoping to lose them in the darkness, but a voice speaks up and tells her to make a sharp left turn. When she does, they blaze past a railroad track just moments before a train passes by, cutting off the men chasing them. From the other side of the passing train, Comte St. Germain's car is at a dead halt, the driver telling him that their prey will be far, far away by the time the train has passed. When Comte tries to communicate this telepathically to his employer he is suddenly rocked by a mental pain caused by his master as punishment for his failure.
Continuity Notes
The Amulet of Z is actually the so-called Medallion of Power first seen in Ghost Rider Vol 3 #1 where it gave Danny Ketch the power to become the Ghost Rider.
As Johnny is stated as being fifteen years old, this story occurs roughly one year before the events of Fantastic Four #1. Johnny was sixteen at the time when he became the Human Torch. Sue mentions she is going to California to become an actress, this leads to her reconnecting with Reed Richards, her future husband, in Central City.
The depiction of the original Twin Towers at the sight of the World Trade Center should be topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. As this story involves individuals with normal lifespans that are active in the Modern Age, this story is affected by the Sliding TImescale
At the time of this story, Dracula was trapped with a stake in his heart in his castle in Transylvania following his battle against the Scotsman, as seen in Tomb of Dracula #15.
