Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #4

Mar 10

Mar 10 Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #4

The Bridge, Chapter Four

Norman Osborn, along with Venom and an army of HAMMER soldiers are coming to the Baxter Building to give their ultimatum to the Fantastic Four, unaware that only Franklin and Valeria Richards are the only ones home. When Norman buzzes to be let in, the children begin to their plan to mess with his head to buy time. Meanwhile, within his Bridge, Reed has become frustrated with his search through alternate realities to find out where he has gone wrong recently. After viewing a billion worlds, not a single one finds a situation where the current course can be avoided. Back at the Baxter Building, Valeria allows Osborn and his goons to enter the building. She advises them that the document delivered earlier stated that only one representative was coming to see her father. Seeing no threat from the child, Osborn tells his men to wait and accompanies her down the hall. Once they are away with the others, Valeria informs Norman that he won't be meeting with her father, but with Franklin instead. Franklin comes out wearing a Spider-Man mask and begins mocking Norman's hair.

In collapsed-space time, the time-displaced alternate version of the Fantastic Four find themselves in a future world where a futuristic version of Sue, Ben and Johnny are defending the Supreme Intelligence from an army of Symbiotes that are attacking. When they ask what they can do to stop this, the Intelligence tells them that they have compromised their morals and will fall due to faulty leadership. Although the Intelligence is destroyed moments later, the gathered heroes refuse to go down without a fight. While within the Bridge, Reed refuses to give up, regardless of the odds. As the heroes battle to the death in collapsed time, Reed decides that only one person can fix everything and shuts down the Bridge.

Once the Bridge is shut down, Johnny, Sue and Ben find themselves in their proper place and time. Reed exits his lab a moment later. After a heartfelt reunion, Reed wonders where the children are. Downstairs, Franklin and Valeria are fleeing from Osborn, who has decided to open fire on them. The children hide in an office where Osborn has them cornered. He vows that he will punish the children. However, before Norman can find the Richards children he is confronted by the Fantastic Four. Sue orders Osborn to step away form her children.