Bomb Scared

The Fantastic Four have been called to the scene of an office building where the top six floors suddenly exploded. The owner, Jeffrey Dylan demands instant response, believing it to have been a terrorist attack. When Mister Fantastic shows an uncharacteristic reluctance to speak up, the Invisible Woman does so for him, pointing out that it could have been an industrial accident and not an attack. Dylan insists that it's a terrorist attack because the scientist inside, Dr. Wilson Ramos, has demanded an audience with Reed Richards and nobody else. While the Fantastic Four go over the blue prints and their plans, Sue refuses to let Reed go up alone after just getting him back and convinces Reed to let her accompany him invisibly. Although Sue believes they are going into a trap, Reed tells her they don't have many options as they enter the elevator -- the only way up to see Dr. Ramos. As they travel up the shaft, they are unaware that they are being observed by Wilson who causes the elevator cable to snap. While Reed uses his powers to get free he is also tries to help Sue but is shocked when she utilizes her powers to rescue herself and help them access the nearest floor to continue their path up to Ramos.

On the next floor they find themselves in the offices of financial business run by Ramos that deals in trading commodities. There they find a lone worker who refused to evacuate the building because he was on the trail of a hot deal. However the Richards couple refuse to let him stay and pass him off to the Human Torch when he is summoned to carry the worker out of a window. Discovering that Reed is not alone, Dr. Ramos makes himself visible to them and reveals that he is aware of Sue's presence. Seriously injured he explains he is not responsible for the explosion and collapses in Reed's arms. Ramos explains how he followed Reed's work on parallel dimensions for years particularly his research into the Negative Zone. Ramos began his own research hoping to harness the power of the Negative Zone to help solve the world's energy needs. However he explains that his portal to the Negative Zone accidentally unleashed someone from the other side. Suddenly there is an explosion and the Fantastic Four's old foe Blastaar makes his presence known. Although Blastaar catches Reed and Sue off guard, they are able to call in Johnny and Ben who join the fight as well.

Feeling guilt over allowing Blastaar to cross over into their world, Ramos returns to his portal device in the hopes of utilizing it to send Blastaar back to his native dimension. However as he attempts to find a way to shunt back the invader, Ramos fears that if his calculations are off he could destroy an entire city block, but continues anyway even if his own life is in forfeit. Not far away the Fantastic Four continue to battle it out with Blastaar who manages to get the upper hand. Blastaar is shocked at how easily he has defeated his long time foes. Deciding to stop Ramos before he can use the device that brought Blastaar here against him, the Negative Zone tyrant slays Ramos. However the blast also weakens the structural integrity of the building. The Fantastic Four quickly evacuates the building as it collapses. Although the battle is over the team believes that Blastaar probably managed to escape back into the Negative Zone before the building fell. Although the owner of the building is less than impressed by his building being destroyed the Fantastic Four are thanked for stopping Blastaar before he could run loose on the Earth.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Blastaar

Continuity Notes

• The Thing refers to the fact that he is going to be missing the TV show Melrose Place as though the series is brand new. This should be considered a topical reference relative to the date of publication per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. Melrose Place was a television drama that aired from 1992 to 1999.

• The reason Reed is hesitant to take a leadership role and why Sue's display of powers and leadership surprises him is because Reed was seemingly slain in Fantastic Four #381. However as revealed in Fantastic Four #406, Reed has been a prisoner of Hyperstorm for months. As explained in Fantastic Four #414 Reed was suffering from symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that shook his confidence to perform in battle or be able to deal with the changes the team underwent in his absence.

• The Fantastic Four believe that Blastaar must have escaped back into the Negative Zone. This is confirmed when he resurfaces in Warlock (vol. 4) #3.