THE RISING SUN ON THE MORNING OF REED AND Susan’s wedding was yet another spotlight to shine on the big event. Even the heavens seemed interested. The Baxter Building was crawling with security guards making sure only guests and appropriate personnel gained entrance. Ben and Johnny’s hard work had paid off: the space looked perfectly suited for an elegant wedding. The rooftop deck was adorned with flowers in each of its four corners. White chairs fanned out from a long row of carpet leading toward the domed white pergola where the couple would exchange their vows. Flowers scaled the height of the pergola and dripped down on all sides in gentle, fragrant cascades. Beyond the wood structure sat the breathtaking view of the city. Tall skyscrapers buffeted the elegant rooftop deck, their silver facades reflecting the warm and bright sunlight. Overhead, helicopters buzzed like hungry mosquitoes, trying to film the event for the legion of fans out there hoping to get a glimpse of the fantastic bride.

Down on the street, traffic snarled for blocks as legitimate guests worked their way through the dozens of police cars and media vehicles already swarming the site. Cops stood watch on foot as well as on horseback, trying to keep the flow of guests moving and the avalanche of reporters at bay. The great city of New York was no stranger to this type of high-profile event, and the police had the same presence as would benefit a visiting world leader or president. But a wedding, especially one as public as this, was a different affair. Excitement filled the streets like it was New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

Upstairs in his lab, groom-to-be Reed Richards tried to isolate himself from the frenzy down on the streets. Truth be told, it wasn’t hard to do. Reed had been pushing himself for days, trying to get the sensor online for General Hager, and exhaustion showed on his usually elastic features. His eyes were thin and dry, his face a grizzled carpet of unshaved stubble.

Ben Grimm walked in to see the disheveled figure of his best friend. Dressed to the nines in a tuxedo that actually fit, Ben was a bit surprised to find Reed in such a state. Reed barely noticed Ben’s entrance, focused instead on the final adjustments he was making to the sensor. A video monitor next to Reed showed the sensor antenna on the roof, not far from the main entrance of the wedding guests. Johnny had wanted to put some flowers over it, but Reed did not want anything to interfere with its signal.

Ben cleared his throat and spoke loudly. “Reed, come on! You’re going to miss your own wedding.”

Reed looked up to see his friend in formal wear. A smile crossed his face. “Almost done.”

Reed turned back to the video monitor, which now showed the dour face of General Hager. “General, I’m putting the sensor online now.” Reed punched a few buttons on the console and the machine hummed to life. “There. If there’s a surge in cosmic radiation anywhere on the planet, you’ll know about it.”

“Let’s hope so,” the general barked. “We’ve already gotten reports of two more craters.”

Two more? Reed thought, growing more concerned. He knew he better keep track of the general’s progress. He pulled out his PDA. “Just linking it to my PDA…and that’s it.”

Ben’s impatience was growing, even with the news of the appearance of two more craters. “Great. Now will you please shave and put on your tux? You’re getting married in two hours and you look like a bum.”

Reed set his PDA down on the table. “Absolutely.” He started to walk toward his room but stopped suddenly. A look of anxiety crossed his face. “Oh my God! I’m getting married.” Even for someone who could stretch his body to great lengths, Reed’s knees appeared a little wobbly.

Ben was at his side, holding his friend up by his lab coat. “There we go,” he said, leading Reed down the hall to his quarters, one foot elongated and dragging behind them.

Susan Storm looked out the window of her dressing room at the crowds and traffic below. The butterflies in her stomach were turning into something much larger as anxiety flooded her body. All this time planning, she thought, and now it’s finally here. For the fifth time. As much as she had imagined how this day would feel, she found herself continually looking outside. The police, the traffic, the helicopters. It wasn’t the warm, intimate ceremony she had hoped for.

Behind her, Alicia felt for the clasp and zipped up Sue’s floor-length white gown. Alicia’s fingers were so nimble that Sue didn’t feel a thing.

“This isn’t how I imagined it,” she confessed.

Alicia stepped in front of her, looking beautiful in her maid-of-honor gown. “Nothing ever is,” she replied.

But Sue couldn’t shake the bad feeling she’d woken up with that morning. “Alicia, this just doesn’t feel right.”

Alicia tried to comfort her friend. “It’s okay. Even super heroes can have wedding-day jitters.”

Sue felt her eyes welling with tears, the feeling in the pit of her stomach growing stronger. “It’s more than that. Is my life always going to be a circus? Can we raise a child in…all this?” She banged her fist against the glass, her only recourse against the swarm of media outside the building. All those eyes peering at them with their cameras and flashbulbs and lights. “Face it, we’re not exactly normal.”

Alicia took Sue’s hand, trying to calm her down. “Ben and I aren’t exactly a ‘normal’ couple, either. But that doesn’t stop us from being happy. Do you love Reed?”

A tear fell silently down Sue’s cheek, and she said, “More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”

Alicia squeezed Sue’s hand to emphasize her point. “Then there’s your answer.”

The two women hugged. Sue felt comforted by the words of her good friend; Alicia was right. Sue had to believe that she and Reed, together, could rise above whatever obstacles might come their way, big or small.

Sue turned away from Alicia, catching a glimpse of her face in the mirror.

Oh no. It couldn’t be. And of all days. It figured, with all the stress…

“Oh, great!” Sue exclaimed in frustration.

“What?” Alicia’s voice was filled with concern.

Sue looked closer at her reflection, confirming her suspicions. “I’ve got a zit.”

“Don’t panic. We’ll find some base —”

“No, it’s okay.” Sue looked in the mirror, concentrating intently on the blemish…concentrating…until it completely disappeared. Turned invisible, actually. She breathed a sigh of relief, more for the fact that it was one less thing the media jackals could rabidly obsess over. For the moment, anyway.

“Crisis averted,” Sue declared. “Now…all I have to do is concentrate on it continuously for the next eight hours.”

Right in the middle of the crowd, where he usually liked to be, Johnny Storm was dodging police on horseback. He pulled up to the Baxter Building in his fire-red sports car and revved the powerful, expensive engine for the crowd before turning off the ignition. His date, a shapely young woman with hair that matched the car, sat beside him, obviously thrilled with the crowds.

“Look at these parasites,” he said to her with a big grin on his chiseled face.

“Terrible,” she said, adjusting her chest for the camera.

“Have they no shame whatsoever?” he asked in a mock-sincere voice. Johnny jumped out of the car, straightening his brand-new tuxedo jacket as the camera crews and reporters swarmed him. He raised his hand for silence. “Hey! Listen up! This is the most important day of my sister’s life, so I just want to tell all of you…to check out our website, www.fantastic-four-inc.com, for all the latest news, merchandise, and fan-club information.” The surrounding crowd started to roar and cheer. “Thank you!” Johnny yelled, holding his hands in the air. He took the hand of his voluptuous date and they made their way through the crowd toward the entrance of the Baxter Building. A reporter grabbed Johnny’s arm, shoving a microphone in his face and asking, “What’s it take to date the Human Torch?”

A grin spread like fire across his face. “Fireproof lingerie and a lot of aloe.” His date winked to the camera before they disappeared through the revolving door.

They took the elevator up to Reed’s lab. After depositing his date with the other guests on the roof, Johnny entered Reed’s room to find Ben Grimm staring at his reflection in a mirror, adjusting his large bow tie.

“Hey, it’s the Big Rock Candy Mountain!” he teased.

Ben grimaced at him. “You’re late.”

“Look,” Johnny said, “let’s not make today about me. It’s Sue and Reed’s special day. Let’s give them the attention for a change.” He adjusted his bow tie in the mirror next to Ben.

“Just keep it quiet,” Ben warned. “I’m going over my toast in my head.”

Johnny made a face. “I still don’t know why Reed picked you to be best man instead of me. I mean, let’s face it, you’re not the best, and you’re barely a man.”

“You know,” Ben said, turning to face him, “it’d be real easy to turn this wedding into a funeral. I already got the tux.”

They were interrupted by a delicate knock on Reed’s door. Alicia entered the room, fingering the wall. Ben looked at her in her beautiful gown and smiled. “Hey, sweetie.”

“I got your boutonniere,” she said, holding a large flower in her hand. She started to pin it to Ben’s extra-wide lapel. “Hey, Johnny,” she said, turning her head slightly in his direction. “I mean, ‘John.’”

Johnny was taken aback. “Wow. That always amazes me when you do that. How’d you even know I was here?”

She smiled. “Actually, you kind of smell like ash.”

Johnny sniffed the armpit of his tuxedo while Ben let out a loud guffaw. “Ash,” he said, laughing.

Alicia was still trying to pin the flower on Ben’s thick lapel. “Ow!” he yelled jokingly.

“Don’t do that,” she said, swatting him on the shoulder. She leaned into his rocky chest for a kiss. Johnny, feeling uncomfortable for intruding on their moment, looked down at his shoes.

“There,” Alicia said, drawing her hands across his lapel. “Now you’re perfect. I’ll see you upstairs.” She left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

“So,” Johnny said, trying to make small talk. “You and Alicia seem to be doing well. Annoyingly so, in fact.”

“Yeah,” Ben conceded. “I’m pretty lucky.”

Johnny leaned in closer to his hulking, rocky friend and lowered his voice. “I’m just curious…how do you guys…you know…” He raised his eyebrows up and down to convey his meaning.

“That’s none of your damn business!” Ben yelled, his hand curling into a fist.

Johnny backed off quickly. “Okay, okay. I’m just concerned. I mean, I’d hate to wake up one morning and find out she’s been killed in a rock slide.”

“I’ll give you a rock slide,” Ben said, moving closer, his fist still clenched.

Johnny let out a yelp. “Help! Monster! Grab your torches! Get your pitchforks!” Johnny ran out of the room with Ben in hot pursuit. He ran down the hallway and turned the corner. He ditched Ben by circling back to Reed’s lab, where he was stopped dead in his tracks by the sight of his sister standing quietly in her long white gown, staring out at the rooftop deck. He walked over and joined her.

“Hey, it’s the bride of Rubberman.” His words were playful, but his tone was soft and tender.

Susan turned to face him. “Don’t start,” she said. Delicate lace framed her beautiful face.

“You know,” Johnny began, taking her hand. “You don’t look completely ridiculous in that dress.”

She smiled at the compliment, knowing it was the best he could give. “I assume that’s obnoxious brother speak for You look nice.”

“Pretty much,” he said.

“Thanks,” she said softly. She gave him a quick hug.

He pulled back, realizing that the ceremony was about to begin. “One more thing. Dad would have been proud of you.”

The unexpected mention of their late father caught Sue off guard. Tears welled in her eyes and she planted a kiss on Johnny’s cheek.

“Ewww!” he said playfully, just as the string quartet started to play. “Come on, let’s do this thing! It’s go-time!”

He took Sue’s arm to lead his sister down the aisle, his eyes threatening to well up.

Outside, the weather was perfect for the ceremony. The entire roof was filled with friends and family eager to see the couple finally married. Reed surveyed the crowd, feeling his nerves disappear. He was ready to do this. The fragrance of flowers filled the air as he walked down the center aisle to where a minister was waiting under the domed wooden pergola. He was followed by Ben Grimm, who escorted Alicia down the aisle and to her chair before taking his place at Reed’s side.

“I almost forgot,” Reed whispered to him. “Do you have the ring?”

“Uh,” Ben stammered. “Yeah,” he said, glimpsing down into his rocky hand, which held a vaguely circular and damaged band.

Before Reed could react to his friend’s hesitation, a short beeping sound came from the PDA in his coat pocket. He fumbled for it, pulling it out just as the screen flashed the words COSMIC RADIATION SURGE DETECTED. CALCULATING LOCATION AND TRAJECTORY.

“Reed,” Ben whispered, “turn off your cell phone.”

“Actually,” Reed began, “this is a…”

He was interrupted by the string quartet, which started playing the wedding march. With the familiar music in the air, everyone stood, the eyes of all the guests turning to watch Susan Storm walk down the aisle, escorted by her handsome brother, Johnny. Reed put the PDA back in his pocket, excited at the arrival of his beautiful bride in her perfect dress.

“Dearly beloved,” the minister began after the guests had once again taken their seats. “We are gathered here today to join this couple in holy matrimony.” As the minister began his introduction, Reed slyly slid open his pocket flap to view the screen of his PDA. The display now read DESTINATION: NEW YORK, NY. CALCULATING TIME UNTIL IMPACT.

Sue noticed Reed’s distraction and whispered angrily to him, “Reed! Did you actually bring that thing to our wedding?!”

“Yes,” he whispered back. “But there’s a good reason.” He leaned in to the minister. “We need to get through this quickly.”

“Oh, that’s romantic,” she said, narrowing her eyes, growing angrier.

The minister, obviously flustered by the famous couple arguing in front of him, tried a different tack. “There are many kinds of love —”

Reed nervously interrupted him again. “Could you skip to the end, please?”

“Excuse me?” the minister asked. They could all hear whispers coming from the rows of guests behind them.

The unobstructed view of the Manhattan skyline from the roof of the Baxter Building allowed everyone to see the thick and heavy clouds moving with unnatural speed across the city. Their dark, ominous color quickly covered Central Park in a midnight shadow. Soon the sun was all but covered, leading some to think they were witnessing the beginning of a solar eclipse. But the clouds were humming, expanding and contracting their form, pulsing with cosmic energy. A loud thunderclap boomed across the city, and fingers of electricity shot out from the clouds and struck the tops of several buildings on Central Park South as they moved closer to the Baxter Building. The wedding guests started eyeing one another nervously, wondering if their concern and growing fear were justified. The clouds looked like they were coming straight at them.

The minister raised his hand to quiet the murmuring crowd and continued. “Love is always patient and kind…” The shadow of the cloud reached the tip of the roof.

Reed stared down at his PDA. “Come on,” he said to the minister. “Let’s go, let’s go…”

Sue’s voice was rising in alarm and confusion. “Reed, what is wrong with you?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, a sudden gale swept over the entire roof. Silk scarves and decorative hats went flying, lost to the invisible and powerful winds. Tablecloths fluttered violently. Alicia gripped the sides of her chair fearfully. She could feel the strong winds and hear the murmuring around her. She thought she smelled fear.

Reed’s PDA displayed the words LANDFALL IMMINENT. IMPACT IN 5 SECONDS. “Too late,” was all Reed said, looking sadly at his bride. The display counted down slowly, each second seeming to linger.

The entire roof was now enveloped by the angry, threatening clouds. Lightning struck more often, extending its energy down around the roof. The sudden change in weather caught the helicopters circling the Baxter Building by surprise, exposing their vulnerability to the hostile winds; they were sitting ducks. A long piece of lightning lashed out against a news helicopter, blindsiding the pilot. The chopper fell from the air, heading straight for the rooftop and everyone at the wedding.

By now, the scene on the roof was sheer pandemonium. Guests were screaming and pointing, lost in the disarray caused by the electrical storm. Many gasped as they saw the copter falling toward the roof. The metal seemed to be screaming as the helicopter’s silver belly smashed against the side of the building. Then it tipped forward, offering its main rotor blade to the guests, in a deadly somersault. The blade began chopping through the rows of empty seats left vacant by the terrified, fleeing guests. One couple, a man and his date, who was in a leg cast, huddled against each other, unable to move as quickly as the others. The man looked up the see the helicopter blade heading right for them. They hugged tightly and closed their eyes, prepared to meet their end.

Reed’s outstretched arm quickly wrapped around them several times and jerked them out of harm’s way. He watched them take cover inside his lab.

The chopper, eating through the wedding seats, rolled toward the pergola. The loud whir and constant wind were deafening. Sue saw the vehicle heading her way amid a flurry of debris and threw up a force field to protect herself. The copter banked off her shield and headed back toward the chairs, where a terrified Alicia sat, unable to move because she could not see where she should go. She felt the wind coming at her and knew the blade was heading directly for her.

Suddenly Ben leapt in front of her. The blade grinded through his rocky chest, sending pebbles flying all over the floor of the roof. Impervious to its deadly sharp edges, Ben smashed his large, meaty fist through the blade and the entire tail of the helicopter, sending it skidding across the roof to the parapet wall, where it came to a rest. He turned to embrace Alicia, to hold her and protect her from the madness that was all around them.

The crowd ran from the roof, making their way out of the chaos and desperately wanting to get back to the streets below. In the confusion that ensued, no one noticed a figure inside the lab. It ignored the large object hovering under the cover of a plastic tarp, walking instead to a shadow-filled corner, approaching Reed’s sensors for the antenna outside. Although almost completely in the dark, the figure continued to give off a reflected light. Two silver arms reached out to the sensor. One touch and the molecular structure of the arms began to change, transforming into pure crystal.

Outside, the rooftop deck was destroyed. Tables and chairs lay in chunks and ruins. Flowers, mostly in pieces, lay strewn around the ground. Sue picked up the tattered remnants of her wedding bouquet and surveyed the damage. Her heart sank as she fingered a large tear in her beautiful dress. She let the destroyed bouquet fall limply to the ground, joining the ruins of the day.

Ben, Reed, and Johnny were soon at her side, their faces still a picture of shock.

Johnny looked at his sister, standing there crestfallen, her beautiful dress ruined. He, too, surveyed the damage all around them. He felt the anger rising in his chest. “Reed,” he asked, “what the hell happened?”

“The source of the anomalies,” he said darkly. “It’s here.”

Suddenly the silver object streaked past them, leaving the lab. It hovered above them, shining brightly against the dark, menacing clouds. The eyes of the Fantastic Four grew wide — above them floated a being seemingly made of pure silver, something in the shape of a man but obviously otherworldly, balanced on a sleek, thin board the same color as its skin. A chill ran through each of them as they realized that the thing they feared, the cause of the craters and molecular anomalies, was standing right in front of them.