As Ben returned to the Baxter Building he was in a very bad mood. On his Way back he had saw a Weeding and immediately he knew that he couldn’t have this too. He loved Alicia and she was loving him but with his transformed Body everything else was impossible for them. But what he heard out of the Secondary Lab was perfect to make him happy. He stood at the door and with one ear on the Door he overheard the Talk between Reed and Gina.
“What do you mean you can cure Ben?” Reed asked and looked over to Gina who sat over some diagnostic Scans and some holographic Displays.
“Yes darling! I am pretty sure that this could work! Look here! This is the Perception Filter you created right? I think this is the Key to his Cure!”
“Gina… The Filter won´t work on him. It was an Idea from me to help him but the Filter isn’t able to transform the Skin of Ben. The Nanites can´t reshape the Rock he had evolved.”
Gina nodded but didn’t gave up right now. “I know that Reed! I have read your Data! But this is only the first step in my Plan! Let me explain it. Do you remember your Experiment two months ago? Where you tried to create an Energy Amplifier to negate the Cosmic Control Rod from Annihiulus?”
“Don´t remember me on this! The Energy Feedback powered my own Cells to a level where I couldn’t hold my form!” Reed said and saw her laughing. He remembered how she had to bring a bucket for him.
“Yes! That is exactly what I mean! This brought me to the Idea! Okay…. Look here! This is the Transformation Chamber I created! In this I will create an Anti-Field of the Energy Field you used for the Cosmic Control Rod! This will negate the Cosmic Energy inside Ben´s Body. It won´t be enough to absorb the entire energy but my calculation show me that it will be enough to lower the Density of his Skin enough so I can infuse him with the Perception Filter Nanites. If it works correct than the Combination of the Radiation and the Nanites should be enough to transform his Skin into human looking Skin. The density will return to his normal Levels after the Radiation is shut off but the Nanites are already inside his Skin. From inside they should be able to do their magic!” she said and looked proudly on her soon-be husband. But it didn’t take long to see that Reed wasn’t so sure about her calculation. Carefully he looked over her Numbers and she saw him calculating everything again.
It wasn’t something bad that he wanted to make sure that she was correct but the look on his Face showed that he wasn’t happy with it.
“This Radiation Level…. It is too high!” he finally said and put the Tablet back to the Table. “Not even his Body can endure that much Pain.”
“HE CAN! I mean… Ben is able to withstand even higher radiation Levels! He had proved it and his Skin is almost indestructible! I am sure that he can survive it!”
“Gina. I know how you feel now. I had many possible to cure him but each one would have killed Ben! But your Idea is very interesting. I think we can work out something together. But this here would kill him for sure.” He said and Gina couldn’t believe what she heard. She was sure that she was right and that Reed was overconfident in this Case. Storming out of the Room she wanted to work on it and make some Scans and prove him that she was right, but as she left the Lab she saw Ben standing right in front of her. His normally friendly face was harder than his Skin and he looked down at her.
“Will it work?” he simply asked and Gina felt her mouth went dry. He had heard everything.
“Ben! I don´t know! Reed says that it would kill….”
“WILL IT WORK?” he shouted at her and Gina stepped back from him. Ben was angry and she knew why. Alicia and he were a couple for over 4 years now and now he had a chance to get cured and again Reed was saying now.
“I…. I… think… it will work... but it could be very painful for you! Maybe Reed is right!”
“Let us go Gina! I want to do it now! IF you are my friend… you will help me!” he said and moved into the Main Lab. Gina on the other Side was unsure but then she wanted to show Reed that she wasn’t only a good looking Woman and a good Lab Assistant. She was equal to him! She would prove it. Two hours later Ben was inside the Cube and Gina just locked 5 Adamantium Plates over his Arms. Unable to move or hurt himself he looked at her. As ever he was joking about the Danger and that he would need a big Pasta after this. As Gina closed the Hatch she walked to the Control Panel.
Careful she started to raise the Radiation Level to a Level that would kill any other Human instantly. But thanks to the Cosmic Energy inside each Cell of the Fantastic Four their Bodies were able to withstand this Radiation without danger.
“Ben? How are you feeling?” she asked but Ben just Joked that it was like Ants running over his Skin.
Then she raised the Energy to a Level that not even the Fantastic Four could survive. Only Ben´s hard Body was a short Protection against it and she saw on her reading that the Energy heated up the Chamber much faster than she had calculated. Inside she heard Ben make Sounds that weren’t very optimistic. He was feeling Pain. MUCH Pain.
“Ben? Everything okay?” She asked but it took some time before Ben found the strength to answer.
“Yes! I cannnnn handleeeee this…. Come… on! IS THIS EVERYTHING!???” he said and Gina put her hand on the Console. If she would press this button now there was no turning back. This was the last chance for her to end all of this! She didn’t want to heal Ben! She wanted to make him more vulnerable for her Powers. She wanted him as a Bodyguard. But was this the right way? Wasn’t she after all a friend of the Family? And Families didn’t manipulate each other! She acted like a Villain. It was her fault that Tony Stark started to drink again! Her fault that Steve Rogers had acted like this.
But then again she saw the Picture of Susan´s Wedding again. When it meant to act like a Villain to get Reed than she would act like Dr. Doom himself! Nobody would take anything away from her again! NEVER AGAIN!
Raising the Radiation to the maximum she activated Phase 2 of the Cure. It was now impossible to look to the Perception Filter Chamber because the Energy inside was glowing like a Sun. On the Monitors she saw that Ben´s Heart Rate went through the roof right now. More than 300 beats per minute and still raising. She could hear suddenly a strange disturbing Sound and suddenly she understood that this sound was Ben. He screamed in Agony and a look on the Monitor inside the Chamber showed him in a State between his human Body and his actual Thing Body. But she could also see strange deformations and hurried to activate the Perception Filter now. Over 500 Needles shot enough Nanites into his Body to make sure it would Work. But something went wrong. The Heart Rate was now over 600 per Minute now and the Nanites had trouble to work under the high Radiation. A look on the Security Locks showed that Ben tried to free himself and that even the Adamanitum Strains had a hard work to hold him.
White Smoke started to leave the Chamber and filled the Room in a scary scene. For her own Security the whole Chamber was behind 13 inch strong Security Class and Gina couldn’t do anything to help him now. It was time for the second Injection now. Ben´s Skin looked now almost human but was orange and she had to look two times before she noticed that it was Hair on his Head. Suddenly an Alarm started and as she looked on another Monitor she saw that the Adamanitum Strains showed first signs of stress. It was unbelievable but in his Agony Ben was able to create enough strength to maybe free himself. Never had she even thought this would be possible.
“The Hulk would get green with envy when he could see this!” she smiled as the heart Rate dropped down to 400 beats per Minutes and still falling.
“Hold out Ben! It is almost done! Only one injection!” She screamed into the Microphone but Ben didn’t respond any longer. He was hanging inside the Strains and looked like he was losing his fight. Unable to stop it now she activated the third injection. Not even now she saw any kind of reaction from him. While his body transformed back into a human like shape she had to wait until the Radiation had been neutralized. The Heartrate had fall down to 20 beats per Minutes now and then the System showed a Flat line.
“Ben… no…. “She said as the Chamber door flew right into the Window in front of her. With all the steam inside the room it was impossible to see anything.
“Hey… Gina…. I… need… a pasta…” she heard Ben´s Voice and run straight to the Energy Door where Ben already waited for her smiling.
“Ben… BEN!! YOU’RE ALIVE!!” she jumped at him and kissed him very hard. Now it was her chance!