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8 Months Later - Current time


Nevada, Outside of Reno


As the afternoon, quickly going to evening sun lowered over the hot desert.  The culmination of the past year was all coming into place for the first and biggest testing of them all.  The large teletransporter was going to attempt to transfer an apple from Nevada to an area out in Albany, NY.  With all the precaution of handling things as far away from any concentration of people as possible.  The group had been putting in all the effort they could muster, even with the scorching Nevada heat glaring down on them.  


Reed overlooked a large clipboard stuffed with paperwork as he glanced back at this thing they were making, and over to Harvey.  "Look I can understand the feeling that boosting the secondary power source's output might be a good cautious thing to do I think it might be overkill and I don't want to risk this thing overheating on us."  Reed noted before his other hand brought up a bottle of cold water for him to take a drink of.  Reed wasn't ever used to summer heat in New York, so the horrifying heat out here was killing him.


"I know where you're coming from Reed but we also need to ensure this thing will have enough juice in it to get it out to the reviving area.  I don't want to consider what would happen if the apple only made it to some area short of it.  Could possibly reform itself into someone's cranium or something."  Harvey noted, the thought made the both of them picture the what if in their heads and collectively shutter a bit.


A jeep pulls up just outside their work area with Johnny and Sue hopping out, having just made another supply run. Johnny was the confident driver, Sue was still only learning. The jeep skidded to an awkward stop, Johnny looked mortified. "I think we'll leave it there for today Sis." He then runs to the side and throws up. Sue frowns and looks down at the sandy floor. Ben laughs at the sight. Sue then proceeds to pick up a large crate of water, she wore just a pair of denim shorts and a white crop top. "Little help here fellas huh?" The tiny woman asked with a sigh of frustration. 


Reed and Harvey both stopped talking and quickly got to helping get supplies out of the back of the jeep at Susan's almost motherly like command.  Though Reed had to stop and look over at what Susan was wearing because it wasn't like her usual clothes and also just... wow.  Still Reed and Harvey got some of the bigger boxes out of the Jeep as Reed glanced over at Johnny.  "Whats wrong with him?"  Reed asked watching Johnny groaning and looking down at his own vomit.


Harvey shrugs. "Maybe Sue's driving upset his tummy."  Harvey casually replied, as Ben was all the while still holding back laughter from the scene before him. "Aww wike a wittle baby!" Ben chuckles and smacks Johnny's back then goes to grab a crate of food. "Awww yeah, we're having spaghetti tonight man! I am gonna cook up a storm! A Johnny Storm special eh bud?" johnny groans. "Don't talk about food, think I ate a bad burrito or somethin'."  Johnny whined. "Oh I thought Sue made you throw up with her bad driving again." Ben said holding back his laughter as Sue huffed defensively. "My driving is not bad thank you very much!"  Sue pointed out believing it herself. "Yeah...it's kinda boring and sequential. Narrates everything. Turn right, keep it controlled, turn left, keep it smooth. AGH!" Johnny flings his arms up in the air. Sue narrows her eyes at him. "Come on Ben, I'll help you cook. Johnny, just help Reed store the supplies, you muppet." Her sisterly love showing for her little brother. 


As Reed and Susan were both on their way to handle whatever matters agreed upon, Ben, Johnny, and Harvey watched them both leave before they quickly huddled together.  "Alright we need to begin 'operation: get those two to just hook up already because this is embarrassing.'"  Johnny noted in a weirdly serious tone.  


"Not that I'm going to disagree, but I still wish you'd stop calling this that... whatever name you're using."  Harvey noted scratching the back of his head.


"Could be worse..."  Ben interjected with before Johnny could go back to defending 'Operation get those two to just hook up already because this is embarrassing'.  "Seriously Johnny talk to Reed and I'll handle Susan."  Ben noted gesturing to the directions Reed and Susan went.  


The three guys nodded in agreement before Johnny and Ben made their ways to Reed and Susan respectfully.  Johnny had to take some deep breaths to get rid of the aching sickness that had crawled up his stomach.  It was the last time he would seriously ever consider a microwaved burrito from some small convenience store that was for damn sure.  At least when he caught up with Reed he felt better for the most part, if it wasn't for the excruciating heat at least.


"Oh Johnny I was wondering when you'd get over here."  Reed spotted Johnny coming up as he had his arms struggling to wrap around a small sealed up crate.  "If you want I can handle the load myself.  I'd rather you didn't throw up again since in this weather you need to stay hydrated, and throwing up would make that impossible."  Reed noted, causing Johnny to have another moment of wondering how Reed was able to remember all these things from school when anyone rational, at least in Johnny's mind, would've had it all go in one ear and out the other.


Still Johnny actually had taken a liking to Reed over the last few months.  A complete nerd sure, but Reed's caring nature made it impossible to hate him no matter how hard Johnny tried.  Plus Reed never spoke down to him at all, and after all these years having someone talk to him like a human being was something Johnny still wasn't quite able to wrap his mind around.


"No man I'm alright thanks."  Johnny gave Reed an assured smile before he helped started getting the supplies off of the truck.  Watching on with Reed as they got to the tent where everything was being held for the moment.  "Hey Reed..."  Johnny started, pausing for a moment in the tent where he leaned against some of the supplies.  "You like Susan right?"  


Reed carefully placed everything away, mentally taking note of inventory and double checking things when Johnny asked him what felt like a question completely out of left field.  Reed paused before glancing back at Johnny.  "I uh what?  Yeah I like your sister... she's a good friend, why?"  Reed asked.


Johnny chuckled a bit, sighing as he gave a thought about Reed's blissful ignorance.   "No no, I don't think you're understanding the question here."  Johnny pointed out, finally he looked Reed in the eyes, gesturing at the key point of the question.  "Do you [i]like[/i] like Susan?"


Johnny's question hit Reed in a way he wasn't ready for, Reed squirmed a bit in place trying to hide his reaction to realizing what Johnny was talking about.  "I uh... I mean she's... wait why do you care?"  Reed quickly had to deflect the question.  Not necessarily in an angry tone but almost a panicked sense.  Reed had thought about it for a long time in the back of his mind but 'no' always kept him from saying something.  Now that Johnny, her brother no less, was practically giving him a green light.. he wasn't sure how to approach it anymore.


"Dude we've all seen the way you two look at one another..."  Johnny pointed out, which Reed quickly had to mentally figure out if he had looked at her like that in the past.  "I'm just saying sometime today when you get a chance just maybe... give her a hint.  I know her better than anyone else dude.  I'm just saying..."


"The two of you need to just say something to one another."  Ben was busy dicing up vegatables as he occasionally glanced back at Susan.  Hoping she'd get the point of what his saying.


Sue was chopping a carrot when Ben said that out of the blue. She almost chopped her finger off and slams the knife down. "Wh-what? How could you tell I liked Reed? Was it that obvious? Oh no! It's getting awkward isnt it? I need to back off the project don't I?" She fretted as she'd never been in this situation before. Ben puts down his knife and puts his big strong hands on her shoulders to calm her. "Woah woah calm down. It's NOT awkward. Me and Johnny WANT you to just be happy. I cant stand see Reed moping about and whining about not being around you. And you do a fair bit of moping about yourself after you part with him. It's really obvious to us that..you two belong together." Susan was panicking and her breathing erratic. "But I'm scared that if me and Reed become more than just friends, I might lose him as my best friend...what if it doesn't work out? He's so sweet and I don't wanna hurt him.."  "I dont think you will." Ben reassured her with a smile. Sue manages a smile back at the big lovable lug. "Thanks Ben. Alright. I'll go talk to him after dinner." 


'Later'


"We got two hours of day light left we need to get this test underway immediately."  Reed commanded into the walkie talkie in his hand.  The dinner didn't leave Reed or Susan a chance to respond to Johnny and Ben's advice as neither of them could get a moment alone with one another.  Finally though the teleporter was all set up, and the apple being used as the tester to be sent to the retrieval site in Albany, New York.  "Would just be easier to use UPS or something."  Ben joked to himself as Reed mentioned it to him.


Reed, Susan, Johnny, Ben, and Harvey all stood in front of the machine as Reed held the controls for it on an ipad in his hands.  He punched in coordinates and could heard the machine hum to life as the large blue beam started to change from the top of the machine.  "Begin countdown."  Reed called back as the speakers that relayed from the safe zone started up.  "Countdown starting at 30..."


"Time to make history..."  Harvey proudly muttered to himself as he watched on, Johnny and Ben doing likewise.  Reed though was next to Susan and kept having to stop glancing over to her.  "Um Sue I uh..."  Reed stuttered as the countdown on the machine's activation drowned out into the background of life.  "You know Johnny said something that uh... I was thinking about and uh..."


Sue smiles at Reed. "Yeah? What were you thinking?" She edges closer to the genius who had stolen her heart. Her eyes sparkle as they peer into his big blue pearls. Her eyes tracing his very facial features from the strands of brown hair to the corner of his lips. She saw more than just a smart nerdy guy. She saw everything. A wonderful human being. Kind, funny, sweet and caring. She could feel her heart racing as she drew closer to him. 


"Well..."  Reed started, feeling his hand start to gently wrap around her's.


3


"I was thinking that... I mean if you're cool with it..."  Reed started to lower his head down, peering into her amazing eyes, beautiful face.  His lips getting closer to her's.  


2


Reed and Susan came closer and closer together, Reed's heart thumped a million miles an hour as he had deep down dreamed of this moment and now it was all happening.


1


The machine came to life, but a sudden loud noise that wasn't suppose to be there caused Reed to snap back into reality, peering into the sudden large void in front of him.  "Wait..."  Was the only thing he could say before everything went blank around all five of them.