[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ZfvPPwT.png[/img][/center][b]Interrogation Room Five, Pegasus Helicarrier[/b]

[color=#ffffff]The Fantastic Four’s stay on the Pegasus had got off to an inauspicious start. Once Reed’s timecraft had been loaded onboard, Gardner had ushered them onto the helicarrier with an alarming haste. Reed had hoped for an audience with Gardner but was told in no uncertain terms that it would have to wait until after the four of them underwent a barrage of tests carried out by SHIELD scientists.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Once the process of scanning and prodding was completed they were shown to their quarters.Though quarters might have been putting it fairly generously. They were glorified cells that had been given a few home comforts so as to make them seem otherwise. Ben’s proved to be particularly unsufficient.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]One by one the Fantastic Four were lead out of their quarters into a nearby interrogation room for questioning. Reed had gone first, followed by Sue, and then Johnny, leaving only Ben Grimm to be quizzed. He wasn’t sure what answers he could provided that Reed didn’t have but he was keen to get the whole thing over and done with.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]He had been waiting in the interrogation for fifteen minutes before Gardner appeared through its doors. In his hand was the last bite of a salt beef bagel so greasy that it had soaked through the wrapping. He scarfed it down, rolled the greasy paper into a ball and shoved it in his pocket, and then took a seat opposite Ben.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“Sorry about the wait, Ben. Allow me to reintroduce myself – my name is Guy Gardner, I’m acting chief of the Pegasus.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Gardner thrust his hand over the table towards Grimm. There was still grease on his fingers. Guy spotted it at the last moment, wiping it on the leg of his pants, and offered Ben his hand again.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Ben reluctantly shook it. [/color][color=#f6b26b]“Yeah, yeah, believe it or not but we’ve met before.”[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“I think I’d remember a mug like yours,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Agent Gardner said with a good-natured wink.[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“Heh, charming.”[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“Now we’re going to need to run a couple of quick verbal tests on you, if you don’t mind. It might seem tedious but it’s basic procedure for when you metahuman types show up unannounced. Helps us test cognitive function or something like that.”[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“Alright, well let’s get it over with,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Ben sighed. [/color][color=#f6b26b]“I’m starting to get pins and needles over here.”[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“Repeat after me: a system of cells interlinked, within cells interlinked, within cells interlinked, within one stem.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The Thing narrowed his eyes as if he failed to see the point of the exercise. The scientists had already stuck them with more prods and electrodes than he’d ever seen before. As if sensing his reluctance, Guy gave him an encouraging look that convinced Grimm to repeat the strange phrase.[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“A system of of cells interlinked, within cells interlinked, within cells in-”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]A slight titter left Guy’s lips after the first repetition and by the second he had burst out laughing. He slammed his hand against the table obnoxiously as his laughter carried around the interrogation room. Opposite him Ben sat perplexed.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“I’m sorry, I couldn’t keep it in,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Gardner said as he pointed his thumb towards the two-way glass. [/color][color=#b6d7a8]“I’m guessing you guys don’t have Blade Runner where you’re from? Man, you’re really missing out. Gosling is something else in that film.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]With a deceptive quickness, Grimm stood up out of his seat.[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“You’re a real piece of work, Gardner.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]There was real anger in his eyes. His boulder-like hands were balled into fists. Gardner signalled to his colleagues behind the two-way glass to stay where they were and then stood up from his seat. There was zero sign of fear in his green eyes as he went nose to nose with Ben.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]He pushed one of his fingers into his chest and summoned up a voice that was brooked no argument. [/color][color=#b6d7a8]“Sit your scaly hide down, Grimm.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]An awkward silence followed where it seemed like neither man was willing to give ground. Yancy Street and Baltimore were locked in a battle of wills for the ages. After thirty seconds or so, Ben reached for the fallen chair behind him and sat back down.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]A smug smile appeared on Gardner’s face as he returned to his seat victorious.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]His self-satisfaction didn’t last long. When he looked up he noticed that Grimm’s head was resting in his hands. The ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing let out a deep breath that almost seemed to hurt him to release.[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“While you’re joking around, my world is burning to cinders. You ever think about that? You and all your ring-slinging pals are dead where I come from, Guy. Darkseid gutted the four of you like pigs and then came for every man, woman and child on Earth afterwards. And all of the metahumans put together weren’t enough to stop him.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The anger that Ben flashed earlier had been exactly that. A flash. Beneath it there was something more profound. Johnny may have turned to rage to deal with what they had been through but it was insufficient for Ben – no matter how much he wished otherwise.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“I spoke to Reed for four hours this morning,”[/color][color=#ffffff] Guy said solemnly. [/color][color=#b6d7a8]“I know all about what happened to your world, Ben. Reed told me about what happened in New York and Latveria. I know [i]everything[/i]. Don’t think for a second that I don’t understand what’s at stake here.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Ben threw his hands in the air in exasperation. [/color][color=#f6b26b]“Then why the hell are we having this conversation?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Suddenly the cocksure Guy Gardner grew nervous.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“Let’s just say there are a couple of mitigating factors that make your arrival in our world a little problematic.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Ben spotted a single bead of sweat roll down Agent Gardner’s forehead. What could make a man that had stood toe-to-toe in a confined space with a metahuman capable of out-slugging the Hulk nervous? Had he let something slip that he wasn’t supposed to? Grimm could feel some thinly-disguised truth hiding beneath the surface.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]One he could find out if he was willing to scratch for it because it was one that Gardner seemed to want to tell.[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“What’s a matter, Carrot Top?”[/color][color=#ffffff] Ben said as he returned the smug smile he’d received from Guy earlier on. [/color][color=#f6b26b]“Cat’s got your tongue all of a sudden?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The SHIELD agent gave a conflicted look towards the two-way glass and then whispered under his breath.[/color][color=#b6d7a8] “God, Fury is going to fucking kill me for this.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]It wasn’t Gardner’s news to break. He wasn’t sure that anyone should ever have to break it to anyone – he wasn’t sure whether anyone ever had done before. Trying to find the right words was like groping around an alley littered with syringes in the dark. There was no right to say it.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“You’re dead, Ben.”[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“What?”[/color][color=#ffffff] Grimm said as he let out a bemused laugh. [/color][color=#f6b26b]“What the hell are you talking about?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Gardner’s steely look assured Ben he wasn’t joking around this time.[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“You never made it back from the first flight,” [/color][color=#ffffff]Guy sighed. [/color][color=#b6d7a8]“The cosmic rays tore your ship apart before the four of you had any idea what had hit you – and SHIELD swept the whole damn thing under the rug.”[/color]