H.E.R.B.I.E. Calls For Help

Georgia Jenkins, the Night Nurse, tapped her foot as the elevator doors finally opened. The Black woman stepped forward. The nurse's uniform she wore was old-fashioned, plain white with the little cap, but it often brought with it a measure of respect. A respect she was not feeling from the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four, her patient today.

As the elevator began its ascent, a soft electronic voice broke in.

"Nurse Jenkins. This is H.E.R.B.I.E. Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Integrated Electronics. I apologize for the delay. There is a problem with Mrs. Richards, and she needs your assistance," there was a slight pause as Georgia absorbed this. "Mrs. Richards does not know I have contacted you about this. She wished me to tell you she is indisposed."

Georgia raised an eyebrow. She looked around and identified the glass eye of a camera near the elevator ceiling, and stared at it.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "What is she really doing?"

"Mrs. Richards is exhibiting unusual behavior. She has been receiving unsolicited gifts from an individual named Porkum. The latest is an abnormally large sex toy. At the moment, she is attempting to insert it inside her vagina. I fear she will do herself an injury."

The Night Nurse snorted. The things rich white women get up to...but then she took ahold of herself. This could be a biological threat, something cooked up by one of the Fantastic Four's enemies.

"Have you run a scan on these 'gifts'?" Georgia said. "Anything weird, chemical or biological?"

"Initial scans did not reveal any anomalies," H.E.R.B.I.E.'s voice came through the speaker. "It is impossible to do full scans at the moment, but passive sensors are now detecting...unknown biological compounds."

Georgia nodded as she steeled herself to see her patient.

"I'll help Sue Storm," she told the disembodied voice of the robot. "However I can."

The elevator came to a stop. The doors opened. The nurse heard grunts of frustration, effort...and then a cry of pain.