Sue Storm Is Having A Litter

"Multiple anatomical anomalies to reproductive system detected," H.E.R.B.I.E. said. "Chemical balance suggests hormonal birth control ineffective. Multiple ovum release. Six zygotes detected. Large amounts of mutant genetic material detected."

"Six?" Sue's jaw dropped. "I'm having sextuplets!?"

"Correction: you are having a litter," H.E.R.B.I.E. said. "Initial analysis suggests largely porcine DNA with human transgenic elements. You are having six piglets."

The Invisible Woman felt a hole open up inside her. She was...they weren't even human. Porkum must be less human than she thought. Either that, or it was an aspect of his mutant powers, of which she knew nothing. She ran her hands through her hair, not sure how to process this information. So she grasped at whatever came to mind.

"Can you abort them?" she asked.

H.E.R.B.I.E. paused and seemed to buzz.

"Surgical evacuation of the uterus is possible. Given the unknown gestation period, such a decision should be made quickly," he advised.

"Unknown gestation period?" Sue asked.

"Human gestation is typically 40 weeks, less for multiples because of stress factors on the mother," Porkum said. "Pig gestation is approximately 16 weeks. Given the combination of genetic and epigenetic factors, it is unclear how quickly the fetuses will develop."

"Wonderful," Sue murmured to herself. "Four months, and I might have my very own litter of invisible pigs. What am I going to do?"

She hadn't expected H.E.R.B.I.E. to answer the question, but the small robot wasn't programmed to understand rhetoric.

"Analysis of past actions suggests you will consult an expert on medical and personal issues related to pregnancy," the small robot chimed in.

Sue blinked. She hadn't considered telling anyone about this pregnancy—had dreaded the thought of trying to explain this to Reed and the rest of her family—but now that H.E.R.B.I.E. said it out loud, she realized that the small robot was correct. This was too big of a decision to make immediately, on her own. She needed to consult someone else. Someone who knew the difficulties she'd had in her previous pregnancies, who wouldn't be judgmental about her infidelity, who would be honest about the choice she needed to make before Reed and the others returned.

"You're right," she said. "Thank you H.E.R.B.I.E. I'll...I'll be in the communication room for a bit."

Numbly, Sue Storm stepped away from the lab. Invisible hands grabbed her clothes—it wouldn't do to appear on the viewscreen naked when she made her video call—and tried to find the words to explain her awkward situation to the one person she could go to with this information.