Sue Storm Asks For Help

No one could accuse Susan Storm of sloth, greed, or lust. She had no cause for envy. Until recently, gluttony had never been a problem. Only when her family was threatened did she sometimes succumb to wrath. No, if there was one sin that the Invisible Woman had it was pride. The quiet pride of a mother, a wife, a superhero. She had been proud of her body and her reputation. Prideful enough that until this point, Sue had not been willing to ask for the help she so obviously, desperately needed.

The image of Porkum's cock still haunted Sue Storm as she threw a Fantastic Four-themed robe about her body and limped to the communication terminal. Her stomach rumbled, **** for food—and especially for the chocolate bonbons locked away in the quarantine chamber. The heroine swallowed heavily as she realized she was salivating, her stomach a knot of pure hunger. Closed her eyes and focused on her breathing until the sensation settled into a quiet ache inside of her.

Of course, who she asked for help depended on the threat she faced. Porkum was obviously not human. Extraterrestrial, mutant, mutate, Deviant, Inhuman—too many possibilities. Yet whatever was in those chocolates obviously affected her body and mind. She needed someone with medical credentials. An expert in biochemistry. Someone she could trust.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard. Sue silently offered a little prayer.

What followed was not a dial tone—it was a digital song, as layers of encryption peeled back, the signal bounced around between satellites to disguise its ultimate destination. Even now, though they had saved the world countless times, the world still hated and feared the X-Men.

The camera focused on her drawn face. A blue, furry, animalistic countenance appeared, something like a great cat wearing glasses. The lips peeled back to show clean white fangs.

"Oh my stars and garters," Dr. Hank McCoy, the X-Man known as the Beast, said. "Mrs. Richards. To what do I owe the honor?"

Sue's smile was wan. She always appreciated how respectful and polite Hank was.

"Hello, Doctor. The truth is I need your help. I...let me start at the beginning."

So she did. The story came out fitfully at first, as Sue Storm wrestled with her own embarrassment. Everything since she had been injured. The chocolates. Her bizarre indulgence. Then the photo last night. Her cheeks burned as she sputtered and told the X-Man about how it had obsessed her last night.

"So you have the chocolates he sent you?" The Beast said. "You've begun the analysis? Can I see the data?"

"H.E.R.B.I.E.?" Sue asked aloud. It took a moment to transfer the preliminary results of the analysis to Beast's terminal. The blue-furred X-Man began to glower, his lower fangs stuck up over his lips. One clawed hand stroked his chin.

As he read, Sue Storm caught sight of the background. McCoy was in a bedroom, the walls, ceiling, and floor all made of metal panels. She judged from the angle that the Beast sat on the edge of a bed. Then she caught sight of a naked foot protrude from beneath a sheet. A form stirred, and then soft human hands touched the broad blue-furred shoulders, a length of green hair dipped down into view.

Abigail Brand, director of S.W.O.R.D., Sue Storm remembered from her S.H.I.E.L.D. briefings. She didn't know that Brand and Beast were together—but then again, Sue could never keep track of who was sleeping with who with all the X-people.

"Based on these results," the Beast said. It was weird to see his lion-like face stuck in a sad scowl. "I believe we must do a full medical check-up as soon as possible. If you'll allow, I can have one of the teleporters arrange for me to arrive in a few minutes."

"For us to arrive," Brand broke in.

Sue Storm blinked.

"You're still moonlighting for S.H.I.E.L.D., aren't you Richards?" Brand said. "On the active list?"

"Yesss..." Sue said, and the knot of tension in her gut owed nothing to her hunger for Porkum's chocolates.

"Then I'll help too," the green-haired woman said. "It'll be nice for Fury to owe me a favor for a change."

The Invisible Woman sighed. Yet a part of her was relieved. A part of her felt she needed all the help she could get.

As soon as the call ended, H.E.R.B.I.E. chimed in, his electronic voice a needle that popped her buoyed spirits.

"Mrs. Richards, another package from Porkum has arrived."

For a moment, Sue was about to tell the robot to put it in quarantine with the rest...and then a cramp struck her stomach, accompanied by shooting pains in her wounded leg that brought the Invisible Woman to the floor. Her arms shook as she strained to hold her torso above the floor. Sweat dripped from her body. An instinctive attempt to use her powers resulted only in a blinding headache that made her vision double.