The Richards home was in a panic!

After Susan had transformed, went into a total rampage, and escaped through the window of their fifty-story highrise. Shield rebounded from the floor to get their bearings and go on a hunt for Susan. Barking orders into his phone to scramble as many SHIELD squadrons as possible into the city, Fury was almost red faced with anger after he put his phone away and glared back at the Richards family, still coping with what just happened.

“Men! I want these people detained until the threat is resolved, do NOT let them leave this building!”

“HEY! What gives Fury?!” Gruffed the Thing, standing to his feet and getting at least six SHIELD agents to divert their attention and aim their weapons pointed at him. “We’re not the ones who did this, you wanna point a gun at someone, point it at the bozo that let that thing out.”

Hugging his two children close after the attack, Reed looked to fury pleadingly. “Director Fury please, I can fix this if you let me, just…”

“YOU’RE THE REASON THIS ALL HAPPENED RICHARDS! I should NEVER have given you those damned samples!” Turning his back to them, Fury stormed out the door and stopped at the entrance before looking to the rest of the SHIELD agents keeping an eye on the Richards family. “Keep an eye on them men, I want them all detained until this dumpster fire is put out.”

The agents barked a “Yes sir!” as the director left to get to the roof, having requested a SHIELD transport to pick him up. The moment he was out of the room, the agents gathered and aimed their weapons at the Fantastic Four, some even getting cuffs ready to apprehend the family. Moving up to slap plastic cuffs on Johnny, the man gave the agent an incredulous look and raised his arms up for them all to see the plastic melt like butter off his wrists. “Please…” Looking to the others in the room, the agent thought twice about doing the same to the others.

“Daddy, what’s wrong with mom?” Asked Franklin, his sister still too scared to ask anything as she clutched her father for support. Looking up at the SHIELSD agents keeping them contained in their home, it was obvious they cared little about scaring two super powered children.

“Your mother is… She’s sick kids, but don’t worry, your father will try to fix this.”

Crouching down to look Reed in the eye, Jen smiled back to the kids and rested her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry Reed, Tigra and I will go look for her.”

“THE HELL YOU ARE, FREAK!” Accused one of the agents, pointing his weapon at Jen just as the others followed suit. “The Director said you are ALL staying here until the matter is resolved, that includes you too.”

“Are you kidding me? How are WE involved in this?” Questioned Tigra, getting the same affirmation from Johnny and Ben as the tiger woman stood up and gained the guard’s attention, growling under her breath as she felt at least three targeting markers aimed at her chest.

“Between you and me lady, you’re just another one of those things out there but with stripes, so shut up and sit down or I’ll put you down!”

Moving between Tigra and She-Hulk who stood glaring back at the man, Ben moved up until he was practically in contact with the barrel of the man’s weapon against his orange stone chest, looming over the shaking SHIELD agent trying to keep his composure while looking up at the grim looking golem of a man. “You wanna say that again Bucko? That’s no way to treat a lady… Or one of my friends.”

“You keep talking rocky and I’ll put a bullet in your…”

At that moment, the agent, and the rest of SHIELD’s best and brightest went stone stiff, a confused look in their shifting eyes as they were unable to speak or move. Moving around Ben to get a better look at one of the agents, Jen poked an agent in the forehead with her finger, not getting a single budge from him save for his eyes following her finger after she moved away.

“So… What happened to them?”

“I happened.” Answered a disembodied voice as a soft glow filled the living room and runes and sigils began to form and weave into each other on the floor, creating a circle where Doctor Strange came through the portal from his sanctum. Hovering a foot above the air, Doctor Strange looked to the SHIELD agents and back at the devastation of the Richard’s homestead. “I have arrived too late, but perhaps not all is lost.”

“Strange! Am I glad to see you.” Sighed Reed with relief as the man stood to his feet and shook the sorcerer supreme’s hand.

“I arrived as soon as I felt a disturbance in the spirit realm, this city is in great peril!”

“Yeah… Susan’s a wendigo.”

Hearing Johnny Strom’s explanation of current events, Stephen Strange took on a more somber look on his face before answering. “That is unfortunate, she has become another victim of Taranaq’s plot.”

“Tara-who?”

Weaving his hands, Doctor Strange conjured an illusion showing the form of Taranaq for everyone to see, and Reed felt a cold chill run down his legs when he recognised it was the Wendigo SHIELD had in custody before it broke out. “Taranaq was not apprehended, he surrendered, he had been bidding his time in containment for his curse to spread by our curiosity and folly.”

“He PLANNED this?” Asked Tigra, still not understanding what was going on.

“SHIELD came to Professor Richards and myself in the hopes of depowering or curing the wendigo, instead we have unwittingly allowed his curse to spread outside to the city. The more claimed by his curse strengthens him further, if we do not stop him now, he will be too powerful to find let alone stand against. We must make haste to contain as many of the beasts as we can before this plague spreads to the rest of the city.”

“Can we cure my mom?” Asked Valaria, she and her brother looking up to Doctor Strange who looked down at the pair with a saddened frown. “The curse is permanent child, the only way to absolve it is for the wendigo to surrender life as opposed to take it.”

The room filled with protests as the Richards family and their friends cried out on those terms.

“You sayin Suzie’s gotta die?! The HELL with that Strange!”

“I agree, I won’t let that happen Doctor.”

Sighing Doctor Strange ended his illusion and crossed his arms, deep in thought on how to resolve the matter. Slowly he turned back to everyone and shook his head. “Unless you have an alternative, Susan Storm shall remain a wendigo until she is slain… A difficult task as she is now.”

His eyes going wide, Reed stretched his arm out to reach into the confines of his lab, where he pulled back with a golden, metallic ring in his hand. “Remember the device you and I talked about after the meeting with Fury? If we get this on her, it will cancel out the rage and hunger in her.”

Looking the device over, Doctor Strange’s frown slowly began to turn, a spark in his eyes now that a plan was forming. “Then we may have hope yet, let us pray the situation can still be contained.” Heading for the hanger where the Fantasticar was kept, the Fantastic Four and their allies set out to find Susan and save her. Leaving the frozen guards still standing in the living room and looking around frantically.