Have You Considered Smoking?

Sue Storm looked unusually relaxed as she sat opposite Dr. Stone, sipping her tea. There was a lassitude about the Invisible Woman's body, an invisible weight removed from her shoulders, a tension no longer there. The heroine smiled easily, and her eyes danced as she went into rather graphic detail about her excited encounter with her husband.

Karla Stone sipped her own tea. Sue Storm was coming along nicely. That was the trick, of course. Small adjustments. Nothing swift enough to arouse suspicion. Let her grow into her new persona. A little nudge here and there was all it would take.

"Have you ever smoked?" Dr. Stone asked when Sue was done.

Sue blinked, taken slightly aback by the change in topic.

"No? I mean, I took a drag at university, but tobacco is a nasty habit," she said.

"It can be," Dr. Stone acknowledged. She took another sip. Let the moment drag out. "You know, Mary Jane used to smoke."

Sue's eyes widened.

"Really?"

Dr. Stone nodded. "Very common with models. Helps keep their appetite down, calms the nerves. She quit, eventually. Switched to herbal cigarattes for a while, and I think perhaps vaping."

Sue nodded.

"Nasty habit. I would never—" the heroine paused.

Dr. Stone smiled.

"That's right. You would never. And Reed Richards knows that his wife would never smoke. Imagine how much easier it would be for him to believe he's fucking another woman," Dr. Stone said.

From her desk, the psychiatrist retrieved a pack of light, menthol-flavored Lucky Strikes, and a small box of matches.

"This is Mary Jane's favorite brand," Karla said, as she set them in Sue's lap. "You don't have to light them. Maybe use them as a prop."

Sue Storm stared at the cancer sticks—and placed them in her purse.

Karla smiled. She hadn't even had to use her powers this time.