Chapter 8: Field Trip

Time flew by for one Harry Potter, each and every single day passed through the ether. He could hardly believe it. Time did have a nasty habit of running away from people. The last few weekends he had been spending time learning some of the most interesting magic in the universe from Doctor Strange. Strange was a wealth of magic knowledge that had offered him many opportunities to expand on the foundation that he learned on at Hogwarts. Granted, the foundation was shaky. Strange theorized, and Harry agreed, that the best witches and wizards from that world did some kind of independent study. There was no lack of power that was the problem, but rather the lack of ambitions.

Harry found he was able to process information a lot faster. He had read through five percent of the books Doctor Strange had in his library. Given the vast amount of books that he had, five percent was not a statistic to sneeze at. Harry had a smile on his face when he thought about that. He was reminded anew how intriguing magic was, along with how much potential it had. . Although Strange gave him theories about how magic could corrupt the mind and the soul, and some of the incidents where people embraced a darker side of magic. Some of the foes that Doctor Strange went against made Voldemort look like a girl scout.

Harry shuddered at the mental image he gave himself. He doubted that anyone would accept cookies from Voldemort.

That was the past, and Harry could not wait for another weekend trip to learn a bit more about magic. He thought that he was learning at a quicker rate than the past. Magic was a tool, and could be used in any number of creative ways. Some had used the tool to hurt, and some had used it to help. Others had used it to better their lives. There were a multitude of uses.

The veil had some interesting side effects, and they were all for the better. It appeared that what did not kill you, must make you stronger. That was a credo Harry would live by.

At this point, Harry exited the school bus. It was field trip day for the students at Bayville High School. This was a rare day where they could get away from the monotone of pencils, and books. Harry stepped forward, walking out from the bus. Kitty was right beside him. Kurt and Rogue brought up the rear. They were not the only school in the area to take this field trip. There were several other school buses from across the nation.

"I can't wait; this is going to be so awesome!" Kitty yelled.

"Yeah, it's thrilling," Rogue said dryly. She seemed to be a bit disinterested.

"Rogue, you should be thrilled about this," Kitty told her fellow X-Men. "We're taking a trip to the Baxter Building, and the lab of Reed Richards. Maybe we'll see some great scientific invention that will change the world."

"You mean, Reed Richards, as in the leader of the Fantastic Four?" Kurt inquired. He tried to keep the excitement out of his voice, but this was a failed endeavor.

Amusement crossed Harry's face, and a chuckle escaped his throat.

"Yeah, that Reed Richards," Kitty said. She seemed to try to keep her excitement to a minimum, even if she was failing a bit at doing that. "The Fantastic Four are supposed to be the first family of super heroes."

Harry just nodded slowly. He had taken some time to read up about the Fantastic Four. They had many interesting battles and were role models where all aspiring superhero teams strived by. The real interesting thing was that the entire world knew their real names, as they had gone public and come clean with their secret identities.

"So, does anyone have money for the gift shop?" Kitty asked.

"They have a gift shop?" Kurt questioned, an eyebrow raised at the thought.

"They added it just last month," Kitty informed Kurt.

"Great, the first family of super heroes has gone commercial," Rogue said. She stepped over and paused. "Harry, you don't have any money on you do you?"

"Loads," Harry told Rogue, with a smile crossing over his face as he said this statement.

Kitty looked at Harry with a surprised expression. "I don't know how you have the money that you do half of the time."

Harry just smiled a mysterious smile, and began to open his mouth to speak. Rogue cut him off.

"I swear if you say it's magic, I'm going to groan and roll my eyes," Rogue said. She smiled in spite of saying that statement.

"Well what else would it be?" Kurt asked. He suddenly looked serious. "You haven't been duplicating money with magic, have you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Kurt, Harry wouldn't do that," Rogue told Kurt. She paused, and looked at Harry. "You wouldn't, would you?"

Harry just laughed, and a smile spread across his face. A mysterious smile, as if he was keeping his friends in suspense. Kitty just nudged him, playfully.

"Spit it out already, what did you do?" Kitty asked them. She looked at him with a pleading expression, and wide eyes "Please."

Harry decided to not leave them in suspense. In reality, he thought the idea was so simple; it was amazing that many magical users did not think of it as a way to make a little extra income. Of course, given their ignorance to the Muggle world, and the profit potential, it was obvious why this was. Harry turned to the entire group to share his findings.

"There are repairing charms that could make everything as good as new," Harry said. "People bring me broken objects. A little wave of my hand and everything is brand new. They don't ask, and I don't tell."

"Does this work for everything?" Rogue asked curiously.

Harry decided to elaborate. "Well, not everything. There are some electronics where it is going to be hard to make the repair charms work right. Unless I understand exactly how the electronics work, and find a way to get around them without frying the circuits. Trust me, I can tell you horror stories about what happens when magic and electronics mixed."

Harry paused, and continued to speak.

"If I can understand it, I can fix it. The simple stuff like chairs, books, bags, and clothing, that's no problem. I don't want to do anything too elaborate. I kind of want to keep the lid on my powers. And I'm sure Professor Xavier would agree."

"I wonder how long that will last," Rogue said.

Harry shrugged, and shook his head. That was a good question. In addition, he had been searching for dropped money that had been left on the streets of New York. It was remarkable how careless people had been with their cash. Money dropped on the sidewalks, in the streets, in the parking lot, and in the sewers even. Money was money, and Harry was using every trick to his advantage. Also there were a surprising amount of halfway decent items that people just threw out. A few charms to fix them, and a couple charms to clean up, and Harry could sell them.

"So, can you buy me something?" Kitty asked him. She looked at him with a pleading look, and bit down on her bottom lip.

Harry smiled. "Of course, that's what friends are for. I've got plenty of money. Just don't make a habit out of it."

Kitty nodded, and then looked nervous. "Right, the last thing I want is to turn you into my own personal ATM. That would be totally taking advantage of your friendship, and that would be wrong."

"I'm not opposed to helping out every once in a while," Harry said. He looked at the brunette with a smile. "Just anything that you want from me, don't be afraid to ask."

"Anything?" Kitty asked. A couple of naughty thoughts went through her head at this point, but the brunette shook them off. This was not the time or the place. She looked at Harry. He nodded, and a smile spread across her face. "Thanks Harry, you're the best."

This interplay was interrupted when the teachers lead them into the Baxter Building. The four X-Men saw Jean and Scott in the distance. They were in a separate group, being herded in with the Junior and Senior students.

Harry walked into the Baxter Building, and prepared himself for what was to come. He would be switching gears from magic, into the realm of science. The two disciplines seemed to be rather similar, given the fact that they were hard for many to understand.

It would be a change of surroundings. Harry resolved to enjoy a nice and relaxing day where nothing would happen.

The Baxter Building was a fantastic building deep within the heart of New York. There were many individuals deep inside the building. Yet, there were four individuals who were among the most interesting of them all. They were heroes that many in the world had looked up for. These four had saved the world from countless destruction numerous times. And in one memorable instance, they saved the world from getting consumed by a cosmic force of pure destruction.

The Fantastic Four were considered the first family of super heroes. The brains behind the outfit was Reed Richards, or Mister Fantastic as he was often called. He had the ability to invent seemingly anything, and his powers would be that he could stretch his body. Of course, not unlike most geniuses, he tended to be rather absent minded and forgot many obvious things, despite his knowledge for science being second to none. This caused him to get called on by his teammates constantly, albeit in a good natured way. They would not change Reed. He was their absent minded professor.

"Reed, the students for the field trip are coming down! The teachers are expecting for you to pull your head out a test tube, and talk to them all."

That was the voice of Susan Storm, or the Invisible Woman. She was kind hearted, but at the same time not one to be trifled with. Her powers were to create fields of invisibility around her. These could be used to attack her enemies to great success. Anyone who called her the weakest member of the team was in for a painful surprise.

Another voice had further brought Reed out of his work.

"Yeah, Reed, stop geeking out, and get with the program!"

That was her brother, Johnny Storm, or he was better known as the Human Torch. The Torch might have been a hothead, but he was still a valuable member of the team. When he could get focused, he was rather skilled. And had been a valuable part of the Fantastic Four for the time it had been around, despite the fact he tended to be a hot head and impulsive. Johnny stepped forward. Reed snapped his head up, a smile crossing his face as he looked at the Human Torch.

"In a minute, Johnny, Sue," Reed said. His eyes were fixed on what was in front of him. "I'm just finishing cataloging this fascinating specimen."

"You might call it fascinating, but the rest of us people in the real world call it dullsville," Johnny said. He did a mock yawn, and stood back, looking around the lab. "Come on Reed, get with the program. This tour is going to really get the rep of the Fantastic Four up."

"Yeah matchstick, and remind me why our rep is in the toilet in the first place. Oh that's right, the fact you keep grandstanding."

The fourth and final member of the Fantastic Four was Ben Grimm, or the Thing. One should not let the Thing's rocky demeanor fool them. Despite his gruff exterior, the Thing was all heart. In fact, many might argue that he was the heart of the Fantastic Four. Without the Thing, the team would not function as a team.

"Hey, boulder brain, settle down, that wasn't really my fault," Human Torch said.

Their good natured bickering was something that ensured there was never a dull moment at the Baxter Building. Sue smiled at them, but she prepared to step in, should things get too hostile. The fact was that ever since their parents had died a few years back, Sue had taken responsibility for Johnny. Somehow that had turned into keeping responsibility for the rest of the Fantastic Four team. The nineteen year old woman thought that it had been an interesting two and a half years. Even if Reed did spend most of his time in his test tubes, and not enough time paying attention to certain other matters.

Yet, that was beside the point.

She peered through the doorway of the main lab. The teachers were filing in, bringing the students. There were buses all over the state.

"The rest of us will be downstairs, Reed," Sue said to him. "Try and join us when you can."

Reed tapped his fingers on the side of the desk. Sue cleared her throat, and Reed sat up straight.

"Coming in a second," Reed said.

"For all of his inventions, he should really invent a watch that he can pay attention to," Johnny said. This statement was agreed by with the remaining members of the Fantastic Four.

Three of the four members of the Fantastic Four made their way down the stairs. Reed continued to look at the equipment on the desk. He had been studying the odd inter-dimensional disturbances that started a couple of months back. The first influx had happened a month ago. It was like something arrived here. Was that someone friend or foe? It would be a worthy subject of study.

Reed would have to find out later. He knew that if he found out the disturbance, others would. It was highly advanced science, beyond anything this world had ever seen or even Reed seen. And Reed Richards had seen everything. The scientist walked out to join the tour. His mind was still half on his work when exiting the lab.

The group of students stood waiting for the presentation. Harry, Kurt, Kitty, and Rogue stood off to the side a little bit. A group of girls squealed, which caused Rogue no small amount of irritation. She turned to Harry, and rolled her eyes.

"Great, the fan girl brigade is here," Rogue told herself.

Harry just patted Rogue on the arm, consolingly. Rogue smiled, that Harry seemed to share her pain.

'I'm just glad they're not for me, for once,' Harry thought to himself.

Kitty frowned. She took a moment to look at them. "They're…really obsessive. And a bit too bubbly for my taste. Talk about surgery sweet."

"Like you aren't," Rogue said.

"No, really, I'm not that bad, they're putting me on an entirely new level," Kitty said. The brunette mutant shook her head. "They're cavity inducing."

She stepped back. She nearly instinctively phased through the wall.

"Come on, let's find a space a bit closer," Harry said.

"Before or after we get trampled?" Rogue asked.

Harry just smiled, and he led the two girls over. Kurt was near them, and followed closely. The Human Torch stood in the background. He seemed to be milking this for all of his work. Until his sister pulled him into the background, and gave him a stern reprimand. Johnny fell into line, and Harry turned to the group with a smile.

"It seems like the first family of superheroes are just that," Harry said.

"Yeah, they're no different than any of us," Kurt replied. "So do you think the X-Men will get the respect that the Fantastic Four do?"

Rogue just scoffed. "That would be the day."

"I don't know, that would be pretty cool," Kitty said to them all.

"We're going to have to stay in the shadows, we're not ready to be exposed," Harry said, reciting Professor Xavier's warning to them all. Harry found all of the secrecy to be annoying. Once the veil of secrecy got knocked loose, everything would come out.

For now he had to play the game.

"Yeah, but we have powers, why can't we use them?" Kitty questioned. She waved her hands, and decided to go into a perfectly logical statement. "The Fantastic Four saves the day three times before breakfast, and there's Spider-Man, and Iron Man…"

"Iron Man doesn't have any powers though, that's a suit of armor," Kurt argued.

Kitty just sighed. "You get my point."

Harry just smiled. He scoped out the surroundings, to see what he was up against. . The Fantastic Four were about ready to address the crowd. Everyone was getting restless. Harry tapped his foot on the ground, and waited for their arrival. Kitty and Rogue stood on either side of him, with Kurt standing in the background. All four of them craned their necks over the crowd.

"Look, there he is," Kitty said, and a smile crossed her face. There he was indeed. Reed Richards, one of the most brilliant scientific minds in the world, walked out. His mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Harry had got the impression that he was a genius, even though he was a bit scatterbrained. Then again, the best geniuses often were. The other three members of the Fantastic Four stood by the side.

"We love you Johnny!"

The Human Torch waved at them, a bright smile on his face. He adopted a businesslike expression at the looks from the Invisible Woman and the Thing. Harry watched. He noticed Jean and Scott with their classmates a bit back in the background.

"Oh for the love of God," Rogue groaned.

"It's not that bad," Kurt said. Rogue just stared at him, eyes narrowed. "Okay, it's that bad, but it could be worse."

Rogue was about to question how it could get worse. However Harry was the one who stepped in and evaded a potential crisis. He was getting rather good at doing that for some reason. Then again, he had plenty of experiences.

"It's started," Harry said. Kitty stood by Harry's side. She walked in closer to Harry. Kurt and Rogue stood, their eyes directed towards Reed Richards. He tapped on the microphone a couple of times to test to see if it was working. Reed cleared his throat.

"Thank you for coming out here today," Reed said. The scientist looked around, to see each and every person who had come out. "My team managed to pull me out of my lab long enough for me to address everyone. I must say, it is great to see some of the potential bright minds of tomorrow. It just seemed like yesterday I was experiencing the trials and tribulations of High School myself."

Reed decided that it was prudent not to state that the real trials and tribulations were due to the fact that he had a genius level intellect. Therefore, he was rather bored with the entire process of education. Most geniuses tended to get rather bored within the formal process of school. Things simply went too slow for them, and forced them to think inside the box.

"The work I have had done as part of the Fantastic Four has allowed me to open up new avenues of research," Reed added. He had a captive audience listening to his every word. "And I hope that you will have many of the same opportunities that I did. Even though I do hope that it does not happen due to being bombarded by cosmic radiation. That's a life changing experience that many of us could have done without."

"I'll give an amen to that," the Thing said under his breath. Harry thought that he was the only one who heard what the rock hero had said.

"I must warn you that many of the inventions I created are dangerous, and therefore are not for public view," Reed said. "That's why the top levels of my lab have been sealed. Perhaps one day, they will be fit for actual use. I have studied countless disciplines of science in the recent past. And there is so much that I do not know. If there are any questions, then please do not hesitate to ask them."

Kitty was the first one to chime in.

"Doctor Richards, you wrote a paper describing how what is perceived as magic could be considered to be an advanced form of science, and thus did not exist," Kitty said. Reed nodded, and Harry looked rather curious. Kitty took this as her invitation to continue. "However, wouldn't you agree that there are some things that cannot be explained through any kind of conventional science?"

Reed remained calm, and tried to answer that question the best that he could.

"That's an intriguing question, but for every actual there is a scientifically plausible explanation," Reed said. "For years, conventional science would be considered to be that of sorcery. Science that we take for granted, but use every day in our normal lives. Fifty years ago, cell phones and the Internet would be something that we could scarcely dream about. If anyone described them, they would be considered witchcraft. Yet, they exist. There is a plausible, and logical explanation, even if one has not found it out as of yet."

Sue decided to jump in. "I think what Doctor Richards means is there is a correlation between science and magic. They are two elements where many people struggle to understand. And there are certain laws to how they are governed."

Harry actually thought that made a certain degree of sense. There were laws to magic; although Harry did wonder how much actually governed how magic worked and how much that put limitations on them. There were more questions, many of them about the battles the Fantastic Four had, and if it was true they once had to stop Doctor Doom from launching the Baxter Building into space. They also asked question about their battles with Mole Man and the Puppet Master. Harry privately wondered who named these people.

"Let's keep moving, things are getting crowded around here," Harry said.

Kitty and Rogue were both grateful for different reasons. Kurt also nodded. The two girls followed Harry.

"Let's take a look at that gift shop," Harry suggested. Kitty smiled back at him.

"Yeah, let's buy some cheap trinket that will be forgotten after a while," Rogue said. Yet, Rogue's eyes were at the gift shop, with a little bit of interest in them.

"Rogue, if you wanted me to buy you something, all you had to do was ask," Harry said.

Rogue blinked. She nodded, slowly.

"Maybe, I'll have a look around," Rogue said grudgingly.

"Let's go this way," Kitty said, grabbing Harry's hand.

The group walked towards the gift shop, to see what they could take a look at.

The gift shop was an absolute madhouse, and brimming with all sorts of chaotic activity. Harry wondered how he got talked into this. Then again, perhaps he was a fool for thinking that that people would be more interested in the science than the trinkets.

Another girl looked on. Kitty and Rogue were off to have a look around. She stepped forward, and nudged Harry as he was busy watching Rogue and Kitty to make sure he did not lose track of them.

"Excuse me," the girl said. She was blonde, wearing a black shirt, and jeans. The girl had a black headband in her hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get in your way. I had to get sucked back here in the madhouse."

Harry waved off her apologies. "It's alright, really it is."

"I just can't believe the Fantastic Four would actually think this was a good idea," the girl said. She rolled her eyes, at some of these bandwagon jumpers who only started to follow the FF because they were the hot new thing. . "Then again, when they went public, they were like completely different people. They were still heroic, still saved the day, but they just seem to be more celebrities than superheroes."

Harry nodded. "Why couldn't they be both?"

"I suppose they could," the girl said with a shrug. She turned to Harry. A smile spread across her face. "Gwen Stacy, Midtown High."

"Harry Potter, Bayville High School," Harry said.

A smile cracked across Gwen's face. Her blue eyes flickered with amusement.

"I suppose we're supposed to hate each other for sports team related reasons," Gwen said. She had an amused expression on her face. "Then again, I don't really pay attention to sports, unless I can help it. Still for some people, sports is really serious business."

"I don't really pay too much attention to sports either," Harry admitted. The only sport he really enjoyed was not played in this universe, and that was more for the love of flying than anything. "Then again, I'm afraid I'm not privy to the big sports rivalries of the New York area. I just moved here a few months ago."

"Oh, really, British right?" Gwen asked. Harry nodded. "Yeah, I guess I could kind of tell from the accent. It's kind of a telltale thing. Are you adapting well?"

"I do kind of wish that people would learn to drive on the other side of the road, it's very off putting," Harry said. Gwen laughed, in spite herself.

"It's two different worlds, isn't it?" Gwen asked. "It's amazing how much the people from two countries can be separated by a common language. For the record, I apologize on behalf of my country for mangling you guy's language."

A slight smile appeared on Harry's face.

"So, are you waiting for someone?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, my friends Kitty and Rogue are over at the gift shop," Harry said. He looked over, seeing his fellow X-Men. "And Kurt's over there too."

Gwen thought that Rogue was a rather strange name. Then again, that had to be a nickname. Not that she was going to judge. She tried not to be judgmental.

"Are you waiting for anyone?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, my friend Peter," Gwen said. A questioning look was on Harry's face, and Gwen quickly defused everything. "He um had to go use the bathroom. He's been in there a very long time, and I hope he gets back soon, and everything goes alright."

Gwen knew the real reason why Peter had gone off. She was good at keeping her friend's secrets, and she would not tell anyone. Peter tried to play dumb with her about what the situation was, but Gwen figured it out right away.

"Well, hopefully he doesn't get lost," Harry said in a joking manner.

Gwen nodded. She realized how lame the bathroom excuse was all things considered. Peter and her were in an rather frustrating spot in their life. They were in the "just friends" phase, not that Peter would know a romantic overture if it danced naked in front of him.

That was beside the point. Gwen found herself looking at this Harry Potter with interest. Then again, someone like that already had a girlfriend, or at least girls lining around the block. Of course, Gwen wondered if he would be blissfully ignorant to that fact like Peter was.

Case in point, one of the girls stepped up to join them.

"Hey, Harry, I found something cool, you have to see this," Kitty said. She looked at Gwen. "Oh, hello, I'm Kitty Pryde, and you're…"

"Gwen Stacy," Gwen said, with a smile which Kitty returned. She turned to Harry. "It was nice meeting both of you, but I have to go check to see if Peter returned and I just missed him."

Gwen walked off. Rogue stopped and looked at Harry.

"Another girl falls to the charms of Harry Potter," Rogue told him in an undertone. "If I didn't know any better, you were trying to collect them."

Harry had no idea what to say to that. Rogue cracked a smile.

"Rogue, we just met each other," Harry said.

"Yeah, I know, and your heart is somewhere else," Rogue said. She smiled. It was a bit of a forlorn smile.

Rogue turned around, and walked away to keep with the crowd. Harry pushed through the crowd and joined Kitty.

"So, what do you think?" Kitty asked, and she held the necklace replica of the Baxter Building.

"It looks like it suits you," Harry said.

"You mean it's tacky," Rogue commented.

Kitty gave her an incredulous look, but Rogue just smiled.

"Actually, that's far better than some of the stuff they're selling here," Rogue said.

"You don't have to ask, I'll buy one for both of you," Harry said.

Rogue and Kitty looked at Harry. Both girls had smiles on their face, even if Rogue's was subtle. Kitty rushed over, and hugged Harry. Thankfully she did not phase both of them through the wall this time. She was getting a bit better at that.

"Thanks Harry, you're the greatest," Kitty told him, and she leaned over to give him a slight kiss on the cheek. A slight smile crossed Harry's face.

Kitty was surprised at her own daring. Yet, Harry was not going to complain. Her and Harry had been spending a lot of time together over the past couple of weeks, with Kitty helping Harry with his school work when he struggled. Harry actually was rather smart when he applied himself. All he needed was some confidence, which Kitty thought he lacked from whatever happened in the world he left. Without knowing about Harry's friends and family, Kitty could not draw any conclusions.

The group continued to move around. The Thing and the Human Torch walked around to talk to the tour group. The two signed autographs and mingled with the people. They did seem to be two of the more popular members of the Fantastic Four.

Harry could have smiled. The day had gone rather smoothly all things considered. It was just a normal day out, without any problems whatsoever. The crowd at the Baxter Building was chaotic, but if that was the only thing he had to complain about, then it was a satisfying day. He was about to say that this was a perfect day.

A loud explosion echoed from outside of the Baxter Building. Kitty, Rogue, and Kurt, along with several other students, looked on, backing up from the explosions.

Rogue decided to ask the obvious question. "What was that?"

'The consequences of me trying to be a little bit optimistic,' Harry thought to himself. He offered a bit of a long sigh, and braced himself for what was to come. Another explosion echoed from outside, and Harry remained on his feet. He was rigid, and shook his head. Surely, this could not really be happening.

"Everyone remain calm, I'm sure it's nothing," Reed Richards said, and he walked forward to analyze the situation.

Harry stood on his guard. He turned to his fellow X-Men, who also tensed up. Training in the Danger Room tended to do that to people, and they waited for the other shoe to drop.

"Explosions rarely amount to nothing," Harry stated slowly.

"Where's Scott and Jean in all of this?" Kurt wondered.

"They're likely with the upper class, in that tour group in the next room," Harry replied to Kurt. He took a deep breath, and suddenly the windows cracked. His eyes narrowed. Breath lightened, and Harry paused, eyes focused on what was coming. "You've got to be kidding me."

Harry only said that because he wished that someone was kidding him. Yet he could not deny what he had seen. He looked over his shoulder. Thankfully most of the students had been ushered out, which would make what he had to do a lot easier. There were less eyes to witness the magic that he must perform to get them out alive.

"Everyone stay close, and don't get separated," Harry told his teammates. "I'm going to see what I can do to them."

"And how are you going to do that?" Kurt asked.

It was Kitty who responded with the obvious answer. "Magic, duh."

Harry saw the robots before his yes. They were silver, with green cloaks. They stood before him, and armed with a large assortment of lasers. The lasers had been armed on Harry.

"Target detected, fire."

Harry immediately put shields up that would prevent any stray lasers from hitting bystanders, and to a lesser extent, him. With a swift shot, he knocked half of the robots out of commission. They exploded into debris. Harry waved his hand, and caused the debris to disappear before it could hurt anyone. One of the robots could have attacked him, but Kitty popped out from underneath the floor. She phased her hand through the robot's chest plate, and shorted it out. Sparks flew in every direction.

"What are these things?" Kurt asked.

"I'm guessing they're bad news," Rogue said.

The Human Torch heard the sounds of screaming, and for once it was not his adoring public. He looked at the Doom Bots, and sighed. For most people, this would be an alarming situation. For Johnny Storm, this was just another Wednesday.

Sue, Ben, and Reed were on the next room, working crowd control. Reed having slipped off a moment ago, to check his scanners. Johnny wished Reed would have used his eyes more and his science less, but that was a discussion for another time. He stood in a pose, and fried one of the Doom Bots. Another Doom Bot swooped in and sprayed flame retardant foam on Johnny Storm. He was unable to flame on, and he dropped to his knees, cursing his luck. One of the students stepped in.

"Get back, you don't want to get hurt," Johnny said to the boy, but his green eyes burned with determination, and three of the robots were demolished like they were paper.

Harry smirked. It was rather new to him for anyone to tell him to get back because he might get hurt. Immediately he blasted the robots, and sent them flying in every direction. The robots crumbled to dust, and Harry rocked back on his heels. Kitty, Rogue, and Kurt tried to discreetly help engage the robots. Suddenly Kitty looked out the window. There was a drone outside of the building, and it began to heat up.

"Um, guys," Kitty said, pointing frantically.

Harry tried to blast it, but a shield repelled his magical attacks.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Rogue said. There was an energy field around that floor of the Baxter Building, and everyone who still stood within that particular room felt themselves encased in an energy field.

Harry tried to figure out what this field was. If he could figure it out, he could blast out. It seemed to be partially magic, some mix of sorcery and science. Which made it a bit of a problem to deal with, as only someone who was cunning could mix disciplines like that. Doctor Strange told him that mixing science and sorcery was something that very few could master. The fact someone managed that was very worrying.

Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, Harry, the Human Torch, and several other students had been transported off in a flash of light. Harry wondered why they were the lucky ones to be chosen. The group of them ended up in a dungeon. Harry had known from past experiences that being inside a dungeon was never a good thing. Kitty walked up behind Harry, and asked him the obvious question.

"They transported us somewhere, didn't they?" Kitty said.

"Yeah, they transported us somewhere," Johnny said, speaking up. He was trying to think quickly on his feet. Reed was always the level headed one, to be able to think out of any situation. "The question is where?"

"Yeah, that's the question."

They turned around and saw Gwen stand right there with them. The blonde haired girl seemed a bit calm and collected, or maybe she was just good in keeping cool. Harry wondered if she had to deal with something like this before.

"So did you ever find your friend?" Harry asked her.

"No," Gwen said shortly.

She hoped that her friend could find them. Gwen had a feeling he might come in handy. Of course, she could take care of herself if push came to shove. Taking out her cell phone, she tried to call for help. It was dead, and she could not even dial anyone.

"It's not working," Harry prompted. Gwen shook her head. "I'm not surprised. That much magic in the air, it's going to fry most electronics."

Gwen was caught off guard. Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly asked a question. "Um, what does magic have to do with this?"

"Explanations later, right now we should find a way out of here," Kitty said. The Human Torch was trying to get a communicator device working.

"Guess it must be something potent if Reed's technology has been fried," the Human Torch said. "So, um, I guess we better keep moving."

They all nodded. The group walked down a long and cavernous hallway. There were many things that Harry did not take too kindly with. One of them was being transported somewhere against his own will.

Harry would be having stern words with whoever did this.

"Can't you just teleport us out of here or something?" Kitty asked him in undertone.

"Don't you think I would have tried that if that was the case," Harry replied back.

"Well, yeah," Kitty agreed.

"Yeah, I can't teleport either," Kurt admitted. "I just pop in and out at the same place. Someone really big just smacked me across the face."

Now Harry was rather curious. Who was behind this?

"I'm sure you have a good idea who's behind this," Harry said to the Human Torch.

Human Torch did not answer that question.

"Well?"

"Nothing good," Human Torch said, more seriously than anyone had seen him.

When Johnny Storm got serious, one could take it to the bank that there was a problem. He closed his eyes, and tried to get the group through this problem. While some members of the group exhibited powers, some of them were just normal humans.

It seemed like the group was in a maze. It was a giant Labyrinth of passageways that never ended. Some of the members of the group were restless.

"Okay, we've been walking around forever," Kitty said.

"No kidding," Rogue said, and she shook her head. She looked up. "My blisters have blisters."

"Yeah, well I'm getting a bit tired of being someone's prisoner," Harry said. He crossed his arms. Rarely did he like get transported anywhere against his will. And this was against his will for sure. Harry took a few steps forward. His breath continued to quicken. He walked up the steps, and Kitty, Rogue, and Kurt followed him.

Johnny returned from the other end. "Wherever he sent us, it's a maze."

"Who is he?" Harry asked.

Kitty opened her mouth to offer her theory. The door creaked open, and Harry moved forward. He was at the end of a large torch lit room. There were guards surrounding the room in every direction. Harry stood on his guard. The guards stepped back, and allowed Harry and his group to continue to walk. Even though Harry had an idea that they would jump him if he had performed any hostile actions.

He looked up and saw a figure in the shadows on a throne room. The figure spoke in a low voice, and one that commanded authority.

"Come closer, child."

Harry took a step forward. The wizard braced himself. There was no attack. It was that tense moment before what was going to happen. That calm before the storm. He wanted answers, and his temper was reaching its boiling point.

"I don't know who you think you are bringing me here!" Harry yelled. Kitty winced was she began to put two and two together

"Harry, that's…."

"I want answers, and I want them now!" Harry continued. "You drag me and my friends off to some castle, and now…"

"A being of great power and great impatience," the rumbling voice stated. "You will be silent in the presence of Doom!"

Harry felt realization slap him like a cold burst of water.

"Wait, Doom?" Harry asked.

Silence occurred. Harry realized how serious everything had gone.

"Doom, as in Doctor Doom," Kitty told him gently. Harry felt the need to face palm "You know, Doctor Doom, arch enemy of the Fantastic Four, the biggest bad that ever did bad. That guy."

There was another pause. Harry slowly turned to Kitty.

"Why didn't you warn me?" Harry asked her.

"I tried," Kitty said meekly.

The group stood back. Doom leaned forward. His engraved metal mask showed malevolent eyes. A green cloak was pulled over his body. He wore a suit of armor that covered every inch of his body, which had been burned.

"Hey, Victor, looking good, is that a new polish job?" Johnny asked, trying to break the tension.

Doom only barely acknowledged the Human Torch's flippant comment. His childish antics were something that Doom had grown accustomed to, and only regarded them with disdain.

"Rudeness all around and you do not appreciate my hospitality," Doom said. "No matter, the Fantastic Four will be down a member shortly due to your insolence. It's a pity it wasn't Richards. "

Harry stood around, and there were legions more of these robots that had attacked them.

"Great, invasion of the Doom Bots Part Ten Million," Johnny said. He rolled his eyes. Again, for him, Doom Bots was just another Wednesday.

The Doom Bots crowded around, ready for battle.

"In Latveria, Doom's word is law!" the Doom Bots droned.

Despite their powers, they could be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers just bearing down upon them. Several of the non-powered students seemed frightened, and faint. This was his first official mission that he led, and talk about being thrown out into the deep end.

Doom might have been a bit out of his depth, but Harry would not give up.

"Protect the civilians!" Harry yelled out, taking leadership.

It was a good thing that robots tended to blow up easily in the face of magic. It was a bad thing that sheer numbers were being used.