[BT] The Grand Tour...

[Before Transition]

My internship at 'Fantastic Four, Inc.' has just been approved which I expected but it's just that the method that they used to do it that confuses me, shouldn't they have sent me a letter and set up an interview or something because all I've done is send them my application and that's that. "Wow, thank you for the opportunity and all that but shouldn't you have given me an internship first or something, not that I'm not ecstatic it's just that I expected a lot more.. barriers to get through before I could be an intern here." I tell them, mainly just Susan and Johnny though because they're the only only ones paying attention, my queries.

Susan sighs before focusing on me again. "Yes that is a bit different from other companies internship applications but I'm sure you can agree that we aren't an ordinary company, honestly we've never even thought of taking on an intern before and this came as a bit of a surprise for us even though we do get a lot of applications but we've never accepted them before. You see, 'Fantastic Four, Inc.' is just a business we've set up to manage any patents we have (mainly reeds patents) and keep the Fantastic Four and our research funded, there was never any intention to actually take on new staff or interns and actually start functioning as a company." She tells me but I'm a little confused, honestly I never banked on the internship and was focusing on slowly gaining access to the building through Johnny because I've never heard of anyone gaining an internship here,

"Right, sorry but why have I been accepted then if you didn't plan on accepting any internships not that I'm not grateful it just seems like this is coming out of the blue." I ask again as she didn't give me a straight answer. "Honestly it's because Johnny asked us to, he has been nagging us night and day and we finally gave in and accepted it to stop him annoying us." I expected this but I can't help that it grates on my nerves, I mean I sent that application with Johnny convincing them to accept it in mind yet I can't help but feel a bit angry that that's the reason why they're accepting me. I'm a genius (not in everything and I might not have much common sense but I still have a high IQ) and I graduated early, I have dozens of ideas whirling around my head and I'm top of my class at ESU, the fact that I had to rely on connections to have them accept my internship and not my intelligence is a bit grating, I look over to Johnny to thank him but I can't seem to say the words.

"No worries buddy, it's the least I could do for a friend and now we can hang out all the time, it'll be fun to have someone who knows hot to actually have fun in the building for once!" He finishes with a thumbs up which he points in my direction but that hand slowly drops when he sees the less than stellar expression on my own face an d he looks a little confused at why I'm not happy. This is what I was hoping for and I should be happy but I'm not and I don't want them to think that the only reason I gained this opportunity is because I used Johnny (which is basically what I did), I looked up to these people in my last life and I don't want them to think I'm a piece of shit which is why I protected Peter from bullies back in Midtown. "Johnny, I'm grateful for what you did for me but I don't know if I'll actually intern here, I mean.. I want to learn and even make advancements in the field of science and if I get my place here through connections and not my own merits and achievements, I don't know if I can accept that."

I planned for all this but now that I'm here I don't want to go through with it because I don't like the situation, goddamn it I should easily be able to get into the Baxter building using my intelligence and merit instead of using trickery and cunning. I may be an arsehole but I pride myself on my intelligence and I can't accept getting an internship here through connections and not my worth, I can just sneak into the building using my new abilities and steal Reeds research (or even hire some super powered thug to do it, I have enough money).

I'm about to decline and say goodbye when Reed interrupts. "Don't worry son, I know exactly how you feel right now and all I can say is that you don't have to worry about it, I made sure to check your application over before accepting your internship, Johnny might have nagged us into it but we wouldn't have accepted just anyone to be an intern here. I made sure to gather information on you as thoroughly as possible and I can't help but say I'm impressed by you, not about you graduating early or anything but what you have been posting on some science blogs I found while vetting you." He knows about those posts? Whenever I was stuck on my research I would browse through some science blogs on the Internet and talk to other people and solve problems to try and relax my brain or gain new insight, I had quite a lot of discussions with others and even solved a few problems but I made sure to not use my real name so how does Reed know about it.

Reed chuckles when he sees the expression on my face. "You are probably wondering how I found that out as you didn't use your real name, the Baxter Building has the most advanced technology in probably the whole world and when I vet someone I do so thoroughly. Don't worry though I didn't get too invasive and I'm sorry that I had to do that it's just we've had quite a lot of spies trying to gain access to our floors and we have to be thorough, we even had a few female spies trying to seduce Johnny to gain access to the building." I feel a cold sweat go down my back, for a minute there I worried about him finding my p*rn stash (some quality suff on there).

"No worries there then, Johnny's not my type and I'm definitely interested in women." I wink at Sue here (mainly to fuck with Johnny) only to be punched on the arm by Johnny and receive chuckles from Reed and Sue, Reed didn't even bat an eye at my flirting with Sue and it doesn't look much like he was bothered by me flirting with her so I don't know what is even happening over there between them. Ben just keeps moping around on the couch and doesn't say anything, I can literally feel the depression wafting off of him, I mean I would also be depressed if I turned into a giant rock monster and lost my junk (or gained some rock junk that I wouldn't even be able to use, I can't tell which is worse).

"Nick I've already spoken to ESU and they moved your timetable around so your lectures are on Monday and Tuesday while on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday you'll be interning here, Johnny go give Nick the grand tour of the building and Nick please be here next Wednesday to start your internship." Sue says and before I can reply Johnny has already dragged me off to give me the so called grand tour.

Johnny starts the grand tour with the 35th floor, the 35th floor contained the hangars for the Fantastic Four's various vehicles, storage space, and a machine shop capable of building or repairing vehicles. A reinforced door in the corner led to the launching silo for the Fantastic Four's rocketship. This passenger ICBM (The Intercontinental Passenger Missile is an ICBM/intercontinental ballistic missile that Reed Richards modified for either short space flights or fast transportation to remote parts of Earth) was launched and stored in a heavily muffled silo with vibration-asborbing walls and exhaust pipes leading all the way to the Hudson River. The other vehicles were on platforms that carried them around the floor and over to the launching hatch.

We then went back to the 34th floor which could be considered the actual headquarters. The computer banks, monitor banks, communications center, and briefing room were all there, as well as the overflow from Reed's laboratory below. This would be where I would find the information I need to advance my own research.

We then went to the 33rd floor which contained Reed's laboratory, according to Johnny the floor plan changed constantly as Reed added additional experiments and devices. In the Computer Center was a lever for activating the magnetic repellors on the 30th floor whatever they were for.

We then went to the 32nd floor which contained some living areas for any guest or new residents, the medical lab, the library which I was definitely gonna check out, and the reference room which could prove useful.

Then we went to the 31st floor which contained the Fantastic Four's living quarters. There were suites for Reed and Sue, Ben, and Johnny though Johnny only showed me his, apparently Sue and Johnny used to commute before ending up using their suites when permanently while Reed and Ben have always been residents since the cosmic accident. Several guest rooms for other Fantastic Four members and the extended family, and the dining and living areas where me and Johnny will mainly be hanging out in the future and eating junk food.

Johnny then took me to the 30th floor, the bulk of the floor was occupied by the building's mechanical systems. Acoustic insulation kept the noise from affecting the Fantastic Four's reception area. This floor also acted as a buffer zone to absorb damage from battles in the upper floors because apparently I'm gonna see a few of those in my time here. It also contained the magnetic repulsion system, I now know what the lever on the 33rd floor is for. This system was designed to lift the upper floors away from the rest of the Baxter Building with the theory being that this way the rest of the building could have been protected from a particularly damaging battle. I was greeted by Roberta, a usuform robot. Her visible half (above the waist) appeared to be an attractive blond in her 20s. Below the waist she was a pivoting arm attached directly to her desk. Roberta was tied directly to the Fantastic Four's computer system and could monitor the entire building. The reception room was also filled with hidden scanners to probe visitors. If the visitor were hostile, the floor was rigged to deliver a stunning electrical shock. Once the visitor had been cleared, a panel opened to reveal a lift to the 31st floor.

Johnny then asked me if I wanted some lunch and I said yes, he walked to an elevator and went in, I tried to follow him but he pushed me out ant told me it was the express elevator for the Fantastic Four only and that I would have to use the visitor entrance while smiling mischievously at me. Before I could say anything the the elevator had already shot off and I had to get Roberta to open the visitor entrance for me, it took over ten minuets for me to reach the lobby because of the elevator stopping at nearly every floor to pick up and drop off new passengers, I really hate Johnny for this.

Next Wednesday I'm definitely asking permission to use the express elevator...

________________________________________________

<AN> I now have a Pa treon up and running and when a chapter is ready it will go up on Pa treon first so please take a look. Some support from you guys would be appreciated and motivate me.

(www.pa treon.com/GutsyRipper)

A special thank you to my patrons Tim Brown, Stormrall, Turtle, heller8284, Wanous, Matthew Laird and Sage Honos. Thank you for the support.