Chapter 99: The Storm
Countless cosmic rays converged into a surging torrent, like a massive fiery cloud illuminating the pitch-black void...
The scorching, violent energy carried an aura capable of melting metal and incinerating all existence!
Reed and Johnny stood breathless by the outer airlock, watching as Ben frantically clawed through space, desperately grasping for survival.
Susan, who had just arrived, instinctively grabbed Sean's arm, biting her lip in fear of witnessing tragedy.
Among them all, only Sean remained calm, his gaze fixed on the approaching energy storm. His eyes gleamed with fascination... those dazzling, violent currents were, upon closer inspection, endless cosmic rays, invisible high-energy particles colliding violently, unleashing explosive reactions!
It was as if every cell in his body cried out in fervent hunger, craving more energy to fill the void within, to pry open that door connecting to another unknown world!
"Ben, faster!" Reed muttered under his breath, his voice trembling. For the first time, the man who had always been supremely confident in his intellect was consumed by regret and self-reproach.
His miscalculation had left everyone unprepared for the cosmic storm. If only he had been more meticulous, if only he had double-checked his models... how could he have let his best friend fall into such peril?
If anything happened to Ben, Reed would spend the rest of his life drowning in guilt, forever beyond redemption.
The massive, fire-like cloud surged forward with terrifying speed, like a raging tsunami in the sea of space. Endless cosmic rays collided and exploded, forming a violent torrent of energy. Even before fully reaching Ben, a tremendous shockwave slammed into him, hurling his body backward like a baseball struck by an invisible bat.
Clad in his spacesuit, Ben crashed into the airlock, smashing against the reinforced wall before promptly losing consciousness.
"Johnny! Seal the airlock!" Reed exhaled in relief as the colossal storm closed in on the station. Waves of energy rays bombarded the outer hull.
Chaotic, high-energy particles triggered intense electromagnetic radiation...
Inside the shielded control room, Doom felt the violent tremors as sparks erupted from the electronics. The entire station shuddered as if struck by space debris!
The outer airlock sealed shut, but before anyone could relax, blinding light burst through the energy-resistant door like a breached dam, flooding inward!
The storm slammed into the station, torrents of radiation surging through their bodies like a crushing tidal wave. The violent high-energy particles tore through human flesh as if it were paper!
Being closest to the airlock, Reed bore the brunt first. His body stretched and warped like rubber under the immense pressure...
Johnny, who had just sealed the door, burst into flames as scorching currents ignited his form...
Susan, caught in the storm's fury, flickered in and out of visibility as her body destabilized.
The storm reshaped their genetic structures with brutal efficiency. Overwhelmed, all three collapsed into unconsciousness, just like Ben.
Meanwhile, Sean strode toward the airlock. The raging storm could not halt his advance. With a few button presses, the sealed door reopened, unleashing the full fury of the chaotic particle storm.
Sean clenched his fists, standing firm at the threshold like an unyielding boulder in a raging river.
His body acted like a black hole as it voraciously devoured the energy rays. Flames wreathed his form, incinerating his clothing and revealing a physique of near-perfect conditioning.
Bare-skinned, he endured the storm's relentless assault... His flesh broke and reformed under the torrential bombardment. Each cycle of destruction and regeneration forged his muscles denser, harder, until they resembled indestructible steel.
As absorption accelerated, Sean gritted his teeth against the agony. He clung to consciousness, no matter how excruciating the pain.
"Dark clouds, like blue flames, burn upon the fathomless sea. The ocean seizes lightning's arrows, extinguishing them in its abyss. Their reflections writhe like fiery serpents, vanishing in an instant..." He whispered poetry, his calm mind anchoring his will.
The colossal storm, a maelstrom of high-energy particles, roared toward him like an oceanic tide.
"...The storm! The storm is coming!" Sean's eyes snapped open, reflecting blazing fire, "Let the storm strike harder!"
Within his transformed body, a door that should not exist cracked open... Though it was just a sliver...
Sean's consciousness brushed against it, and in that instant, he glimpsed an explosion beyond words, as if millions of stars had shattered simultaneously, unleashing infinite energy.
The mere glimpse was enough to evoke primal terror...
*BOOM!*
In less than a millisecond, that sliver of consciousness was obliterated. The storm's energy poured into the nonexistent door, as if it linked to another dimension, effortlessly devouring the colossal power. The tiny crack widened ever so slightly.
Clenching his fist, Sean felt overwhelming strength surging within...
Like a miniature sun, his body now brimmed with boundless light and heat. Vitality saturated every cell. With each breath, terrifying air currents rumbled like thunder.
Gradually adapting to the transformation, he reined in the surging energy. The storm subsided like a retreating tide.
The station fell silent. Everyone lay unconscious, unaware of the changes they had undergone.
Dressed once more, Sean sent a distress signal to NASA. Whether the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom's tangled saga would continue... well, that was no longer his concern.
Gazing into the boundless cosmos, Sean stood in quiet contemplation...
He longed for the day he would lead humanity into the starry sea, the day they were no longer confined to a tiny planet, but ascending toward the infinite expanse...