Chapter 16 - Patterns and Precautions

[A/N]: Oops—accidentally dropped a future chapter! 😅 To dodge spoilers, I had to pull it down… but as an apology, enjoy this bonus chapter! 

Jay hung up the phone and stared at the half-eaten plate of fries growing cold in front of him. The diner's TV was still cycling through Fantastic Four coverage on every channel—footage of Ben lifting cars, Sue shielding paramedics, Johnny's precise flame work. His coffee had gone cold, but he kept stirring it anyway, needing something to do with his hands while processing everything.

The meeting with Reed had gone better than he'd dared hope. Getting a consulting position with the Fantastic Four meant front-row seats to watch how the world changed when the impossible became public knowledge. But sitting here now, Jay felt the weight of what that really meant.

This wasn't a comic book anymore. These were real people whose lives had been fundamentally altered, and the ripple effects were just beginning.

A group of kids at a nearby booth were getting increasingly animated, their parents trying and failing to keep them quiet.

"I'm Mr. Fantastic!" one declared, stretching his arms wide. "I can reach anything!"

"No way, I'm The Thing!" his friend countered. "I'm stronger than everyone!"

"Iron Man would beat them both!" a third kid chimed in.

Jay smiled at that. Iron Man had been making headlines for a month now, ever since Tony Stark's dramatic press conference where he'd thrown the prepared script out the window and announced "I am Iron Man" to the world. The kids had probably been playing Iron Man vs. bad guys since then, and now they were just adding the Fantastic Four to their roster of heroes.

Their mother shushed them apologetically. "They've been like this all afternoon. Can't stop talking about the 'fantastic people.'"

Hope really was infectious. These kids weren't scared—they were inspired. But that optimism felt fragile against everything Jay knew was coming. Government response, public backlash, other powered individuals deciding whether to come forward or dig deeper underground.

And underneath it all, the question that had been nagging at him: how much did his comic book knowledge actually help?

Sure, he'd recognized Ben the moment he saw that rocky orange form on TV. He'd understood Reed's guilt, the public debut strategy, even the broad strokes of how this would play out. But knowing the playbook didn't mean he knew these players. Not really.

The Reed Richards he'd just spent three hours with wasn't quite the absent-minded professor from the comics, too lost in scientific pursuits to notice the world around him. This Reed was more present, more aware of the weight of his decisions. Still brilliant, still driven by curiosity, but grounded in a way that made him seem more human.

That should have been reassuring. But Jay couldn't shake a worry that had crystallized during their conversation about guilt and redemption.

He knew there were two very different versions of Reed Richards possible. Earth-616 Reed was the idealistic explorer—sometimes distracted by science but ultimately anchored by love for his family and desire to help people. But Earth-1610 Reed, the Ultimate universe version, had started similarly enough before something broke inside him. He'd become detached, hyperlogical, morally hollow. The Maker, they'd called him eventually—a brilliant mind that decided emotion and human connection were inefficiencies to be eliminated.

The difference wasn't power or intelligence. It was how they handled the guilt and isolation of being responsible for changing the people they loved. 616 Reed learned to carry that weight while staying connected to his humanity. 1610 Reed let it transform him into something else entirely.

Today, Jay realized he hadn't just been encouraging Reed to embrace heroism—he'd been steering him away from a much darker path. The scary part was that he wasn't sure which direction this Reed would have gone without intervention.

The responsibility of that influence was almost overwhelming.

The kids had moved on from arguing about strength to debating what other powers might exist.

"Maybe there's someone who can fly without fire," one suggested.

"Or someone invisible like the lady, but all the time," another added.

"What about someone who can read minds?"

Jay nearly dropped his phone. If children could intuit that this was just the beginning, how long before everyone else did?

Which brought him to his next problem: the government. Getting a consulting position with the Fantastic Four would put him on someone's radar, probably sooner than later. SHIELD existed in this universe—they'd want to know about anyone working closely with newly public superhumans.

That thought should have worried him more than it did. But Jay had accepted that staying completely under the radar was impossible with all the healing work he'd been doing. This just accelerated the timeline.

The bigger concern was other organizations. SHIELD wasn't the only group interested in people with unusual abilities. Hydra had probably already activated sleeper cells to investigate the Fantastic Four. AIM would be scrambling to reverse-engineer their powers. Corporations like Roxxon would be looking for ways to monetize or weaponize anything they could learn.

Jay made a mental note to suggest Reed be very careful about who he trusted with biological samples or power readings. Corporate espionage would be a much bigger threat than government oversight.

The waitress refilled his coffee without being asked. "You okay, hon? You've been staring at that plate for an hour."

"Just thinking," Jay managed a smile. "It's been an interesting day."

"Tell me about it. I had three different customers ask me if I thought the government was hiding other people like them." She shook her head. "World's getting stranger by the minute."

"What did you tell them?"

She shrugged. "Same thing I tell everyone—worry about what you can control, and try to be kind to each other. Everything else is above my pay grade."

Jay nodded, struck by the simple wisdom in that.

Which brought him to his next planned step; Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. He needed to know more about his own abilities, their limits and potential vulnerabilities. More importantly, he needed to understand how they might be perceived by others with similar gifts.

And the biggest question; if Rogue touched him, would her absorption powers work normally, or would his protection nullify them?

Better to find out in a controlled environment with people experienced in unusual power interactions than discover it during some crisis.

The decision made, Jay felt some tension leave his shoulders. He had a plan: support Reed and the Fantastic Four, test his abilities at Xavier's school, and stay ahead of whatever government attention was coming. Simple in concept, even if execution would be complex.

He was reaching for his wallet when his phone rang. Unknown Manhattan number.

"Jay speaking."

"Jay? This is Reed Richards. I hope I'm not calling too late."

"Not at all. What's up?"

"I've been thinking about our conversation this afternoon. We've had several offers of assistance since going public—some more trustworthy than others. I was hoping you might help me evaluate which ones are worth pursuing."

Jay felt a flicker of unease. "What kind of offers?"

"Research partnerships, mostly. Victor's offered laboratory space and funding, which is generous but..." Reed's voice trailed off. "Let's just say I'm learning to be more careful about accepting help with strings attached."

"Smart policy. Anyone else?"

"A pharmaceutical company called Oscorp reached out about studying our cellular changes. A tech firm called Roxxon wants to discuss 'mutually beneficial arrangements.' And I've received what appears to be a very polite but very official invitation from someone calling themselves Colonel Fury."

Jay's mind instantly focused. Norman Osborn's company getting access to Fantastic Four biology? Roxxon's corporate vultures circling? Two of those were definitely bad news.

"Reed, I think you should be very careful about all of those. Can we meet tomorrow? I'd rather discuss this in person."

"Of course. Is everything alright? You sound concerned."

"I'm just naturally paranoid about large organizations offering help to people they don't know," Jay said, which was true enough. "Better to be cautious."

"Agreed. Should we meet at the Baxter Building again, or would you prefer somewhere more private?"

Jay thought about it. If SHIELD was already sniffing around, meeting at the Baxter Building might actually be safer. At least there, Reed would have home field advantage and better security.

"The Baxter Building is fine."

"Perfect. And Jay? Thank you. I'm glad we have someone looking out for potential pitfalls."

After Reed hung up, Jay sat back and tried to process this development. He'd expected government attention, but not quite this fast. And the corporate interest was troubling.

The kids were finally being herded out by their parents, still chattering excitedly about superpowers and heroes. Jay watched them go, envying their uncomplicated enthusiasm.

The waitress brought his check. "You sure you're okay? You look like someone just told you some bad news."

"Something like that," Jay admitted. "But nothing that can't be handled."

He hoped that was true.

Outside, the evening air was cool and carried distant sirens—not unusual for New York, but tonight it made him wonder if they were responding to something powered-individual-related, or just regular chaos.

Walking toward the subway, Jay found himself scanning faces of people passing by. How many had unusual abilities they were keeping secret? How many had watched the Fantastic Four's debut and felt recognition, fear, or hope?

Jay pulled out his phone and started typing

 "Need to move faster on Xavier visit. Things accelerating."

Then he deleted it and typed instead

 "Talk tomorrow. Need to think through next moves."

Some conversations were better had in person.

In the Marvel universe, these things had a way of snowballing. Jay had a feeling something else would happen soon.

As the train pulled into the station, he made a mental checklist: warn Reed about the corporate offers, schedule a trip to Westchester, and prepare for whatever attention consulting with public superhumans was about to bring down on him.

[A/N]: I write across multiple fandoms. Support my writing and get early access to chapters, exclusive content, and bonus material at P@treon - Max_Striker