[FIC] The Slip - Chapter 2: In an Alien World (Fantastic Four & Star Wars)
Prompt: Klingon
Title: The Slip
Author: WitchAnteia
Fandom(s): Star Wars & Fantastic Four
Type: AU, Crossover, Movieverse
Rating: PG -13
Pairings: (Johnny/Padme, Anakin/Padme)
Character(s): Johnny Storm, Padme, Obiwan, Anakin, Organa, Norrin Radd
Summary: After the Human Torch breaks out of his hospital room, it’s up to Padme to find him.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you read here, probably because I'm poor as hell.
Feedback: I see no need to continue on without encouragement, would you?
Chapter 2 - In an Alien World
Padme was standing at a terminal in the basement of the hospital. She was concentrating hard on looking in the computer’s database for a match on Torch. Bail Organa stood not far off looking around the perimeter diligently. However, he was growing tired after a few hours of the manhunt.
Beep! Beep!
Padme, who was flipping through all Unknowns making comparisons based on physical descriptions, abruptly stopped what she was doing to answer her Comm.
“Anakin?”
Padme?
She breathed out a sigh of relief.
“What have you found out?”
Nothing much, really. And I’m afraid we’ve exhausted every available avenue here.
The Jedi were a few floors above, interrogating the hospital staff that Torch may have had contact with.
We’re thinking about heading over to see Master Radd.
Padme absentmindedly flipped through a couple more John Doe’s before letting out an exhasperated breath.
“That might actually be a good idea. I’m almost at the end of his data trail,” Organa tapped the face of his watch before quirking his eyebrows and motioning to the exit. Padme was reminded of Johnny ripping away at the tubes on his wrist and a question started to take form in her mind. “Was he wearing a hospital bracelet?”
Padme?
“Yes Anakin, go talk to Master Radd. I’m leaving with Senator Organa now.” Before Anakin is able to respond (or read her mind…) Padme had turned off the Comm, her thoughts already traveling past the hospital and into a speeder on her way to find the Human Torch.
***
“Brilliant idea, Johnny!” Torch said aloud while struggling to free himself from a crop of thorny vines. “I’m just gonna bust out of some holistic prison on an alien planet to… Ow!” A vine came around and slapped him across the cheek.
“To land on some prehistoric thorn bush!” Torch fired himself up before bursting away from nature’s chains, pulling random vines off himself in the process. He touched his cheek and when he pulled his hand back saw crimson and some kind of violet pollin.
“Oh, great!” Upon seeing his mixed blood, Johnny promply passed out then, falling straight back. A mushroom cloud of dust flew up to welcome him.
***
The sunset can be seen approaching fast, dipping between the squiggly horizon of alternating lakes and mountains, lush forests and barren deserts. Above the emerald-green trees, Padme’s speeder was being piloted by noneother than Anakin’s most trusted super bot, R2D2.
“Thanks for getting Anni’s speeder for me, R2.”
R2 whistled an affirmation.
“Are we getting any closer to the location of the bracelet?”
R2 whistles again in the affirmative and then goes into a series of different tones and beeps.
“Yes, I’m sure it’s been damaged plenty with Torch’s abilities, but all the microchips manufactured on Alderon are carbonite bonded, so he’d have to burn hotter than the suns to fry it through.”
R2 started to make an alarming amount of nois, then his weight shifted from side ot side on little robotic feet. The speeder started to descend through the tree tops near a river. Padme leaned over the side to find Johnny laid out, face up, the tangled arms of Killer Nettles slowly dragging his bloody body under the soil.
“R2, there’s no time to land!” The ex-queen unholstered her laser, swung her feet over the side, and jumped down as near to Torch’s unconcious body as she dared. She issued a final command to R2 before blasting away at the vines below his feet.
Forget the speeder and help me!”
The robot promptly did as he was ordered, abandoning his vessel and firing his navigational boosters. Istantly the speeder dipped nose-first into the ground. Luckily, the majority of the killer bush was beneath the speeder, so when the two collided the nettles shook with pain and withered its oustretched arms away from its captive.
“Oh God, Johnny!” Padme dropped her laser and rushed behind the man, pulling him up.
“Torch!” She screamed at him in a panic, unconciously shaking.
“Oh, please!” She found the zipper at the back of his neck and pulled it down to the small of his back. Padme felt around inside the suit to the front with her hands until they found their target alond his smooth chest.
“Please don’t be dead!” She sobbed, feeling the hot gush of tears threatening to break free. She quieted herself until she could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest and the faint thump of his heart beating.
“Thank God!” She exclamed, letting herself relax forward against Johnny’s shoulder. She breathed a sign of relief in the crook of his neck.
“Hmmm. Mmm… Shouldn’t you buy me dinner first?”
Padme shot back, scrambling to straighten herself up.
“What?” She asked wiping away a few tears that had managed to escape despite her silent protests. He looked back just in time to see her getting up. Torch grabbed her wrist.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Padme was shocked by his touch, it not being the usual conduct of men and women in her galaxy to be so informal with one another. Johnny noticed that Aimee Dolla had gone a little stiff.
“Care to help a wounded man up?” He asked giving her a cheeky grin, which she immediately returned, visually relaxing. She helped Torch get to his feet.
“So, Aimee, where…”
“My name isn’t Aimee.” She interrupted, wiping the dirt off her clothes.
“It isn’t?”
“My name is Ah-mi-Dolla…”
“Amen-Doll-A?” Johnny tried to repeat it aloud without success.
“Aye-Mi-Daul-Uh.”
“Oh-my-doll-Ah?” Johnny looked perplexed.
“You can call me Padme, then.” She smiled up at him. Now that he was finally verticle the woman was shocked by how tall he was, his size easily capable of doubling hers.
“Padme,” Johnny repeated perfectly, leaning back, “I like the sound of that.”
There was some loud beeps but Padme was so lost in the beauty of Torches smile, she feared she’d never be able to find her way back.
R2 whistled, flying to come up behind her, his rocket boosters spewing fire. Johnny jumped back slightly when he saw the robot.
“What is?” Padme swung her head around to see R2, then looked back towards Torch.
“Oh, that’s just R2D2.” Padme interrupted. “He’s Annakin’s private astro-droid. He’s kind of like the co-pilot for all our traveling vessels.”
R2 whistles again enthusiastically and Padme continues on. “He’s also excellent company.”
“Annakin, as in Master Skywalker?”
“Yeah…”
“You mean the crazy ninja who tried to kill me?”
“Ninja?”
“Nevermind that.” Torch motioned with his flattened hands away from himself, visually clearing away their previous course of conversation.
“Are you and he like, an item or…” Padme had to think for a moment for the answer to that question. On the one hand she and Annakin had been married for a while by that point and she did tell him she loved him. On the other hand they had both made a vow never to reveal to anyone their secret, their lie. And right then, the way Johnny’s face looked horrified and beautiful, his mouth moving faster than Padme thought possible. All of it was in an effort to cover. Padme smiled.
“You know what the term ‘item’ means, right?” She giggled.
“Yes, I think I understand what you mean. And no,” Padme swallowed, “Master Skywalker and I are not an item.”
“Then what are you doing with that,” Johnny pointed to the R2 unit perched beside her, “there?”
“Oh!” She flicked her eyes back and forth from Torch to R2. “Well, I kind of had to borrow him temporarily to find you.”
“Borrow or steal him?”
“I had to find you fast, so I didn’t really have time to ask, but I wouldn’t say I stole him really.” Johnny smiled broadly then, leaning back slightly as if he was getting ready to laugh. Padme couldn’t help smiling in return, although for the life of her she couldn’t understand what was so funny. Johnny pointed to the sky behind Padme, who promptly swung around to find what he was looking at. Hovering in the sky above them were three police vehicles and one more on its way, their lights flashing a universal signal of emergency.
“I bet I could guess what they would say about it.”
Padme’s jaw dropped.
“Flame on!” Johnny yelled right before firing up and starting for the police vessels.
“Don’t!” Padme yelled above the now audible racket of sirens. Johnny kept walking and Padme reacted before she could think, reaching out to stop him.
“Ouch!” Padme let go of Torch’s arm immediately and gasped, all of which got Johnny’s attention almost immediately as well. He stopped and turned towards her.
“Are you ok?” He yelled to her. Padme shook her head up and down in affirmation, but she had to bite her lip to stiffle the sound of her crying out in agony over such a severe burn. Johnny grasped the top of R2 and physically brought him over to Padme’s side.
“Grab hold of his leg and we’ll go somewhere together!”
“But they won’t hurt you!” Padme shouted back to him thinking about how ridiculous this all was, but when she looked around him she could see droids, Federation Troopers, and at least one Jedi behind them.
“This is crazy!” She yelled.
“Yeah, I know Padme but I can’t just leave you here and you saw how they tried to kill me at the hospital! You come with me right now and I promise we can get this all straightened out under better circumstances later!” A bead of sweat trickled down his neck, disappearing beneath the collar of his costume.
“Alright!” Padme hesitatntly gave her consent grasping one of R2’s little robotic legs with her unharmed hand. Torch flashed Padme a brilliant smile right before grabbing the top of R2 again and bolting into a fiery jetstream above and beyond stunned spectators below. Those of whom had only just begun to pounce upon them, but the faint sound of R2’s panicked whistle was the only thing left of their prey.
***
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