Interlude: Bits and pieces
"Okay, try to stay still," Sue says over the intercom from the control room of the altered MRI Reed had built for her. Ben was still her favorite puzzle and so another round of tests was the order of the day. "Hopefully Reed's adjustments will give me a better look inside you."
Ben would nod or say something but a) he's currently crammed inside the very small and nearly claustrophobic tube of the MRI and b) Sue had told him not to move. Soon loud clicks and thumps begin and the bed he's resting on slowly moves forward.
"I noticed you've been reading a lot about aviation and space flight," she says again as she adjusts a few dials. When Ben doesn't respond she looks up to check on him. "Ben? Are you okay? You can talk, just try not to move too much okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good...good. So why the books?"
"Well you said I should learn something right?"
"Well yes but Ben...I don't know how to put this nicely...I don't think you'd fit in any aircraft or space craft that's in flight today. Why bother?"
Ben doesn't answer at first not quite sure how he feels about someone checking up on him. Finally, he says, "Well. It's kind of silly."
"Go ahead, it's not like we have a lot to do while the MRI does it's thing."
"Okay, well you know how I can't tell my mom anything about the accident? Well to cover for things I lied and said the military guys here were testing me for becoming a pilot as a reason for my not going back to college. And I never lie to my Mom so I'm making the lie a truth. See? Silly."
"Ben, that is not silly," Sue says blinking away a few tears. "I think it's nice. If you'd like I can run the tests military pilots and astronauts go through. I'll have to adapt some things but we can do it. It can even help my studies of your physiology."
"You'd do that for me?"
"Of course Ben. Your my friend...no, you're family now."
*******************Later that day Ben finds two surprises in his room. The first is a box with several pieces of oddly shaped rubber and a note from Sue which reads, "I imagine turning the pages of a book to be difficult for you so I had these finger grips made for you. They are really easy to make so if you lose any, feel free to let me know and we'll get you more. Keep reading!"
The other seemed to be just be a card but when he opened it, he discovered a bigger shock than the first. The note read, "Hey, the guys and I pitched in some rations and got you a bed. It's the high density rubber we use as a shock absorber for the flight deck so it should work like a dream. Get lots of rest cause I'm not taking anymore excuses when I kick your butt at push-ups. ~Sharon"
He turned in surprise to see the palette of cement that had been his bed now had a black rubber mattress. Cautiously he sat and then laid down. For the first time in months he slept soundly and had pleasant dreams.
********************Excerpt from the bulletin boards of whatisthisthing.org:
Aintnorealthing: So who do you think was stronger, Namor or the Thing?
Thingfan: The Thing. Namor may have been faster but he never picked up a bus let alone used it as a club.
Thingfan-02: True but that doesn't mean Namor couldn't have. Don't get me wrong but I think Thing needs to work on his agility. If he had been quicker, Namor would have had a hard time.
Aintnorealthing: That's true. Still Thing did have the Torch with him. The Torch helped a lot.
Thingfan: Definitely but the Torch needs to learn to stay far away from physical fights. He's not much for a fist fight.
Thingfan-02: That's what Thing's for!
Ben would nod or say something but a) he's currently crammed inside the very small and nearly claustrophobic tube of the MRI and b) Sue had told him not to move. Soon loud clicks and thumps begin and the bed he's resting on slowly moves forward.
"I noticed you've been reading a lot about aviation and space flight," she says again as she adjusts a few dials. When Ben doesn't respond she looks up to check on him. "Ben? Are you okay? You can talk, just try not to move too much okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good...good. So why the books?"
"Well you said I should learn something right?"
"Well yes but Ben...I don't know how to put this nicely...I don't think you'd fit in any aircraft or space craft that's in flight today. Why bother?"
Ben doesn't answer at first not quite sure how he feels about someone checking up on him. Finally, he says, "Well. It's kind of silly."
"Go ahead, it's not like we have a lot to do while the MRI does it's thing."
"Okay, well you know how I can't tell my mom anything about the accident? Well to cover for things I lied and said the military guys here were testing me for becoming a pilot as a reason for my not going back to college. And I never lie to my Mom so I'm making the lie a truth. See? Silly."
"Ben, that is not silly," Sue says blinking away a few tears. "I think it's nice. If you'd like I can run the tests military pilots and astronauts go through. I'll have to adapt some things but we can do it. It can even help my studies of your physiology."
"You'd do that for me?"
"Of course Ben. Your my friend...no, you're family now."
*******************Later that day Ben finds two surprises in his room. The first is a box with several pieces of oddly shaped rubber and a note from Sue which reads, "I imagine turning the pages of a book to be difficult for you so I had these finger grips made for you. They are really easy to make so if you lose any, feel free to let me know and we'll get you more. Keep reading!"
The other seemed to be just be a card but when he opened it, he discovered a bigger shock than the first. The note read, "Hey, the guys and I pitched in some rations and got you a bed. It's the high density rubber we use as a shock absorber for the flight deck so it should work like a dream. Get lots of rest cause I'm not taking anymore excuses when I kick your butt at push-ups. ~Sharon"
He turned in surprise to see the palette of cement that had been his bed now had a black rubber mattress. Cautiously he sat and then laid down. For the first time in months he slept soundly and had pleasant dreams.
********************Excerpt from the bulletin boards of whatisthisthing.org:
Aintnorealthing: So who do you think was stronger, Namor or the Thing?
Thingfan: The Thing. Namor may have been faster but he never picked up a bus let alone used it as a club.
Thingfan-02: True but that doesn't mean Namor couldn't have. Don't get me wrong but I think Thing needs to work on his agility. If he had been quicker, Namor would have had a hard time.
Aintnorealthing: That's true. Still Thing did have the Torch with him. The Torch helped a lot.
Thingfan: Definitely but the Torch needs to learn to stay far away from physical fights. He's not much for a fist fight.
Thingfan-02: That's what Thing's for!