I stood in comfortable clothes as me and Ben look throw binoculars.

We see Johnny on a motorcycle with a girl and they was snogging. Ew.

"Can't do it. I cannot do it." Said Ben in annoyance and I nodded in agreement.

Reed looked at Ben "External SRBs, orbital system engines. Its just like the shuttles you flew in -"

I sighed and face palmed. My brother, Reed, looked confused.

"No. I cannot take orders from that underwear model. That wingnut washed out of NASA for sneaking two Victoria Secret wannabes into a flight simulator." Said Ben in annoyance.

Reed sighed "Youthful high spirits."

We walk toward the base of the scaffolding.

"They crashed it into a wall. A flight simulator!" I shouted at my brother.

Reed looked quite nervous "I'm sure he's matured since then."

"Yeah sure." I mumbled.

We look threw the binoculars and saw Johnny Storm, leaning over to kiss a hot redhead. We look and he's riding a motorcycle, and she's driving a red corvette with license plate: FRANKIE. PICK UP.

Reed bit his lip "When have I asked you to do something you absolutely said you could not do?" Asked Reed.

Me and Ben looked at him.

"Five times."

"Ten times"

We said.

Reed looked at us grinning "I had it at four and nine."

"This makes five-"

"And ten"

We walked off leaving a defeated Reed.

-

I was in the locker rooms putting on my uniform.

"Hey Kass." Said a female voice.

Sue.

"Hi Sue!" I said smiling.

"I'm sorry about Johnny, if I had known you was coming I would have-"

"No! Sue it's fine!" I said smiling.

"And I'm sorry about Victor." She said.

"Can we not mention him, I do y know what I saw in him." I said in anger .

She nodded a 'yes' showing she understood.

...

I was dressed I zipped the zip up to the top and I turned to Sue and smiled.

"You look great Kass, but let's shock the boys." She said and in zipped my zip just enough to show a fair amount of cleavage.

We walked to the men's locker room, Sue's hair in a bun and mine in two pigtails.

"Captain on the bridge!" I heard someone shout.

I see Ben goes to attention on reflex: Johnny snaps a picture with a digital camera. Then advances, as Ben realizes who it is...

"Digital camera: $254. Memory stick $59. The look on your hard-ass former
CO's grill when he finds out he's your
junior officer: priceless." Said the Player, Johnny.

Ben eyes Johnny, he reaches up as if to grab him.

I can't help but smile and think 'punch him punch him!'

Johnny flinches. But Ben just reaches for Johnny's zipper, adjusts his uniform.

'Damn!'

"I can handle the ship. I can even handle Mr. Blonde Ambition. But I don't know if I should be flying or playing swan lake in these suits. Who the hell came up with them?" Said Ben showing a delict pose.

I silently laughed.

"Victor did." Sue said as we walked in as I did I felt eyes burn into me.

Johnny.

"The synthetics act as a second skin,
adapting to your individual needs to -" Sue said.

"That means to keep the hot side hot, and the cool side cool." Said Johnny a smirk sent my way.

"Wow. Fantastic." Said Reed smiling.

Reed stares at Sue in the skintight outfit.

Is he checking her out? HE IS!

Reed continues "Material made from self-regulating unstable molecules. I've been working on a formula for this."

"Great minds think alike." Sue

I sat down, next to Johnny.

"Hi, Johnny Storm." Said the male holding his hand out for me to shake.

I shrug it off.

"Ok, not a shaker." He said pulling back.

Reed turned to see Johnny look at me with that look that made girls weak at the knees.

"You," said Reed referring to me as he pointed I looked up "zip up."

"Ugh! Reed! I'm not 15 anymore!" I said.

"Yes but," Reed said he looked at Johnny. "You are my little sister!" Said Reed basically telling Johnny.

'That's Kassidy your X and she is a no touching zone'

Johnny gasped "Kassidy?!"

"Can I help you Mr Storm." You said.

Sue could feel the tension.

She gave Ben his space suit with a smile.

Then throughs Reed his.

I take one from sue that was for Johnny and through it at him.

We enter the nerve center of the space station.

Victor goes to a computer console on the observation deck below. The windows are closed, so there's nothing to observe.

"We can monitor the cloud's approach and observe the tests from here." Said Sue

"Is it safe?" Asked Ben

"The shields on the station should protect us." Said Reed.

"Should?" I asked

"What's wrong, Kass? Eighty-million
dollars worth of equipment not enough for you?" Asked Victor.

I glared at him

"Let's start loading those samples. Get your suit ready, Ben and Kassidy help him" Reed said handing me a tablet to record notes in. He looked at me and I realised what he did, he cut in before I punched Victor in the balls.

I notice that Victor keeps his eyes on me.

"So you still do all the heavy lifting and petit reminders?" Asked Victor smugly.

Victor gives a friendly smile, patting Reed.

"Maybe you should have stayed back in the lab. Field work never suited you." Said Victor

Reed doesn't defend himself.

So me and Ben step up.

"He does the talking. I do the walking-" said Ben

"And I do the reminding. Got it?" I finished.

Victor holds tight to his smile. He nods, condescending.

"Got it. So Kassidy remind Ben to take a walk ...I'm going to borrow Susan for a second." Replied Victor.

I scowled.

"Sure." My brother said in a bit of sadness.

Ben, Johnny and I read his eyes, so we walk to the air lock.

Ben preps for a space walk, putting on a helmet and boots.

Johnny unloads a set of clear sample boxes off of a cart, each containing a variety of plants.

I was checking Bens breathing and vital system.

"Please tell me your brothers not trying to rekindle things with my sister." Said Johnny directed to me but I ignored him.

"'Course not. Strictly business." Sais Ben

"Yeah, well, his eyes say different." Said Johnny

Ben looked at him "Hey, four hearts got busted last time. Maybe she's not over it either."

"Wow Dr Drew. Let's see: you got Victor, stud of the year, more coin than God? Or Reed, the world's dumbest smart guy worth less than a postage stamp. Hmmm, that's a real toss-up."
Said Johnny.

"Yes but it's love you make a mistake and you don't hold a grudge unless that certain person stopped any contact with someone just because their older siblings broke up." I mumbled.

I look up to see Johnny look at me with sad eyes.

'Yeah four hearts got busted last time. Reed and Sue's the mine and Johnny's'

"Put your tiny little mind at ease." Said Ben angrily not hearing my mumbling.

Johnny started being cocky again "Don't you wander off, boy."

Johnny steps out of the air-lock and shuts the door.

We look through a small window to see Ben give the thumbs up.

The air lock door opens, and Ben gracefully steps into space.

"You know we lost contact after Reed and Sue's break up." Said Johnny

"You mean you lost contact." I corrected.

"Look I was doing it for my sister." Said Johnny.

I was getting angry "and what? Have me worried sick?!"

He looks done as if ashamed.

"And what's with those girls? Your a player now? And I heard you got the tattoo removed." I said referring to the 'Kassidy Richards' Tattoo.

Johnny was about to respond but Reed ran in.

"Ben, we need you back inside." He shouted

Ben turns to see us staring from a window.

"I ain't done arranging your flowers, egghead." He replied.

"Ben. This is serious. Turn around." I said now worried.

Ben sees Johnny motioning for him to look behind him. He turns and sees: the cosmic storm, rumbling toward the station. Not close, but not far.

That gets Ben's attention.

"Guys I coming back!" Shouted Ben

He turns back towards the ship. Behind him, the storm grows.

We stood by the airlock, waiting for Ben.

We heard the automated voice.

Me and Reed start panicking.

"Come on, Ben, come on..." I heard Reed mumble

"Reed, we're running out of time." Said a voice Victor

-

A wake of turbulence from the cloud hits Ben, making it harder to maneuver. The cloud's tendrils snake toward him.

-

We can see Ben outside the window, still twenty yards away. The entire corridor rumbles. Lights flicker and spark. We watch helplessly.

"Reed, you need to get up here so we can close the shields! Now!" I heard Victors voice shout.

"Not until Ben is back inside!" I replied.

Me and Reed bite our lips. A bad habit we have.

Me and him have a silent conversation.

'I'm staying for Ben.' I 'say'

'Me too!'

"Victor's right. " Reed said.

"Johnny, get to the command center. Close the shields." I said.

"What about you and Reed?" He asked now looking scared he held my hand as if not wanting to let go. He gave a squeeze and pulled back.

Johnny can tell me and my brother aren't leaving without Ben.

I look and see something flash in his eyes. Courage?

"Come on big guy, you can do it!" Shouted Johnny.

The exterior air lock door slides open. In agonizing, weightless slow motion Ben reaches to haul himself inside.

The leading edge of the cloud hits Ben is pelted by a hissing mass of space dust, splattering his suit with orange stains. Larger particles, small pellets, pepper him. Ben hauls himself in the last few feet by pulling on his tether.

-

"Event threshold in ten seconds. TEN..." A robotic voice says

I see Johnny punching controls to close the exterior airlock door...

Reed opens a first aid kit, grabs a thermo-elastic blanket...

I start to think on how to get things where and if I could move and tell people what to do it things it would be done in no run but I think about Ben, in danger...

I Sue shout "Johnny! Reed! Kassidy!"

AUTOMATED VOICE
FIVE...FOO-UR...

Everything is in slow motion and the last thing I see is everyone frozen in positions.

Johnny is hit with sparks of flame from a control panel.

Reed Reaches out for Ben and the airlock door.

Vapour stream pours down on Sue from a blown gasket.

The Space dust burns into Ben's skin.

I hold my head in pain from all the noises and thinking I had been doing.

"They're not responding!" I heard Reed say in panic.

"Ben! Kassidy!" Was that...

Johnny?