high open space, exposed structural elements. obviously aimed at first time visitors to create feelings of. smallness, inadequacy. this wasn't our first stop, in case you forgot nasa. and victor's not that bad. he's just a little. larger than life. he's financed some of the biggest breakthroughs of this century. reed richards and ben grimm to see -- my research suggests that exposure to a high-energy cosmic storm born on solar winds might have triggered the evolution of early planetary life. in six weeks another cloud with the same elemental profile will pass earth's orbit. a study in space could advance our knowledge about the structure of the human genome, and help cure countless diseases, extend human life -- give kids the chance to be stronger, healthier, less prone to -- but i haven't fully explained my -- you remember in school we talked about working together. that's what i was about to explain. ben. this is business. just work. you're, you've, i mean, how have you bee-- not at all. you back this mission, and i'll sign over a fair percentage of any applications or -- ben, the money's not important. we could save lives. hilarious. ben, think about all the people we can help if this works -- we got what we wanted. that's enough. those solar winds are flaring, but i factored them into my coordinates and -- well, uh, based on our history. you can handle the biogenetics, and i'll focus on the molecular physics. or, uhm, maybe i should take the biotech, you work the microscopes, since you have some background in electropho-- i, uh, think i remember the number. as far as crew, i was hoping ben could pilot the mission -- external srbs, orbital system engines. its just like the shuttles you flew in -- youthful high spirits. i'm sure he's matured since then. when have i asked you to do something you absolutely said you could not do? i had it at four. wow. fantastic. material made from self-regulating unstable molecules. i've been working on a formula for this. he's made a few changes. victor's better at these things. yes. yes it is. the shields on the station should protect us. let's start loading those samples. get your suit ready, ben. sure. no. no. impossible. it's. too fast. the cloud is accelerating! i don't know what happened. we've got minutes until it hits, not hours. victor, that storm's deadly -- the radiation's lethal. we need to abort. ben's still out there -- ben, we need you back inside. ben. this is serious. turn around. come on, ben, come on. not until ben is back inside! victor's right. johnny, get to the command center. close the shields. he's not responsive -- how's she doing? blood panels show no irradiation. good. you'll step up this protocol, every -- sue. i want to tell you. i'm. she's allergic to orchids. put that amaryllis apapathos by her bed. the african lilies? they're her favorites. three days. i was worried about you. how are you feeling? i don't know. i just keep going over and over the numbers. i should have done more, run more tests -- yeah, you and debbie and perfect -- what? come on. she's got a good thing with victor -- he's smart, powerful, successful -- ben. he'll give her the life she deserves. she ended up with the right guy. things worked out for the best. are you alright? feeling better? that's good. that's uh. good. i'm really happy for you and victor. i can tell you guys are enjoying what was the best part of our relationship -- passion. for science. what? what did i say? i. i. i just wanted to -- uh, sue? i can't. sue. look at your hands. let's not jump to conclusions, we need a massive amount of evidence before making that leap. the cloud has fundamentally altered our dna. we have to find ben. ben, are you there? ben? ben did this. he's had some kind of. reaction to exposure from the cloud. and he's not the only one. he's going home. look, we've got a friend out there in trouble. we need to get to him before -- we need to get past them. sue. your clothes. lose them. you've been working out. uh, sue? ben. are you okay? i swear to you, i will do everything in my power until there is not a breath left in me: you are going to be ben again. we're not going public with this. we're scientists, not celebrities. uh, during our recent mission to the von doom space station, we were exposed to as yet-unidentified radioactive energy, most likely some kind of nucleotide compoun-- ben grimm is a genuine american hero who's been through a terrible orde-- look, we went up to space to find a way to understand dna, to cure disease, save lives. well, now it's our dna, our disease, our lives on the line. thank you. no more questions. i'm afraid so. any visitors while i was away? we had a tough year. oh, it is. that's what we're here to find out. we should stay here until we can define the extent of our changes. and figure out how to reverse them. let me show you to your rooms. victor! what are you doing here? not much. we need to run tests to see the extent of the damage. victor wait. i just wanted to say, i'm sorry the mission didn't go as planned -- i ruined? with all due respect, i told you to abort -- victor, if we could understand what happened to us -- if we're going to identify the source of the mutation, we need to isolate your recombinant dna so we can activate positional genomes. no, just sit back. we have a good sense of your strength from the firetruck. we need to find the source of your strength. okay, this might smart a little. we'll. continue this later. back it down, johnny! not only could you kill yourself, but you could set fire to earth's atmosphere and destroy all human life as we know it. okay. i've uh, got some questions, from sue. that she thought might be better coming from me. can you, you know, go to the bathroom. like normal. ben, i'm afraid i've got to ask -- o-kay. we'll skip that question. is there something about flames? about flaming, that you -- what? no. i'm trying to figure out why we each ended up with different symptoms. it's not "invisibility" per se. you're bending the light around you with some kind of malleable force field. that's what you projected on the bridge. have you had any side-effects, from your powers? you should be able to bend light around other objects, even people, if you could control your emotional state better -- i'm saying, if you had a little more self control, you could locate the trigger. can you remember the exact emotions when -- okay. is there any way to duplicate that feeling? some memory or. how's that coming -- whoa -- what in the world would give me that idea? i mean, you broke up with me, right? no, i distinctly remember: you walked out my door. ergo. i think it was a little more complicated than -- there were a lot of variables to consider -- sue. i just. i thought. our uniforms were exposed to the storm like us. so they can transform like us, becoming invisible, changing size on demand or remaining impervious to flame. they're not costumes. nothing. nothing. nothing. of course. of course. the cloud. the plants, from space. their particles are still charged. with the right amount of energy, those ions could create the elemental profile of the cosmic storm. if we can build a machine to re-create the storm, we can reverse the polarity -- curing countless diseases, not just ours. of course. of course. with the right energy, we can stabilize the storm. maybe tie into the city grid. there's a system to it. wait! sue, don't touch tha-- that's what i'm trying to calculate. and it's not rubber. it's muscle, tendon. i seem to have the ability to manipulate the malleability of my molecular structure and redistribute my density to -- no way to know. without more tests, experiments. ben! what? what's going on!? he talked me into it. ben! slow down a second and -- wait for me. this isn't permanent, johnny. we need to be careful until we're normal again. you need to control yourself and think before you -- a higher calling like getting girls and making money? victor, are you. are you okay? what are you doing here? but i'm not done with the machine -- mass-produced? this isn't a toaster. you have no idea how it works. the storm needs to be handled exactly right, or it could make our mutations worse, much worse, maybe even kill us. victor, please. we need time to verify the data. we can't afford any mistakes -- there's only enough ions for two or three attempts. he was going to take away all my data, equipment -- which is why i'm working twenty hours a day, checking every variable -- i'm not the only one in there. i got you, vic, ben, johnny, all rattling around in there. i could get ben to tap into the baxter's main power to generate enough voltage -- you were? you know, i bribed the projectionist ten bucks to keep it open late? sue, you were right. it wasn't complicated. i just wasn't ready to be. to become. you can be a little intimidating. you always talked about how you liked the kind of man who could approach you. speak his mind. one who wasn't afraid to tell you what he wanted. why didn't you say something? ben -- we're working as hard as we can -- come on, this is nothing. ben, i don't know if this thing'll change us back or make us worse. i need you to be patient for a little while longe-- i am looking. that's why i can't make a mistake! i've got to get it right, and it's not right yet! we need to test this. i'm ok. just go, go after him. stop him. i can. make it work. the power. i need. more power. to control. the storm -- oh god ben. are you okay? you did it, you really did it. victor? what, what happened to you? what did you do to your -- victor, this isn't the way to -- sue. the only thing i ever knew without thinking was. i. love. johnny! spot-weld! johnny. supernova. now. sue, i need some of that anger, rage, frustration -- time for your lesson, vic. chem 101: what happens when you supercool hot metal? ben. well, we do have the suits. ben, i've been crunching the numbers on the machine. i think if we can rework the power settings. sue, can i talk to you for a second? i found a broken gasket, from space -- if one of us were to wear it. no more thinking, no more variables. sue storm. will you. sue? sue? you there?