* 1st Appearance "NICHOLAS SCRATCH" (Son of Agatha Harkness)

Less than an hour after the Fantastic Four return from Whisper Hill, Reed is closeted in his laboratory analyzing the metallic "egg" that Ben found outside the mansion. It was from this egg that the Eliminator—the robot that destroyed Agatha Harkness's Whisper Hill mansion and almost destroyed the Fantastic Four—emerged, and consequently Reed is trying to squeeze every last datum out of it to determine where it came from and who might have constructed it. When Sue enters the lab, Reed tells her that he has fed the data into the computers and is awaiting the results. Moments later a light flashes on a projected map of North America, indicating where the ore was mined from which the metal egg was made—a secluded area deep in the Colorado Rockies. "That", says Reed, "is where they must search next for Franklin and Agatha". He tells Sue to get Ben and Johnny ready, then leaves to take care of another matter. Sue realizes that the loss of Reed's stretching power has made him feel useless and burdensome, but she does not know what to do about it.

Sue finds Johnny washing up, and as he dries himself, they walk down a corridor discussing Reed's problem. They find Ben preparing to light up a cigar in the library. He had gone to Alicia's after they returned from Whisper Hill, but he decided to return because he was worried about Franklin. Before Ben can strike a match, however, a familiar hand stretches out with a light. Reed then explains to his surprised teammates that his power has not actually returned. Rather, he is using a version of the auto-extensors that he designed years ago when the Fantastic Four once lost their powers. Also, he is wearing an older version of his Fantastic Four uniform, because it was the only clean one he could find. Reed's teammates don matching uniforms to show their support for him, and they all head for the pogo plane hangar. Johnny says that he has recently modified the aircraft, and it has never been readier to fly. Minutes later, they are soaring out of New York toward Colorado.

As the pogo plane vanishes over the horizon, a green and purple sheet of paper drifts—against the breeze—toward the Baxter Building and settles through an open window in the Fantastic Four headquarters without setting off any of the alarms. Then it suddenly changes into the Impossible Man, who has finally seen his first movie, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and wants to tell everyone about it. He changes into a 1920s gangster, armed with a machine gun, but he soon discovers that no one is home, so he settles down to wait in front of the television set. Some time later, the pogo plane flies over the Rocky Mountains in the area indicated by Reed's computer. Even though there is no town marked on Johnny's map, Sue sees a small community below, surrounded by mountain peaks. Ben lands the plane some distance away in order not to attract undue attention. When they disembark, Johnny and Ben remove several heavy boxes from the plane, and Johnny quickly assembles their contents into a flashy sports car. Wearing street clothes, the four teammates drive along a windy mountain road into the village of New Salem. As soon as they enter the town, the wind stops, and Reed suggests that the surrounding mountains must keep the winds out, which is probably why the town was built there in the first place. Surprisingly, theirs is the only car in the village, and they park it to look around.

In the town square, they are met by the mayor himself, Nicholas Scratch, who bids them welcome and offers assistance. Reed says he and his "associates" are doing mining research, and he introduces himself as "Mr. Smith." Scratch escorts Reed and Sue to the city hall, while Ben and Johnny reconnoiter the town by themselves. As they depart, Agatha Harkness watches from a nearby window, relieved that they have come for their son at last. Turning, Agatha confronts her capto

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