While Ben & Ozai lifted up the cylindrical object, Reed was overseeing the process of watching it being inserted into an opening on the Baxter Building's front wall. Sue on the other hand supported everyone with a sturdy platform she made. The gigantic contraption begged Ben's question, "What's this for again?"

"Provided you don't break it, this will be part of the building's new security system. Given all the attacks lately, I thought I'd give us an upgrade," Reed casually explained.

Ben's tone remained flat, "Oh, c'mon, we don't get attacked that much." Ozai lifted one brow in response, looking to Sue who interjected, "Ben, the building has been shot into space, pulled underground, invaded by Doombots, attacked by a giant monster, turned into a bomb & infested with bugs from another dimension."

"Yeah, but I think most of that was Johnny's fault. Speaking of the matchstick – ain't he supposed to be helpin'?"

"Well," she sighed, "you know him."

"Actually, Susan, my daughter has never been more different after the day out with Jonathan," came Ozai's little interruption that had a striking civility.

"Really? Errr…that's a good thing, right?" she blinked in disbelief. He had excited her gratitude, not to mention astonishment.

"It's a safe thing to say," he replied, a smile overspreading his face.

Ben cut in, "Where'd the two lovebirds go anyway?"

A moment elapsed & the sun was temporarily blocked out; a very loud-coloured Fantasticar was hovering before them all. The main cockpit flew open, & there was Johnny preparing for some 'lovely' presentation.

Reed let his jaw drop, "What - my - my Fantasticar! WHAT HAPPENED?"

Johnny hardly suppressed a grin, "Pretty sweet, huh? I had H.E.R.B.I.E. make a few 'mods' to the Fantasticar! Wait, it gets better!" A new, custom-made lever he pulled, to set the aircraft bouncing up & down with some additional hydraulics installed.

"Do you like it, Dr. Richards? Johnny said you'd like it!" said H.E.R.B.I.E., sanguine hope in his voice.

Ben put on the sarcastic look, mumbling, "Moron. Tell me he hasn't toyed with Dr. O's jet as well…" Obliged to submit to the new appearance of the vehicle for now, Reed shifted the topic, "Johnny, would you know where Azula is by chance?"

"Oh, Zed? She told me she's walking some fellow citizen's dogs for the morning. Or something." Just saying that seemed to light up Johnny's mug.

"Uhuh. You sure you haven't kidnapped her for a joyride?" queried Ben, his face unchanged.

"NO!" he snapped, roused by that remark, "Anyway, you guys know you love it!" He kept playing with those hydraulics whilst at least half of the others expressed a silent wish of choking him.

Walking down 42nd St. was Azula, with a pair of large dogs alongside her. Jet was the name of the Doberman Pinscher on her right & Colton the Rottweiler on her left. Few believed someone like her capable of taking two fearsome mutts for a morning stroll while their owner, Mr. Kohn was off to tend to some urgent matter at work.

"What can I tell him while unpretending at the same time? Or better yet, HOW can I tell him?" she asked Colton (for mere fun, obviously), stroking the short hairs on his muzzle.

Ufff, the Rottweiler responded.

"I mean, he even paid for the dinner that night! I have this jacket he gave me," she showed them the apparel fitted on her comfortably, "& I counted about three kisses in these two days. Of course, only one on the lips…"

Uffff, came the Doberman's turn.

Her sigh came out loud, "Basically, no one's treated me like this before," she concluded, & then the smile curved halfway up her face, "It feels weird."

She wasn't yet aware of Colton's infamous behaviour: his foul misconduct that squirrels suffered by. Approaching some shrubbery up ahead, the Rottweiler was incapable of containing the excitement when a grey rodent popped out to survey the place. The critter turned its head clockwise to see a huge streak of black & mahogany charging forward.

"Bad boy, Colton! Get back here!" Azula yelled. The silly dog nearly sprained her wrist. That was only one of many other dangers of having two bulldozers on a leash each.

"Let's get him, Jet…" She gained speed as she progressed to nab Colton. But a tingling in the back of her neck warned her of some other event occurring in that same space of time.

"Hey, look! It's Blue Dragon!" someone cried out from a few metres away. However, Azula found more cause for satisfaction in grabbing Colton - by cornering him by a narrow gate. "Down, Colt! Atta boy."

"Blue Dragon!" At least eight reporters towered above her as she secured the dog's leash once more. She returned their avid gazes with a look more worried than prepared. She'd formerly seen these same folks hunting for juicy news around the metropolis. Two women & a man grasped their mics & expressed their hunger for an interesting article.

"We were so excited to have an interview!"

"This will be in magazines all over the city!"

"Maybe it'll go global!"

Azula stood up to stop them, "Whoa hey! I'm in the middle of something here." She tied both mutts to a thick post.

The same three persons held up mics to her, as if they hadn't heard anything besides their own voices.

"One quick question! Is it true that you're dating the Human Torch?"

"What do you think of him as a person?"

"Is he the ideal date for somebody like you?"

A feeling crept upon her that she'd expose dreadfully what was hidden. People planning their time doing 'evil' stuff like this got a reputation as troublemakers. Just then, as if right on queue, her earpiece beeped. "Sorry, gotta make haste!" she found a direction to run. That threw a real gloom over the circle of reporters, but her reputation hadn't been sullied much.