Title : No One Gets Left Behind

Fandom : Fantastic Four

Characters : Ben and Johnny

Rating : PG-13

Written for the prompt : Fantastic Four, Johnny & Ben, Collapsed building (due to man or natural disaster), sharp pipe, pinned in place, you get the idea...

Disclaimer : All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

No One Gets Left Behind

Things aren't looking good and Ben doesn't like that. Johnny has grown on him over the years, he's still an irritating little shit half the time, but Ben can see through the bravado and he kind of likes what's underneath. Now though, the bravado has gone, shattered into pieces like the building above them.

Johnny is quiet, almost silent but for the pained wheeze of his breathing. He's stopped trying to move, for which Ben is thankful, terrified of what that might do to him. There'd been a moment when he'd wanted to tell Johnny to change, become the Torch and see if he could get free that way, but it was too dangerous. He himself might, and it's a big might, withstand the heat without serious damage, but there are other people down here and a fire would be the end of them without question.

They hadn't had enough warning of the bomb to clear the building of all its occupants. They'd got most of them out, just these last few stragglers and the two of them. Ben had used his bulk to protect the people they'd been hurrying out; he'd been hit, battered and bumped by the falling walls and ceilings. When everything had finally settled again, they'd all been safe, for now at least, and the building had come to rest around them, trapping them in its depths but with air and space to sit and wait and hope for rescue.

He hadn't protected Johnny though, he'd left the kid to fend for himself. If they didn't get out of here soon, he'd never forgive himself for that mistake. It had taken him a few minutes to even realize that Johnny wasn't with them, behind them . . . there at all, and longer still to clear away the rubble enough to find him pinned in place by a pipe.

Ben knows that without his bulk, without this body, Johnny would still be below the rubble, alone but he wishes that he could be like the others and change because right now, Johnny doesn't need the bulk. He needs someone to hold his hand, brush his bangs back and talk softly and give him the reassurance he deserves.

"Hang in there, kid. They're coming. It won't be long now," he says for what isn't the first time and the way things are going won't be the last.

"Sorry," Johnny breathes the word out painfully. It's not clear what he's apologizing for but he struggles on anyway. "T-tell Ssuzie . . . tell Suzie . . ."

"Sssh," Ben murmurs, resting a hand on Johnny's chest as gently as he can, hoping it offers Johnny something other than pain.

Johnny's eyes flutter closed but his breathing doesn't falter any more than it already is. Ben hears movement, the slide of rubble and knows that it's help, rescue and he makes himself step away. He leaves the one person here that he cares about as more than just an innocent passerby caught up in someone else's mess. He leaves his friend and he's got few enough of those and moves across to where he heard the noise. He shouts through the rock and rubble, is able to co-ordinate with the workers above to push as they pull on the pieces of wall that need to move to enable them to get everyone else out.

He knows he can't stop, he can't go and be with Johnny or they'll all die here. This is Johnny's only chance but there is still that possibility that it won't be enough, they won't be able to save him. Ben pushes the thought away at the same time he pushes on the largest obstacle. There's a grind and shift and he can see daylight through the cracks. He pushes again determined that he's going to do everything, everything, in his power to get Johnny the help he needs.

Finally there's a space cleared, big enough that with help he can get the other people down here out. The rescuers pass down ropes which they each tie around their waists, and he lifts them as far as he can before they are relying solely on being pulled from above. With the last one on their way out, he turns his back on them and returns to Johnny's side.

"Ben," he whispers hoarsely.

"Help's coming, Johnny. Hang on there. Don't you die on me now!"

"Get them out, Ben, save them." His eyes are pleading with Ben.

"They are out, Johnny, they're all out safe. It's just you and me now." He remembers his earlier thought about Johnny becoming the Torch to escape, wonders if he's still got the strength to manage it. "Johnny, listen to me." Johnny's eyes open again with a struggle, his hand lifts a fraction and Ben catches it, feeling huge and ungainly and useless, so utterly useless. "Johnny, can you change? Can you be the Torch?"

Johnny frowns, confused, then murmurs, "Too dangerous, hurt people."

"There's only you and me, buddy, only you and me. Maybe you can get free."

Johnny reacts to the hope in his voice, trying to push him away feebly. "Back . . . back and . . . and I'll try," he struggles to say.

Ben does as he says, frightened of what he's asking. He prays that he isn't making things worse. He sees flames stutter to life in spots across Johnny's body. It's not the roar of flame he's accustomed to; it lacks the heat, the vigor, but Johnny keeps on trying until finally he is the Torch and with a gut wrenching yell, he rolls once. It takes him free of the pipe and he's barely finished the roll before the flames have burnt out and he lies still. Ben moves swiftly back to his side, lifting him gently in his arms and crossing to the opening through which he'd passed the others.

He hadn't noticed them working on it still, it's wider; wide enough for him to climb out now. He doesn't set down his precious burden, but struggles his way through, holding Johnny to him, determined that now everything will be okay. Now Johnny can be saved.