Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards #2
Reed Richards & The Riddle of Bast! Part 2
Reed continues to tell his son Franklin about a time he was attempting to collect the pieces of the Claw of Bast in order to save his colleague Professor van Nuys from Sebert Syndrome.....
He and Egyptology expert Francesca Fisher were on a flight to Egypt when suddenly Ko-Gar, a minion of Victor von Doom that Reed had fought earlier, has hijacked the plane. Ko-Gar comes out of the cockpit with a loaded gun and demands that Richards and Fisher turn over the Scepter of Bast as well as the ancient parchment he attempted to steal from the Professor. While their foe has the upper hand, Reed points out that even though the plane is on autopilot it would not be able to take into account the migratory pattern of ducks. No sooner has Reed explains all this do a flock of these birds end up hitting the plane causing it to shift in the air. Reed and Francesca take this distraction to disarm Ko-Gar, and Reed then ejects their attacker out of the plane through the cabin door. With the pilots dead and the plane damaged, Reed takes the controls and lands the plane at the nearest airport.
Not long after the landing Reed and Fisher are pulled into airport security where they are questioned about what happened on the flight for hours. Suddenly the interrogation is interrupted by Reed's old flame Alyssa Moy. She manages to convince the officers to leave her alone with their prisoners. Just as Reed is explaining to Francesca who Alyssa is, Moy jumps onto Reed's lap and kisses him. She then informs them that she has made arrangements to get them out of police custody and hopes that wherever they're taking her is more interesting than the three-day-old party she just left. Francesca is unimpressed with Alyssa and even less enthused by the woman inviting herself on their search. Going over the information that Reed and Francesca gathered, Alyssa points out that there is no point in going to Egypt until they make a stop in Romania first where the Eye of Bast -- another portion of the Claw -- is being kept in a museum. Although Reed agrees to take Alyssa along with them, Francesca takes a huge disliking to her almost immediately.
Meanwhile, at the Romaian castle that served as the home of Victor von Doom at the time, Doom is reciting his plans to claim the Claw of Bast and use it to restore his scarred face and gain immortality so that he might take over the world. He explains his plans to his assistant Radu, who hasn't come to fear Doom yet, but feels that he will. Sometime later on a train to Bucharest, Alyssa and Francesca are left alone in their quarters together. The two get into another argument over their true motivations for going on this trip, both implying their attractions to Reed Richards, but neither woman admitting it. They abruptly stop their squabble when Reed enters the room to see how things are going.
It's at this point that Franklin interrupts his father’s telling of the story, pointing out how difficult it would be that he could know details about what Doctor Doom and the women were saying and doing when he wasn't around. Reed pretends to be wounded by these accusations that he is making up his story, but when he suggests ending the story Franklin insists that he finishes it. Reed then continues where he left off...
At the museum, Reed learns that Alyssa intends to steal the Eye of Bast from the private collections. When he is hesitant about this plan, she explains that she is putting a glass replica in its place. As the trio bicker over the ethics of stealing the artifact, Reed suddenly hears a noise coming from outside. As it turns out Ko-Gar and Doom's followers have stormed the museum seeking the Eye of Bast. Appraising the situation, Reed suggests they escape out the window and uses one of his chemical spheres to eat through the bars with acid. As Reed and Alyssa climb out the window, Francesca is grabbed by Ko-Gar. Outside, Reed hears the gang of thugs order Reed's capture for their master and Reed realizes that his old rival Victor von Doom is also after the Claw of Bast. While Reed and Alyssa make a clean getaway, Moy suggests they continue on without Francesca. Reed points out that he can't leave her to suffer at the hands of Von Doom. Alyssa is forced to agree with him to mount a rescue mission when she realizes that Fisher has a scroll to find the third piece of the Claw of Bast.
At Doom's castle, Francesca is brought before Victor and demands to be set free. Doom boasts that he will soon be the ruler of the world and best his old rival Reed Richards. As he explains his hatred for Richards, Doom is unaware that his foe and Alyssa are watching things transpire from a secret passage behind a painting that demonizes Reed Richards. Reed suggests the need to be stealthy, but the sudden appearance of a rat frightens Alyssa enough that she knocks the two of them through the painting and out into the open. Quickly taken prisoner, Reed tries to give Doom the fate Eye of Bast, but Victor sees through this ruse and crushes it. Doom then informs Reed that instead of outright killing him, he is going to present a challenge to him. Still believing that the calculations for the device that blew up in his face were correct he challenges Reed to prove him wrong. Reed is willing to put his life on the line to prove himself right, but that's when Doom tells him that instead of Reed's possible death, it will be that of his female companions...
Recurring Characters
Reed Richards, Franklin Richards, Alyssa Moy, Francesca Fisher, Victor Von Doom
Continuity Notes
The police officer asks Reed if he is "sympathetic to Communists" which was a common phrase used during McCarthy Hearings, suggesting that this story is set in the 1950s. Any suggestion of this should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. While the story does not take place in the Modern Age, it involves someone with a natural lifespan who is active in the Modern Age, as such this story is also governed by the same rules.
There are multiple mentions to Doctor Doom's face being scarred as explained in Fantastic Four #5 this was due to an experiment blowing up in his face. As explained in Fantastic Four Annual #2, Reed discovered that Doom made some miscalculations in his equations which resulted in the accident. Doom blamed Richards for the explosion
