1964-02-20 - Happy To Help
Summary: Betty visits The Baxter Building to interview Mr. Fantastic.
Related: None
Theme Song: None
reed elizabeth 


The Baxter Building is a gleaming white building in the sea of skyscrapers in the heart of Midtown. The color, and what goes on within the doors, makes it an extremely popular building for visitors. All guests need to register with the front desk and once that happens, servodroids (small robots on wheels)lead them to where they need to go. It is good news—Reed is expecting the journalist, and has put aside time in his schedule to meet her.

*

From one Wizard to another, Betty Brant has been networking for the Bugle. The reason behind her interviews is unknown, the Bugle not the most rational, nor factually driven, news provider currently in print. The woman's heels click as she walks through the foyer, checking in as requested, and signing her name fluidly in the 'meeting' booklet. When a robot guides her, however, she blinks and watches it attentively.

"Hello?" She questions the machine, offering it a pleasant smile of her ruby painted lips. "Do you speak?" She inquires at first, speeding up her steps so that she walks beside it, and not behind it. "Do you have a name?" She then follows up, clearly curious about the droid that takes her where she needs to be.

*

"Hi." The white robot looks back up at her. "Yes.""I am called Herbie." The door in front of them opens and H.E.R.B.I.E. leads her into the elevator. The tall building seems like it might take a while to scale, but they arrive far quicker than one might expect. In just a few moments, the door opens, revealing a large conference table and the white lab coated Reed Richards. He looks far younger than most expect.

"Hello! You're Betty, right?"

*

"Oh! What an adorable name." She beams, very pleased with the robot's reply, and title. Her eyes glance around the elevator, feeling it pull and push differently than any other elevator she's ever traveled in. Keeping a hand on the flat of her stomach, she holds the other aloft, allowing her handbag to dangle off the crook of her arm. "It's nice to meet you, Herbie. My name's Elizabeth."

Then, they arrive. Peering out toward the room, her inquisitive peepers settle on the young genius before her. "Yes. Betty Brant, sir. You're Reed Richards?" A hint of surprise is in her voice, even as she crosses the floor toward him, hand out for a greeting shake. "I swear, if I knew all the minds of the city would be so handsome, I would have stayed in school." She muses with a playful smirk. "Thank you for allowing me to visit your building, Mr. Richards. Should I call you Doctor?"

*

"Same," H.E.R.B.I.E. replies before whirring away. Reed stands and comes over to shake her hand vigorously. She can see that his hand extends out, showing a bit of his disorienting powers. "You can call me whatever you like," Reed says with a smile. "Thank you for the compliment." He motions towards the table, "Would you like a seat, Miss Brant?"

*

"Thank you. I know you're a busy man, Mr. Richards, so I won't take up much of your time." A few more clicks and she arrives the offered seat. Setting her bag down, she pulls off her gloves, and slips her jacket off her form. Draping it over the back of her chair, she brushes down the skirt of her lavender dress and sits herself, smoothly crossing her nylon covered legs.

Digging into her bag, she pulls out a well worn notepad, and flips to a clean slip of paper, pen at the ready. "I've spoken with Howard Stark, and Doctor Pym as well. May I ask how you feel about their advancements compared to your own, and what it means for the city as a whole?"

*

Once she gets settled, a robot comes bringing refreshments. Toast for the morning, jam, peanut butter, and regular butter. There is also juice, water, and coffee. "Thank you," Reed says to the machine and he sits back into his chair. "What a wonderful question." He sits back and ponders for a moment, giving a measured answer.

"We sit at a rather interesting time in history. The balance between the natural world and the scientific world is blurring. Men such as Stark, Pym, and others continue to push the envelope of what mankind can accomplish and I think that's a good thing. It's an exciting time to be alive."

*

"All of your creations are very charming. I wish I had one for my ma." She comments idly, offering her own 'thanks' before accepting some toast, jam, butter, and coffee. When he speaks, she scribbles down, having become rather talented in shorthand and dictation. "I agree. I've seen such wonderful things, all vastly different. Then again, you're all vastly different men." Taking a bite of toast, she chews and swallows, before dabbing at her lips with a napkin. "Do you still consider yourself simply a man, Mr. Richards? Since you have become something more, has it affected your scientific progressions and goals?"

*

"I'm not sure what you mean by the question, Ms. Brant. Of course I'm simply a man. I imagine Mr. Stark, Mr. Pym, and Mr. Einstein would or would have answered the question the same. As far as the mission that ended in an accident, it hasn't made me more or better than other men. It simply has changed how I am able to help. There might be a rudimentary change. I can reach a wrench without getting out of my chair, but I would like to think that Ben, Johnny, and my fiance would have all been the same people regardless of the accident."

*

"I'm not saying you're better than anyone else, just that you are more than just a mere man, Mr. Richards. Apologies for being confusing, I'm rather excited by all of this." She confesses, still jotting down notes and answers as they come about. "I've actually met Mr. Grimm before now. He's a wonderful man, and I'm very…hopeful by what he told me. Very much like yourself, what happened to you simply changed your ability to help humanity. Very inspiring. It's a comfort to know that you, too, feel the same way."

Pausing, she nibbles at her lower lip, perhaps considering her question in different words. "I guess what I was trying to ask is if your change has shifted the focus of your studies. Are you still researching into things that sparked your interest before the incident? Given the state of the city, and the world as a whole, are your experiments more focused toward humanity as a whole, or with others like yourself? Other heroes?"

*

"Ah, yes." Reed says with a nod. "In truth, much of my time is focused upon the accident itself. I do not understand why the changes occurred. It has taken up a lot of my time, but I spend most of my day working. I haven't ever done an analysis on my hours spent working. I feel like that might kill the creative spirit," Reed says with a shrug.

*

"Everyone works differently, Mr. Richards. No harm in that." Betty promises kindly, taking down a few notes. "Now, if you have anything you'd like to explain to me of interest to yourself, please do so. I'm sure our readers would like to know what work you're doing that's exciting to /you/." A pause, she sits back and finishes off her toast. "Me? I want to know about you as a man, Mr. Richards. Tidbits that most don't know. For example; when you were a child, were you always interested in science? Do you have a favorite hobby outside of the office? Are you nervous about your pending wedding day, and when did you know Miss Storm was your Miss Right?"

*

Reed stops to consider, "What interests me is anything that can enrich, elongate, or help mankind as a whole. I am interested in smaller projects that might help clean water in Africa, or ease the plight of the poor. Things used only for monetary reasons tend to bore me. They're a necessity to keep the lights on, but they do bore me."

"From the time I was a child all I wanted to do was to create. My father was very supportive of my endeavors and allowed me to leave home and study at universities even though I was a child." He shakes his head, "I honestly don't have a lot of hobbies. I think you'll find that most people who do their hobbies as their jobs spend as much time as possible doing them. In my spare time I like to spend it with my family." He reddens a bit and shakes his head, "I'm not nervous about marrying Sue. She's wonderful and I am lucky to have her. When a woman who is as great a person as she is decides she's interested in you, you move promptly and seriously."

*

Elizabeth smiles all the while, correcting her posture as she leans over her notepad, pen flowing. The red on his cheeks isn't missed by the brunette, but she doesn't tease him about it, either. "Forgive me for not wishing you congrats earlier about your engagement, Mr. Richards." Sipping her coffee, she sets the mug down and rests her stormy gaze on the young genius. "I asked a question like this to Mr. Grimm, so I'd like to ask the same of you. If you could turn back time, and prevent the incident, would you? Do you remember being happier before your life changed, or after?"

*

"It is difficult for me to decide. The accident had beneficial effects on some of us, and very real and difficult effects on some of us. The question isn't something I can really afford to dwell on. I have to live in the here and now, of course, but the accident was my fault. I have to own that the rest of my life," Reed says. Or until he undoes it, he doesn't say.

*

"Y'know, my ma use to say that accidents and faults are sometimes doors to something better. It's easy to feel at fault, even if no one else blames you for anything. We're our own worst judges sometimes, Mr. Richards. If the rest of your family and friends are happy, why not work toward forgiving yourself?" Now, she speaks to him in a softer, gentler tone. The pen is down, and not even the question has made it onto the paper.

*

Reed smiles faintly, "I wish it was that easy, Miss Brant. I fear it is a lot more complicated than that, however, a lot of that is private and not something I can really get into I'm afraid."

*

"I understand, and I'm not digging that deep. People deserve their privacy. I just know it's easy to be hard on yourself, maybe not for the same reasons, but…hey. The support is there." She promises before clearing her throat and sitting up a bit more. Reclaiming her pen, she glances down at her paper, re-reading a few previous questions before directing her attention back to Reed. "Give me a quick run down of a day in the life or Mr. Fantastic?"

*

"Much of my day is focused on my work, but what happens is really dependent upon what happens out in the city. If myself or the rest of the Four are needed, we come. And sometimes that limits what I can do to work on, but if we are needed we always come," Reed replies.

*

"Thank you. I think that's a very positive note to leave the article on." Leg down, she stands and wiggles, tugging her skirt back to its rightful place. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Richards. I'll have the article posted soon. You're helping me, y'know. So, I'm very, very thankful for that, too." As before, her hand is out, open and welcoming to his own. "Is there anything else you'd like to say in parting? Anything you want brought to the public's attention about yourself, your research, or the Four?"

*

"Not particularly. I mean, I think our work sort of speaks for itself." Reed shrugs, "We're just happy to help."

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