Johnny Storm thrust his arm out toward the Doom Bot approaching him, taking it out with a stream of lava. He turned back to the group of civilians huddled together behind him.

"I could use some help, Sue!" he shouted in frustration as he herded them away from the burning debris.

"I'm a bit busy Johnny!" she screamed back, disappearing in the next second to avoid getting crushed by a horde of robots. He groaned pushing one of the more stubborn people out of the way as a few of the mechanical opponents that had been fighting Susan moved on to him. They slowly surrounded him, making an indiscernible combination of beeps and clicks as they prepared to shoot the super hero sky high.

The ever present flame crept up his arms, engulfing the rest of his body within seconds. He waited until the last second to take to the air, and the robots ended up blowing each other to pieces. From his vantage point in the air, he could see the battlefield the street had become. Ben was taking on a squadron as far away from the buildings as he could lure them. Sue was nowhere to be seen but was undoubtedly watching Reed's back as he decapitated the technical enemies with a stretched out arm wrapped around their nonexistent necks.

As the arrogant hero tried to decide where he was needed most, a shrill scream echoed through the smoke and mechanical creaks and groans and explosions. He tuned his flaming ears to the sound and shot off in the general direction. He scanned the destroyed city for the source of the cry, zeroing in on the young woman cornered against the wall of a small shop. Three Doom Bots surrounded the helpless girl, with guns aimed toward her. Johnny didn't pause to resent the enemy for targeting a civilian, zooming through the air toward the damsel in distress instead. Isolating the flame to his back, he shielded the terrified woman with his body, curling himself around her as they fired. His body jerked slightly as the lightning bolts collided with his back, fizzling out within seconds of impact. Balls of magma shot away from his skin, blowing up the few robots that had tried to take out the woman who was cowering in his arms. The girl looked up at him with wide blue eyes, scoffing gently at the dazzling smile he shot her, even while injured.

The Human Torch was no different than he appeared on TV.

But he had still saved her.

The flame died out in the next second along with the man who had saved her. She caught him as he collapsed forward; sitting him down on the scorched ground against the wall she'd been cornered against minutes earlier. The Invisible Woman faded in beside her unconscious brother, instantly reaching out to track his pulse. The civilian remained crouched down beside her savior, watching the blonde hero fuss over her brother.

"Reed!" she called worriedly. "Who are you?" she asked the shocked looking girl on the other side of Johnny. She stared blankly at the only female member of the Fantastic 4 for a minute while her muddled brain processed.

"Piper." She answered finally. "Woodard." She added after a moment. Susan Richards nodded once, taking Piper's hand in hers with a gentle touch.

"He burned you." Susan deduced, waving Ben Grimm over.

"He saved me." Piper corrected, looking around them for the first time since she'd been surrounded. Shorted out or broken Doom Bots littered the pavement all over the place; not a single one remained intact.

The stone hero padded towards them orange eyes flitting between the two siblings. Reed rushed up behind Ben, dropping to his knees next to his teammates head.

"His back." Piper offered helpfully, still staring with glazed eyes.

"Get her back to the lab, Ben. She's in shock. Reed will have to take a look at that burn too." Susan ordered, eyes remaining trained on her little brother.

Reed pulled Johnny forward so that he was sitting up, and examined his back. The girl had been right. Johnny's back was entirely scorched – how, Reed wasn't sure. – the Human Torch didn't burn.

"Doom Bot." he realized angrily, hefting his brother and law onto his shoulder. Ben effortlessly picked up the nearly unconscious civilian, holding her loosely so as not to crush her.

Johnny's blue eyes flew open and he scrambled around in the bed for a minute, trying to gain his bearings. The dull grey walls and endless machinery suggested Baxter Building. His sister's worried gaze filled his vision and he sighed.

"Hey Susie." He groaned, collapsing backwards. He hissed as a stinging pain spread across his back.

"You got burned by three Bots." She explained.

"You miss me?" he teased, eyes shut.

"I didn't." a gravelly voice interrupted.

"No one asked you, brick head." Johnny replied irritably. "We know why I got burned?"

"I ran a few tests and I'm thinking that the combined heat of the lighting and fire surpassed that of even your…" Reed interceded.

"You got too hot." Susan translated.

"Ah." Johnny acknowledged, sitting up slowly. He looked around the lab, freezing at the sight of a familiar girl, sleeping soundly in the opposite corner of the room.

"Piper Woodard." Ben told him, eyeing him as suggestively as a rock could as if to say, 'Pretty, right?'

"She was sitting with you when we found you unconscious." Sue added.

"She was in shock when we brought her back to treat a few burns and she panicked a bit." Reed told him.

"So your brilliant sister sedated the poor girl." Ben finished.

But the player didn't hear them. He was focused on the girl on the other side of the recovery room; her long blonde hair splayed out beneath her in soft waves, her long eyelashes casting shadows down her cheeks in the poorly lit room. She had stayed with him after he had blacked out.

In that moment, Johnny Storm decided he no longer needed the hardly dressed girls that were probably waiting in front of the building with cameras and pens in their hands in case the Fantastic Playboy asked for their number.