Janet Van Dyne slowly made her way over to the elevator of the Baxter Building that would carry her up to the top floor where she would get the help she so desperately needed. She passed a mirrored column in the lobby and saw how her glamour had faded. Jan hadn't taken on her true demonic form, but instead her normal human visage had been warped and distorted. This was due to how tasking the use of her newly-honed demonic thrall and powers on the crowd outside the Baxter Building had on her, and she couldn't help but recall how Mistress Sue had instructed her not to overdo it in one of their many lessons since she had given herself completely to Lord Mephisto's evil. A hot pang of anxiety ran down her spine and she knew she had, in fact, overdone it, and she could see the consequences in the mirror. The Wasp could no longer hold her once beautiful human appearance. She looked older, more worn out. There were deep, dark bags under her eyes and wrinkles and blemishes on her face, where minutes ago there were none.
Janet hated the way she looked at that moment, and knew if she didn't move fast towards the elevator, her appearance would only get worse and worse. She took a step, and found that her legs were shaky and heavy. Each step was a huge labor for the wicked woman. Despite all of this, Janet Van Dyne thanked her Lord Mephisto that the lobby was, for the most part, empty and she was left to slowly creep her way over to the elevator. That was until a cheerful voice called her name.
"Miss Van Dyne? Miss Van Dyne? Oh, it is you!" came the loud voice of the Fantastic Four's mailman, Willie Lumpkin. The slim, elderly man walked over in his standard blue US Postal Service uniform. He was tall and had white hair and an equally white bushy mustache, along with his trademark dark glasses. He had been delivering mail for the Fantastic Four for as long as anyone could remember.
Janet's first instinct was to hurry her way to the elevator, but to her dismay, her worn-out legs wouldn't cooperate. Finally, she sighed to herself and greeted the man, flashing a closed-mouth grin on account of not wanting to know what had become of her once-pearly white teeth in her mouth.
"I am sorry for interrupting you, Miss Van Dyne, but I just have to say I saw what you did outside to calm that crowd and that was a stroke of genius! Absolute genius!" Pumpkin exclaimed, "You have a real knack for that sort of thing, and I hope the rest of the Fantastic Four know how lucky they are that you have joined the team."
"Well, what I can I say?" Janet replied, her voice already taking on a more shaky tone to it, "It really is nothing."
"I know you are modest, but please know that everyone that I know is so grateful for what you are doing," the postman insisted, "And I have been telling people the good work you all are doing, since everything that has gone on with Mrs. Storm-Richards and the Kingpin, all of that unpleasantness, and the fallout of Mr. Richards' actions with the prison. Please tell him that I'm pulling for him and that I remain a true believer in the Fantastic Four. God knows what I would do if anyone threatened my dear wife. But anyway, I feel you deserve some sort of reward for stepping in and righting the ship when it was needed most. She-Hulk as well! Can't forget her. I mean, Johnny means well, but he's too young and impetuous to take control of such a team, and Ben has always been more of the muscle. Your leadership skills are invaluable, and, well, it's not a medal or the key to the city or anything like that, but my wife has baked you and the rest of the team a pie. I left it at the front desk. Consider it a token of our appreciation."
"Thank you, Mr. Lumpkin," Janet wheezed, and then coughed, "I will be sure to spread the word to the rest of the team."
"Now that you mention it, and if you don't mind me saying, I think you need some rest, Miss Van Dyne," Willie Lumpkin added, "It won't do anyone any good if you're burning the candle at both ends."
"I'll be sure to make sure she gets plenty of rest, Mr. Lumpkin," came the purring voice of Jennifer Walters from behind the slim postman. He jumped when he heard it, having not noticed the emerald-hued lawyer approach him. She gave Janet a long, hard look, and held back mocking laughter at how old and worn-out her friend and lover had become since seeing her last, "Janet, dear, I think you really need it."
"Oh, um, hello, Ms. Walters. I, ugh, didn't see you there," Lumpkin spoke, his face turning beat red. Simply being in the presence of the tall, imposing lawyer was daunting enough, to completely ignore her was the height of rudeness to the honorable man. He then noticed the unconscious Sister Julia sprawled out in a wheelchair and asked, "Now who do we have here?"
"This is Sister Julia from the Holy Trinity Church. We are reaching out to local churches to assist in any charitable work they have been performing. Sister Julia had a fainting spell halfway through our meeting and I thought I'd bring her upstairs to rest her wary head," Jenn explained.
"Absolutely incredible all the work you are doing!" Willie praised, "I had just heard from the girl at the front desk that a group of students from NYU are visiting the Baxter Building now. Johnny is giving them the grand tour. They are all about to graduate and Johnny has offered to meet with them about things they would like to improve on the city! Can you imagine putting that on your resume coming out of college! Maybe the boy's growing up after all! But listen to me ramble on and on like this, especially when two lovely ladies here need their rest."
He said his goodbyes and was about to leave, when the She-Hulk grabbed him by his shoulder and spun the man around. Before he could say anything else, she gently took off his dark glasses and peered directly into his eyes with her own. Jennifer Walter's green eyes changed to a brilliant, glittering golden tone and she purred forcefully, "You will remember everything about this, save for the information on the group of NYU students visiting the Fantastic Four. You dropped off the mail, witnessed the Wasp brilliantly calm the crowd of protesters, you dropped off the pie, talked briefly with the Wasp and myself and that was all. It was a very pleasant experience. Now, you must be going."
"I must be going," Willie Lumpkin said in a slow, even voice. And with that, he hurried out of the Baxter Building. Once he got outside, he looked around, his mind suddenly cleared of She-Hulk's influence, and went about his day, whistling a jaunty tune, and thinking how nice it had been to talk to the gorgeous Wasp and She-Hulk.
Jennifer Walters waved cheerfully after him, before her face fell in a serious sneer and she looked over at her sister in sin. "You look absolutely terrible," Jenn murmured.
"Tell me something I don't know, you fucking bitch," Janet scowled, flashing her yellowed, rotted teeth, "I had to thrall an entire crowd of protesters, not to mention fuck a priest! All you had to do was influence the mind of one very simple man."
"You're right, you're right," She-Hulk smiled, holding back mocking laughter at her fellow Succubi, "I shouldn't laugh. Let's get you upstairs as soon as possible. Master and Mistress will know what to do to fix what's become of you."
Jenn helped Jan make her way to the elevator. Once inside, She-Hulk picked up the unconscious nun and flung her over her shoulder. She then assisted the poor, worn-out Wasp into the wheelchair. Despite being off her tired legs, Janet still seethed and in a low, hissing voice she whispered, "Everything is progressing too slowly. I can't take talking to these poor, pathetic wretches anymore. The world needs to change."
"It will, sister, it will," She-Hulk murmured, "Soon, everyone in this city will be as wicked and perverse as we have become. A paradise for the demons and other evil-doers, and Master Johnny and Mistress Sue will usher it in. A demonic Adam and Eve!"
"First New York will fall and then the entire world!" Janet cackled.
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