Puppet Master pays a visit to the grave of Alicia's mother and his wife to pay his respects. He confesses that he thinks there is something wrong with his daughter, noting that she apparently hasn't been to visit the grave herself in quite a long time. Though Puppet Master did not know that Alicia Masters was replaced by a Skrull at that time. He notes that his step-daughter has changed ever since she married Johnny Storm, not Ben Grimm whom he always thought. So Puppet Master vows to find out why no matter what. Fearing the intervention from the Fantastic Four, the Puppet Master goes to his radioactive clay to find a suitable pawn to bring Alicia to him. He decides on Marvel Boy (Vance Astrovik), the member of the New Warriors to bring her to him.
At that very moment, at the penthouse headquarters of the New Warriors, the young heroes are currently in a training session together in order to learn how to work better as a team. Vance Astrovik is keeping a massive weapon aloft with his telekinetic powers, when suddenly he loses his concentration, dropping the device and abruptly ending the training session. Vance Astrovik gets a headache and claims that he has had a "telepathic flash" and is aware of some deadly danger. Unsure of if their teammate has actually telepathic powers or not, the New Warriors decide to follow along to see what the situation is all about. At the shared home of Johnny Storm and his "wife" Alicia Masters, Johnny tries again to get her to repair the damage Thing statue. Alicia tells him that she is unsure if she can as she has moved on to more surreal artwork and that all the sculptures he has seen in the recent past were nothing more than stock inventory she sold off before trying her new form of expression.
Before they can discuss things further, Vance Astrovik comes smashing in through the window. Catching Johnny off guard, Vance Astrovik uses his telekinetic powers to bury him in sculptures and then flee with Alicia as his prisoner. Johnny burns himself free and then chases after Vance to recover his wife. As they pass by the other New Warriors, their leader Night Thrasher orders them to defend their teammate in good faith that what he is doing is on the level. Firestar, Nova, Namorita and Speedball all rush at the Torch, trying to keep him away from Vance Astrovik and Alicia. Realizing he is outnumbered, Johnny decides it is time to call in reinforcements and fires off a Fantasti-Flare to summon the other members of his team. As the Fantastic Four arrive at the scene an engage the New Warriors, Nova asks Vance Astrovik what the whole situation is. Vance Astrovik makes up some story about alien mind control, convincing Nova to join the battle while he slips away with Alicia. As the Fantastic Four battle the New Warriors, they manage to incapacitate each member of the team. Seeing this, Vance Astrovik shakes off part of the Puppet Master's control and leaves Alicia in an alley to join his teammates. When Puppet Master confronts the woman he thinks is his step-daughter, she does not recognize his voice, making him realize that this woman is not his beloved step-daughter, but an impostor. When the Puppet Master tosses away his puppet of Vance, it painfully releases its hold from him, sending the young hero into the Hudson River. Johnny Storm catches him, causing the two teams of heroes to pause long enough to spot the Puppet Master with Alicia. When both groups rush at their mutual foe, the Puppet Master summons a massive robot that keeps them busy long enough for him to escape. With the robot destroyed, Johnny asks Alicia what her step-father wanted with her, but Alicia tells him that she doesn't know. As the New Warriors depart, Reed tells his team that with the Puppet Master on the loose again, he will have to take additional steps to ensure that none of them are enthralled by their foe in the future.
Fantastic Four v1 #356, 1991
