The Love of Doom
By Churnok
Disclaimer
Dr. Doom and the FF are the copyright of Marvel comics and are used here for non-profit entertainment purposes only. This story is based on the continuity of the recent Fantastic Four Cartoon. Vanessa is my creation and is not to be used without my permission. Permission is given to anyone who wants to archive this story as long as they let me know first and give me a link to their site. I welcome any comments, questions, and/or constructive criticisms.
A Latverian Beauty and the Beast
Vanessa reluctantly awoke. She wanted to enjoy the warmth of her bed a little longer but Victor wanted her help in his lab today and besides, she enjoyed having breakfast with him despite the fact that he always ate behind a curtain. As she got out of bed and summoned her personal grooming robot she thought about that mask he wore when he wasn't eating. She loved him despite his attitude and ego but she had grown tired of that unchanging face, so a week ago she had painted one of his masks while he was asleep, nothing too gaudy, just a little color to alleviate his grim appearance. He had been furious when he put the mask on the next day and discovered the paintjob. Her own armor had been the only thing that saved her from his wrath. Even then it had been close. Not that she had stood there and taken it like some battered housewife. She had returned every blow.
Between the two of them they had demolished a quarter of the castle. The doom-bots were still repairing some areas. It had been lunchtime before they had both cooled down enough to talk. She remembered saying, "you could have just said you didn't like the way I painted your mask."
His only reply had been to order his closet locked when he wasn't using it. They hadn't talked about it since that day but she knew, through her access to the castle security system, that he still had that mask. She smiled at the thought as the robot brushed out her luxurious black hair and braided it down her back. Everyone else saw only the villainous Dr. Doom. Only Vanessa saw Victor's soft side.
Breakfast was a quite event, like most meals were in the castle unless Victor had something he wanted to rant about. She was sure that part of the problem was the dining room. It was so large and gothic that it seemed to discourage intimacy. Admittedly the lab where they spent most of their time could also be considered intimidating, but she felt as comfortable there as she did in her own bedroom.
"Victor."
"Yes my dear?"
"Couldn't we have a meal somewhere other than the dining room once in a while?"
"Why?" he replied sounding puzzled behind his dining curtain. "What's wrong with the dining room?"
"Aside from the echo? It's just too big for two people."
"Where would you have us Dine?"
"Oh I don't know a picnic in the courtyard perhaps?"
He chuckled, "How did I ever get such a romantic warrior?"
She smiled sadly knowing he could see her through the curtain. "We were both lucky that day Victor. You for finding a woman who can truly care about you and me for surviving that avalanche long enough to be rescued."
"Have you remembered anything that happened before the avalanche?" It was a question he had asked often in the three years since that day and though the words changed, the answer was always the same.
"I still can't even remember being rescued. It's as if my life started the day I woke in your medical center."
His hand reached out from behind the curtain and held hers. "There are times when I feel my life started anew that day as well."
She squeezed his hand. "Now who's being a romantic warrior?"
"You bring out qualities rarely seen by others, Vanessa."
They finished breakfast in a pleasant silence and then adjourned to the lab where they resumed working on Victor's latest project. Working in the lab was an intimate experience because Victor put so much of himself into his work, which was why he took criticism so strongly. She had to be careful about correcting him lest he take it as a personal offence.
Their first project together had been a system for predicting and preventing avalanches. The system was now in place and had been lab tested to a 99 accuracy but had yet to be truly tested under natural circumstances. Victor had spent hours trying to convince Vanessa that it was good enough. He was concerned that she might destroy herself obsessing over the project.
Their current project involved one of Victor's obsessions, the Fantastic Four. They were trying to design Doom-bots that could mimic the FF's powers. She knew why he wanted to make them and had voiced her disapproval, but she also knew it would be a challenge to make them and more importantly, that she stood a better chance of talking him out of actually using them by working alongside him than she did by standing outside the lab waiting for him to come out. That he needed her support to keep from slipping back into the darkness.
The Thing's brute strength and durability had been the easiest to replicate of course, followed by the Invisible Woman's invisibility and force fields and the Human Torch's various fire powers. The only real challenge was replicating the powers of Mr. Fantastic.
"Blast," Doom Shouted, smashing the console as another design for the final doom- bot proved faulty. "If only I had some of the unstable molecules that Richards uses for their uniforms. Then I could mimic his powers."
Vanessa sighed, "You're trying too hard to recreate his powers exactly. Why don't we try a close simulation of his powers?" She quickly typed a few commands into the computer. "If we combine holograms with force fields we can make it look and feel like the doom-bot can stretch and do a limited amount of shape shifting."
"Richards will find the weakness in the robot's powers and exploit it."
"Not if we modify it so that all he fights is a force field construct." She modified her program and activated the simulation. "See? The actual unit can be disguised as an observation drone, or perhaps two drones working in tandem. It will still have its weaknesses, but nothing Richards can exploit unless he figures out that he's being tricked."
"Which he won't have time to do because he'll be too busy fighting the construct. Very clever my dear." He turned her to face him. "Were it not for this mask I would kiss you."
She smiled coyly. "You could take it off and kiss me. I promise to close my eyes."
He turned away in shame. "It would do no good. The explosion that destroyed my face left nothing undamaged. No, ask me anything but that. The true extent of my shame is a cross I shall bear alone.
She hugged him from behind and rested her cheek against the green cloak that covered his shoulder. "Then I guess I'll just have you make you a mask that you can kiss with wont I?"
He chuckled, "I look forward to the day I wear that mask my love. Just don't paint it."
"All right, you can paint it." She smiled and kissed the side of his hood. "Now come on, let's get these Fantastic Doom-bots of yours into production before we get too mushy."
They spent the rest of the day in the lab. Only taking a break for a picnic lunch in the courtyard. They finished their work in time for a late dinner which was had by candlelight on one of the numerous balconies.
"I wish we could go out to eat sometimes."
"We are out," Victor stated with a hint of amusement.
"I meant eat out at a restaurant," she replied with annoyed amusement. "I sometimes feel like I'm a princess you keep locked in your tower."
"You know why we can't do that. I have adversaries who would try to use you to get to me, or take you away from me in a misguided rescue attempt. Besides, would you really want to be seen with the notorious Dr. Doom?"
"No," she said as she reached under his dining curtain for his hand, "I want to be seen with you."
He sighed sadly, "I wish the rest of the world could see the man you see, but I have done too many things that the rest of the world frowns upon. Things that I never even thought to regret until you came into my life."
"You're not that man anymore Victor, but as long as you hide in this castle, that man is all anyone will see."
"No, I cannot deny who I am." He let go of her hand and she could hear him put on his mask. "Good night my dear," he said as he left for his bed chamber.
She sighed as she watched him leave. She didn't care what the rest of the world saw. She only wished she could make him see that he was no longer the monster that he had made himself into.
Doom pounded the wall in frustration. He knew who he was. He knew who and what she was. So what was it about this woman that affected him in ways that no other woman could? He removed a black box from one of many secret compartments in the wall and wondered. If he had known the affect she would have on him, would he have started the project three and a half years ago that brought her into his life? Before then he had never doubted his actions. He was Doom and his word was law. He had to prove that he was still the man the world feared and respected and his new doom-bots were exactly what he needed to both prove that, and finally destroy Reed Richards and the rest of the Fantastic Four.
Vanessa awoke the next day to find that Victor had already left and that the doom-bots they had finished working on last night were missing. It didn't take much to figure out what he was doing. She donned her own armor, grabbed a couple Pop-Tarts and a protein shake for the flight and took off in one of the mini jets to pound some sense into the man she loved.
The Baxter Building was about what she expected; the bots were doing the work while Victor, no Doom, watched from the sidelines astride his floating throne. The FF had already switched partners but Doom had already factored that tactic into the doom-bot's programming and they were adapting accordingly. She set the mini jet on auto-pilot, ejected, and used her armor's built in flight systems to fly up alongside Doom's throne and hit him with a blast of energy to get his attention.
"Victor stop this now!"
"Foolish woman," he scoffed, "no one tells Doom what to do."
"You don't have to do this!"
"Yes I do," he replied coldly. "These four have thwarted me too often. I must have a final victory."
"Arrogant fool! This rivalry between you and Richards has gone on too long. If you can't stop yourself, I'll have to stop you the only way I can." She turned and flew towards the battle opening a channel to all four of the fantastic doom-bots and activated a program she had hidden inside them. They turned from their fight and to Doom's horror, attacked her. She didn't even try to defend herself. She just stood there half way between him and the building with her arms wide as each one struck and then destroyed itself. Before Victor had recovered from his shock, the wreckage of the last of the doom-bots they had worked on together was falling from the sky, and so was Vanessa.
Without a word Victor abandoned his throne and flew down to catch her unconscious form before she hit the ground. Gently cradling her in his arms he flew to the top of the Baxter Building and tor off the remains of her damaged armor to reveal, not the battered and bleeding body of a woman, but the badly damaged circuitry of an android. His hated enemies gathered unnoticed around him as he plugged his suit into a secret port hidden behind a small mole at the base of her skull.
"System diagnostic," he said into his forearm computer.
"System failure in 15 minutes," the computer said using her voice.
"Blast! Not enough time." In desperation he did the one thing he swore he would never do. He turned to Reed Richards. "Richards I need the use of your laboratory."
"Why?" replied Richards. "After all you've done to us, why should I help you? Who is she?"
"Curse you Richards, there isn't time to explain! She's dying, and if you don't help me her death will be as much on your hands as mine and my wrath will be far greater!"
"All right. For her sake I'll help you." Reed opened a channel to his lab computer. "Herbie, open the roof hatch."
"But Mr. Richards…" Herbie Stammered.
"Just do it."
"Reed are you nuts?" exclaimed Johnny Storm as the hatch opened. "Doom just tried to kill us, again, and you're just going to open up our home to him?"
"It's the only way to save the life of the woman who just sacrificed herself saving ours."
"For once I agree with the hothead. This must be another of Doom's tricks, "said Ben Grimm.
"Well while you three are arguing," Sue put in. "Doctor Doom is already working in the lab."
And indeed Victor was already in the lab trying to save Vanessa's life. Reed soon joined him and together they managed to stabilize her with seconds to spare.
"There," said Victor, "her auto-repair systems can handle the rest until we return home."
"Now maybe you can answer some questions," Said Reed, "Like who is she and where did she come from?"
"Her name is Vanessa," Doom said sadly as he gathered her into his arms, "and all I will tell you is that she is the answer to one man's lonely life."
Using her force fields Sue managed to muffle both Johnny and Ben before their wisecracks could set Doom off.
"You have my gratitude for helping me save her life and, for her sake, we have a temporary truce, but this is not over Richards." With that Victor Von Doom flew off with Vanessa in his arms.
"I never thought it was," said Reed as he watched his age old foe leave, "but maybe she can help you."