9
For Queen and Country
Peter entered the hospital. It was surprisingly empty, which Peter appreciated. The last thing he wanted was to meet the relatives and tell them where – and how – he had met Owen. No one would buy any of the explanations he had. At least that was what he felt.
Slowly, Peter walked towards the Nurse's desk, a semi-circular thing that guarded the entrance into the hospital proper. The nurse sitting behind the desk was a lady in her fifties – a veteran, by the expression on her face. She was busy looking at several sheets of paper dotted with formalities. There were few people about, so she might as well do that. Peter almost felt guilty about interrupting her important desk work.
The youth tapped lightly on the surface of the desk. The nurse turned her eyes upwards, and looked at Peter. She didn't drop the papers she had in her hands down on the desk. She kept holding them as if they were precious.
"What may I do to help you?" she asked.
"I'm here about one of your patients, Owen Keller" Peter said.
The nurse looked at him with a frown. "Visiting hours are only around three-thirty and four-thirty" she seemed irritated.
"I know ma'am, but I'm not here to visit. I just need to know his condition" Peter replied.
Finally, the nurse laid down her forms. She turned to the computer screen, and gazed into the monitor; she then picked up the phone by her side. She frowned. "Mason, do you have any information on Owen Keller?"
There was a moment of silence, and the nurse raised her eyebrow. Her frown deepened. Peter did not like the look of that. It only meant bad news.
The nurse put down the receiver. She looked at Peter and let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry to inform you of Mr. Keller's passing" she said, in a flat, dull tone. Clearly, she had grown too accustomed to giving people bad news.
"Could there be a mistake?" Peter asked, holding out some slim chance of hope. "Owen Keller was the boy who took too much Metaplex in Gotham"
The nurse nodded, now with an expression of regret. She was probably used to this sort of thing as well – false hope. "I'm sorry. He passed away two days ago. And I have no doubt that it's him. I'm very sorry."
Peter scratched his head. He didn't know how to feel. He had barely known the kid, but he was so earnest in his desire to help people that it seemed like a tremendous tragedy. Peter himself remembered how he had behaved when he first got his powers: not very well.
"Would you like to enter into contact with his parents?" the nurse asked.
Peter waved his hand. "That won't be necessary. I'm sorry to have taken your time" he turned and left the hospital with a sullen expression on his face. He was no longer in the mood to explore Star City and see its champion, Green Arrow's beard.
He went straight to the Zeta-Beam terminal. He dialed in the appropriate codes, and in a matter of seconds, he was back in good old New York. Peter considered seeing Boston, but he wasn't in the mood now.
The evening was strangely quiet, as if some higher force wanted to add ambience to a day that was not ending on a high note. Peter put his hands in his pockets, and began to walk down the street.
There was a scuffling, and if he were anyone else, Peter would have ignored it, but by now, he knew that such noises could have more significant meanings. The youth looked around, and once everything was safe, he leapt upwards.
Just a few seconds later, Spider-Man was following the sounds, crawling on the walls with the ease of someone walking on an ordinary everyday sidewalk. He soon found the source of the scuffling, and that scuffling soon became the familiar sounds of a fight.
Fifteen youths, all seeming to be around sixteen to eighteen years old – and looking like high school football players, were huddled around something on the ground, kicking furiously. It didn't take supervision to see that the something in question was a man. He was crumpled in a fetal position, trying his best to protect his most vital regions. The blood was clear to see, and Spider-Man could see a broken tooth not far away.
Spider-Man didn't know exactly what had happened before – but it was clear what was happening now, and now, the assaulted man was quite defenseless and curled up on the ground. It was clear to Spider-Man what had to be done. And his spider-sense was also nagging at him; there was something odd about those youths. Immediately, Spider-Man launched himself at the small mob. As Spider-Man fell on them, he kicked and he punched, quickly dodging their attacks and forcing the gang away from the man. It was a fairly simple task, but not as easy as it should have been. The youths seemed to be stronger and tougher than your average hooligans.
With the palm of his hand, the web-slinger caught a fist that was aimed at his face. Without even looking, he backhanded the youth who had tried to hit him. The larger teenager was hurled towards the safety of a few nearby trash cans. Filled with New York City trash.
"Wow! This is quite a dance-off we're having here" Spider-Man said "But I think we've all had enough for the night. If you guys keep on behaving like this then you might get unlucky and meet the Crystal Gems. They always save the day. And if you think they can't, they'll always find a way. So you're lucky that you only have to face your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man here. I mean, I'm just a push over, as you guys can clearly see. Unless I knocked you guys too hard on the head, that is."
The teens looked at each other, confused and not knowing what to do. One of them, a big kid in a bandana that seemed straight out of an eighties movie, took a few steps forwards.
"Whatta ya doin' helpin' that scumball?" the big teen said "He's a pusher, pushing his drugs on innocent people! We're justified in what we're doin'!"
Spider-Man groaned. He never liked taking the side of criminals, but sometimes, it was necessary. Besides, he didn't know if the man on the ground was really a crook, of if he was just some poor schmuck who had been mistaken for someone truly unsavory. And of course, the spider-sense kept nagging at him. There was something wrong with these kids. The bandana kid could easily be lying. "Then leave it to the cops. You're going too far here. Unless he's a robot Nazi, which, looking at him, I'm sure he's not, you have no right to beat up on someone this badly."
Every one of the teens looked at Spider-Man stupidly.
"We ain't gonna let some stupor hero stop justice! We're justified!" the big youth then said, and the others began to advance towards Spider-Man.
His spider-sense buzzing, the wall-crawler prepared himself for the onslaught. They were tough, but he was still more than capable of handling these jokers in a matter of seconds.
Before the young thugs could even reach Spider-Man however, a yellow streak zoomed across them, and in a flash, all of the juvenile delinquents were tied up and knocked out.
"Ganging up on people like this isn't crash man!" Kid Flash said, sitting on a crate, looking at the tips of his fingers as if he were an office lady fixing her nails. "Hey Spidey, how are you?"
"I'm fine, and thankful, I guess" he said, as he shook Kid Flash's hand. "What brings you here?"
"Do I need a reason to come to the Big Apple?" Kid Flash asked with a smug smile.
"You know, you really don't" Spider-Man replied. The wall-crawler looked at the youths that Kid Flash had tied up. The supposed drug pusher had somehow slipped away, but the web-head couldn't help that. He hadn't done anything but getting beaten up this night. If he was a drug dealer, perhaps Spider-Man would have a chance to catch him at another night in which he was truly guilty of doing something wrong.
"You guys should cool down, and next time, call the cops" Spider-Man said to the bound men.
"And remember, vigilantism is wrong" Kid Flash added. "Unless you're crash."
Superman looked down at the Earth from the promenade of the Watchtower. He focused his attention on Metropolis, the city he called home. All was well, at least for now. With his super-hearing he heard them approaching. Judging by their heartbeats, it was Batman and Icon.
The Kryptonian turned. A few seconds later, the dark knight detective and the champion of Dakota City were entering the promenade.
Superman nodded at Batman, and then looked at the Dakota City super-hero. "Has there been any word from any of the lanterns?"
Icon tilted his head. The expression on his face was not a good one. "No. Not even Gardener."
Superman traded glances with Batman and Icon. "What's going on?"
"I wish I knew" Icon said "Any attempt at contacting Oa has failed. I tried obtaining information on Rimbor, which was the last place the War World was spotted, but I have achieved nothing."
"We'll have to assume the worst" Batman said "That the War World is indeed in the possession of Apokolips, as Thaddeus Brown had stated, and not just an old man's delusion or mistake. However, the fact that Oa can't be contacted is what is truly worrying."
"Oa's guarded by the Green Lanterns. And the Oan Guardians themselves have an incredible amount of power" Superman remarked.
"Which is why this turn of events is so disturbing" Batman said.
"What about New Genesis? What do they have to say?" Superman asked.
"Nothing" Batman said, with a hint of a growl "Apparently there's a peace treaty that they must respect at all costs. I think there maybe something more to it, but we can't rely on New Genesis – at least for now."
Superman sighed. "I'll take a look. Maybe see what's happening. Who knows, we might be lucky and Oa is in good condition and this blackout is nothing but a mistake."
"You know that's not true" Batman said. "In any event, Earth needs you here."
Superman looked at the Gothamite and had to concede. Things might seem fine now, but trouble could come from the most unexpected direction. Besides, he wasn't the only incredibly strong superhero on the League roster. There was Captain Marvel, and there was Captain Atom. And there was Icon who Superman turned to look at. "I assume then, that you'll be going to Oa."
Icon nodded.
"Be careful" Superman said.
"We will all have to be careful, if our worst fears turn out to be true." Icon said, as he looked at the stars.
With blinding speed, Bart searched the refrigerator in vain for chicken wizzies and snicker doodles.
The speedster removed his head from the inside of the refrigerator with a look of consternation. "Where's the good stuff?"
Peter looked at old Ted. "That's a very good question Ted. Mind answering?"
The old mystery man just grumbled.
"Today's youth can't do anything but shove garbage into their faces. I run a tight ship here and everyone under this roof eats properly" the old wildcat said.
"Have you ever read Upton Sinclair?" Bart asked the old man "You know, that book he wrote about the meat that you ate in the good old days"
"I ain't that old!" Ted growled out. He hurled an apple at the speedster "And take care of that gut of yours."
Bart easily caught the apple and looked at it in dismay. "Of course I will. But you do know that I need copious amounts of energy. I've been working hard – and training hard. Speaking of which, Peter, you wouldn't mind if I used your simulations, would you?"
Peter looked at Bart, dumbfounded. Why would he ask him that?
"Sure I guess. But why would you want to use my simulations? Aren't the villains in this world enough exercise?" he asked.
"You think they would, but your villains introduce the unexpected. Kraven is especially crash" Bart then looked at Peter, who seemed to have an inquisitive look on his face "Or so Huntress says. She's been using your simulations, by the way"
Peter raised an eyebrow, and his jaw dropped just a tiny bit.
"That's all very nice to know Bart, but what brings you here? And don't give me that sweet talk you gave Peter." Ted demanded.
Bart and Peter traded glances. The young speedster then shrugged.
"I was asked to come here" he said.
"By who?" Peter asked.
"Queen Perdita of Vlatava" Bart said, seemingly with pride.
However, Peter just looked at him somewhat bewildered. This hadn't been the first time he had heard that name. Despite all of his attempts at absorbing whatever information he could about this Earth, Peter was caught off guard when he first heard the word 'Vlatava'. It made Latveria sound like a sensible name. The principal at Elliot Shapiro High, Mr. Hapgood had selected his class to visit a conference in which Queen Perdita would be one of the speakers.
"Now that's interesting" Peter said "I'm going to attend a conference where she's going to speak nice things to us youngsters."
"I know" the speedster finished his apple with blinding speed.
Peter just looked at him. "How do you know?" and then, Peter began to think about it. Why had his class been selected? It was no more special than the others. "Is Batman involved in this?"
"You didn't hear it from me" Kid Flash said. "But he wants you to use that danger sense of yours. In case something bad happens. You know, aliens, Nazis, super-villains made of cheese, mutated turkeys – the usual."
Peter frowned. He didn't speak much about his spider-sense, but every member of the Team and the League knew about it by now.
"So I'm supposed to help you while I'm in class – in front of all of my classmates. That is such a wonderful idea! Why didn't I think about it before?" Peter said, throwing his arms up into the air.
Bart just smirked. "Don't sweat it Pete" he tossed Peter a cell-phone.
"I already have a phone" Peter said.
"This is for our immediate communication, since we won't have telepaths with us. See that red button? Touch it once if you feel a slight danger. Twice if you feel a lot – three times if you feel that danger is upon us, and four if it's death and destruction baby!" he said.
Peter looked at the phone.
"It seems like Batman is worried about something." Ted said. Peter looked at the old man. The champ for his part looked at Kid Flash.
"Well, you didn't hear it on the news, but it seems that Count Vertigo escaped from Belle Reve."
Peter just looked at Bart with a dumb expression on his face.
Bart was about to answer, but for once, the old champion beat him to it.
"Count Vertigo is Queen Perdita's uncle – the evil kind of uncle, if you know what I mean, and a supervillain to boot. I think I see why the bat would want you both there."
"You got it old man" the young speedster from the future said. Peter couldn't help but notice the oddness of Bart's tone.
Kid Flash raced across the city. In a matter of milliseconds he was at the airport. In another millisecond, he was standing before the gate. Kid Flash carefully combed his hair – he still had time before the dreaded moment came.
He had never met Queen Perdita; it was Wally, now more than five years ago, who had saved her life, racing across a frozen road in order to give her a new heart, almost failing due to the machinations of her uncle, Count Vertigo.
Somehow, the Count had managed to escape from prison and that was the League's – or Batman's – greatest concern. The details were sketchy, but Zatanna, who had examined the villain's jail cell detected a faint hint of magic mixed with a lot of science. The world was as filled with super-villains as it was with superheroes; anyone could have helped Count Vertigo to escape, from Wotan, to Klarion, to Lex Luthor himself. The more he thought of the man, the more Kid Flash was suspicious of him. Now that his own timeline was apparently gone, or at least too distant from him, the speedster had no idea of what Luthor was up to. Him becoming Secretary-General of the United Nations certainly didn't make him look less suspicious. How would such a man, use such a position?
The shadows began to emerge from the tunnel that led to the gate. Kid Flash watched with some dread. He had no idea what to say to the queen of Vlatava.
He would have to speak soon. The young queen emerged, surrounded by a company of burly bodyguards. Unless said bodyguards had superpowers, they probably wouldn't stand a chance against the type of villains the young speedster and his grandfather had to face. That was good cause for Queen Perdita to ask for a superhero's protection while travelling to New York; that was probably the reason, although Bart had his own suspicions.
The queen herself was a pretty looking girl of around his age, with carefully groomed blond hair. She seemed much healthier than she actually was. The girl had taken good care of herself since her heart transplant.
Queen Perdita looked at Kid Flash, and she froze. She then quickened her pace and stood just a few inches away from him. The bodyguards did their best to protect their sovereign.
Her head went up and down as she scanned the young speedster with her eyes. A frown, followed by a look of dismay appeared on her face.
"It is true. You are not him" she said, sorrowfully.
Kid Flash, who usually presented himself as someone who tended to balk at seriousness, was painfully aware of the seriousness of the situation. He frowned. "I know, and sometimes, I feel like a fake, but this is my way of keeping him ali… around"
The queen of Vlatava seemed – for a second – to be on the verge of breaking out in tears, but she managed to maintain her calm visage – something that was always important to an individual of royal standing. "May I ask, what happened to him?"
"I think he's around" Kid Flash said. He didn't like to omit facts like this, but Kid Flash himself at times couldn't accept the fact that Wally was no longer 'around'. He had actually listened to Artemis' report with some hope. Maybe he was around. Indeed, everyone around the world thought that Wally was still alive. Sometimes, to Bart's horror, it was because they confused him with Wally, but other times it was because of the sightings. Artemis it seemed hadn't been the only one to see the old Kid Flash flickering here and there and running to nowhere at all.
But he knew too well that you shouldn't just hope for good things to happen. Sometimes, they didn't. But he wasn't about to tell Queen Perdita this.
"That is a shame" she said "I so very much wanted to see him again."
"You're stuck with me, and although that's not really as crash as it might be, I am a good chaperone" Bart said.
A light smile came upon Perdita's lips. "I am sure you are. And you will protect me from super-villains like my uncle, I am sure too. But you will not protect me from the kids of Elliot Shapiro, as I can handle those on my own."
A big smile appeared on Kid Flash's face. "I bet you can"
Peter sat back in his seat and tried to relax. He was embarked on what amounted to a field trip – it was a shame that it was one devoted to international politics rather than to science, but he could stomach politics. Besides, he might learn something interesting.
It was just a shame that he would have the side-job of watching out for any suspicious activities. Of course, he was always on the lookout for suspicious activities, so there wasn't much of an issue, come to think of it.
Peter felt a hand on his shoulder. The youthful superhero turned to his right and saw Ronnie smiling at him.
"Today's the big day Pete!" Ronnie exclaimed merrily. The young jock had made no secret about his admiration for Queen Perdita. Peter didn't take long to notice the magazine in Ronnie's hand.
He didn't even have to ask Ronnie what the magazine was all about. The eager young jock just opened it up to a page which showed a blond girl at the beach in a bikini. The caption by it read the following:
QUEEN PERDITA ENJOYS THE SUNSHINE OF SANTA PRISCA.
"Not the best picture I've seen of her, but she's always cute" Ronnie said.
Peter looked at him with a dull expression on his face. "I have a feeling that she might say no to you if you ever ask her out."
Ronnie looked at Peter, askance.
"You don't know that." Ronnie said.
"Peter's got a point, and you know it Ron" Jason said, turning his head back to look at the two.
"Not you too" Ronnie said with exasperation.
Jason smiled. "You can't escape the truth Ronnie" Jason then turned back to his seat, and continued his conversation with his girlfriend.
"If you do say anything that I think you'll say Ronnie, she might punch you in the face" Peter said, imagining what would happen if the Ronnie Raymond he knew spoke to a head of state that happened to be a cute teenaged girl.
Ronnie's face lit up. "That would be awesome!"
Before Peter could bring his new friend down to Earth, Mr. Hapgood entered the bus and looked at the students. He then turned to Mr. Taubman, who had made the arrangements, and was – at least on paper – the supervising adult. Mr. Hapgood nodded at Taubman and sat down. The history teacher then got up and ran his eyes along everyone within the bus. The look on his face was that of admonition.
"Okay kids" the man began to say "You are all privileged to take part in such an important diplomatic convention between several national representatives with regards to international cooperation, and expansion into space following the Reach invasion. I want you all on your best behavior. That means you Ronald Raymond, or you go back to Bradley High School. I don't want you creeping out Queen Perdita" Taubman said, wagging his finger at Ronnie.
Ronnie just sat back and folded his arms over his chest.
Jason raised his arm.
"Yes Mr. Rusch?" Mr. Taubman asked.
"Is it just going to be Queen Perdita? Because it would be very embarrassing if the representatives of the world saw Ronnie drooling over her."
"Hey!" Ronnie exclaimed.
Mr. Taubman waved a finger. "Actually, a few more countries will have their representatives. Burkina Faso, Paraguay, Santa Prisca, and Bialya are the ones that I know about"
Peter almost leapt of his seat at the mention of Bialya. "Bialya?" he asked.
"Queen Bee isn't better than Queen Perdita dude!" Ronnie suddenly spat out, as if it gave his fandumb any more legitimacy.
"Quiet you!" Mr. Taubman yelled out. He then looked at Peter. Everyone else within the bus turned their heads to look at Peter. "Yes Mr. Parker, Bialya will have a representative present" he said.
"You wouldn't know who that would be, now would you?" Peter asked. He feared the worst. He had followed the news, especially the goings on within the borders of Bialya. As of late however, little was said about the Middle Eastern nation – most news agencies were concerned with what had happened with New York, and how it continued after being nearly submerged. To which Peter would probably answer: very well, thank you very much.
"No." Mr. Taubman said. "But it will not be Queen Bee"
Peter sat back in his chair, and rubbed his forehead, ignoring the jab about Queen Bee. He hoped that it wasn't who he thought it would be. There was no good reason for Peter to be fearful, but so many strange things had happened so far…
"I think I can answer that." Mr. Hapgood said, speaking up and rising a bit from his seat. "Her new minister will be here, Dr. Victor Von Doom"
Peter felt his heart trying to leap out through his throat. He knew that he would eventually have to face Doom – he just would rather it not be now, when he was forced to wear old clothes over his long johns.
"Thanks" Peter said, disguising his concern.
He certainly didn't know what he was going to say to Kid Flash. Peter was certain that his spider-sense would be buzzing off as it usually did; Dr. Doom was always dangerous. There was no option; Kid Flash had to be informed.
With Dr. Doom present, tripping up his spider-sense, Peter was concerned that he would be next to useless.
Peter shifted in his seat, and pulled out his cell-phone from his pocket. He quickly texted the speedster, telling him about Dr. Doom and the possible danger he represented. He hoped Kid Flash got the message in time.
But as Peter put the phone back into his pocket, he wondered as to why Dr. Doom would be present. Most likely there was an ulterior motive – a grab for power, more likely than not. His own, certainly. But that could have many facets.
Did he want power in Bialya? The world? Or just consolidate a cozy position within the Bialyan government? Either way, it was no good – at least Peter knew that for sure.
Peter wondered what lies the Latverian had told Queen Bee. Beast Boy had told Peter about Queen Bee's abilities, and the New Yorker doubted that Dr. Doom would be under her spell for even a minute.
Whenever Peter saw Doom speaking in an interview, his suspicions with regards to the villain's state of mind seemed to be confirmed. Doom's manner and tone were always the same – imperious, arrogant and very lucid. He was the one in control.
Mr. Taubman and Mr. Hapgood both sat down after they had counted the students, and the bus began to move. In no time at all, the bus had arrived at a large circular building not far from the U.N. Peter never recalled seeing any such building on his Earth.
The bus doors opened, and the throng poured out like a screaming flood with Peter following the flow of students. It was a bright morning day, but already, Peter could feel his spider-sense going off, touching him faintly.
Kid Flash read Peter's message, and then he followed Queen Perdita into the conference room. Her bodyguards were also present, but despite his respect for them, Kid Flash doubted that they could deal with anything that could possibly happen. Concerned by his own apprehensions and by Peter's message concerning Dr. Doom, he used his super speed to inspect every seat and every corner of the room to make sure nothing was wrong, that nothing that shouldn't be there, was there.
"It looks safe your highness" the speedster said, returning to Queen Perdita's side, his actions within the conference room itself having gone by unnoticed thanks to his speed. Queen Perdita's bodyguards, not having been able to see Kid Flash's actions were about to speak to their sovereign. However, the young queen raised her hand and silenced whatever protest may have come out of them.
"I trust Kid Flash. He is faster than anyone else, and has checked this room several times, I am sure" she said.
"Seven times actually" Kid Flash paused, and then his body began to shimmer. He continued "Or rather, ten times. I found nothing that might hurt you your majesty, but you should still be careful"
The queen nodded. "I will"
A figure walked out of the shadows and approached them. It was a man that Kid Flash recognized immediately. Anyone would recognize that bald head. The young speedster didn't even disguise his distaste.
"Your majesty, Queen Perdita, we have the honor of meeting once again" Lex Luthor said with a smile. He extended his hand.
Queen Perdita shook Luthor's hand and looked at him carefully. "I did not know you would be here."
"I will be the moderator of this little conference" Luthor answered.
"I didn't know you liked 'little conferences'" Kid Flash said snidely at Luthor.
The villainous entrepreneur gave the speedster a gargoyle's grin. "Even little things such as this one matter – especially when America's youth will be present in this debate about such important matters as energy consumption and global defense in the face of extra-terrestrial imperialism. I find it of vital importance to see into the future, and this is relevant to our progress within said future. This 'little conference' upon further examination, is not little at all. And therefore, I must attend to my duties as a fellow human being."
Kid Flash rolled his eyes as Luthor turned his back
Queen Perdita looked at the table on the podium, and the nameplate in front of one of the seats. QUEEN PERDITA, VLATAVA, it read. Kid Flash however tightened his lips as he looked at another nameplate which read: LEX LUTHOR SECRETARY-GENERAL. He should have noticed that one before.
Of course, at the time, he was looking for bombs, bugs and other such devices. Not the names written on the name tags.
Kid Flash wanted to let out a groan. This was definitely not crash.
"This is totally crash!" he said, hoping not to alarm the queen. It seemed to work, to an extent. The queen nodded and smiled faintly.
She walked up the steps. The security guard helped her into her seat. A man in a suit walked up to her, and placed on her side of the table a glass of water. Her security guards immediately examined it – and the man – using odd devices that looked like old walkie-talkies. After a prolonged examination, the queen's security detail set the glass of water on the table and let the man go; that wasn't the end of it though, as one of them went to examine the jug from which the water came.
The representative of Burkina Faso entered with his security detail. He seemed more relaxed then Queen Perdita did, but then he should. He wasn't related to a super-villain who wanted his job. Luthor immediately greeted the man. They seemed friendly. He calmly went to his seat, bowing respectfully before Queen Perdita. And that was when Kid Flash saw the name that he knew would be there, thanks to Peter's text message.
The nameplate was quite clear: VICTOR VON DOOM – BIALYA. Spider-Man had told him about this guy. So far, he hadn't been doing much but hang out with Queen Bee. Kid Flash was savvy enough to know that that was dangerous. And the League – specifically Batman – had done some digging into this Doom guy's activities. Batman had said that he covered his tracks very well, and records emerged stating that he was from Vlatava. Peter had said that Doom was from a country called Latveria on his own Earth. Kid Flash looked at Queen Perdita. This could be interesting; it could was also potentially dangerous. Kid Flash shook such concerns away. The Doom guy probably said he was from Vlatava because it was perhaps similar to his own Latveria – they sounded East European anyway. Some bad guys did act according to convenience.
The doors of the conference room opened, and a throng of people entered with the students of Elliot Shapiro attracting Kid Flash's attention. They entered in an orderly manner, guided by their principle and teacher. Kid Flash noticed Spider-Man amongst them. He was standing next to a tall teenager, who was looking at Queen Perdita in an inappropriate way, a look Kid Flash himself knew well. The tall teen began to move ahead of his fellow students and past his elders. And everyone else attending the conference.
The teen didn't get past Kid Flash though.
"Hey sport. What's cookin'?" Kid Flash asked as he suddenly appeared before the teen.
The teenager seemed startled to see Kid Flash right in front of him.
"I was wondering if Queen Perdita could sign an autograph for me" the teen said almost bashfully. He handed out a magazine which was open on a photo of Perdita in a bikini. Kid Flash raised an eyebrow as he was taken slightly aback.
"I'll see what I can do" he said, and in less than a second, he was standing before Perdita, leaning over the table.
"Is there a problem?" Queen Perdita asked. If she was fearful, she hid it well.
Kid Flash arched his thumb back, in the teen's direction. "Mr. Sportsman over there wants an autograph" and then Kid Flash laid the magazine on the table before the queen. Queen Perdita looked over Kid Flash's shoulder to see the youth grinning at her and waving with a stupid look on his face. The Vlatavan sovereign then looked at the magazine, and royal ears went red as she looked at the picture. She spat out something in her native tongue. Keeping her cool, she took out a pen and signed the photo. Queen Perdita handed the magazine back to Kid Flash.
"Please tell him that he does not have a chance" Queen Perdita said.
"I will" Kid Flash said with a smile. In a millisecond, Kid Flash stood before the sporty teenager. He handed over the magazine, and then said, "She's way over your league pal. No joke there."
The youth looked at the speedster with an odd expression on his face, and then the teacher came and grabbed the youth by his shoulder.
"Mr. Raymond! I told you to behave!" he said.
"Oh C'mon!" Mr. Raymond said, protesting, but the teacher still managed to force him into his seat. Kid Flash noticed Peter Parker sitting next to him. His eyes were on the podium. Kid Flash had a good idea why.
That was when Victor Von Doom entered the room. He was tall and handsome, and reminded Kid Flash of Bruce Wayne, at least in poise and bearing. He was impeccably dressed. The speedster had seen his face on television before. Luthor immediately walked up to him.
"We meet at last" Kid Flash heard Luthor say.
"Indeed" Doom replied. "Is there something that you want to say to me?"
"Oh yes. I'm very eager to say many things to you" Luthor said.
They both eyed each other with intensity, and then went into opposite directions. Kid Flash rushed towards the queen once he noticed Doom walking towards her. Through the corner of his eye, Kid Flash could see Peter trying hard not to jump out of his seat.
Within a millisecond, the teenaged speedster stood between the representative of Bialya and the queen.
"Have you been checked by security?" Kid Flash asked Doom.
The man from another reality simply smiled. "I only wanted to meet the queen. As a native of Vlatava it would be an honor if I shook her hand"
Kid Flash eyed the man, questioning every word he said, wondering about every meaning behind the most insignificant actions. He knew that Doom was lying, but why would he chose Vlatava as his cover? Was it that similar to Latveria? Was there something more sinister afoot? Kid Flash was growing more fearful that this was probably the case, especially given Vlatava's relation with the Light. More and more it seemed that Doom's association with Vlatava was not a matter of simple convenience as he had hoped just a few seconds before. Without turning his head, Kid Flash turned his eyes slightly towards Peter; it was apparent that from where he was sitting, he couldn't hear what was being said.
"I didn't know you were from Vlatava" Kid Flash said.
"I was not born in Bialya, I can assure you of that" Doom replied with airs of superiority.
Kid Flash felt Queen Perdita moving behind him, getting up from her chair.
"Please Kid Flash" she said, delicately shoving the young hero aside "If he is a subject of mine, he should be greeted with respect. And if he is not, he should still be shown the proper respect given to a representative of a foreign nation"
The queen extended her hand and smiled at Doom. Queen Bee's representative shook her hand eagerly.
"This is a great moment for me, my Queen" Doom said "in my youth, I never expected to actually encounter the sovereign of my nation, let alone speak as an equal"
"You are too modest Mr. Doom, or should I call you something else? I understand that you and Queen Zazzala are quite close" the Vlatavan Queen said. Kid Flash was certain that she too was trying to figure Doom out.
Doom bowed slightly. "Her majesty Queen Zazzala is of great importance to me. And you may call me Dr. Doom. I have no desire to ascend to a higher title than that"
Kid Flash couldn't help but feel that the good Dr. Doom was speaking with false modesty.
Queen Perdita smiled as well, with slyness rather than with bubbly adoration. "I am happy to see a citizen of my country triumph so well in a foreign land. Tell me Dr. Doom, from which region of our country are you from?"
Kid Flash smiled. Dr. Doom could be caught in a lie.
Doom tilted his head backwards, as if in a reverie. "It has been such a long time. But I still remember my home village of Graz, in the Leipno region. The smell of the pine trees and apple orchards. I wonder; do they still make the best cider in Europe?"
"I am certain that the region still does." the queen said with a frown that Kid Flash couldn't fail to notice.
"I am glad. It's been such a long time. I barely remember it" Doom said. He then bowed again and went to his seat.
More representatives came in, and Luthor took his place on the podium.
He shuffled several papers about and then looked at each and every student in the eye. He then turned to look at Kid Flash for a moment. The speedster could have done without that look. He wondered why Superman's arch-nemesis was here; as a public relations stunt, it wasn't really that good, and would undoubtedly be met with much deserved cynicism. The speedster than looked at Doom. He wished he knew as much about the man as Peter did; at this point, the boy from the future couldn't ascertain how serious a threat he was. But he had that look of being a major threat.
Kid Flash then wondered if Luthor's presence had anything to do with Doom's. Again, Kid Flash turned his head to look at Luthor. The Secretary-General's attention was on the crowd of students sitting within the audience, as he stood behind the lectern.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's an honor for me personally to stand before the bright and promising youth before me." Luthor turned to the foreign dignitaries. "And it is also an honor to host this conference which I think is of the most vital importance to our world, in the presence of such honored men and women as the representative of Burkina Faso and Queen Perdita, of Vlatava."
The representative of Burkina Faso seemed happy to be noticed. Queen Perdita remained reserved, but she did nod for courtesy's sake.
The Secretary-General continued his opening speech. "Some might say that such a conference is frivolous and unnecessary. The United States does not think much of Vlatava, Bialya, or Burkina Faso, but I must wholeheartedly disagree. We are all human, and we all suffered when the Reach invaded and nearly destroyed our planet, costing us beloved heroes, and left us so weary of the worlds beyond our sky."
Kid Flash looked at Luthor, and wondered what he was up to. The fact that he over-exagerrated the conference's importance was not that surprising; everything Luthor did had to have some sort of importance. But when Luthor remarked about the loss of 'beloved heroes' Kid Flash had little doubt that the Secretary-General was referring to Wally; and making a dig at him. He knew that Luthor was aware of what had happened in the arctic.
Luthor may or may not have cared about the teenaged speedster's reaction. But at the moment, it did not seem to be important. The Secretary-General kept his eyes on the young audience before him. Kid Flash noticed that Peter wasn't paying much attention to Luthor.
Peter's eyes were on Doom. That could be a mistake.
Luthor continued. "It is important that every human being on this planet band together in order to improve our lot, and our standing within the intergalactic community, which seems intent on invading us. For too long we have been at the whim of stars."
Kid Flash wondered what Luthor meant by that. Was he talking about aliens, or superheroes? Most likely, he was talking about both. His arch-nemesis was a superhero, and an alien.
Suddenly, Kid Flash felt a jolt from his wrist. He then felt three more. The situation was quickly getting serious. The device within his wrist was directly connected to the phone he had given to Peter.
In an instant, Kid Flash looked at Peter, and saw the youth holding up the phone and looking at him with a serious and disturbed expression on his face.
And it all happened in an instant.
There was a sudden boom that knocked Kid Flash off of his feet, accompanied by a bright glare. After a second, the speedster looked up, and saw three figures emerge from a circle of light. He recognized them all at once – Shimmer, Mammoth and Count Vertigo.
Once again, Kid Flash was left wondering about the intentions of villains. Count Vertigo's pretentions to the Vlatavan throne were well known – attacking the current holder of the crown in front of an audience wouldn't make the Vlatavans accept him as their ruler.
The trio seemed prepared to handle Kid Flash. The speedster saw Shimmer take a few steps forward and place her hands on the floor. Kid Flash had an idea of what was going to happen next, and he was determined to not let it happen.
In a millisecond, he got up and began to run towards Shimmer. His fist was just a centimeter away from her face when he felt Vertigo's attack. The Count was too late to help his companion, as Kid Flash still managed to land his punch. Shimmer was knocked back and on to the floor. And as Shimmer fell, her brother, Mammoth charged at the speedster. Under Count Vertigo's constant assault of wave after wave of psychic power, Kid Flash barely managed to dodge the large brute's fist; the meaty paw bored into the floor, breaking apart wood and casting dust up into the air.
Several screams were heard, and Kid Flash was aware of the people around him. He took a quick millisecond to see if everyone was alright. The students of Elliot Shapiro were making their way to the exit along with everyone else; Peter was doing his best to find a place to change, but stuck in the stampede, that wouldn't be easy. The representatives of the other nations ran, except for Doom, who kept a safe distance. Lex Luthor wasn't far away either. His secretary, Mercy Graves had appeared from out of nowhere, and stood in front of him. Queen Perdita was already being surrounded by her security detail. She would need to leave immediately if she wanted to be safe. If she was to be truly safe, Kid Flash would have to deal with this trio of super-villains immediately.
With his speed, Kid Flash could take Mammoth easily. However, Mammoth with the assistance of Count Vertigo was dangerous. The speedster managed to side-step the heavy-set brawler, and fighting off the increasing dizziness, went straight towards the count.
Before he could reach the Vlatavan villain, Kid Flash felt the floor lose its consistency. He turned his head slightly to see Shimmer's hands on the floor, turning it into something liquid. It didn't matter for a speedster – he could run on water if he had to. He increased his speed, and continued on towards the Count. He was a fraction of a second away, when he saw a blue block in Count Vertigo's hand. For whatever reason, Kid Flash was certain that this block was dangerous.
In just a millisecond, Kid Flash's assumptions proved to be correct. He suddenly found himself falling, even as he ran. He was surrounded by air, and then, he realized that he was running on a large body of water. As he could see no land in front of him or behind him, he concluded that he was running on an ocean. The speedster of the future wondered which, until he passed a ship with Chinese scripts on the hull, and people he was sure were Chinese walking along the upper decks. Kid Flash scowled. Before he could save Queen Perdita's life, he would have to run across the Pacific Ocean. He hoped that he wasn't there too late.
Peter realized that getting changed into Spider-Man was going to be a bit more complicated than he had at first expected. The crowd surrounding him was in a panic, and more focused on getting out of the building than on him, but he was surrounded, and he couldn't leave without being noticed, or causing even more of a ruckus. Making things worse was the fact that Ronnie Raymond was standing there next to him, as was Mr. Hapgood, who was doing his best to keep the teenaged jock from rushing to Perdita's rescue like an idiot. By extension, that meant that Hapgood's eyes were on Peter and Jason as well.
Peter turned to see Kid Flash knock down Shimmer and Mammoth to the ground in under a second, only to be dropped into a Boom Tube by the man everyone called Count Vertigo. Every inch of Peter's body wanted to leap out and attack the super-villains.
Now was the time for Spider-Man to make his appearance, but it was hard escaping Mr. Hapgood and Mr. Taubman's watchful eyes. It was then that Peter turned his attention to Doom, and to Luthor as well, since he had heard nothing good about that one. He saw and recognized, half-surprised and half-not, the same woman he had seen in Gotham dealing with the Penguin. She stood in front of Luthor, ostensibly to guard him.
Peter felt someone shove his shoulder.
"Stop staring Parker, and start moving!" he heard Mr. Taubman yell. Peter had no choice but to move along with Ronnie, who was himself determined to do something. Before he was shoved out the door, he turned his head back one last time. He was unnerved to see Doom already donning parts of his armor, and advancing towards the trio of supervillains, protecting Queen Perdita with a force-field.
"You don't have to worry," Mr. Hapgood said either to him, or to Ronnie "It seems that Queen Perdita has someone to protect her"
To anyone who didn't know Doom well, everything did seem fine, but Doom's motives were always suspicious. But Peter had to leave the room with the rest of the students of Elliot Shapiro High School. If he couldn't trust Doom, he could at least trust his scheming: there was a possibility that he needed Queen Perdita alive. And he would keep her alive if that was the case.
Everyone was shoved outside; Peter found himself surrounded by police officers and other gentlemen who were clearly part of some sort of security team. Ronnie was yelling at anyone who would listen to him, insisting that Queen Perdita be saved by someone. Amidst the confusion, Peter managed to duck beneath a few of his fellow classmates, and unnoticed by whatever security was trying to maintain a semblance of order, he rushed back into the building.
Finding a dark corner with no signs of cameras within, Peter quickly removed his outer clothes and donned his mask; in a second, Spider-Man emerged and ran towards the conference room.
He kicked down the door, propelling it towards the other end of the room, hitting the large brute with the exposed muscle tissue. He then noticed, with some initial bewilderment, that Queen Perdita was standing behind Doom, with Luthor and the woman not far behind.
Before he had a chance to intervene, the wall-crawler saw Doom, now fully donned in his trademark armor and green cape and tunic shoot a blast at the girl with the bad haircut, knocking her towards the wall. Spider-Man was certain that Doom was up to something, but he didn't have the chance to think about it as Mammoth threw the door back at him. The web-slinger shot a web at the ceiling and swung upwards, dodging the broken door easily.
Spider-Man clung to the ceiling and looked down at the big lug. "Good golly man, what have you done to yourself? I can see your vascular system from here! Have you been eating your vegetables sonny?"
A low growl escaped from the mutilated monster's gut. Spider-Man expected an attack from the monster, and his spider-sense was keeping him mind keen on the brute – and then his spider-sense shifted its focus from the big guy, to the count with the headpiece.
Before his body could react, Spider-Man was hit with a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness. The wall-crawler struggled to keep his footing on the ceiling. Once again, his spider-sense saved his bacon, tensing his muscles and making his body as hard as stone, as the large brute with the split skin swung a meaty arm at him, hurling him towards the wall. He felt his back slam against the hard surface, and he was sure that a dent had been made.
Spider-Man quickly looked up to see that the large guy was now fighting Dr. Doom. Seeing Dr. Doom play the hero wasn't right at all. He wasn't looking at the Latverian for long, as the arachnid hero quickly noticed the girl with the half-shaved head and snake tattoo running towards him with glowing hands. There were times in which Spider-Man wished that he wasn't so popular with the ladies. Some could be murder. Fighting the nausea Spider-Man aimed and hit the girl in the face with a thick layer of webbing. She fell on her rump, clasping her face with her hands.
"Wow! You're not the talking type, are you?" Spider-Man said as the girl struggled with his webs.
Before the girl could burn the webbing off of her face, Spider-Man rushed towards what he saw as the most dangerous opponent: the count of dizzy. Wanting to end it quickly, the web-slinger shot out another web, aimed at the earpiece. Spider-Man had read enough about this guy – Count Vertigo, a man who could have ruled Vlatava instead of Queen Perdita. His abilities were dependent upon his headgear. All Spider-Man had to do was yank the earpiece out and he'd be back to his old fighting self. The arachnid's triumphant smile turned to an expression of disbelief when he saw his web burning against what could have only been a force-field.
"Oh come on! Why did you have to be prepared buckaroo? Now this is going to be painful for you, and me too!" Spider-Man said as he hurled himself at Count Vertigo.
The count intensified his attack on the arachnid, but by now, Spider-Man was relying solely on his spider-sense. In an instant, Spider-Man leapt and delivered a diving punch at the count.
Count Vertigo fell down to the ground, but he wasn't knocked out – his force-field had protected him from the brunt of the assault. Spider-Man's spider-sense began to tingle wildly as the villain placed his hand within his coat.
Before the arachnid could reach him, Count Vertigo had pulled out something that looked like a futuristic grenade with a big red button on the top. He pressed the button, and there was a sudden flash of light and high pitched noise that would knock out any ordinary person.
Spider-Man however, was not ordinary, and although he was momentarily disoriented, his spider-sense once again came to save the day. Count Vertigo had taken advantage to leave his previous position, and when he tried to find him, Spider-Man found himself dodging a punch from the big guy. Spider-Man managed to land two jabs on the behemoth's face before the flash of light had dimmed and the noise had weakened.
He was horrified by what he saw. Doom, Luthor, and his female companion were on the ground, while Count Vertigo was grabbing an unconscious Queen Perdita and placing her over his shoulders as if she were a burlap sack.
Spider-Man clenched his fists. "The cavemen days are over Count Vertigo. If you want a girlfriend, go to the supermarket. And make sure she's not your niece."
The arachnid's spider-sense went off, and he quickly sidestepped as the large guy – who Spider-Man now remembered was called Mammoth – punched a hole in the floor. To the other side, he could see Mammoth's sister, the one called Shimmer coming at him with glowing hands.
"Two for the price of one. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this is my lucky day. But unfortunately, I do know better." Spider-Man leapt upwards and kicked Mammoth in the face; he then shot a web at Shimmer's face once more. The girl with the bad haircut was ready this time, and she protected herself with her hands, burning off the webs the same way that Count Vertigo's force-field had done.
"Forget the bug. It is time that we left!" Count Vertigo suddenly yelled out, putting his hand into his jacket.
Spider-Man saw Count Vertigo pull out a metallic block which he recognized immediately. He jumped up and kicked both Shimmer and Mammoth, advancing as quickly as he could at the count.
The count shot out a wave of authentic nausea, but Spider-Man was on auto-pilot, his spider-sense guiding every muscle within him towards Count Vertigo. It was unfortunate that the spider-sense wasn't perfect. The web-slinger saw the fallen Vlatavan count draw a strange looking gun from his pocket. The wall-crawler knew that he had to jump out of the way, and fast. His spider-sense was honking in his head like an old Ford Model-T, but the wave of nausea was too intense now. Spider-Man managed to harden his body and twist it around before the blast caught him, and knocked him down.
Spider-Man slammed hard against the ground, and he took a few seconds to regain his wind. He shook his head, and quickly got up. His spider-sense went mad.
There was a recognizable Boom, and a Boom-tube opened up right behind Count Vertigo. The count, still carrying his niece, dived in, followed by Shimmer, and then, by Mammoth. The web-slinger only had the time to hurl a spider-tracer on the large brute, before the Boom-tube closed. And at that instant, he felt a gush of air. He looked to his side and saw Kid Flash looking at him.
"What happened?" the speedster asked.
Spider-Man grabbed the side of his torso, and said, with undisguised shame, "Count Vertigo took Queen Perdita."
Kid Flash yelled out in anger, "Damn him!"
The speedster kicked the air.
"It's not over yet Kid Flash. I put a tracer on the big guy, the one called Mammoth. We can find out where they went" Spider-Man then let out a sigh, "If they're still in this city, that is." And with a Boom-tube, they could have been anywhere. The spider-tracers had their limits.
Nonetheless, this news seemed give Kid Flash some hope.
"We'll have to contact the League. You can give them details on those tracers of yours. Even if they are out of the city and in the South Pole, we might be able to find Queen Perdita"
Spider-Man looked at Kid Flash. The youth from the future seemed different now, more serious and focused.
The web-slinger then looked around to see that Luthor, his secretary, and Doom were nowhere to be seen. This was not good at all.
Slowly, queen Perdita opened her eyes. She felt the numbing pain before she realized that someone had tied her to a chair. The Vlatavan sovereign slowly lifted her head; her neck was sore and she could feel pinpricks at her nape. She quickly forgot that when she looked at her current companions. Before her very eyes she saw the woman with the shaved head and cobra tattoo, Shimmer. One turn to the right revealed the woman's oversized brother, Mammoth, and standing at the other side, not far enough away, was her uncle, Count Vertigo, standing behind an old metal table. On top of it was a laptop, and He was looking at it with a frustrated expression on his face, as if things weren't going his way. Perdita couldn't help but smile at that.
The queen of Vlatava looked about her, and examined her surroundings. She seemed to be inside an abandoned warehouse; old brick walls seemed to encase her from all cardinal directions. Light came through tinted windows which did not allow anyone outside to see what was going on within. Perdita took another look at the window; judging by the light, not much time had passed since her abduction – perhaps nothing more than half an hour.
Her uncle's skittishness brought her attention back to him.
"What have you done to me? I demand to know!" he yelled at the laptop. The young queen couldn't see who her uncle was speaking with, since the laptop was turned away from her. But she could hear the metallic voice of a robot coming out of the computer's speakers.
That didn't mean anything. She knew that a disguised voice could sound bizarre.
"You are not in a position to know anything, Count Vertigo. You owe me too much." The robotic voice said.
Count Vertigo's face twisted and contorted in a scowl. But there was a hint of fear. "I am the true ruler of Vlatava. Do not dare treat me as a peasant!" the once heir to the Vlatavan throne said in a growl.
"You are worse than a peasant, Count Vertigo – you're a petty crook, and if your people don't see you for what you are, than they deserve very little respect. I gave you freedom and you bitch. Bitch again and you'll regret it. Is she safe?" the voice asked.
Count Vertigo turned to look at Queen Perdita. He was surprised to see her awake, and he took some time to regain his proper composure. Quickly, he glanced at his henchmen and back at Perdita. He straightened out his tie as the girl scowled at him.
"I did not think uncle, that you would be so stupid. Kidnapping me so brazenly will not get you the throne of Vlatava." Perdita said. She then noticed that her chest was burning, and that she could feel her heart beating against her sternum.
The super-villain didn't answer his niece. She expected her uncle to look at her with an expression of spite on his face. Instead, what he saw was consternation and fear. His face went pale.
"Turn the camera towards her. I want to see if she's in proper shape." The metallic voice said, forcing Vertigo's face down towards the laptop.
Count Vertigo took a deep breath and he picked up the tiny sphere that contained the camera, and turned it towards the queen. Sweat was pouring out of the super-villain's skin like an open faucet.
"I told you to be careful! I need her alive!" the metallic voice roared.
"She has another's heart in her chest. This is natural." Count Vertigo said, his nervousness clearly evident.
"I know about the girl's state of health." The voice said, "Make sure that she doesn't get any worse in the next few seconds before I arrive."
The super-villain now looked shocked. "You're coming here?"
"Of course" the voice said.
Shimmer and Mammoth looked at each other as if the siblings had planned something behind Count Vertigo's back, or had known something that he didn't. Queen Perdita realized that of everyone present, her uncle seemed to be the least in control.
"When will you be here?" Count Vertigo asked, his voice trembling.
There was a moment of silence.
"I've already arrived" the voice said.
Count Vertigo looked away from the laptop and he eyed the large wooden door at the other end. His face down to his chin was covered in sweat.
He turned to look at Shimmer and Mammoth.
Shimmer just shrugged her shoulders. Mammoth had no visible reaction, as if he wasn't aware of what was happening.
The old wooden door began to creak and move until it was fully open. The bright light nearly blinded Perdita, so she looked at her uncle. Vertigo straightened himself out, trying once again to keep his tie straight and proper.
"Good day, Count Vertigo" the voice said, now booming from outside of the room, as robotic as it had been through the laptop.
Queen Perdita now turned to see who had come in. She didn't know what, or who it was. It could have been a robot, or a man in a suit, or a remote controlled drone. Either way, she had never seen anything like it before.
For simplicity's sake, she decided to regard the thing as a metal man.
The mechanical looking thing stood tall, and walked in the same manner as several young men she had met during social events. The metal man, despite its appearance of strength, was sleek rather than bulky. Its entire torso was bright red – hotrod red to be more specific, a color for a man to whom a low profile would be a fate worse than death. The spaulders that covered the metal man's shoulders were also of the same color, however, both upper arms to the elbows were encased in golden metal, while the vambraces and gauntlets were once again hotrod red. A similar disposition of color could be seen in the metal man's legs – its thighs were encased in golden metal, while its knees, shanks and feet were encased in metal painted hotrod red.
The metal man's helmet and gorget were also hotrod red. The faceplate however, was golden, like the plates protecting the upper arms and thighs. It was much like a featureless mask, with slits only for the eyes and mouth, and attached to the rest of the helmet by a hinge – this hinge seemed to support the idea that this metal man was a normal man in a suit of armor, as it suggested that the faceplate was removable. However, if there were any human eyes behind the eye-slits, than Perdita could not see them, as a bright light seemed to emanate from the slits. The same type of light, but much stronger, seemed to be coming from a circle on the center of the metal man's chest.
And then the metal man moved closer. Perdita could see that circles of light, similar to the large one on its chest, were on the palms of the metal man's hands. She had an overwhelming feeling that the bright circles were meant to emit deadly rays of energy.
The metal man stopped just a few feet away from Perdita. She could feel his glowing eyes on her, and she wondered if she was being scanned.
"You're lucky Count. The girl is fine" the metal man said, turning towards Vertigo.
"Who are you?" Perdita suddenly spat out. The hotrod red metal man turned to look at her.
"No one you'd know" it said.
"Are you one of Luthor's creations?" she asked again, hoping to get an answer.
"Absolutely not. Now be quiet. Your dear uncle and I need to have a chat" the metal man said, as he approached Count Vertigo.
Count Vertigo and the metal man spoke with low voices, so Perdita could not understand what they were saying. She did hear her uncle spit out the words 'Queen Bee' and 'compulsion', but that was about it, until Count Vertigo yelled out.
"I will do no such thing! Do you think me such a fool?! I may have allowed you to entrap me before, but I am not so daft as to proceed with this folly!" Count Vertigo nodded towards Shimmer and Mammoth. "They certainly will not allow your plans to come to fruition!"
The metal man's head moved slightly, without turning completely. The palms of the metal man's hands began to glow, as did its eyes.
Shimmer and Mammoth stayed were they were.
"Gosh darn it, it looks like they will. I don't see why you're so insistent in declaring your independence, when you have none. Now sit." The metal man said in a commanding tone of voice. To Perdita's surprise, her uncle sat down on the nearby chair with unexpected meekness.
The metal man turned to look at Mammoth. Its head went down, and then up, like a machine making a scan.
"Your people are careless" the metal man said.
"What do you mean by that?" the queen's uncle asked. Mammoth and Shimmer looked at the metal man with slight annoyance.
"Tall, strong and ugly here was tagged" the metal man said. Shimmer scowled, but the metal man ignored her. Its attention was on Count Vertigo. Perdita's uncle did not seem to be understanding anything, so the metal man spoke again. "Your large friend has a bug on him, no doubt given to him by Spider-Man. I'm not surprised that he didn't notice it." The metal man stood still and silent for a whole second "We should expect company soon. Don't worry though. They won't be your problem."
Shimmer looked at her brother and began to search him. After a moment, she found a device that was shaped like a spider on her brother's clothes. Shimmer looked at Vertigo, who seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown.
Ignoring all of this, the metal man then began to walk towards Perdita.
"Don't you dare lay your hands on me! I am Queen… " she stopped, realizing that royalty to such a being as the metal man would be of no importance. Quickly, she changed her tune, "I have many dangerous friends who will make you regret you were ever alive!"
"I know, and they'll be here soon. Don't you fret" the metal man said. He reached out and touched Perdita's neck with the tip of his finger. She felt a sharp needle penetrating her skin, and then an overwhelming urge to sleep.
Spider-Man tried to relax as J'onn pried into his mind. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. Always, his thoughts went back to Dr. Doom, wondering what he was doing and what part he had played in queen Perdita's kidnapping. There was a slight possibility that Doom's presence at the conference, and the queen's kidnapping were mere coincidences, but Spider-Man was too aware of Doom's reputation to believe that he was entirely innocent.
"Please remain calm Spider-Man. This will be easier if you would not distract yourself with errant suspicions" the Martian Manhunter said.
The web-slinger nodded. He knew that he had to remain calm. It was the only way in which his spider-tracer would be of any use; he had built the tracers to be attuned to his spider-sense, but that had its limitations. At best, the wall-crawler could sense the tracers for as far away as twenty miles, but it was clear that Count Vertigo and his crew had used the boom tube to go even further than that. Luckily, the League had managed to jerry-rig the watchtower's computer to detect the tracer – with J'onn providing further assistance.
Kid Flash was buzzing in and out, his body flickering as if he were a mirage. The wall-crawler wondered how many times the speedster had ran around the room. His concern for queen Perdita's welfare could not be overstated.
Batman was also there, looming behind Spider-Man.
The webslinger couldn't ignore his presence – nor the thoughts that it caused in him.
"Did you know about Doom?" Spider-Man suddenly asked.
"Please calm down Spider-Man" J'onn said, "I cannot perceive your tracer properly if your train of thought is misdirected."
Spider-Man sighed. "I can't help it. I keep thinking that our friend Batman knew about Doom."
There was a moment of silence.
"I didn't" Batman said. Kid Flash looked at Batman with an unnerved expression.
The Dark Knight Detective continued. "I wasn't even aware of Bialya's interest in participating in the conference until it was too late. My concern was with Count Vertigo, and his mysterious escape. That shouldn't have happened, not after Waller regained control of Belle Reve."
Kid Flash suddenly appeared in front of Batman.
"Spidey's Doomguy said that he was from Vlatava. What's up with that?" he asked hurriedly.
Batman looked at the speedster grimly. He then looked at Spider-Man.
"For now, I can't say what Doom's intentions are" the dark knight turned to look at Spider-Man. "Everything you've told us about Doom tells me that he is a proud and arrogant man, incapable of seeing his own mistakes and flaws. A perfectionist who cannot handle his own imperfection. But I've seen another aspect of Doom on the many times he's appeared before the international press: his desire to assert himself to the world"
Spider-Man had to recognize that Batman was probably on to something. After all, the wall-crawler did not know Doom that well – the Latverian was Reed Richard's enemy, not his.
"What do you mean?" Spider-Man asked.
"It's as if Doom has doubts about his own self. He has the behavior of several individuals I've known who have gone through a personal and terrible revelation about themselves. This can be a terrible thing, and Vlatava may suffer for it"
Suddenly, the lights went out. It was momentaneous – only half of a second had passed before the lights and power came back on. Batman nonetheless looked around and frowned.
"I'll have to have a word with Tornado" he said, almost mumbling. There were still a few issues with the Watchtower's computers that had to be addressed. But at the very least, this put Spider-Man back into the right mind-frame. He relaxed and let the Martian work.
Soon, and thanks to J'onn, the web-slinger found his spider-sense greatly enhanced. He was aware of many things going on in the world. He could see Captain Marvel fighting a robot, and Superman saving people in China that would otherwise die in a brutal Earthquake.
You need to focus, he heard the Martian Manhunter say within his mind.
And Spider-Man did just that. He suddenly began to feel the presence of his spider-tracer. It was in a city – a very large city.
Spider-Man looked at the computer monitor and noticed a blinking dot on a map.
"She's in Metropolis" Kid Flash said. He buzzed out of sight, and Spider-Man felt a violent rush of air.
"Wait!" Batman yelled with a commanding voice. Spider-Man couldn't help but notice how quickly and readily Kid Flash obeyed the detective's command.
"Where do you think you're going?" Batman asked the teenaged speedster.
"To Metropolis of course. I don't want Queen Perdita in that monster's hands for any longer."
"And how are you going to find her?" Batman asked. Kid Flash looked at the vigilante with a stupid expression on his face.
"I can search the city in a matter of seconds"
Spider-Man thought that he heard Batman grumble.
"They knew that you'd be there in the conference. I'm sure Vertigo's prepared for you in Metropolis. Spider-Man's going with you. And so am I."
Spider-Man found himself standing within a shipyard. It was a far cry from what he imagined Metropolis to be like – a modern, futuristic city, which seemed to possess the qualities of Cleveland, with the skyline of Toronto. The shipyard he was in seemed to be abandoned. Nonetheless, beyond the run down docks, the web-slinger could see the majestic skyscrapers of Superman's hometown. For a second, he wondered what it would be like to swing by the Solar Tower that Bette had once told him about. From where he was standing, he could see its golden form; it stood out from the rest of the skyscrapers of Metropolis.
And then, he turned his eyes towards the shipyard.
"What a crummy place" Spider-Man said beneath his breath.
"Courtesy of Lex Luthor" Batman remarked "Do you sense your tracer anywhere nearby?"
The wall-crawler pointed to a large building some distance away, but still visible with the naked eye.
"They're over there" the web-slinger replied "or at least, the tracer is over there"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Kid Flash said, and in an instant he was gone.
Batman growled. "Stop him!"
Spider-Man was about to leap when he saw Martian Manhunter's shadow streaking along the ground, followed shortly by the Martian's form flying across the air in pursuit of the teenaged speedster.
"It's good to know that everything's covered" the web-slinger said. He turned to look at Batman, and frowned beneath his mask when he saw that the dark knight detective was gone.
Someone had told him that he'd have days like this whenever Batman was around.
The wall-crawler leapt up and raced atop the various warehouses and storage facilities within the shipyard. He raced along walls and leapt between edifices, always following his spider-sense as it tugged his brain.
Spider-Man felt a sudden jab within his skull; Count Vertigo and his two goons were nearby, that was certain. He crouched down to make himself less conspicuous – this didn't affect his speed of motion as he could be quite fast when on all fours.
Quickly, the spider-tracer's signal became markedly stronger, as did the pounding within the teenaged wall-crawler's head. He jumped to the wall of a nearby warehouse, hiding within the shadow cast by the sun.
He readied himself for a major fight. Mammoth had brute strength, but didn't seem to be very agile, at least not when compared with himself; Shimmer apparently shot out searing flows of mucus; Count Vertigo made things go wonky thanks to science.
Spider-Man figured that Count Vertigo would be the more challenging villain. Any villain capable of fancy mind hoodoo was dangerous, even if the hoodoo came from a gadget. The youth readied himself so that he wouldn't lose balance, or hurl.
Nothing could have readied him for what he saw as he traversed another warehouse and came upon a more open space. Kid Flash was caught in a strange bubble, constantly vibrating and running while standing within the same spot, like a hamster in a wheel. Martian Manhunter was also restrained; something had felled him – he was on the ground, surrounded by a ring of fire.
That wasn't what shocked everyone's friendly neighborhood human arachnid. It was the figure who stood triumphant between the two seemingly defeated superheroes.
In spite of himself, Spider-Man gasped. He had not expected to see him here, certainly not playing the role of supervillain.
"Iron Man?" the web-slinger blurted out without even thinking, realizing the mistake he had made only when it was too late.
The shellhead turned to look at Spider-Man. It took for about another second for Spider-Man to realize that this might not be the Iron Man he knew, but one of Dr. Doom's creations.
It seemed that Dr. Doom had a sick sense of humor, and Spider-Man wasn't amused.
"Hey Spidey, how's it going?" the fake Iron Man said. He waved his hand at his two prisoners, "Are these friends of yours?"
"As a matter of fact, they are" Spider-Man said, leaping into the sunlight, into the open space as his head throbbed, warning him of the danger "And you're not, so you better release them before I get really cussed"
The fake armored avenger raised his arms and stretched them. "Aren't we friends?"
"You're not Iron Man, so no" Spider-Man flatly said "You look exactly like him, but you don't have his class or his style, and I'm pretty sure that you were bought in the bargain bin"
The spider-sense went off and Spider-Man leapt in the air, barely escaping a strong blast from the fake Iron Man's repulsor rays. The wall-crawler managed to attach himself to the wall of a nearby edifice.
The fake Iron Man looked at the web-slinger. "Always the man with the quips, hey Spidey? You're not very bright though. You should know that Iron Man was never this awesome"
Fake Iron Man's repulsors blasted away as he lunged, and Spider-Man barely had the time to dodge the attack. The doppelganger's fist obliterated a chunk of the wall Spider-Man had been attached to not just a split second before. Fake Iron Man wasn't slow; once he saw that he had missed, he turned towards the wall-crawler, who was still in the air, on his way to another lander, and began blasting away with the repulsors on the palms of his hands.
Spider-Man stretched out his arm and aimed. The web quickly caught on the wall of another building, and Spider-Man used its elasticity to propel himself towards the phony armored avenger. Dodging fake Iron Man's beams of death, the web-slinger gave him a dropkick that would have devastated a much larger man; fake Iron Man was propelled backwards. But he was hardly phased. He was still in the air as Spider-Man shot out another web to swing towards the ground.
"Is that the best you've got sonny? That didn't even give me a dent" fake Iron Man said. He pointed the palm of his right hand in Spider-Man's direction.
The web-slinger saw what the evil double was doing and he shot out his arm in so quickly it wouldn't have been caught by the human eye. A glob raced upwards and hit the repulsor hand unit of the fake Iron Man's glove.
For just a few seconds, the fake Iron Man had been stopped. The seconds would pass by quickly, so Spider-Man made sure to act with more celerity. He looked at Kid Flash, who seemed to be struggling to get out of the forcefield bubble. It seemed to be some form of Stasis Field. He didn't have the time or the equipment to free the speedster, so his eyes immediately darted towards the Martian, who was surrounded by fire. Now this was a problem that Spider-Man could solve easily.
The wall-crawler leapt over the flames and he took hold of the Martian. J'onn was greatly weakened, but he was still conscious. The arachnid hero placed J'onn's arm over his shoulder, and made sure that his own grip on the alien was secure.
"Hold on J'onn, we're about to take off!" Spider-Man said as he leapt up into the air. A few mere seconds later, a beam created a massive crater in the ground below. The web-slinger could feel the chunks of debris hitting against his leg as he landed nearby with the Martian.
"Spider-Man, that thing is a machine" J'onn said with some effort. Spider-Man gave J'onn a sideways glance.
"He has all of the hallmarks doesn't he?"
Before the Martian could reply, fake Iron Man raised the palms of his hands again, and aimed. The glow coming out of the repulsor's hand units was intense. Spider-Man placed his hand beneath J'onn's armpit and was ready to leap himself and the Martian out of the way, when a steel I-beam came out of nowhere and crashed into the metallic doppelganger's head. The web-slinger looked at J'onn.
"I think I'm getting better" the Manhunter from Mars said, responding to the look Spider-Man was giving him.
The web-slinger looked at Kid Flash. "What about him?"
"We will help him later. In the meantime you should be watchful, as I am still weakened by the nearby flames." J'onn said, pointing at the still blazing circle of fire.
Spider-Man quickly rushed towards the circle and put out the flames with his webbing. The fire was all out when the web-slinger felt his head buzzing; he only had enough time to harden his body as he felt the fake Iron Man's boot hitting his face. Spider-Man was hurled to the wall of a nearby warehouse. Quickly, the arachnid got up and out of the way before fake Iron Man could hit him with his armored fist. With amazing speed, Spider-Man delivered a devastating liver shot followed by a hook from his right fist. Fake Iron Man was knocked away. Spider-Man aimed and a line of webbing came out in the doppelganger's direction. However, fake Iron Man's palm's and feet began to blaze, and before the webs could ensnare him, he was high in the air.
"Well Spidey, it seems that this is going to be an air-to-ground assault. I hope you burn well" phony Iron Man said as the arc reactor in his chest blazed with even more intensity than the repulsor units on his hands and feet.
Spider-Man knew that this could only mean that fake Iron Man was about to use his unibeam. Although Spider-Man didn't know much about the unibeam, he did know that it was Iron Man's most powerful weapon. For a second, he wondered what the blast radius might be. And then he remembered that it would be a really good idea if he got himself, the Martian Manhunter and Kid Flash out of the way. Of course, with Kid Flash locked within the stasis bubble, it was going to be easier said than done. He then remembered that Martian Manhunter was telekinetic.
"Get Kid Flash out of here now!" he yelled at the green man. Spider-Man's hopes of a quick getaway were dashed when he saw how much effort Martian Manhunter was using in order to move the stasis bubble.
Although he might escape, Kid Flash and Martian Manhunter might not be so lucky.
Suddenly, the buzzing within his head weakened. Spider-Man's spider-sense was still active – it always was – but somehow it lessened its vigilance. It was as if a danger had disappeared.
The web-slinger looked up at bogus Iron Man and saw that the glow within the arc reactor was diminishing. Faux Iron Man as well seemed to notice, as he looked down to his chest.
"What's going on?" fake Iron Man asked.
Another quick glance answered the question, at least for Spider-Man. The youthful superhero could see a familiar, bat-shaped object sticking out of the fake Iron Man's shoulder plate. Tellingly, it was blinking repeatedly.
Bogus Iron Man saw it and pulled it out, crushing it in his hand. He then looked at one of the warehouses; Spider-Man followed the villainous double's gaze, and was surprised to see Batman standing on the roof.
"You siphoned the energy of my arc reactor" fake Iron Man said with annoyance.
"I tried hacking into your computer system, but that was taking too long" Batman said with his grim and harsh voice.
"Well, you didn't siphon enough. I still have enough to fly and to take care of everyone here"
Batman grimaced. "You'll probably have to deal with this city's resident superhero first"
Fake Iron Man looked at Batman for a while. Even with the faceplate on, Spider-Man could feel that Fake Iron Man was blanching.
"Oh my" fake Iron Man said, as the glow from his repulsors intensified. He gained altitude quickly – and then was suddenly gone as a blue and red blur whisked across him. Spider-Man felt a sudden gust of wind, and in an instant, fake Iron Man was on the ground, apparently knocked out, with Superman standing over him. The man of Tomorrow flashed a smile at everyone.
"You took your time" Batman said, descending down from the rooftop of the warehouse.
"I was a bit tied up" Superman said "Not literally, of course. Chemo was destroying Shanghai while Captain Marvel was fighting Mr. Atom" the man of steel nodded at Spider-Man "Spider-Man, it's good to see you here. Welcome to Metropolis."
"It's a fine city" Spider-Man replied, smiling behind his mask. He couldn't help but feel that everything was going to be alright as long as Superman was there.
As Batman walked towards Kid Flash, still trapped within the stasis bubble, Superman looked down at the fake Iron Man.
"This is odd" the man of steel said "There's an android inside this mechanical suit. I wonder why anyone would bother."
Spider-Man was asking himself the same question. Why would Dr. Doom – for there was no doubt that this doppelganger was his doing – chose to put an android within a robot suit instead of mechanizing the hollow area.
The youthful hero was still thinking about Doom's tortuous mind when Superman knelt down and yanked out the fake Iron Man's faceplate. He was astonished at what he saw.
"Tony Stark!?" Spider-Man suddenly blurted out "Tony Stark was Iron Man this whole time?" and then the teenaged wall-crawler was aware of everyone staring at him. Even Batman, who had been studying Kid Flash's stasis bubble with a device that looked like an iPad. "Am I the only one shocked here?"
Martian Manhunter, who now seemed fully recovered from his ordeal walked up to the youthful hero.
"I think that this may be a different person" he said.
Spider-Man stared at J'onn for a moment before answering. "I think you're right"
"So this is your Dr. Doom's handicraft" Superman said, looking at the android's blank face. "I have to admit, I've never seen an android like this before. It's more synthetic than mechanical, made up entirely of artificial replacements for flesh and blood. Maybe that's why he needed the robot suit. The artificial cells are interesting. They all seem to be the same, yet can form different organs, unlike human cells, which need to be specialized."
Spider-Man had heard the description before.
"Horton cells!" he spat out "Where did Dr. Doom get Horton cells?"
"That's a good question" Batman said as he approached "But it can't be answered now" he knelt down before the android Tony Stark and started rummaging through his armor, passing the iPad like device over it. He stopped at the gauntlet and took it off after several tugs. Here was more evidence that this phony Tony was not the real deal; Iron Man's armor wasn't necessarily rigid like medieval armor – it was made up of two million grain-of-sand-sized discrete units which could collapse and appear as normal clothing when not in use. This was a shoddy imitation.
Batman began tinkering with faux Iron Man's gauntlet. He pulled out a strange looking tool – not dissimilar from an old can opener – and he began to pry open the metal. Soon, the interior circuitry was exposed. The dark knight pulled out another tool and placed it within. There was a popping noise, and Spider-Man felt a gust of wind. Kid Flash was soon standing next to him.
"That was not crash!" the speedster said.
"Don't be so reckless the next time you face an unknown supervillain" Batman said.
Kid Flash frowned, and his demeanor soon became serious.
"Do you know where the queen is?" he asked, looking either to Batman or to Superman.
Superman now looked at Batman.
"She's not here" Batman said. "Nor anywhere nearby"
Kid Flash looked at Batman in disbelief. "Have you searched everywhere?"
"Yes I have" Batman replied "And there's no point in using your speed. You'll only find out that she's not here. This was a distraction."
Spider-Man now felt a pang of guilt. It was his tracer after all that had brought them to this shipyard of Metropolis. He felt a hand on his shoulder. The Martian Manhunter smiled.
"It is not your fault. This was beyond your control" the Martian said.
"Come to think of it, where are Count Vertigo, Mammoth and Shimmer?" Kid Flash asked, "They were the ones who took Queen Perdita"
"I found no trace of them. I did however find an energy signature consistent with a Boom tube. They were probably here, but they're gone now" Batman answered.
"And Queen Perdita could be anywhere" Kid Flash said in exasperation "We have to find her."
With a sudden movement, Batman's hand went to his belt. He pulled out a device that seemed like an iPhone. He looked at it with attention.
"What is it" Superman asked, knowing that something was happening.
"Nightwing has sent me a message" the dark knight detective looked at Kid Flash "Queen Perdita has been found in New York"
Everyone looked at Batman in surprise. Batman fiddled with his iPad, and then he turned it to everyone else. And there, on the screen, was footage of Dr. Doom rescuing Queen Perdita from the clutches of her evil uncle and his two henchmen.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Spider-Man said.
Kid Flash zoomed in front of the device Batman held in his hand. There was a look of concern on his face. Spider-Man could see the speedster's head turn from the iPad to the android body of Phony Tony.
"Is that really her?" Kid Flash asked, mostly to himself, but loud enough to be heard by everyone else.
The kid had a point.
"We'll have Dr. Cross give her a thorough examination" Superman said, as Batman stood in silence. Superman turned to look at Spider-Man "If your Dr. Doom is as smart as you say he is, he wouldn't have created a doppelganger of the queen after exposing this one to me."
"She may still be compromised" Batman added. That was a sobering thought.
Victor Von Doom was quietly reading a scientific paper written by Dr. Adam Strange, as a tamed vulture was perched nearby nibbling on an old steak, when the hotel suite's butler walked into the room. It must have been something important, as the butler had been informed that under no circumstance should he interrupt Dr. Doom over trivial matters.
"What is it? Why do you interrupt my studies?" Doom asked.
"Lex Luthor is here, and he wishes to speak to you" the butler replied.
Doom was close to frying the phlegmatic butler where he stood, until he remembered that Luthor was the Secretary-General of the U.N., who he had met previously, as well as being a man of standing within Queen Bee's secret organization.
"I will receive him in the atrium" Doom said after a moment of careful consideration. The butler bowed and left the room. With a silent command, Doom summoned his armor and his robes. It took about a second for him to be entirely concealed within his infamous garb and panoply. He did not wish to appear as a relaxed dilettante before one of Zazzala's more important associates. He intended to impress.
As soon as he was ready, and had given Luthor time to stew, he walked into the atrium. As he walked in and looked at the grand piano, he was thankful that some things in this Earth were the same as in his. The Ty Warner Penthouse was still the most lavish and accommodating.
Lex Luthor was standing next to the piano. As was his bodyguard – whose name, if Doom recalled correctly, was Mercy Graves. A well-made mechanical creature. He gave her a passing glance only to fix his attention on Luthor himself.
"Mr. Secretary-General, it is an honor to receive you. Please, make yourself at home" Doom said. Garbed as he was, his face hidden by his horrific death mask, Doom seemed like the image of death itself.
Luthor did not bat an eyelid however. He was good at what he did, Doom had to admit.
"That won't be hard Mr. Doom, as I've stayed in this suite several times" he said.
Doom clenched his fist. "I am Dr. Doom, not Mr. Doom. You should remember that."
Luthor raised an eyebrow. "Of course. My apologies. It was not my intent to offend"
"I know" Doom said, calming down "But I'm forgetting myself. Would you like anything to drink?"
"No thank you. I only came to pick up where we left off earlier. After all, we were interrupted so rudely" Luthor said "To put things bluntly, Dr. Doom, I have no idea who you are and what you want. I don't like that"
Doom nodded slightly. "A pity. But rest assured, I want the same things you want"
"You know what I want?"
"Power and control. Don't worry, I know how to share."
Luthor grimaced. "And yet I feel no sincerity coming from you"
"A mutual feeling. But I assure you that we both can work together for a common goal."
"One hopes so" Luthor said "You certainly don't seem as dull-witted as most of Queen Bee's beaus"
"That is because she has found a man to her liking – a man who is her better." Doom felt triumphant as he said that.
Luthor frowned. It was clear that he wasn't liking where this conversation was heading. But Luthor apparently knew how to stay as calm as a bar of steel. "But do tell me, what was all that with Queen Perdita?"
"A show of affection to the people of Vlatava" Doom replied
Luthor chuckled. "You don't think that just because you saved her life that Queen Perdita is going to start trusting you, do you?"
Doom's eyes locked on Luthor. "Queen Perdita is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. I did what I did for the people of Vlatava, My home country."
Luthor was silent for a moment, not believing a word coming out of Doom's concealed mouth.
"Regardless of your lofty motives, take care where you tread. If you step on the wrong feet, you will feel the consequences." Luthor said. The threat was evident. Doom could let it pass. But he really couldn't.
Doom turned away from Luthor, and focused his attention on Mercy. Suddenly, the android woman placed her hand around Luthor's. Before Luthor could do anything, Mercy squeezed. The Secretary-General tried his best to withstand the pain, but soon, he was screaming in agony. It only stopped when Doom once again exerted his will over the mechanical woman, commanding her to let go.
"I will be careful, as should you. There seems to be some problems with your technology. You should look into that, even if the task is a pointless one. I myself am a master in all forms of science, including robotics. If we weren't allies, I could be quite harmful to you." Doom then turned away from Luthor. He called the butler who came in as if nothing extraordinary had happened "See the Secretary-General to the door. He has other matters to attend to."
Luthor scowled as he rubbed his hand. He looked at Mercy with barely concealed anger. He had no choice but to turn his back and leave.
Endnote: First things first - to anyone who's been following this story, I offer my most sincere apologies for being so tardy in publishing this next chapter. I have very few excuses. I was quite busy for some time, but the real reason why I was so late was because I found myself staring at the computer screen - and even though I knew more or less how the story was supposed to go - I had little will to go on. Not quite writer's block, more like writer's lazy glut. Throughout this time, I've been writing (and erasing) original stories, which of course, also distracted me (if only this site allowed original stories). Hopefully, this marks a return to form, although the next chapter will take some time to be published as I have to reorganize my ideas (my ending is still the same, but what happens in between has begun to shift). I'll try to release a new chapter in the next two to three weeks, but I can't make any promises. To all of those who are following this oeuvre and/or have made it one of their favs, all I can say is thank you all. You make me feel awesome, even though I'm just another doofus.
