Tales From the Marvel Universe Neo
Issue 21
"Doom's Day"
Part 2 of 3
For a while, Daredevil hadn't been sure what Widow had been planning. She'd gone into the back of a building to use a pay phone, and nobody was watching when she dialed a number, then stepped back towards Daredevil's location.
"Now what?" Daredevil asked curiously.
"Someone will be by in fifteen minutes." Widow replied. "We're to go with them."
Daredevil wasn't sure he liked that idea, but sure enough, a few minutes later, a car pulled up to where the two of them were standing, having drawn quite a bit of attention already from the surrounding people. The windows were very darkly tinted, with the exception of the windshield, of course, and almost at once, one of the back doors of the car opened up, inviting Widow and Daredevil to take a seat inside. However, there was already someone in the car when they got in. Daredevil took the middle seat, and Widow the one closest to the door they'd entered by. In a way, both were very curious, since neither one of them had ever met the man who was sitting on the car's other side. He was dressed in a fine suit, and he was white with brown hair. When he spoke, his voice was friendly and kind, but Daredevil could tell from his posture that the man never let down his guard.
"Daredevil. Widow." the man said with a smile, "Nice to meet you."
"I'm not sure what's going on." Daredevil admitted.
"Well, this whole car is soundproof, so I don't see any reason not to tell you, while we return to HQ." the man in the suit replied with a grin, "You see, I represent a... Well, an agency, I guess you could call it. We have the job of dealing with large-scale international threats, and we believe..."
"You mean the DOD." Daredevil said quickly without any sign of being impressed, "I should warn you, I've had dealings with their agents before, and in my opinion, their methods left much to be..."
"No." the man interrupted, "We're not the Department of Defense."
Daredevil fell silent when the man said that, but he still didn't register much emotion when he replied.
"So what's the name of the agency you work for?" Daredevil asked, adapting quickly to the unexpected news.
"I'm afraid I can't reveal that." the agent replied.
"If you're going to keep secrets from me, how do you expect to obtain my help?" Daredevil asked, at which point, the agent leaned back and sighed.
"If the general public ever found out about this particular agency, they might be frightened by its very existence." the agent said, "You see, it's a type of espionage and military agency that exists as a collaborative effort between virtually all the nations of the UN."
"I can't say I'm surprised that news would upset people." Daredevil said after only a moment, "Multinational military organizations have a history of falling apart when one or more of the nations involved pulls out, and the more powerful the agency, the bigger the damage when it fails. I'm surprised something like that is even being tried."
The agent's eyes opened a little wider when Daredevil said that. He was surprised that Daredevil knew that much about the history of the military, in and between various nations. It wasn't exactly classified information, but most people didn't pay close attention to things like that.
"Actually, it's been tried." the agent said, "Past tense. Our agency has been operating effectively since the end of the second world war."
At that point, it was Daredevil's turn to be surprised. He certainly hadn't been expecting to hear that, and he fell silent again, giving the agent a chance to explain.
"My name is Frances Mcneil, and I'm not a very high-ranking member of the agency, as I'm sure you've guessed. However, just making it in has been like a dream for me. This is probably going to be the high point of my career. You see, you can't even make it into the agency without being skilled in something to the point where the agency heads are able to treat it like a superhuman power."
"Ninjitsu." Daredevil observed, but Frances just shrugged.
"I'll bet a few members of the agency used to be Shinobi, but mostly, we don't learn our skills or abilities from any one discipline. Disciplines are too easy to replicate, and if we could learn them so easily, so could anyone. We do need to learn self defense, of course, but nobody makes it into the agency based on that alone. We also need a special skill of our own; something that we developed, that nobody else can imitate."
"So what's your special skill?" Daredevil asked, at which point, smiling, the agent started to fade from sight. In only seconds, he was utterly invisible, and Widow's pulse started to go up. Daredevil, however, hadn't noticed much change. A few things about the agent's body chemistry had been altered a little, but as Daredevil was blind anyway, invisibility didn't even register with him.
"I guess I'm not sure what you just did." Daredevil finally said as the man turned visible again.
"It's a chemical change in my body, caused by my force of will, and my desire to remain unseen." Frances replied, "I've been on too many missions where stealth was the watchword, and I guess I picked up on how to turn invisible during those."
Daredevil still wasn't obviously impressed as the car came to a stop.
"So what exactly is your agency planning?" Daredevil asked, "How is any of this supposed to help the Avengers?"
"We believe that the men who kidnapped the Avengers were receiving their pay from Victor Von Doom, who's the king of a nation called Latveria. Now, because he's the ruler of an entire nation, he's technically a world leader, and the administrator of all laws within his nation. Therefore, if we oppose him in his own nation, we've broken the law. Furthermore, Doom technically qualifies for protection under modern diplomatic immunity laws, regardless of the fact that he's never approached the United States or any other nation in a diplomatic capacity. Now, since our agency doesn't officially exist, we're in a position to take action against Doom and help you rescue the Avengers, if they're still alive, but we need to act quickly, and with some subtlety, before Doom determines what we're up to."
"So you're planning to land a team in Latveria, break out the Avengers, and take down Doom," Daredevil correctly concluded, "and from the sounds of things, you'd like Widow and I to join you."
"Yes. That's a decent summary of our plan." Frances admitted, "Of course, you'll need to be briefed on the special skills of the other members of our team. All of them will be agents picked from our... group."
"I take it no real superhumans are available." Daredevil said as the three of them got out of the car, and walked into the nearest building with Frances in the lead.
"Well, we don't work with real superhumans very much, because they tend to get arrogant, and don't usually have a lot of experience in physical training as a result." Frances replied, letting a machine in the first room scan his thumb print, "There is a project underway to create a government-sponsored team of superhumans, but we don't really expect it to work out. That's not to say that no Avengers would be able to make it in the agency, however. In fact, I'd say that both Captain America and the Mole Man would have a fairly easy time getting in, and with some work, we'd even think about accepting Hawkeye. We just like to stay away from people who haven't earned their special powers. It's not a rigid guideline, and it's not an agency rule, but in the past, it has been a wise policy."
"So who are we working with?" Daredevil asked as the secondary door opened up in front of them, but the question faded into nothing as he looked into that room, and saw the people who'd been gathered in that place. For the first time in many months, Daredevil wondered if he might be in over his head.
"To start with, this place is Castle Doom." Doom began, "I think we may as well start off the tour here. It's the castle where I live, and the place from which I govern the rest of Latveria. It resides in Latveria's capital, which is currently known as Doomstadt. Truthfully, though, the framework of the castle was erected long before I was even born. I took it, like the country itself, from the hands of King Vladimir, who ruled before me."
Reed felt very much like replying to that, but he knew that Doom wouldn't react well to interruptions, and he certainly wasn't finished speaking.
"Of course, I've made many special modifications to the castle over time, using my technology and the metal ores mined throughout Latveria. For the most part, I wanted to do two things to my castle; make it easier for my subjects to navigate, and harder for my enemies. I'd say I've succeeded pretty well in both of those attempts."
In that instance, however, Reed did speak up.
"You're saying that you conquered this country, and used the resources that the people gathered to make a fortress for yourself." Reed concluded aloud, "I can't say I'm impressed by that, Doom."
Doom looked surprised at first, but relaxed again after just a moment, before replying.
"I suppose it does sound like that, doesn't it? That's not quite true, however. Vladimir was a dangerous lunatic who controlled the people of Latveria with the fear that they'd be executed if they didn't do his will. Since I came to power, that fear is gone. I think you'll agree that he had to be overthrown, and the fact that I received the cooperation of the Latverian people in doing so has to carry some weight, even with you."
"You started a civil war, then appointed yourself king." Reed said, but Doom looked away in disappointment when he heard that.
"Nothing of the sort. The people of Latveria had been on the brink of civil war for years, eager to rebel against the king and his men. All they needed were the weapons to acquire justice over their oppressors, and gain the chance for freedom, and a central figure to symbolize their cause and give them the hope that they could prevail. I gave them those weapons. I was that figure of hope. At first, the people were skeptical of me, because of my armor, and my appearance, but soon, they realized that I could save them from the tyranny of the king, so they started forming into an army at my back, and I marched on the king's castle, taking his life and his throne."
"At that point, you decided you should be in charge." Reed said, though his words almost sounded desperate by that point, searching for a grain of true corruption in Doctor Doom.
"At that point, Doctor Richards," Doom continued, "the people of Latveria knew that they needed a leader. Unless they could organize, the farming wouldn't get done, people wouldn't have jobs, and in time, Latveria would become a simple no man's land. They rushed to appoint a new ruler for themselves; someone who they knew that they could trust. I will confess that their decision was to my liking, and I made no attempt to dispute it, but I never raised a single weapon against those who'd supported me; only against my enemies."
"Of course, in rising to power, I knew that it was necessary for me to find a means of solving all of the problems that people had..." Doom continued, "I knew I needed to give my people good lives. After all they'd done to help me, it was my duty. Because of that, I applied my every resource to that goal, and found, at last, that the people of Latveria were happy with the way their lives were run. They would still come to me with requests from time to time, but for the most part, they were content with the lifestyles that I'd supplied them with. There was no more oppression in Latveria; no more doubt, conflict, or terror. People in my nation were living as people were meant to live; honestly and cleanly, working for the support of the whole, and receiving all that they needed in exchange. They were content with that. Even I was surprised by how easy it was to achieve that equilibrium, and establish a place in which all of my people could be happy."
For the next several hours, Doom took Reed Richards with him on a tour of Castle Doom, then the surrounding lands. Towns, fields and industrial buildings passed them by, as Doom showed Reed firsthand how he'd resolved issues of education by developing a new means of educating his people; a standardized education process that applied to children and adults alike. Doom described it as "the cornerstone in the bridge of society," because if people weren't properly educated in mathematics, reading, science, and ethics, they could never be depended on to create anything worthwhile.
Doom showed Reed how his schools had sought to teach the truth; the needs that all humans have, the values that are most helpful in supporting those needs, why they have value; how supporting one's fellow man could bring to his people a great joy from within themselves; the feeling that they were contributing to a greater whole; to a cause that mattered. On that foundation, Doom had built everything else in Latveria.
The laws were enforced, on the rare occasions when they were broken, by a fleet of artificial life forms designed by Doom. Most of them resembled he himself, and carried out his wishes without question. He'd even been able to give them, as he put it, "enough intelligence to successfully manage a small country in my place." Their job was to seek out problems, and correct them, although banishment from Latveria was used to punish criminals far more often than death. Short-term imprisonments, however, were the most common type of punishment in the country. The justice system was explained quickly; how information was gathered, testimony was considered, and then conclusions drawn based on the available evidence. Judgments were usually swift, with the severity of the punishment hinging on the severity of the crime. No complaints had been leveled against that method since it had been implemented, however, which surprised Reed Richards more than a little bit. Either Doom had some infallible means of knowing who was really at fault in a criminal case, or else, his people simply trusted him enough, that his judgments were accepted, even by the families of those he imprisoned or banished. In the end, Reed had one important question to ask regarding law enforcement in Latveria.
"What option do people have if they want an appeal on a judgment that's been rendered?" Reed asked.
"They have the option to come to me with their complaint. I would, in theory, give their complaint all the consideration it deserves, and if a mistake had been made, I would correct it by my royal authority."
"In theory?" Reed asked.
"Well, no one's ever needed an appeal." Doom replied with a slight shrug, "The people of Latveria seem to appreciate the way that I do things for some reason; perhaps because they know I'm right, and understand the importance of justice, from all the times I've protected them."
Reed needed to sit on his worries over that reply, as Doom showed him the fine residential buildings, in which the citizens of Latveria lived; the places where they worked, played and celebrated. In the end, Doom held a meeting, in which Reed was offered the chance to meet and speak with any of the citizens he'd seen that day, and sure enough, every last one of them seemed happy and fulfilled; each with little or no reservations about talking with him, and even expressing their personal feelings about what Doom had done with Latveria. They all seemed appreciative of Doom's work; considering him a benefactor and a savior, rather than a ruler, and if any of them were being insincere, they were very good actors. Already, Reed was starting to see that there were going to be problems fighting with Doom. Even if he and the others managed to escape from Doom's prisons and defeat him, they'd be robbing the people of Latveria of the person who'd made them happy, and given them the chance to live their lives without doubt, hate, or oppression. It was a perplexing moral dilemma.
When Reed and Doom finally got back to the throne room, Reed Richards couldn't help but feel a little sad. He wanted someone to talk to about the things he'd seen, and he knew exactly who it was that he wanted to take into his confidence. The only question was whether Doom would be willing to do him a favor, just like that.
"So what's next?" Reed asked suspiciously, as Doom led him back towards the center of the throne room.
"At this point, you'll need to make a decision, Doctor Richards. If you decide, even after all you've seen today, that I'm a madman who must be stopped, I'm afraid that you, at least, must be prevented from interfering in my work, by whatever means are necessary. If, however, you decide that my mission is a noble and merciful one, then you're quite free to join me in my cause, and to help me encourage the others to that effect."
"What?" Reed asked, confused, "You're seriously asking me to join you? I never expected to hear that, Doom. Especially not after what happened at Columbia... You made it sound like you thought I was at fault for what happened."
Doom's eyes narrowed, however, when Reed mentioned Columbia, though his reply was swift and calm.
"I still believe that what happened was your doing, Richards. I bear you no further malice for that, however. After all, we were young, and I'm certain you saw me as competition. I think, if anything, it was that competition that I truly disliked; the idea that you might be trying to prove your superior knowledge and skill over me. If you're put to death for trying to start an insurrection, you'll never put anyone else in that position. However, if you agree to help me, and to serve under me, the issue of who is a more gifted scientist will have been resolved to my satisfaction, so that's what I'm most earnestly hoping for. Swallow your pride, Richards, and accept the path to true peace, that only I can offer."
"Then you're saying you're not angry anymore, over what happened." Reed attempted to confirm.
"I bare no true grudges against anyone." Doom replied casually, "I admit that my pride was badly wounded when you claimed that the accuracy of your calculations exceeded mine, but I have suffered other such wounds since then, and come to realize the truth about myself. You see, Doctor Richards, I think that it's been a very long time since I've truly hated anyone. For me, the act of learning, and mastering the martial arts was sufficient to teach me a deep, inner calm. I still feel anger with people at times, of course, and I still express that anger in as fearsome a way as befits Doctor Doom, but in the end, it's only people's actions and choices to work against me, and against my goals that upset me. Because that anger isn't really towards the person, and because it would fade, if that person made different choices, I've found that the fairest way to go about things is to offer the one who's angered me a single chance to make reparations. Once they realize who I am, and what I'm capable of, they're most often eager to do so. There have been hurt feelings between us in the past, Doctor Richards, but I'm willing to move beyond that if you are. Show me that you can be trusted, and your place in my kingdom will not be in question."
"While I'm making this vital decision, where do you want me to stay? Do you want me to make the choice right here in front of you?"
"I'd prefer it," Doom replied, "but if you need more time to think, I can certainly understand. In that case, I'm afraid you'll have to be taken back to your cell again, until you're ready to make your decision. It doesn't make me happy, but I'm still not sure if I can trust you yet."
"So you're going to knock me out again and put me back in there..." Reed realized aloud, "I have to ask you for one thing, then. Can Sue stay with me while I make my decision? I don't like to make important choices without someone to talk to about them."
Doom looked down for a moment, then looked away. At last, he spoke, and he sounded more amused than anything.
"You know, now that you mention it, I don't see the harm. After all, it's not as if either of you has the ability to break out of an airtight prison. Very well, then. I'll have that arranged, and when you wake up again, you'll have the chance to talk with her."
Just a moment later, Reed started to feel lightheaded, as he realized that one of Doom's drugs was taking effect. In moments, he knew, he was going to be unconscious and vulnerable again, and the only hope he had was that Doom was a man of his word.
For miles and miles, Crystal had flown through the air in the arms of the Submariner, until they finally arrived at a large lake. In a flash, he'd deposited her on the ground, and dove underwater, and in moments after that, Namor has risen back up into the air, feeling his muscles increasing to their prime once more. He was at his best once again. He was the Submariner; the greatest champion of the oceans.
As Namor landed back on the bank of the lake, Crystal was amazed by the change he seemed to have undergone. While they'd been flying, he'd looked pale, and his skin had started to become shriveled, especially on his fingers, as if he'd just been dumped into a barrel of salt. Crystal had noticed that about him, but the difference was all the more pronounced in that moment, when he emerged from the water, once again at his best. Since his recent contact with the water, and escape from Doom's chemical agents, the Submariner's muscles had begun to look larger and more pronounced, though he was still a fairly slim person. His ears pointed straight up, just like hers, and his expression had grown sharper. His skin had smoothed back to normal, and was even starting to glisten, though that might, Crystal realized, have been just because of the moisture. It was easy to see how such a person could once have threatened the entire Fantastic Four. However, there was one thing about the Submariner that Crystal had found confusing when she'd seen him in action in the past.
"Some people think you're invincible." Crystal noted, "That's not true, though."
"No." Namor replied a little sadly, "Without water, my strength diminishes over time, until I'm no stronger than an ordinary man. In the water, I've never met a foe who was stronger than me physically, but I do have many weaknesses."
Crystal nodded once, although she was still a little confused.
"So you just have to touch water?"
"If any amount of water, as large as a single drop touches my skin, and is absorbed into my body, my injuries fade, my senses are heightened, and my strength increases beyond anything or anyone I have ever seen, including the Avengers. As long as I'm in contact with water, my physical might is without peer. That is the real reason I wanted to escape from the castle. I implore you not to think of me as a coward because we ran, and left the others behind."
"No. No, it's alright." Crystal said quickly, "There was nothing you could have done back there in your condition. I understand, and I don't think you're a coward. You're just prudent. That's all."
Namor felt the words ring a little hollow to his ears until he actually turned to look at Crystal again, and saw that she was looking back at him in absolute, serious sincerity. It surprised him.
"Why do you not feel betrayed?" Namor asked, amazed and concerned, "Why do you not react with worry to the dangers your friends are in?"
"There's no point worrying about things like that until we can do something about it." Crystal replied simply, trying her best to put on a smile.
"A human woman would not have had the maturity to make such a choice." Namor muttered under his breath, pausing for a moment before he continued, "I did not know that people such as yourself existed above the surface."
"Well, we haven't exactly talked much since we joined the Avengers." Crystal admitted, "I suppose I just wanted to give you some space. You always seemed so reserved, like you wanted people to leave you alone. I wanted to respect your wishes."
Namor's worry and suspicion started to melt, however, as he realized just how carefully Crystal had been considering the feelings of the other Avengers. It was, he realized, something which even he was not very good at. In fact, until just recently, he'd had very little reason to take the personal feelings of others into consideration when he made his decisions. In a position of command, one couldn't afford to, and he was, after all, the king of Atlantis. However, as a member of the Avengers, he was more often following orders than giving them, and in that kind of capacity, he was slowly starting to realize, there might be better ways to act; just like Crystal had shown him.
Of course, there was more to it than that. Naturally, Namor saw Crystal with Johnny Storm all the time, so he hadn't really thought of her emotionally, but when he was alone with her, Namor could see that she was really very lovely, both inside and out. Some might have found her ears, or her powers to be too strange, but for Namor, both were comforting, since in a way, they mirrored his own unusual physical traits and special powers. Even so, however, Namor dared not concern himself with the idea of romance, because he knew that he wasn't the right kind of person for her. She would undoubtedly seek a more compassionate soul; someone who could be counted on to care for her, and be there for her. It was the closest that Namor had ever been to feeling unworthy of anything, and it was such a powerful feeling, that he attempted, just once, to be a bit more like Crystal herself.
"Were you hurt during our escape?" Namor asked, trying to look concerned. The expression of shock that spread across Crystal's face at that point was sudden, however, and it disappeared just as suddenly, changing into relief and delight.
"I'll be alright." Crystal said, "Thank you. Were you hurt?"
"Yes," Namor replied, "but I've recovered."
However, at that point, Namor fell silent, and closed his eyes. He needed to remind himself that there were still important matters to take care of. He needed to remember his duty. When he opened his eyes again, there was determination on his face.
"We need to return to the castle and rescue the other Avengers. Once we're all together again, we can begin to take action. I already have a plan, however. If you can, I'd like you to use your powers over the minerals in the ground, to make something for me out of metal."
When Reed Richards woke up, he was back in his cell. Sure enough, it was just as solidly-build as it had been before, and just as impossible to escape from, but there was a change. A few yards away, on the floor, Sue Storm was waking up as well.
"R-Reed!" Sue exclaimed, "What's going on here?"
Reed wasn't sure how to explain that for a moment. It was certainly very complicated. In fact, in many ways, granting Reed's request was the most complicated thing Doom could have done. Reed had a lot of work to do, and a surprisingly difficult decision to make.
"I spoke with Doom a short while ago." Reed finally said, "He agreed to let us talk to one another. He... gave me a decision that he wanted me to make."
Sue still didn't understand what was going on, however, so after a few more moments, Reed tried to explain.
"The truth is, Doom wants to rule the world, because he thinks it'll make people happy." Reed said, looking back up at Sue, "I don't like to admit it, but he has a lot of evidence that he's right. He wanted me to help him; to join him in his kingdom."
"I don't understand." Sue said, looking at Reed in confusion, "Why you? Why would Doom ask you specifically? It can't just be your special powers. I mean, he didn't ask me."
"This has nothing to do with my powers." Reed admitted after just a moment, "You see, I used to know Victor Von Doom, before he became the king of Latveria."
Sue looked amazed, and very curious when she heard that, so Reed decided to explain a little further.
"Well, you know that I first entered college at fourteen, right?" Reed asked. Sue just nodded quickly, so Reed continued.
"It was after I'd first met Ben. I was nineteen, and I was moving on to Columbia University, hoping to get more time to study physics, and work on my own theories in the meantime. Well, my former college professors recommended me so highly, that I was placed in a special dormitory, which was almost totally soundproof. It was designed to give students more of an opportunity to study, and I got that opportunity, but I wasn't the only one living in that section of Columbia. That was where I met Victor Von Doom for the first time."
"It seems like Doom was something of a prodigy. He'd been born and raised in the nation of Latveria, but he never said much else about himself, except that he had important experiments in genetics and cybernetics, that he was working on for the United States government. For all I know, he might really have been working with the government. He was certainly bright enough. He attended Columbia with me at that point. I asked a number of people at college about him later on, and the answer I usually got was that he'd been recommended into Columbia by the Department of Defense. I admit, I felt a little jealous of him when I heard that. He was a young man who'd started off in another nation, and just been so gifted, that he'd been a prize worth crossing oceans for, in the eyes of whole governments. I never got that kind of attention."
"Anyway, Doom spent almost all of his extracurricular time at college in private, working on experiments of his own. I tried to start up conversation with him a few times, but I felt like he wasn't really listening to me when I spoke to him. I think he got bored with my attempts to be his friend after a while. He always seemed to have something on his mind that drove him away from friendships."
"I guess I never really understood Doom. It was like he just didn't consider normal human interaction to be a priority in his life. Of course, we were on fairly even footing in class, and we both pointed out the flaws in the scientific theories proposed in the past, as well as offering new theories of our own, designed to explain the evident facts. Most of the time, we arrived at exactly the same conclusions. I guess it's true what they say about great minds. I think many of our professors at Columbia felt like they were being put on the spot whenever Doom was in the room, though. I tried to be gentle when I pointed out the mistakes that scientists had been making in the past, but Doom was very direct and assertive with his criticisms. When our physics professor tried to explain inflationary universe theories, he practically threw a fit."
"Wow." Sue muttered, "Why would anyone get so mad, just because of something they learned in science class?"
"Well, it didn't exactly make me happy either." Reed admitted, "The fact is, Doom was convinced that none of the theories the professor was describing were founded in actual scientific fact, and that because of that, our professor was wasting his time teaching us pure nonsense. Doom told me, more than once, that he believed the purpose of science was to understand how the world works, in the hope of being able to guide its natural forces some day. He told me that most of the modern scientific community, at least in America, existed only to try to comfort people, and make them feel good about their own rotten conduct."
"That's a big accusation." Sue said, at which point, Reed sighed and looked away.
"I never would have made that kind of accusation because I've never liked the idea of accusing whole groups of people of something that isn't legally a crime," Reed said, looking sad as he spoke, "but the truth is, I understand what he was talking about. There are far too many scientists who base their research on grants, rather than on facts. Those scientists get lots of money for research, but their research hardly ever turns up anything useful. In a way, I can see why Doom would find that frustrating."
"Doom didn't seem like a bad kind of person at the time. He was a little proud, of course. With his gifts, he had a right to be, but in general, he seemed like a nice enough person, and he was known for stepping in and preventing hallway fights. I even saw him asking people if they were alright after the fact. I think that Doom was both very compassionate with people he thought were helpless or in need, and also passionate about the things he believed in. There was no mistaking him for a local. He had no trace of the relativistic mentality that seems to penetrate every level of American society at this day in age. Aside from his lack of interest in friendships, I think he could have been the best person I'd ever met."
"Of course, even when he made our college professors feel antsy, at least they were glad that he'd attended class. Doom had never missed a class in all the time that he'd attended Columbia, until one day, I went to six classes, and never saw Doom in even one of them. The two of us took a lot of the same classes, and I'd been expecting to see him in at least three, so I asked the teachers to try to find out whether he'd called in sick. They weren't sure why he was absent, but they'd mainly let it slide."
"The next day, though, he was absent again, and the day after that. At that point, I wanted to check up on him, so I knocked on his door once, and he invited me to come in. As soon as I opened the door, though, I could see that he was hard at work, sitting at his desk, scribbling equations on various pieces of paper. I was shocked when I saw that; not just because Doom was so involved in his work, that he'd forgotten three days worth of classes, but because I understood what his formulas meant. Doom was experimenting with dimensional shifts."
"I had no idea why someone like Doom would want to cross over into another aspect of existence. As far as I could tell, he only wanted to see if he could. The problem was, I'd been using controlled energy waves to feel out a few things about numerous dimensions in my own experiments, and when I saw the dimension he was planning to contact, I was worried. My computer had only scanned that dimension for a fraction of a second, but I knew that it was unstable, and difficult to detect, and that the contents of that dimension were superheated, like the inside of a star. In that kind of environment, Doom wouldn't have been able to survive."
"Naturally, I knew that science involved a lot of research, and I wasn't certain that Doom had researched that dimension well enough, before planning a journey there. I tried to bring it up with him, but I get the feeling that he thought I was trying to interfere with something very personal to him. He immediately took offense at my suggestion, and asked me to leave."
"I didn't see Doom for the entire rest of that week, or the week after that. His teachers were worried about him. I was a little worried about him too, I guess, but I hadn't expected him to cause as much damage as he did. On the Tuesday of the third week since the last time I'd seen Doom, there was an explosion from the direction of his room. Fire and ash were sent flying out the windows, and through walls and doors, utterly destroying that entire section of the dorms. I knew what had caused the explosion, though, even before the official investigations were complete. Doom had made a mistake, and one of his machines had failed to do what it was designed for."
"I found out later that Doom had been trying to contact the same dimension I'd tried to warn him about, and the heat and unstable energy patterns had damaged his machine. The explosion had been caused by an overheating power source, and Doom's entire face had been badly scarred by the incident. The doctors said that he'd probably never look the same again. They suggested plastic surgery once, but Doom scoffed at them, citing numerous scientific studies, which provided evidence that plastic surgery was not always safe or effective, and he didn't want to run that kind of risk. As he was, Doom was scarred, but he was still healthy and alive. It was obvious, of course, what was going to happen next. Once his friends in the DOD heard about what had happened, they'd want him to leave that school, and I was sure that the dean would too. It was sad, because he really was too intelligent to have wasted it all on such a simple mistake. I didn't want him to think I didn't care what happened to him though, so a few days later, when he was allowed to receive visitors, I stopped by to offer my sympathies."
"I brought Doom a book on cultural and scientific history, in the hopes that it would make him feel better about what had happened, but almost the moment I stepped into the room, he sighed and leaned back in bed. His face was still covered in bandages, and he seemed to be angry in a sort of subdued way. When I offered him the book, it seemed like I touched a nerve of some kind."
"'How much did that book cost you?' Doom asked me, 'A few dollars? Ten or fifteen? Maybe thirty at the very most? Is that enough money to wipe the stain of guilt from your soul?'"
"I was shocked by his reaction. He was obviously blaming me for something, but I had no idea what, so I asked him what I'd done wrong. He didn't answer me directly. Instead he said 'I don't understand why you'd do something like this, Richards. I saw in your eyes, how you recognized the formulas for my experiment. You knew how sensitive the entire process was. Was it only because you were afraid that I might steal away your position as star student? Is that any reason to destroy someone?'"
"Of course, I tried to explain that I hadn't tampered with any stage of his experiment, but he refused to believe me. He was totally convinced that I'd sabotaged his formula, and ruined his experiment. Doom left the country just a little while after that, leaving no word to the DOD, or anyone else on where he'd gone, exactly. At this point, though, I'm convinced that he spent some time in another country, designing technology to conquer his home nation of Latveria with. That's where we are now. Doom found a way to abduct and imprison the world's most powerful superhumans, and now, I'm sure that he plans to take control of the entire world."
"Are you saying that he kidnapped all of us just to get revenge on you?" Sue asked in disbelief.
"No." Reed replied, "That'd make my choice a lot easier. You see, Doom claims that he wants to put the past behind him. For all I know, that might even be true. He talked to me just a little while ago, and showed me what Latveria was like under his rule. It's... Well, it's different from what we're used to, Sue. There's no freedom out there. Everything is run on a single, perfectly-controlled system, but because that system is so totally controlled, it... works. People get enough to eat, enough to drink, they get enough sleep, and they work just the right amount. Everyone has a place to live, no one starves, and no one's out of a job. All the people I met out there seemed genuinely happy. To lots of people, a life under Doom would be almost heavenly."
"Reed..." Sue muttered, worry in her voice, as she heard those words, "What are you saying?"
"Doom wanted me to choose whether or not to help him," Reed replied quickly, "but that's not an easy choice to make anymore, honey. We were never exactly friends, but I never thought that he really wanted to hurt anyone until he kidnapped us, and there's a real possibility that he might be able to save billions of people from suffering and death if he winds up in power over the world. We could be doing the human race an enormous disservice by trying to stop him."
Sue was silent for several seconds, but at last, she seemed to have made an important decision of her own, and she spoke up with strength and confidence.
"Reed, did Doom tell you how many people died when he took control of Latveria?"
Reed's expression quickly became one of stunned disbelief, as he shook his head, angry at himself.
"How could I have been so blind?" he asked, "Thank you, Sue. You're right."
Sue just smiled. Reed had immediately noticed the point she'd been trying to make; that as many people as he'd fed, and as much as he'd helped give them fulfilling lives, Doom's rise to power in Latveria had been built on war, and all wars lead to death. No matter what you do or who you help while you're alive, it's wrong to kill someone, because killing someone is the farthest thing from helping them, and when you kill someone, they're dead for good. Doom may have done a lot of good since his rise to power, but there was nothing more evil than large-scale murder, and there can be no better definition for war. To say that war could ever be justified went against everything that Reed believed in, and even if Doom saved billions of lives once he was in power, none of that was sufficient justification for starting a third world war. Reed hadn't faced as much death in his life as Doom had, but thanks to Sue, he'd been reminded that starting a war was something that couldn't be justified. Reed had been shaken when Doom had shown him all the good he'd done, but the price was too high. He'd made his decision.
"Doom!" Reed exclaimed angrily, "You can forget it! I don't believe in using war to solve people's problems. That's why I went to that diplomatic dinner to begin with. It's always wrong to murder and rob people of their freedom, no matter how many people you save. I won't help you terrorize the world."
Then, in that moment, Doom's voice came back in over the speaker, and he sounded genuinely sad when he spoke.
"I was afraid you were going to wind up making that decision. I'm sorry, Richards, but for the good of mankind, I can't let you interfere."
Then, Doom turned on the machine that would pump knockout gas into Reed's cell once again.
Doom was certainly far from pleased by Reed's decision. In his eyes, only one thing mattered; that no one would have to suffer under terror or oppression if he could help it. He was going to make sure that people no longer lived in miserable, intolerable conditions, controlled by wicked lawmakers and dictators anymore, no matter what he had to do to get to that point. Doom had seen the horror of what it means to be oppressed firsthand, and he was determined not to let anyone else suffer as he had.
Of course, Doom hadn't told his captives much of anything that had been going on in the outside world, since they'd been imprisoned. None of them knew of the notes he'd sent to the world leaders, or of Magneto's announcement to the world. Doom would have to deal with Magneto in due time, although for the moment, he was thinking that perhaps Magneto's appearance might be a blessing in disguise. After all, no other nation would be able to defend themselves from him, from the looks of things. A few of those nations might go to Doom for protection, and in doing so, decrease the total loss of life needed during the conquest of the world. It might, Doom reasoned, be his chance to be more of a hero, and less of a conqueror to his new subjects, and that was worth a period of waiting. Still, Richards and the others would have to be dealt with. Undoubtedly, most, if not all of them would side with Doctor Richards in that matter, so Doom would need to have them executed. Maintaining their prisons was a waste of valuable resources, and none of them would have felt bad about banishment. It made Doom sad to have to do that. In fact, it made him so sad that, for a moment, he reconsidered it.
The thought had previously occurred to Doom, that he might keep the superhumans alive, until the global campaign was over, and if all of them had still been in their cells, he might well have chosen to show mercy to them; to wait on their executions, until the whole world was his, and then give them one last chance to contribute to the new order. However, Doom had been humbled somewhat when he'd seen that Crystal and the Submariner had managed to escape from the prisons he'd designed for them. The wood of Crystal's prison had been splintered from the inside, as if by a series of impacts from cannonballs, or blasts of kinetic force, and she'd apparently freed Namor shortly after that. Since his attempts to abduct them all had gone so well, Doom had barely even considered that the superhumans might find some way to escape, or upset his plans, but since the escape, it had become obvious that his position was no longer as safe as it had once been. The Submariner was out there somewhere, along with Crystal, whose powers were clearly greater than she'd revealed to the public, and together, it was conceivable that they could free the other Avengers and the Fantastic Four, and make things very difficult for Doom. If he wanted a clean victory, Doom knew that he'd need to start executing the superhumans almost at once, and hope that he could use the executions as a trap to ensnare the two who'd broken free. Both of them, after all, had weaknesses. Neither was invincible.
Submariner smiled as he raised the specially-designed bracelets, clamping them down over his wrists. They'd needed to be made very carefully, in strong plates that gave with the movements of his flesh, and yet, didn't release even a drop of water from inside. Submariner's description of the bracelets he'd worn as weapons against the Fantastic Four a while back had, it seemed, been sufficient. Crystal had managed to replicate their design almost perfectly. Then again, maybe she was just used to building advanced technology. The inhumans, after all, were said to have a higher level of technology than human beings.
Namor could feel the water inside the bracelets sustaining his invincibility; keeping him at his best. Even so, he knew there was a chance that Doom would be able to undermine his weapon, as the Human Torch had, and capture him again. If that happened, it was the end. Namor knew that he'd have to be careful.
For the time being, however, he was feeling fairly good, as he returned to the spot by the lake where he and Crystal had spent the night, trying desperately to finish with the bracelets which were, for Namor, the greatest weapon he could possibly possess. Crystal seemed pleased when she saw that they were working just as they'd been designed to, although she was obviously still very worried about what Namor would do next.
"So what now?" Crystal asked.
"Obviously, our next objective is to free the others." Namor replied quickly, "If we strike quickly, Doom might not have time to..."
"No..." Crystal replied, frowning and looking away as she spoke, "Namor, when Doom kidnapped us, he didn't do it by striking quickly. He knew most of what we were capable of, and he took advantage of our weaknesses with careful precision. The fact that the two of us managed to escape at all is only because he underestimated my abilities."
"What are you saying?" Namor asked, confused, "Don't you wish to save the others?"
"Of course I do," Crystal said, looking sadder than ever, "but obviously, whoever Doom is, he's very good at drawing plans, and putting them into action. He knew almost everything about us, and because of that, he was able to capture us so easily... Namor, we still know almost nothing about Doom, including what kinds of weapons he has at his disposal. I don't think we can beat him, or save our friends, until we start using his tactics. We need to learn as much as we can about Doom, before we jump into a fight with him. We can't afford to make any mistakes at this point."
"That's putting it mildly."
Both Crystal and Namor gave a sudden start. The voice hadn't come from either of them. In fact, it sounded as if it had slipped forth, like a whisper, from the shadows of the surrounding trees. In moments, Daredevil had emerged from behind one of those trees, and Crystal sighed in relief, when she realized who it was. She'd been worried that Doom might have found them.
"How did you get here?" Crystal asked in amazement after only a few moments, "How did you find us?"
"I heard you talking." Daredevil replied, though it didn't really answer either of Crystal's questions, "At this point, I'm working with a group of special operatives, to try to stop Doom from carrying out his threats against the current world governments, and if you're willing to take orders without question, we could use your help with some phases of the plan."
"Just tell me you want to save the Avengers, and you can count me in." Crystal said, and Namor nodded in agreement just a moment later.
"Yes." Daredevil replied, "In fact, that's our primary goal at this point. However, you're right, Crystal. We need more information before we can move against Doom in any way. We need to learn who he really is, and I doubt either of your will be able to gather that data. It seems as if the people of Latveria are completely devoted to Doom, and that might make it very difficult to get the information we need. I have a plan, however..."
For hour after hour, Matt Murdock had walked the streets of Latveria in disguise. He'd had a lot of experience finding evidence and rumors about various politicians, business executives, and crime lords back in New York City, but his usual disguise as a beggar didn't work as well in Latveria, since no one in Latveria begged, or was homeless. They didn't even seem to have a precise parallel for money.
Fortunately, they also weren't suspicious, or tight-lipped around people they met on the street, and when Matt asked them about the latest rumors from Castle Doom, they would often respond enthusiastically, and with total faith in their lord. Doom wasn't just the ruler of the Latverian people; he was their hero.
Matt kept searching for information about Doom, however, subtly dropping a question here or there between other conversation topics, or at times when the other citizens were having dinner. At last, as he started to ask more obscure questions about Doom, he was finally told that that information wasn't common knowledge.
"Beats me." the Latverian had said, "Not too many people know that much about his past, although I hear there's a man named Ray Claflin working at the academy, who knew the master since he was a child. If you really want to know, you can ask him."
That was the first big lead that Matt had gotten all day.
After asking around for only a short time longer, Matt had managed to locate Ray Claflin. Claflin did indeed have quite a bit to tell, but his knowledge of Doom ended when Doom had assigned him to work outside of the castle. Matt was referred to one of the high dukes for more information on Doom's recent endeavors, and that duke had, in turn, referred Matt to yet another Duke. The journey, and the interviews took almost a whole day longer, but at last, Matt Murdock put on his disguise. It was time to meet with the others again, and discuss what he'd learned.
As usual, Daredevil could see the others near the lake where they'd made camp. Crystal and the Submariner were both there. Each had better hearing, admittedly, than an ordinary human, and yet, neither one noticed as Daredevil approached. Widow was also there, sitting nearby, with her back against a tree. Also present were the four operatives who'd accompanied them from the agency. None had revealed their real names to Daredevil, but only one of them wore a mask. He called himself Iron Fist, and in many ways, he dressed a lot like a shinobi, with dark clothes, and a mask that covered nearly his entire face. In addition to his formidable skill in the martial arts, which all the agents seemed to share, he was said to have the ability to channel his life-force, or ki, into a power so strong, that it could enable him to punch through a solid brick wall.
The second member of the group was a woman named Horseman. She'd apparently lost an arm in a mission long ago, and had it replaced with a bionic replica, although she never told anyone which arm was the bionic one. It enhanced her strength in that arm to an extent, and allowed her to hit a great deal harder, but apparently, it was a power she hardly ever used.
The third agent was named Tarantula. She was a black woman, wearing a dark costume. She had many knives strapped to her belt, and thick spots on her outfit, attached to her arms and boots. Apparently, she was one of the best knife-fighters on Earth, and could scale sheer surfaces as well.
The last agent who'd joined in their little mission called himself Genki. When asked, he repeatedly said that he had no special powers of any sort, but Mcneil; the man who'd recruited Daredevil, had never seen Genki lose a fight; not even against armed opponents, or enemies with superhuman powers.
When Daredevil stepped out of the shadows and addressed the group of them, however, it became obvious that only Widow had noticed him. Most of them were surprised to see him, although Crystal looked relieved, at least. When he moved to the center of the group, to start telling them what he'd discovered, they were all eager to hear from him. Widow seemed to have learned a few things herself, but was just as interested in hearing what Daredevil's skill, and enhanced senses had uncovered.
"I was able to meet with a few people who knew Doom personally." Daredevil said as the others listened intently, "It wasn't easy to find out who they were, but I'd say the information I've gained was worth it. I think I can tell you just about anything about Doom now."
"What's his eye color?" Iron Fist asked. It was sort of a wise guy question, though. Certainly not one that he expected to have answered.
"Brown." Daredevil replied quickly.
All seven of Daredevil's allies just looked at him in surprise when he said that, so he sighed a little, before speaking again.
"Maybe I should just explain the things about him that I think might be important, and save the rest for later." Daredevil said, "I don't think we have much time on our hands, before he starts executing the Avengers."
Crystal was horrified by the very idea, but she knew what she needed to do. If she wanted to save her friends and allies from Doom, she first had to push her feelings to one side, and concentrate on the mission. She had to listen to Daredevil, because she needed to know more about Doctor Doom.
"It seems," Daredevil began, "like Victor Von Doom was raised among a gypsy tribe for most of his childhood. Mostly, they were nomads, who struggled just to survive, through hunting, farming, and gathering wild fruits, while at the same time, staying on the move, in the hopes of avoiding the attention of the King who ruled Latveria at the time. He was referred to as King Vladimir by his subjects. From what I've heard, he was a ruthless dictator, known for executing anyone who betrayed, failed, or even disappointed him in any way."
Doom's tribe was called the Zefiro. They traveled and worked together, and there were moments of joy to Doom's life back then, although none of them could ever forget Vladimir's oppression. It hung over them all the time, reminding them of the mortal danger they were always in, and the fact that, in the end, they had no real control over their lives.
Doom's mother, however, was a witch. She had some knowledge of magic, although she had very little experience with it, and it didn't take her long to start wondering why no one had ever used magic to claim power over the nation, and bring peace to their people. The man I talked to was a member of Doom's tribe at the time, and he seems convinced that Doom's mother chose to use magic, because she wanted her son to have a life worth living for. From everything I've learned, Victor interpreted his mother's actions the exact same way, and considers her an example for his own life, in some ways, regardless of what happened because of her choices.
Doom's mother used her magic to summon a daemon one night. As it turned out, the creature refused to do anything that she asked once she'd called it forth, and it rampaged across the Latverian countryside for nearly an hour, destroying trees, crops, wildlife, and anything else it could get its hands on, including many of the tents belonging to the Zefiro. There were over a dozen injuries, and Doom's mother; Cynthia by name, was killed. When Doom's father; Werner Von Doom, found her, she had only enough strength left to utter the words "please, you must protect." Werner was the most skilled of all the doctors and medical men in any of the nomadic tribes of Latveria, but he couldn't save his wife, and that caused him terrible grief.
Naturally, in addition to losing his mother, Victor lost his good standing with the other Zefiro. To them, he was the son of that devil-woman, and he was treated with a great deal of scorn by them. None of them trusted Victor, and that made him sad. At that point, it seems like the only reason he stayed with the Zefiro was because of his father. Despite his loss, and the continuing oppression of Vladimir, Doom still cared about his father, and never would have abandoned him. It seems possible that Doom even loved his father. Doom's father had, apparently, taught him during his childhood, that the most important thing was love; that love makes strong men good, and good men strong, and that love is all a person needs to show them the true path that they have to take in life. His father also explained to him that the nature of love is the feeling deep inside, that motivates a person to help others; to cure them, heal them, and relieve their suffering. It seems like Doom learned that lesson well.
One day, though, King Vladimir's wife contracted a really bad disease, and he sent a team of horsemen out into the wilderness, to bring Werner to him; whose medical prowess was renowned enough to even get his attention. He was terrified of what might happen, but he accompanied the horsemen back to the castle. Werner wasn't able to save Vladimir's wife. She had cancer, which is, of course, largely incurable, even by modern technology. However, Vladimir didn't hesitate in blaming his wife's death on Werner, and declaring that he was to be executed.
Werner, however, knew that his son depended on him, and somehow, he knew that there was more to Victor Von Doom that just another young Nomad, under the rule of an oppressive despot. Determined not to let his son be left alone, Werner fought the guards of the King's castle, seized the weapon of the first one who approached him, and drove the rest back with it. He escaped the castle, stole one of the king's horses, and rode back to the Zefiro camp to retrieve Victor. The two rode into the wilderness, where they hid from the king's soldiers that same night.
Unfortunately, snow had fallen in Latveria just recently. Even in camp, with all of their blankets and tents, it would have been hard to survive a storm like that one, and the Von Dooms had just one blanket, that had been underneath the saddle of their stolen horse. Werner insisted on Victor using it, and by morning, when Vladimir's soldiers had given up looking for Werner, he'd contracted hypothermia and died. Victor was the last Von Doom.
Victor had loved his father a lot, and the grief he felt over Werner's death must have been equally immense, because when he returned to the Zefiro camp, he started tearing apart his parent's possessions. It was only then, that Victor discovered Cynthia's old spell books, and realized why the daemon had appeared and slain her.
Over the next several years, Doom learned what he could from those magic tomes. A lot of it was too dangerous to be used, or else, Doom would have been at much the same risk as his mother, but he did uncover a spell that enabled him to summon refined metal ores to his position through a great effort. Using that spell, Victor began experimenting with machines and electronics. He learned a lot from each experiment, and without any formal training at all, soon came to an understanding of science, that might make most professional scientists and doctors jealous. After that, he started building weapons, and using them to take food and resources; even from Vladimir's private stores. Among the people of Latveria, he became a legend within a year, always of assistance whenever he appeared, and always escaping from Vladimir's men cleanly and easily. His single-handed attacks against the king drew quite a bit of attention, and gave the people hope, and in the end, Vladimir took drastic steps, to try to crush that hope.
King Vladimir knew that his men had proven ineffective against Von Doom, in the rare cases where they'd been able to locate him at all, and he knew that he needed something or someone better, so he appealed to several foreign governments for aid. Of course, no one wanted to have anything to do with him. To the people of Latveria, Vladimir may have been a ruthless tormentor, but internationally, he was viewed as an irrational, immature child. No government was all that eager to assist him, because they thought, at first, that Vladimir couldn't offer them anything worthwhile in exchange.
Vladimir knew, though, that he couldn't let Doom keep running free in Latveria, because Doom's crimes against him were becoming more and more costly. In the end, the king was able to recover one of Doom's weapons; a bomb of sorts, that sent out energy waves, which halted the motions in molecules, effectively freezing whatever it was thrown at. The bomb was a type of technology, that no one working for the king could decipher, so Vladimir decided to approach the United States government with the technology, offering it to them in exchange for their assistance in removing Doom from Latveria. In the end, after a study of the bomb by US scientists, certain higher-ups in the government agreed to Vladimir's proposition, but only, they insisted, if they were allowed to make use of Doom's brilliant, creative genius in their own projects. Vladimir didn't like the idea of Doom still being alive at the end of it all, which led to some delays in making a deal between them, but it was the only real option he had.
Things happened pretty quickly at that point. Doom learned that US representatives would be visiting Latveria, and wanted them to see what an oppressive ruler Vladimir really was. It seemed, though, that the representatives were already well aware of that, and when they discovered Doom, lurking around the castle they'd landed outside, they wisely decided not to try to fight him. If they'd tried that, Doom would probably have either injured one of them, or made another escape. In the end, they were able to convince Doom that they only wanted to make him a generous offer, and that, it turned out, was exactly what they did.
The US representatives offered Doom a position working as a designer of new technologies for, as they said, the benefit of the free world. More likely, the DOD just wanted to use him to make new kinds of weapons. I think Doom probably realized their real motives, but at the time, he played along for some reason. It doesn't seem likely that Doom actually wanted to help any military forces in any way, but maybe he thought that he could use them to get hold of resources, and acquire greater experience in the field than he'd been able to in the past. They even offered him a chance to attend Columbia University, and get some formal training in the fields he'd been excelling in, and Doom, it seemed, didn't want to pass that up. I can't say I blame him for anything he'd done up to that point. In his place, I'd probably have wanted a formal education too, and I definitely wouldn't have trusted the DOD.
No one's really sure what happened at the university, but Doom stayed there for less than a year. Apparently, there was some kind of accident. I'm not sure what was involved, but Doom left both the university, and the country shortly after that. All of the experiments that he'd been working on for the DOD were destroyed by some kind of micro-explosive charges, that had been hardwired into the circuitry; probably ever since Doom first designed it. From the sounds of things, he'd been planning to double-cross them since the start. That doesn't surprise me either, although it did make him a criminal. Destroying military equipment is definitely against the law.
What happened to Doom after that is surrounded by even more mystery. It seems that something about the accident at the university scarred Doom's face all over. Most likely, he kept the bandages on, or else disguised himself with a mask, but after betraying the DOD, he just seemed to vanish off the face of the Earth for several years. No rumors... nothing. No one's sure what happened to him after that, but I'm convinced that Doom didn't waste his time, because when he reappeared, years later, he was wearing a suit of cybernetic armor, similar to the kind worn by Iron Man. The armor seemed to have made him more powerful than ever. Since then, the people of Latveria have seen Doom as a figure of hope and myth. They've told me that his armor and training have given him many amazing powers, less than half of which I'm ready to believe exist. Doom became the closest thing that the people of Latveria had ever had to a true hero.
Of course, in a nation where the governing body is the most oppressive and terrifying force in the lives of its citizens, the nature of a hero for the people is very different. Doom knew what life was like for the people of Latveria, and he knew that there was only one true criminal in the kingdom; one person that his people needed to be saved from; King Vladimir.
Doom moved through the kingdom, stopping at towns and encampments wherever he went over the next several months; always lashing out at Vladimir's men whenever they threatened the people they were supposed to be protecting. It happened, unfortunately, everywhere he went.
Of course, the last time Doom had been in Latveria, he'd used his technology to do pretty much to same thing, hindering Vladimir's attempts, and escaping when he needed to. However, since his return, Doom didn't need to worry about escapes anymore. In the first town he visited; West Caramie, he was attacked by a troupe of over a dozen soldiers, and picked them apart without any help. Though he was disguised by a mask, cloak, hood, and a suit of armor, the people recognized him almost at once, and they knew that Doom was back. Naturally, they knew what Doom had done in the past; how he'd disrupted Vladimir's plans, and always made it out alive, but since he'd returned, Doom had seen more oppression than ever, and he knew that Vladimir still had an army, and could still torture his subjects if he wanted to. Doom wanted to do more than just hinder Vladimir; he wanted to stop him, and even Doom couldn't do that alone.
After visiting just a few towns, Doom started recruiting able-bodied citizens to his cause of liberation. Five whole towns joined him in only a few weeks, after he demonstrated his power and skill to them, and told them that there was hope for victory, after all that time. The man who'd been their tormentor for so many years would, Doom said, finally be brought to justice; punished for his crimes. Doom was furious that kings, lords, and rulers like Vladimir could never be held accountable for what they did. Because of that, Doom said, many people had lost their lives for no reason at all, including many of his closest friends, and his own parents. He was determined to ensure that people who abused their power would, in the future, have to answer to a force of pure, true justice, starting with the king of Latveria.
Doom moved across Latveria after that, bit by bit, recruiting new help wherever he went. The people of Latveria had held back from revolution before then, because they'd been convinced that they could never succeed against the superior weapons of their lord, but with Doom providing them with arms and advice, they won almost every battle with the king's men, frequently even when they were outnumbered. In fact, on more than one occasion, the majority of the enemy soldiers defected to Doom's army, once they saw the kind of brilliant tactics being used against them. After a while, even people in Vladimir's castle had heard about Doom's brilliance and fairness. From everything I've heard, by the time Doom's army got to Vladimir's castle, the entire force of the enemy was ready to bow down, and declare Doom their new ruler. All that was left was Vladimir himself; the one person in the kingdom who didn't have the brains to know when he was beaten.
Vladimir ran from Doom, through an escape route, in an attempt to get out of the capital, but Doom had been in contact with Vladimir's high chancellor long before making a move on the capital, and had predicted the route that Vladimir would use in his attempt to escape. He was waiting for Vladimir on the other end. Doom could have told his men to seize the former king of Latveria at that point, but in spite of everything, he was determined to give his enemy one last chance. Doom had been born from humble beginnings, and through ingenuity, skill and hard work, he'd set out on a quest of self-improvement that had made him the most powerful person in his country. Every weapon that he had, he'd designed himself, and every skill he'd mastered, he'd mastered by an effort of his own. Vladimir had had even longer to prepare for the moment when he'd need to fight for his life, and had started with a much greater fortune at his disposal. In Doom's eyes, if Vladimir couldn't defeat him, he had no one to blame but himself.
You could say that the two of them fought, but it wasn't much of a fight. Doom turned down the power on his armor, but even so, Vladimir was no match for him. Vladimir was a foolish, spoiled tyrant, with virtually no combat experience of his own. Doom was in his prime, and an expert in the martial arts by that point. Even against the weight of his armor, Doom outmaneuvered Vladimir's clumsy attacks easily, beating the older man senseless, bit by bit. Most of the people living in Latveria right now wish that they could have been there to see that moment when justice finally caught up to their former king.
In the end, Vladimir collapsed to the ground, defeated, and Doom brought his boot down one last time, in an attempt to knock Vladimir unconscious. It seems like Vladimir moved at the last second, trying to slide out of the way of the kick with his last ounce of strength. Of course, if Doom is really as skilled as I've heard, he could have compensated for what Vladimir did. I'm convinced that Doom really did mean to kill Vladimir; at least somewhat.
Doom's foot came down on Vladimir's neck, rather than on the side of his head, as Doom claimed that he intended. Vladimir was dead in seconds. Still, the act was well-received by the general public, who rushed to make Doom their new ruler. To them, he was a savior, and their greatest champion. There was nobody they trusted as much as Victor Von Doom.
"But I don't get it..." Crystal said, interrupted Daredevil's explanations at that point, "I mean, he obviously made a few mistakes, but Doom still sounds like a hero to his people. You said he cared so much about helping people, and being loving. What happened to him that made him turn to kidnapping? Why is he trying to take over the world now? What caused him to change so much?"
Daredevil seemed a little distracted after having been interrupted, but he recovered quickly, and voiced his reply almost at once.
"Honestly?" Daredevil said in a voice that sounded deeply distraught, "It seems like Doom still loves every person in the world, whether he knows them or not. He didn't change at all."
To Be Continued...