Born to be a King
Chapter 35
The moment the doors to the Strategy Hall opened and Loki walked inside, he was met with an enraged Thor.
"You let her go?!" his older sibling confronted him "have you any idea what you've done?!"
Loki ignored him, pushing him out of the way and rushing to the table where the artificial intelligence displayed a live feed of the Southern Gates.
"Order all Shadow Legions in the city to stand down!" he commanded with urgency as he watched one of Doom's aircraft whizz toward the Conveyor. Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed him by the shoulder and flipped him about. A dozen weapons were immediately aimed at Thor as his face was once again only inches from Loki's.
"You know she's unbalanced and you set her free! If you allow her to leave she will only return with Doom's forces and lay waste to us all!"
"I did what was necessary. And you would do well to learn your place, brother" Loki replied with disdain, shoving his hand off. He signaled the guards to lower their weapons, then turned back to the table.
"You know, you should really learn to trust me" Loki said, giving Thor a side glance.
"I will not be there to save you when you are destroyed by the very woman you claim to love" Thor scoffed, shaking his head in utter disbelief as he watched the aircraft carrying Barbara getting closer and closer to her means of escaping.
Loki gave him a scowl.
"Order Mehmet to open the doors" he gave the command.
All watched mesmerized as the Conveyor lit up, taking the aircraft up into the atmosphere and disappearing. Then in unison they turned toward the massive screen panels on the wall that projected live images of the battle currently raging around Neffarim. The Ether Road suddenly burst through, and Barbara's aircraft flew into the fray. Everyone in the room held their breath as she fired her way into the thickest part of the battle. Loki walked forward and watched as Barbara came closer and closer to her target.
"Come on, come on, come on" he muttered under his breath, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. Then his eyes lit up in utter mischief when he heard the loud gasp that resonated in the Strategy Hall as they all witnessed Barbara crash into Victor von Doom's ship.
"Now what?" Thor asked behind him.
"Now we wait"
A woozy Barbara stumbled out of the aircraft, gagging and coughing as she inhaled the smoke. She clumsily crawled her way out of the smog, then took off running into the bowels of the mothership before being detected. But it was too late. High above in the cockpit, Victor von Doom's sharp senses had gone on alert.
Barbara ran further in, bringing down all doombots that crossed her path. Finally, she reached the heavy metal doors at the most nether part of the ship. Using her powers to warp the security system, the doors opened and let her pass. The lights flickered on and she stood inside Victor's lab and infirmary.
For a second time that day, Barbara felt the blood drain from her veins.
She saw the gurney on the far end, the medical machinery around it, the computer panel, the various cords that hung from it. It was the exact same setting she had seen on The Ocular. Now suddenly numb, she walked to it and stood in front of the gurney. In her mind, she replayed the images she had seen: She laying on it unconscious as Doom connected the cords to her head and hooked her up to the panel. The program loading up into her cerebellum, erasing her memories and replacing them with the ones he had created.
She collapsed onto the floor and cried out as the pain exploded in her head. She tried to breathe through it, to still her raging heartbeat, to slow the excruciating pounding in her temples and the base of her neck. She laid down flat on the floor, feeling the cold steel on her head somehow soothe the pain. She turned her head slightly...
...and then she saw it. The black metal box partially hidden beneath the computer panel.
She dragged herself towards it and pulled it out. It was sealed with a heavy lock. Fighting against the blinding pain, she managed to summon her powers and the lock shattered. She threw the lid open and this time she cried out not in pain, but in sheer rage.
Inside of the box was a set of armor. Her armor. Torn and tattered.
"Nooooooooooo! No, no, no, no..." she wept as she turned it over and over in her hands, wishing for it to be someone else's. But it wasn't. It was her armor, an exact copy of the one she currently wore. The one given to her by Loki.
Slowly, she felt the pain in her head begin to ebb and become replaced by the sharpest clarity. Gently, she placed the armor back into the container and closed the lid. She stood, and carrying the box walked further in, and entered Doom's laboratory. She sat at the main panel and activated the system. Soon, she had hacked into his most secure files and began scouring the dozens of intelligence programs he had created for his doombots. There were the basic algorithms of motion and military capability, the ones that carried Doom's sentience, and then, she found the very last program. The folder carried a simple name. She opened it, and with tears burning in her eyes, read through the data of the program called...
"Barbara"
She instantly leaped from her chair and now stood facing Victor von Doom.
They said nothing at first. He simply looked at her and then at the computer panel. He sighed, and placed his hands up in defeat.
"Did you really do this to me, Victor?" she asked, her voice breaking.
"You must know why I did it" he explained "it was you who asked me to do this"
"What?!" she asked incredulous.
"You brought the Gauntlet to me, assuring that we meet again. What else was it but a silent cry for help, for me to save you from the destiny forced upon you? I only did what you asked me to do. That's the sole reason I came to Verdandi"
"Then why distort my memories?"
"I wanted to eradicate all memories of him, but I couldn't"
She sighed and looked down at the black metal box, then kicked it towards him.
"I found it. Inside is the armor I wore when I was brought to you. You stole me away from the man I love and from my son. MY SON!"
"A child that never should have been. The spawn of a frost giant" Victor groaned with disgust through gritted teeth, turning away from her.
Barbara was taken aback by his words. She felt hatred unlike any she had felt rise in her chest and consume her. Her brown eyes changed to gold, and Victor von Doom went flying backwards as the entire lab exploded. Doom collided with the thick doors and landed in a heap. Barbara was instantly standing above him. When he tried to move, she dug the spiked heel of her boot into his back, forcing him down onto the floor. He turned his head just slightly, and looked up into two bright eyes that burned like fiery brimstone in the near darkness.
"Today is the day you die, Victor von Doom" she hissed down at him.
He watched her go as she disappeared back into the ship. The ship began to break apart as she ran toward the flight deck.
"You underestimate, my sweet" he chuckled.
Inside the Strategy Hall, Loki held his breath as he watched Doom's aircraft begin to explode from the bottom up. Then he sighed with relief when he saw the small aircraft that exited the ship and fly at full speed toward Neffarim, heading for the Dark Mountains on the Northern region of the realm.
"She goes for the Mind Stone" Stingadr turned to Loki with worry in his voice, noticing the temple atop the tallest peak.
"Exactly" Loki smiled widely.
"You knew this would happen" Thor said with shock.
"Of course. I told you to trust me. What better place for her to learn the truth than at the source of the deceit. Hmm?"
"The metal man will now come with all his might" Thor pondered.
"He will, and when he does we'll be ready for him" Loki replied. He turned to Durrgo and gave the command.
"Assemble three hundred thousand Shadow warriors on horseback on the plain below the mountains, that is where we will concentrate the battle. Order one hundred thousand aircraft to Neffarim. All other legions and craft are to remain here surrounding the city. We must lay waste to the metal man's forces by the afternoon shadow."
"And the prince?" Stingadr asked.
"Have him go about his day. Sound no alarm. Nothing must be out of the ordinary, but close the gates of the palace. None must enter nor leave. Continue to monitor all activity in the Nether Regions. The alignment reaches its peak at the time of midnight in Asgard. Order Ragnar to stand on guard" he said, now speaking to his sibling.
"All Asgardian armies are at the ready. Should anything occur, we will know it"
"The Order of Sorcerers?" Loki asked Ljósálfr.
"Already assembled, my king"
Loki straightened his shoulders. He clutched his spear of kingship tighter as he took one last look at the screens. He looked at the tall, looming temple atop the dark mountain. Barbara was currently making her way towards it, and the stone hidden within. His body shimmered and he was now clothed in full armor. Those around him followed suit and now the room was now filled with two kings and five realm leaders ready for battle.
"We go to Neffarim" Loki said, leading the way out of the Strategy Hall.
Victor von Doom rose to his feet with great effort. He staggered into the laboratory that continued to collapse into itself. He pressed some keys on a panel and the floor opened, revealing the secret chamber beneath. He entered the subterranean room and locked himself in. He walked to the stand in the middle where the Time Gem glowed beautiful in hues of green and blue. He activated the program built into the containment chamber of the stone, and he watched as the Time Gem lit up and expanded, sending surges of its power into the wires connected to it. Gears whirred into effect, lights flickered, and then, Victor's army of superbots became sentient. Powered by the gem, they were unmatched. Powerful, and deadly. No god could stand against them.
But that was not all.
Victor raised his arms, and robotic arms reached out to undress him. A new armor was placed upon him, made of Scabrite steel. Then he smashed the gem's containment chamber and grabbed the Time Gem in his hand.
Sparks flew around the room and he screamed in pain as the stone and he became one. Victor von Doom was no longer just a child prodigy of the universe. He was becoming a powerful being, capable of bending space and time.
Once the agony ceased, he placed the stone in his chest plate, thus powering his armor. He donned his armored gloves and placed his mask on, then wrapped his signature cloak around his shoulders. He now stood in front of his new army, and extended his hands toward the thousands of superbots that would lay waste to the Asgardian's legions.
"Now, let it be war upon you both"
End of Chapter 35
Responses to reviews:
CLTex: Thank you Christi! Love you too! :)
LostInSpace33: Lol, I guess that really was a cliffhanger! And that scene in AoU was really hilarious, how Nathasha just pushed him into the abyss. We will soon see how Loki's plan works out... or not lol. Thanks for your review darlin'! :)
Anon fan: Oh man! Lol I really don't know what to say to that! Lol Thanks boo! The underground huh? Hmmm... sneaky! Lol
LokiGrey: I like that you pointed out the fact that Victor is a compelling rival to Loki, and Loki knows this. They both love Barbara in a very selfish way, except that Loki has come to see Barbara as part of himself and not just a prize. By the way, I'm very happy to hear that things are going great for you! Glad that you had a great time on your birthday! Sorry to hear about your friend though. Sometimes we need to sever ties with people who contribute nothing positive to our life, and now allow ourselves to be dragged into their personal issues. I've been okay, just really busy with work. Take care 'Becca! :)
Hiddles-Skittles: Ehehehehhehehehe ;)
LisaF: Thank you so much, Lisa! You're so sweet! :)