Chapter 75: Brace for Impact!

It was a week after the time travel fiasco and everyone was more or less back to normal, though a few were still shaken about it. Namely Chelsea and Marcus, but they were getting over it—albeit slowly.

It was the dome that appeared over the Mayan temples in Mexico that was causing the most stress. Namely for those directly involved with the incident.

"Did you find anything on them?" Xavier asked Hank as they did everything they could to find Apocalypse.

"Unfortunately." The beastial mutant sighed as he stopped working. "Everything's a dead end." He said. "... So how is Kurt doing? I heard he was pretty angry at Gavin for shattering Mystique's statue before we could attempt to help her."

"He's… Not very social at the moment." The bald man sighed. "And as for Gavin, he was quite vocal about him not caring in the slightest about what the rest of us thought of his actions. So I decided to let it be. Given what he went through at Mystique's hands, I can't exactly blame him either."

"Where is he now?" Beast asked.

"At the moment? He's busy packing for a business trip with Rogue and Damian. Something about both of them working on establishing something in Europe related to the other future institutes and possible places for X-Tremade to be distributed." Xavier replied.

"Did he say where it was?" Hank continued.

"No, in fact, he never mentioned it at all." The telepath replied.

(Elsewhere)

"Listen Gavin, all Ah'm sayin is you could at least try talking to Kurt. Ah hated Mystique too, but Kurt's still family." The southern belle told her boyfriend as they packed.

"I can only do that if he lets me. Judging by the look he gave me when he found out, he didn't seem keen on letting me even say a syllable." The young CEO replied as he looked his things over.

"That's… True, Ah guess." She shrugged as she watched Damian walk over to his little bed as he packed his own little suitcase. "... Hey, do you think we should put this trip on hold? Ya know in case the others need us in the event things with Apocalypse get worse?"

Gavin guffawed as he closed his suitcase. "Worse?! How could it get any worse? Take a look around you, Anna! We're at the threshold of Hell!" He said incredulously. Rogue wanted to refute that, she really did, but she had nothing to say. They really were on the threshold of Hell with Apocalypse out there.

"... Touché." The auburn haired girl said. "So… Where are we going, exactly?" She asked as she took Damian's suitcase as he handed it to her.

"As much as I'd rather not… Latveria." Gavin said reluctantly, causing his girlfriend to stumble.

"Latveria?!" The girl said in her best whisper. "Why?!"

"My marketing team says that in order to finish my hold on the markets in Europe, I need to get X-Tremade sold there. And since Latveria's population has over 37% Mutants… it seemed like a good move." The boy explained. "And I got a call from Senator McAlistor, apparently the president would like me to try and convince Dr. Doom to allow Latveria to be the country to host the first ever Superhuman Olympic Sports Summer Games." He added.

"Are those the only reasons?" Rogue asked tiredly.

"Well, I also got a text from my mom saying she's going to Latveria on behalf of the FBI as well. And I want to be there with her since she's still kinda trying to get used to being single again after her break up with Fury last month." The boy added.

"Wait, what? They broke up?" The southern girl asked in surprise, not expecting that to happen.

"It was mutual. Their careers kept getting in the way." He replied.

"Oh." The girl nodded in understanding as she picked up Damian and the three headed out the door.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile with Chelsea and Logan, the two were at Hogan's having a drink and the blonde was actually not trying to drown her troubles in alcohol this time.

"Be honest with me, Logan, do you think I'm anything like that other version of me? Like at all?" She asked her husband. "... God I'm talking like Kitty. Now I know I'm getting old."

"I don't see any grey hairs." Logan joked.

"Shut up and answer the question." The dragoness retorted.

"Honestly? No, you're definitely not like her. I mean there are a few little similarities, but the difference is basically night and day." The feral mutant told her before whispering. "For one, you can control your libido, she couldn't. Hence why we only have three kids and she has ten."

"Fair point." The dirty blonde nodded. "Other differences?"

"You're hard on people because you care about them, and don't neglect them. You learned to not be like your parents. She's kind to her family but doesn't care about anyone else. You care, she doesn't." Logan continued as he took another swig of his Coors.

Chelsea nodded, noticing the contrast, but still felt a seed of doubt. However she decided to push it out of her mind for the time being when Gabby texted her.

"What is it?" Logan asked, looking over her shoulder as he heard his wife chuckle at the picture their daughter sent them.

"Just Gabby with some friends of hers." The woman said. The picture showed Gabby taking a selfie picture (something the new IPhones could do in the current year: 2000) with six other boys.

All of them were smiling with her and had her in the middle. All of them also seemed to be Latino in appearance, though from what descent they couldn't say. The leader of the group was a boy around twelve or so.

He was a boy who looked to be most likely of Cuban/Brazilian-Canadian descent with naturally caramel colored skin. He was slightly taller than Gabby, even while hunched over in the picture, he had spiky blonde hair that was dirty blonde at the bottom and went to golden blonde at the tips. His hair was styled similar to the singer: Billy idol. His face was also very handsome looking, though his nose—which he got from his father—was built slightly differently, making it look similar to a younger Sabertooth or Logan. He also had elongated canine teeth and—from what they could tell despite his eyes being slightly squinted— had amber colored eyes that seemed almost cat-like.

Lastly he was wearing a pair of black loose fitting jeans, gold punk platform boots with black trim, a gold tank top, and a black Jamickiki Woolen Padded Jacket with gold fur lining the hood and collar. Additionally he wore a gold belt diagonally on his waist and a bracelet with a Saber Tooth Tiger tooth charm and a Bendita Madre Maria charm on it.

"Who're they again?" The man asked, giving the leading boy a scrutinizing look as he noticed that he was giving Gabby bunny ears in the picture.

"Hang on, let me ask." Chelsea replied as she texted her daughter back. "... Okay, The boy giving her bunny ears is named Diego DeSantez, and the others are members of his band: The Amigos."

"A band?" Logan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, They're apparently a Spanish singing band… Which explains why Gabby likes them because she's fluent in it. What with her practically being raised in Spanish speaking countries and all." The Dragoness said.

"I guess I can see that." The scraggly mutant shrugged. "I still don't like her being around that many boys. Especially that Diego kid, something seems off about him to me." He added as he finished his drink and ordered another.

"Okay Papa, whatever you say." The woman teased as she ordered another drink as well.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile on top of the Empire State Building, Peter was currently in his Spider Man costume with the mask off with Laura—who was in her own uniform—sitting beside him. A pair of hotdogs, chips, and sodas sat between them.

Laura's new costume was a lot like Logan's. Only the colors were yellow and blue and she had claw slots in the boots. Additionally it was much more feminine, with her belt hanging diagonally on her hip and her top being more curved and less bulky as well as form fitting to her C-cup chest. Lastly her entire midsection was exposed and she had a cowl—which was currently off—like Logan, but her eye domino mask flares were much smaller.

She also changed her code name, she was now: She-Wolverine.

As the two sat together on the building, Peter decided to start a conversation. "So… How's everyone handling the Apocalypse and time travel fiasco at the Institute? I hear that you guys handled the world press about it pretty well." He said.

"Most of us are pretty stressed out. How can we not be? We're basically fighting an unofficial war." The girl sighed.

"Yeah… Sorry for bringing it up, definitely not the best starter for our first 'date', huh?" The boy said awkwardly.

"Not the best topic period." Laura nodded. "But at least you're trying… Tiger." She smirked, elbowing him slightly.

"Yeah, I guess so." The web singer chuckled. The two sat in silence for a minute while enjoying their food before he spoke up again. "So… Are you gonna tell your parents about, well, us?" He asked her.

"When I have a stable moment. Thinks are pretty chaotic right now." Laura sighed.

"Here's hoping they take it well." Peter muttered.

"Yeah." The girl nodded.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile in Egypt, the Acolytes were busy looking for answers to do with Apocalypse in his supposed tomb.

"Has anything turned up, Demona?" Magneto questioned the gargoyle, who was currently in her human form.

"Nothing, sadly. It's like he knew people would look for answers and made sure that little was left behind." She sighed, as she finished trying another spell. "Even my best revelation spells show nothing." She stated.

"Blast! We need information, and time is running out!" He seethed.

"Aw relax big M." Jackal said nonchalantly. "What's so bad about all the humans being turned into Mutants? Sounds like Prime real estate to me." He added.

"As things are now, they're fine. But what Apocalypse is attempting could very well kill a majority of the human population. That is something I'd like to avoid." Magneto stated. "Trust me Jackal, I would like a Mutant world just as much as one where we live in peace. But despite popular belief, I do have standards."

"Some would say too many." Demona muttered. As fond as she was of Mutants due to their similarities to gargoyles, coexisting with humanity was not something she was fond of.

"What was that, Demona?" The man asked firmly.

"Nothing." The woman said.

"Sheesh, tense much?" Hyena whispered to Wolf and Coyote as they helped Coldsteel take apart and examine the robots in the temple.

"Tell me about it." Wolf nodded as they continued working.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile at Xanatos tower, Puck was busy babysitting Drake while training both him and Alex.

"Okay now boys, I'm going to help you get over those adorable, but bad habits of yours." The fairy said as Alex involuntarily floated upside down in front of him, and Drake was transforming back and forth every time he sneezed acid every few seconds.

Alex and Drake both seemed confused at this. "Habits?" The three year olds asked before Drake sneezed for the fifteenth time, burning hole through the adjacent wall which Puck patched up… Again.

"Stuff like what I just fixed." The fairy clarified.

"Ooohhhhh!" The kids said with wide eyes.

"Now you're catching on." Puck smiled as he helped Alex float back down. "Now, let's begin."

(Elsewhere)

Rogue and Gavin sat in the plane that would take them to Latveria with Amanda. They were sitting in the first class and the flight attendant soon came to offer them refreshments.

"Would you like anything?" She asked the four.

"Just some water, please." Gavin replied, knowing that other flight drinks didn't do much to quench your thirst.

"I'll take a sweet tea." Rogue replied, southern through and through.

"I'll take Dragon Fruit juice please." Amanda told her.

Damian meanwhile pointed at a bottle of tangerine flavored X-Tremade. "That one!" He said.

"Damian, what do we say when we want something?" His grandmother and mother told him sternly.

"Please!" He added quickly. The attendant chuckled at how cute the action was.

"Of course." She nodded. A few minutes later she came back, and even had Damian's drink in a little sippy cup with ice.

"So mom, is there a reason the FBI is sending you specifically to Latveria?" Gavin asked as he sipped his water.

"It's mainly to check on how Dr. Victor is handling ruling over the Mutant population of his country during the… current climate of opinion and making sure that no action has to be taken to make sure he doesn't violate international mandates." The woman explained. "They were going to send me because I'm well versed in the subject, since I have two Mutant children."

"Ah think they made the right choice." Rogue commented.

"That's debatable…" Gavin muttered, knowing exactly what Victor Von Doom was like up close.

Damian meanwhile was just happily sipping away at his drink, his superhuman brain already concocting schemes of mischief that he'd do during their visit. The boy giggled to himself,

a mischievous smile on his face.

'Let the games begin.' He thought to himself.

(Elsewhere)

Back at the institute, Kurt was currently sulking in his room while Jean, Scott, Kitty, his girlfriend Amanda, and even Lance tried to cheer him up. But unfortunately it was to no avail.

"Kurt, Mystique wasn't exactly the best mom to you." Scott tried to tell him.

"Not to mention she was like a worse person overall." Kitty added.

"And was a total bitch." Lance added.

"What they're trying to say is we think your grief is a little…" Amanda started to say.

"Misplaced." Jean finished.

"How is it even misplaced? I was angry at her, sure, but I never wanted her dead." The blue boy sighed.

"That's not exactly what we mean." Jean amended.

"We're just afraid you're going to hate Gavin for doing something that most people would consider him justified for doing." Scott added.

"It's… *Sigh* I just need time." The teleporter sighed.

"Well, I'm here for you." Amanda told him.

"We all are." Jean added.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile at the Brotherhood house, Toad was currently waiting for something at the bottom of the stairs, snickering to himself.

"Whatcha doin Toad?" Fred asked.

"Shhh!" The amphibious Mutant said before he silently counted down before…

"AAAGGGHHH!" A scream ripped through the air as Daken came tumbling down the stairs out of his room, before getting bonked on the head with the stone face of Mystique which fell with him.

"Now this is comedy!" Toad laughed.

"Yeah no kidding!" Fred laughed as he used Mystique's stone hand as a back scratcher. Pietro meanwhile used one of her legs to do something classier.

As Wanda came out of the shower, two towels wrapped around her head and body, her brother used the leg to trip her and cause her to fall down the stairs right on top of Daken.

"Oof!" The two grunted from the impact before they froze upon looking into each other's eyes.

Wanda's towel fell off her head and some of her still wet hair fell on Daken's face as he stared at her, the shampoo she used bombarding the man's enhanced nose like a drone strike.

"Uh… Hi Daken." The witch said nervously, a blushing all over her face.

"Wanda." Daken replied in a stupified tone at their current situation. 'Oh my god it's just like those anime Fred keeps watching…' He thought.

"Having fun, love birds?" Pietro teased as he and the other two boys started howling in laughter. This caused the two to glare at them angrily.

"You three…" Daken growled, claws deploying.

"Are so.." Wanda continued, powers flaring.

"FUCKING DEAD!" They finished together with a yell as they chased the boys, causing the house to shake.

(Elsewhere)

Hours later, Gavin, Rogue, Damian and Amanda had finally arrived in Latveria. And as they exited the airport, they were soon met by a pair of robots who were standing in front of an old car that looked like it belonged in Xavier's private collection.

"This must be our ride." Gavin deduced as one of the robots opened the door for them. Entering the car, they were then driven through the streets of several towns until they reached the castle of Dr. Doom.

The castle itself was rather impressive. It was made from cobblestone with red roof tiles and seemed to be something straight out of a fairytale.

"So that's the famed Castle Von Doom." Amanda noted.

"I may not like the guy personally, but I will give credit where it's due. He has an amazing sense of style." Gavin whistled.

As they stepped out of the car and stood at the door, which was large and had two large dragon shaped knockers on them, it opened and they were met by a Doombot.

"Greetings Mr. and Mrs. Shirakumo and son. As well as you, Agent Țepeș." The Robot said in a robotic version of Doom's voice. "Welcome to Castle Von Doom. The master has been awaiting your arrival." He added. "Please follow me." He continued as the bot led them inside.

As they walked through the decorated halls, Rogue took notice of Amanda's name. "Ah thought your last name was Shirakumo." She wondered to the woman.

"No. I just took that after marrying Gavin's father. Tepes is my maiden name." The woman explained.

"And yes, Rogue. I'm descended from the Impaler himself." Gavin added.

"Freaky…" The southern belle said as she and Damian both shuddered. A few moments later, they were soon led into a sort of sitting area, where the Doombot told them to stay and that the good doctor would be with them shortly.

A minute or two later, he indeed did show. His armor and very much iconic cape flapping in the breeze as he entered the room.

"Dr. Doom, good to see you in fair health." Gavin said as he got up and held out his hand—which had his white occult sealed gloves on them—to the man. Doom took notice of his demeanor and noted differences from the last time they had spoken (unbeknownst to him this was because Gavin's Level 2 personality and Level 3 were merging together with his primary at the same time at this point).

Shaking that thought off for another time, he took the offered hand and shook it. "As am I pleased to see you in equally fair health." The ruler of Latveria said in reply before taking notice of both Amanda and Rogue who was holding Damian. "I do not believe we have been properly introduced. May Doom ask you for your names, Madames?"

A little known fact about Victor Von Doom, He may be curt and rather arrogant as well as a bit of an ass at times, but he was also a gentleman.

"Anna Marie." Rogue said politely. She didn't like being here, but she knew to keep that to herself. "And this Damian." She added as the toddler waved at the man.

"Dr. DOOOOOM!" The boy cackled spookily as he waved his arms around. This got a chuckle out of the armor clad man.

"Very amusing, little one, I approve." He said, patting the boy's head, getting a smile from him. He then turned to Amanda and—if he was perfectly honest—for a woman of thirty five she didn't look like she'd aged much past twenty two.

Amanda was at Doom's chest in terms of height and her wheat colored blonde hair was tied up in a neat bun. Her fair complexion and angelic features certainly offset her eyes, and her above average figure was held in well by the business suit she was wearing. Her chest was outlined ever so slightly to leave the majority to the imagination, while her pants did very little to hide how voluptuous and curvy her hips and other assets were.

Needless to say, the man was most certainly impressed with the woman standing in front of him.

"And you, madame?" He inquired.

"I am Agent Amanda Tepes." The woman told her as Gavin and his family walked to her. "I'm also Gavin's mother." She continued, offering a hand.

"Ah." Doom nodded as he gave the woman's hand a gentlemanly kiss, much to Gavin's chagrin. "Now that proper introductions are out of the way. Come, I have prepared my dining hall for us so that we may converse in more appropriate accommodations to conduct our business in." He told them as he turned and walked away.

"I don't like the way he's acting around her." Gavin whispered to his girlfriend as the three followed.

"Ah don't like it either, but just put up with it for now. We can relax when this is over." Rogue whispered back as they were guided to the dining room.

"Right… right." Gavin sighed.

(Elsewhere)

In Mexico, Mystique was awaiting Apocalypse's return, her newly formed and enticing body having the drawback of making her feel very bored. This was because, like Chelsea, her hormones were boosted in a similar fashion to hers now and she had no way of knowing how to deal with them.

'Ugh, this is so boring…' She groaned internally. She needed to entertain herself somehow and quickly before she lost it. Turning to one of the Apocalypse doubles she spoke to it. "You." She said, causing it to stop what it was doing.

"Yes?" It responded.

"Entertain me, I'm beginning to die of boredom." She told it, her chest shifting as she changed positions in her chair.

"Of course." It nodded… Before it punched one of the other doubles. This soon caused them to start fighting.

"Much better." The woman smiled as she leaned back on her throne. "Hopefully when he's done, Apocalypse and I can start working on our second project." She purred to herself as she watched the two doubles fight each other.

(Elsewhere)

Back at the Institute, Devin was busy giving Roxy a massage at the pool. Ever since Apocalypse came back the girl had been really tense in the event she turned back into harlot. However when it didn't happen she relaxed.

This was her way of keeping it that way. She had to make sure her scorpion tail didn't get in the way though. Her armor may have been retractable, but her tail wasn't.

"Ah, that's the stuff." The grey skinned girl sighed in content as Devin went to her shoulders with his elbow. "Oh yes! Oh right there, harder daddy! Harder! Mmmm!" She moaned in bliss as he turned his arm into steel and dug in between her shoulder blades.

"So tense. You need more massages." He noted as he worked his magic. The scorpion girl gasped as he tweaked her spine as start chopping on it.

"Ooooh yeeeeaaaah…" She sighed as she slowly felt herself loosen enough for him to work on her hips and legs. Though as he worked on the former, he also occasionally smacked her on her pink thong clad rear. "Ah!" She gasped with each smack.

"Now this is what I call soft." He grinned, squeezing said flesh and kneading it. "Are you feeling better now?" He asked.

"Oh yeah. A lot better." Roxy sighed as she flipped herself over and pulled her boyfriend down to snuggle with him.

"Okay, I suppose I can make time for this." He sighed as he hugged his girlfriend's bikini clad body close to him.

(Elsewhere)

Back in Latveria, Doom had prepared a fine meal for his guests as a show of goodwill and good hostmanship, which the group certainly appreciated.

"Now, what business brings you here to Doom's domain?" The man asked Gavin first.

"Simple marketing business. I trust you've heard of X-Tremade by now, correct?" The boy asked professionally, getting a nod in return.

"I have. If my intuition serves me, you wish to distribute it in Latveria, yes?" The dictator guessed.

"Yes. That is my intent. Seeing that Latveria would serve as the keystone of my European marketing campaign before my hostile takeover of the world's energy drink market next quarter." Gavin explained. "And since your country's population is currently 37% Mutants by volume and growing, my marketing team said it'd be a good start since they are our targeted audience." He continued. "Do you have anything you wish to say to it?" The pseudo vampire asked.

The ruler of Latveria took a moment to ponder the boy's logic. Being a ruler, dictator or not, he had to be well versed in economics in every facet. And from what he was hearing, the proposal seemed logical and potentially beneficial, however he did have one problem with it.

"I must ask. Has this product ever shown adverse effects towards humans who drink it?" The ruler asked, his concern for the remaining 43% of his kingdom's population showing through his words.

"We've made sure to run tests prior to when it was first introduced to the public. No adverse effects were found in normal humans, be it the short term or the long term." Gavin assured.

Doom nodded and then clasped his hands together. "Very well then. I will personally oversee its distribution." He nodded. "Though I assume this isn't the only business you have come to discuss?"

"There's also the topic of the first Superhuman Olympic Sports Summer Games." Rogue told him as she tried to get Damian to eat a piece of liverwurst.

"... And what about these 'games' if Doom may ask?" The man questioned, trying not to chuckle at the scene before him.

"We would like Latveria to be the first place for these games to be held." The southern belle explained. "And additionally, Professor Xavier was hoping you'd be willing to allow us to build an Institute here, seeing as that the world isn't too keen on Latverians unfortunately, so we'd like to make the Institute closer to home for Mutants who aren't able to go abroad."

"I see. That would be beneficial for Latveria's mutants, indeed. I'll find a suitable place for it to be constructed." The man nodded. "As for the games… Doom is familiar with how profitable the Olympics are for other countries, and with that understanding in mind…" He took a moment to ponder before he nodded. "He believes that such an arrangement would be beneficial for long term success and relations with the world Mutant or otherwise. And thus, would be in his people's best interests."

"That's good to hear. In what location within Latveria should they be held?" Rogue inquired as Damian finally started eating—and enjoying—the food given to him.

"Seeing that it is a summer game, I believe that the Island off the country's coast, St. Cynthia. An island named for my dearest departed mother, shall be more than sufficient." Doom replied.

"That should be a good location." The girl nodded. Doom then turned to Amanda.

"And what business brings an American agent and descendant of one of my country's oldest rivals to the home of Doom?" He asked the woman, knowingly looking at her as he had recognized her maiden name.

"The FBI wants to make sure you are following global mandates. I can see that you are." The woman noted. "Though I have to ask." She added as she took a bite of her food and wine. "Why are you? Your track record doesn't show you to be a team player."

Doom nodded at her assessment, what she said was most certainly true and he was not going to deny it. "Doom's reasons are his own, Madame. It is best not to question them." He told her simply. "However, he will say that part of this is to show good will to ones who have helped him." He added, looking at Gavin and recalling how he helped him during the Spider key incident—even if it failed—before continuing. "As well as leading his people the same way his father raised him: by example." He concluded, sipping his own wine.

That actually managed to impress Gavin a little. Lead by example? That was a good way to lead, depending on the approach.

"Well, it certainly seems to be working, doesn't it?" Amanda noted. The armor clad man nodded with a slight chuckle.

"Yes, I suppose it is." He nodded, before becoming serious. "Now, I have a question for you." He said, facing Gavin and Rogue. "What does the X-men plan to do with Apocalypse now out of his prison? Can I trust you with the fates of my people?" He asked. Gavin and Rogue became serious in response.

"We intend to do everything we can to stop him. It may not be official, but we're at war against Apocalypse." Gavin stated.

"You have our word, no one in your kingdom will be harmed." Rogue added.

"Doom thanks you for your candor, and he will hold you to your words." The man said. "Because, if a single drop of Latverian blood—human or Mutant—is spilled in this war. The world shall know the vengeance of Victor Von Doom." He warned.

"Understood." The two teen mutants nodded. Amanda meanwhile couldn't help but feel moved by the man's words. She'd heard such passion about protecting those dear to him from someone once before: her late husband, Gavin and Devin's father. It… Made something ignite in her that she hadn't felt in well over a decade.

It was at this point that Doom noticed that someone was missing from the table.

"Where is young Damian?" He asked, causing Gavin and Rogue to snap their heads to where he was sitting only to find his seat vacant.

"Not again." Gavin groaned.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile with Xavier and the others, they were busy examining the dome of energy around the pyramid in Mexico. And they were finding it to be impossible.

"Alright I'm torching this thing!" Chelsea yelled as she transformed and breathed fire at the dome, only for it to rebound and nearly barbecue Katerina.

"Oi! Careful, dammit!" She yelped as she barely avoided the attack. Johan wasn't fairing any better with his nanotechnology either.

"Any luck, Marcus?" He called. Marcus meanwhile was trying to get a seismic image of the inside with his powers by amplifying the molecular energy to a certain frequency.

"... I'm getting a vague picture, but there's not much to go on." The man told them. The mission was certainly becoming a wash.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile in Egypt, Magneto was beginning to get at his wits end and decided to take drastic actions. Marching back to where the Eye of Ages used to be, he brought all the metal together into a travel pod. He then went inside before anyone could stop him and blasted off, straight for Mexico.

'This is between us higher beings, Apocalypse. And trust me, only one of us is leaving alive.' Magneto thought as he blasted across the Atlantic.

(Elsewhere)

Back in Latveria, the search for Damian began. They were trying to find the little trouble maker before he caused any damage.

And as for said three year old, he was walking around the halls, stuffed toy and blanket in hand, and waving to every Doombot he came across. He had already made a stop in the kitchen and gotten a small bag full of Dainish Wedding Cookies.

Though he soon stopped when he reached a different room: Doom's Private study. Using his shadow teleportation to slip through the shadows of the door he soon found himself in a room full of books, and he loved it. Though one thing in particular caught his eye.

It was a portrait of a man and woman on either side of a young boy. Unknown to the toddler, this was a picture of a young Victor Von Doom and his parents.

As the blue skinned boy continued to marvel at the picture, he failed to notice the shadow looming over him. Soon, two arms picked him up and hoisted him onto their shoulders.

"I see you have found my family portrait." Doom said fondly as he looked at it with him. "The woman there is my beloved mother, Cynthia." He said pointing at her.

"Cynthia." Damian parroted, imitating Doom's voice.

"And that is my father, whom I am named after." The man continued.

"Victor." The blue toddler said, looking at the man.

"And finally…" Doom continued. "That lad there is me. I was so young then, so oblivious to the strife of the world. How they would change me—for better or worse—." He added before looking at Damian. "As I hope you will not suffer the same." He told him.

Damian tilted his head, his genius brain making at least some sense of what he said… Before he became distracted by Doom's mask, placing his hand on it.

"Can… I see your face?" He asked, trying to use correct grammar. (Give him a break, he's only three). The ruler of Latveria was both impressed that he managed to use correct grammar, and taken aback by his request.

"Alas, I'm afraid I am unable to, my dear boy." He told him. The man said as he helped him gather his things. "But I promise, should we meet again, I will tell you more about my family, and perhaps teach you more of your speech. Will that suffice?" He asked as they exited the study.

"Okay." The blue toddler nodded.

"Very good." The man nodded before noticing the bag he had. "What's that you've got there?" He asked.

"Cookies." Was the boy's simple reply.

"I think I'll let you keep those." Doom chuckled. He knew kids enjoyed sweets, so he decided to indulge in the boy's sweet tooth a little.

"Thank you." Damian smiled, hugging him, before flinching as the bright sunlight coming through the window caused him visible pain. "Ah! Sun hurts!" He cried. The dictator quickly shielded him from the sun's rays, giving the small boy time to recover.

"Let's get you back to your parents." The man said, making sure to keep Damian in the shadow of his cloak to avoid causing him discomfort.

Damian shivered against the cool metal of the man's armor, but soon warmed up as he was wrapped in his cloak, feeling just as safe as he did in the embrace of his parents.

(Elsewhere)

Meanwhile in Mexico, the X-men were about to leave, seeing that nothing else could be done at the moment… Until a bullet shaped travel pod came screaming towards them.

"Is that who I think it is?" Johan asked.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?!" Logan said as the pod swung around the dome went up into the stratosphere, allowing Magneto to step out, before becoming a bullet again and slamming into the dome at Mach speed.

The man then used his power to pick up every metal object around the dome he could see and threw them at it… Which, unfortunately, somehow included Johan due to his skeleton.

"PUT ME DOWN, DAMMIT!" He yelled as he flew through the air. When he was about to hit the dome, Apocalypse emerged and stopped him before looking at him.

"This was not exactly one of your finest moments, was it?" He asked, knowing that getting thrown like he did was very embarrassing.

"No it was not." The cyborg replied, his pride wounded before the first mutant set him on the ground.

The now glowing Mutant then stretched out his arm and then started telekinetically dragging Magneto towards him, while also taking notice of the X-men and their powers due to his clairvoyance of mutations.

Magneto attempted to struggle against the man's attacks, but it was all in vain because in a moment Apocalypse clenched his fist and enveloped the Master of Magnetism in light, before he vanished.

"Oh no…" Beast uttered in shock.

"Magnus…" Xavier gasped before Apocalypse looked down at them, and noted the possible candidate power sets, before settling on Wolverine and scanning for a possible match.

'There you are.' The grey skinned man thought before he disappeared as well, though this time through teleportation.

"Where do you think he's going now?" Chelsea questioned.

"I have no idea." Logan said, shaking his head.

(Elsewhere)

Back with Gavin, Rogue and Amanda they were busy trying to make sure Damian's skin wasn't too burned. Luckily though it seemed to be only slightly irritated.

"I did not realize he had such an aversion to strong sources of light." The King noted to Gavin as the two women treated Damian, much to the boy's annoyance.

"He's been like this since he was born. He prefers dark places by nature." The pseudo vampire explained.

"Hmmm." Doom nodded. "I assume you will be staying here in Latveria for a few days to finalize everything?" He asked.

"Yeah, a week at the most." Gavin replied.

"Well with that in mind, do you have a place to stay?" The man continued.

"We'll check into a local hotel near the castle. That should suffice." Amada replied as she and Rogue finished treating Damian.

"Ah, I see." He nodded. "Then in that case, I shall simply bid you a safe visit." The man said before taking a small charm from his pocket and placing it around Damian's neck. "This charm is one of protection, little one. Stay safe."

"Thank you." The Tepes woman nodded before they left. Once they were gone, the armored man allowed himself a sigh.

"That woman is amazing, truly." He said to himself wistfully before looking at the sky thoughtfully. "I wonder father, was how I felt while holding young Damian how you felt when you once held me?" He wondered aloud. "It was… An interesting feeling." He added as he entered his throne room again.

Perhaps the king of Latveria was not so two dimensional after all…

Dragon Emperor0: Ya know, for all his fierce and arrogant posturing, Doom really isn't such a bad guy. I mean, if promising vengeance against the world if a single drop of your people's blood is spilled in war doesn't say "I care" about your kingdom, I don't know what will.

ThermalsniperN7: It makes him look like a genuine father figure, in a sense. Gotta give the guy credit for that level of care.

Dragon Emperor0: Plus, he's definitely a guy who enjoys the company of kids. I wonder if it's because it reminds him of his father? And I'm just spitballing here, but do you think part of the reason why Victor is attracted by Amanda is because she reminds him of his mother Cynthia? Because if I'm being honest, the two look awfully similar, except Cynthia was a brunette and Amanda is a blonde.

ThermalsniperN7: Right. Also… Poor Johan got his pride wounded by Magneto. Definitely not one of his best days.

Dragon Emperor0: Ohh yeah, he totally got shafted. And also, why does this Diego kid look familiar to me design wise… Eh, who knows? Anyway see you next time.