Chapter Nine
"Sire, why don't you simply go get Marilyn yourself? I'm sure I could hold Mephisto off for the time that you are gone." Boris said as he watched Victor trod back and forth across his chamber.
"That is very kind for you to offer such help Boris, but I doubt even you could hold off the one who men fear as the devil."
Victor strutted over to the enchanted monitor that showed Marilyn sleeping away within her dwellings.
"She is so alone that it seems ridiculously simple. I really should have possession of her right now. Yet, because her friends have happened to be in the right place at the right time, I don't."
Boris snuck out of Victor's lair, sensing an apparent outburst of rage coming. As he did this, he passed by someone on his way into the chamber.
"CURSE THAT MARILYN, I SHALL HAVE HER!" hollered Victor as that someone approached him.
"CURSE THAT MEPHISTO... oh, hello."
"It has been a long time sire... do you recognize me?" The shadowy figure before Victor rasped.
Victor peered at the figure and pondered for a moment.
"I would recognize that anywhere, it is you Hauptmann."
The shadowy figure disintegrated, and there before Victor, stood a frail, elderly man.
"You are still the clever, and most observant person I have ever known Master."
"Well Hauptmann, it's nice to know that you consider me greater than yourself, especially after your attempt in killing me during our previous lives when I take pride in remembering thwarting."
"Ah yes. I will never forget that too, how you tricked me into positioning myself in that device that was to give you the powers of the Silver Surfer."
Victor and Hauptmann chuckled together in unison over this reminiscing for a little while.
"Alright, enough with the chatter. Tell me Hauptmann, why did you dare to enter MY CHAMBER without MY PERMISSION?"
Fearlessly, Hauptmann looked straight into Victor's green glowing pupil-less eyes, and said.
"Well, I heard that you were looking for someone worthy enough to travel to the Earthly plane, and kidnap someone of a Heavenly origin."
Victor was quiet for a time. Then replied.
"Why yes, I was Hauptmann. But I decided to quit in that search for now because my dear advisor and friend, Boris gave me the best of suggestions earlier. Nobody but me can capture the Fantastic, Marilyn. If you do not believe me, which would not surprise me, you can migrate over to Inferno and ask Welling, or do the same with Slazinger in Purgatory."
"Tell me Master, just what precisely makes you think I am not decent enough to go after this girl?"
"Oh I most certainly tell you Hauptmann, even after over fifty years, I do not trust a soul who was daring enough to try to dispose of me in my previous life. Why we both shared a laugh over this time, it was not for the same reasons."
The whole time Victor said that, he had his back turned towards Hauptmann, as if saying.
"Would you just get your old, dirty self out of here?"
Of course, Hauptmann was not appreciative of Victor's attitude over his wanting to aid him in kidnapping Marilyn.
"Well Master, another thing I have noticed that has not changed about you is your cruelty towards your servants, and anyone willing to help you in a cause. I take a hint, I shall leave you alone as you are requesting through your emotions."
Hauptmann exited the lair as Victor witnessed him silently. As soon as he was out, Hauptmann thought to himself.
"Von Doom should know better than to have that monitor on in his layer like he did. From that mere image, I could see and find out where that girl he wants is."
As Hauptmann walked further on, he smiled as an idea came to him.
"What better revenge to get on Von Doom after all I have gone through with him than to get to Marilyn before he does? It will show him that I could definitely do the job much more decently than those numbskulls he made mention of!"
Unaware that Boris was watching, Hauptmann disappeared from the Underworld in a puff of whitish-gray smoke.
"Sire, why don't you simply go get Marilyn yourself? I'm sure I could hold Mephisto off for the time that you are gone." Boris said as he watched Victor trod back and forth across his chamber.
"That is very kind for you to offer such help Boris, but I doubt even you could hold off the one who men fear as the devil."
Victor strutted over to the enchanted monitor that showed Marilyn sleeping away within her dwellings.
"She is so alone that it seems ridiculously simple. I really should have possession of her right now. Yet, because her friends have happened to be in the right place at the right time, I don't."
Boris snuck out of Victor's lair, sensing an apparent outburst of rage coming. As he did this, he passed by someone on his way into the chamber.
"CURSE THAT MARILYN, I SHALL HAVE HER!" hollered Victor as that someone approached him.
"CURSE THAT MEPHISTO... oh, hello."
"It has been a long time sire... do you recognize me?" The shadowy figure before Victor rasped.
Victor peered at the figure and pondered for a moment.
"I would recognize that anywhere, it is you Hauptmann."
The shadowy figure disintegrated, and there before Victor, stood a frail, elderly man.
"You are still the clever, and most observant person I have ever known Master."
"Well Hauptmann, it's nice to know that you consider me greater than yourself, especially after your attempt in killing me during our previous lives when I take pride in remembering thwarting."
"Ah yes. I will never forget that too, how you tricked me into positioning myself in that device that was to give you the powers of the Silver Surfer."
Victor and Hauptmann chuckled together in unison over this reminiscing for a little while.
"Alright, enough with the chatter. Tell me Hauptmann, why did you dare to enter MY CHAMBER without MY PERMISSION?"
Fearlessly, Hauptmann looked straight into Victor's green glowing pupil-less eyes, and said.
"Well, I heard that you were looking for someone worthy enough to travel to the Earthly plane, and kidnap someone of a Heavenly origin."
Victor was quiet for a time. Then replied.
"Why yes, I was Hauptmann. But I decided to quit in that search for now because my dear advisor and friend, Boris gave me the best of suggestions earlier. Nobody but me can capture the Fantastic, Marilyn. If you do not believe me, which would not surprise me, you can migrate over to Inferno and ask Welling, or do the same with Slazinger in Purgatory."
"Tell me Master, just what precisely makes you think I am not decent enough to go after this girl?"
"Oh I most certainly tell you Hauptmann, even after over fifty years, I do not trust a soul who was daring enough to try to dispose of me in my previous life. Why we both shared a laugh over this time, it was not for the same reasons."
The whole time Victor said that, he had his back turned towards Hauptmann, as if saying.
"Would you just get your old, dirty self out of here?"
Of course, Hauptmann was not appreciative of Victor's attitude over his wanting to aid him in kidnapping Marilyn.
"Well Master, another thing I have noticed that has not changed about you is your cruelty towards your servants, and anyone willing to help you in a cause. I take a hint, I shall leave you alone as you are requesting through your emotions."
Hauptmann exited the lair as Victor witnessed him silently. As soon as he was out, Hauptmann thought to himself.
"Von Doom should know better than to have that monitor on in his layer like he did. From that mere image, I could see and find out where that girl he wants is."
As Hauptmann walked further on, he smiled as an idea came to him.
"What better revenge to get on Von Doom after all I have gone through with him than to get to Marilyn before he does? It will show him that I could definitely do the job much more decently than those numbskulls he made mention of!"
Unaware that Boris was watching, Hauptmann disappeared from the Underworld in a puff of whitish-gray smoke.