Date: 7th of June 2062

Location: Outside of the border of the Republic of Texas

POV: Omniscient

Viktor, unable to move on, stared at the floor frozen. His mind lost in thought. Like a waffle in the air he wondered of. Donning a metallic mask he seemed more like a statue than a person. A cold blanket now washing over the young Doom, reality swaying his mind like a pendulum. From side to side, the memory relieved itself. A continuous cycle of attempting to forget and remember waging war in his mind. A cold reality he had to awaken to when he regained conscious.

"You think the kid is gonna be alright?" Saul asked Santiago, his hands crossed as he lamented.

"He'll live," Santiago expressed, a frown on his face as he looked on at the broken child, not knowing how to comfort him,"He's a tough kid… He'll come around."

"I sure hope so," Saul muttered, scratching his stache.

"So what do we do from here? With this, a quarter of our incomes been cut off," Saul asked silently.

"We do as we always did before. We live, even if the Von Doom familys gone we've got our own to care too," He sighed, before lighting a cigarette.

"I thought you quit?" Saul asked confusedly, a brow raised at the cig.

"Always have one when on me in case family died," He revealed, his face calmed and soothed as he puffed. The nicotine and tar entered his lungs.

"You're not gonna live long like that you know," Saul warned.

"I'm still standing, boy. What a brat like you know about life." He sneered.

'Been in this world for too long anyway…' Santiago thought, memories of his childhood resurfacing. He had been here for almost 70 years. It was a miracle he wasn't dead yet. He had always thought that he'd die by the trigger, not by old age. The thought of such a thing leaving the younger him snickering… Yet he was still here. Carrying the memories and sorrows of his brothers and sisters. Such a feeling was truly depressing.

"Hows Panam holding up?" Santiago asked.

"She's fine still resting though. She woke up a few minutes ago but remained in bed, she might be up soon," Saul revealed.

"She's got a real temper that kid, remember her father was like that back when he was a little shit. Somethings never change I guess," He smiled again.

"Alright, gramps I'm gonna go see Julius tell Cassidy he owes me one too," Saul waved before leaving the old man to his own devices, the latter deciding it was best to leave the child to brood. Turning to check once more he saw Panam sit next to the young Von Doom.

"Hey Julius, need a little help," Saul asked the elderly gentleman who seemed to be downing a whiskey bottle.

"What of it kid?" Jullius asked.

"I need help comforting the kid but I don't know how too. Ain't my forte," Sual admitted. The atmosphere quite dull after the Von Dooms incident.

"Look Saul… Things like that… Only time can heal. I once lost my mother and father too. It's to be expected. Nothings goes accordingly in this accursed world. Not a single good thing comes out of it. Time is the best remedy and perhaps a little whiskey to top it off." Julius stated.

"Look I just can't help but feel bad for him. He lost both parents on the same day, he saw Aunt get curb stomped in front of him. Ain't no one deserves that. That kid put his life on the line to save Panam… I feel like shit knowing we can't save him," Saul expressed.

"That's life kid, we just gotta take the punches as they come. No matter how hard they come." He sighed.

"Look, if you really wanna help him. Bring em here, it'll keep him busy at least for a while. He's a pretty good ripper-doc for a beginner. Might teach em a few things here and there," Julius expressed, looking over at V. The latter more interested in cassidys ways than his.

"And tell V to stop making all that noise," He continued.

Standing far from the rest "V" concentrated at the punching bag ahead of him. The blows heavy on each impact with his eyes glued to his front. Delivering a heavy right hook he sweated from head to toe.

"What's with all the energy?" Saul asked V.

"Don't know… Just… Feel like punching something…" V answered.

"Is it cause of the recent events or?"

"Nah… That ain't it. It's just… I don't know… Don't know how to explain it but it ain't that,"

"Grief?"

"No…"

"Jealousy?"

"..."

"Jealous Panams all over the new boy?"

"No… I just… I hate it, you know? This choom comes out of nowhere and hes got everything I ever wanted… Money, power and respect and suddenly everyones sucking his ass? Then he loses everything and they feel bad for him? He's a goddamn corpo. Who knows how many people they've killed to stand on top of everyone. What about us? What about me? Where's my pity, where's my luck. Here I am surviving day to day when that damn dickhead comes here acting like top shit. I… I just hate it, Saul. It ain't fair," V snapped, his fists suddenly dropping to his side.

"I was angry too, you know. I thought he was some washed up punk but then when I went into that junkyard and he told me something that made me realise just what he truly was." Saul stated, his arms crossed as he leaned against a tent.

"And that's what? That he is somehow suffering from success? Spare me the bull Saul," V snapped.

"He doesn't have a choice V. We do," Saul chimed.

"And what does that exactly mean?" V retorted.

"Victor doesn't get to live a life of prosperity that I once thought. An heir like him was doomed to live in his fathers shadow. Do you know how many enemies that one kid has to face?" Saul questioned.

"How many?" V asked.

"All of em. Not a single day where that kid doesn't have to think about someone backstabbing him or having ulterior motives. That kid's living in a box he can't crawl out of." Saul lamented. "And now he's living in ours.."

"That still doesn't excuse that shitty attitude of his besides… He got the better head start. At the end of the day he gets to make a choice, not us, Saul. Not us," V replied.

"Perhaps but he's as new to our world as we are to his. Maybe one day he'll warm up to us." Saul described.

"Or maybe one day he'll be the end of us." V snapped.

"Who knows… We only live once." Saul casually delivered.

"I guess we do…" V muttered.

Panam and V sitting side by side listening to the silence of the air. Panam unable to voice her words to the other boy.

"What do you want? I'm not in the greatest condition to hear your complaints" Victor voiced.

"Look… I just wanted too… Thank you for saving me. I heard from Saul what you did for me… Thank you once again. I probably wouldn't have made it out of there without you," She thanked.

"Your thanks is appreciated, but I detest your pity," Victor replied dully, his eyes still glued to the floor.

"What withs the mask?" Panam asked, her mind wondering to figure something out. To pull out the fallen Von Doom from his shell.

"It's healing my face," Viktor replied before standing up.

"Where are you going?"

"Need some space, need some air." Viktor muttered as he walked away.


Date: 7th of June 2062

Location: Outside of the border of the Republic of Texas

POV: Victor Von Doom

Sitting on top of a metallic throne I stared far beyond in my inner world, its blankness leaving me envisioning. Ideas and concepts rummaging through. I had to be patient - persistent. The death of my mother and father could not hinder me. Bubbles words rang true… I had to have a dream… A dream of world domination. A dream to save this world. This anger… This feeling… I could never let it go. I had to grasp it, temper it, fuel it for it was my desire, my drive. The world would be my furnace, my will it's iron. I must refine, adapt and thrive. For that was who I am, Dr. Doom!

Suddenly as I almost imagined, my inner world contorted, the world went dark before a sky emerged, cracked beyond the ground as earth erupted lifting me up. Closing my eyes I was then met with an entirely new world - A garden of eden. Thriving forestry, flourishing flora. It was an utopia of prosperity and on top of it was my floating island. With freezing time started to dilate at a 1:3 ratio. A single minute here, worth a quarter outside. It was finally time to work.

Looking over my schematics I noticed that a green hue hovered above it when drawing. It was a variant of "Victories" blueprint. An interesting discovery which I decided to form. Imbuing it with the scrap metal it started to form. "Victory" now grasped within my hand, holding it alongside the original I noticed two slight differences. The weight and hue that surrounded it. The original weapon had a heavier grasp with the second now lighter and covered in a slight green hue that reflected. Firing the new I noticed a slight decrease in recoil which made absolutely no sense. Disassembling it I noticed that the hue disappeared with all parts being exactly the same.

How particular. Rearranging the second and first pieces I noticed that both weapons now lacked any distinct hue. A discovery that meant only the "enhanced" parts could be used to create the "Uncommon" variant. It seems the weapon or mystic powers which controlled this enhancement could recognise what differed and what remained similar.

Further study through my stockpile noticed that all of my schematics now had a green hue which emanated from it. With only a few sloppy schematics which I rushed to see the difference in quality being the normal tone. This led me to believe that the higher quality schematic and detail that I enhanced the better the "enchantment" could achieve. Perhaps their were better variants waiting to be discovered. It was time to document it.

"Victory I"

Scope: Demos VX-3 2.5-8×32

Ammunition type: Calibre .55

Weight: 2kg

Recoil: Heavy (10/10)

"Victory II" *Enhanced"

Scoper: Demos VX-3 2.5-8×32

Ammunition type: Calibre. 55

Weight: 1.8kg

Recoil: Heavy (9/10)

While slightly different, a slight difference meant everything in combat. Flicking through I decided to look over My helmet designs. While my current was metallic, it resembled more of a pilot helmet. I instead needed something else. A design of fear. While many enthralled me there was one which left me entranced. Its overall design similar to a face, two slits for my eyes and a mouthpiece which was left open for speech. It seemed to call to me. To create it, to bring it to life… and I complied. For it was me, who will it. Grasping it within my hand I stared deeply into the iron mask. It's stats were as such:

Mask of Wrath

Weight: 2 kilograms

Cabibilities:

Infrared vision

X-ray vision

Scanner

Line tracer (Ricochets, potential incoming projectiles)

Auto-targeting (Smart projectiles)

Anti-facial recognition (Static)

While the added gadgets work it made the overall aesthetic of the mask diminish as it required one side of the eye slits to be blocked. With the weight now being multiplied by over a hundred. More time and effort was needed, an image now propping into my mind. The ideal vision of my future.

Me, wearing armour of steel, trotting over the corpses of my enemies. My followers destroying all that they dealt, the site would be beautiful. A masterpiece of my own creation. Followers… I would need to design followers… Of course. I couldn't simply rely on the testaments of flesh… But even then flesh couldn't be overturned by cyberware… I needed time. As time was all I had. With time I would build an army, a world within a world. A world that would be mine. Only then would my parents be avenged. Whoever killed my father was most likely Arasaka. Arasaka and Militech… They'll pay for this.


Date: 7th of June 2062

Location: Japan, Arasaka HQ

POV: Omniscient

"So we've finally destroyed the northern emperor…" Hanako voiced surprised at the ruined tower.

"I can't believe it… 200 years and they finally end here?" Michiko continued.

"It almost felt too easy," Another board member replied.

"They're nothing to Arasaka!" Another sneered.

Michiko viewing the battle of Von Doom tower was shocked at Virgil Von Dooms lethality and efficiency - His techniques eerily similar to that of aikido and karate. Even with the fully nanomachine body his skill shined through.

"To think that Virgil would be this powerful," Hanako stated shocked at the video, the video suddenly paused when Virigl eyes glowed.

"It's a shame we never recovered his files on the technology…" Yorinobu sighed.

"With such technology we could possibly reach mars!" Michiko stated before quietening down. Her eyes gazing to her father who seemed pressed. His metallic fingers tapping methodically before finalising his gaze towards Yorinobu.

"Yorinobu… Why did you let the boy live? Did I not task you of total extermination?" Saburo questioned, his taps now turning into a full smash into the marble table.

"He's a mere boy, he poses no threat," Yorinobu answered, his eyes gazing back. Their conversations leaving the others mute.

"You do not know their history, boy. The eastern dragon is by no means finished. A Von Doom always rises from the ashes," Saburo acknowledged.

"The board is now under our control any attempts of them returning are finished." Yorinobu snapped.

"Failure cannot be tolerated Yorinobu, this is your last warning. This meeting is dismissed," Saburo snapped before sending everyone away, the sole person remaining being Hanako. Her head lowered as she awaited her fathers command.

"You must know of your brother's treachery. It is only because of blood that he remains standing, Hanako." Saburo stated, a hologram now floating in front viewing Yorinobu's team flying away.

"But I don't understand father? The Von Doom Family is finished, we've won." Hanako expressed. While she did not always agree with her fathers methods, his love for her brother remained stronger. Even if he managed to come back from his rebellious youth, his past sins did not remain forgotten.

"The Von Doom family poses a threat no matter the size, the only way for our success to blossom is by destroying them completely," Saburo muttered as a picture of a young Virgil Von Doom kneeling to Saburo projected. The image shocking Hanako. A revelation coming to her mind.

"Virgil Von Doom was never meant to be emperor… He was raised to be a knight. Yet he re-built a fallen kingdom into an empire… Now his son lives… A boy perfected to be my biggest thorn. Tell me this, Hanako - What do you expect now?"