DAY OF DOOM is done as a "storyboard outline" fashion, rather than in a full prose expansion, like Shut up and Run. But I think if you'll use your imagination you'll be able to follow along as things unfold.
Power Pack # 38a
Power Pack Fan Fiction by
by
Zorakk
PRESUMED FACTS: Fantastic Four Annual #20 takes place between Power Pack #28 and #29. Kristoff is eight and a half years old at that time (approximately the same age as Jack Power). Fantastic Four #278 takes place two months before the events in Annual #20. The CURRENT time is six moths later, between the events described in Power Pack #38 and #39.
PROLOGUE
Dr. James Power, Associate professor of physics at New York's Columbia University is going to Geneva for a particle physics symposium at CERN, where he has been invited to present a paper on methods of converting normal matter into antimatter. This is a very big career step for Dr. Power who is, after all, a junior member of Columbia's faculty. In other words, there was never any thought or discussion about Dr. Power possibly declining the offer. The university has even picked up the tab for Margaret to accompany him. After all, it is also a feather in Columbia's hat to have one of their own going to CERN to present a major paper at the cutting edge of physics. So this week in Geneva will be half work and half second honeymoon for the adults.
The Power children will be staying with Franklin and the Richards family at Avenger's Mansion, which was shown to be within walking distance of both the Power's apartment on W. 71st Street and Central Park in Power Pack #22. Alex, Katie and Jack are downstairs, waiting for the cab that will take the Power Parents to Manhattan Metro Aerospace Port, while Mom and Julie are running around upstairs, completing last minute packing. Most likely, both Jack and Katie were chased out from underfoot as the packing for the trip reached the time to panic stage, with Alex detailed to keep an eye on them.
It rained last night, and the storm dumped about 2.5 inches of rain on the Big Apple. The result is of course puddles everywhere and literally rivers in the gutters heading for Manhattan's storm drain system. Jack is teasing Katie, by trying to splash water on her while not getting soaked himself. Katie, who is currently unaware of Jack's plans, is just happily stomping through puddles. Alex is looking bored and attempting to work up enough courage to ask Allison for a date sometime during the coming week. In the back of his mind is the fact that there will be no one in the apartment, and it might be fun to be alone with Allison in the dark. Alex has seen enough TV and movies to know that this is what the "big kids" do, but at the same time, he's terrified that Allison might say: "No!" ... or even worse yet, might just laugh at him and the very idea.
The Power Parents come down, and Julie in an aside to Katie scolds her for being 'unladylike' in fighting with Jack. Katie's pride is wounded by the fact that Jack is physically bigger and stronger, and ALWAYS wins wrestling matches. As if this were not bad enough, her feelings are hurt that Julie thinks she is being unladylike for defending herself. She points out that since it was Jack who started it, she had every right to finish it. Julie grins at her little sister, while simultaneously glaring at Jack, she says: "Real ladies don't get mad, they get even!"
Jack, swallows hard and realizes that he'd gone perhaps a tad too far. While it might be problematic who would win in a contest of powers between Counterweight -vs- Molecula and Starstreak ... Jack knows from experience that it would be no contest; him alone against the girls. His one hope is that Alex would back him up..
"Uh-uh, hotshot. You got yourself into this mess, you'll have to get yourself out," is what Alex says. The cab arrives in time to save Jack's bacon. Temporarily is what Julie's expression says. Everyone piles in. The cab will drop the kids off at Avenger's Mansion before taking Dr. & Mrs. Power to the aerospace port where they will board a Lufthansa sub-orbital SST flight to Geneva.
Act 1, Scene 1
(Interior: Avengers Mansion)
Reed Richards is in New York on business and also to pack up several tons of scientific equipment, computers, reference materials, and so on. Since he has made a solemn vow to Ben the THING Grimm, now leader of the revamped Fantastic Four, not to butt in while Ben makes decisions and runs the team, the Richards will be staying a Avengers Mansion with Jarvis. (Franklin "Oh boy! My Favorite!") Since Jim and Margaret have taken care of Franklin so often, Reed and Sue are glad to offer to take the Power kids for a week while Jim and Margaret are in Geneva. Reed is in deed a bit jealous of James Power, going to a prestigious symposium at CERN while he is stuck in New York with several stockholders meetings, board meetings, and supervising the packing of the Kirby-style super scientific custom built equipment at Four Freedoms Plaza.
There will be some background small talk between Franklin and Jarvis about the good old days when Franklin was living full time at the Mansion. In the next panel, Reed and Sue are looking at their son and Jarvis and thinking how good it is that Franklin has found some "normal" kids to play with.
The cab arrives and the Power kids pile out like US Marines assaulting a beach head. There is a scene with the predominant dialogue being "YO" between Jack and Franklin. There is also Julie using a little psychological warfare with a knowing smile on her face - a smile that is increasingly unnerving to Jack. And there is Katie doing her best to "upstage" Franklin. (Yeah, I know. You thought she got over that in Power Pack #17...but there is still a little of the old rivalry between the two youngest members of Power Pack- and if the truth be known, neither of them really want it any different.)
EDITOR'S NOTE Katie realizes instinctively that Franklin has been shouted down in the Fantastic Four so many times that his courage and self assurance about speaking out has suffered badly. She also realizes that Frank feels a lot more at home about standing up for his rights with her, and although it is not a conscious thing on her part, she also realizes that in fighting with her, she is playing a vital role in rebuilding his ego. Jack also realizes instinctively that Frank needs a little extra, and besides, it's kinda fun for the 'baby brother' (which he has been since birth) to be a 'big brother' - if only in a pretend world.
There is also a scene of the adults talking and saying such things as: Jim "Thanks a lot Richards." ; Reed "Think nothing of it Power." Margaret "Really, we appreciate you watching our 'monsters' while we're in Europe." ; Sue laughing "Don't worry, we'll bill you." The cab pulls out for Manhattan Metero.
Act 1, Scene 2
Onboard Doom-1, enroute to Manhattan Metero Aerospace Port
Backround Sometime ago in Fantastic Four #278, the "Real" Victor von Doom was replaced by his preteen protégé Kristoff, when a Doombot made a miscalculation regarding the fate of the real Dr. Doom, and triggered a sequence of events which culminated in Kristoff's own personality being "submerged" in an artificial Victor von Doom persona. So complete was the transformation, that Kristoff now has no memory of ever being anyone but Dr. Doom, the dread Lord of Latveria.
Victor von Doom was exiled by Kristoff Doom at the end of Fantastic Four Annual #20 as an impersonator, and the real Doom has been plotting the downfall of Kristoff/Doom (the Usurper) ever since. Victor has established a secret lab/HQ in the 'bombed out' section of the Bronx (as seen in Power Pack #17) and is currently engaged in a plan to remove the usurper ... permanently! High over the west Atlantic, a specially designed Turbo Lear-executive is heading towards Manhattan Metro Aerospace Port. Its single passenger is Kristoff/Doom, who is on the way to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to protest a boarder incursion by the Soviet Red Army. In a Marvelesque coincidence, Kristoff/Doom is landing at Manhattan Metro as the Power parents are taking off on the SST. Panel shows Doom's Turbo Lear in foreground and the sub-orbiter taking off in the background.
Meanwhile, Victor von Doom the original has access to several 'secret' accounts that he cleaned out before Kristoff/Doom was able to stop him. Victor has built a platoon (54) of new and improved Doombots which will only respond to his own personal psi-aura which Kristoff of course does not have - he has his own distinctive aura. These NEW Doombots will not turn on him as the traitorous mechanicals in Annual #20 did. Doom has also constructed a special assasinbot, which has but one mission in life: seek out and totally destroy the usurper, Kristoff/Doom.
Act 1, Scene 3
On the Van Wyck Expressway
It is now late morning, but it is as dark as midnight. The great grand daddy of all thunderstorms is rolling out of the north east and has socked New York City with gale force winds, heavy rains and the most spectacular electrical display in years. On the Van Wyck Expressway, heading toward Manhattan and the Latverian embassy is a steel gray stretch limo with Kristoff/Doom brooding within it. He suspects that this storm, and in particular the oddly colored lightning strokes are not natural, but of a paranormal origin. Could it be that fool Richards is dabbling in the occult?
(Dissolve to) A broken-down tenement building in the Bronx, a group of "witches" are engaged in a ritual. In the center of their pentagram, a three-foot globe of softly glowing electric blue light is pulsing slowly - swelling and contracting like a captured cephied variable star. A shape slowly began to take on substance in the sphere of blue light. It is horrible and strangely distorted to our human eyes. The only sound is the crackling of air ionized at the edges of the sphere, and the steady soft chanting of the witches, droning on in an arcane and forgotten language.
To our knowing eyes, we recognize the demon N'Astihr, of from the recent Marvel "INFERNO" story line. INFERNO is still in the future for Earth II at this point. We are at the point in time where the preliminary maneuvering before INFERNO is taking place. N'Astihr asks for a report from the witch high priestess, who then replies: "Oh Great Lord N'Astihr: We have completed the tasks you set for us in the Great Spell. We are currently invoking a test - it appears that all is well, and at the appointed time we will be able to assist your forces in crossing the astral plane from Limbo!"
"Ahh," N'Astihr moaned with ecstasy. "Excellent!" His oily voice dripping with sweetness and light - all false of course. "You will be rewarded when we establish the new order." the demon says aloud, and under his breath adds: "As befits all traitors."
(Dissolve to) A bolt of lightning. Literally the difference in psychic potential energy between two vastly separated points in the seventh dimension of the multiverse converted into electrical power, streaks toward earth. It's approximate target is the ball of blue light that the coven has created. Suddenly 50,000 feet over Queens, it suddenly makes an almost 90 degree swerve and hits a steel gray limo instead. The effects of the bolt of lightning/psionics is devastating. The Doombots who were driving and acting as body guard are instantly shorted out in a polychromatic light show. It happens so fast that they do not even realize anything has happened until they wake up in robot heaven. The limo, or what is left of it, careens off a freeway overpass unto a vacant lot below and promptly bursts into flames. Kristoff's bionic Doom armor shorts out. Where it is connected to his brain, the psionic lightning bolt does a job on the 9-year-old's brain. Kristoff is thrown clear of the wreck, his cybernetic armor is just so much scrap metal. His Doom persona has been erased, and on top of everything else, he has amnenesia. So there he is, in rags, looking like a street urchin, in the middle of the worst storm in history and staggering around half blind in the rain in a neighborhood that even the gangs are afraid to go into. It doesn't look too good for Kristoff.
Act 2, Scene 1
Morning. Avengers Mansion.
It has been raining nearly twenty-four hours strait now, the storm has put New York into a state of emergency. With Reed and Sue busy, and Jarvis occupied with the normal housekeeping duties, Frank is taking Power Pack on a conducted tour of the Avengers Mansion, especially the underground complex. Power Pack is taking advantage of a rare opportunity that not many celebrities - not to mention common children have had. While passing through the servants quarters, a radio announcement catches Julie's attention. The Mayor of New York has appealed to the enhanced power beings (the polite term for "mutant") of New York to help out in this emergency that has gripped the Big Apple.
"Well, I guess that technically DOES include us..." Alex says slowly.
"C'Mon," Jack says, "This'll be great. Costume ON!"
Need we say more? Power Pack is out the door before anyone even realizes they are gone. And it's a good thing too, this storm is wreaking havoc on the five boroughs of New York. Gas lines have broken, and there have been major explosions and fires in at least two dozen places through out the metro area. The Police and Fire units on the scene are at first startled by Power Pack's small size and obvious youth; but as it becomes apparent that they know what they're doing, both the cops and fire guys shut up and thank god they've got someone who can fly a replacement hose up to the third floor, or can tunnel through rubble to reach buried victims, or ... well you get the idea.
While rescuing people from a high-rise fire, and helping to transport victims to hospitals, Julie finds Kristoff staggering around in the smoke, fog and rain. Now Kristoff is still disoriented and to make matters worse, the storm instead of lessening is building in strength. Gale force winds are now whipping several fires into virtual firestorms, reminiscent of Dresden and Yokohama during World War II. After a hurried conference, it is decided that it is time for Power Pack to beat a hasty retreat, and they do. After all, they've been at it fighting fire and disaster for the past six hours, and even inexhaustible Jack is starting to feel tired now. By popular vote, it is decided that all they really want right now is a hot bath, their jammies and some hot chocolate in front of the TV watching Star Trek. And they've earned it! Of six fires they helped on, four are out and the other two are under control. In addition the Pack, courtesy of Counterweight and Starstreak are responsible for evacuating at least two dozen people to area hospitals.
As they head for home, Kristoff sort of tags along, he and Jack have formed a loose friendship already. Back at the Power's Apartment, Alex calls Avengers Mansion and talks to Jarvis first and then to Mr. Fantastic. Remember that the kids have been out from about 10 am to 4 p.m. with no one knowing where they were. Alex manages to concoct a story and talk his way out of trouble with the adults by explaining that they had come over to the apartment to play Nintendo and the time had just gotten away. They had not planned to be gone so long - in fact had planned to be back for lunch. Now however, it is really stormy outside, so Alex suggests that they stay at the Power's Apartment tonight. Reluctantly Reed agrees.
Kristoff, now dressed in some of Jack's clothes, and Franklin are having a showdown. You see, even though Kristoff doesn't know who he is, Frank does, Frank tells them all about Kristoff's origin as a Lathverian peasant boy who Doom had befriended, and how a tragic error by a super computer had turned the boy into a mirror image of Victor von Doom. Kristoff shrugs his shoulders. As far as he knows, Franklin might be right, he might be a xeroxed Dr. Doom or he might be an alien spy of the Scrull. "Hogwash!" is what Jack says. He likes Kristoff.
Act 2, Scene 2
Afternoon, The Power's Apartment
Meanwhile, some blocks away, Allison McCourt, age 12, was beginning to regret her bravado of a few hours ago. She had originally thought that the idea of her parents sneaking off to the Catskill mountains for a three-day second honeymoon was a great idea when they left yesterday; but that was before the storm had hit. At first she thought it might blow over, but as the storm got worse and worse, she had worried that her parents might be in danger. Earlier that afternoon, her mom had been able to get through on the comm-web to say that they were stranded in the mountains by the terrible weather. All the roads were closed. Could Allison really take care of herself? Perhaps she should go to a friend's house. But when Allison had described the storm, they had both agreed that she was better off where she was as long as the power was still on.
Allison was tremendously relieved and said so to find out that her parents were also safe from this storm that was already being called the worst of the century. As for her own abilities, she is more than able to care for herself while her parents continue to enjoy their vacation. Now as the sun is beginning to set, the rain and wind part of the storm is increasing, but the storm's electrical fury is ebbing a bit - perhaps some link to solar activity? She didn't know, but she knew that Alex would. She is getting rather bored with reruns of Gilligan's Island on TV. "I wonder what Alex is doing? Should I call him? Will he think I'm being too pushy? Of course I should call him .. this is the 21st Century, girls can be just as aggressive as boys! And besides, Alex sure is a hunk!"
Allison is in a transition phase: half way between being a little girl and an adolescent young lady. As a little girl, she participated in all the "boy" games; little league baseball, playing 'war' in the park, etc. She is a little bit of a tomboy still. Now, however, with the onset of adolescence, she finds that she is more drawn to Junior high "girl" activities - sneaking into the bathroom to smoke a cigarette like the older girls which made her violently ill; and talking about the various attributes of boys at lunch time; then pointing and giggling - mostly to see those self-assured jocks squirm uncomfortably, wondering what those cute girls were pointing and giggling about. Allison is an athletic girl, she is an expert gymnast and a good ballerina; these skills and her heightened agility and endurance will prove to be of great value to her later in this adventure.
Allison calls Alex, and of course, Alex is tickled to death that she called, since Allison is all alone, Alex invites her over. "If you can stand the squalling babies!" he says playfully and ducks as Julie tosses a couch pillow at him. Alex starts over to Allison's apartment a few blocks away. Although the electrical activity of the storm has calmed down somewhat, it still takes Alex about an hour to pick up Allison and return to the Power apartment on West 71st Street. When they finally get there, they are both soaked to the skin. Julie insists on Allison wrapping up in Alex's robe, while he wraps up in a blanket, and Julie takes the wet clothes down to the basement and tosses them into a dryer.
The afternoon passes in as congenial a way as possible with Franklin and Kristoff still not fully ready to trust each other. Remember that Kristoff the little boy is a loyal citizen of Latveria and subject of Dr. Doom. All he's ever heard about the Fantastic Four (and by extension Franklin) is that they are enemies of the State. Jack is still doing his best to make peace between the two.
Act 2, Scene 3
Late afternoon - Avengers Mansion
About 5:30 that same afternoon at Avengers Mansion, Jarvis opens the door to a most unexpected visitor. Standing there in the doorway is a towering form in gray, brown and green: DR. DOOM! "Where's Richards?" Doom demands, as he strides imperially into the entrance foyer.
"But sir, I -"
"I'm right here, Doom," is Reed's icy reply. "What do you want?"
"Do you plan to keep me here ... UNDER GUARD?" Doom sneers and glares at the FedCorps guard who has arrived silently as a ghost.
In the Library, there is a heated argument between Reed and Doom. Dr. Doom says that the recent storms and atmospheric disturbances -- culminating in the one that is still raging outside is not a natural phenomena, but are psionically induced, a by-product of some mad genius attempting to open a gate through hyperspace to "otherwhere". Doom accuses Reed of being that evil genius! Doom goes on to mention the fact that even he, the great Victor von Doom, master of both the occult and the sciences, has never tried to perform so foolish an experiment...
Reed is mad about this, but only partly with Doom. Nearly a month ago, Reed had been puttering around with trans-einsteinian tensor analysis field equations when he'd hit upon an anomaly in the equations, one which might possibly open the door from our own universe to an unknown otherwhere. Where? Who knows? Perhaps somewhere millions of light years away in our own universe; or maybe to another dimension -- one where reality was different? Or maybe just the history of the world is different somehow? What, for instance, would the world be like in JFK had not survived the assassination attempt back in '63? What if the bandits in Viet Nam had managed to cause that state to burst into open rebellion, instead of sputtering out after the death of the rebel leader Tran Ky Ky. Would the US have had the financial resources to fight a civil war AND go to the moon and later Mars? Reed doubted it. Yet, such a world would at once be strange and wonderful to explore.
Unfortunately, there appeared to be several 'bad effects' having to do with matter and energy on the quantum level not being compatible that might, if costly and extensive precautions were not taken, backfire on both the target and the origin of any such 'tunnel' or 'gate'. Reed was indeed working out the results of such a quantum 'non affinity' and so far, his equations DID seem to lead to effects like this storm in the preliminary stages of the establishment of a gate.
Meanwhile Sue has come into the room and supplies the star that breaks the camel's back. She says: "Oh NO! Is it true, Reed? ARE you performing some hideous and amoral experiment?"
"No!" Reed sputters. He doesn't sound convincing -- even to himself. "Now I think I've had about enough, Doom. Get out of here while you can still do so under your own power..."
Doom's parting words are: "I warn you, Richards, you'll destroy the world if you don't stop this madness!" After Doom leaves, Reed has his hands full convincing Sue that he is not involved in some secret experiment that is causing all the crazy weather. Reed and Sue's marriage is still not any more solid than when they were in the Fantastic Four.
"I wish I could be sure,": Sue mutters, "You've kept things from me so often before, that I don't know if I CAN!"
Act 3, Scene 1
Morning, Grand Central Park
Sometime during the night, the storm had ended. Outside, it was a bright, cool, breezy day with little left to recall the terror of the past twenty-four hours for Fire and Police personnel. In other words, a day just right for playing in the park. Alex again makes use of the comm-web to get permission for the kids to go to the park. Granted, provided they are back at Avengers Mansion in time for lunch. Outside most of the fires are under control or out and the flooding is slowly tapering off - enough so that the regular services, backed up by the national guard can handle things, so Power Pack need not feel guilty about playing in the park instead of reporting to work as Superheroes.
After all, it's SATURDAY!
For about an hour, the kids are able to play in the park without any emergencies. During this time, Kristoff relates most of the memories that have started to come back to him - and he's started to have flashbacks to the times that he was Dr. Doom. Although he loves Doom like a father, he has no wish to 'die' again so that a duplicate Doom can exist. He is still loyal to Doom, however and as more and more of his memories start to come back, it tends to be the good times that he remembers. Now, remember the assassin android that Dr. Doom programmed and sent after Kristoff? It has been tracking him by means of his psychic aura, and the android, which to outward appearances is a normal looking run of the mill attractive young woman in her twenties. The assassin-bot has now caught up with Kristoff and of course this also means it has caught up with Power Pack.
There is some initial confusion while Power Pack wonders why this woman, armed with a state-of-the-art military grade laser pistol is trying to kill Kristoff, but they stick by their friend. There is a high voltage fight. The assassin was not programmed to handle Power Pack, and this 'gap in its logic is what allows Power Pack to defeat the Doombot with only minimal collateral damage to park property. What none of the combatants knows is that Doom has been watching the entire thing through the android's eyes. Victor von Doom decides that it is time to do something about Power Pack.
Meanwhile, Allison comes into the park as the NYPD riot squad is cleaning up and muttering about all the work these damned mutants cause. She quickly locates the Power kids, and asks what happened. As the Parks Department is picking up pieces of blasted robot, a crowd starts to form. There are plenty of kids also sifting through the wreckage, hoping to find a 'cool' souvenir. One boy about ten turns to a friend (a girl of about nine) and says: "Wow! did you see that? They were super-powered KIDS!"
"Yeah," the girl answered breathlessly, "And two of 'em were girls." At the same time she is thinking: One of the boys looked kinda like Jack Power in my class ... Nnhhaaahhh! Couldn't be! The morning has ended on a horrifying note for Kristoff. There can no longer be any doubt. DOOM WANTS HIM DEAD! Alex and Julie especially are aware that this is child abuse on an epic scale. All the kids know that Dr. Doom will try again. After a brief council of war, they decide that Avengers Mansion is the safest place to be while they try to figure out a way to defuse Doom's plans for a funeral in the near future.
Act 3, Scene 2
Avengers Mansion
Upon returning to Avengers Mansion, Reed and Sue Richards are surprised and shocked to Kristoff/Doom, happily playing with the Power kids and Franklin. Reed, who is still under the impression that Kristoff is a Doom persona, pushes the panic button and alarms sound throughout Avengers Mansion. A security squad, provided by FedCorps shows up and Reed orders Kristoff thrown in the maximum security cell reserved for the most dangerous super criminals. Power Pack and Allison stand by speechless as heavily armored FedCorps troopers hustle Kristoff away while Reed tries to explain that this nine-year-old is really Dr. Doom!
Remember a while back when Doom made Reed feel uncomfortable with his accusations that came a little too close to the truth? Well now unconsciously Reed is playing "turn about is fair play" and is taking revenge on Doom. Sue's reaction to Kristoff is less drastic, but she agrees with Reed, Kristoff is a dangerous arch criminal master mind, not a 9-year-old boy; and he is incalculably dangerous and MUST be locked up. She explains her and Reed's reasoning is: "Whether or not Kristoff can currently remember anything about his days as Dr. Doom, he WAS exposed to powerful electromagnetic waves and psychic manipulation. That programming thus implanted might surface again at any time, making Kristoff at best a ticking time bomb and at worst the most cunning evildoer since LOKI himself."
Both Reed and Sue warn the kids to stay away from the detention cell. Both Reed and Sue have now explained the situation; they have issued the appropriate orders and so they after a quick lunch return to work at the Four Freedoms Plaza. Reed's orders were never questioned in the Fantastic Four ... why should they be now? All of the kids are shocked at this cruel treatment - and the Power kids who are used to being listened to at the very least are especially shocked. Mr. Fantastic didn't even give them a chance to explain. Alex is the one who is most hurt. He had admired Mr. Fantastic as a great scientist, second only to his dad. Reed's lack of understanding and compassion, although all too familiar to Franklin, deeply shocked and hurt Alex.
Editor's Note:
Of course the Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman as written by Tom DeFalco would probably have murdered poor Kristoff outright (if Dr. Doom hadn't beaten them to it). When I wrote this, DeFalco was not writing Fantastic Four, I think Walt Simonson was still doing the writing. My thinking on Reed and why he "seems" to be very "pre-emptive" and abrupt, not only with Kristoff which remember he has first hand knowledge and experience of as Doom (Annual #20) but with the Power Packkids is this:
Reed is new to this "father" thing. Although Franklin is 4.5 to 5 years old, he has spent much of that time away from Fantastic Four. At best he has a year's worth of experience under his belt. Reed is/was leader of an enhanced power being group the FF and as such he is used to giving orders and having these orders obeyed. This IS fully what both Reed and Sue expect when they tell (order) the kids to stay away from Kristoff...that these orders which are for the common good will be obeyed.
Now a word from Alex Power's point of View:
All things being equal, if you come into a room of fighting kids and you want to know what's going on, you ask the oldest. This is your best chance for a clear and accurate picture of how things went ballistic. Alex is used to being listened to, it was insulting to say the least to be cut off with a wave of the hand as though whatever you had to say, it could not be important enough to matter. Reed is not even aware that there IS another way of looking at things, he has become this self confident from being right so many times in dealing with threats like Doom. Alex on the other hand is a "just starting out" 13-year-old --- yes, his feelings are hurt, "but WHO AM I to argue with Mr. Fantastic?" he is thinking. Reed is not a cold-hearted bastard, he's just self assured and inexperienced in the complex dynamics of being a father and how to communicate with children.
Act 4, Scene 1
Avengers Mansion
After a rather subdued lunch, Franklin asks Jack if he wants to play something. Jack is busy planning how to spring Kristoff from the FedCorps goons. Jack had always thought they were the good guys, but now he's not so sure. He is also a little annoyed at Franklin, both for interrupting his plans, and even though he knows this is unfair he blames Franklin for Mr. Fantastic's actions, which seem totally arbitrary. So he says "NO!" a lot more forcefully and with more venom than he'd wanted to. Franklin being a very sensitive kid, has picked up on the fact that Jack is angry with him, and its not too hard for a bright kid like Franklin to figure out why. First, he'd counseled against helping Kristoff because of his Dr. Doom persona - and then he'd been wrong and now Daddy was wrong to ...and Jack thought he was against Kristoff ... and ... and ...
Although Franklin doesn't "blubber like a baby", it's a close call as he turns away so that Jack won't see there are tears beginning to run down his face. Next panel shows the same scene, no dialogue, pull back to show Jack also in background - a look of helpless remorse on his face. Only ONE Comic artist alive today can do this correctly ... and it ain't Frank Miller! No, only BRENT ANDERSON has the necessary skill to undertake the project. The reader must get from expression alone that Jack realizes that he has messed things up even worse for Franklin - and he's sorry.
Katie, feeling uncomfortable about this tries to comfort Franklin, but the very LAST thing that Franklin wants right now is for Katie to see him crying. Now remember Katie from when Louise Simonson was writing the character, she is . Katie realizes that perhaps Franklin doesn't want her to see him crying, and so she doesn't push it. Instead she gives Jack a good solid kick under the table. Jack, realizing that he deserves it, doesn't retaliate.
Alex and Allison are wondering around the museum part of the Avengers Mansion, looking at all the trophies and such. Julie and Katie join them, the mood is very subdued. Meanwhile, Jack and Franklin are still in the kitchen. Jarvis is being discreet and letting the two kids work out their own problems.
"Look, Frank," Jack starts "I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings. What happened has got nothing to do with you, okay?"
Both Jack and Franklin look at each other; Franklin is overjoyed. Then: "Wanna play?"
Grinning, Jack says: "Sure! I think we should play 'Cloak and Dagger'." Jack explains that he's going to break the promise that he made about not going near Kristoff, in fact he's going to try to finds a way to bust him out of that FedCorps slammer in the east wing. He says he'll understand if Franklin does not want to help him. Frank is so scared about loosing Jack as a friend, and then so overjoyed about being Jack's friend again that he's have jumped off of the Brooklyn Bridge if Jack had told him to do so. No way is he "not going to help".
There are no guards outside the detention cell. It doesn't need them, the walls, floor and ceiling are all made of cast unobtanium, the door is solid fanastanite, except for a small adamantine slot to slide food through. Frank, Jack and Kristoff discuss how unfair it is that he's locked up, and Jack tries several tricks manipulating the local gravitational field to find some way to persuade the door to open, but all to no avail.
"What I need is Destroyer's power," Jack says in disgust. "Then I could just disintegrate the whole door.
Just at that moment there is a thunderous explosion, the hall fills with smoke and plaster dust and Kristoff cries out in surprised terror. Coming through a large hole blasted in the outer wall of his cell is Dr. Doom himself. Doom is attacking Avengers Mansion, he wants Kristoff, and he is no mood to negotiate. Outside, the platoon of Doombots and the FedCorps troops are engaged in heavy fighting with hyperpower lasers and large caliber autocannons. Amid all the blood and the barf and the beer someone has even shouted "It's Clobbering' Time" or perhaps "it's COBBLER time" - bewailing the fact of having to fight just as this guy was about to sit down at a tasty bowl of Peach Cobbler! Oh boy! My Favorite!
Doom is successful in the attack and takes Kristoff with him, as the remainder of his Doombots cover his retreat, Jack and Frank have rejoined the others now. The chaos of the fighting is still going on. There are zaps of laser light and the dull "crumph!" of exploding shells detonating as Doom's forces retire after their master, Victor von Doom. Power Pack knows what Kristoff's fate will be if Doom is allowed more than a few minutes alone with the boy, and so it is imperative that they follow and rescue Kristoff immediately. There is no time to duck into a phone booth, no time to think up excuses for Allison ... they must go NOW. In fact, Jack has ALREADY turned his costume on in front of Allison.
Allison's eyes are wide with wonder.
Alex decides that he'd better figure out what to tell Allison later, right now a life is at stake. "Frank!" He says, the ring of command authority in his voice "You send your dream-self on after Doom. Try to keep a track on him for us."
"Okay, Alex!"
"Julie, will you take care of Franklin's body while he's out of it ... Ready?
P O W E R P A C K A T T A C K!"
Act 4, Scene 2
In persuit of Dr. Doom
Doom's Fortress of Solitude in the Bronx is an old, abandoned factory building covering an entire square block. The area is similar to that in which the Pack fought Jakal in Power Pack #17, only even more run down and bombed out looking. A block away from this dilapidated building, Power Pack and Allison are crouched in the doorway of a closed, crumbling liquor store. Allison is still trying to assimilate the fact that all this is not a video thriller and is really happening. And she is doing a pretty good job of it, all things considered. "You mean you really ARE superheroes?" The four Power children each try to answer her:
"Yeah, well uh - you know -"
"Whitey came to earth to -"
"YES! We're superheroes!"
"Grandfather -"
You can try to match up who said what and when.
Inside Doom's HQ, in the basement, Kristoff is shackled to a wall by huge iron bands, one at each wrist, at each ankle and around his hips and chest. Doom has found out that the Doom persona within Kristoff has been disabled, and now things are a little more complicated for Doom. He will now attempt to permanently de-program Kristoff, or if he fails at that to liquidate him. Doom has no desire to whack a kid, but like Reed, he knows that if he cannot reverse the deep psionic programming that Kristoff could again at any time become the Doom personae, and that Doom will not tollerate.
Meanwhile Power Pack has entered the building and also has been detected, In the basement lab, Doom turns his attention from questioning Kristoff to a large visiscreen on the wall. Back upstairs, Doom's defenses have engaged the intruders. In a flash, they are surrounded by half finished and half programmed Doombots, some humanoid some of the R2D2 type. While Power Pack fights the Doombots, Franklin has returned to his body, and he and Allison are crouched against a connex, out of the way.
Julie is finding out that although a major advantage in a fight with living villains is to fog up the battle to confuse them, this does not work nearly so well against droids equipped with infrared vision and motion sensors. They are not in the least inhibited by Julie, and indeed she is cutting down Alex and Jack's chances of staying alive. Jack's megapunches of course are 100 effective by driving his fist totally through the unlucky Doombot he is concerntraiting on. After a few practice blows, Jack learns that the fastest way to do them in is to punch out their chests where the CPU is located. He yells this new discovery to Alex, who has of course already found that although it's rather funny to disintergrate the droid's head and watch it stagger around without guidance, a faster way of incapacitating them is to disintegrate a fist sized hole through the CPU, which stops them dead.
Julie and Katie have also evolved a new combat technique to battle the droids. Julie shrinks to minimum size, maximum density, and then Katie flies around the outside of the fight a few times to build up speed and then dive-bombs the droid with Julie performing the famous "Julie-hammer". This is also highly effective and results in Julie and Katie not having to sit on the side lines and listen to their brothers brag a lot.
Meanwhile, Allison has gone on the offensive also. Two of the Doombots have her and Franklin cornered and are moving in for the kill. Allison, using her gymnastics ability manages to plant a foot square into the chest plate of the nearest Doombot, causing it to stagger backwards and bump into its comrade. Being only partly programmed and with the native intelligence of a lump of rock, the other droid considers this an attack, and defends itself against the first droid. The first droid, finding itself under attack from the rear, promptly forgets about Allison and Frank who are currently not making any hostile moves, and turns to fight its attacker. The outcome is that the two droids fight to the death, like rock-em, sock-em robots.
Alex, having seen this ploy grins to himself and shouts: "Go get 'em Allison!" Allison turns and holds up her thumb in the A-0K symbol. The battle in real time takes only minutes and when it is over, Power Pack is standing in the middle of a pile of Kirby- style junk. In the corner, a droid's voice box is still mouthing Latverian propaganda: "Die ... All enemies of the State must die!"
Jack looks at Alex and winks: "Power Pack 128, Dr Doom ZIP!"
Two levels below, Dr. Doom is indeed impressed, "Yes, my young friend, you have indeed defeated my partly assembled Droids, but they would have been more than enough to wipe out your entire police force. I will be very interested to learn what you can accomplish against fully functional Doombots." Meanwhile, Frank has located Kristoff and Doom, five meters down and about thirty meters that away, and Power Pack is advancing, their silver booties clatter on the steel stairs of a stairwell as they descend into the bowls of Dr. Doom's Manhattan fortress. At the bottom of the stairwell is a long, wide dark area. Its impossible to tell how large the area is, it seems infinite. Far, far away is a spark of light.
"C'mon!" Alex says, leading the way. The place is dark, wet, smelly and the floor is slick with some kind of slime, perhaps the kind of slime that leads to horrible mutations, or maybe the kind of slime from wet, oily, dirty floors made of concrete. All Power Pack can do is hope that it is the latter. The Pack finally reaches the light. It is the crack under a massive door Alex disintegrates the hinges while Jack kicks the door at about one hundred and fifty gees. The effect is rather like when Darth Vader's troops were attacking Princess Leah's ship in the opening scenes of STAR WARS. The door literally explodes inward in a cloud of vaporizing metal from the hinges.
There is Kristoff, hanging by his wrists, wired up like a combination lie detector and electric chair. Doom is standing by a large bank of super-Kirby instrumentation. His hand poised over a large push button with a flashing red light over it.
"Hold it, Power Pack!" Doom roars. "This machine can supply a lethal jolt of electricity - or it can deliver the carefully modulated electromagnetic fields that I hope will solve both my problem, and Kristoff's"
"How? By killing him!" Jack shouts.
"No, boy. I hope that my descrambler will restore Kristoff to his rather unimaginative self. As he was, before the fool adjutant programmed him with my psi ingrams."
"It's okay, Jack," Kristoff says. "I'm not afraid."
"But ..." Jack and Kristoff are both terrified, as are the rest of the Pack, but what can they do? If they "Power Pack Attack" Doom will surly kill Kristoff - if they do nothing, Doom MAY kill Kristoff. Meanwhile, Doom has pressed the button. There is a crash of thunder and the lights flicker and go out.
Act 4, Scene 3
An abandonded warehouse somewhere in New York
There is the smell of ozone heavy in the air, along with other smells, like burning lubricant and singed dog hair, over it all is the sound of mighty power dynamos winding down the octaves toward inaudiability. Then there is a loud clack and from somewhere the whine of an emergency generator takes over from the power dynamos. Pale red lights come on, giving the entire scene a look like something directly imported from a Class-B horror film.
"Kris ... are you all right?" Jack asks in a small voice. Kristoff is dazed, but appears to be in one piece. The final outcome is that Kristoff has been returned to his former self. Doom turns to Power Pack and tells them that he is impressed, and invites them to Lathveria - to test their combat skills against a platoon of his elite guard of Doombots - ones that have been fully programmed. The Pack politely refuses and Doom says: "Pity, it would have been quite instructive."
One is left wondering WHO Doom was speaking of, Power Pack or his Doombots!
"What's going to happen to Kristoff?" Jack asked.
Doom pauses for a minute and then rumbles on: "It would be better for Kristoff to remain here in the US for the time being - while I deal with the mess back in Latveria. I plan to enroll him in the Bradford School for Boys on East 65th Street." Note: I predict that since E. 65th Street is well within walking distance of W 71st Street that you may well see Kristoff in future fanfic Power Pack stories!
EPILOGUE
(Theme music: "Twelve o'clock High" TV series)
The next Day
Alex and Allison are siting in the park on a bench, holding hands and Allison is promising not to reveal anything about Power Pack to anyone while simultaneously pumping Alex for information about the Pack's adventures and Kymellia. Kristoff is busy right now with the enrollment process at The Bradford School, but Doom has promised that Kristoff will be able to spend the afternoon with Jack in the Park. Jack is currently passing the time by lightly tormenting Katie, trying to get her mad enough to switch on her flight power. In the normal world, he is faster than she is due to longer legs and so on, but if Katie switches to low level flight mode she will be MUCH faster. Jack has been teasing her about being slow, hoping to get her to shift into Kymellian mode, so that he can say: "Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Katie. You know better than to use your powers in public!"
Julie has been watching this in disgust. Jack is totally out of control and much too pleased with himself. Someone should show him just what could happen to an overconfident, yappy boy! Julie strides over to Allison: "May I have your assistance for a minute?" She asks.
"I thought you'd NEVER ask," Is Allison's reply. The two girls whisper together for a minute and then start to amble toward where Katie and Jack are arguing. Right in front of a large fountain. Allison and Julie are walking slowly, their hands clasped loosely behind their backs and they are whistling "Pop goes the Weasel".
Alex mutters, "I can't watch!" and then covers his eyes with his hand, the fingers spread apart so that he CAN watch. Jack is still blissfully unaware that anything is happening. Finally, some 6th sense warns him and he turns just as Allison and Julie reach the part of the Song POP! goes the Weasel!
"Now, now girls..." Jack says as three sets of hands grab him and start to drag him toward the fountain.
"Aaahhhllll-EEEkkkkkkkksssss!" Jack hollers, "H A L P !"
SPLOOSCH!
Final panel is a 1/2 page:
Jack is sitting in about six inches of water in the fountain, a stream of water spouting from his mouth. Allison is Laughing so hard she has to hang onto Julie for support who is in a similar situation. Katie is doubled up on the grass holder her sides laughing. Alex has a giant grin on his face. A crowd of onlookers and park visitors are guffawing in the background. Eagle-eyed readers will spot Spiderman, Thor, the X-Men, X-Factor, the New Mutants, Cloak and Dagger ... In the forefront of the lower right hand corner of the panel is Franklin shrugging his shoulders and a "What're ya gonna do ...?" look on his face.
End of the Day of Doom ...