Disclaimer: Daria and associated characters are owned by MTV. Dr. Doom, the Fantastic Four, and associated characters are owned by Marvel Comics. This is fan fiction written for entertainment only. No money or other negotiable currency or goods have been exchanged.
"Six tickets?" Quinn asked Daria over the phone. "Mom, Dad, Jane, Devon, you…and who else?"
"You'll find out when we get there."
"Oh Daria, you can tell me."
"I have my reasons…"
"Daria, I won't tell."
"It's a surprise, leave it at that."
"Do you really have a date for the ball?"
"Yes, I do. You'll see who it is when he shows up with me."
"You're not gonna tell me, are you?"
"No."
"Oooh…why won't you?"
Following a sigh, Daria told Quinn, "You better keep quiet, even about what I will say."
"I promise."
"There's going to be enough press speculation as it is, I don't want any starting early."
"Oookay. Now I'm really curious."
"Good, then you'll have a nice surprise on Saturday."
"Daria!"
Seated inside Castle Doom's lab, Franklin looked at Daria in surprise. "Not exactly what I had in mind for a first date."
"I think we could consider last night our first date."
"We could. I enjoyed it."
"So did I. Did you talk to your sister?"
"She thinks it's a good idea."
Daria breathed out in relief. "Good. I didn't want her uncomfortable with us going out."
"But, a fancy ball for our first, um, public date?"
"Franklin, you know that the moment we're seen out together, the press is going to go crazy and the tabloids will go into hyperdrive. We might as well jump in with both feet and get it over with."
"I can see that. But I was also wondering if you think that it's a good idea? With the unknown time traveler probably still out to get you."
"I finally learned that things like that are going to keep happening as long as I'm Queen. If I let them stop me, I become a prisoner in Castle Doom and a prisoner to my title. I want a life beyond Queen of Latveria. But, we can cancel if needed. I also can't afford to ignore real threats."
"That makes sense. Are you ready to start working on the time signal?"
"Let's get started."
Valeria stamped her foot. "Janos, we have to find something really special for Franklin and Daria to wear."
Janos explained, "We cannot simply purchase a dress. All of Her Majesty's garments for public appearances are specially made for her protection."
"Duh, a special type of unstable molecule. I think I've been around clothes made out of that before."
"Of course, Miss Valeria."
"So, who does the sewing for her?"
"The LDF body armor section of the military uniforms facility."
"The people that make the military body armor make those gowns?"
"The tailors consider it a treat to make something other than standard military apparel. They are very skilled."
Valeria nodded. "Yeah, her stuff does look good. Okay, but now I've got to find a cool pattern and find something for Franklin."
"They also make the protective suits for the prime minister."
"Excellent."
"Oh, damn," Franklin said not too long after starting the analysis.
Daria looked over, saying, "What's wrong?"
"I identified the signal."
"Already? That's good…isn't it?"
"Well, it's good to know already; but the 'who' part could be very bad."
"Riddles don't help."
"The signature matches a time machine used by someone from a thirtieth century future. He's named after my grandfather, Nathaniel Richards, and may be a direct descendent. He's also known as Pharaoh Rama-Tut, Kang the Conqueror, and Immortus. If he's time traveling, it's either as Kang or Immortus."
"I've read about Kang in my father's writings. I wonder why he would be helping Zorba?"
"I have no idea. If he's active this time as Kang, he may see Latveria as a starting point for another attempt to take over the Earth. However, he has an affinity for Latveria, as I'm sure your father's stories mention. He may not even be after you, but something else."
"And this Immortus?"
"He's an older version who seems to be trying to clean up time problems caused by his earlier activities. His motives are almost always inscrutable, usually aimed at making a specific change to repair time. What he's trying to change may not be directly associated with what he's doing."
"Okay. You said he has an affinity for Latveria. Any known reason?"
"Probably because there's evidence that he may also a descendent of your father."
Daria stood quickly. "Which means he'd be a descendent of mine. What's he trying to do, disprove the 'killing your ancestor paradox'?"
"Because of the multiple timelines he's involved in, I bet he's already figured out how to get around the paradox. Such as...hmm, how should I put this?" Franklin cautiously said. "Um…considering the possibilities of in vitro fertilization, you may not be the only child of Victor's around."
Daria sat back down and thought for a long moment. "Before he left, I asked my father what he would have done if I'd declined his offer to become princess. He said he wouldn't have made the offer if he thought I'd decline."
Franklin continued the thought. "Logically, that would be easier to do if Victor knew he had another child who might accept."
"If my father had another child, he would also have made sure that there was overwhelming evidence to support his paternity. Just as he did with me." Daria nodded to herself. "This is starting to make sense. The other sibling could be Nathaniel Richards' direct ancestor. Eventually, Nathaniel would want his ancestor on the throne. Zorba wouldn't have made a good king, or even a good puppet. But, if a long-lost Von Doom showed up and removed my killer from the throne, this new Von Doom would've been accepted by the people of Latveria for taking revenge for my death and restoring the family to rule."
"But we ruined that plan. Meaning, we still need to keep an eye out for him and this possible other half-sibling of yours."
"As if one wasn't enough."
"And worry about what new plan they may develop. With a time machine, they can take as long as they want planning, and then come back at the desired time to make another attempt."
"Gee, I didn't want to get any sleep."
"Thanks Dad," Franklin said over the phone.
"Happy to help. Both of you be very careful; Kang is nobody to be trifled with, and interfering with Immortus can be just as dangerous."
"Well, hopefully tying into the FF's sensor net will improve our detection capability."
"Just to be on the safe side, I've keyed the sensors to also alert on my father's signal and the signal of the device Victor Von Doom made."
"In case he changes devices. Got it."
Daria joined the conversation from her work desk in the lab. "Reed, I'd like to add my gratitude for your help."
"Glad to assist. Now that you're here: we've settled the situation we were dealing with. If you want, you can send Valeria home. I'll send Ben over to pick her up."
Daria looked at Franklin and covered her phone. "Sounds like we better warn them."
Daria said into the phone, "Reed, she's involved in a little project and would be unhappy to leave it."
"If you succeeded in getting her to do something constructive, I'm going to get you to write down how. What's she doing?"
"She's working on a formal dress for me. I'll be using it for a charity ball in Los Angeles on Saturday."
"How'd you get her to do that?"
Franklin spoke up. "She's a little motivated because…I'll be attending the ball with Daria."
Reed said, "That sounded like something different from a formal escort. Am I right?"
"Um, yes Dad."
"I hope the two of you have a good time. If Valeria's really not being a problem, she can stay to finish the dress. Good night."
After Reed hung up the phone, he crossed his arms, smiled and faced his wife Susan.
She asked, "What was that bit at the end? Was it what I think it sounded like?"
"It was."
Susan took Reed's arm. "I was wondering how long he was going to take after his dad and not be able to say anything."
"Hey."
Standing on the airport tarmac, Ben Grimm said to Franklin, "I hope you left the pogo plane in decent condition to fly."
"Don't worry, Ben, I didn't crack it up."
"Just checking."
Valeria said, "You better look for the gum wrappers under the seat."
"Ben," Franklin said, "Good luck listening to her on the flight back."
Tugging on Ben's giant arm, Valeria said, "We better get going and leave the love birds alone."
"Yeah, be a good idea." Ben looked at Daria and said to Franklin, "Better not get on her bad side; she'll stand up to anybody."
"I certainly hope to avoid that situation," Franklin replied.
Daria said, "Have a good flight, Ben. Thanks for the help with the dress, Valeria. I like some of your added features."
"Any time, Triple-D."
Inside Daria's plane, she and Franklin watched the pogo plane take off. Daria said, "I hope she can avoid letting anything slip out between when she arrives in New York and when we get to the ball."
Franklin said, "Don't worry about that."
"Oh?"
"I mentioned the possibility that, when she starts dating, that Ben might be persuaded to 'advise' her dates to be on their best behavior."
"And I thought I was hard on my little sister."
"You can bet she'll find some way to get even."
"We have a longer flight than they do. We better get going." She opened the intercom to the cockpit. "We're ready."
The pilot replied, "Yes, Majesty."
Daria sat down and buckled her seat belt and Franklin did the same beside her. He said, "I'm not saying to put it away, but your necklace still makes me nervous. My experiences with magic haven't been the best."
" Mostly because of my father. I understand, but don't forget I've also been trained by Dr. Stephan Strange, one of the leading experts in the good side of magic. Between the time-space signature detectors Valeria had worked into your tux and how I enchanted my necklace, hopefully we'll have enough warning if Kang or Immortus show up."
"I know, but those things tend to have side-effects."
"I don't go to the same places for help that my father did."
A woman in a blinding red dress that looked like it was sewn by a cubist walked along the red carpet leading from a parked limousine to the charity ball entrance. Beside her was a tall man in a classic black tuxedo.
"Renee, what could that designer have been thinking when he come up with that dress?" Quinn said into a cordless microphone.
Beside Quinn, an older blonde woman said, "What could she possibly have been thinking to wear it? But, her shoes are really cute. Don't you think, Quinn?"
"Oh, those classic strapped high heel with a hint of gold are wonderful."
Gazing at the woman's date, Renee said, "Mmmm. Classic black tuxedo cut to a perfect fit. She does know how to accessorize."
The next limo rolled to a stop and four Latverian guards stepped out to take up guard positions facing all directions. Another rolled up immediately and stopped.
Renee grinned and stepped in front of Quinn. "Next is Queen Daria of Latveria. There's been a buzz for most of the last week as to who her mystery date is. Any clues, Quinn?"
"She's been tight lipped about her date, but I bet there'll be an even bigger buzz once he's unveiled."
The suddenly larger crush of photographers along the red carpet was held at bay by the stoic glares of the guards. Scattered among them were television reporters, ready to go live with the story.
The chauffeur opened the door, allowing Daria to step out. The green body of the gown was closely fitted from the waist up to the round neckline and out along the arms to the elbow, where the sleeves flared out. The full black skirt went to just above the ground, hiding her feet.
"Once again in green and black, the national colors of Latveria, Queen Daria looks stunning. Who does her clothes?"
Quinn explained, "She buys the designs. This one I understand is from the Italian designer DeConti. Her clothes are, by tradition, always made within Latveria by local craftsmen."
"If she didn't have her mystery date, she wouldn't have a problem finding one wearing that."
Franklin stepped out of the limo and stood next to Daria. Dozens of camera flashes temporarily blinded him. Daria's reactive glasses protected her vision and she gently pulled on his hand to guide him down the carpet.
Quinn let out a gentle laugh and said into her microphone, "The way to my sister's heart must be through her brain. With her tonight is Dr. Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Susan Richards of Fantastic Four fame. He has a PhD when most people his age are just realizing it'll take five years to get a bachelor's degree."
"I wanna know why brains weren't that cute when I was in college," Renee said.
Escorted by her guards, Daria and Franklin walked to the entrance of the entertainment hall. Quinn winked at them as they walked past.
"Rich, smart and good looking, but can he sing?" Jane asked Daria.
"I haven't asked," Daria answered. She pulled Franklin closer. "Franklin, this is Jane and Devon. You've heard me talk about them."
"Oh yeah," Franklin said. "Two of the select few she says anything good about."
Jane smirked. "Damn, I must be losing my edge."
Devon said to Franklin, "When they get started, just get out of the way. A lot safer."
"I'll remember that."
"You should've worn the headgear," Jane said. "It always sets you off in a crowd."
Daria said, "It weighs a ton."
"You need to make a lighter, traveling crown," Quinn said after stopping behind Daria.
Daria turned. "I really don't need any more official jewelry. Hi, Quinn."
Quinn playfully tugged at the collar of Daria's dress. "You can show a little skin now and then."
"You know why my all my public clothes cover so much."
"Like something's going to happen here?"
"I have to consider something happening at any time."
"Then maybe you need to come up with a clear version of those unsinkable molecules." Quinn looked at Franklin. "Going for younger guys. I didn't think you had it in you, Daria."
Daria glared. "I wasn't thinking about age…"
"I'm sure you weren't."
Franklin said, "Nice to meet you, Quinn. I've also heard a lot about you."
"Nice to meet you. Wow Daria, no wonder you wanted to keep him under wraps. The tabloids are already going crazy trying to get the story out."
Jane asked, "You two have known each other for a long time; how'd this get started? Or has it been going on for a while and you've been holding out?"
"Franklin was at the castle working on a project with me. We realized how much we had in common and how well we got along with each other."
Face clouded with worry, Jane very quietly said, "What kind of project?"
Daria gently held Jane's arm. "Something I can't talk about now, and I appreciate the thought."
"Be careful, amiga."
Pulling Jake along with her, Helen arrived. "Daria, thank you so much for the tickets. We're having a wonderful time."
Jake took his eyes off the rest of the celebrity crowd and said, "Hey, Kiddo! How are you?"
"I'm great, Dad. I want you to meet Franklin Richards."
Jake extended his hand. "Glad to meet you."
After Franklin shook Jake's hand, Helen extended hers. "A pleasure."
Franklin shook hers, saying, "I'm glad to finally meet both of you. Daria is…" He stopped and looked around, very worried.
The warmth from her necklace told Daria that Franklin's detector must have alerted him to a time-space signature in the area.
She said, "Mom, Dad, everyone. Could you please excuse us for a minute?"
As Daria and Franklin moved away, Jane and Quinn exchanged glances before Jane said, "I suggest we prepare to make a quiet exit or look for some cover."
Suspicious, Helen asked, "What makes you say that?"
"I've seen that look before. Something big and bad is about to happen and she's trying to get clear of the crowd so nobody else gets hurt."
Jane grabbed Helen's arm and Quinn grabbed Jake's, guiding them toward an exit while Devon followed as backup.
"But my little girl…" Jake started to say.
Quinn cut him off. "Is a big girl now. Dad, her dress is better protection than army body armor, and I bet Franklin's suit is made from the same stuff."
"How do you know that?"
"Who do you think put Daria in contact with the designers she buys patterns from?"
They moved past a brown-haired man who was saying to a stunning redhead, "MJ, you know I don't plan these things."
MJ folded her arms and said sternly, "I know, just be careful."
Jane, still pulling on Helen, said, "Plus, the only place she doesn't take her pistol is your house, Mrs. Morgendorffer."
"How could she get it past security?"
"No idea, but trust me, she did."
Getting to a secluded spot behind a line of fake plants, Daria pulled out the crystal and concentrated on it while Franklin pulled back the cuff of his right coat sleeve to expose a tracking display.
He said, "Looks like it's on the roof."
In her mind, Daria saw a helmeted figure in green and blue-violet armor lowering his arm. Scanning around, she saw all four Secret Service agents on the roof down. She said, "From what you showed me, it's Kang up there and he's already taken out the guards."
"The roof would give him a good vantage point to act when we exit the building."
Daria shook her head. "I doubt if he's waiting. Secret Service agents keep in constant communication; the rest probably already know something's gone wrong up there."
She pressed her glasses frame against her temple and listened carefully. A moment later, Daria moved her wrist to her face to speak into the cuff button. "Confirm that agents on the roof are down. Act with caution, subject has advanced technology. Contact the US Secret Service to evacuate the building, tell them Code Highland."
Franklin's fingers worked over the miniature controls of his display. "I wonder what's up that he decided to move so openly this time?"
"The bad guys like to attack when there's a crowd. Gives their ego an audience and the good guys also have to worry about protecting everyone else," a new voice interrupted.
With a pistol appearing in Daria's hand from within her sleeve, she spun to see a man in red and blue clinging to the wall.
Spider-Man said, "I hope you don't mind me dropping in. When Doc Doom's daughter and Reed Richard's son run off together and my spider sense rings like a bell, something's up."
Daria lowered her pistol. "You should be careful about sneaking up on people like that." She went back to concentrating on the crystal.
Franklin said, "You're a little out of your usual territory."
Spider-Man dropped to the ground. "Do you want some help or not?"
"Let's see, Kang is on the roof after Queen Daria and we're only armed with two pistols. I think the answer is: yes."
Daria said, "He's not on the roof; he's inside somewhere and I can't locate him anymore."
"Do you have a plan?" Spider-Man asked.
"Right now," Daria explained, "we're going to keep quiet for as long as possible and hopefully get everyone out of here. Then, we can get my body guards and the Secret Service over to help"
"And then?"
Franklin said, "We're working on that part."
There were still many people inside the hall when Spider-Man suddenly lunged and pushed Daria and Franklin to the ground. A fake plant behind Daria exploded when a yellow streak hit it.
Daria expertly rolled up with pistol at the ready. Franklin stayed prone and drew his pistol with less skill. By that time, Spider-Man was on the wall and shooting a web toward the source of the streak.
Screaming came from the remaining crowd in response to the detonation. The previous orderly evacuation disappeared as people scrambled to escape.
An invisible figure stepped out of the webbing, marked only by loose strands sticking to it. Concussion blasts with the stopping power of a .50 cal round from Daria and Franklins weapons rippled around the figure with no effect, except to splash away webbing from around each hit.
Franklin said, "I thought Johnny said these things knocked him across the room."
Daria fired again and said, "It did."
Spider-Man jumped to the ground, rolled and sprang up to kick Kang in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Rapid-fire yellow streaks came from the intruder's gauntlets, forcing Spider-Man to spring away, dodging the fire.
Daria motioned to Franklin and both of them moved behind the pots of the fake plants for at least minimal protection. They resumed fire moments later. The newer volley started to knock Kang back a little with each hit, as if his protection was weakening.
The invisibility also started to fade when Kang resumed fire at Daria, showering the area with plastic fragments as each piece came apart and Daria crawled to the next. Franklin continued to fire, trying to distract Kang from his target, to no effect.
Spider-Man shot a thick blanket of webbing across the decorative foliage remains, obscuring the location of Daria and Franklin. He anchored a web line and started to swing toward Kang, who spun and let loose fire at him. Spider-Man fired a second line and swung over onto it, avoiding the bolts but going wide of his target.
Spider-Man again temporarily out of the way, Kang ran around the obscuring foliage and webbing. Amid shots from Daria and Franklin that were hitting him harder each time, Kang fired again. The first two shots burned gouges in the floor, but the third struck Daria in the stomach, sending her falling behind Franklin with blood staining her clothes.
His invisibility gone, Kang tried to move to the side to get a shot past Franklin, who continued firing. Kang started to run and dodge, trying to get a clear shot. Franklin shifted around, keeping himself between Daria and Kang.
Spider-Man made another swinging pass at Kang, this time connecting and sending the time-traveler skidding across the floor. Gunfire echoed through the hall as Latverian guards and Secret Service agents rushed over after getting through the panicked crowd.
Kang aimed toward Daria and Franklin, wavering as he looked for a clear shot. Another kick from Spider-Man sent him stumbling back. More gunfire sounded and Kang recoiled from hits. He randomly fired at the approaching guards and flew upwards to the roof, shooting a hole through it and disappearing. Spider-Man shot a web line up to the hole and followed after.
Franklin crawled over to Daria, lying on her side. One arm was clamped over her stomach, with blood leaking around it to pool on the floor. Almost as shocking to him were the tears streaking her face.
He pulled her onto his lap and said, "Please, let me check it."
Daria slowly nodded and let him move her hand away. A deep gash cut halfway from her navel to her side. He quickly pulled the handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it against the wound. Daria cried out and grabbed his arm tightly.
Franklin whispered, "I'm sorry."
Daria croaked, "Damn, it hurts." She moved her free arm to her face and said, "Guards. Goalpost."
"What's that?" Franklin asked.
Daria choked and grabbed him tighter. "I told them I'm down and badly hurt. They're to get me medical attention as soon as possible, and then back to Castle Doom."
"Hold on, I hear them running."
She buried her face against his chest and sobbed. After a few seconds, she pulled back and said, "I'm sorry, are you all right?"
"He never shot at me."
"Good." Daria let go of Franklin's arm and pulled his head down, kissing him. She said, "Just in case," then leaned her face back against him, shivering.
Spider-Man dropped down from the ceiling as the guards and agents arrived. They spread around to checking for other threats.
Spider-Man said, "He got away, some kind of plane that just disappeared. It looks…" He noticed the already soaked handkerchief Franklin held against Daria. "Oh, man."
One of the Latverian guards ran up and dropped down on both knees, saying, "Dr. Richards, I'm the team medic."
As gently as he could, Franklin rolled Daria to give the medic a clear view of the injury. She inhaled harshly as he did.
The medic lifted the makeshift bandage and grimaced. "I need to seal the wound. She probably also has internal injuries and bleeding, but I can't deal with them." He pulled a slender case from a pocket hidden inside the back of his coat, opened it and removed a small tube.
"Majesty, I'm sorry, but this is going to be painful."
Daria nodded.
The medic twisted the tube open and ran the tip along the wound, instantly gluing the torn skin shut. Daria's fingers painfully dug into Franklin's arm as the guard worked. The man tossed the tube to the side and placed a fresh compress bandage over the wound, laying it down carefully. Next, he pulled the remains of a potted plant over and lifted Daria's feet onto it. "Majesty, you're going into shock." After that, the medic removed his jacket, put it over Daria and said, "Dr. Richards, we need to keep Her Majesty warm until the air ambulance arrives in a few minutes."
Spider-Man asked, "The roof is clear. Can it land up there?"
After a brief conversation, one of the Secret Service agents said, "Yes."
"I can get her up there and we won't have to fight to get her through the crowd."
The agent said, "Do it."
Weaving with great skill and speed, Spider-Man fashioned a web basket. Daria reluctantly let go of Franklin as she was placed in it.
Spider-Man grabbed Franklin and said, "I'll need help and I bet you want to ride with." He shot a web strand to the roof and pulled both of them up. After Franklin stepped onto the roof, Spider-Man dropped four web lines down to the corners of the basket and he hauled Daria up.
As the helicopter neared, Franklin told Spider-Man, "We really owe you one."
"Just being useful."
"Thanks. Can you do one more thing?"
"Sure."
Back at their hotel, Peter Parker slumped down on the bed next to his wife, Mary Jane. He was utterly drained from the night's events. "That was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Telling her family."
MJ held his hand. "How did they take it?"
"Real hard; same with her friends."
"Poor Queen Daria. What did that guy want?"
"He wanted to kill her, but I don't know why."
"I'm glad you're safe, Tiger. These things really worry me sometimes."
"What gets me is that he didn't hurt anyone else. The guards on the roof were stunned. He shot at me, but it was more to drive me away than hit me. From what I saw, Dr. Richards the Younger should've been hit, too. But, the guy never fired a shot even close to him. Almost as if he wanted Queen Daria dead, but was being very careful not to hurt anyone else."
"Sounds strange. Guess it was lucky that those tickets were donated to my agent, or you wouldn't have been here to help."
Weak, tired, and disoriented, Daria managed to fight herself awake and blink her eyes open.
"Sweetie," Helen said.
Daria faintly said, "Hi, Mom."
"Daria!" Jake exclaimed and held her fingers tight. By focusing, she could see he was avoiding the intravenous needle set in the back of her hand.
"Dad." She carefully squeezed back, brightening his smile.
"Welcome back," Quinn said.
"Hey, Quinn. Where?"
"Los Angeles Hospital," Helen answered.
"How long?"
"About a day and a half."
"How bad?"
Helen said, "Honey, don't worry about that now."
"That bad?"
Quinn said, "Janos is working to get you out of here to go home."
"Don't know what I'd do without him. But tell me, how bad?"
"Pretty bad," Quinn answered. "But you're stable now, that's why Janos is doing his thing."
Daria nodded and closed her eyes to rest. She asked, "Anybody else hurt?"
"A few bruises when the crowd panicked, but that's it."
"Quinn?"
"Yes, Daria."
"I don't think I'm going to be invited back to any charity balls."
Quinn smirked. "But, where would you go with Franklin?"
"I hope I didn't scare him off."
Jake said, "I don't think so. He's right outside. So is Jane."
Helen said, "Franklin's been here the whole time. Jane left long enough to see Devon off to go home to watch after Joshua."
Daria opened her eyes again. "I'd like to see them."
"Sorry, Daria. The hospital only allows family into ICU," Helen informed her.
Quinn said, "We're keeping them up to date on how you're doing."
"Tell them, thanks."
Working to maintain his patience, Janos explained to the doctor, "Her Majesty gave us clear commands. As soon as she is stable to travel, she's to be flown back to Latveria."
"Look, mister. She may be stable now, but with her injuries, I'm not willing to let her go yet. Maybe in a few days, I'll think about it."
"Then think about the other patients and staff here. Are you willing to put their lives at risk for one patient?"
Angered, the doctor said, "Are you threatening us?"
"No. I am pointing out a very great, and real, risk. The assailant who attacked Her Majesty was not captured. She is very vulnerable right now and a poorly protected facility like a hospital could easily be attacked. Political assassins rarely care about collateral casualties. Her orders are to get her to Castle Doom. There, she can be better protected during her recovery and far fewer people will be exposed to risk."
"I don't like it."
A State Department official stepped up beside Janos and presented the doctor with a sheet of paper. "This is a Presidential Order stating that if the sovereign leader of Latveria requests release, and she is determined to be stable enough to travel by doctors from the Latverian Embassy, her request is to be granted."
The doctor was flustered. "This is highly…you are…"
"The Latverian doctors will be here within the hour. Please make sure their examination of Queen Daria is not delayed."
In the ICU waiting room, Jane watched Franklin. For the last hour, the blond-haired man had sat in deep concentration, as if desperately trying to remember something important.
Sympathetic, Jane quietly said, "Wishing you could change what happened?"
"Wishing I still could."
Caught by surprise, Jane sputtered, "What?"
"As I child, I could…change things. Some were harder than others. After I, uh, did something to save my little sister, I haven't been able to. For a long time, I was glad not to have the power. I had a lot of trouble controlling it and caused a lot of problems. Now, I wish I still could."
"Look, Spider-Man told us what you did back there, using yourself to shield Daria from getting hit again."
"I should've been…"
"Right where you were. You did everything you could, and you did the right thing."
"And she's still in there."
"That's right, she's still here. Because of you."
When the doctors arrived, Daria's family left and went to the ICU waiting room. Beside the ever-present Jane and Franklin, there was a man with graying temples, a blonde woman and teenager who was clearly the woman's daughter.
Valeria was saying, "Gotta hand it to you, big brother. Saving a girl's life on the second date ought to impress her."
Jane saw the new arrivals and stood up. "Hey folks. This is Reed and Susan Richards, Franklin's parents, and this is Valeria, his sister. And these are Daria's parents, Jake and Helen, and her sister, Quinn."
"Whoa!" Jake grinned and stuck out his hand. "Great to meet you! I bet that stretching thing of yours is real handy to get things off the top shelf."
Helen elbowed Jake and said to the Richardses, "It's wonderful to meet you."
Susan said, "We're very relieved your daughter's awake and doing better. She's quite a young lady."
"She sure is," Jake exclaimed. "So's your boy."
"Thank you, Jake," Reed said.
Helen pulled Susan slightly to the side. "Your Franklin really likes Daria."
"I'm sure the feeling's mutual."
"Quinn?" Valeria asked. "Too bad it's ruined, but I'm glad you liked the design I found for Triple-D."
"You picked that out for her?"
"Yeah."
"You've got real potential." Quinn smiled. "What did you call her?"
"Oops, I'm not…oh, phhst! You're almost family. I call her Triple-D."
"That has to get to her."
Franklin said, "She's the only one that can get away with it."
Reed asked, "Any more news on Daria's condition?"
Helen replied, "The doctors are in there now to determine if she can be moved back to Latveria."
"Anything we can do to help, just let us know."
Irritated, the hospital doctor entered Daria's room and said, "Looks like the arrogant little prat's going to ramrod this transfer through. Your embassy's doctors agreed you can be moved."
Daria said, "Please, don't insult my staff for following my orders. No offense to you, doctor. I'm sure you honestly think I shouldn't be moved, and under ordinary circumstances, I'd agree."
"You've got that right. Your small intestine was lacerated multiple times and your kidney was damaged. Even though we sterilized the entire area, the risk of peritonitis is worrisome and it won't take much to tear some of your internal stitches. You're also still recovering from severe blood loss."
"But, I can be moved, correct?"
"Barely. But I really don't think you should be."
Daria nodded. It was hard to concentrate and she wanted badly to go back to sleep. "I have a question. Did you try to cut my clothes away?"
"We couldn't. We had to take them off you conventionally, which slowed us down and may have made things worse. What were they made out of?"
"Cloth that can stop a 20mm, armor-piercing round and Kang's weapon cut right through it. He'll be back to try again. As much as it worries me to move so soon, I have to, before that thing shoots through the walls around here."
"Are you really serious?"
"Completely. Kang wants to kill me and I don't know what he's capable of doing."
"I'll sign the release."
Daria was quietly transported to the airport via a standard ambulance, avoiding attention and the media crush to see her.
Following all of the doctor's recommendations, Daria didn't try to walk and allowed herself to be carried to a temporary hospital bed on her plane. Around it, her family, Jane and Franklin waited.
She looked at them and said, "Getting a little pushy about the frequent flyer miles, aren't we?"
"These count?" Jake asked, followed by a wink.
Helen sighed, missing the wink. "Jake."
Quinn carefully hugged Daria. "We're not going with, but figured inside would be the most private place to say goodbye to you."
"I'd certainly call being behind a platoon of servo-guards private," Daria replied.
"Well, you sure made a splash in LA."
Helen and Jake moved in to simultaneously embrace Daria. "Take care of yourself," Helen said.
"Stay out of trouble, Kiddo," Jake added.
Jane followed. "You really had us worried. And we still are. Be real careful out there."
"I promise," Daria told her friend. "Give Josh a hug for me when you get home."
Daria reached around and held tight to Franklin. "Thank you so much. I'm sorry our big date was a bust. I'm going to miss you when I get home."
Franklin quietly said, "I'm going with you."
Daria pulled back just enough to look at his face, a soft smile on her lips. "You are?"
"I think we have some unfinished business."
Janos entered the cabin. "Excuse me. The pilot would like to remind everyone that our takeoff time nears and everyone should be clear of the flightline before the engines start."
Daria could see two Latverian fighter escorts on her side of the plane and knew that there must be two more on the other side. Waiting for takeoff, she said to Franklin, "While I really appreciate you being here, I'm worried about you being hurt."
"I'm not so sure I will be." Franklin said, "After you were shot, I was in plain sight of Kang and kept myself between him and you."
"I can't believe you did that."
"Daria, he could've easily shot me at any time. He didn't. He kept trying to get a shot around me, but he never shot at me."
"Wait. Never?"
"Not once. Like he was specifically avoiding shooting at me."
"As if you're his direct ancestor. Maybe he can't get around the paradox."
"I was thinking the same. If that's the case and I'm on the plane with you, Kang won't try to destroy it. And I'm going to stay as close to you as I can until we solve this."
Daria smiled and rested her hand on his. "How do I know this isn't just a ploy to spend time with me?"
"Would that be a problem?"
"No, not really."
The pilot said over the intercom, "Mr. Grimm reports that the Fantastic Four's plane is ready to follow. We have tower permission to use the longest runway, allowing a slower acceleration to reach takeoff speed. Please prepare."
From her personal bed, Daria told the Security Minister, "Every servo-guard is to be on active patrol and programmed to respond immediately to any time travel signature detected. They'll probably be destroyed quickly, but their main purpose will be to buy time."
The minister said, "I wish we had a way of detecting the signal before a time vehicles arrives."
"I can't move but I can still think. Dr. Richards and I will be working on that problem, and if possible, track it back to its origin."
"Yes, Majesty. Anything else?"
"Not now, thank you."
After the Security Minister left, Janos entered. "Do I understand correctly? You want Franklin Richards in the old royal servants' quarters?"
"Yes. They are physically the closest to here, even if they've been unused for years. Besides, our regular VIP guest quarters will be occupied by Dr. and Mrs. Richards, Mr. Storm and Mr. Grimm until after the ceremony."
"I hope Franklin doesn't mind the dust as we prepare the apartments."
"I think he'll mind more the attention he'll get, but he deserves it."
"True. The Star of Latveria has rarely been given to non-natives, let alone two."
"Come on, Ben," Johnny chided. "You've got rock for skin; a tux can't be that uncomfortable."
Ben Grimm muttered, "It's not the penguin suit. This place still makes me antsy."
"Yeah, it does feel weird, but she has gone out of her way to make us welcome."
"I bet her old man would be spitting nails to see this."
There were a few hushed gasps when Daria, in full regalia, entered on a hovering throne. She guided it to a main dais and allowed it to settle on the floor. "Welcome, everyone."
She carefully lifted a ribboned medal and said, "There are times when personal courage and action become an example for all Latveria. Franklin Richards, your willingness to face danger beside me and then to place yourself between me and the assassin is one of those times. Please come forward."
Franklin stepped up to the dais and stood in front of Daria. She passed the ribbon to Franklin while whispering, "Sorry I can't put it on you, but I don't dare move too much and pull any more stitches loose." Out loud, she said, "I, and all the people of Latveria, appreciate your selfless courage. For that, you are awarded the Star of Latveria."
Franklin stepped back and Daria held up a second medal. "At the same time, another put his life on the line. One who didn't know me, but couldn't stand idly by while another was attacked. In absentia, the hero known as Spider-Man is also awarded the Star of Latveria. Will the representative of the Avengers come forward?"
In gleaming red and gold armor, Iron Man stepped up beside Franklin. Daria handed Iron Man the second medal, saying, "I wish I could present this to Spider-Man directly, but I understand that he has important commitments that cannot be set aside. Iron Man, please pass this on to your teammate with my sincere thanks."
Iron Man said, "I will make sure this gets to him safely, as well as your thanks."
After the audience in the throne room applauded, the Prime Minister entered. "Thank you for attending today. A reception will now be held in the great hall. If everyone will please proceed to gather there, Her Majesty will be in shortly."
Johnny laughed and said to Iron Man, "Next time I see that web-head, I'm going to introduce him to a real hot sauce. I've upgraded my recipe."
"I'll make sure he's properly warned, as well as the rest of the Avengers."
"Yeah, that stuff gives a whole new meaning to 'flame on'," Ben dryly said.
Franklin saw Daria rest her head back against the throne. He said, "Excuse me," and went to her.
"You look a little pale."
She weakly smiled and nodded. "I've felt better." She held up her hand. "This is a celebration. I can hold on a little longer. It looks like Johnny's barely getting started."
"You want to see something scary; you should see him and Spider-Man together. Too bad Spider-Man had…other commitments."
"And I don't want to know what they are. He's keeping his identity a secret for a reason and I'll respect it. The fewer that know, the better it is for him."
"About that, I was thinking about something. He couldn't possibly afford the charity tickets on what he makes with his day job, let alone getting there and having some place to stay. His wife makes a lot more than he does, but even then, I don't see how."
"Another mystery."
"Blurg," Daria muttered as she looked at the food tray across her lap.
Standing next to her bed, Janos asked, "Majesty? Is there a problem?"
"Nothing about the meal. Just that my digestive system hasn't settled down yet after the sterilization and restocking. Even the light soups are a little hard to keep down."
"Is there anything more to be done for you?"
"The accelerated healing device my father developed did a lot, but the rest is going to require the old-fashioned way."
"I see. I hope you can eat a little better today."
"Oh, I want to."
An alarm rang through the castle. Daria sighed and said, "I knew it. Once everyone was gone, Kang's making another attempt."
Janos lifted the meal tray out of Daria's way as she faced a cart supporting a command console. She opened the intercom and said, "Status."
The Security Minister's voice came back, "Time-space signature matching target appeared in the forest outside the castle, bearing two-three-zero. Servo guards are responding and castle guard mustering for transport."
"Thank you. Any other details?"
"Scans detect four…five…six…eight robots exiting vehicle. Wait a moment…the time signature is back, matching an outgoing transport. Vehicle is gone, leaving robots behind. Maintaining scan in case this is a diversion. Three Doombots deployed as decoys."
"Understood. But don't count too much on the decoys. It seems like he identified the previous one immediately. Have you located Kang?"
"Negative. Robots only."
"He could still be concealed." Daria picked up the crystal necklace from her nightstand and concentrated. She coughed, winced and shuddered as she soundlessly added a short incantation. Mentally, she focused attention on the immediate castle grounds.
Janos answered a knock and let Franklin into the room. He hurried next to Daria and kept an eye on the computer's tactical display.
Her voice sounding vacant, Daria said, "I'm watching the castle."
"Got ya," Franklin replied. "I'll keep an eye on the time sensors."
"Losing track of the enemy robots," the Minister announced. "Switching to different search modes to try to reacquire. Setting servo-guards to auto-return fire."
Franklin nervously watched the tactical display as the robot icons faded out. He looked back at Daria, deep in concentration. She said, "Diversion. Watch for something else."
Hesitating, Franklin went back to watching the time sensors.
The minister updated them, saying, "Five servo-guards destroyed. Auto-return fire showing some success. Confirm one enemy robot destroyed. LDF field artillery has dropped light smoke into the area. Concentrating fire on clear voids in the smoke."
The time scan remained clear as Franklin kept up his vigilance. Daria's breathing grew uneven as she continued to concentrate.
"Five enemy robots destroyed or disabled. Twenty -three servo-guards lost. Remaining robots are retreating."
Daria sat straight up and lunged across the bed to the command console. She entered commands and one of the tower point-defense weapons activated, pointing to what looked like empty space. Holding the crystal in her other hand, Daria fine-turned the weapon aim and fired. She was rewarded with a small fireball about fifty feet outside her apartment.
"What was that?" Franklin asked in surprise.
"Some kind of drone that was heading directly here. To my apartment." Daria closed her eyes and groaned.
"Damn." Franklin caught her and carefully laid her back straight in the bed. Daria gulped and fought back pain. "Thanks. That took a lot out of me."
"I'm calling your doctors."
She nodded in agreement. "Please send a team out to find any remains of that drone that they can."
Janos said, "I'll tend to it, Majesty."
Feeling well enough to work at her desk for short times, Daria read the report on the drone remains. Small, less than a foot long. One-shot blast that would've penetrated the force field over the windows. Very sensitive and compact sensor. Nanotube syringe that can pass between the fibers of unstable molecule fabric. And finally, a poison fatal in microgram amounts. He's good. The only thing keeping me ahead right now is sorcery. But, I can't stay on the defensive forever, he'll eventually succeed. I need a way to stop him before he chooses the time to try again.
Reading the same from a laptop computer, Franklin said, "Once again, very specific for you. Kang must be worried about causing additional changes to the timeline. Maybe it's not just me. Maybe he knows somebody close to you has to be kept in the timeline, but he doesn't know who."
Toying gently, Daria asked, "Deciding you need to get some distance from me after all?"
"No. We know for certain he's trying to avoid hitting me."
"At least for now."
"Okay, for now. But something is limiting his choices of action. If we can figure that out, we can actively use it."
"What I'd like to do is take over his time machine and dump him in the Pleistocene."
"And tell him to evolve into something more civilized?"
"No, more like become an hors d'oeuvre for a cave bear."
"Tenth anniversary." Daria rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Janos, a leader must learn when to delegate. Tell the Interior Minister to handle the details and answer any questions you can."
"And those I can't?"
"Use your best judgment."
"Don't I always?" Janos softly joked. "One more thing. Dr. Richards asked for a picnic basket to be prepared. I believe he's on his way here now."
"You have to admire his persistence, and getting outside will be a good change of scenery for me."
"He has a talent for knowing when to do that, Majesty."
"Go out and ask him to wait; I need to change."
Still within easy view of Castle Doom and protected by out-of-sight guards, Franklin spread out the picnic supplies. "I'm glad you wanted to come out like this."
Daria sat down and said, "The tabloids needed another good photo-op."
Franklin looked down for a moment. "They have been making some interesting speculations about us."
"It's to be expected with you staying in the castle. I'll take it over some of their previous speculations."
Franklin looked around as he rotated a corkscrew into a bottle of wine. "I hope you don't mind."
"No. It's not like either of us will be driving."
Franklin pulled down on the corkscrew's levers to free the cork. He poured two glasses and gave one to Daria. "Here's to a little while to relax."
"To relax," Daria said and smiled before taking a sip.
After the return from Los Angeles, their meals had felt rushed and they usually discussed the day's research. But under the summer sun, they relaxed and talked over their meal like they had during that first dinner. Daria felt a peaceful happiness that she didn't want to end.
Daria noticed Franklin glance the data-link to the area sensor net while seeming to keep his attention on her. She playfully said, "Worried the Stark teleport units won't send us to the command center if a time-signature is detected?"
Franklin sighed and shook his head. "No. I…well; I had another reason for coming out here. But, I wanted to give you a few minutes of quiet first."
The afternoon's spell was broken and Daria asked in concern, "What are you talking about?"
"While tracking down a computer malfunction, I found a nanobot had shorted out the mother board, apparently by accident. I unobtrusively scanned the castle and located over six hundred more nanobots."
"Six hundred?"
"That's what I was checking for; there's none out here."
"Sabotage units?"
"Surveillance. Once a day, each one synchronizes with the others to send a data pulse into the future."
"How long have you known?"
"I discovered the first one two days ago and only caught the data pulse this morning. I didn't want to say anything inside the castle in case one recorded the conversation."
"Dammit! With that kind of intelligence, Kang will know exactly what defenses we plan so he can evade them. Plus, choose the best moment for his mission."
"I'm confident he doesn't know that I've detected the nanobots and their communications."
"How were these pulses getting past our sensor net?"
"They were short enough to look like static unless you specifically looked at them."
"Can you track them to their destination?"
"I know I can."
"Hmm." Daria thought for a couple seconds. "Have they gotten into all parts of the castle?"
"No. The hermetically sealed rooms attached to the lab haven't been entered."
"Those are magically sealed also. Good. There's one more thing we need to do. Find a way to disable all of them at once."
"Kang will know we've done that."
"But if we do it right after the regular signal, he won't know immediately. If we travel to the same time they were transmitting, we'll have the element of surprise for a change."
"How do you…wait a minute, you have a time machine?"
"My father believed in spares. It's in one of those sealed storerooms."
"What other interesting things are stored down there?"
"In spite of your feeling of invulnerability, I don't want to take any chances. There's a full backup suit of his armor."
"You're…kidding."
"No. It's the best protection we can put on you."
"I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Not unless Iron Man lets you borrow one of his suits."
