Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Marvel. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love.

Note: In case it isn't clear, this is an alternate universe. I'm going to need to change some things about character backstory and timelines to make it all work. I hope you will all understand that.

Chapter Three - Long Live The King

Valeria's presence created a slight change of plans for Doom, and thus instead of waiting one day he spent a week in the arms of his first love and allowed his forces to grow greater with wandering enlistees before sending the woman and her aunt to the mountain temple to look after Harry and the other civilians. For a time Latveria would not be a place conducive for peaceful living and until such time as he held its reigns in his own hands and could make it so he wanted them kept safe.

He started small as he had when he was fighting in the forest at sixteen, arranging assaults on food, weapon, and troop transports before moving on to greater prey like the Russian supply lines. As time and his boldness increased, so did his numbers along with the frequency of his strikes. In endless thousands they came. Men and women intent on fighting for their freedom and the chance to celebrate the change that was upon them. Eventually he had enough warriors to create separate legions with each one headed by one of the mechanical creatures of his own design. They looked much like the weapons he'd made for the Americans, and he'd not changed their exterior designs for that very reason. Once he was in control he wanted America to know that the creations he'd built for them before destroying them at his exit, that had so enraptured them, were also here, and they were leagues and bounds ahead of what they'd seen before. Those damned opportunists would not see his lands as an easy target in the future.

In time his forces began to succeed in driving the king's men from their forts, villages, and towns. With each victory the common peasants began to gather courage of their own, moving their aid and supplies away from where their oppressors could access them and instead providing them to the resistance, a sign that Doom's support had become too great for them to counter.

Everything was going according to plan, and within two months the King had nowhere else to turn. His routes to Russia had been completely bombed out. Foreign support was too scared of the doombots infiltrating their halls to offer aid. Given the chance to break free all of the farmers refused to feed the loyalist army. The King had finally been forced to hunker down in his castle, a vast fortress that had not been breached by conventional means in four hundred years. Meanwhile his army had been housed in the town that surrounded it.

One last battle and then a siege to follow, and this mess would be done with. That being said, Doom was nothing if not practical. Valeria expected at least some mercy out of him, and if he could earn his victory without losing thousands of his future citizens in combat then he was willing to try. So as his forces gathered at the edge of the woods facing the town of loyalist oppression he sent a messenger off with a hologram detailing his willingness to allow Vladimir to leave the country with his family and no possessions but their lives provided he publicly renounced the throne and all claims to power. Personally he thought he was being quite generous. When three days passed with no response, Von Doom had his answer. That morning he was ready to order the advance, but he wanted to address his forces first.

Standing tall at their head, and using a slight bit of magic to amplify his voice and enhance the spectacle of his presence, he proclaimed, "My people, the foolish King Vladimir has rejected my call for peace! He has rejected the offer I gave to spare his own life and that of his family. He does this because even now, after all that we have won, the ground we've bled for, the soldiers we've put in the dirt, he does not see you as warriors. He does not see you as people. To that monster you are only a source of labor and revenue. Is that what you are!?"

"No!"

"Nay!"

"Let's roast the fucker!"

On and on came the enraged exclamations of the people Doom had gathered, and only with a pulse of his will accompanied by his raised hands did their attention come back to him once more. "Do you know what is beyond that town? Your liberation. One army yet stands before you and then the only asset he will have left is his castle and personal defense force of four hundred. Are you ready to take destiny into your own hands? Are you ready to end this war!"

"Aye!" They cheered once more.

"Then charge, my people! Charge on to victory!"

And charge they did. With the doombots at their head and advanced laser rifles in their hands they charged. With courage and righteous fury in their hearts they charged. With love and devotion for Victor Von Doom as their savior blazing in their eyes they charged.

The pitched battle for the town was unlike any they'd faced before. These were not scattered outposts, forts, or separate units. No, this was a concentrated force thousands strong, and they were fighting for their lives against those who were fighting for their freedom. The clashing needs led to untold bloodshed, chaos, and destruction. All around men died, people screamed, and no mercy or quarter was given or asked. This was the penultimate battle in a war that would define the future of their country, and everyone knew the importance that fact brought them.

For five hours they fought on and as the sun began to set behind the mountains in the horizon the loyalist forces finally came to the realization of the truth of their predicament. They had the better position, but they were heavily outnumbered and with Doom supplying the weaponry for the rebels they were horribly outgunned as well. For a while holding the highground had worked to their advantage but it was unsustainable and they'd already lost three fourths of their number. As the clock struck nine the loyalist general sent up a green flare and his men surrendered, falling to their knees and dropping their weapons.

The cheers of "Victory" "Doom" and "Glory to the Savior" rang loud into the night as bodies were cleared, armaments redistributed amongst the fighters, and prisoners chained and held in the magistrate's home.

As dawn's light came upon him the next day Doom started wandering the streets, greeting his officers by name, and offering aid where he could to those that needed it. It was these small things post conflict, he knew, that would cement his image in the minds of his people as a caring and benevolent master.

While he was attending to those matters however he was approached by Boris. "Master Doom, sir, we have a bit of a problem."

Had it been visible the other man would have seen Victor's eyebrows raise in curiosity. "Oh, and what would that be?"

"It's the captives, sir."

"Ah yes, I suppose executing them en masse would likely send a bad message to our soldiers wouldn't it? Is it a question of security for them going forward? I can deploy some of my doombots to watch them."

"That is not it at all, Master Doom. The soldiers, they… they want to join us. In fact, they say there are many amongst the loyalists that remain who would like to join us as well. They have become greatly disillusioned with King Vladimir and the way he has handled both their service and the war."

"Oh really." Doom stroked a finger over his metal chin as a fresh idea came to his mind. Yes, he could use this indeed. Within a half hour the officer in charge of the captives was sent galloping off to the castle and the next morning after the army had rested they moved to encircle it. They found the gates closed and barred with dozens of wall mounted machine turrets aimed and ready for any who would approach.

From beside his master at the head of the army Larin commented, "The grounds before the castle appear to be a killing field. We can take the fortress with our numbers and weaponry, but a great many will likely die in the process."

"No." Doom answered easily as he crossed his arms over his chest and marched arrogantly out into the field. "No they won't." And so saying, he carried on his way, not speeding, flying, or showing any worry whatsoever. To his gathered people Von Doom looked like he could have been out for a morning stroll. And contrary to all expectations the turrets did not open fire. Instead the great barred doors opened wide and the King's personal guard ran out to meet the invader… only to part down the middle like the red sea and kneel before him for all to see. The soldier he'd sent back had done his job well and assured these men that if they swore allegiance to him before any fighting could start they would be spared. These men were loyal enough, but they could see which way the wind was blowing, and after sealing any possible exits they had come to meet their one true liege. Now that his own people were seeing the last vestiges of the old guard taking the knee his fame and renown would grow even further.

'Yes,' Doom thought smugly as he carried on past them all and entered into the castle proper, 'kneel before the one true king of Latveria'. It was better that they stay there, it was better that everyone stayed outside for a while in fact. The king and his family were now trapped inside, alone and undefended, and all knew what needed to happen next, but no one wanted to or needed to see it. Finally, for the persecution of his people, for the loss of his parents, for the hope of a country he hoped to claim, and for the future of his son, it was time to make a royal line disappear. It was almost a shame he found the royals gathered together and frantically praying in the chapel. They had to die knowing their god wasn't listening.

Later that night while the people celebrated their victory and spat on the corpses of their former rulers Von Doom entered into the dungeons of the castle he'd just conquered. Larin was already waiting for him with a lit fire and a pot of boiling herbs emitting their sweet smoke into the air. "Master, are you sure that you wish to do this? Your last interaction ended rather horribly based on your stories."

"This time will be different, Larin." Doom declared as he crossed his legs and levitated himself to float directly in the center of the smoke cloud where he began to breathe the fumes in deeply. "Begin the incantation."

Larin dutifully cast the final herbs into the broth to allow for the tearing down of the mental hangups that tied mortals to the material plane. Then he began the guttural chanting mantra that would organize his power and moments later the mortal world fell away, leaving Victor alone in an endless expanse of darkness. It was a state he was not in for long as suddenly a crimson burst of light erupted before him and with it came the snarling, demonic, visage of Mephisto; a faustian nightmare of tentacles, horns, and hellfire larger than a skyscraper and twice as terrifying. Doom didn't even flinch.

"Mephisto, I have come to bargain."

The monumentous being sneered smugly down at the comparatively tiny creature that had dared to summon him forth. "Ah, little Vickie Von Doom. Whatever could you want, I wonder?"

"You know well what it is I desire, demon. You hold in your possession the soul of my mother, Cynthia Von Doom. I want it released back to the mortal plane."

"Truly? I am rather fond of that bitch you know. Her screams of pain and terror are so sweet and delightful no matter how many times I wrench them from her lacerated throat. Can you even imagine how fun it is to watch her skin boil in a pot, sear and burn as she's impaled on a spit, and slough off the bone as diseases tear her body apart from the inside? Whyever would I give that up?"

Not for the first time Victor was glad of the iron wil he'd forged within his mind. This demon was trying to make him angry so he could bait out of him words that could be interpreted in unfortunate ways or cater to a less favorable deal. "You are a spawn of hell, Mephisto. Making deals is in your nature and I am well aware that you physically cannot resist offering terms."

The fire surrounding the hellspawn writhed beneath its annoyance at being so easily classified. "This is true… but to potentially lose such a prime source of entertainment would be a great blow to myself. So I must have the potential for equal entertainment in return. Here is the deal I shall offer you. Once a year I will open a portal to my realm to allow you the chance to fight me personally for dear Cynthia's freedom. But every time you lose your people will grow to hate and despise you more. That is the beauty of this deal, even if you should, by some miracle, eventually win, you will still lose everything you have fought so hard to achieve." The horned demon bellowed with self-entitled glee.

"I refuse."

That shut Mephisto up right quick. "Excuse me?" Never in his imaginings had he considered the prospect of this upstart being refusing. From his years of observation he knew Victor to be a man of insurmountable pride. He'd never turn down a challenge when his latent narcissism would undoubtedly convince him that he couldn't possibly lose.

"I said that I refuse." Within the confines of his mask Doom smirked at actually managing to surprise the dark being. "Though I will contact you again next year just to see if you can offer terms that are actually worth my time."

"Doom!"

Victor waved his hands out to his sides, cutting through the air, and simultaneously dispersing the smoke in the real world with the action, bringing his mind back to reality where he floated alone with only his manservant for company.

"Master? You refused his terms?"

"Of course I did, Larin. They were horrendous. The beast actually wanted me to risk turning my people against me more and more every year. Eventually they would try to rise up, and how would that affect my son's rule in the future? It would be dishonorable to gamble with his inheritance. No, better to seek a better deal, or perhaps another dealer. The future is rife with opportunities and I plan to be smart about which ones I choose." So saying, the doctor descended back to the ground and reclaimed his footing. "Come, we have much to do and the coronation is set to begin tomorrow."

"So soon?"

"Yes, the people crave stability now that the old regime has been destroyed. It is time to grant them that, along with a kick in the ass into the twenty-first century."

The Next Day

A sea of faces stared up at the largest balcony of the newly named Doom Castle as organs played triumphant tones proudly into the air. The people cheered on their savior as he took a knee before the bishop of the land, and at their head was a beautiful woman with an excited toddler wriggling around in her arms, both were surrounded by a group of highly trained monk bodyguards who were keeping a healthy watch on all of the spectators.

"Watch closely, Harry." Valeria gently turned the small child's face up to the ledge where Doctor Doom was officially being crowned by the clergyman in front of his people. "You are yet young to understand this, I know, but it is perhaps the most important moment in our nation's history and now you will be able to say that you saw it. The moment a god decided to lead us. And he did it because of you. Someday that will be you up there and the people will love you even more than they do him. Trust me." She gently ran her fingers through the already thickening hair on his head, "Your father and I will make it so."

Three Months Later

Reed Richards and his friends had had a rather stressful year leading up to their current predicament to say the least. The military had been trying for years to tempt him to make weapons for them, and when that had failed they'd gone after his best friend Ben Grimm and his girlfriend Susan Storm, the other members of his research team at his university. Luckily both had shared his values and refused. Sadly, the military had wised up finally and changed the parameters of their offer.

Instead of making weapons for them, they wanted Reed and his team to 'design a new digital framework that would act as a digital firewall stronger than adamantium against foreign hackers.' They were willing to write him a blank check if he would do so, and this time they'd 'casually' mentioned the opening of their newest space based observation station.

Now, Reed's fascination (obsession) with space was well documented, and just as the military stooges had expected, he hadn't refused. The framework had been completed in a mere couple of weeks and then he demanded his payment, one month of uninterrupted time aboard the station for both himself, Ben, and Susan as they observed the varying levels of fluctuating radiation from the sun and its orbiting bodies. Ironically enough, Susan's brother Johnny was actually the best pilot NASA had on staff, and since he knew them all he'd been tapped to pilot their ship up and back. Had Reed had any idea of what would befall them all up there he never would have gone.

The first week was absolutely glorious. Setting up the equipment, documenting every new experience, eating astronaut food, and… zero gravity sex with Susan. It was everything he could have hoped for and more. Then everything had gone to hell. They'd been tracking a series of rather odd cosmic rays on the edge of the system that appeared almost similar to a lightning storm in space, but moving toward them at a rapid pace. By their calculations the anomaly shouldn't have arrived until just before they were scheduled to leave, and there was no evidence it'd be strong enough to cause any damage to their station. Mission Control had just advised them to weather the proverbial storm and fly back down after it passed.

However things had changed. They were all out on a spacewalk to make some updates on their sensors when Mission Control began screaming in their ears to 'Get back inside!' The cosmic storm had somehow jumped completely across the system against all logic and reason and it was suddenly bearing down right on top of them. But it was too late for any warnings, too late to run. By the time the foursome fully understood what was happening the cosmic radiation crashed into them and sent them tumbling from the structure with only their safety tethers keeping them from freefalling into the emptiness of space.

Only later when they had been rapidly evacuated back to earth did the group realize that Johnny had remained conscious the longest and had literally dragged them all inside the station before the radiation could melt them from the inside out. He was a hero to them all, now if only he wasn't so smug about it.

It seemed strange to say, but that event hadn't even been the craziest one to occur since. No, that would be that the cosmic radiation had given them all superpowers! Indeed Reed had found himself with the ability to expand or contract any part of his anatomy. Johnny had gained the ability to turn into a living flame. Susan was dually blessed with invisibility and the ability to create force fields with her mind. Sadly, Ben had received the worst end of the deal and received super strength, but permanent rock hard skin as a result. He would never be able to pass for human again.

For a while they had tried to find a cure for what had happened to them but no answers had shown themselves. Then, as if their arrival had been some sort of signal, the powered bad guys of the world had started coming out of the woodwork in a big way. Only the four of them with their combined powers had managed to keep the people of their country and the world safe. So it was that they had all found new purpose after their accident as the Fantastic Four.

It had been a wild ride to say the least, but something crazy had revealed itself over the last three months. Sue was pregnant, and more than that, she was incredibly far along. All of their tests showed that she had conceived her child with Reed while they were in space, but the rapid pace of its development was insane, and now… it had jumped up once again. His girlfriend's three month pregnancy had advanced even further to birthing contractions. She was in labor!

Reed was hard at work in his lab with her on the examination table, trying to find some way to explain what was happening or at least to deliver his child. Neither was working. It seemed the fetus had inherited its mother's abilities after a fashion for it was coming up as invisible on his screens. And with its crazed rate of growth and manifestation he couldn't safely remove it. Who knew what else was going on in there?

"Reed."

A voice he knew calling to him through the haze of his typing fingers and rapidly working brain.

"Reed!"

Angry now, why was that familiar?

"Reed Fucking Richards!" That got his attention and his eyes snapped up to the woman he intended to marry someday. "Yes?"

"Y-You know w-what we need to do." She gasped through the pain of another contraction.

"No, I don't, Sue. That's why I'm running more tests and-"

"V-Victor, Reed. He's our only chance now. We talked about this."

And indeed they had. It was common knowledge to them all that their former schoolmate had been studying both science and the arcane (something that they laughed about a whole lot less now) and Susan had been of the opinion from the start that he might be their best bet to figure out what was happening. Reed had stubbornly stuck to his opinion that given enough time he'd be able to figure it out for himself with pure science. His time had run out. "Sue, he won't help us. You know what he's been like ever since taking the throne of Latveria. He's bought out every company we've tried to start, bribed the courts to steal patents we try to sell, and all of those threatening voicemails speak for themselves, I'd say. He hates our guts"

"W-We have t-to try. Tell Johnny t-to gas up the jet. And b-besides, he only hates you. He always l-liked me."

"A bit too much in my opinion." Reed groused, but his attitude was only a defense mechanism. What was happening with the woman he loved was actually scaring the shit out of him and he hated feeling powerless. But at least gasing up the jet would give him something to do. "Alright, you win. Do you think you can hold on until we get to Latveria?"

"P-Please, with how fast Johnny flies w-we'll be there in no time."

And she was right. The others weren't anymore thrilled about the prospect of going to someone that hated them for aid than he was, but they were just as stumped as Reed for any other options. And especially considering it was his sister at risk, Johnny flew like the hounds of hell were on his tail. In a matter of a couple hours (with their jet breaking the sound barrier many times over) the Fantastic Four found themselves barrelling through Latverian airspace. It wasn't long until they were surrounded by a trio of surprisingly advanced looking aircraft demanding they land and submit themselves to search and arrest for trespassing.

Instead Johnny outmaneuvered them and shot past their admittedly impressive speed before circling Castle Doom several times to reduce their momentum and landing in the courtyard. As Johnny shut down the engines Ben lifted Susan as gently as he could into his arms and together the four exited the ramp to be confronted by a cadre of incredibly well armed guards and for some reason a fully robed Tibetan monk.

The Four readied for conflict but the monk merely raised a hand to halt any hostilities. "I am called Larin. The Master is interested in what could be so important that you would risk an international incident by invading sovereign territory. You will accompany me to the throne room to explain."

"We… we would appreciate the chance to do so." Reed grudgingly admitted before lowering his hands and nodding to the others to stand down. Thing's one free fist lowered to his sides and Johnny lost his flames as they all began trudging into the castle proper. Based on the exterior they expected mountains of stairs, but instead they were directed to a massive sigil of the Doom family crest in the center of the floor. At a word from the monk the stone beneath them shifted and the revealed platform beneath their feet rose into the air and kept going until somewhere around the middle height of the structure if they were to guess.

"Follow me please." Larin bid them follow his pace as he walked powerfully down a long hall full of suspiciously technical looking suits of armor before stopping in front of a pair of massive iron doors. "When you enter you will approach the thrones and kneel, but keep in mind that you are not allowed within fifteen feet of the thrones themselves. Should you attempt to get closer then certain security measures will activate that you will not appreciate."

Instead of challenging what they could appreciate or handle, Reed was distracted by yet another moan of pain from his girlfriend. "Could we just get this over with? Time is running out for us."

"Of course. I merely wish to avoid an unnecessary series of unfortunate events. Life should not be needlessly destroyed after all." And so saying the man pushed open both doors and led the way inside.

As they followed the strange man the Fantastic Four found themselves awed by the opulence and wealth out on display for them to see. Golden pillars, felt chairs for petitioners to wait on, endless tapestries of masterful make and design, dozens of stain glass windows displaying important scenes of the country's history, many of which now depicted scenes of a metal man in a green cloak in combat. Finally, it all culminated before twin thrones that they were obliged to kneel in front of. Seated in the first was the man they had come to see, Victor Von Doom, decked out in full armor and the mask that had made him famous worldwide before his borders had been closed to all news and media. In the second, however, was a woman they did not recognize, only the band of silver upon her brow denoting the importance she held in this chamber.

Larin quickly took his place beside his master. "You kneel before Doctor Doom and Queen Valeria of Latveria. Stand and state your purpose in their lands."

Richard stood and only by force of will stopped himself from rushing over to the metal faced man. "Victor, we need-"

"Is that how you address the leader of a sovereign nation, Mr. Richards?" The queen demanded in a firm voice. "You came into our lands uninvited and clearly looking to gain something so you will address him with respect."

Smothering his irritation Reed nodded that he understood the message. "Doctor Doom, we need your help. Susan is pregnant and the baby is… it's killing her. It is advancing at an incredible rate and it seems to have inherited her powers because it is both invisible and a forcefield seems to have blocked off the birthing canal. With the width of the field performing a cesarean would tear her in two. We… I… science has failed us."

Victor glared at the slender man before him and said, "So you come to me for magic instead. Tell me, Richards, why should I help you after you almost destroyed my life?"

Reed was incredibly confused by that statement. "Destroyed your life? How did I-"

"You do not even remember!?" Doom shot up out of his throne, crossed the distance, and slammed his palm onto the other man's forehead, "Then allow me to remind you."

There was a flash of light and suddenly Reed was seeing a scene he vaguely remembered from his time in university, but he was seeing it through Victor's eyes. The Latverian was entering his private dorm and there was Reed Richards, but this view changed how what followed occurred. As the elastic man recalled the events, he went to see Victor and found his door unlocked so naturally he'd gone in to wait for the man, looked over a few of the notes on his desk to pass the time, and then tossed them back when the normally standoffish student finally entered. No harm there. He was just being his usual curious self.

However, when he witnessed things through Victor's eyes he saw himself as an interloper. Someone who had invaded the only private space the Latverian had in this strange land, and worse he was handling private documents and personal calculations that were imperative for his mission to save his mother. (that was what he'd been doing!?) Time slowed then and the vision zeroed in on the documents in Reed's hand. He saw then with horror that his fingers had smudged the ink, turning a one into a four and causing similar effects in three other places. 'I changed his calculations. The calculations he used in his…. experiment. Oh god.' Reed felt like he was going to be sick as he recalled the devastating explosion at his school that almost killed a grad student and horribly scarred Victor's face. No wonder the man hated him so much. Reed's legendary curiosity had caused him untold damage.

The vision ended and Victor sneered, "I have a photographic memory. It didn't take long looking back after the accident to figure out what you'd done. Then, adding insult to injury, I found out that you told people after the explosion that 'I' must have mistaken my calculations. That it was my fault. You besmirched my honor with your lies! But that wasn't all that happened that day, was it, Ben?" The leader of men sneered at the very uncomfortable looking rock man. The hand shot back out and Reed was once more sent tumbling back into the past. He saw himself being screamed at for touching things that didn't belong to him and being pushed out of the room. Ben was there too in the hall but instead of just the supportive words he remembered from his best friend about how Victor was being unreasonable he also saw the prankster's gleam in Ben's eye as he said the words from his own recollections.

The scene changed once more and he saw the world through some sort of helmet as Victor appeared to be strapped to the machine that would destroy his university career. He couldn't move his head but his eyes were open and locked onto the control platform where the grad student was working the control parameters and getting ready to start the experiment test. He hit the activation sequence and a countdown timer began just as the door behind them opened and in walked Ben Grimm. 'What is this? Ben never mentioned being there before the explosion.' Reed thought as dread once more began to circulate through his mind.

"Hey, loser, what are ya doing up in here?" Ben smirked and ruffled the cuff of his varsity jacket. While Reed had gotten into their school on the merit of his academics, Ben had done the same with a full ride football scholarship. "Door was unlocked so I thought I'd come in and see what was up." Ben stomped on in, not minding his footing at all and thus scattering several important looking power lines from their plugs in the wall with his passage. The jock smirked in his usual cocky manner and plugged them back in at random, not seeming to care where they went. The grad student tried to stop him, but Ben just waved him off and walked right up to the apparently paralyzed Victor. He tapped the glass of his helmet a couple times like it was a fishbowl and continued smirking like an asshole. "You were pretty rude to my friend earlier, Vic. That kinda attitude ain't nice ta see, ya know? So look, I put the word out with my buddies in the athletics department. We hear or see you being so rude to him again and there's gonna be problems. No need to get up or answer, it looks like ya can't for some reason, just blink once for yes if you understand."

Victor blinked and Ben nodded with satisfaction before taking his leave. Meanwhile the grad student was frantically fiddling with the cords that had been disrupted, clearly trying to figure out what had been changed before the world disappeared once more and Reed found himself back in the present where Victor was marching back over to sit once more upon his throne, eyes staring death at the fidgeting Ben Grimm.

"I was under a concentrated set of paralytics and psychedelics to help open my mind to the temporal realms. At the time of the experiment I couldn't have moved if I wanted to and once the activation countdown was started it couldn't be stopped. We feared the power backlash that would be wrought should such a great energy flow suddenly be halted. Your friend barged into my lab, threatened my life, and disrupted an experiment that took years to calculate and plan. Of course your tampering with my calculations played a part as well as it changed the energy differentials and put them at completely unsafe levels. Either of those would have been bad enough but together you caused my accident, you scarred my face, you almost killed my assistant, and you slandered the name Von Doom to that entire university!"

"B-Ben, is this true?" Susan was practically begging for it to be false from her place within his arms.

"I'm sorry, blondie." The rock monster groaned. "It was a mistake. I was dumb, arrogant, and I been tryin to make up for what I did ever since. The accident really made me take a hard look at my life and the way I was living it."

"How touching." Doom snarked. "Tell that to the scar tissue that makes up ninety percent of my face. Now the question becomes why the hell I should do anything for any of you."

He stopped his planned tirade as his wife's hand fell upon his armored arm. How was it that he could still feel her warmth beneath the cool metal? "Husband, perhaps you are being a little rash?" Valeria was no fool, and she was not without compassion. Her husband would not do something for nothing, and she did not want to see any woman die of childbirth if it could be avoided. So she needed to help him see that offering aid was worth his while.

Intrigued, Victor asked, "You have a thought, Valeria?"

"These people have broken several international laws to come here as they did, and they freely fell to their knees before you. I would guess their desperation is great. Perhaps instead of refusing to aid them you should inquire just how much they would be willing to give you to do so."

"Anything." Reed said at once.

"Anything, eh?" Doom stroked his masked chin in thought. "I have your word on that? Anything I desire?"

"You have it."

"Excellent. Larin, take Ms. Storm and follow me. The rest of you stay here. My wife will show you to appropriate accommodations in the meanwhile. We have a long night ahead of us."

The monk dutifully did as he was told and a short time later Susan Storm was being held suspended in the air above a runic circle as Doctor Doom cast over a dozen diagnostic spells on her. The readings were simply incredible. "Now this is interesting."