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.
Chapter Six - Getting Stronger
The children were understandably hard to put to bed, and by the end the adults had all agreed to a low grade nocturne spell to knock them out for a few hours. It was hoped that a bit of sleep would be beneficial. Now the Richards were all looking after Valeria, the Rasputin's were watching after their youngest, and Doom was slowly preparing to do the same to Harry as he tucked him in.
"Dad?" His son interrupted him by taking a hold of one of his gauntlets.
Halting his spell, the monarch asked, "Is something wrong, Harry?"
"I… I…."
"Easy now, son, take it slow." Victor soothed before pulling a stool over to sit beside the bed.
"I…. I was so weak." Harry miserably stated as he bunched his blanket up with his fists. "That magical attack hit me and I was useless. I couldn't move, but I could feel everything. There was so much pain." One hand came up to rub absently at the newly embedded scars on his face. "And I have these to show for it. If I had been stronger I could have fought the effects off."
"Harry, that's not how it-"
"And Illyana!" He spoke over him, "She was stolen in our home. I'm her friend, her host, I should have been strong enough to stop her from being taken. Now she's changed and… I don't know how to help her." His hand kept rubbing the scars. "I don't… know what to do about these either. What will the people think? How can I face them now?"
Doom sighed, his son was such a serious child. Normally that was a good thing as he took his duties and lessons incredibly seriously. Yet it also led him to take too much onto his shoulders at times. Best to steer him straight now before the insecurity could fester. "My son, you were not weak."
"But-"
"Listen when I am speaking to you." The child's mouth snapped shut. "Good. Now, how strong am I?"
"You're the most powerful sorcerer in the world!"
"Just so. The malady that befell you was incredibly powerful. I do not exaggerate when I say that it would have incapacitated me had I been its subject." The gasp of his son let Doom know that the boy was starting to understand. "I have had years of study, practice, and battlefield experience to raise me up to where I am, so what hope would you, a child of eight, have had to hold back something so malevolent."
"None." Harry miserably muttered.
"That is right. Furthermore you could not have prepared for it as none of us knew when or if it would actually happen to you." Combing metal fingers through black locks in the way that had always calmed his child before, Doom continued, "Do not blame yourself for something you had no chance of facing. There is no shame in acknowledging you were outmatched by this." The fingers moved down to trace the scars covering one half of his heir's face, "and do not feel shame for these either."
"Maybe I should wear a mask to cover them. You do for yours."
Doom shook his head in the negative. "That is not why I wear my mask, Harry. I do so because the demon Mephisto would try to influence my mind without it, and because my scars are so bad that feeling air upon them is physically painful."
Harry suddenly looked abashed, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It is alright. Son, these scars are a part of you now. You can fear them, hide from them, or accept them for what they truly are."
"What is that, dad?"
Harry's eyes were so round and full of hope that somehow he had all the answers. It was a good thing he was Doctor Doom or he might have somehow disappointed him by not having them at the ready. "Badges of honor. Wear your scars out in the open, and with pride, as a sign of what you have overcome. As for the people, they will see them the same way. I would judge they would be primarily happy just to know that you have survived, no matter what you look like now."
"Y-You really think so?"
"I know so. The peasants love you, and rightly so. Besides, it would not be honorable to deny the truth of yourself in any way."
"I-If you say so, dad."
Victor knew he had him then. His son always strove to be as noble and honorable as he himself was. The child was a real chip off the old block as the Americans would say. "As for Illyana, that is my fault, not yours."
Harry practically shot out of the bed in protest before his father caught him and pushed him back down to the mattress. "It was not your-"
"Harry, I warded our castle myself. I thought I'd covered every contingency in that regard, yet the demon that opened those portals still found a crack in my ward scheme. We are lucky that Ben was here and able to go in after her. That being said, I want you to pay attention now to how I am handling that failure. Am I panicking? Am I lamenting? Am I doing nothing about it for the future?"
"No." Harry's quick brain knew exactly what his father was likely doing. "You have already isolated that dimension's frequency and added it to the warding scheme in case they ever try again. Furthermore you have also used it to identify every other dimension of a similar frequency."
"Exactly. In the morning I will explain the process to you in full so you can see how to do it yourself."
"Thank you. But what about Illyana?"
"What about her?" Victor desperately wanted to tell his son exactly what to do next, but the boy couldn't be crippled by a complete reliance on him. He needed to want to do better. And he also needed to be able to think for himself. "What do you want to do about her situation. What do you want to do about your own?" His hand returned to his hair, "I promise to support you no matter what it is."
Harry was silent for a moment as tears began to gather in his eyes. Then he said, "She's so scared now, dad. After she got back she clung to me like her life depended on it, and only your spell made her let go. She… she said she felt safe with me. But she wasn't before, and my face…I can still feel it, whatever was inside me, wriggling, burning, cutting, all while I was too weak to move. I don't ever want to be that weak again. And I don't want my friends to get hurt anymore either." The tears fell away and a quiet resolve entered his eyes. "I know what I need to do."
"And what is that?"
"I need to make this a home for Illyana that she can feel truly safe in. Then I need to get stronger. I need to get strong enough that every being on the planet will be too terrified of my vengeance to even think of touching what and who is mine."
Beneath his mask Doom smiled. "An excellent goal. Though not easily achieved. How would you seek to attain this strength?"
Harry's eyes locked onto those of his father. "You promised me your help and support."
"You have it." He'd been wondering how old his son would be when he came to him for help with a dream such as this.
"I need advanced training in war magic and… armor of my own."
"Really?"
"Yes." Harry nodded seriously, "Yours protects you and us, but more importantly it is a symbol to our people of their freedom and safety. I too want to be a symbol to them, but more so to Illyana. She says I make her feel safe, I want to actually make her safe. Valeria too. My flesh is simply too easy a target in combat. But my armor must be my own. I cannot just make a carbon copy of yours, and anything that already exists is far inferior to your own designs. So I must have a facility to build my own suit, and a device with which to hack into the world's government files, media, and records to find the best materials."
"This is wise." Doom nodded, pleased that his son had made such a rational decision. Honestly his ability to reason out methods was something that made him proud as well. "Your birth mother's books and all my research materials are already waiting for you at the Himalayan monastery." Doom easily spoke. "I figured you'd want to do something like this someday. At the structure's highest level is the multi-view screen. I last used it when I chose to conquer Latveria. I'm sure you can put it to your own uses with ease."
"Thank you, dad."
"You never mentioned how you would help Illyana with her new state of being."
Harry nodded to himself, his resolve clear, "I'll take her with me."
"Oh?" Now this was interesting.
"Yes. Me and Velaria are her only friends, and she's latched onto me for comfort. In the solitude of your monastery I can help her heal, become comfortable in her new body, and let her know every day that it doesn't change our friendship no matter what."
Victor took his son's hand. "I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, dad."
A Short Time Later
With the aid of the nocturne spell Harry too was soon down for the count, and Victor was all set to move to his chambers to explain to his wife all that happened and what it meant for them going forward when he was stopped by Larin. "Your grace." The man bowed.
"Larin? What is it?"
"You have visitors, Master. Two women approached our border from the southern gate and said they had information that you absolutely needed to hear."
"And they were just let inside?" Doom's tone made it clear just how little he thought of that.
Larin merely chuckled, "Their identities played a part in how seriously the border guards took their request. I advise that you see to them at once."
"Hm… show them to the throne room. I must update my wife on our son's condition first and then I will be down to see them."
A short time later he was comforting the woman he loved after her ordeal and explaining what their son desired. "You cannot seriously be thinking of agreeing to this, Victor." Valeria wept. "He's just a baby."
"He's eight years old and already above an MIT level intelligence. He has built robots, hacked into government networks, and he understands more than any child should just how close to dying he came this night. More than that, he doesn't know any other way to adequately support Illyana in her new state. Up on that mountain they'll be able to heal, grow strong, and advance to the heights only they can dream of." Placing his hands on her shoulders he said, "He needs this, Valeria."
"F-Fine, then." The queen mustered herself admirably to add, "At least we'll still be able to go see them, right?"
"Of course. I will send you every night to tuck him in if you like."
"No." Valeria sniffled a bit, "I suppose eventually all little boys try for space eventually. I'll give it to him now, and I will limit my visits to weekly, unless he asks me to come more often."
"I'm sure he will. Once he calms down and gets settled in more. Now, I must go attend to some last minute guests."
"Must you?"
"Larin assures me it is of the utmost importance."
Five minutes later he was entering the throne room to find two females already waiting and kneeling before his throne. One was a silver haired elderly woman in a blue cape, and the other was…
"Mystique." Doom mused as he sat upon his chair. "And if you are here then might I assume this woman is your lover, Destiny?"
"I prefer Irene, your grace." The blue caped woman mused easily. "We thank you for seeing us on such short notice."
"Thank my curiosity for that, but know it will not extend for long. I have already had a trying night and would see it ended soon. Speak your piece."
Irene shared a look with Mystique and after her lover nodded she rose and proclaimed, "I know of your troubles, Doctor Doom, and my visions have shown me a path that would offer untold support and protection for your son going forward. I am willing to reveal it to you in exchange for asylum and sanctuary in your lands."
"Really?" Doom leaned back in his throne as he contemplated the words spoken. Destiny's ability to see the future was well known, and well sought after. He had no doubt that such a gift made her a massive target for dark forces, and her known romance with Raven Darkholme, the seductive Mystique, one of the most wanted women in the world no doubt made their situation worse. Naturally they'd search for protection, and if they came to him with this offer, then they had to know how capable of completely obliterating them he was if he didn't like what he was hearing. "And you can guarantee that what you reveal will indeed be worth my while?"
Destiny rapidly nodded in the affirmative. "Yes, Your Majesty, I have seen the perfect guardian for your son, and perhaps more if things play out as I suspect they will. She is still young, moldable, and I have foreseen that if you ensure that she meets Prince Harry immediately upon arrival in this castle then she will be bound to him for all time."
"Interesting." Doom stroked his metal chin, "Very well. Tell me, and sanctuary will be yours."
Underground Weapon X Facility
Location Classified
Doctor Kinney watched with pure shame in her eyes as her daughter, the girl she named Laura in her mind, designated X-23 by the organization that employed her, handily fought against her sensei in the viewing room below them. Nine years old and she was already fast enough to keep a master with decades of martial arts experience on his toes.
She hated that she'd agreed to this project. More than that though, she hated herself for agreeing to use her own child as the test subject. She told herself she'd had no choice, the project would have failed otherwise, but the reality was simply that her own ambition had gotten the better of her and this was the result. A child of almost pure instinct and next to no humanity. A weapon in human flesh, and one that against all odds she couldn't help but love with all of her heart. It really brought the horror of what she had done into perspective.
Beside her, Dr. Rice grinned evilly down at the deep breathing of the sensei and X-23 as they finished their spar and prepared to end their session. "Release the pheromone." He smugly told the two techs on duty that were monitoring the environmental controls.
"What!" Kinney exploded, "That hasn't been cleared for testing yet!" The pheromone was a scent developed and programmed into the subject's brain. The moment the scent hit she would be guided by instinct to hunt and kill whatever held it.
"I'm clearing it. We embedded a canister in the sensei's sheath so it'll serve a double feature as a test of the scent's capabilities as well as keeping the little monster from forming any actual attachment to the old bastard. Don't forget who the second in command on this base is. Do it now!"
Dr. Kinney was all set to charge at the techs to stop them in any way she could when something strange happened. The one that had been reaching for a certain switch froze in place, then he spun faster than she could ever have dreamed was possible and jammed a knife into his partner's neck before leaping over his chair and doing the same to Rice. Then before her very eyes the man's skin began to warp and change until standing before her was none other than the international fugitive Mystique.
"Dr. Kinney?"
"Y-Yes."
"Good." The blue skinned woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a cylindrical object that she raised above her head. A moment later it lit up and the image of a very tall man in a masked suit of armor came into being before her.
"Greetings, Dr., I am Doctor Doom, King of Latveria, and I have an offer for both you and your daughter."
Some Time Later
Harry and Illyana were packed and ready to leave for the monastery. They had several packs ready at their feet and tearful family members standing by to see them off. It had escaped no one's notice that the Russian girl had refused to let go of Harry's hand for any length of time aside from sleep since she'd been abducted. It was a good thing that the prince had elected to take her with him because everyone present greatly feared how the girl would have reacted to his absence.
"Mom," Harry looked up at Valeria, "why are we waiting down here? Where is dad?"
"He said he had a final surprise before sending you on your way." The queen shrugged, "He didn't tell me what it was." As she spoke, the door opened and in walked Piotr, flanking the king and a dark haired woman that was leading a young girl in by the hand.
When they reached the group Doom said, "Harry, come over here." When his son did as directed he explained, "I have it on good authority that you two are going to get along well. Go say hello."
Harry shrugged at the oddness of the situation he now found himself in and walked right up to the girl who was currently dressed in jeans and a large hoody while staring at the floor. "Hi there, I'm Harry, what's your name?"
When the girl didn't respond, the older lady explained, "Her name is Laura. Say hello, Laura."
The girl finally looked up at him and the moment their eyes met the world fell away around them as something seemed to snap into place between them. All at once Harry felt an influx of foreign emotions. Fear, confusion, rage, interest, intensity, longing. The last three seemed to be centered around him and it was as tears began to fall from the slightly older girl's eyes that he realized these feelings were coming from her.
Her next words proved she was feeling him just as clearly. "You feel… warm."
Doom glanced to the corner of the room where Destiny was standing next to Mystique and smirking smugly right at him. Cheeky woman. "Congratulations, Harry, you have just bonded your first familiar."
Harry blinked, and finally looked away from the girl to stare up at him. "But she's not an animal."
"At the moment, for all intents and purposes, son, she is. Laura Kinney was raised as a weapon from her moment of birth and was made a slave to her primal instincts and urges. Honestly most of her humanity was beaten out of her at the hands of those who wished to use her for their own ends." Doom smiled at the supremely outraged look on his son's face, as well as the interested curiosity on Laura's own. It was clear the girl had never experienced rage 'for' her as opposed to rage directed at her. "It is our hope that if she joins you on your journey you can help heal her of that state. Are you up for it?"
"Of course."
"Good lad. Now stand together and I'll send you on your way." The kids quickly did so with Harry taking Laura's hand in his free one, and after Dr. Kinney handed a bag full of letters to the girl, Doom opened a mystic gateway and the trio disappeared.
Baxter Building
Susan barely looked up from her newspaper as the floor beneath her feet began to shake once more. Parenting super powered children was difficult in many cases, but one constant carried through. When your daughter was throwing a tantrum, it was better to let her wear herself out before issuing her punishment. Then they were too tired to seriously argue.
She was just making her way through the sports section when Ben came lumbering into the kitchen with a fresh stainless steel cup of coffee in his hand. "What's all the noise there, Susie?"
Susan groaned once more at Ben's constant use of nicknames. "Valeria is throwing a tantrum so I put her in our training room where she can't cause any real damage to the building."
"Yeah, no shit. What's it about?"
The blonde sighed and put the paper down to give her friend her full attention. And right when she was about to get to the Dodgers numbers. "Doom and Queen Valeria sent Harry to their Himalayan monastery to train his mystic abilities. They think it'll help him cope with what happened."
"Sounds smart ta me. It was a magical illness so learning magic is like facing his fears."
"Yes, I agree it is good for little Harry. However… they also decided to send Illyana with him so that she can come to terms with her new body. Valeria… is mad that I won't let her go with them."
"Why not?"
"A lot of reasons." Susan sighed. "They're going to spend two years in the mountains and I'm not comfortable with her being away from home that long. Her powers are developing at an astonishing rate and she needs to be here so we can best teach her how to use them. And I honestly don't trust an order of monks that so easily kowtowed to Victor to adequately watch over her." Reaching for her own mug of coffee she added between sips, "Also, I'm her mother and I said so."
"Yeah, that's a pretty standard reason." The Thing quickly chugged the rest of his coffee before setting his glass in the sink. "I'll go talk to her."
"Would you? Thanks, Ben."
"Anytime, Sue."
The training room when he got there was wrecked. Weight benches were bent against the other equipment, forty-five pound plates were embedded in the walls and craters had been pounded in the floor. Honestly the place hadn't looked this bad since the last time he and Johnny had gotten into it. Right in the center of the carnage sat a sniffling Valeria wiping tears from her eyes.
Ben huffed and lumbered over to sit beside the girl. "Hey, kid. Tough morning."
"Y-Yeah." The blonde girl made a noted effort to pull herself together in front of her favorite uncle. "H-Harry and I-Illyana are going away for a long time and mom won't let me go with them. She's being mean."
"Naw, she's just being a mom. She wants you here where you'll be safe."
"But my friends won't be safe at all!" Valeria argued heatedly. "They'll be having adventures, getting closer, and getting super strong! All while I'm stuck here." The girl crossed her arms and pouted. "It isn't fair. We're a team, and I'm getting left behind."
"Hm." Ben drummed his rocky fingers along the ground. "So you're worried they'll pull too far ahead of you?"
"Yeah." Valeria hung her head. "They'll be gone so long. What if they don't remember me when they get back? And what if they're so strong that they don't even need my powers anymore. And what if-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there, kid." Ben raised his hand to stop her fear filled monologue. "Now, your mom didn't say you couldn't go visit them over there. She just said you couldn't live in the monastery with the others. I'm sure we can still send you over to play at least once or twice a month. And there's no way they could forget someone as cute as you." He chuckled merrily before finishing, "And as for falling behind while they get stronger… that is a good worry actually, so I guess I'll have to train you myself so you can keep up."
Valeria's eyes lit up like stars and she gasped, "You will!?"
"I will. So you better get this place cleaned up cause our first lesson is in ten minutes and if it's still a mess by then I'm gonna make you run laps until you puke."
"Yay!"
