The Fantastic Four #6

[fan4]

Fantastic Four, Issue 6

Weekend in Latveria, Part 2

Bitter Enemies

Written and edited by Aaron Martel

Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four, stood frozen on a castle balcony and stared in shock as the words from her host began to sink in. The supreme dictator of the tiny Eastern European nation of Latveria, Doctor Victor Von Doom, had just for all intents and purposes proposed marriage to her, even though he knew full well she was engaged to the leader of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards. She thought it might have been a joke, a creepy charade, at first, but when she looked upon the arrogant figure with his armored arms crossed before her, she realized he was completely serious. She was barely processing the whole situation in her mind when Doom impatiently spoke up.

“Well?” Doom intoned, his metal mask distorting his words as he sweepingly gestured over the balcony. “All of this could be yours, Susan. I have made this offer to no other.”

“Lord Doom,” Sue breathed, “I-I don’t know what to say.”

The cold eyes behind the frightening mask darkened a little. “I…see. You need a moment. Very well, I shall retire to the throne room and await your response there. Don’t make me wait long.” And with that Doctor Doom departed, leaving Sue alone with her thoughts on the balcony.

The whole thing was absurd, of course. Preposterous. She could never betray her heart like that, nor could she betray Reed. And to become Doom’s little trophy queen, a vessel to provide him an heir, just because she had accidentally acquired superpowers? Sure, he had been disturbingly cordial to her in college, when he was polite to no one else, and Reed always told her that he thought Doom had a crush on her. But the sheer conceit of his bold proposal, in the face of all evidence contrary to his plans, made Sue’s stomach turn. She loved Reed. And she could never marry Doom. Never.

Her mind made up, Sue turned from the balcony and entered the castle to inform Doom of her decision.

[fan4]

“Reed? Hey Stretcho, wake up!”

Reed Richards strained his eyes open and groggily shook his head, struggling to regain consciousness. He looked over in the direction of the voice of his friend and teammate Ben Grimm, otherwise known as the Thing.

“Ben…” Reed groaned, “what…”

“We’re stuck in Doom’s dungeon, Big Brain,” Ben said, resigned. “Looks like he played us all for patsies.”

Reed, now becoming more aware, saw that the three male members of the Fantastic Four were indeed located in a sub-level dungeon of some sort, with hard, black stone walls framing an enormous chamber. The teammates were contained in their own personal cells of unique design, constructed of a transparent material that reminded Reed of plexiglass. Ben’s cell was the largest, a huge rectangular unit with a stone slab on the floor in the center upon which the Thing sat. Reed’s own prison was circular, held in place by stone pillars, as if he was being held in a giant glass globe. Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, was shivering in a cylindrical cell, his flame powers inactive and his entire body soaking wet.

“Johnny,” Reed began, “are you all right, man?”

“I-I’m o-okay,” Johnny replied, his teeth chattering.

“Yeah, Stretcho,” Ben quipped, “the hothead’s cooled off. If he tries ta flame on, he takes a cold shower.”

Reed noticed the pipe leading up to the top of Johnny’s unit, ending in what was unmistakably a showerhead.

“H-how about that,” Johnny remarked. “N-none of us can use our p-p-powers.”

“Yeah,” Ben added. “If I step off my perch here, I get zapped wid ‘lectricity. Trust me, it ain’t fun. Almost knocked me out again.”

“Ben, Johnny…do you know how we all got here?” Reed questioned.

“A-all I r-remember is going t-to my room and th-then w-waking up here,” Johnny said.

“I think that happened to all of us,” Reed guessed. “Doom really must have poisoned our food. I always suspected there would be foul play from him, but-“

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in, why don’tcha,” Ben groused. Doom had tantalized Ben with the prospect of curing the Thing of his rocky condition.

“Wait,” Reed said, alarmed. “Where’s Sue?”

“She ain’t never been down here.” Ben quickly got to his feet.

“Sh-she could be in tr-trouble!” Johnny exclaimed.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Reed stated, beginning to feel his way around his spherical cell.

[fan4]

Sue entered the throne room, where Doom brooded upon his black marble throne with two guards stationed on either side of him. He stood and stepped down to meet her, and Sue shuddered at the sight of the drab gray armor and intimidating metal mask.

“You have an answer?” Doom intoned.

“I do, Lord Doom,” Sue replied. “Your offer is quite…flattering, but I must respectfully decline your proposal.”

“Is that so?” Doom’s eyes hardened, suspicious.

“I’m not royalty; I don’t know how to behave like a…ruler, and it’s not my nature to be in charge of so many…subjects. Plus, I’m engaged to Reed, and I could never forsake him. I love him. So my answer is no, Lord Doom.”

There was a moment’s pause where the air seemed to be electrically charged. Then, in a blur of motion and before Sue could react, Doom raised his hand and fired a concussive blast from his gauntlet, dropping Sue to the floor and rendering her unconscious. Doom looked down at her with disdain

“I see I have been mistaken about you,” Doom said flatly. Then to his guards, “Bring in her pod.”

[fan4]

Like a gigantic rubber ball, Reed madly bounced around his cell, ping ponging every which way, seeking a weakness in his containment unit but to no effect. Finally he gave up trying and slowed down to a stop, stretching out his limbs and resuming his normal form.

“I’m tellin’ ya, Stretcho, ya gotta lemme try my idea.” Ben had been attempting to convince his friend for the better part of an hour, and he was growing frustrated with Reed’s reluctance. He sat in his cell, one thick hand propping up his head, his eyes rolling.

“Ben, I don’t want you to risk serious injury,” Reed said, rubbing his temples in aggravation. “I cannot comprehend what material this is made from. I can detect no cracks or seams, and yet somehow I must be receiving air to breathe. What-“

“I don’t care, I’m doin’ it,” Ben decided, standing up. “How ya doin’ kid?”

“Almost dry now,” Johnny stated. “I’m ready if you are, blockhead.”

“Wait, Ben!” Reed cried. “You don’t even know if you can withstand-“

“Jus’ cuz I look like I’m stuck to the floor, it don’t mean I am,” Ben broke in. “’Ol Vic doesn’t know I got leg muscles. An’ ya ain’t come up wid nothin’ else.”

Ben crouched down to the ground, and leapt forward like a huge rocky spring, his powerful leg muscles propelling him into and shattering the wall of his cell, and continuing through safely to the floor on the other side of his unit. Johnny shouted in triumph as the falling pieces of the splintered unit landed on the floor inside the cell, triggering massive and continuous electrical discharges. Ben turned to view the spectacular display, and mouthed an “o” as the electricity caused his orange hide to glow luminously. He then looked over to Reed.

“Awright, Stretcho,” Ben smirked. “Cover yer head an’ I’ll bust ya out.”

[fan4]

Sue awoke to find herself in a transparent container of her own, this one square in shape and located in the throne room, where Doom was again sitting and glowering. As she began to get her bearings her gaze fell upon the iniquitous despot, who was now peering down upon her menacingly.

“Victor!” Sue shouted, banging on her prison with her fists. “What’s going on?”

Doom stepped down from the stone dais. “I told you that you will address me as ‘Lord Doom here, Susan. And it is now apparent to me that you are unworthy of my companionship. You refuse Doom? You have no idea what you have repudiated, you foolish woman.”

Sue halted her pounding and concentrated her invisible force field on the walls of the container, trying to push through them.

Doom continued, “Do not attempt to become invisible; it will do you little good. I have heat detection capabilities within your pod.”

Sue then got an idea. She began to expand her field, willing it to grow larger and larger, filling up the space within her pod as Doom went on with his rant.

“You could have been empress of the world. The world. My ambition is unlimited, and my genius is unparalleled. I thought you stood alone above the masses, but I now know I was mistaken and you belong among the base commoners. You do not possess the vision, the intellect, or the fortitude I require-“

And the pod burst open, causing Doom to duck his head from the shards of transparent material flying in all directions. Before Doom could recover, Sue pushed him with her force field, lifting him off his feet and sending him crashing into the steps of his platform, knocking the malevolent leader senseless. The two guards quickly advanced on her, but she easily dispatched them as well with her invisible field. Sue glanced over at the cataleptic Doom.

“How’s that for fortitude?” she taunted as she ran from the throne room.

[fan4]

SKRANG!!!

The Thing punched through the heavy iron door that protected the entranceway to the dungeon, with a determined Mr. Fantastic and a fiery Human Torch hot on his heels. The threesome stepped into a lengthy hallway lined with doors on either side, and the heroes proceeded forward with caution.

“How many stairs ya think we just walked up?” Ben asked.

“I counted exactly seventy-five,” Reed answered.

“I just flew up ‘em,” Johnny jibed.

“Shuddup, Matchstick,” Ben grunted.

The hallway doors all opened in unison, and multiple guards brandishing long spears spilled out into the hallway directly in the Fantastic Three’s path.

“How many of them are there?” Johnny kidded.

“Hold on,” Reed replied. “Still counting.”

“Aw yeah, this oughta be good.” Ben banged his fists together, preparing to charge. “It’s clobberin’ time!”

And the threesome tore into the army of guards, with a reserve of adrenaline they didn’t realize they still possessed. Ben threw a haymaker that connected solidly with one guard, smashing it to bits and surprising himself with the results.

“Hey!” Ben yelled. “These guys are robots!”

“Then no holding back!” Reed shouted above the din of battle. “Johnny, go!”

The Human Torch flew above the line of guards, unleashing his flame and melting a huge number of them to slag while Mr. Fantastic wrapped his elastic arms around other automations and flung them into the walls, destroying them. The Thing continued to pound away, smashing and devastating more and more guards, dwindling their numbers. The three were nearing the end of the hallway, heading toward an open archway, when the remaining guards flew through the air seemingly of their own accord, smashing into the walls and ending the clash with a mighty clamor.

“Hey,” Johnny called, puzzled. “What just happened?”

“Hello, boys,” Sue greeted as she became visible to her teammates. “Miss me?”

Reed took Sue in his arms as Ben and Johnny flanked them happily.

“Are you alright, darling?” Reed asked his fiancée.

“I’m fine, Reed. Actually I was more worried about you three.”

“Have we got a story for you, sis,” Johnny remarked.

Reed’s face set as his jaw clenched. “Later, Johnny. Let’s go see Doom.”

[fan4]

Doctor Doom sat upon his throne, viewing a bank of monitors he had hidden above the throne area proper that allowed only him to observe every nook and cranny of Castle Doom. He had seen everything that had transpired in the last twenty-four hours, from Reed, Johnny and Ben’s escape to Sue’s meeting up with them. And they were coming for him now, arriving just about-

KA-KRANG!!!

Ben smashed through the iron door leading to the throne room, and the Fantastic Four dashed through the doorway and stood before Doom in fighting positions. Doom remained seated, immobile, staring at the foursome with a nearly palpable aura of contempt.

“You have a lot to answer for, Victor,” Reed informed his nemesis.

Doom raised a hand, and multiple guards armed with lances seemed to appear from nowhere, surrounding the Fantastic Four. These guards were more heavily armored and their movements seemed more fluid than the previous ones the heroes had no trouble with. The entire throne room was incredibly tense, but no one made a move until Doom spoke up.

“Let me introduce you to my elite guard,” said the Latverian monarch. “And I assure you, these will present a much greater challenge to your abilities.”

“Lemme at ‘em ,” Ben scoffed. “I’ll clobber ‘em all.”

“You can do no harm to me here,” Doom haughtily declared. “I am a sovereign monarch in my own castle upon my own soil. You would be arrested and charged with many international felonies should you attack me here.”

“You tried to kill us!” Johnny snapped.

Doom snorted. “Did I, boy? And where is the evidence of this? Trust me, if I wanted you eliminated you would already be dead. I do not have to respond to such baseless accusations, especially from a infantile blabbermouth such as yourself.”

“What?” Johnny’s temperature rose a few degrees, but Reed put up his hand and the Human Torch backed down.

“Victor,” Reed spoke, “You brought us here at your own invitation, you made us a “business proposition”, and then you deceived and imprisoned us. What was your purpose for doing all of this?”

Doom leaned forward on his throne. “Those ‘imprisonments’ were hardly that. A child could have deduced how to ‘escape’ from them. But I have learned much this day, and I have now seen your abilities put to the test. Especially you, Richards. You have always been, and will always be, my inferior, and you have shown me nothing to prove otherwise. Do you truly believe I would pool my resources and ingenuity with yours? You are an insignificant insect to one such as I. It speaks volumes that the lummox was the one who ‘freed’ you from my pods.”

“Hey!” Ben protested.

“I have assessed your mettle and I have learned what I needed to. I now bid you farewell, and you would do well in the future not to interfere with my plans.”

“And your marriage proposal?” Sue cut in. “Was that testing my mettle too?”

The other three members of the Fantastic Four turned to stare at her, their mouths agape.

“No,” Doom responded, “That was the only aspect that was not a ruse on my part. But I have withdrawn my offer, as you have enlightened me to your unworthiness as well.”

“Victor,” Reed pronounced, “Believe me when I tell that if you attempt some sort of mad scheme outside of Latveria’s borders, no matter what you do or where you do it, the Fantastic Four will be there to stop you under any circumstances.”

Doom paused a moment. “And let me inform you, Richards, that it is only because I have officially invited you here that I permit you to leave unchecked. But know this: you have made a powerful enemy this day, and when next we meet, you will know who is your superior when you address me as ‘Master’. Guards, show these cretins out.”

The guards marched the Fantastic Four out of the throne room save Reed, who locked eyes with Doom for an edgy, intense instant. Then Reed nodded slightly, and followed the rest of the team out of Castle Doom and into the Latverian night.

[fan4]

“Ya make a pretty good flashlight, Matchstick,” Ben teased.

The foursome walked the winding road back to the Latverian airport where the fantasticar waited for them, the darkness of the path dispelled by Johnny’s flame.

“Shut up, Rocky,” Johnny snipped.

“Well,” Sue bemoaned, “Since Doom refused us transportation and it’s a long walk to the airport, we’ve got a lot of time to talk about what happened back there.”

“Yes,” Reed concurred, “So let’s start with that marriage proposal you mentioned.”

“Ohhhh…” Sue sighed.

The end