Chapter 73

The Fastest Man Alive

Chapter 73

By:BigToFu

Beta:

Emperor Blake

The Emperor Protects.

The masked man silently floated there at the boundaries of my island, yet his mere presence was imposing regardless of our surroundings. The clapping that he was doing before ceased, allowing nothing but the eerie quiet of the moment.

Ignoring all that was happening below and behind me, I held the gaze of the only other human upon this planet that could make me blink. The only other human on this beautiful planet who would have me pause and contemplate the task before me.

That was who Doom was, and that was who stood at my door. This was the man playing chess games, waiting for one of us to break the silence. Only the person that broke the silence would be the one to lose this confrontation of ours.

Instead of glaring or narrowing my eyes, I relaxed in the air as if seated upon a throne of my own. Of course, that was the cue Doom was waiting for as his voice carried across the space between us.

Hands clasped before him, Dr. Doom spoke his opening line, “As one of the only true monarchs upon this beautiful planet that we share, I find it insulting to not have received an invite to the festive and grand event of your people.”

For a time, I allowed silence to fall between us once more before speaking, “I would think that the one known as Doom has other things to do with his time than to attend festivals.”

My words were neither a slight nor an apology to the man.

Couldn’t lie to myself and had to give Doom an earned point. No real monarch would battle such an enemy on his home turf. That would just be asking for the slaughter of his citizens and I knew Doom carried no such compunctions unless I forced an agreement out of him. And even then, the only way to get one was to play to the man’s massive ego.

He has a need to be seen as a benevolent force of good. As I pondered over how that could be used to my advantage, Doom raised a hand. My eye snapped to the appendage and I had to raise a hand to keep my Primarch from launching himself towards Doom.

They had just come out from the heart tree’s birthing chambers and I didn’t want to lose such a powerful general yet.

“Such an intricate magical shield, yet it was not able to keep you from Doom’s gaze.”

Instead of shrugging, I stared at his raised hand, not speaking until he finished his examination of the magical shield, “That shield wasn’t meant to keep us from your gaze. It was meant to protect my people from those outside willing to destroy what is found within.”

“Doom also has that in which he protects with his own ferocity.”

Silence descended once more, it was such that the tension could be cut with a knife. Honestly, I knew what he wanted, but this was Doom of all people. This was the big bad wolf of Marvel, and fuck, I had to be a gracious host and offer him guest rights as the monarch of these lands.

Sending a mental command to my omni, I checked over the contingencies in place before steeling my nerves. Then once I was prepared, I then snapped my fingers once to open the section before Doom. Rising to a standing position, my attire shimmered onto my form as the air surrounding my body was swiftly transmuted.

The relaxed posture that I put forward allowed those around me to relax, but I still made sure to send mental commands through my omni. This wasn’t about to be an easy conquest for Doom not by a long shot.

The primarch behind me made a circular motion with his hands to form a psionic platform of blue construct energy. With perfect synchronization, my flight was cut as the platform made contact with my now-booted feet.

Yet, while all of this went on, Doom made no motion to move or speak. Recognizing it for what it was, I stood tall and firm before speaking clearly so that only he could hear my question.

“Would you prefer Doctor Doom, or Monarch Doom?” My question reached his ear and I made sure that he was able to see my single raised brow.

Doom gave a slight chuckle in his rich deep voice that I was able to pick up before he spoke, “Doom has already stated that there are only two true rulers upon this earth.”

Humming slightly, I made Doom wait upon me as I took my time, “Then as one monarch to the next, I extend to you, guest rights. Partake of my Empire’s bread and salt, for you shall find no harm done to your person here.”

Instead of speaking of my minor slight, Doom gave me one single nod of the head, before his hand came down swiftly upon his throne. That same throne vanished with a flash of light, only to leave Doom standing, waiting. My primarch took this as his signal, bringing us both forward.

Standing firm, I folded my hands behind my back as Doom took a position at my right. Words weren’t shared as Douglas, my Primarch, took us on a scenic route around the island. We went through waterfalls, flew over valleys, and soared along the coastal walls. This was a chance to show off my island and I was going to take it.

Ignoring the calm frosted lake feel that I received from Doom, I had Douglas fly us around so that Doom might truly appreciate the grandeur of the island. With the final showing being an underwater city that was inhabited on the eastern coast. I had us flown back upwards and to the festival that was currently still underway.

We came up and around towards the party, yet I noticed that Doom’s gaze had lingered on my heart tree for a time before turning away with a dismissal-type gesture. Now, that would be something I would have to make a note of and to make sure to keep an eye on. It wouldn’t do to let one such as he into parts of my more important infrastructure.

There were plenty of places that Doom should not go, but the heart tree was true to its name. Not only was it connected to my genetic banks, but it was also the source of my growing troops and population.

My citizens hadn’t caught on yet, but the population growth wasn’t just only due to couples being able to have kids in a safer environment. No, the population was increasing due to the fact that the heart tree would birth at least one hundred people a day with varying genetic structures. Those born would range from Savage Lander to Atlantan, Vodani to meta-human, and even unpowered citizens. The medical teams would then make sure that they were not only well adjusted but also had the general knowledge of Pandora downloaded into their minds by the island’s certified telepaths.

None of that was something I wanted Doom to get his hands on. I knew the type of power that rested within my hands and I refused to turn it towards world conquest at such an early stage in my Empire’s rise to the stars. As we drifted downwards towards the party, I made sure to increase the speed of my plans to transplant the island to Mars.

With what was planned, the island would be positioned right outside Avalon, the massive river that would lead into the ocean would break around the island as if it was Manhattan itself. My only major concern would be my presence on Earth and Gaea’s reaction to taking the island. Yet, Selene said that she would take care of that for me and I was willing to trust her on the magical front. I was, of course, only a minor dabbler of the mystic arts, while she had been steeped in it her entire adult life.

Douglas brought us around and down as I laid my own personal fears to rest, since I could, of course, solve my problems at a later date. Getting off of the psionic platform, we walked in silence until she tried to strike.

“DYNAMIC ENTRY!”

With a quarter step backward, I snagged Maya by her leg before tossing her up into the air. I paused right as her leg left my grip as I remembered Ororo and Raven getting mad at me about that. Turning to the side, I noticed Doom giving me a look; but I held it and acted as if nothing happened.

Reaching a hand to the right, I caught Maya nonchalantly with some minor application of gravity before placing her on my back. Like the spider monkey that she was, Maya crawled her way up to my neck and took a seat there with her legs dangling down over my shoulders.

Being the bright ray of sunshine that she is, Maya leaned over and kissed me on the temples before asking for a ‘giddy up’, which I, of course, obliged with a smile.

Doom kept giving me that look, but I ignored that as I turned and kept walking. The silence was short-lived as the little supernova on my shoulder decided to share her exuberance with everyone.

“Ohhh, your armor is so shiny!” Maya squealed excitedly from on top of my shoulders, I really tried not to smirk as I noticed Doom’s back straightened, “It must be better than uncle Tony’s right?”

Doom scoffed and I could see him rolling his eyes behind the faceplate of his armor. Then he stopped and did a little showcase of his power. Ohh by the grace of Stan Lee, I actually forgot how Doom was with kids. The surface of his armor rippled and his cape started to bellow dramatically behind him, “Doom’s armor was handcrafted by his own majestic hands.”

“Cool, Uncle Tony’s armor could fly, and shoot lasers, and go underwater, and make things go boom,” Maya went on and on her mouth moving a mile a minute.

Doom nodded his head once, “Be that as it may, child, Doom is capable of all that and so much more.”

I could clearly hear the wide-eyed excitement in Maya’s voice, “WOW!”

Doom, of course, preened underneath Maya’s attention and her genuine excitement over his armor and technology. I then watched as Doom held out a hand which then projected some fireworks. Of course, it was a technological hologram mixed with a little bit of magic, which Maya loved nonetheless.

“Look child, I doubt your Uncle Tony can do this, Doom has no equal that may stand at his caliber when it comes to Armor.”

Shaking my head at the two of them, I kept my face neutral even as we walked back towards the party-goers. Then, of course, Uncle Tony of all people decided he wanted to turn around and make himself be known and heard.

Tony held his spatula up over his eye to shade from the sun. Behind him, the red and gold grill sizzled away with whatever he was cooking, “Viktor, is that you?”

Ohh sweet baby Stan Lee, why?

“Stark,” Doom’s voice rumbled from his armor and again the tension was shattered.

“Uncle Tony, look, he has a cape and his armor is so shiny! Why isn’t your armor so shiny?” Maya asked with all the authority of a child demanding a toy. Doom radiated pure smugness and Tony looked as if he suffered utter betrayal.

“Come on, kid, it’s hot-rod-red like a sports car, how could you not like my hot rod red?” Tony asks while placing a hand over his chest as if she had shot him in the heart.

“Well, where is the cape?” Maya shot at Tony while Doom preened at the side.

“Hmm, I do believe that this is yours, young one,” Doom said as he flicked a wrist. Then with a burst of light, a cape-like his own appeared. The damn thing even had the fur lining around the neck, gold disk emplacements with a large Latin L on the back for Latveria.

Maya stiffed on my shoulders for half a second and I readied myself for the squeal of excitement that actually never came. Maya jumped off my shoulders and took the cape from Doom in a flash. My daughter looked the cape over with such a critical eye that I almost thought she was going to give it back for half a second. Then we all watched as Maya flourished it over her shoulders, and I could feel Doom radiate approval of her actions. Ohh by the grace of Stan Lee, she got herself another one somehow.

“Thanks, Uncle Doom,” Maya said with a smile so wide I felt sorry for the poor man. Doom was about to learn what weaponized cuteness was as Maya turned on the charm. A critical hit is always delivered and there was no hardening one’s heart to their skills or escaping.

Before Doom could reply, he caught himself as Maya rotated her hand to the side causing a large circle to appear. Yeah, my baby girl knew some magic, even if she didn’t use it often, and Doom was learning not to underestimate her at all. The portal opened up into Maya’s closet and on the other side were all the capes she had collected so far.

Maya ran into her closet and came out with two other capes. I could already tell that one would be for Illiana and the other I wasn’t too sure about. That was alright since her little band of friends was expanding and kids like her needed friends. It also helped that kids her age didn’t really worry about political power or anything. It also helped that Ororo ran the school system. Then again, it might also be the fact that I made sure to threaten a few individuals that might take advantage of the situation with a painful lesson. I knew that I was a bastard, sure, but even I wasn’t about to bring kids into power struggles. So fuck them for thinking they even had a chance to pull one over on me.

“Thanks, Uncle Doom, love you, daddy,” Maya yelled as she dashed out of the portal with a cape in hand, “Gonna show off my new cape, bye.”

And with that, Maya arced upwards and came down by the tennis courts. Doom took a look at me and I finally couldn’t hold it back anymore, so I just shrugged at the man. Doom nodded as he looked at Maya in the distance showing off the new cape she had gotten out of him with ease.

“Well played, child, well played,” Viktor said with a nod of the head, “Doom finds this acceptable.”

At the side, Tony muttered something about them both being played by Maya, but the glare that I shot at him shut the man up. Tony turned to give Doom a smirk with a dash of snark, but he didn’t get the chance as a few interesting individuals made themselves known.

My eyes were on the ladies approaching, never noticing how Doom had stopped at my side. Agatha walked over with Ebony in front and Wanda in tow. Beside her was the Ancient One, Selene on the left, and Marcus walking behind her. The three magical myths stopped an arms reach from us. That was when I noticed that they were giving Doom their undivided attention.

Selene sent me a wink and a smile before she schooled her face as the tone of the meeting shifted. Doom did a bow as he accepted the Ancient One’s hand and kissed it upon the back. Next Agatha gained his attention as Doom knelt to scratch Ebony behind the ear before bowing for Selene. No attention was given to neither Wanda nor Marcus, but I did notice the look he gave Wanda as he shifted his attention to Selene.

Then things went full circle as Doom’s attention shifted back to the Ancient One in the middle, I noticed how the man had even folded his arms behind his back. He gave another curt slight bow before speaking clearly and concisely for all to hear, “Sensei.”

The Ancient One raised a brow of her own before then performing a curt nod of approval, “Ohh, Viktor, you have done me a great honor in accepting the invitation I have extended to you.”

Okay, that would explain how he was able to locate the island even with the shields up protecting the place. Ignoring them, I turned and pulled Sue into a hug, her back to my chest as I gave the side of her head a kiss. Doom did a half turn to look, before freezing and then performing a full body turn.

“Susan?” Doom asked stiffly and I could notice his eyes firmly on where my right hand was located protectively over her lower abdomen, “You are with child?”

The clear question was in his voice and I could see the clear smile on Sue’s face as she answered him.

“I am, Viktor, isn’t it wonderful?” Was Sue’s reply while placing her hand over my own. For a time, Doom was silent as he watched us both, and I could already see the wheels running inside of that big brain of his.

Doom finally got over whatever he was thinking as he finally spoke up, “I believe congratulations are in order. And I do applaud you for trading up from Richard’s, he has always been a duplicitous sort.”

Sue tightened her grip on my hand and I really couldn’t blame her. She had been the one to look over reports from the investigation of their accident. Funny enough, I didn’t even have to forge anything. All I had to do was pay for it all and then just let her hire and direct people. The results were something that I had already figured would be found, but I didn’t think that Reed would be so blatant with it.

The man had created a subtle feedback loop with the Chrono shielding and the isolation field of the portal device when they interacted. It was one of those small things that would cause a resonance that would then collapse the whole thing.

To give her some comfort, I squeezed Sue lightly in return and almost stumbled with what Doom said next.

“Doom feels that he is the only one capable of being the Godfather to Susan’s children,” Stated Doom with his back straight.

“Excuse me?” Sue asked, confused like the rest of us.

Then I chipped in alongside her, “Yeah, what my pregnant lady just said.”