Chapter 5: Deception and Doom Part 1

Chapter 5: Deception and Doom Part I

“Test didn’t seem too bad, I mean, it was pretty straight forward for Chemistry,” remarked Peter as he walked with Gwen and Harry.

“Speak for yourself, that thing was hard, too many essay questions,” said Harry in frustration.

“Don’t you mean short answer questions?” asked Gwen.

“Gwen, any question that requires more than one word, is not short,” said Harry warily. “Oh well, it could be worse. At least I think I passed this time. Not that it’s going to be enough for my father. At least the tutors are easing up even if it is because they’re sort of giving up on me. Dad’s money can only by so much and patience isn’t really among these things.

“PARKER!” shouted Flash as he walked forward which caused Peter to wince reflexively even though Flash had not really beat him in weeks. “What’s your problem?”

“I beg your pardon, Flash,” said Peter.

“Spidey’s getting trashed in the Daily Bugle, saying that he’s a menace and he caused the bus accident that he helped save,” said Flash as he shoved the paper into Peter’s chest. “Even I know that’s stupid!”

“I get the pictures, someone else writes the articles and…ah Jameson, well that about explains it all, my boss sort of has a thing against Spider-Man,” said Peter. “Even I couldn’t tell him to lay off of it, even if wanted to.”

“Well, maybe you should stop giving him those photos Parker, there are other papers in this city, you know,” said Flash in a heated voice.

“Don’t think I haven’t tried,” said Peter. “Problem is, none of them are willing to hire a fifteen year old kid. The only reason I can get Jameson to play along is because he is desperate for the photos of Spider-Man and a professional could demand more, something that he doesn’t want to play along with.”

“Bit tight fisted isn’t he?” asked Harry.

“Just a little bit,” said Gwen, who had the displeasure of running across Jameson once. He was boisterous, loudmouthed, and rude, always ordering people around outside his paper. Her father told her that deep down, Jameson was decent, but Gwen always thought her father was a bit too generous with people.

Peter threw down the paper that Flash had thrown in his face. He was not in the mood to read Jameson’s lies, it was bad enough he had to deal with the loudmouth at the Bugle. Besides, he hoped that the city would form their own opinions about Spider-Man, on their own accord. He just wished he had a better opinion of himself. Doctor Octopus was still at large and a week of extensive searching lead to nothing. The unfortunate conclusion was that unless Doc Ock came out of hiding, there was nothing he could do about it.

He pulled his cell phone out of his locker as he put his books away but his eyes widened, as a text message from Jameson, telling him to come to the Bugle immediately after school.

“Wonder what the jolly one wants,” muttered Peter. “I’m normally not summoned. I come to him when I have pictures.”

-

“Speak,” said a deep voice, of a man wearing a green hooded cloak and appeared to be made completely made of metal. His name was Victor Von Doom, the ruler of Latveria, but many knew him by another name, Doctor Doom, one of the most dangerous and fiendish men in the world. He had two armed bodyguards on either side, ready to shoot the messenger on the off change he was an assassin.

“Lord Doom, please beg my pardon for the interruption but a disturbing fact has come to light,” said the messenger. “The United States has installed new monitoring satellites to detect activity from space and we fear they may have gotten photographic evidence of our advanced weapon system.”

“This is most unnerving,” said Doctor Doom in an emotionless tone of voice. The United States had wanted to deal with Latveria for years, especially since Doom took control of the country in a hostile takeover and this photographic evidence would the required proof. I cannot afford for my plans to be compromised at this delicate stage.”

“Our intelligence has indicated that the entire mission to install the satellites has been entrusted to a Colonel John Jameson, he has the security clearance and would have the most direct access to the incriminating photographic evidence,” said the messenger and Doom looked on, so the messenger decided to hastily add. “He will be returning to New York City in a celebration of the successful completion of his mission.”

Doom just got to his feet before he walked over to an intercom.

“Yes, Lord Doom?” asked a voice from the other side.

“Ready my jet, I will be making a trip to New York,” said Doom calmly. There was pressing business to take care of and if he was not mistaken, he may run into an associate that he had worked with in the past that would help him with kidnapping Colonel Jameson.

-

“PARKER!” shouted Jameson in a loud voice. “There you are, I expected you to be here two and a half minutes ago.”

“Traffic was bad Mr. Jameson, it’s not like I could swing here like Spider-Man,” said Peter with a smirk but Jameson did not appear to be in a very good mood.

“Look Parker, if I wanted bad jokes, I’d go to a comedy club!” bellowed Jameson before he calmed down or at least as calm as Jameson got. “Anyway, onto business, in two hours, my son, the astronaut, Colonel John Jameson, is returning from a fearless and death defying mission. I believe have I’ve mentioned him before.”

“Yes, once or twice,” said Peter, who every time Jameson had gotten into a rant about people who call Spider-Man a hero, he seemed to bring his son, the astronaut into the conversation as an example what the editor of the Daily Bugle perceived to be a true hero. Of course, Peter could be hard pressed to disagree, the man had done some amazing things and gone amazing places.

“Good, good, thought I did,” responded Jameson. “Anyway, my son’s coming back to town after his mission, and I want photos Parker, good ones. He’s going to get a home coming fit for a hero of his stature. I would normally send Brock, but that kid had the gall to take a vacation. Something about being worked too hard or some such nonsense, if you can believe that. Anyway, Parker, plane arrives at five, be there before then and don’t come back without some photos of my son’s glorious home coming.”

“Right, Mr. Jameson, anything you say,” said Peter as he watched Jameson stalking off to the office, muttering under his breath. With a sigh, Peter turned. “I hope I can get some good pictures, there’s bound to be a good crowd for a hometown hero.”

“Don’t worry about it, Peter, Jonah’s just proud of his son, he can get a little wound up about it at times, I’m sure you’d be able to get some acceptable shots,” said Robbie Robertson. Peter responded with a nod, Robbie was a good natured and mellow fellow, the Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Bugle. How he remained so mellow working with someone like Jonah day in and day out, but it was not his business to pry. “Just do the best you can. I’ve seen your work, for someone with your level of experience, it’s decent, especially considering how no one could get a clear shot at Spider-Man. And I don’t think Colonel Jameson will be jumping around and fighting criminals either.”

“Well, I do have that thing,” said Peter before he strained, hearing the faint sound of an alarm down the street. “I better get going, don’t want to be late, especially since the crowd could get pretty hectic for this sort of thing.”

Quickly, but not too quickly, Peter scrambled off. A change was in order to see what the cause of the alarm was.

-

Spider-Man swung down, where he saw a balding security guard standing in front of the building with the alarm ringing but it stopped when he dropped down.

“Spider-Man, what are you doing here?” asked the balding security guard, as he hastily stepped over.

“Alarm tripped, figure I would check it out,” said Spider-Man.

“Security glitch I’m afraid, sorry to waste your time,” said the security guard, as he slipped a pair of bolt cutters into his pocket, unknowing to Spider-Man.

“I’m still going to take a…look around,” said Spider-Man as his eyes widened when he noticed something in the lobby of the building. The same balding security guard he was talking to was tied up. He spun around, spider sense tingling, just in time to get a baton right to the chest. That knocked the wind out of him, before he took off running. Spider-Man caught his breath, before he shot a line of webbing and followed suit, swinging across the city. “Oh, no you don’t, you’re not getting away that easy, whoever you are?”

He saw in the corner of his eye a figure disappear into the alley and he swung down, dropping down before he saw an elderly lady on flinched.

“And what can I do for you young man?” asked the old lady.

“M’am, have you seen a balding man run down this way in a hurry?” asked Spider-Man.

“Can’t say I have, sonny,” responded the old lady. “Better run along now and look for him, don’t want that hoodlum to get away, do you?”

“Right, thanks,” said Spider-Man gratefully as he swung off in the other direction, with the old lady looking at him.

“Such a nice young man,” said the old lady before she removed a folder of blueprints, a sinister grin appearing on her face, as her skin shifted slightly. “And so naïve.”

The old lady was replaced by a bald man with pale white skin, dressed in a blue suit. His name was Dmitri Smerdyakov, but he was better known by his codename, the Chameleon, a master of disguise. Thanks to his unique abilities, he could take on any appearance he chose. He raised his wrist, before pressing a button, activating a communicator.

“I have the blueprints as you’ve requested,” said the Chameleon.

“Excellent work, my friend,” said a distorted voice. “Bring them at the established point in two days, at precisely four in the morning and you will have your payment.”

“As you wish,” said the Chameleon but suddenly he heard a whirling sound from above and two figures slid down from a cloaked pet right next to him.

“Dmitri Smerdyakov,” stated one of the figures. “Lord Doom requests an audience with you.”

“Of course,” said the Chameleon, he had worked with Doom in the past and the man had paid handsomely for his work. He grabbed onto a third rope that had been provided and he was pulled up to the cloaked aircraft. He walked inside, where he saw Doom sitting, eyes not moving from the other end of his metal mask.

“Chameleon, certain events have mandated that I use your services,” said Doom crisply. “You will be briefed on all of the details but we need to move quickly. Our target arrives this evening and he will need to be nabbed immediately.”

The Chameleon sat back to listen with a stoic expression on his face, as Doom filled him in on the details.

-

“I lost him, I can’t believe I lost him, then again, given the fact that that guy could apparently change his faces, I wouldn’t be too hard for him to….blend into a crowd,” thought Spider-Man as something came to him immediately, like a slap to the face or a bucket of cold water over the head. “He was the old lady! I can’t believe I fell for such an obvious trick, now he’s gotten away. Of course, the million dollar question is what was he after? Oh well, can’t worry about that right now, Spidey’s work is done, time to clock out. Besides the New York Police Department can worry about what was stolen, it’s kind of what they’re getting paid for.”

With a swing into an alleyway when no one was looking, Spider-Man went in. A couple of moments, Peter Parker exited the alley way, walking over. He had already phoned Aunt May during his patrol, telling her that he was going to be late. He smiled, recalling his aunt’s lecture about how Jameson seemed to be overworking him. Peter walked over, as he saw a crowd, with armed police guards. He winced; this was going to be a bit tricky to get through, to get photos. Shifting over, slightly, he managed to see a plane coming in distance. Peter watched, as several reporters shoved him through.

“Watch it kid, this is big news, we have to get it before all of the other networks,” said a reporter rudely, as he stomped by. Peter winced, having his foot stomped on, but he saw a stack of boxes nearby. With ease, he climbed up, able to see over the heads of the crowd and raised his camera, in an attempt to focus it. Sitting perched, Peter thought he could get some good shots, he just needed to keep his camera focus.

The plane began to touch down, as several camera flashes went off. Peter shifted his weight, in an attempt to get a good shot, as the plane went down, with a van pulling up close by the plane. Watching carefully, Peter focused his camera, as John Jameson exited the plane, waving to the crowd, with a smile on his face. He focused his camera the best he could, before taking the shot.

“Hope, the jolly one’s happy with these photos, best I can get in this chaos,” thought Peter but suddenly, as he looked over towards the van, his spider sense went off. “Hmm, that’s odd and unexpected…I wonder what’s causing it to go off.”

-

“Colonel Jameson, there’s been a security breach,” said the lead guard stiffly. “Our intelligence has indicated that your life is likely in danger. Get in the van, immediately, we need to get you to a safe place.”

“If you say so,” said John, as he looked around. He knew his line of work was dangerous, but he did not expect to be the target of someone today. He stepped into the van, as the press swarmed in.

“Sorry folks, Colonel Jameson will not be speaking to you today, emergency has come up, last minute,” said the lead guard as he entered the van, with John who frowned.

“I’d like to speak with my superior about this, he wanted a report from me when we got in,” said John.

“That won’t be necessary where you’re going Colonel Jameson,” said the lead guard, as he pressed a button. Ropes shot from the seat and wrapped around John, who struggled.

“WHAT IS THIS?” demanded John angrily. “Some kind of joke…”

“No joke, I can assure you, Colonel,” responded the lead guard as he laughed and the other guards in the van had laughed. “We’re taking you for a ride, in fact you’re line of work is stressful, so it’s my recommendation you take a vacation to a nice place called Latveria.

“Latveria?” asked John in a confused voice. “Travel there is strictly forbidden…”

“I know,” said the lead guard as his face shifted to that of John Jameson and then he began to speak in the Colonel’s voice. “But don’t worry, your superior will be informed of this and by you as well.”

The faux John Jameson shifted back into the guard.

“Drive, Doom wants this one to the plane within the next thirty minutes and he’s not a patient man,” said the guard, as the van drove off.

-

Peter frowned, but suddenly he saw the van drive off and a muffled yell from inside the van. His eyes widened, the van might be going fast, but he could see a flicker of John Jameson, tied up.

“So kidnapping is the game?” asked Peter. “Well whoever you are, you’re not getting away with this? Not if Spider-Man can help it that is.”

Peter slipped down, dodging through the crowd, before he climbed over a fence and ducked inside an alleyway. From the other end, Spider-Man swung out seconds later, following the van down the street.

“Got to maintain a safe distance, don’t want them to know, I’m on them yet,” thought Spider-Man as he swung away. “Can’t lose them, wonder what these goons what with Colonel Jameson?”

Spider-Man continued to follow the van in pursuit, as it turned, before it arrived in an abandoned field.

“No coverage here, I better get ready to spring into the attack,” thought Spider-Man, as he swung around.

He moved around, grabbing one of the guards, before he threw him to the ground. Another guard held a gun but Spider-Man yanked it out of his had with webbing, before he propelled himself up into the air with a gracefully somersault, bouncing off the ground, before he came back with a kick, taking his enemy down to the ground. He moved forward, before he spotted the form of John Jameson collapsed on the ground.

“Colonel Jameson, are you okay?” asked Spider-Man.

“Yeah,” said John before his face twisted into a sadistic grin just as his spider sense went off and he removed a stun gun from inside his coat. “But you’re not, you web crawling fool.”

Spider-Man felt himself zapped, dropped to his knees with the stun gun, before the real John Jameson was pulled out, rendered unconscious by some means, as the figure of Doctor Doom walked forward.

“We have him, Doom,” said the imposter John Jameson as he pushed the real deal forward.

“Doom?” thought Spider-Man groggily. “As in Doctor Doom. THE, Doctor Doom? The arch enemy of the Fantastic Four, the world’s greatest super heroes? HIM? Well this just go worse.”

“Excellent my friend,” stated Doom in a cool voice, stepping on Spider-Man’s downed form, as if he was a pest well beneath his notice. He walked over, grabbing John Jameson. “Into the plane, quickly, before certain meddlesome heroes deduce that Doom was here and foolishly try to stop me.”

“Not, if I can stop you first, Doom,” said Spider-Man, pulling himself to his feet but Doom calmly raised his hand and an energy blast rocketed Spider-Man off the ground. The web slinger smashed right into the doors of the van, denting it.

“Don’t even think you can match Doom, boy!” thundered Doom as he turned, without another word, boarding the plane and it lifted off the ground, before it flew out of sight.

Minutes later, a helicopter landed in the same field where Doom had just been. S.H.I.E.L.D. was written upon the helicopter and a group of agents exited the helicopter, lead by a very formidable looking man with black hair, with the slightest hints of grey and wearing an eye patch. His name was Nick Fury and needless to say he was not a man to be trifled with.

“Missed Doom again, Commander Fury,” said one of the agents but they stopped when they saw the downed hero, knocked unconscious.

“Spider-Man?” asked another agent in a surprised voice.

“Yeah, I can see that,” said Fury gruffly. “He’s taken quite a hit, not surprised considering who we’re dealing with. Get a stretcher and bring him to the infirmary at once. When he’s patched up, we’re interrogate him, see what he knows about this entire mess with Doom.

-

Spider-Man woke up groggily, before his eyes flickered open, where he was in a cold dark room, lying on a bed before he found himself face to face with Nick Fury.

“Where am I?” asked Spider-Man, as he tried to shake his head, to clear the cobwebs, as it came back to him. Colonel Jameson was kidnapped, he got knocked backwards by Doctor Doom, and then he passed out from the pain. “Who’s there?”

“Where you are is classified information,” said a gruff voice from the shadows. “As for my name, the name’s Fury, Nick Fury, I represent SHIELD and I’ll be asking the questions right now, Spider-Man or would you prefer, Peter Parker?”

Spider-Man sat up straight, but tried to look innocent or at least as innocent as someone wearing a mask could look.

“Don’t bother playing dumb, it’s my job to know these things, I know your name, your origin story, your family, your friends, even the exact date you hit puberty,” said Fury roughly. “Information is my game Parker and I need to know what you know about this plot that Doom was involved with.”

“I know about as much as you do, Fury,” said Spider-Man, a bit uncomfortable that this Nick Fury knew so much about him and his life. “I was after somebody who could change his face, he impersonated Colonel Jameson to lure me into a trap and…”

“Someone who could change his face?” demanded Fury. “Well, that sheds some light on the issue.”

“What kind of light?” asked Spider-Man curiously. “I know you know, Fury…”

“You’re in no position to make demands for information, Spider-Man,” grumbled Fury. “But it’s just as well that you know who you’re dealing with. The man’s name is Dmitri Smerdyakov but he’s better known as the Chameleon and believe me there is no better explanation for what he can do. He’s a master of disguise and trickery, able to blend him. He is able to change his appearance into anyone he chooses.”

“How?” inquired Spider-Man.

“Subjected to experiments when he was a child, not pretty, not pleasant, the exact details will give you nightmares, trust me,” said Fury in an agitated voice. “As a teenager, he was trained as an agent of the Soviet Union, the ultimate spy due to his unique powers but since the collapse of the Soviet Union, he’s been taking any jobs he could, for the right price. His talents come at a high price but he’s talented. One of his most notable clients is Victor Von Doom, the ruler of Latveria.”

“Doctor Doom,” breathed Spider-Man in awe.

“Yes, him,” said Fury gruffly. “Now, it looks like Colonel Jameson may have stumbled upon one of Doctor Doom’s secret weapon sights, inadvertently with his satellites. And as much as it pains me to say this, I may require your help.”

“My help?” asked Spider-Man.

“Yes, unfortunately my organization is strictly not allowed to interfere with Latveria and Doom, as much as I’d like to take that metal bastard down,” said Fury. “But, if an independent hero would swoop in and save Colonel Jameson from Doom and the Chameleon and SHIELD would happen to inadvertently cover up the evidence of said hero doing this, then no treaties have been breached and those stuffy bastards in Washington won’t be breathing down my necks.”

“But you saw what happened when I fought Doom last time, I got smacked around,” said Spider-Man.

“Yes, but you won’t be going in alone, rather you’ll will be getting some help from others,” said Fury. “Others that have experience in dealing with Doom.”

Spider-Man’s eyes widened when he realized the implications of this.

“Now, hurry, time is of the essence,” ordered Fury, leaving no room for argument with his tone.

-

Gwen sat, doing her homework as it had been dark for sometime began to set when her cell phone rang. Reaching over, she picked it up.

“Hello?” asked Gwen.

“Gwen, sorry to bother you, dear,” said the voice of May Parker on the other end. “But I was wondering if you heard from Peter?”

“No, Mrs. Parker, I’m sorry,” said Gwen evasively. “He did tell you that he was getting photos for the Bugle didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did, but he promised he would be back by now and I’m really worried,” said May.

“Don’t, Mrs. Parker, I’m sure Peter’s busy with his job,” said Gwen, with a slight hint of a smile but a worried expression crept onto her face right after that.

“That man, Jameson, I swear, he works Peter too hard, I have half of a mind to give him a piece of my mind,” said May.

“I’m sure Peter will check in, he just got caught up with something,” said Gwen in a reassuring voice.

“Okay, if you hear from him, make sure you tell him to call me to let me know when he’s coming home,” said May.

“Right, Mrs. Parker, right away, if I hear from him,” said Gwen as she heard May hang up on the other end. A part of her wished that Peter would not hide something like this from his aunt, but at the same time, Gwen admitted she would be deluding herself if she would not do the same if she had been in Peter’s position. Still, she tried Peter’s cell phone but got nothing. She then tried Harry, maybe he would know where Peter was. A long shot, given Norman’s recent iron grip over his son’s social life or lack there of, but worth a shot.

“Hello?” asked Harry’s voice from the other end.

“Harry, its Gwen,” said Gwen quickly. “You haven’t heard from Peter recently, have you.”

“No, I can’t say I have, I just got finished with my tutors,” said Harry. “I thought he was supposed to do something for Jameson.”

“That’s what I thought too, but that should be finished up by now, it’s getting rather late and his aunt called me, she’s worried that Peter didn’t show up,” said Gwen.

“Ah, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, Gwen, Pete’s tied up in his work,” said Harry. “He’s lost track of time likely and he’s hanging around somewhere, he’ll be at school tomorrow and you can interrogate him about it then. Maybe he’s spotted Spider-Man somewhere or something, who knows?”

“Maybe,” said Gwen grudgingly. “If you hear from him, tell him to phone his aunt immediately.”

“If I hear from him,” said Harry, who sounded rather skeptical about the possibility that’s going to happen but he paused. “Sounds like Dad just caught sight of my latest report, he wants to have a word with me.”

“I thought you passed everything this time?” inquired Gwen.

“Not good enough for him,” said Harry seriously. “Anyway talk to you tomorrow at school, I’m sure Pete will turn up, bye.”

“Bye, Harry,” said Gwen as she put down her phone, before she looked out the window. Her father was not home yet, so the house was quite silent. She thought about trying Peter again in a little bit but if he was in the middle of something, she surely did not want to be a distraction.

She looked out the window, before she walked downstairs to put some dinner in the microwave, thoughts on Peter.

“He wouldn’t want me to stress myself out about him, it’s a dangerous job, but he feels he has to do it,” thought Gwen. “After what happened to his uncle, but still…I can’t help but shake the feeling that something’s not right….but like Harry says, I’m sure Peter will tell me all about it tomorrow, in more details once we have a few minutes alone.”

-

“We’re here kid, the Baxter Building,” said Fury gruffly. “Richards already knows I’m on my way, after I detected Doom in the area. He doesn’t know about you, but that’s your mess to explain.”

Spider-Man could only nod, as he looked out towards the Baxter Building, the headquarters of the Fantastic Four.

“I can’t believe it, I’m going to actually work with the Fantastic Four,” thought Spider-Man. “Okay, can’t act like an obsessed fanboy, must keep cool, but seriously, these guys have been heroes for years before I decided to take that fateful trip to that exhibition. This is like a dream come true, I hope I don’t embarrass myself.”

“Well don’t just sit there and gawk, you have a job to do,” said Fury gruffly, before they exited the plane and made there way into the Baxter Building. “Richards, its Fury!”

“Just one moment please,” said Reed Richards, alias Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four as he walked forward, before he stopped. “I’m not sure if we’ve had the pleasure of meeting…”

“Spider-Man,” inputted the wall crawler helpfully.

“Ah yes, I’ve heard the name once,” said Reed.

“Doom, long story short, Colonel John Jameson was kidnapped by Doom, the satellites that he put into orbit accidentally got some photographic evidence of something that Doom did wrong apparently,” said Fury gruffly.

“If Doom has Colonel Jameson then his life could be in danger,” said Reed swiftly. “The problem is that technically going after Doom is…”

“I know, don’t engage him if you can avoid it, but with Doom, that might not be a luxury you will have,” said Fury roughly. “That’s why Spider-Man is volunteering to help you, especially considering the fact that Doom has a bit of help in this kidnapping effort. You know the threat that the Chameleon poses.”

“Yes, I do and The Fantastic Four will do everything we can to stop Doom from causing a national crisis,” said Reed before he turned to Spider-Man. “And you, I don’t know about this, Spider-Man…what you fight against is one thing, but Doom is one of the most dangerous men in the world and…”

“The kid’s in, Richards,” said Fury gruffly. “Owes me a favor after I pulled his ass out of the fire and had him patched up. Volunteered for this.”

Spider-Man could not help noticing that Fury failed to mention that Doom was the person responsible for the beating in the first place.

“Right, then if we move quickly, perhaps we can get Doom before he reaches his palace,” said Reed as he moved before he operated an intercom. “Johnny, Sue, Ben, emergency, we need to move quickly, it’s Doom, get dressed and meet me in the jet in five minutes, I’ll fill you in on the way.”

-

John Jameson’s eyes flickered open weakly, as he looked up. The last thing he knew, he was captured and knocked out by some kind of gas. It was instant, with no time to stop him.

“Colonel Jameson, excellent, you have awakened,” said Doom in a bold voice as he looked at Jameson. “Doom is displeased with your meddling.”

“What are you talking about?” managed Jameson.

“Do not dare insult, Doom,” said Doom. “The satellites you have installed above have been spying on Latveria. I am quite displeased with this, Colonel, Latveria is our own people, not to be subjected to the Fascist international policies of the United States of America. If you spy on Latveria, you will suffer the consequences.”

“That’s not the purpose of the satellites,” protested Colonel Jameson. “They are to monitor space, not any countries and…”

“Silence!” yelled Doom as he pressed a button, emitting several electric shocks from the chair, causing John Jameson to yell out in pain. “Colonel John Jameson, you are to give me the codes for the satellites, so they can be dismantled and your unauthorized surveillance of Latveria be terminated.”

“No, I refuse, it would be considered an act of treason and I won’t betray my country,” said John proudly.

“So be it,” responded Doom, as he pressed the button again and once again, electrical shocks punished Jameson. “You will tell me what I need to know, one way or another. Doom always gets the information he needs.”

-

Spider-Man thought that teaming up with the Fantastic Four would be the thrill of his life but the ride there had been silent, without any of the excitement that he hoped for. In fact, the Four seemed to believe Spider-Man to be nothing but an added burden to the mission, rather than an asset. Some hid this belief better than others but there was a definite uncomfortable feeling in the air.

“I don’t like it,” said Ben Grimm, alias the Thing, a man having the appearance of being made out of pure orange rocks.

“Yeah, Reed, what makes you so sure this Spider-Man guy can even handle Doom,” said Johnny Storm, alias the Human Torch. “Fury forced him on us and I can’t believe we have to play with this rookie.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with the matchstick, kid’s been around, what a couple of weeks,” said The Thing.

“I’ll have you know that I’ve been around a month and a week,” argued Spider-Man but his complain fell on deaf ears.

“See, we’ve been doing this for three years and now some chump off the street just is forced on us like he’s been through the same things we have,” said the Human Torch hotly. “If you ask me, we can tell Fury to take his offer and shove it up his…”

“Johnny!” admonished Susan Storm-Richards, alias the Invisible Woman, sister of Johnny and wife of Reed Richards. “I admit it’s rather sudden, but we should give this a chance.”

“Sue’s right, we’re going up against not only Doom, but the Chameleon, he’s a master spy and a master of many fighting styles, so we’re going to need all the help we can get,” said Mr. Fantastic but he looked like he would rather not have to give this a chance. “Spider-Man works with us for this mission.”

Mr. Fantastic turned to the scanner, as he began to beep.

“According to the unique energy signature of Doom’s ship, he’s taken Colonel Jameson not to Latveria,” said Mr. Fantastic which caused the rest of the group to breathe a sigh of relief. “Rather to an uncharted island, but knowing Doom, he’ll have a few tricks up of sleeve. So stay sharp, all of you.”

“We know the deal, Stretch,” said the Thing. “The question is, does the rookie?”

“Hey, I know Doom’s bad news, I read about all your battles with him,” said Spider-Man.

“Nerd,” coughed the Human Torch before he straightened up after a glare from his older sister.

“Brace yourself for landing and potential attack,” said Mr. Fantastic but as he steadied the plane to land, he reflected on how it was technically his fault that the world had to deal with Doctor Doom. The teleporter malfunction that had given them their powers, had also severely scarred a former friend of Reed Richards, Victor Von Doom, the future ruler of Latveria. Ninety five percent of his skin was burned off from the explosion, forcing him to construct the suit of metal that he wore today. His mind, once brilliant, had been twisted into insanity and he quickly amassed a small, but loyal base of followers to overthrow the war torn country of Latveria. A year after the accident and two years ago, Reed came face to face with Doom for the first time since the accident, along with the rest of the Fantastic Four and it was a battle they barely survived.

-

“I tire of this insolence, Colonel Jameson,” said Doom as he looked at the Colonel, who was slumped over and in severe pain. “The codes for the satellites, or the next dose of voltage will be quite lethal.”

Before Jameson could respond, a small beeping sound echoed, indentifying aircraft.

“Richards,” said Doom shortly before he turned to Colonel Jameson. “Count yourself lucky Colonel, you have been spared the wrath of Doom right now.”

Doom turned and walked off. John Jameson was in a bad way but Doom had to put together a suitable reception for his former friend, now bitter enemy. 


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