For the first part of the PAX DOOM story-arc, read AVENGERS #17

Manhattan
5th Avenue and 42nd Street

Kari Hunter scowled and placed her balled fists on her hips to prevent her from hitting the smirking city law enforcer squarely in the nose. He was smugly standing his ground, shaking his head with his hand resting firmly on his baton, ready to strike her in return apparently. Kari sighed, counting, trying to calm down.

She had rushed to the scene as soon as she had seen on the television that the Thing was battling the Hulk in Midtown Manhattan. The media had already reported that the area was a Danger Zone, and that the city officials were ordering people to stay away. She knew of course that that was like ringing the dinner bell for most people, and that the scene would be a crowded circus long before she got there, coming in from Brooklyn.

She had gone back to the small, functional apartment, which she had rented near Coney Island. It was a far cry from the city and thus the Baxter Building, but well away from the constant static created by the countless antennae and cell phones and hot spots that interfered with her own radio equipment. It always amazed her that something built by the great and technologically advanced Kree could be so easily baffled by the archaic constructs of the mud-crawling Earthers. But then the Earthlings were continually surprising the star-faring races, and had been for years now.

She had run a few errands that morning in Manhattan. Along the way home, during the long ride back to her apartment, she had actually been looking forward to a long, cool shower after the grimy, sweaty trip on her modified Harley Scorpion – rather her own personal vehicle that had been redesigned to resemble the slow, land-locked internal combustion driven machine. So much easier to fly, but of course that would have given her easily away as well.

So she trudged along the ground at a snail’s pace and lugged her purchases about without the aid of a grav-patch, sweating like a sow in her earthen ware and grimacing at the stale air barely circulating through her sealed apartment. She had tossed her packages on the day bed and turned on the visio… the television, already anticipating her upcoming shower when she heard the newscaster’s excited voice accompanied by the sounds of explosions coming from the weak audio transmitters.

She had turned, her eyes growing wide to see a long, angled shot of Ben Grimm, the Thing slamming his rocky fists into the Hulk’s blood covered jaw. The scene surrounding them was choked with smoke and carnage, rubble and debris strewn everywhere. They had apparently been battling for some time to achieve such a degree of devastation about them, or perhaps not if half of the tales she had been briefed on were even partially true. Both men – monsters really – were amongst the top percentile on the planet, strength wise. It would take neither long to destroy a sizable section of the city if they fully unleashed their might without concern. And THAT seemed to be the key that had made Kari smile.

Quickly she had re-clothed herself; shedding her odorous leathers and sweat-soaked undergarments for a fresh tee shirt and denim dungarees, re-donning her well-worn MC boots and leather jacket. Licking her lips, wondering if this indeed WAS the opportunity that she desired, she hooked her disguised weapons belt slung low about her hips and finally grabbed the leather saddle bags that contained larger – and of course disguised – weapons and equipment. Satisfied, she had rushed too and out of the door, remembering to lock it behind in case she was in error. She would need to return if that were the case.

Which was why it had taken her well over seventy minutes to traverse the crowded thoroughfares to make her way back into Manhattan. She had to maintain the illusion, and though she had taken a few daring chances along the route: weaving in and out of the slower moving vehicles, detouring along the pedestrian walk at times and ignoring posted speed regulations, she still had to stay on the ground.

She had run afoot the final few blocks after securing her vehicle and instituting the cloak. She could see, and had already passed several representatives of various city, state and even government agencies: EMS, NYFD, NYPD, the National Guard, SHIELD, and several unknown and dressed as to be incognito, though anyone with the slightest training and keen eye could see through their flimsy disguises. Too, as she suspected, the streets were jammed to mob proportions with civilians, both injured, frightened and curious. Even on foot, Kari had been hard-pressed to weave her way through the crowd, finally stopping altogether by the blue, wooden police barricades and the smarmy smug guardian standing before her, blocking her path…

At one hundred, Kari let out another sigh and tried to smile alluringly at the city guardsman. She flipped her long dark hair back over her shoulder and cocked her head, her smile bordering on a full-lipped pout as she blinked her huge doe eyes. “Please? I’m a friend of the Torch,” she whined, hating to sink so low, but knowing that she had to do whatever she could to hold her façade in place for as long as possible.

The officer ‘hmmphed’, his smirk never faltering. “You an’ everyone else, lady. Meet about a thousand a’ the Torch’s best friends an’ relatives.” He pointed, “An’ that group over there are the Thing’s poker buddies. An’ that guy went ta school with Reed Richards hisself. I even met the Invisible Woman’s secret boyfriend, so stand in line, honey.”

Kari Hunter fumed, her thumbs now hooked into the web of her weapons belt. It would be so easy to draw the disguised molecular blade and sever the smug fool’s head, or better, withdraw the ionic prod and ram it up his monkey-ass…

No! Temper. One… Two…

But at three the point became moot as all eyes turned skyward at a low rumbling sound. There was a bit of panic in the crowd, people already starting to surge away from the police barricades and the Baxter Building just a few blocks distant. The police drew their weapons; clubs and shields coming out, visors clicking down as they feared a stampede, but Kari knew there was little danger save from the Earthers’ inherent ignorance. She recognized the sounds of rockets firing, even ones as smooth and muffled as those designed by Reed Richards; Mister Fantastic.

A moment later the Fantastic Four’s Pogo Plane shot skyward, quickly arching higher and higher as it cleared the cityscape and ignited its long range engines. Kari cursed to herself, watching as it swiftly dwindled with distance, heading seaward and vanishing within seconds. No way she could catch it.

By the time she returned to her vehicle through the now panicky crowd and gained the sky herself the Fantastic Four’s craft could potentially be anywhere within a thousand-mile radius. Doubtless she could track its unique energy signature, but too she had seen the vehicle’s specs in briefing: tough, fast and well ranged. And besides, she had a fairly good idea as to the craft’s ultimate destination, as there had been more on the news cast than just the ‘Battle of Titans’. There had also been talk of the Avengers.

And of Doom…

PAX DOOM

Part II: We’ll Meet Our Legends Soon, Said I…

By Curtis Fernlund

Over the Atlantic…

Johnny Storm, the Human Torch was uncommonly silent, his eyes scanning the far horizon as his hands played over the controls of the Fantastic Four’s Pogo Plane. He had flown the so often that he could easily go through the motions blindfolded, thankfully, as his mind and thoughts were far away and behind him, back in New York.

He had been against this impromptu trip to Latveria- at least at first. At least before Fury had explained things in detail. Apparently the Avengers had turned traitor – at least according to the government. They had decreed themselves sovereign somehow, or maybe the UN did, and over the last few months had strayed from their government ties more and more, ignoring official orders and taking the law into their own hands. It had all come to a head when they had battled some Kree, would-be conqueror and had gone rogue.

Like they weren’t mind-controlled or something. The government should give them all medals for beating the Kree again.

America instead declared them Public Enemy Number One and sicced SHIELD on their collective asses. Not being stupid, nor wanting to hurt the poor Joes that Uncle Sam sent after them, the Avengers took off. And that was where the story finally got interesting, at least to Johnny Storm – uncle.

Being outlaws and having little choice – right – the Avengers took refuge from the first, arguably best offer that came their way. From Doctor Doom, no less. Doom offered them asylum within his borders; sanctuary where they could regroup and recover – though probably for a price. But it was not Doom or the Avengers that caught the interest of the Fantastic Four. It was when Fury let the other shoe drop, and told them that Doom had Reed and Sue’s son, Johnny’s nephew, Franklin!

Why, they did not know exactly, though Reed had immediately suspected that it was because of Franklin’s suppressed Mutant powers. Victor Von Doom had always sought his own power, something personal, inherent and near god-like that he could wield beyond his armor. Of course, not being a Mutant, or a mutate like the FF or Spider-Man, he had to try to steal that power from the likes of the Silver Surfer and the Beyonder and how many others? Now apparently he was planning to add Franklin to that list…

You hurt that kid, Doom and I swear I’ll kill you just like Ben did Maximus!

How Doom got a hold of Franklin was a bit easier to figure. The Fantastic Four had just come back from the Moon after pulling the Inhuman’s fat out of the fire – for the umpteenth time – via Crystal and the Lockjaw express. It had been the usual soap opera with the Black Bolt clan, and of course Maximus the Mad brother was at the root of it all. After the obligatory fight with Maximus’ Rogue Inhumans, the madman had made a break for it with his tail between his legs and the Thing hot on his heels. His mistake though had been to try and use Crystal’s daughter Luna as a shield. Ben snapped his neck for that, and good riddance. Johnny wondered then if he would have done the same, fried the madman to a crisp, and now he knew for certain with Franklin in the hands of a man equally mad.

Of course, the Inhumans in pomp and glory demanded justice for the death of their royalty – never mind all the times we’ve saved their hide from him – and things really got out of hand when Quicksilver stole off with his daughter for parts unknown. Trying for a swift end to hostility, Black Bolt had banished the Thing, rather than kill him, which the populace of Attilan wanted.

Crystal had called it quits too at that point, wanting nothing more than to go and find her daughter. She commanded Lockjaw to teleport them all back to the Baxter Building where she – and me – would start the search. And of course right into a battle with the Wizard’s new Frightful Four!

They had beaten Geiger’s goons of course, though Johnny had to admit that it had been close, especially since the Wizard had used the likes of the Controller, the Puppet Master and his own devices to turn Ben against the real FF. With the help of Crystal though, they had gotten the upper hand, though in the confusion, Lockjaw had blinked out with Franklin with the sole purpose in mind of getting the poor kid to safety. They did not really know what went through the nutty, overgrown dog’s head, but Reed speculated at that specific time that Lockjaw simply teleported to ‘the safest place’ available. That unfortunately must have been Castle Doom in Latveria. It made sense of course, what with the current state of the Avengers, the X-Men, the Inhumans…

Needless to say, all bets were off at that point. The Frightful Four got trashed and humiliated, but unfortunately again, with all the stress of the last few months: Pier 4 destroyed, the new Baxter Building Mark 2 blowing up, getting turned to stone by the Gray Gargoyle, which inadvertently sparked his ability to transform from flesh to rock – a chemical imbalance they all shared according to Reed – and finally the multiple mind control, well, Ben snapped.

The Thing went on a rampage, his anger boiling over and wanted nothing more than to slaughter his friends and teammates, especially Reed who he blamed for all his troubles since day one. The FF jumped from one battle to the next with barely a breath, barely escaping Ben’s rage before Triton of the Inhuman’s came to call. Adding more misery to the mix, Black Bolt had sent the fishy Inhuman to bring Crystal – and her sister Medusa, who had initially come to get the FF to help against Maximus and got caught up in the Wizard’s plot – back home. Crystal was pissed of course, but Triton had come prepared, and he and Medusa had resorted to force, actually kidnapping their relative and invoking Diplomatic Immunity no less to make good their escape.

Find Franklin. Save Crystal. Find Luna. And poor Ben…

By then, the Thing was tearing up Midtown all by his lonesome. SHIELD and their Guardsmen were trying to contain him, and little by little other heroes were coming to help out: Karma of the X-Men, the New Warriors, or at least a small contingent of them, and even some big, black dragon. All good kids, just not enough battle savvy to take on a real fighter like Benjamin J. Grimm. The Thing made mincemeat out of all of them, though Rage and the new kid Gravity had given him a good go. But of course it took the Hulk to kick it up a notch.

Result, Manhattan was a war zone after the Hulk and Thing went toe to toe, and in the end not a blessed thing was resolved. Reed had created his usual device designed to save the day, and all that it did was drive the Thing into hiding and make the Hulk glow as he leaped away. They had been about to go after poor Ben – at least I was – when Colonel Nick Fury arrived and reminded them all that they were in the employ of Uncle Sam, and he had another agenda.

The President wanted them to go get the Avengers! Screw the Avengers!

Johnny wanted to find Ben, and was about to leave to do just that when his sister had reminded him of their obligation and duty. He had seen in her eyes however, what her true desire was. All it had taken was a glance and Johnny had agreed. Franklin had to come first. She was right.

Sorry, Ben…

“You payin’ attention, kid?”

Johnny snapped out of his reveries at Nick Fury’s gruff voice, the internal air barely blowing the cigar smoke from his eyes, doing little for the smell. He glanced at Fury sitting beside him in the co-pilot’s chair and saw the man pointing at something ahead and beyond the main front port.

“Steranko at ten o’clock,” he said and Johnny followed the man’s finger to spy the vaguely familiar silhouette of one of SHIELD’s Heli-carriers swiftly approaching, though Johnny knew that the speed was on their side. The massive ship looked different than Johnny recalled though, a little sleeker and darker at a glance, like it had been redesigned, and maybe it had. One of the things that Reed was doing to repay the debt of destroying a sizable chunk of Manhattan when Noah Baxter’s new Baxter Building had exploded upon teleportation some months ago was to invest new and updated configurations to some of SHIELD’s old wares. Johnny knew too that Tony Stark and T’Challa the Black Panther were just as involved, though they were willing accomplices, where as Reed had been coerced into the job.

“Heli-carrier Mark VI, Torch. You sure you’re awake enough ta land this thing?”

Fury was eyeing him coolly, appraising Johnny Storm as though he did not trust him. Like I care what you think, Fury.

“Please…”

Concentrating then on the task at hand, with Fury signaling ahead, Johnny Storm expertly brought the Pogo Plane up and about for a near perfect landing on the vast deck ofThe Steranko. He noted that the deck of the ship was lined with planes of various make, all being primed for flight by the look of it. The heavy elevators seemed in constant use adding more hardware to the stock. Too he saw not only the expected flight and deck crews running near frantically about, but he noticed a heavy compliment of Guardsmen both on the deck and in flight about the ship as well. Were they simply prepping, or were they expecting trouble from the Fantastic Four?

Johnny glanced at the compartment monitors as he set the Pogo Plane into post flight cool down. He was looking for reaction from his family, and the recently drafted addition to the team, the Warrior called Rage. The three of them had been against the kid coming along at first. Granted he was a trooper, and strong no doubt. He had gone toe-to-toe against the Thing, and got his ass handed to him, but he had kept getting up, kept trying. That said a lot. But to throw him against Doom?

Fury had argued that with the Thing out of the picture, and a likely fight against the Avengers looming, the FF needed the strength. Fury had tried to draft the rest of the kids that had come to help, but Karma had declined, taking some other Goth girl with her when she left back to the X-Men. Gravity probably would have joined up, but he was still green – greener than Rage anyway – and he seemed more concerned with the new Spider-Woman and her injuries to the point of distraction. Johnny recognized young love when he saw it. He had been there way too often. Speedball wasn’t even in the running. That left Rage, strong, and actually an Avenger in training for awhile. In the end, Reed had grudgingly agreed.

Looking at him now, Johnny still had his doubts. The kid was wide-eyed and staring out the closest port, looking just a bit awestruck at the Heli-carrier and all the activity on deck. Johnny hoped he would be able to get it together when push came to shove.

As to Reed and Sue, Reed was working on some device on the small tray that extended from the wall, no doubt lost in thought in his own way and probably ten steps ahead of them all in his thinking. That was Mister Fantastic all over. And Sue simply sat, staring out the window and looking lost. Thinking of Franklin in the clutches of Doctor Doom probably.

“I still don’t know why we’re taking the carrier to Latveria, Fury,” Johnny said, hoping to get his own thinking online and on the mission. “The Pogo Plane could have had us in Europe in no time if I’d gone near orbit. It’ll take hours on your ‘boat’.

Fury snorted as he started to unstrap himself from the co-pilot’s seat, shifting his cigar to the other side of his mouth. “Doom expects SHIELD ta come callin’ kid. He probably suspects you’ll be involved, but why announce it? Hopefully he’s too preoccupied to be watchin’ you three at the moment.” Fury shrugged. “Or not. It’s worth a shot. Besides, you three been through a tight wringer the last couple days, an I figure you could use a bit a’ down time before ya gotta go up against Doom.”

“I concur, Fury,” Reed Richards said as he moved to the front of the plane. “At least in that. We’ll need all our wits about us to face Doom, not to mention the Avengers if it comes to that as you suspect it might. We need to rest, and we need to get a chance, however briefly, to work with Rage a bit. We’re not the Avengers, but we do have a surprising number of coordinated attacks that he should be appraised of, along with a few of the lesser-known nuances of our powers. If we cannot mesh, I would rather we find out under controlled conditions than in the midst of a firefight.”

“I understand, Sir,” Rage said, nodding as he moved up along with the still silent and sullen Invisible Woman. “And I agree. I’ll do whatever’s needed of me.”

“That’s fine, son,” Fury said as he opened the outer hatch. Johnny saw at a glance that the ship was surrounded by SHIELD agents at the ready, along with Guardsmen whose weapons were whining for release.

“Stand down, ya yahoos!” Fury snapped as he disembarked, shouting orders as he strode across the flight deck towards the main command tower. Apparently expecting them to follow, Reed led the Fantastic Four down and out of the ship. Johnny felt the chill air immediately, the thinness of the air and the stiff wind of movement. Despite the bulk of the Heli-carrier, he knew that they were making good time. Still, Europe and Latveria were a long ways away.

Johnny ignored the way that the agents eyed them all as he stretched and unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn. He WAS beat, and beat up he might add, though never outloud. Rest, or even actual sleep was sounding better and better…

The Latverian Border
Roughly Ten Hours Later…

“It’s hotter than I thought it would be.”

Rage slid his fingers up beneath his mask and wiped, his hand coming away damp with perspiration. Leather, he was all too often finding out, looked cool, but not in the temperate way. He was sweating bullets, mainly from the heat and humidity he told himself. He had always thought of Europe as cool, if not cold.

“Is it?” the Torch answered. “I hadn’t noticed.”

The Torch was annoyed with him for some reason, though just why he did not know. He hadn’t given the hero reason at all, being polite and considerate, giving them all the respect that they deserved. The Fantastic Four had saved the world a hundred times over, and that was just the times they did it public. Elvin knew enough, had learned enough during his stint with the Avengers and even with the Warriors that there were a lot of times their best efforts went unnoticed.

And this was like the First Family of all the heroes. And here he was about to invade Latveria and fight Doctor Doom and maybe even the Avengers at their side. He knew he wasn’t one of them. They were a family – THE family. And they were giving him a chance, like he was somebody. He could not, would not let them down.

“Forgive Johnny, Rage.”

Elvin Haliday jumped at the soft voice of the Invisible Woman. Turning, he saw her standing just beside him, staring off into the lush woodlands that marked the outskirts of Latveria. Off in the distance he could make out the pale blue mountains, their peaks capped white with snow. Wee those the Alps? He had no idea.

“We’re all understandably tense. Between Ben and… ”

“I understand, Ma’am,” Rage answered as her voice wavered, and realized that that was what was wrong with the Torch. The Thing was Johnny Storm’s best friend. Elvin would be acting the same way, he figured. They were all worried over the Thing, and their son, Franklin. Who was he to complain about the Torch’s attitude when they were faced with that?

“Call me Sue.”

Elvin looked to the woman and smiled. “Thank you, ma’am, but I’d rather not.” He saw the Invisible Woman smile, and just as suddenly her brow furrowed as though she were in pain. “Are you – ”

“I’m fine,” she said, waving him off. “I just lost concentration a bit. It’s hard keeping us both visible and invisible.”

“Ma’am?”

“Susan has an almost miraculous ability to manipulate her powers on levels that the rest of us could not begin to comprehend or match,” Reed Richards said and Rage turned again to see both Mister Fantastic and Colonel Fury striding their way. Reed Richards was tinkering with a small metallic device in his hands while Fury spoke into his Blue Tooth earplug, his eye shifting about, scanning the area with every step.

“We mean to approach Doom unawares, yet here we stand openly on his figurative threshold. Susan is blanketing us all in an invisible field that works twofold. One: she is making all of us within the field invisible to every known variance in light wave that we have had opportunity to encounter. Most effectively the variety of basic light, over which most cameras operate, but also an advanced spectrum beyond what your normal sight can normally perceive, well into the deeper ranges of red and violet, and beyond. Two: she is bending light within her sphere of influence so that we can still function freely, and thus prepare for our impending invasion onto foreign and hostile soil. One hopes that Doom has not developed a new and advanced form of sensory array, which might detect us in ways that neither Susan nor I could anticipate. And of course, one must take into account that he is currently using the Avengers for his own ends, and they are quite resourceful as I’m certain you well know.”

“Yes, sir.”

Reed Richards smiled, holding up the small device to look at it from various angles in the waning sunlight before slipping it and his tools back into the pockets of his battle-vest. “Try to relax, son.” He turned away towards Fury.

“Are we almost ready, Nick?”

Fury nodded, still speaking into his Comm link. Elvin watched as Fury glanced at the small SHIELD task force that he had assembled, his fingers flashing quickly in some kind of code. The Asian man – Woo nodded and spoke a quick, sharp command that got his group up and moving swiftly and silently into the woods. They were five, and all dressed in the dull black uniforms of SHIELD, unmarked with insignias and stripped to the bare essentials. From what Elvin knew, there were several such groups that would be going into Latveria. Diversions Fury had said. Maybe they would distract. Maybe they would even make a dent in Doom’s forces, but everyone knew that the real battle would be coming their way. The Fantastic Four was the spearhead of the operation. They were the true targets.

Elvin licked his lips, nervous but feeling the surge of excitement growing within. He looked to each, but no one else seemed bothered in the least. Fury was still coordinating his efforts. The Invisible Woman was concentrating on her field. Mister Fantastic seemed lost in thought. And the Torch still seemed annoyed.

“Let’s go.”

Rage almost jumped to realize that Fury was speaking to them now. He saw Reed Richards’ body stretch and thin as his upper torso quickly vanished into the woods. It was a bit unsettling to see his back half moving freely behind with just a string-like thing attached and stretching off towards… what?

Fury took the lead, despite Mister Fantastic’s more obvious advantage. Storm followed, walking just ahead of his sister. Rage had been told earlier to take the rear and watch their backs. He followed along, eyes scanning left and right. Occasionally he spun about to check the way they had come. He noticed that there seemed to be a wide swath cutting through the lower bushes and saplings that dotted the forest floor. It took him a moment to realize that the Invisible Woman was creating a path for her husband as he could not watch where he was walking.

And walk they did. Elvin tried to picture the map that Fury had shown them all earlier in briefing. They would be entering Latveria not too far from the capitol, Doomstadt, but it would still be a hike through the hilly, thick woods. Fury had said, and Richards confirmed that Doctor Doom had security throughout, surrounding the village, but Mister Fantastic assured everyone that he would be able to disable anything they might encounter. Everyone seemed satisfied at that, and Rage figured that he was too. He WAS Mister Fantastic after all.

Still, the heat was getting to him. There were mosquitoes as well, and though the little bloodsuckers couldn’t penetrate his steel hard skin, they were still aggravating. Bugs, aptly named. The walk too was telling, if not tiring. The Bronx had its fair share of hills, but here they were in the midst of mountains and Elvin was soon winded and sweating all the harder. He figured it would be better after the sun went down, and it was a little, but though the bugs went away, the humidity hung thick and heavy, like a wet blanket. He wondered if maybe it was Thor’s doing, that maybe the Thunder God had come to join his fellows. If that was the case they were all screwed already. No way he could stand up to Thor.

The sound of weapons discharging brought them to an abrupt halt. It was loud, laser fire mixed with SHIELD blasters and Needlers, but echoing oddly over the rough terrain. Fury was hissing into his Comm, and Elvin could see the dark grimace on his face in the red glow of his cigar. He was not getting the answers that he wanted.

Rage saw Mister Fantastic’s upper torso come reeling back in suddenly, and he felt his stomach gurgle at the queer sight. It took a moment as the man’s body solidified before he approached Fury.

“Doombots attacking Woo’s group,” he whispered sharply, pointing. “About a mile to the west. A dozen I saw at a glance.” Fury nodded.

“Good. Double time people. That’s our distraction.”

Fury moved out in a loping run, the old man easily dodging his way in and out of the trees. They all had to run hard to keep up; Richard’s legs stretching slightly to give him a longer gait, and his wife seemingly running on air, on an invisible field that cleared a path while she concentrated on keeping them all invisible to Doom’s scans. Elvin was breathing hard after too short a time, but kept charging forward, relieved to hear the Torch’s labored breathing at his side. Storm was in good shape, but as a flier, he was probably not used to the running.

“You… okay?” Elvin gasped as he drew close to the Torch. He heard Storm grunt, easing over a bit.

“Fine, kid. Worry about yourself.”

Storm put on a burst of speed leaving Elvin in the rear again.

And suddenly the forest exploded in a white burst of light. Elvin staggered to a stop, his eyes dancing with spots but surprised that he was not totally blinded by the light. It took a moment to figure out that whatever the Invisible Woman was doing to hide them was also shielding them as well.

“They’re on to us!” he heard Fury shout, even as a high-pitched whine grew in his ears. He winced, his teeth aching at the sonic assault as it moved beyond the range of his hearing, then suddenly stopped. There was a ringing now as he shook his head, but he could hear Richards –

“Sonic Pulse,” Mister Fantastic said. “Doom’s shut down my arsenal.”

SORRY PROFESSOR, a metallic voice boomed overhead even as a wide-angled beam of light illuminated the area. IT WASN’T DOOM! JUST YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD IRON MAN!

There was a sudden sound of wood cracking and splintering and Rage marveled to see the woods surrounding them shatter and explode outward. He looked to the Invisible Woman and saw her, arms outstretched as with a seemingly casual gesture she had cleared a battlefield, her force field rolling outward in a circle with incredible force, mowing down everything like a tidal wave.

Almost everything…

“Flame on!”

Rage stared to see the Avengers, seeming surreal and almost spectral there as caught in the glow of the Torch’s flickering flames and Iron Man’s Uni-Beam. He recognized them all. He knew some of them personally, and that made it all the worse. He knew what was coming.

He could hear the dull sound of Iron Man’s weapons powering up…

He could see the smug and conceited smirk on the hardened face of the Sub-Mariner fluttering there by the tiny wings on his ankles and suddenly remembered the long and sometimes harsh history that he shared with the Fantastic Four…

He caught a glimpse of gold and blue circling overhead. Ms. Marvel, or was she Warbird now…

There was an explosion of light and sound, contained and churning about the youngest member of the group. Cannonball was just a little older than Elvin, and that always rankled when he thought about it.

Oddly, he did not see Captain Marvel or the Vision, and that worried him, though not as much as Captain America stepping forward into the forefront, his chain mail sparkling oddly in the different sources of light. He took a stance, scanning the situation briefly before his lips parted and he started to speak, but then sighed, shaking his head for just a moment before he took a deep breath and then stood proudly before them.

“Fury… Professor Richards…” he said, licking his lips. “As much as it pains me, I am obliged to give you one opportunity to either leave or surrender. You have invaded foreign soil, an act of war, and by the rights invested in me by the sovereign nation of Latveria and its sole monarch… Lord Victor Von Doom, if you choose to disregard his offer of safe conduct to the border, I am obligated to defend this soil that has offered me and mine sanctuary from incursion, in his name…” Captain America almost seemed to sag for just a moment…

“Reed… Nick… Please don’t do this.”

It seemed to Rage that both Fury and Mister Fantastic were about to answer, but it was the Invisible Woman that stepped forward. Rage saw Cap’s shield come up just before he flew backwards at an incredible speed, smashing far and away into the trees.

“Doom has my son, Captain… Get the hell out of my way!”
And the battle was joined…

NEXT: Head on over to the next issue of the Avengers for the battle of the century as the Fantastic Four takes on the Mighty Avengers in a fight to save not only Franklin Richards, but every one of us from the machinations of Doctor Doom! Then come back here for the next chapter of PAX DOOM!

But wait! There’s more…

TIME KEEPS ON SLIPPIN’

By Curtis Fernlund

He ignored the stench, the foul smelling odors that wafted up as he slogged through the sometimes waist deep, stagnant waters. Rats the size of small dogs skittered and scurried from his path, startled by his sudden coming, perhaps afraid of his grotesque appearance. He paid them no heed, wading on and on through the seemingly endless tunnels that honey-combed beneath the streets of Manhattan. Healing and thinking, one thing spurred him on, feeding the fires of his anger and lust…

“Richards…”

Benjamin J. Grimm paused, glancing up in the dim, flickering glow of one of the few Con Ed bulbs that actually still worked to squint at the grimy metal plaque bolted to the mildewed brickwork. An address marker, though the numbers were barely legible, and Grimm knew that he was in the right place; Madison Avenue and 41st Street, just a block from his goal.

He had to be careful now, and canny. He knew that between Richards, Stark, T’Challa and SHIELD there would be a shitload of security blocking against what he planned to do. They would have set up sensors and weaponry to keep out the riff-raff, not to mention the vermin and any super-villains that got bright ideas. They weren’t stupid; he’d give ‘em that. But then, neither was he, an’ that was somethin’ that none a’ them ever gave him back. An’ that was why he was gonna win.

They underestimated him, thought he was just a big, dumb, lovable lug. And he had been truth to tell, for far too long. It was either that – adapt or go crazy. He was a monster, an’ it was either lash out at the world, or make a joke outta it. No more! It was time for payback. Time for Richards ta get his.

Grimm scanned the tunnel, rolling his shoulder to try and take the kinks out. He had healed fast, but there were still aches and pains, reminders of his latest donnybrook with Banner. There were spots in his stony hide where the orange rocks were still chipped and charred. In a coupl’a spots there were even gaps where the stones had fallen away at the Hulk’s pounding. He didn’t heal as fast as Logan or even the Hulk hisself, but over time he’d be whole again. Hopefully by then it would be all over.

Satisfied, Grimm nodded to himself and started forward again. He went only a few steps before he felt the metal plate underfoot and under the water. A warning sensor? Or maybe a trap. There was probably nothin’ lethal down here – god forbid they off some poor homeless slob what wandered into the wrong tunnel. He wasn’t worried about the pain though, rather tipping his hand too soon.

Grimm avoided the plate, trudging on. He hugged the slimy wall a few yards on, seeing the dull glow of the partially hidden camera set into the stone at a corner juncture. He stepped over the first IR beam, and crawled beneath the next, actually staying beneath the water for some time before the tunnel split. When he poked the upper half of his head above the foul waters he saw the garish red sign, fully illuminated and hanging in his path –

WARNING!
PRIVATE PROPERTY
KEEP OUT!

Grimm shook his head and moved forward, ducking under the overhanging sign.

Finally he reached the end. A massive metal door blocked the tunnel, raised up out of the water and set upon a small ledge. There were cameras trained on the door, and the ledge, and the tunnel, and he could only imagine how many deterrents were set against intrusion, but by now it didn’t matter. He was close enough that by the time they knew about the breach, he would be in and well up into the Baxter Building.

Well on his way to killing Richards…

Grimm stood and strode up the short set of steps, smiling as he located the panel set into the wall and the flickering red lens winking his way. After all this time, they hadn’t learned. Ben reached for the hidden clasp on his belt buckle and popped open the compartment. He whistled the theme song from Get Smart as the pale reddish glow beamed out of his belt and the locks of the door clicked, slowly clanged and slammed, finally allowing him entrance…

Debra Bernard stood atop the roof of the Baxter Building watching as the Fantastic Four’s Pogo Plane dwindled and finally disappeared off into the sky. She shrugged the baby Valeria off of her hip and into her arms, the Richards’ younger child still waving good bye, before finally turning back to the stairwell.

“Buh-bye… Bye!” Valeria shouted, struggling against Debbie’s shoulder, trying to squirm and see if there was still more to see as Debbie started back down the stairs and into the building.

“Bye-bye,” Debbie cooed, hugging the baby closer, the heels of her cowboy boots clacking down the stone steps until she stepped back into the upper floor. “Mommy and daddy go bye-bye, but they’ll be back soon (I hope).” Debbie smiled, rubbing noses with the baby, laughing as Valeria gurgled and giggled.

She walked slowly down the hallway, heading for the elevator as she bounced the baby in her arms. She nodded at the men and women she passed along the way; technicians mainly, carpenters and electricians, masons and mechanics that arrived shortly after the fight between the Hulk and Ben Grimm wound down. She paid them little heed, certain that the crisis – crises has passed and SHIELD was back on top of things, allowing the repairmen sent by Stark and Wakanda International and Inc, checking ID’s and taking names. Her own SHIELD training made her take note, recording the faces she passed to memory at a glance, the clothes and the way they moved, incriminating marks like tattoos and such. It was second nature and ingrained in her life and the way she lived it, though it was not her job anymore. Not really.

Debbie entered the elevator and pressed the button for the Living Quarters. Almost immediately the doors ‘sished’ shut and the car started its descent. She was glad that the techs were getting the Baxter Building up and running so quickly, but then, the government had invested a lot of money into the fantastic Four recently, and she knew that they had to keep Mister Fantastic happy, even as he had obligations to them.

Within seconds Debra stepped out into the Living Quarters, surprised to see that there was already a crew working on the various holes made during the fights with the Frightful Four and then the Thing. It was loud though, the sounds of laughing men and saws and hammers echoing through the halls. She knew that Valeria would not be able to sleep here.

“How long?” she asked of one of the workers that had stopped to take a drink of water and wipe his sweaty brow. He glanced at her, turning slightly and she saw the WAKANDA INC badge on his shirt glisten in the florescent lights.

“Couple hours for us,” he said, showing a wide smile of straight white teeth. “’Course the electricians need to work the wiring before we can seal the inner wall. I dunno ‘bout them.”

“Okay,” Debbie said, cradling Valeria and shifting her weight. The baby was starting to doze, surprisingly with all the noise. “I’ll be in the Common Room, hopefully out of the way.”

“Good enough, Missus.” The man nodded, took another sip of water and got back to work as Debra trekked down the hallway. The Common Room was one of the building’s Safe Rooms, but with all the amenities and huge; comfortable furniture, an audio/video console, a kitchenette and bathroom, as well as radios and monitors to keep watch on the building and call for help if needed.

Debbie strolled into the room and laid the baby down on the couch where Valeria swiftly nodded out. Going to the closet, Debra pulled a pillow and blanket free, along with a spare ‘GO BAG’ for the baby; complete with diapers, formula, spare clothes and a carry harness. She shut the closet door, glancing at the monitors as she passed and froze…

Paled…

In staticky black and white she saw the Thing wading through a compliment of SHIELD agents on one of the lower floors. The agents were trying to stop him, but their blaster fire simply bounced off of his rocky hide as he trudged forward, slapping them aside as he headed for the elevator. He seemed as angry as ever.

“Shit…” Debra cursed, licking her lips as she wondered what to do.

He was not here for her, obviously. She was a nobody, a hired flunky. She knew too that he would not harm Valeria. He had some twisted sense of honor even as mind-fucked as he was. No, he was here again to finish what he started before: to kill Reed Richards. Only Richards was not here, but well on his way to Latveria, along with the rest of the FF. How would Grimm take that?

Kill the next best thing?

Debra Bernard knew that she had to get someplace safer. The Safe Room was just that, but the Thing would rip through the reinforced walls like they were tissue paper. She had to take the baby and get somewhere more secure. But where?

Professor Richards’ Lab of course. The only place more heavily fortified was the portal into the Negative Zone, which she knew she could not get into. But the Stark electricians were working on the Lab’s security and she knew that she could get in there, and hopefully seal the room behind her. She scooped up the baby and ran…

Grimm kicked open the stairwell door and stomped out into the hall of the Tech Level. There were SHIELD agents everywhere, a damn nuisance as he had to bat them outta the way every other step. Their weapons didn’t do squat against his rocky hide, an’ all they were doing really was slowing him down, an’ giving Richards time ta prepare. He had to end this.

Grimm slapped his hands together, the concussive blast resultant blowing over the agents that still blocked the way. Without breaking stride Grimm continued down the hall, swatting the agents still conscious into oblivion without a backwards glance. These were nothin’. He wanted Richards, an’ he knew just where to look.

Knowing Mister Fantastic like he did, he knew that Reed would be in his lab, frantically trying to find a way to stop him. Some Sonic thing probably, or a mental bomb. Some shit…

Ben slapped down a SHIELD bitch at the heavy doors, the broad givin’ her all to the end. He admired that, but she was in the way. He didn’t kill her – she was nothin’ ta him, but it would be awhile before she was back in the field.

“Live an’ learn, darlin’.”

Grimm looked at the doors, and then to the access panel just to the right, set in the wall. As expected, the lab was sealed. Richards was inside, bless his predictable self. Grimm smiled and slammed his hand forward, his fingers wedging into the hairline crack between the sealed, heavy doors…

Debra Bernard gasped as she saw the three lumpy orange fingers slip through the crack in the sealed doors. She winced to hear a grinding whine of metal, staring at the sudden plume of smoke as the Thing got a grip and started to pry the doors apart by sheer force of strength. She was screwed.

The lab was huge, and there had to be weapons herein; but what? Anything she picked up could just as easily be a flashlight as a coffee grinder. And god knows what weird alien things were lining the shelves. She had heard stories and read files about things like the Ultimate Nullifier and the Psychic Scrambler. Did she want to take a chance of wiping Reality out of existence? Nooo…

There was one thing that she recognized however, and it was positioned just so. If she could get it working, primed, and then distract the Thing…

Yeah, it might work.

She heard Valeria’s cries coming from the closet where she had hidden the baby. Little Val had woken up again, apparently, and was scared of the strange surroundings.

“Easy baby…” Debbie cooed more to herself than Valeria, knowing that the baby could not hear her as she studied the controls of the machine. It seemed simple enough, ironically built by Doom and recently reconstructed by Reed Richards one morning when he was bored. With modifications of course.

Debbie hit the power and geared the machine to full, setting course to random. She did not care where the Thing went if her plan worked, as long as it was away…

Grimm ripped the doors to the lab out of the wall and tossed them aside. The room beyond was well lit, but quiet he saw. And there was that nanny – Debbie some such – just waitin’ for him.

She was cute, but he could see she was scared, like a deer in the headlights, frozen against the far wall. Grimm chuckled, striding boldly into the room.

“Where’s Richards?” he snarled, glancing right and left, disappointed to see that he and the nanny were alone.

“Latveria by now,” she said, barely a waver in her voice. Grimm knew she was ex-SHIELD, and had some balls in her. She’d stood up to the Frightful Four, an’ even beat Hydro-Man all by her lonesome, savin’ the Torch in the process. Shame ta kill her.

“Latveria?” Grimm said, stopping short. He eyed her. He didn’t think she was lying. “Why?”

“Doom,” she said, glancing nervously about. “He has Franklin. The FF went to get him back.”

“Good fer them,” Grimm smirked. “Bad fer you…”

Ben Grimm started forward again, then just as abruptly stopped as he felt an oddly familiar sensation. His body was tingling as the floor at his feet started to glow; a great square maybe ten by ten feet.

“Aw, fuck…”

He glared at the nanny even as the glowing square of light appeared over his head and started to descend. He was stuck in place however, trapped in the process, about to be shunted back in time. He saw the girl lick her lips, sweat drenching her brow, nervous as hell.

“Ya better run, bitch,” he snarled, threatening. “Ya just jumped up on the hit list. I get back, yer dead, ya hear me?

“Dead!”

Debra Bernard gasped and sighed as she fell back against the cool wall and slumped to the floor. She watched as the square of light continued to fall, erasing the Thing in its path, moving down his body to take away his head and shoulders, his stomach, his legs and finally all of him. She heard Doctor Doom’s Time Machine cycling for a bit, and then it shut down.

“Thank god…” she whispered. She had no idea where she sent the Thing before hand, nor did she care. He was gone and Valeria was safe. That was what was important.

The Thing was lost in time, and god willing, he would not find his way back again…

To be continued…
In the MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE Mini-series by…
Me – Curt Fernlund.
Join the Thing as he struggles to return to his proper time, encountering things best left unsaid and guest stars galore, all leading to…
FOURTH REICH!

How about that?