they've got modified features and software brains [ psl ]

[nerdfight]

WHO Victor von Doom (nerdfight) and Misha Hunt (interspace)
WHAT In which science is done, a country is conquered, and Misha has to deal with a narcissistic asshole hellbent on revenge.
WHEN About a year after the sequel
WHERE Various places
WHY because fuck you Richards, that's why

It was something that had been bothering him for a while, a question that had been left unanswered and one that he was finally deciding to spend his time on now that he had to build up his resources and wait instead of attacking. Who was the girl who had appeared out of nowhere and integrated herself with his greatest enemies? She was an unknown variable, a puzzle to be solved, a threat to be destroyed. He needed to figure her out so he could properly dispose of her and move onto his real targets.

That would take time and research and since his last defeat, he'd take things slower so that he could do things properly. First, he watched from afar through cameras and finding videos of her exploits. Her flight was unnatural, something that couldn't be explained like how he and the others could be. Then, he had to take readings where he couldn't be caught. It was easy enough, send a small drone out to take the readings during a fight, with everyone distracted enough to not notice yet another spectator to the match. That was when he noticed it. He needed to study her in person, he had to know if the readings were correct.

So he set up a plan. A test run of his newly created Doombots would do nicely. Five points of attack to separate everyone so that he could grab the little insect like a flytrap, snatch her up in such a way that nobody could save her from his grasp. It was a beautiful day for an attack too, bright and sunny with no chance of rain. Donning his mask and outfit, Doom went out with his army of Doombots and waited on a skyscraper for his target to pass on the way to one company of his Doombots. When she arrived, he would be ready.

Comments

[nerdfight]

"I know exactly what I'm talking about, insect," he responded with a derisive laugh. Really, what did his sanity and ego have to do with the simple facts? Doom was almost insulted by that except for the fact that he was aware that Misha would think that of him since she's been living with the Fantastic Four for a while. "Reed Richards doesn't have any siblings. You, as his niece, cannot exist due to that simple fact. Plus, the fact that Reed can't lie to save his life helps."

He paused for a moment at the aborted question, but kept going after realizing that she wasn't going to finish her question. It was easy to figure out that she stopped because she didn't want to give him any ideas, so he just gave her an amused smile. "Yes, I have," he replied, not knowing exactly what she asked, but he didn't care if it meant messing with her a bit.

[interspace]

"That has nothing to do with how much I've been in the spotlight or how I've acted." While those were indeed the facts, it hadn't been hard to make up a relative who had recently passed and assets dissolved for Reed to adopt their young daughter from. Who was left to deny the paper trail Reed had inevitably created? Of course, people who actually knew Reed would know better... but those who knew Reed were far and few between considering how unpopular he had been. "But points for noting the logical fallacy of the story, yeah."

Okay, she just couldn't help it when Doom said it like that. Automatically, Misha asked, "Heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? Shit, man, that must have been cool." Being cavalier about it helped. She was completely ready to cry foul if Victor couldn't take what he dished out on a regular basis. That was to say, terrible jokes.

[nerdfight]

"Actually, it does. The less you're in the spotlight, the less you have to put on an act. Everyone can just take everything at face value with you instead of looking deeper," he explained carefully. He knew a thing or two about being in the public eye and having to hide the kind of person he truly was to the world at large, though it no longer mattered now after his fall from grace.

"It's a shame you weren't around to experience it," Doom responded dryly as he started to look around to see if he could spot an ATM. Bantering with Misha was fun and all, but they were still in an unknown universe with no forms of ID or money and Doom wanted to at least get some money so that they wouldn't be too out of place. He stopped and then changed directions, spotting an ATM not too far away. "There we go."

[interspace]

"We're superheroes, Doom," she said pointedly. "There's only so much I can stay out of the spotlight when we've got powers and do big, stupid heroic things anytime the world is about to end. As you should well know." It wasn't particularly wrong. Misha had her own demographic and following and one or two products she endorsed, but it was pretty tame compared to what the others went through. Media liked to focus on her as Reed's relative as much as they liked to focus on Sue and Johnny being siblings, but it was usually used as lead ins for Reed's brilliance and inventions than some kind of case study. Being sensationalized had a way of glossing over some things in your life.

Chuckling lightly, Misha merely made herself comfortable now that she saw what they were both hoping for. Stealing some cash out of a random bank account was really nothing she was bothered by. They needed it and chances were they would be out of the universe as soon as she could concentrate and even consider going back to that place without tears coming to her eyes. "Great. Cash us in, then let's get some food. I'm starving, actually."

[nerdfight]

"You're doing better than the others when it comes to staying out of the spotlight," Doom pointed out with a hint of amusement. He had been keeping track of the Fantastic Four through the media and despite nearly everyone's desire to stay out of the public eye (Johnny being the exception because it's Johnny), they succeeded at various levels. If he was in the mood for it, Doom would make a joke about how the dragonfly was more invisible than the Invisible Woman to the media, but he was still a bit shaken up from before.

Striding over the the ATM, he placed one hand against the machine and focused on his powers, the air crackling slightly around him as he focused the energy through his fingertips and into the machine, making it believe that a card had been entered and allowed access to an account. Tapping out an amount on the pad, money came out of the machine and he grabbed it, folding it and pocketing it before he stopped his power and turned to look around the small town. "Food first and then we can deal with clothes and maybe a hotel room," he said before noticing a diner and making his way over.

[interspace]

"Believe it or not, plucky college-aged flyer isn't the most popular of the group," she said drolly. It was something they both understood, nothing that truly needed to be expounded upon. They were both smart individuals and just chatting to fill the silence besides. On Misha's part, it was a distraction. She was recognizing the area more and more despite her mind's attempt to rationalize and keep the prized information at bay. Nothing was immediately jumping out at her, however, and she was going to have to let it sit until she could properly analyze the situation.

Doom's use of his power was fairly impressive and scary at the same time. She could feel some of the static from the use and clung momentarily tighter without realizing. She didn't want to be shocked again and her body was reacting despite a lack of say-so. "Ooh, a real diner," said Misha, quiet but a bit of genuine appreciation leaking through. There were plenty in New York, yet not a whole lot of them were safe from prying eyes and shuttering camera lenses as time wore on. "Bar or table? This is an important decision, Victor."

[nerdfight]

"What a surprise," he responded, his tone deadpan. He wasn't at all surprised that she wasn't the most popular considering her competition. It made sense and he wasn't going to argue the facts of it, especially since it was pointless at this moment in time. Once things calmed down, maybe he would give her a hard time about her lack of popularity among the group, but for now, he'll let it slide.

"Table. I don't trust that you're strong enough to not fall off of a stool if I set you on one." Even during the bantering and searching for signs of civilization, Doom had been keeping watch on her and knew that she was weak thanks to his previous treatment of her despite how she might hide it. Once they're in the diner, Doom's demeanor changes slightly and he smiles. "Of course, the choice is ultimately up to you since you're the younger sibling."

[interspace]

He made a good point, and Misha merely grunted in acquiescence. Much as she loved sitting at the bar and having room to talk to waitress behind it to get an idea of where they were, the table was definitely the safer bet. She would be doing a lot of leaning to make it through the meal and the backed chair over a stool would only help her retain some of her dignity. It was the little things, but she was willing to concede when it came to logic.

Noting the change immediately, there wasn't even any room to be surprised or put off by it. Misha had expected Doom to play his part, and this was just one of those things. That didn't make it not-funny and she let herself smile to go along with it. Use what you knew, wasn't that it? She could do that and more. "Table sounds good, Vic," she said. "Oh, but hey—look at that. The stools have backs, too!"

Normally it would be teasing, but now she said it with a tone of comfortable familiarity. Never before had she dared consider him Vic even back when he was just a villain in a fun movie, but siblings tended to tread the line and get away with it. Come to think of it, Victor von Doom was almost certainly an only child, so she would probably need to go light on the siblingisms with him lest she knock him out of the role. "Can we get breakfast for lunch? Or... whatever time it is. It's like an unspoken rule when you're at a diner."

"Hey there, folks. Name's Izzy. What can I do you for today?" Oh, and there was the waitress. Or was it proprietor? Misha had only caught a glimpse of the diner's name on the way in, and that definitely sounded like the right name. Isabela's Diner. She wasn't coming from behind the counter yet, but the place was small enough that personally greeting everyone that walked in seemed perfectly natural. Small town hospitality and all that. It didn't take long for Izzy to actually notice their state and she was already giving a confused and concerned look for it. Misha was going to leave that one for Doom to field.

[nerdfight]

For a genius madman, he could come up with a few good points every so often. As it was right now, Misha was an ally and he needed her in some sort of working shape, so having her fall off a stool wasn't exactly in his plans for the day, despite the fact that it might have cheered him up a bit after the whole traveling through the void thing. Right now, he could do with something to distract himself from the situation he was in. If Reed were here....well, he wouldn't want to be stuck in an alternate universe with Reed Richards, but even if he was, Doom had long since gotten used to the flailings that happened whenever Reed was out of his element and that no longer held the amusement it had back when they were in college together.

"I think it's still a good idea to stick to the table, all things aside," he said with a smile. Sure, he's an only child, but dating Sue Storm had given him a peek into the life of having an obnoxious younger sibling and while this made him thankful that he had no brothers or sisters, he could still put this knowledge to use and suffer through whatever Misha was going to inflict on him. "Get whatever you want, but don't complain to me if you want something different after we order."

He had noticed the woman behind the counter as he walked in with Misha in tow, but cared more about his companion's condition than some random woman. Now that the attention was on them, Doom stepped up to the plate and took control of the situation as he was known to do. "Looks like we're in need of some breakfast," he said before he laughed sheepishly at their current states of disheveled and dusty and injured. "Sorry about how we look. Our car broke down a few miles out and she decided it'd be a good idea to race to the nearest town on foot."

[interspace]

Misha huffed quietly and motioned for Doom to set her down by the chair so she could relax while he did whatever he wanted. It was nice to be out of the arid heat for one thing, and the idea of food, water and an actually-still moment was incredibly relieving. This whole thing had rendered her more shaken up than she could recall in recent memory — and that included the whole Silver Surfer incident — and they'd barely even started the morning. It boded well for their continued cooperation, but Misha wasn't going to try complaining where Doom could hear.

"Just whatever special they've got," she said. Being fussy wouldn't get her anywhere, and she knew what she wanted. What did Doom think she was, a four year old? Jesus. He clearly had no experience with anyone other than his own age group or older so she was going to have to pick up some slack where applicable. She lifted her head enough for a wide grin to the benefit of the proprietress. "Which I only lost because his legs are way longer. He cheated via genetics."

Izzy raised a brow at them but turned to grab one of the clean dish towels and hold it out to Victor. No one was gonna be that grubby in her diner, thank you very much. "Did you need a tow called?" she asked. Tourists weren't that common in town but never let it be said they didn't have hospitality for those who wandered in. "While I make you up your grub. Early morning special, she said?"

[nerdfight]

Because they were in public, Doom carefully set her down by the chair, looking at her and placing a hand on her shoulder lightly as if to make sure she was okay. He wasn't going to try raising any alarm bells while they were here. It was already going to be difficult enough dealing with the fact that they had no ID to use nor a car to actually back up their claim of having had to walk to town. Thankfully, Doom could at least talk his way out of that. It was one of the pluses of being a businessman.

"And then you tackled me to the ground to get me back for winning," he said as if to explain why he was as dirty as he was, looking unamused by the entire situation. Taking the towel from Izzy, he cleaned himself off as well as he could, trying to make himself presentable and yet still unaware of the fact that there was a cut on the palm of his left hand where the metal under his skin was visible, though thankfully Izzy hasn't gotten a glimpse yet. Once he was done with the towel, he folded it up carefully and handed it back to her before finally sitting down with Misha.

"No thank you, we were going to head over to the shop once I got her something to eat," he responded to the question easily enough. Show that he cares more about supposed sibling than broken car. That's definitely a good way to keep people from poking too far into things before they can leave and attempt to return home. "Yes, a special for her and coffee for me."

[interspace]

Okay, the shudder running down her frame couldn't be helped. Part of it was the physical stress while the other was because she knew exactly what those hands could do. She let that motion roll through her and sat down. Crossing her arms over the tabletop and head moving to rest on them, she turned to watch the two interact. They weren't the only ones in the diner, but her head was buzzing and she couldn't focus on new stimulus.

"Water for my special, please," she added. Water in a desert and something she wasn't as likely to bring back up while her mind and stomach roiled. She was starving, exhausted, sick. Scared. For their own safety and cover, however, she would keep quiet on that and just be tired, annoyed, dealing with a string of bad luck.

Making a very unconvinced mhmm, Izzy went to serve Victor some coffee and Misha her water before getting to work on their food. There was no way she totally bought that, but really, whatever they were hiding wasn't worth it if they kept the trouble to themselves.

[nerdfight]

As long as the police weren't getting called on him, he's satisfied. And really, all he cared about was making sure both of them were in peak condition and able to return back to his universe. Food, new clothes, and then rest was the plan and he was going to stick to it for as long as he could.

"Do you think you'll be able to last until we can find a place to rest?" His tone had no bite to it and he was speaking softly so whatever he said wouldn't be overheard by the people in the diner.

When Izzy returned with their drinks, Doom immediately picked up his coffee and took a sip, not seeming to notice any heat or even taste from it. "It's almost a shame that this doesn't do much for me anymore," he murmured quietly to himself as he stared at the mug and its contents. "But it is an advantage to no longer have to worry about the quality of food or drink."

[interspace]

Misha could appreciate such a simple, elegant plan. Right now she would appreciate food and then privacy even more. She didn't want to think about anything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours or so. Having wits about them and trying to plan for the next step would have to wait for some other time.

"Yeah," she said softly. "If I don't eat, I'll be even worse off. You still owe me ibuprofen." As if it hadn't been her own fault, the lure used to drag them into this nightmare. She ached and hurt and felt all of her limbs pulled down from a bone-deep need to rest.

She gave him a curious look for the comment. "Your tongue's not metal," she said slowly, matching his undertone. "I mean, tastebuds, right?"

[nerdfight]

When he wanted to, Doom could think up simple plans. Usually he didn't mostly because his plans had to stand up to Reed Richards' intellect and despite what he says about the man, Reed was intelligent. Besides, in a situation like this, simple was better and they could change it easily because of the simplicity involved.

"I will get you ibuprofen once you've eaten," he said with only a slightly exaggerated sigh. "I'm sure I don't have to say anything about the last ones I tried to give you."

"My tongue is metal," he replied before taking another sip of his coffee and sticking his tongue out slightly to show that it was strangely smooth looking. "It's similar to my skin in that it has the appearance of normalcy. I don't get much in the way of feedback, so everything is quite bland to me in both taste and feeling."

[interspace]

For some reason, a thought occurred to her and she pressed her face to her arm to muffle the laughter. It was on the edge of hysteric and pained but genuine amusement nonetheless. "Maybe we'll find it when we head back home," she said. Her voice was strained, the joke not at all funny, but it was hilarious.

God, this whole thing sucked.

She took her time trying to calm down, eyes squeezing shut while she quietly had a meltdown of feelings she couldn't quite control. As she breathed softly, carefully against her skin, she eventually murmured, "Sorry for your loss, dude."

[nerdfight]

There wasn't even a hint of surprise at her reaction. They had both been through a lot and he knew that Misha's weakened state meant that everything was hitting her harder than it would ever hit Doom. Score one point for being made of metal. All he has to care about is the emotional trauma and he can handle that well enough for now.

"Dragonfly, breathe. Deep, slow breaths." Doom didn't need Misha to completely lose her mind right now, not while they were still in public. That was to be in private, so nobody would know something was wrong with them.

Rolling his shoulders as if to loosen muscles he no longer had, he made himself more comfortable in his seat and took a look around the diner. "I'll survive. I don't eat much anymore because I no longer need it to survive."

[interspace]

She knew intellectually that Doom was only calming her down to keep their cover, but she found she didn't care too much about the reasoning. She absolutely did need to get herself together or they'd be even worse off now. She shifted her face into her hand and took some long deep breaths, trying not to shudder or give away that this was any more more than some tired siblings seeking solace from each other. It was much more difficult than she liked, although she knew exactly why. She was a mess.

More people bustled in around then and she tried to square herself and look way better settled than she was. Fake it until they were done here, because she wouldn't be able to make it in this state.

"So when you... run low on energy, you can just—zzzap?"

[nerdfight]

Well, it was for more than just their cover, but good luck trying to get Doom to admit that. For now, he'll just go back to focusing on drinking his coffee like a normal person, trying not to drink too quickly or hold the mug for too long because he knows that coffee would still be too hot to drink down quickly.

"That's right. It takes a lot to drain me of energy to the point where I need to get more," he said, one hand closing into a fist as if to show her he still had energy to spare. "My body is far more efficient than it was before my metamorphosis. "

[interspace]

She watched him dimly, moving after a moment of collection to take her own drink and start on it. It was heaven and hell at the same time, stomach gurgling in caution. She didn't care so long as she kept it down, and adjusted her pace accordingly. It wasn't until her food arrived that she really stopped, slumped back against the chair but sitting relatively straight. She beamed a smile and gave a thank you up to Izzy and started to dig in while another table nearby got their own order.

Not that any of this was easier for the wait, but there was no rule that said she couldn't cheat her own body's warning signs. Holding herself up with her power and care and keeping herself steady, slowing the shakes. The food was great, just what one would expect from a nice little diner, and it helped. Her energy wasn't going to come back instantly but her body was satisfied, if not rebellious right under the surface.

"Guess at least you're taking it well," she commented, very late in the conversation, finally turning back to it in order to keep herself distracted. "Lesser men would probably lose their minds."

[nerdfight]

The use of her powers was noted and he didn't say anything to show that he even noticed it, more focused on the fact that she was finally eating. That was definitely an improvement and Doom knew that would help her gain her strength back after everything she has gone through recently.

"I've been trapped inside my frozen body for two years," he stated calmly, as if they weren't talking about mental trauma. "I think I could handle--"

"Another!" A voice boomed through the diner immediately before the sound of a mug slamming into the floor and shattering filled the diner instead.

Almost instinctively, static covered Doom's body and his hair was starting to poof slightly because of it, that being the only sign he had been surprised. He whipped his head around as he saw the larger group and the offending person. His eyes narrowed and it took all his restraint to not go over and say something.

[interspace]

It wasn't as if her power was visible or anything. Without knowing she was so tired, mentally and physically exhausted, it just looked a little stilted. Nothing out of the ordinary, not really, not compared to—

Misha let out a little scream at the sound, and she wasn't the only one, but the sense-memory of it was too much to ignore. Her eyes immediately pricked with hot tears and she dropped her fork to the plate, She stared at the table with the noisy troublemaker, the table with Thor himself, and she couldn't breathe. She could feel her whole body go into panic mode, muscles tense and screaming in pain and her stomach whipped up like a storm, and her hands had clapped over her mouth to try and stop the overwhelming tide.

No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!

Not again. She couldn't do this again. Another world, another superhero story, and she would be stuck again and again and she'd lost her family again, the one she made this time, and she hated everything. Couldn't think, thoughts so frenzied that they were beginning to hurt, and she didn't even notice the way her shoulders were shaking or how she'd completely lost track of everything around her. All she could think was she was going to die trying to do this whole thing over again.

She couldn't do it. She wouldn't make it. Why?

[nerdfight]

What caught his attention was her scream and her fork dropping. From how she was responding, he could tell what was happening and started to move. Placing enough money to cover the meal and drinks, Doom stood up and moved around the table to scoop Misha up into his arms and carry her out of the diner so they could go somewhere quiet and away from people. He didn't go far, only carrying her behind the diner and sitting down next to the building so they had some shade from the heat.

"ALFRED, whatever you did before to help her, do it again," Doom hissed quietly at the device Misha wore, hoping it would be of some use in calming her down. It wasn't as if he knew what to do, really. He wasn't the type of guy to help people out, after all.

"Insect, I want you to focus on me. Take deep breaths. Get a hold of yourself." Wait, was that too harsh? Probably, but it's not like Doom was a doctor of the mind, after all. Give him robots and computers instead and he'd know what he's doing. This? This was way beyond him.

[interspace]

Thankfully for Doom, her reaction during panic wasn't to lash out but to curl up and press herself against him as if a bulwark to the horrible reality around her. Her shoulders had begun to shake in quiet sobs, hands running down her face and then back up into her hair and all of it was meaningless motion she hardly comprehended.

Later, she might realize that she wasn't stuck here the same as she had been before. Right now, her immediate and horrified reaction was that she was never going to get back anywhere that mattered. That nightmare sky full of so many amazing possibilities had been far too large to be able to pop back home sooner or later. Were they just going to be traveling around forever? Staying here wasn't much of an option, either. In a world with the Avengers, there was just too much danger to hang around; she hardly remembered what came next in Thor, much less the timeline or specific locations of each subsequent adventure.

"I c-c-can't," she said haltingly. Music started to filter into her ears, adding a touch of familiarity to calm her mind, and she clung further to Doom. He hadn't put her down yet, she noticed absently, and did not want to lose that point of contact. Even if that contact was Victor von Doom, supervillain extraordinaire. "I can't do this again!"

[nerdfight]

Even if her reaction was to lash out, it wouldn't be a problem for Doom. As it was, he was somewhat okay with keeping her close and letting her cling. If that's what she needed, then he'll let her have it at least for now. Doom did need her alive and stable so she could get them back and at this point, he'd do whatever he could to make sure she was mentally stable enough to continue on.

"Yes you can and you will get us out of here," he said firmly, not planning on being gentle with her on this. "We're not going to stay here for long. I won't allow it."