50 A Dour Deal

"Doctor Victor Von Doom wishes to give you his Keystone address." 

Peter's superhuman mind went blank for a few moments. A keystone address was the opening talk of a conference and was usually done by a highly accomplished and regarded scientist. Not only was it far, far longer and more detailed than the other talks, it was given far more attention than the others.

He wasn't stunned and intimidated by the prospect of giving a Keystone address. No, it was that Victor Von Doom had given him this opportunity.

The fact that Doom himself had taken a step back, meant that he had acknowledged that someone was better at him than something.

'That's impossible!', Peter's eyebrow twitched. 'Unless this universe has a drastically different Doom, he would never do this. If he refuses to even acknowledge Reed Richards, then why would he choose to acknowledge me? Does he have something planned? But why? I doubt he is petty enough to scheme against me.'

"It's a bombshell, I know", Connors said softly, mistaking his dumbstruck expression. "Giving the Keystone address during your very first conference is unprecedented. Frankly, I doubt it will ever happen again and I can see why you'd be a little alarmed, but I would suggest you carefully think about whatever decision you make before you make it."

"Is it because Doom himself requested it?", Peter questioned, getting over his shock quickly enough. 

Unless this universe induced a massive attitude change, Doom was not a man whom he should fear at the moment. Curing cancer, or any disease for that matter, was not against his plans - in fact, it probably pushed them forward.

"You're right", Connors sighed. "It's one thing to politely reject a fellow scientist, but to reject an offer of a King whose kingdom you are about to visit isn't the best idea."

"So you're telling me that I don't have a choice."

"Well...yes. You see, Mr Doom is a bit...err....proud", Connor scratched his head. 

"A bit?", Peter grinned.

"A tad bit, yes."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"I'd be for the best if you did", Connors sat up, dusting his pants. "Oh, apologies for the abrupt exit, but I think I should get out of your hair. We both have our talks to prepare for."

"You're right. I'll be looking forward to yours, Doc. You better not disappoint", he smiled good-naturedly, handing Connors his suitcase.

"Thank you, Peter. And the world will be looking forward to yours."

***

"The world will be looking forward to yours...", Peter muttered as he twirled the newly synthesised transcription factor between his dextrous fingers.

His eyes flicked over to the garden lizard sunbathing on the windowsill.

"What do you think, Toby? Should I take it now or tomorrow?"

Silence.

The lizard's mouth hung open, its small eyes crinkled shut as though it was oblivious to the world and its problems. Raising its body temperature was a higher priority than whatever Peter was going through.

"Helpful", he sighed, turning his gaze back to the clear vial.

He'd planned to undergo his second evolution alongside Gwen, but he was having second thoughts. His loss against the Silver Samurai had nudged the spike of Paranoia in his heart, but Doctor Doom, a highly accomplished scientist and sorcerer who occasionally dabbled in mind-magic acknowledging his existence drove it all the more deeper. 

'Anything can happen at anytime', he thought, resolve gathering in his hazel eyes. 'Best not leave anything to chance. Sorry Gwen.'

He grit his teeth and sat up, carefully tucking the vial and syringe in his backpack before slinging it on.

"Time to go for a walk."

***

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

The sound of heavy footsteps followed an armoured silhouette as it moved down a dimly lit hallway. It raised a hand embraced by metal, before flicking it almost lazily.

WHOOSH!

Golden fire burst forth from the tip of its finger, dancing over to the beauteous chandeliers and torches and giving them life. Light washed over the silhouette, burning away the shadows, reflecting off the burnished metal of its formidable armour, and revealing the sole ruler of the Kingdom of Latveria. 

Doctor Doom resumed his walk down the expansive hallway of Castle Doom, his presence commanding reverence even in his solitary moments. His each step continued to reverberate through the corridor that seemed to stretch without end, adorned with floating marble pillars intricately etched with glowing arcane symbols.

The air carried an aura of austere silence, disrupted only by the faint hum of unseen machinery and the rustle of Doom's cloak that billowed behind him like a regal banner. It was trimmed with gold and swayed in tandem with his movements - almost in harmony with his gait.

The aforementioned unending hallway finally converged into a grand pair of doors that seemed to be able to withstand a nuclear bomb.

A gauntleted hand stretched forth, brushing the steel - a touch that seemed to draw out the strength of the castle itself. Arcane symbols manifested above them, briefly hovering before disappearing into the doors which immediately began to tremble.

With an almost deafening rumble, the doors were pushed back, revealing a giant chamber that was filled with...metal.

Screens, keys, buttons and metal filled the gigantic chamber from end to end. Numbers and symbols flicked past monitors at mind-numbingly fast speeds as a computer with enough processing power to dwarf every computer currently on earth put together ten times over, continued to perpetually calculate.

The sheer amount of heat that this metallic specimen generated was enough to power a small city for a day - and that's exactly what it did. Small white crystals that were embedded in the ceiling and on certain parts of the mechanical marvel not only funnelled all the generated heat to another part of Castle Doom, it also acted as a light source.

Doom paid no heed to the unceasing hum of machinery, walking over to what seemed to be the control panel. He placed his gauntleted palm on a large screen which scanned it.

[Welcome, Doctor]

A robotic voice greeted him.

"Power down", he immediately commanded, his deep voice somehow drowning out the background noise of gears and machines.

[Confirm Decision]

The voice sounded once more.

Doom caressed the console in a rare show of affection before speaking once more.

"Confirm", he intoned. "You may rest now"

And thus, with a crackle and a few words, the machine whose sole job was to track the cosmic coordinates of Hell was shut down. It was useless now - he now had a piece of Hell with him, after all. Visiting that dimension might as well now be equivalent to visiting one's backyard.

"You served me well", he muttered before turning to a seemingly inconspicuous part of the room. "And you...your presence in my domain suggests an inflated sense of confidence on your part."

"Tsk-tsk, and they call ME a cosmic being", a silky voice chuckled as a man wreathed in flames walked out of seemingly nothing. "I expected nothing else of you, darling."

In a few seconds, the flames died down, revealing a familiar devilishly handsome man whose eyes glinted an occasional fiery orange. He was dressed in a completely black suit - from the tie to the boots with a small silver ring embedded with a blood-red ruby.

"Do you fancy yourself secure within these walls, Infernal Jester?", Doom said softly, a touch of amusement crawling into his voice while a complex magic circle manifested itself around his arms. "Your assumption that I'd entertain your words is amusing. Enlighten me, why should I bother to listen?"

"I never asked you to listen to what I said. Assumptions, Victor...it's no wonder you're so lonely", the eerily perfect man drawled, honey dripping from his every word. " Are those lovely brown eyes still craving the touch of mommy? Oh dear..."

BOOM!

The air around Doom seemed to turn solid as it was charged with copious amounts of magic.

"Testing my patience is to be...unwise, Mephistopheles", he muttered, enunciating every word. The very castle seemed to come to life as enigmatic symbols carved themselves on every brick, boosting his already prodigious prowess.

"Ha! Threats already? We meet every year, yet you play the stranger, Victor", Mephisto brushed off a non-existent tear. "Do I need to refresh your memory? How many times have you lost to me? Seven? Eight?"

"Lost? Doom never loses", Doom instantly replied, his eyes betraying no shame. "You, a self-proclaimed cosmic being failed to kill a mortal in your very own dimension a dozen times. Tell me, Infernal Jester, who is the loser here?"

"Hmmm, that's a good argument", Mephisto nodded before plucking out the emerald ruby. It grew to the size of a human, revealing a beautiful woman in chains. Her formerly soft skin was bruised, battered and burnt while cuts and gashes littered her body, but the most striking part was the eerily familiar brown eyes.

"AAARGH!", she cried out in pain as more gashes appeared the moment a few disappeared. It was a perpetual cycle of agony.

"Counterpoint", Mephisto grinned evilly. "I have your mother."

"AAAAARGHHH!!! Help me Victor!"

"Your time is running thin, Jester", Doom growled, loathing visible in his face as he bore holes into Mephisto with his gaze. "Speak now or never again."

"Well, well. What happened to all the theatrics we indulged in before our clashes?", Mephisto sighed, looking genuinely distraught - but his expression shifted to jovial almost instantly. "Regardless, let's proceed. I offer what you've yearned for since you were a little tyke: the resurrection of your dear mother."

"Victor!!! Please!", the woman begged, tears streaming down her burnt cheeks.

"Lies", Doom spat, his eyes never leaving the Devil. "Your meagre powers in my dimension are not enough for such sorcery."

"Your dimension? Such ambition!", Mephisto raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. "I'll leave you to your delusions, but you do know what's stopping me from accessing my true power, don't you?"

Doom merely stared back at him in silence, while the pained yells of his mother drilled into his skull. His will was not so easily shaken.

"So you know. Good", Mephisto smiled charmingly, making him look unnaturally trustworthy. He held out a hand, upon which a parchment made of flames manifested itself while his irises reddened and his voice deepened.

{Here's the bargain: Lay waste to the Sanctum Sanctorum in my honour, return the piece of Hell that you stole, and I shall grant you the resurrection of your beloved mother}, he boomed, his every word seemingly spoken by multiple voices at once.

An aura of power seemed to hang around the parchment of fire.

A power that could bind a God.

{I offer this to you as an act of peace}, Mephisto gave Doom a soft smile. {I believe there is a saying - There are no eternal enemies, only eternal benefits. What say you?}

Doom was silent. His expression that was obscured by the haunting visage of his mask, betrayed no hint of fear or temptation.

"Victor! PLEASE!", his mother's yells of pain and suffering were getting louder.

"Year after year, you FAIL ME!", she sobbed as she was whipped and stabbed.

"VICTOR! HELP ME!!!"

"VICTOR!"

"AAAARGHH!!! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE!!!"

{Does the suffering of a mother not affect her son?}, Mephisto whispered, the alluring dance of the flames in the parchment seemingly hypnotizing.

Doom closed his eyes for a moment before opening them.

"This is how I spend every night", he muttered, looking at Mephisto with scorn. "I have grown accustomed to the pain of her shrieks. They are all I have left of her."

Mephisto's satanic eyebrow twitched.

 {Answer me, Victor Von Doom. Do you agree to my bargain, or do you not?}

"VICTOR! Such a WEAK child could not have been MINE! Help me! PLEASE!", his mother continued to wail, but unfortunately it fell on deaf ears.

"Do you not understand, WORM!", Doom's voice thundered through the chamber, resonating with a force that reverberated off the walls.

"I REFUSE!"

***