Finding Doom (July 2015)

As they stepped into the lab Bruce took off his glasses. Tony and he had been working on trying to identify how she shifted to another timeline.

“Well after we took your DNA we ran several tests including a quantum flux analysis that Bruce and I just invented. Your quantum signature, everyone has one, is different than ours. It identifies you as someone not of our universe. But also. There were residues of negative energy in your cells. Now the only person we know that can generate that kind of energy is Dr. Doom. He is well versed in Black Magic which uses negative energy,” Bruce said.

—————- back in the AMCU

“I’ve taken readings of Peter’s room and I almost missed a negative energy molecule I found on the floor,” Tony said to the others. “The only person I know that could generate negative energy like this is Victor,” he said.

“I could talk to Phil, perhaps they could help us,” Kate said. “But why would Victor abduct Serena?” steve asked and Peter looked at Tony.

Serena stood next to Peter and listened to what Bruce said. She sighed and shook her head when he mentioned Dr. Doom. "I'm really starting to hate this guy. I just don't understand why he would do something like this. Yes, he hates our family but this seems like a very strange thing to do."

-----------------------------------------

Isabella had been trying to remain strong for everyone else. What was happening was extremely upsetting for them all. Tony had actually broken down the previous night and cried. No one knew if they were ever going to see her again. Isabella could only hold on to hope that an answer would appear.

She stood quietly away from the others but Steve's question made Isabella wonder about something. "Could it have anything to do with whatever you and Serena are building?"

Doom had been monitoring the Avengers for quite some time. Now that they were onto him he figured he might as well drop in and say hello. He ‘bent’ reality around him using his magic…

Dr. Doom appeared in the tower lab and the energy that brought him there, a dark blur of energy that warped around him dissipated.

“You rang?” Doom asked smugly as he looked around the room.

Everyone in the lab seemed to gasp at the same time. Kate readied herself to use her telekinetic powers against Doom if he should try to hurt anyone. Isabella took a step back and her hand hovered over her comm link. Pressing one button would summon her suit. However, she waited for a moment.

"What did you do? Where is Serena?" Isabella asked with anger in her voice.

Doom tilted his masked face to Isabella’s question and shifted to look at her. “Isabella Stark? I would expect more manners from you,” he said. “Serena is gone,” he said plainly. “And when I say gone, She’s where you came from Peter Parker,” he said. “Life is balance and you Peter Parker upset that balance by coming here. I’ve reset that balance,” he said.

Tony seethed and stepped toward him. “You did what?! Well you better bring back my daughter Victor!” Tony said angrily. Steve and Logan shifted ready for some kind of attack by Doom.

Isabella had encountered a lot of evil people during her lifetime, but there was none she hated more than Dr. Doom. She wanted to tear him limb from limb for what he had done to her daughter.

“What is it that you want Doom?” Isabella asked impatiently.

Doom turned to face Peter and he pointed at him. “I want the Arcbots of course,” he said as if he were talking about something unimportant. Peter’s eyebrows drew up but he calmed his emotions quickly. “the Arcbot? What’s that?” He asked

“Don’t insult my intelligence,” Doom said. “I want several Arcbots without the coding set,” he said. “Now, where I sent Serena is just as Important as when. I’ve returned her to just before she meets her end,” he said. Peter went pale at that.

Isabella felt ill when she heard what Doom said. Near her, she saw Peter’s face pale and fear come to his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Was she actually going to lose her daughter? Isabella was so upset that she had to sit down.

Kate looked at Peter. “What are arcbots?”

Peter sighed and felt Sick to his stomach. ‘No not Serena!’ He thought but tried to keep his voice and expressions neutral. He scowled at Victor then looked at Tony. Tony nodded, relenting.

“Arcbots are a form of nanobot using a micro arc reactor. They can be coded for medical, chemical, electrical and mechanical configurations.Serena and I have been developing them for years,” he said. “Our hope was to help the world,” he said wanting to vomit.

Kate listened to Peter and then glanced at Steve. If Doom already knew about them and wanted them this badly that meant that he likely did not want them for a pleasant purpose. She walked over to Peter and lowered her voice to talk to him. "Are these arcbots finished?" She wasn't sure that they were since she figured Serena and Peter would have shown the team if they were.

“Everything but their hard coding program. Serena was in the process of developing it before she was...taken,” Peter whispered. But they are complete and ready to accept programming. He could use them for all sorts of nefarious things,” he said.

“If Serena were here I highly doubt she give into his demands of it was You Peter that he had taken,” Logan said. “And we have no way to coonerate his claims,” he said.

“I thought you’d say that,” Doom said then everyone readied themselves as he began to conjure. An odd looking fissure opened up near them and rotated in on itself until it was a round shimmering window of sorts. Smashes began to appear and he showed them Serena holding a young boy who looked to be around 6 years old. He was coloring in a coloring book. Peter and a young girl about the same age were at the same table but they were making something in a large bowl. It appeared to be slimy and green.

“Behold her new life, short as it will be...unless you give me what I want,” he said then dismissed the spell.

Isabella looked at Serena through the spell and felt utterly helpless to do anything to stop either horrible thing from happening. Either they gave Doom what he wanted in order to save Serena’s life and get her back and watched him then destroy the world, or they let Serena die in this other timeline and never see her again. It was an impossible decision.

“Will you give us time to discuss this?” Isabella asked Doom.

Doom just looked at them. “Then I shall return,” he said and then he used his power and warped himself out of the tower. Peter turned toward the others who moved up. “If anyone else was wondering, the Arcbots are complete and ready to accept programming. They take time to manufacture,” he said. “So, depending on how many he asks for…” Peter said.

“You’re not seriously thinking about giving them to him, are you Peter?” Logan asked. Peter looked over at him. “I didn’t come here to just lose her like this, so yes I am considering it,” Peter said almost angrily.

Natalya had been standing quietly listening to everyone as they talked and argued. She could see both sides of the argument. There didn’t appear to be an easy choice. However, a thought soon came to her.

“When Doom sent Serena to this other timeline he sent all of her. That means that Nyx isn’t with her. So it wouldn’t be the same situation as before. Right?”

“Well if that’s true, what happens with their Serena when we get ours back?” Steve asked. “It won’t matter, they lost theirs or will lose theirs anyway,” Peter said.

“How do we even know he’ll keep his word?” Tony asked. “Because I won’t release the bots unless he brings her back,” Peter said. “I don’t trust Victor,” he said. “Victor will keep his word,” Steve said.

———————

Ben was getting sleepy and he leaned back into Serena and cuddled into her. Willow and Peter were laughing as they played with the green slime Willow made. Peter had it all over his face then leaned forward and it rolled off of him. It kept its integrity but looked like real slime. Peter tried to hand a handful of it to Serena.

Isabella was desperately trying to figure out a way to get Serena back and not give Victor these bots. She was pacing back and forth in the lab and biting her fingernails which was a sign she was truly stressed.

“What about Stephen? Now that we know what happened to her maybe he can bring her back or reverse what Victor dud without us giving him those bots.”

———————————-

Serena could feel Ben starting to fall asleep. He leaned back against her and yawned. Near her, Willow and Peter were making green slime. When Peter handed her a little she laughed at the feel of it. “That’s disgusting.”

Willow giggled at her mother. “Momma doesn’t like it!” Willow said gleefully. “Peter helped her get it all out back into a container. Ben snoozed comfortably only Serena’s lap and Peter beamed at her: “Well, look at you Momma,” he said as a Willow took the bowl of slime and moved into the kitchen to put it in the refrigerator.

“Want me take him and put him into his bed?” Peter asked.

————-

“I don’t know if Stephen. An reach between worlds like that,” Tony said. “But we can ask him,” he added.

...later that evening.

Stephen appeared through one of his orange portals. It closed behind him as he moved up to the kitchen table. “Did I miss dinner again?” He asked. He had heard about Isabella’s cooking but so far had not been able to arrive at the right time. They were just cleaning up the dishes.

“Stephen, we really need your help this time,” Tony said. “Well it’s too far in the past for me to change and where Victor took her I can’t access,” Stephen said. “The eye won’t allow me to force him to capitulate either, it doesn’t work like that,” he added when Isabella looked at him.

Serena smiled and nodded and let Peter take Ben and put him back to bed. She put Willow down and then joined Peter in their room. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at him. "It's strange being here. It's home in a way...and yet it isn't in another. But I'm glad you and my parents are here. If I am unable to go back to my timeline I will at least still be with my family."

-----------------------------------

Isabella had saved Stephen a plate and kept it warm in the oven. She pulled it out and saw his eyes light up as she pulled out a knife and fork and gave it to him. "What about the arcbots? Doom wants several of them that aren't already coded. We don't know what he wants them for, but knowing Doom it is something truly evil. Is there any way that you can put an enchantment on them so he can't use them?"

Stephen sat down and smiled at the meal before him but he was still also focused on the problem at hand. “No, I can’t do anything like that, can I Peter,” He said but it wasn't really a question. Peter had actually already figured out how they could give Doom the arcbots and not give him what he wants as well. He didn’t dare say that outloud though. Doom appeared to be able to monitor them somehow.

“No, you can’t. But in all do respect Logan. The Arcbots are mine and Serena is mine. I will give them to him in exchange for her,” Peter said. “We deal with the most immediate problem first,” he said. “And right now thats getting Serena back,” he said.

Isabella glanced between Stephen and Peter and she could sense that there was a plan in place that they did not want to say out loud. She gave Peter a little nod that she understood and said nothing more about it.

"So, we make the exchange then?"

“Do we have a choice if we want see Serena again? Doom just appeared and pointed a gun at our heads,” Tony said. It wasn’t unanimous but eventually all the Avengers agreed to make the exchange. They needed to plan though before Doom returned.

There was some obvious tension between the group as they discussed what to do. They finally agreed to do what they needed to do to bring Serena back. They then spent the next hour coming up with a plan.

“I hope this works,” Kate said after the plan was formed.