Doom Bringer

"Finally…" I say as I put the last piece of the armor back together. I had just spent the last 72 hours taking apart Apocalypses Armor and reverse engineering it, and it was beyond impressive. If I hadn't already worked with the Sentinel's unique adaptability and the Mind Stones unique awareness, I'd have been lost. Even then though, it was a pain in the ass to work through. The armor itself acted like an amplifier of sorts, amplifying the power of the person wearing it by a hundred fold…

Originally I was going to give the armor to Stark, but now I realize that that would be pointless. I barely understand it and I've been working on it for three days straight and had backup knowledge of working with the Mind Stone. Sentinels and Symbiotes…Tony would be lost. Besides that, Stark was only human. He wouldn't be able to get any upgrades unless it unlocked his X-Gene, though that was unlikely. A more likely person to gift it to would be Thor. I don't need it, besides infusing some of the tech into the nanobots into my suit to do the same purpose, using it would be more of a step back instead of an upgrade. Giving it to Thor would enhance his already insanely powerful Asgardian nature and his control over lightning to an insane degree.

Good thing he was coming to earth soon.

I needed t find a way to suitably upgrade my teammates by the time Thanos comes by looking for his rocks, otherwise there will be deaths. What happened in Infinity War showed that whoever stood up to Thanos was easily defeated. Hulk was almost casually beaten, Thor wasn't even a challenge until he got his Axe, Captain America couldn't even hold him in place longer than a few moments. Strange and Stark lasted the longest due to the sheer unpredictability of their abilities. Stark with his Nanobot suit and Strange with his magical knowledge and power.

Unless I can upgrade them somehow, Thanos will wipe the floor with them.

But the question is how? Thor should be taken care of with the armor. Modify it somewhat aesthetically and he'd be set. Hulk is being trained by Sandman in brawling and some martial arts while Banner is being taught various forms of Kung Fu. It wasn't much, but it should give him a few precious seconds against Thanos. Iron Man just blew all of his suits, but its almost guaranteed that he would make more. He always does. That Nanobot suit is already impressive, and as I said earlier, adding this bit of Celestial Technology would do nothing to help him. Other than giving him the Oz Formula, ther is little I can do to upgrade him.

Steve is human. He is an enhanced human, but he is human. Last time I upgraded his suit, I made it more durable with the Adamantine weave and gave his shield the electromagnetic retrieval system that Stark would have given him before Age of Ultron. He would refuse a suit like Starks due to his own stubbornness, but maybe I can convince him to take one of my old Adamantine suits. Less advanced than Starks, but still durable.

Hawkeye and Black Widow are in similar spots to Steve, Human if a bit more talented.

Greer has nothing more than a cats agility and reflexes. She was beaten by Loki in a fight. She has been training, but she is still no match for Thanos.

So much to do…

All of these upgrades will be for not if we can't plan for what will happen.

"Alex. Incoming call from Doctor Doom."

Jerking from my thoughts, I chuckle. Never would have thought that those were words I'd hear uttered. By Ultron no less…

"Put him on."

Immediately a holographic screen appeared in front of me with Latveria's Iron Monarch sitting on his throne.

"Osborn." He greets me as I lean on the table in front of me.

"Doom." I return. "While I am grateful my most successful pupil decided to give me a call, I'll admit I am a bit confused as to why."

"I..." Doom started before pausing. It looked like he was tired, though not in a physical way, more in a mental way. "I wish to offer you a chance for revenge."

"Revenge?" I ask, my eyebrow raised in confusion. There wasn't many people who really raised my ire.

Seeming to take a collective breath, though it was hard to tell, he answers.

"I understand that your brother was killed by a minion of the Demon Mephisto."

Clenching my fists and gritting my teeth, my eyes grow cold as I respond.

"What exactly do you want Doom?"

"Vengeance." he answers. "Many years ago, when I was a young boy, my Mother was deeply involved in witchcraft and sorcery. Stuff I had assumed was fake and pointless at the time."

"My Mother made a deal of sorts with a traveler clothed in red and black. Knowledge was what she bargained for, and the stranger asked for only one thing in return. My Mothers Eternal Soul."

Shifting slightly in his throne, he continues as my mind raced. I remember this somewhat from the comics. In exchange for magical power and knowledge, Dooms mother gave up her soul. She immediately regretted it, but by that point, she made the deal and was cast down to hell for eternity.

If this is going where I think its going, then I may need to ask the Ancient One for some assistance.

"She agreed, but after the deal was concluded, she immediately regretted her decision. She died very shortly thereafter. I intend to retrieve her soul from Mephistopheles grasp and return her to the mortal coil once more. However I have come to a slight… hiccup in my plan."

Raising my eyebrow, I gesture for him to continue.

"I am not powerful enough to enter hell, retrieve my mothers soul, and escape while fighting of Mephisto and his hoards all without perishing. I require assistance."

"Let me get his straight." I start as I begin pacing. "You want to enter hell, find your mothers soul among millions, fight off if not kill Mephisto and his hordes, and you want me to help you because you figured I'd be a bit more agreeable due to my history with Mephistos minion?"

Nodding, he agrees.

"To put it simply."

"I have two requests." I finally say after thinking it through. "One, I understand how personal this is, but to make it just the two of us would be suicidal. We must also bring The Ancient One, and if she refuses, then you must promise to wait until I can find someone else capable."

"Agreeable." He states.

"Two, we must wait a week after the time of my recruiting the Ancient One or other such individual so that we have time to prepare. I will not go into this half assed and get my ass handed to me."

"Very well."

Finishing the call, I sigh. This was going to be a pain.

/

Walking through the corridors in Kamar Taj, I sigh. I could have said no, I could have brushed Doom off. I could have even said I was busy for the foreseeable future, but I didn't. Why?

'Well for one, I wanted to punch Mephisto in the face.' I thought to myself dryly. But why else? I was literally going to hell with Victor Van Doom.

Why was my life so strange?

Walking into the main courtyard, I see Mordo teaching a class of students how to use their sling rings, the Ancient One standing behind. Observing. She seemed more alive since the serum, more rejuvenated. Like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. I guess using the Dark Dimension for energy was rather taxing on a person.

With the symbiote in the shape of a nice suit, I walk over to The Ancient One and look out over the students.

"Your mission will be dangerous." She comments as she watches each student, one by one to see where they were struggling.

"I assume you know why I'm here then?"

"Of course. Your future may be difficult to read, but your apprentice is not quite so challenging."

"Just don't tell him that… He'd blow a gasket."

"Yes..." she replies. "Your apprentice is incredibly…-"

"Egotistical? Prideful? Probably a dozen other synonyms for that?"

Chuckling slightly, she smirks. "Precisely."

"So will you help?" I ask. "We could use your help."

Sweeping her gaze across her students, she sighs.

"Follow me."

Following her to her private chambers, she casts a privacy ward and sighed.

"Dormammu and Mephisto have had a form of rivalry for millennia." she says as she walks over to the far wall. I have never been in her room before, and to be honest? It looked exactly like I expected. Despite her age, she didn't have many things in her room to show it. There was, of course, the wall of Tomes that she was looking through now, but there were no trophies. There was no Ancient Relics that she took of her enemies, there was no mounted dragon head or Demon bones, there was just… a small twin bed and a small table that held a book she was reading and a glass of water.

It suited her.

Finding the book she was searching for, she continued.

"They got into an argument a few millennia ago and never really sorted it out. With my magic tainted by Dormammu's power, I would act like a flare in the dark for Mephistopheles and his minions to see."

"I see…" I reply as I look at her personal collection before turning back to face her. "Then perhaps something else then."

"Oh?"

"When we create the portal to enter Mephisto's realm, we'll need someone to defend this side of it… Would you be willing to defend the portal while we attack Mephisto directly?"

Pausing for a moment, she looks at me. "You do know that officially I must dissuade you of this. This course of action is sheer insanity. To go into his realm and escape with a soul? You would have to be suicidal or insane."

Before I could say anything, she raises her hand and continues.

"But… Unofficially, there may be a few ways in which to beat him."

Raising my eyebrows, she continues.

"He is a demon of immeasurable power, You would need an army of fully trained sorcerers to beat him in a fight while in his realm." she states as she flips through various tomes, looking through various incantations and spells. She was, without a doubt, a scholar above all else. A teacher. To be perfectly honest, if she felt the same way and I wasn't with Greer…

"Which is why you attack him head on."

"Wait, What?" I ask as I take a step back.

"Split his attention." She continues with a slight smirk on her face. "While your apprentice finds his mother, you will draw attention to yourself and attack Mephisto head on. With the amount of power you have, you will survive." pausing for a moment in thought, she adds. "That said though, I would bring a few of your Sentinel's or at the very least a few drones."

Thinking about it for a moment, I respond to the plan. "Isn't he far more powerful in his own realm than he is anywhere else? Wouldn't it be wiser to draw him into our world?"

"You would think so, yes. However there is something you would be missing. While far more powerful in his own realm, he is also capable of dying there. Making him more vulnerable."

This could work… If Doom brought a small army of Doom Bots to search for his mother while I distracted Mephisto with a few Sentinels and Drones… If nothing else then there is plan B.

"Perfect." I say. "Now, hypothetically of course, If Doom and I created the portal in a special chamber beneath Genosha in about a weeks time, Hypothetically, would you be willing to help defend the portal?"

Grinning from ear to ear, she answers.

"Hypothetically, I would have to say yes. I would be honored."

/

In the week period between me speaking with The Ancient One and the start of the mission, Doom and I went to work. Him ensuring his Doom Bots were prepared to go one on one with a horde of Demons, and me making sure my Sentinels were prepared.

When Norman came and attacked Genosha, the Sentinals failed to even register him. Luckily, once the battle ended I was able to keep Normans spear and use it to upgrade the sentinels tracking systems.

Now they won't be blind to the demons in hell.

And once that was done, it was time.

To Hell, and to kick Mephisto's ass.

This should be a helluva party.

Here's to hoping I'll survive.