Chapter 56: Face your DOOM! -1

'Fuck' you think looking at the monologuing villain as what you were afraid of ended up happening anyway.

"What are you on about, metal face?" Johnny retorts, clearly annoyed yet unaware of the gravity unfolding.

"I have a special gift for someone as impudent as you," Doom responds, reaching into a box and pulling out a big object.

"This is a heat-seeking missile, from my days in military contracts," he explains with a sinister grin, pressing the trigger and aiming it at Johnny. The missile is released, streaking straight toward him.

"Oh, Shitt!" Johnny exclaims, his flames igniting as he rockets away swiftly with the missile following him.

"Johnny!" Susan cries out in worry.

Turning to Susan, Doom sneers, "Don't worry, I'll reunite you with your brother soon enough."

Instinctively, you step in front of Susan as Doom extends his hand toward her.

ZAP

You activate your forcefield, absorbing the full force of Doom's electric attack. The intensity of the moment causes your invisibility to fade.

"Oh, another hidden mouse reveals itself," Doctor Doom mocks as he halts his assault.

"Susan, is this your boyfriend, Lucas? Excellent, now I can finish all of you in one fell swoop. Come then and face your Doom!" he taunts, his laughter echoing ominously.

You take a deep breath and get ready for a Boss Battle.

You can see that Doom is going to use his Electrical Blast at you so you will have to defend, but before that you can do something.

You take in your surroundings first: you're on the top floor of the Baxter Building, with most of the space occupied by machines. You have limited space to manoeuvre. Behind you, there's the roof, and beside you, there are windows leading straight down.

Johnny has flown away from this place to dodge a heat-seeking rocket that is following him; who knows when he'll come back.

Susan is behind you, ready to use her Forcefield and Invisibility powers.

Reed is frozen right now besides Doom. He looks to be connected to a freezing device.

You can see Ben's human self knocked out on a bunch of machines in a corner.

It looks like it is just you and Susan against Doom right now.

There are several plans going through your head.

Plan 1: Charge straight at him, aiming to reach him before he can unleash his Electrical Blast. If he manages to blast you, rely on your Forcefield power and with Susan's assistance, to withstand the attack. With any luck, you'll be able to reach him that way.

Plan 2: Attack him with your new cool Fire abilities from a distance while simultaneously creating a reinforced force field for defence, Susan will help you.

Plan 3: Attack Reed's cooling device, it might free him and allow him to join the fight.

Plan 4: Attack Doom while instructing Susan via Telepathy to go invisible and release Reed, so he can join the fight.

Plan 5: Unleash a Forcefield Blast at Doom, with Susan doing the same.

_

[Plan 2 Selected]

_

Turn 1

(Yours) Endurance: 24 (Will use 3)

Holy Fire Magic: 24 [Crit]

Forcefield Defence: 34 [Double Crit]

(Doctor Doom) AC(Armor Class): 30 End: 100 (Will use 5)

Electrical Blast: 19 [Crit Fail]

_

Before Doom could unleash his attack, you harness your newfound power, Holy Fire Magic, summoning a pulsating orb of radiant flames as big as your face in the palm of your hand.

Crackle

The air crackles with energy as the fiery sphere takes shape, its intense heat palpable even from your close proximity. With practiced precision, you hurl the blazing orb toward Doom, wasting no time in launching your attack.

Woosh

The white-hot projectile hurtles through the air with ferocious speed, its luminous trail leaving a fleeting imprint against the darkened backdrop of the room. It catches Doom off guard as it streaks straight towards him.

Reacting quickly, Doom abandons his electrical assault, swiftly retracting the crackling energy as he raises a defensive hand to shield his face from the oncoming ball of fire.

Sizzle

The attack hits him straight in the face, even with his hand protecting it. As this happens, you simultaneously start erecting a Psionic Forcefield around you. Susan sees this and follows suit.

Your powers merge, and a sturdy forcefield envelops you both, making you feel that it will stay here for a while with minimum efforts from you and will most probably tank one or two of Doom's Electrical blasts easily.

You glance ahead at Doom, noticing that your fire has set ablaze his clothes, causing his robe to burn away, leaving his upper metallic body fully exposed.

To your astonishment, the intense flames seem to have had no effect on him whatsoever. Not even his metallic mask shows any signs of damage. It's as if your attack had no impact on him at all!

Now, he fixes you with a piercing stare, and even in the dim light, you can see the fury simmering within his eyes.

Doom readies himself to unleash another electrical blast.

"Maybe we should try something else," Susan whispers behind you, her worry palpable as she observes how your fireball had no effect on Doom.

You reconsider your options, searching for a more effective plan amidst the growing tension.

Plan 1: Charge straight at him, aiming to reach him before he can unleash his Electrical Blast. If he manages to blast you, rely on your Forcefield power and with Susan's assistance, to withstand the attack. With any luck, you'll be able to reach him that way. But you will be undoing your erected defence if you wish to rush him.

Plan 2: Attack him with your new cool Fire abilities from a distance while simultaneously creating a reinforced force field for defence, Susan will help you. Maybe this time it will do something?

Plan 3: Attack Reed's cooling device, it might free him and allow him to join the fight.

Plan 4: Attack Doom with Fire while instructing Susan via Telepathy to go invisible and release Reed, so he can join the fight.

Plan 5: Unleash a Forcefield Blast at Doom, with Susan doing the same.

Plan 6: Unleash a Forcefield Blast at Doom while instructing Susan via Telepathy to go invisible and release Reed, so he can join the fight.

_

[Plan 6 Selected]

_

Turn 2

(Yours) End: 21 (Will use 3)

Forcefield Blast Attack: 31

Forcefield Defence: 34 (Only for this turn)

(Doctor Doom) AC: 30 Health 300 End: 95 (Will use 3)

Electrical Blast: 31

_

You utilize your Telepathy to establish a mental connection with Susan.

Having acquired the Psychic Immunity power recently, you opted to deactivate your technological shield and maintain the Psychic Immunity, which proved more potent.

However, this rendered your Telepathy temporarily inactive, requiring you to deactivate Psychic Immunity before utilising Telepathy.

'Susan, it's Lucas. I'm reaching out to you telepathically. I'm going to engage Doom, drawing his attention. Meanwhile, I'll create an opening in the shield for you to slip through. Go invisible and release Reed from that machine,' you transmit to Susan's mind, outlining the plan.

Susan offers a silent nod of acknowledgment, indicating her agreement with your strategy.

You concentrate intently, channeling your psychic energy into a powerful forcefield blast directed at Doom. Simultaneously, you create a temporary opening in the forcefield for Susan to slip through.

With a resounding impact, your forcefield strikes Doom, causing him to stagger backward, momentarily thrown off balance. Seizing the opportunity, Susan swiftly fades into invisibility and darts through the gap in the forcefield. As she exits, you quickly seal the breach, the forcefield enveloping you completely once more.

"Is this the extent of your feeble attempts, Lucas?" Doctor Doom's voice reverberates with disdain, his gaze piercing through the darkness. "Allow me to demonstrate the true meaning of power."

ZAP

His ElectroBlast slams into your Forcefield with ferocity, the crackling energy impacting against your shield. You strain against the force, feeling the brunt of his attack as you stand alone to bear its fury. The confrontation lasts mere seconds, but in the end, your shield holds firm against the onslaught.

"You possess a similar power to Susan?" Doom's voice drips with disdain, his confidence unwavering. "I wonder how long your feeble shield will endure."

As the standoff continues, from the corner of your eye you catch sight of the machine's knob turning off. Meanwhile your invisible Psionic shield also fizzle out.

"Where has Susan vanished to?" Doctor Doom's voice carries an edge of surprise as he scans the area, his eyes darting around in search of the Invisible Woman.

Before his gaze falls upon the newly freed Reed, you seize the moment to reassess your strategy, running through the plans once more in your mind.

Plan 1: Charge straight at him, aiming to reach him before he can unleash his Electrical Blast. If he manages to blast you, rely on your Forcefield power, with Susan's assistance, to withstand the attack. With any luck, you'll be able to reach him that way.

Plan 2: Attack him with your new cool Fire abilities from a distance, distracting him from finding susan, while simultaneously creating a reinforced force field for defence. Maybe this time it will do something?

Plan 3: Reed is released but he is still frozen, it will take a while for the Ice to thaw naturally. Maybe you can blast him with your Magical Fire and unfreeze him, he is rubber so he will be fine most probably.

Plan 4: Unleash a Forcefield Blast at Doom, distracting him from finding out Susan.

Plan 5: Unleash a Forcefield Blast at Doom while instructing Susan to do the same from her position.

_

[Plan 5 Selected]

_

_

Turn 3

(Yours) End: 18 (Will use 3)

Forcefield Blast Attack: 32

(Susan) Health 80 End:20 (Will use 5)

Forcefield Blast Attack: 16

Forcefield Defence: 17

(Doctor Doom) AC: 30 Health 299 End: 92 (Will use 3)

Electrical Blast: 36

_

You telepathically instruct Susan to join you in attacking Doom simultaneously with your Forcefield blasts. Without visual confirmation or the ability to respond, you trust she has heard your plan as you proceed with your attack.

You concentrate your mind, directing another Forcefield blast towards Doctor Doom.

"Ughh!" Doom staggers back once again as your blast impacts him while he's still scanning his surroundings.

From the other side, another Forcefield blast accompanies yours, but its impact on Doom is minimal.

"So you were hiding there," Doom observes, his tone dripping with disdain as he catches sight of Susan, whose invisibility faltered during the attack, leaving her exposed.

Noticing that the machine has been turned off, Doom's anger boils over. "You wish to make a fool of me? Face my fury!" he bellows, his voice laced with menace and indignation as he points his hands towards her.

ZAP

BAM

Crackle

Doctor Doom's electronic beam surges forward, piercing the air with crackling energy. Susan scrambles to erect a forcefield barrier, but it shatters upon impact like fragile glass.

"AAH!" Susan's cry echoes through the room as the electric blast strikes her squarely, hurling her into the wall.

"This is the consequence of opposing Doom," Doom declares, his voice cold and commanding as he turns his gaze toward you. "Now, it is your turn to face the Doom!"