Chapter 29

"When Peter tried to justify himself by mentioning his ability to dodge attacks, I calmly accessed my observation archives. I presented him with irrefutable evidence—dozens of recordings made by hidden cameras, ruthlessly capturing moments when Peter had to take hits. Each video, showcasing his heroic but sometimes reckless actions, served as a reminder that even the quickest reflexes can't guarantee complete immunity from hostile actions.

After such a stark demonstration, Peter, feeling the weight of the moment, couldn't help but give a sad smile and admit, "Hah... I guess you're right." This admission, though made lightly, reflected his inner readiness to face the reality of his weaknesses.

"Admitting your weaknesses is the first step toward addressing them," I said.

My words laid the foundation for a new phase in our interaction. Peter, energized by this idea, seemed to find a new reserve of strength and enthusiasm.

"And now that we've crossed this Rubicon, I think I can show you my latest development," I said, filling the room with a sense of anticipation.

In the next moment, I activated a mechanism, and before us materialized a new Spider-Man suit, created from nanomachines.

"Are these nanomachines?!" Peter exclaimed, looking at the new suit, which matched his current one in color scheme.

The nanomachine technology allowed the suit not only to fit Peter's body perfectly, ensuring maximum mobility and comfort, but also to instantly respond to his commands, changing shape, density, and even functionality depending on the situation. This was truly a revolutionary achievement that could drastically improve not only Peter's self-defense but also his crime-fighting methods.

"Yes," I nodded with a slight smile.

I didn't have vibranium or adamantium, let alone mysterium, but even so, the current nanomachine base was quite formidable. In my opinion, this would be sufficient for Parker's level of power and the opponents he might face.

"Why are you helping me?"Peter suddenly asked.

This question raised my eyebrow involuntarily.

"You're a good person. And that's more than enough," I said.

—= Some Time Later =—

After Parker left with his new suit, it was time to prepare the team for the encounter with the Doombot.

Thanks to the device that accurately pinpointed the Doombot's location with 90% certainty, I could begin the preparations.

The lab was filled with an atmosphere of tense anticipation. All team members, except for Johnny, who was absent at the time of my announcement, gathered around, awaiting instructions. The air was charged with the significance of the upcoming confrontation with one of the most powerful and unpredictable individuals—Victor von Doom.

"The reason I gathered you all here is quite serious. Everyone here, aside from Johnny, remembers Victor von Doom," I began, drawing the attention of everyone present. My comrades' eyes reflected an understanding of the challenging task ahead, requiring maximum focus and effort from each of us.

As I revealed the full scope of Victor von Doom's actions to the team, the lab fell into a tense silence. My words, supported by numerous news reports and financial analysis, painted a troubling future. Each team member pondered the information, trying to grasp the full extent of the threat posed by Doom.

"He's become a ruler?!" Ben and Johnny exclaimed simultaneously, their voices tinged with disbelief and shock at how far Victor had gone in his pursuit of power.

Susan, meanwhile, was focused on analyzing the financial flows that indicated the scale of Doom's projects. Her sharp mind quickly deduced the ultimate goal of these investments.

"He's created a weapon," she said calmly, each word carrying weight and underscoring the seriousness of the situation. Her conclusion confirmed our worst fears.

I continued, presenting evidence that Victor had been monitoring our every battle. These materials, gathered after meticulous research, clearly indicated that Doom was not just observing us but analyzing and seeking our weaknesses.

"He's created a weapon against us," Susan reiterated, emphasizing that the threat was not abstract but very real and directed squarely at us.

At that moment, when the tension reached its peak, I tried to lighten the mood and add a touch of levity by turning to Sue and saying, "Did I mention how much I love you?"

My words, unexpected in such a serious context, brought smiles to everyone's faces.

When the location of the Doombot appeared on the screens, the air in the lab seemed to thicken with anticipation. The map showed that a vast distance had been covered in just a few hours, indicating the incredible technological capabilities of the bot. My teammates exchanged looks of readiness. At that moment, the bot was located within the United States.

"What are we waiting for? Let's attack it," Ben said, his tone full of determination, eyes burning with the desire to engage in battle immediately. He was always ready to jump into action at the first call.

However, understanding the complexity of the situation and the potential consequences of a direct confrontation, I gently but firmly countered his enthusiasm.

"I suggest we pretend we weren't expecting his attack," my words elicited a questioning look from Ben. I knew his desire to act was driven by the best intentions, but the strategy required a more subtle approach.

"Why?" his question reflected natural puzzlement. After all, we always tried to stay one step ahead of our enemies, accepting the fight rather than avoiding it.

Meanwhile, Susan, with her characteristic perceptive insight, had already begun to grasp the depth of my plan. Her gaze was filled with support and trust in the chosen strategy.

"To know Victor's every move. We shouldn't give him a reason to change his plans. It's better to control certain moments ourselves," I said with a slight smile.

—= Some Time Later =—

The appearance of the Doombot 'coincidentally' aligned with the day our team planned to fly to the Moon.

As soon as the detection devices registered the Doombot's approach, the tension in the air became palpable. Ben, with his characteristic sarcasm, expressed the collective frustration that even our plans for space exploration couldn't proceed without interference from our enemies.

Despite the Doombot's confidence in catching us off guard, its attack did not surprise us. Coordinated actions and quick responses allowed us to avoid an energy blast that could have had catastrophic consequences.

"Team, move out!" my command rang out decisively, emphasizing the importance of the moment and the need for coordinated actions.

In response to our reaction, the Doombot activated an additional spell embedded by Victor. At that moment, our struggle entered a new phase, requiring not only physical strength and agility but also intellectual effort to counter the magical components of its attacks.

The Doombot opened its hand, and at that moment, the spells Victor had embedded in it took effect.

"Hacking process... 60%..." I heard in my earpiece.

—\\—

"Unknown error..." the AI announced, its voice wavering as if it were encountering an invisible barrier.

At this critical moment, the hacking process was nearing completion, reaching 80% of its goal. The Doombot's behavior changed instantly and drastically, indicating the activation of its magical defenses. This was a clear sign that it was time to deploy the specially prepared device designed to overcome such obstacles.

I immediately redirected some of my resources to strengthen the protective field around Susan, who, finding herself in the thick of things, created an energy arena around the Doombot. This action isolated it from the outside world, leaving only Ben and Johnny inside, who, though not exerting their full strength, fought with enough power to protect themselves from potential enemy strikes.

Ben, with his unique combat skills, attacked the bot with lightning speed, trying to find weaknesses in its defenses. His movements were incredibly swift, a stark contrast to his appearance.

Johnny Storm used his fiery abilities, creating a powerful field around himself that emitted bursts of energy towards the bot. He skillfully maneuvered, avoiding counterattacks, and each of his strikes was filled with destructive force.

Meanwhile, I focused on the device meant to overcome the opponent's magical defenses. It was a complex structure made of metal and numerous magical inscriptions, pulsating with a soft blue light. I began the activation process, carefully adjusting each element to successfully counter the magical barrier.

"Eo Ire Itum!" I exclaimed.

The magical inscriptions glowed even more intensely, and I felt a part of my life force drain into the spell.

In the next moment, a beam of energy struck the Doombot. Victor's creation jerked as if electricity coursed through its circuits, affecting the components responsible for its movement.

A moment later, the Doombot began to glow from within.

BAM

A wave of magical energy burst from the Doombot's body, which had previously fueled its inscriptions.

"Hack complete," my assistant announced.

The Doombot's body went still, and its code was now an open book before me. Thanks to the AI, which simplified my work, making the necessary adjustments was surprisingly easy.

The ruler of Latveria had created the Doombot to gather information on us. However, now the information he would receive would be far less reliable. These circumstances created a favorable ground for our future strategy against Victor.

The Doombot's readiness for action, its recent aggression, all this was now just a memory.

"Done," I said, barely holding back a grin.

Understanding that the Doombot no longer posed a threat, my team slowly approached it.

"Are we leaving it here?" Johnny's question broke the silence.

Ben was still in his rocky form, apparently not wanting to tempt fate.

"Of course not," Ben declared. "What if it has some self-destruct function?"

At that moment, I joined the conversation, saying, "It poses no threat. Everything Victor embedded in it has been analyzed, and anything that could be dangerous has been removed."

"But we still can't leave it here," Susan said. "Its internal components alone are a danger to ordinary people."

Johnny created a fireball above his fist and asked, "So we destroy it?"

"There is a more rational use for this bot," I said, already envisioning the Doombot dismantled into components that could be used for many interesting purposes.

Using magnetism, I deformed the Doombot into a convenient shape for transport. Then, Pym's subatomic particles came into play, altering the size of the pile.

"That's better," I said, stowing the reduced metal heap. "Now we can continue our mission."

"Hopefully, it won't explode this time?" Ben asked, returning to his usual form.

"By the way, I don't want to risk getting another burn," Johnny added, no longer resembling a fire elemental.

"It shouldn't," I assured them.

This time, I considered numerous factors, and the protection was three times better than before. Moreover, the flight wasn't as far this time.

—= Some Time Later =—

"We didn't explode this time," Johnny said, his voice full of irony, with a smirk adding a touch of casual ease. This moment of lightness seemed almost unbelievable after the trials and battles we had faced. We were approaching the Moon, and everything seemed possible.

My enhanced engines, powered by adapted arc reactors, were a marvel of modern engineering. Thanks to my research in cosmic physics and developments in space-time fabric studies, we achieved the impossible. I created a warp-jump device that allowed our ship to cover vast distances in an instant, ignoring the classic speed of light limitations. This was my secret trump card, and it was thanks to it that we were now so close to reaching our goal.

Looking back at Earth, now just a small glowing orb in the vast darkness of space, I couldn't help but feel a deep connection to all of humanity's pioneers.

The Moon ahead was a shimmering orb, its surface dotted with craters and plains, appearing both mysterious and inviting. It wasn't just Earth's natural satellite, but a symbol of humanity's drive for exploration and discovery.

"It's an incredible view from up here," Johnny said, looking at Earth.

"Yeah, especially when the ship isn't threatening to blow up," Ben replied.

"I have to agree," Sue added.

At that moment, the ship was preparing for landing. This process was controlled not only by Ben but also by the autopilot that Johnny had set up.

"Is this the same place where Apollo landed?" Ben asked.

"Not quite," I replied. "We're in a more remote part of the Moon, which has only been explored through orbital images and remote sensing. This area contains unique geological features that, I believe, can reveal new aspects of the Moon's history and its impact on Earth. Studying these places can give us insights into various cosmic processes and even offer new approaches to exploring other planetary bodies in our Solar System."

To be precise, we had landed in the area known as the Blue Moon.

"Do you all see that?" I asked as the ship landed and the first data from outside began to come in.

"Yes... Can your scanners be wrong?" Sue asked me.

"No," I replied. "But just to be safe, we'll go out in spacesuits."

I glanced around at the team, ensuring everyone was suited up before beginning the procedure to exit.

HISSS

And so, the Fantastic Four stepped outside.

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