Chapter 8: Birth Of The Fantastic Four I

(Victor: POV)

Once Lucia and I finished shaking hands we moved into the office.

After doing so I gave her a contract to sign.

A very special one.

The contract itself being magical in nature. Which will erase any and all of Lucia's memories in regards to me and my activities should she decide to ever betray me in any form or fashion.

Because while I do want her as an ally I am not foolish enough to blindly trust her.

No, Doom is not a fool.

Not protesting one bit when I handed her the contract Lucia looked it over and then signed it.

The two of us then discussed a few more things before I opened a portal back to my apartment and the two of us returned to it.

Once I did Lucia and I exchanged farewells and she left.

After this happened I decided to make myself some dinner and then celebrate by binge watching Star Trek: The Original Series.

Since it exists in this reality.

Which is a blessing to all who live here if you ask me.

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Two weeks after Lucia signed her employment/failsafe magical contract and agreed to work with me she permanently moved to New York.

Having taking care of any outstanding business she had to attend to in North Carolina.

Once she did I immediately put her to work.

Turning her into my own version of Pepper Potts.

But more than that I began working to earn Lucia's utmost trust in earnest.

Since unlike the original Doom I am not arrogant enough to think I am handle everything on my own. Nor will I see those I surround myself with as simply a means to an end.

For the most part.

No, I want true allies.

But I know to gain those things I have to work for them. Which is fine by me.

For Doom is not afraid of a little hard work.

So with that in mind I began. Noticing slow but steady results as the months began to pass.

The year turning into 2005 before I knew it.

My personal plans proceeding on schedule I turned my attention to another important matter.

Making sure the Fantastic Four were born.

Once Lucia and I got into a stable working relationship I focused on that project.

Hammering out the details with Susan and Reed.

Making sure Ben Grimm and Jonathan Storm ended up being apart of the mission itself.

Which was relatively easy.

Considering unlike in the original film this time Reed's experiment would take place on a brand new space facility belonging to NASA.

That had been launched to the purposes of such experiments as Reed was conducting.

To see how a zero-g environment would affect scientific experiments.

So after getting the mission approved the date was set and soon the band of four were off into the stars.

On their way to gaining their fantastic powers.

Which I would be all to happy to help them control and master.

For Doom is nothing if not generous.

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[NASA Space Station]

[July 8th, 2005]

(3rd Person: POV)

Inside one of the labs on the new NASA space station he was currently aboard Reed prepared the biological samples he and his team had brought for exposure to the incoming cosmic energy cloud.

A smile on his face.

Since Reed couldn't wait to see the results of this experiment.

An experiment that might open the door to so many new scientific possibilities it wasn't even funny.

As Reed continued prepping the samples the door to the lab he was in opened up.

Susan and her younger brother, Jonathan "Johnny" Storm, entering it.

[Insert Image of Jonathan Storm/Human Torch Here]

Though Reed was to absorbed in his work to even acknowledge them.

Seeing this Susan went up to Reed and tapped him slightly on the shoulder.

This in turn caused him to stop working and turn in her direction. "Oh Susan, hello."

"Wow sis, no wonder you broke up with the guy. He doesn't even notice when you entered the room." Johnny spoke.

Earning him a slap on the back of the head from Susan.

"Ow!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Shut up Johnny." Susan said. She then focused her attention back on Reed. "Hard at work I see."

"Of course." Reed replied. "This is a momentous occasion in scientific history we're about to be after all. The world is likely about to experience a massive change, and we're all apart of that." He said.

"And Victor to Reed." Susan said. "Since without him we wouldn't even be here right now." She said.

Given that Victor had funded this entire expedition and experiment out of his own pocket. Even if NASA had provided the space station and the shuttle it was only because Victor negotiated a deal to make it happen. Which included making a donation to the space program itself.

"Yes, of course Susan. I am not forgetting Victor. Speaking of which, when we get back to Earth I need to thank him." Reed spoke.

Since he is truly grateful for the opportunity his old college classmate had made possible for him.

"You do. And I'll remind you to." Susan agreed.

"Victor, you mean the guy who was obviously trying to flirt with you-Ow!" Johnny said.

Given that Susan had slapped him upside the head again.

"Johnny, enough." She told her younger brother. "And whether Victor was or was not trying to flirt with me doesn't matter. Especially since its none of your business." Susan spoke.

Though internally she admitted the flirting Victor had don with her felt nice.

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

But right after Susan did so the klaxons throughout the entire station began going off.

"What the hell?!" Johnny shouted.

"Oh no." Reed said. His eyes glued to a nearby computer terminal. "The cosmic energy cloud has arrived earlier than predicted. We only have minutes before it strikes the station." He quickly explained.

Sue and Johnny getting worried expressions on their faces upon hearing that.

"Shit!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Reed, what can we do?" Susan asked.

"We need to get to deepest part of the station and let the shielding do its work." Reed replied. "Where's Ben?" He asked.

"Outside. On a space walk." Johnny spoke.

The moment he did silence enveloped the entire room.

Then a few seconds passed before the three ran out of the room, heading straight for their friend Ben. Hoping they are not too late.

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

Outside in his spacesuit, in the void of space, Benjamin Grimm was enjoying his spacewalk.

[Insert Image of Benjamin Grimm/The Thing Here]

Having no idea what was about to happen.

A smile on his face he looked at both the moon and planet Earth, and took in their beauty. "Never gets old." He mused.

Then a few minutes after Ben did the comms in his suit came alive.

"Ben, can you hear me?" Reed asked.

"Yeah Reed. What's up? Not enough samples around for you to run your experiments on?" Ben asked, joking.

"No Ben. You need to get inside the station right now. The cosmic energy cloud is arriving sooner than expected. It will be here within minutes." Reed quickly explained.

This sent a shiver down Ben's spine.

But he quickly recovered and responded to Reed.

"Understood." Ben replied.

He then began using his suits thrusters to turn back in the direction of the station and fly toward it.

Ben managing to reach it with no problems in the slightest.

Though just as he did the cosmic energy cloud appeared, and then passed right over the station. Irradiating everyone and everything it touched.

Including the four explorers.

The four having no idea just how much this moment would affect the rest of their lives.

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