Chapter 57: Face your DOOM! -2

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!"

Plan 1: Charge at Doom

Plan 2: Attack Doom with fire

Plan 3: Attack Reed with fire

Plan 4: Attack with forcefield blast alone

Plan 5: Taunt Doom with telepathy to have him focus on you

Plan 6: Charge straight at him, aiming to reach him and touch him to null his powers with Anti-Power 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.

Plan 7: Instead of blasting Doom with a Forcefield, use it to push and cage him against the wall with Susan's help. Doom's new metallic body can resist your attack but it should not give him the strength to break free from your force prison. Once he is stuck use your Anti-Power to depower him.

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[Plan 6 Selected]

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Turn 4

(Yours) Health 100 End: 15 (Will use 6)

Forcefield Def_1: 29

Forcefield Def_2 : 32

(Susan) Health (62/80) End:15

(Doctor Doom) AC: 30 Health (297/300) End: 89 (Will use 6)

Electrical Blast_1: 30

Electrical Blast_2: 30

_

Doom's assault on Susan unfolds too swiftly for you to intervene. Anger and concern intertwine as you watch her slammed against the wall by the force of his attack.

With urgency, you summon a psionic shield to defend yourself as Doom directs his Palm towards you.

ZAP

Boom

The force of Doom's Electrical Blast slams against your shield, driving you back with its sheer power. Straining against the onslaught, you fight to maintain your defence.

Crack

Despite your efforts, the relentless force of the attack proves overwhelming, causing your psionic shield to fracture.

"Break for Doom!" Doom's command echoes through the room as he intensifies his assault.

Shatter

With a resounding shatter, your shield gives way, but not without absorbing much of the Electric Blast's energy.

Sizzle

Residual electric currents course through your skin, the absence of armour leaving your bare body vulnerable to the shock, causing a jolt of pain to shoot through you.

"See how futile your attempts are against the might of Doom!" Doctor Doom's voice resonates with haughty arrogance.

"You will pay for hurting Susan!" Your voice carries a mix of determination and indignation as you charge toward him.

"It seems you are in need of another taste of my lightning," Doctor Doom retorts, gathering power into his hand and directing it at you.

ZAP

This time, you are prepared, concentrating intensely to conjure a stronger psionic shield while continuing your advance.

BAM

The force of the Electronic Blast against your shield is just as formidable as before, but you grit your teeth and push forward with determination. Despite the struggle, you maintain your momentum and press through the beam, your shield absorbing the impact.

With sheer effort, you manage to close the distance between you and Doom. As you near him, he halts his attack, surprised by your proximity. Even your psionic shield falters and fizzles out in the intense confrontation.

_

Turn 5

(Yours) Health (99/100) End: 9 (Will use 5)

Strength: 30 [Dubs Crit]

Agility: 24

Personal Anti-Power: 32

(Susan) Health (62/80) End:18

(Doctor Doom) AC: 30 Health (297/300) End: 83 (Will use 6)

Strength: 20

Agility: 16

Saving Roll: 35

_

As you close in on him, Doctor Doom redirects his focus from his Electric Blast attack to a physical assault against you.

"Coming near me was a mistake," Doctor Doom sneers as he swiftly throws a punch in your direction.

Swish

His punch goes straight for you, catching you off guard as you've just closed in the distance. However, a remnant of your fading psionic shield intercepts the attack, dissipating as it absorbs the impact.

The blow then hurtles towards you, but it feels more like a gentle nudge than a forceful strike. Despite his menacing words, Doctor Doom's attack seems surprisingly ineffective.

You catch the surprise in Doom's eyes, seizing this chance you grasp his hand and invoking your power, Personal Anti-Power. Despite its sensation being submerged beneath the weight of Personal Anti-Force within you, you manage to access it.

With determination, you direct this power at Doctor Doom's body.

"What are you doing?" he demands, his voice laced with both confusion and indignation, as his metal-clad hand begins to revert to human flesh under your influence.

With a smirk, you intensify your efforts, determined to expedite the transformation.

"You dare to take Doom's Powers away from him? I won't let you! No one is allowed to take away what belongs to me!" Doctor Doom's voice reverberates with anger as he clenches his fists, metal resuming its dominance over his form.

You watch in astonishment as his once-human facade regresses to its metallic state. Despite your efforts to exert your power once more, it's as if his body is actively resisting your intrusion.

"Do you have any other tricks to try against Doom?" His words carry a haughty defiance, reflecting his unwavering confidence in his superiority.

You feel the weight of exhaustion settling upon you after exerting your powers repeatedly. Before you can formulate your next move, a translucent figure hurtles towards Doctor Doom in front of you.

You recognise the translucent figure as Reed, currently invisible. Susan must have activated her powers, but because your abilities mirror hers, you can still perceive invisible entities as translucent figures just like her.

"What sorcery is this?" Doctor Doom's voice rings out with incredulity, as he futilely struggles against the unseen force binding and pulling him.

Reed's remarkable flexibility comes into play as he ensnares Doctor Doom, dragging him forcefully towards the window.

Smash

Before you can offer any assistance, the sound of shattering glass fills the air as they plummet downward from the top floor of the Baxter Building.

You exhale deeply, relieved that the immediate danger has passed, and quickly make your way to Susan, who is sitting on the ground, clutching her head.

"Sue, are you okay?" you ask, concern evident in your voice as you carefully inspect her for any injuries.

"I'm fine," Susan replies, her brow furrowed in discomfort. "But Reed won't be able to hold him off for long. We need to go help him," she adds, her tone laced with worry.

"Huh? Ouch!" You notice Ben rising from the wreckage of machines he was thrown into.

"Ben, are you okay? What happened? How are you human again?" Susan rushes to his side, extending a hand to help him up.

"Victor, that son of a bitch…. he cured me, but then he hit me. He must have knocked me out," Ben grumbles, wincing in pain as he struggles to stand with Susan's support.

Susan fills Ben in on what had happened.

"That bastard! I knew he was evil. He must have tricked me so he could take away my powers!" Ben seethes with hatred.

"Yeah, we had no idea he was also affected by the accident," Susan sighs, her expression troubled.

"We have to go after Reed; he needs our help!" Ben's voice trembles with worry as he gazes toward the shattered window.

"You're not going anywhere, Ben," Susan asserts firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Stay here. Without your powers, facing him would be suicide. Don't worry; we'll confront him," she adds, seeking confirmation from you with a determined look.

"B-but..." Ben begins to protest but falls silent with a resigned sigh.

"What should we do now, Luke?" Susan's voice breaks through your thoughts, her concern evident in her gaze.

You ponder your options.

You surmise that Reed and Doom are likely on the streets by now. Given their resilience, you doubt the fall has harmed them much, even from this height.

Johnny has yet to return, but you anticipate he has likely neutralised the missile threat by now and will be returning shortly.

As for yourself, the previous skirmish has left you feeling quite fatigued.

Plan 1: Go directly down (Small increase in End) Reed himself was still frozen and hurt, he needs backup stat.

Plan 2: Wait here for a while before going down (Moderate increase in End) Reed will be able to take on Doom for a while right?

Plan 3: Wait here for Johnny to come back. You are in need of serious firepower for taking Doom on, Its not like Reed will die by then, right?

Plan 4: You can suggest to Ben that he could potentially regain his powers by using the machine. Since you believe his power has only been temporarily suppressed and will definitely resurface given enough time, and the machine should be capable of restoring them instantly.

Plan 5: If things get dicey use Ben as a human shield(We will honour his sacrifice by banging his girls on his funeral) [A joke.....or is it?]

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