Chapter 11
Later that night, everybody- all the soldiers, Doom, and the Fantastic Five- all stayed in a secret military base in Siberia. In a containment room, Hager and Reed were talking with the others looking on.
“But, General, we had an agreement,” Reed said.
“Calm down,” Hager said. “The enemy has been captured. Mission accomplished.”
“Where is he?” Sue asked.
“Contained,” was all Hager said.
A soldier called him out, and Hager turned towards the voice.
“Mr. Sherman,” Hager said. “If you will excuse us, we have work to do.”
“I want to be there for the questioning,” Reed said.
“That’s not gonna happen,” Hager said. “Please make sure our guests remain here comfortably.”
Reed sighed as the door closed.
“God knows what they are going to do to him,” Hunter said, as she went to the door.
Johnny turned, noticed the camera in the corner, and chuckled.
“Are we prisoners?” Johnny asked. “How did that happen?”
“Looks like we are,” Hunter said as she pulled on the door, “ugh, door’s locked.”
Reed turned away from the large map of the world on the wall and put his hands on the table in front of him. All watched him as his leadership role overtook him.
“Apparently, they don’t want us interfering with their methods,” Reed said.
“I can’t imagine what they are doing to him in there,” Sue said.
Ben spoke up, “I say he gets what he deserves.”
“How can you say that?” Sue asked him as Hunter gaped at him.
“I’m just saying that maybe the general is right about this,” Ben said. “The guy was about to destroy the planet. He said so himself.”
“No he didn’t,” Hunter said just as Sue continued to defend the Surfer.
Reed looked at her as he caught her comment. What she said sparked a memory of the earlier events.
“But it doesn’t make any sense,” Sue said. “He protected me from the missile. Why would he do that?”
Johnny sat down in one of the chairs, “Maybe he thinks you’re cute.”
Hunter rolled her eyes at his comment.
“There’s a lot more going on here,” Reed said. “He said he wasn’t the destroyer.”
Ben looked at him and said, “maybe he lied.”
Reed looked at him, still not convinced.
“We need to get inside there, and talk to him, “ Reed said. “But under the radar.”
Sue looked at him as she caught his smile. Moments later a plan was formed. Johnny knocked on the door and it opened to reveal a soldier on guard.
“Hey, uh, is there any way we can get some DVDs or popcorn or something, just to pass the time?” Johnny asked.
“And a pizza too!” Hunter added in as she popped up behind Johnny.
Johnny looked at her and she gave him an innocent look.
“What? I’m hungry,” She claimed.
“I’ll call it in, Mr. Storm, Miss. Grimm,” the soldier said with a nod.
“Great. Thank you. Semper fi,” Johnny said as he pushed the door wider.
“That’s the marine corps,” he said. “We’re the army.”
“Right, I know,” Johnny said. “It’s the army.”
“Huh,” Hunter said. “Who knew? You learn something new everyday.”
The soldier nodded at her and turned away from the door. Unknowingly to him, Sue had snuck by invisible. Johnny closed the door. Sue went and searched for the Silver Surfer. On the way, she found the woman that always companied General Hager. She followed her to an area. Once they stopped, she turned towards the brick wall and using her special abilities, she looked through the wall and found him. She winced as she saw him being shocked. She turned and followed the young woman into the room. She stepped off onto the side, careful to avoid the other people in the room.
“General, Von Doom wants to speak with you,” the woman said.
Hager nodded and spoke to the torturer, “Mr. Sherman, let’s take a break.”
Everybody left until it was only the Surfer and Sue left in the room. After a moment, the lone man sensed he was not alone.
“I know you are there,” the man said.
Sue appeared and walked up to him.
“What’s your name?” She asked.
Getting no answer from him, she tried again.
“Come on, you’ve got to have a name,” She said. “I’m Susan.”
She sighed and tried again with a different tactic when she still got no response from him.
“You said you weren’t the one trying to destroy our world,” she said. “Then who is?”
Finally she got a response when he spoke.
“The one I serve.”
“Who do you serve?”
No answer from him as he just simply looked at her.
“Look, I’m trying to help you,” she said. “But in order to do that, you have to tell me the truth. Please.”
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Looking down, she noticed his stomach was disappearing. It was becoming an image. There it showed a planet and a smoke-like creature encased itself around it.
“It is known by many names,” The man explained. “My people called it Galactus, the devourer of worlds.”
She watched as the planet died and exploded.
“It must feed on energy to survive, both thermal and organic,” he continued.
“How can you willingly serve this thing?” Sue asked, appalled.
“Because I must,” he replied.
“Doesn’t it bother you? All the worlds and innocent people you’ve helped destroy.”
He simply looked at her, “My service spares my world, and the one I love.”
“Why did you try to protect me?” She asked.
“Because…you remind me of her,” he said.
She looked down and took his hand. Suddenly the door opened and she turned invisible.
“Could you stop the destroyer if you wanted to?” She asked.
“It is not I who draws the destroyer here,” He replied. “It is the beacon.”
“What is the beacon?”
“The source of my power.”
“The board?” She asked.
He nodded and took notice of the soldier watching him.
“Take joy in the last few hours you have left for he is nearly here.”
Sue nodded even though he couldn’t see her and she left him alone. She went back to the holding place and opened the door.
“What did you find out?” Reed asked.
“You were right Hunter,” Sue said as she appeared. “What we did was a mistake. He is not the destroyer. He is just someone trying to protect his planet from something he called Galactus. He’s just a servant. It is the board that is drawing it here, so it can devour the planet because it needs energy.”
“How can you fight something that eats planets?” Johnny asked.
“We have to get to the board and lead it away from here before it’s too late,” Reed said.
“Well, do you think the general will go for that?” Ben asked.
Reed nodded, “He will have no choice.”
“Somehow, Reed, I just don’t believe that,” Hunter said.
All Reed could do was nod at her. Ben walked up to the door and opened it, since it’s not locked anymore, the soldier behind it believing they won’t do anything.
“Hey you,” Ben said to the soldier. “Let me ask you something.”
The soldier nodded and stepped in front of him, which was a mistake because as soon as he got close enough, Ben grabbed him, pulled him inside, and let Johnny knock him out.
Meanwhile, General Hager met up with Doom.
“Well,” Doom spoke up first, “I helped deliver the alien to you as promised. Now it’s time to keep your end of the bargain.”
“You can do your tests on the board,” Hager complied. “But under armed guard and in my presence only.”
“Absolutely,” Doom said.
Together they walked to the containment that held the special board and Hager opened it with a password that required his fingerprints. The access was granted to him and together they entered the room. Doom walked up to the small machine that contained the board and admired it.
“Thank you, General, but I’m afraid the truth is,” Doom said, “that sometimes Reed is right, and even that insufferable girl too.”
Hager opened his mouth but Doom beat him to it by shocking him with electricity. His plan all along is being revealed. Doom suited up in his black cloak and put his new mask on his face. No longer Victor Von Doom in appearance, but Doom. He pushed a button on the machine he had created in secret and the board floated to him. It went through the glass and lowered to the ground so Doom could step on it, which is what he did. He reveled in the newfound power. As he stepped on it, the board changed from its’ silvery color to the black that matched his coat. Lights flickered above him as Hager sat up and with his gun, shot at him.
The bullets bounced off of him and Doom turned towards him. Doom brought the power from the board and thrust it at Hager. The pulse went to Hager, and it killed him as it tore pieces from his body as if he was paper.
Doom looked at his hands and smiled behind his mask, “Nice.”