'Fuck' I think looking at the monologuing villain as what I was afraid of ended up happening anyways.
"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 will reunite you with your brother soon enough."
Instinctively, I step in front of Susan as Doom extends his hand toward her.
ZAP!
I activate my Forcefield, absorbing the full force of Doom's electric beam attack. The intensity of the moment causes my 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.
I take a deep breath and get ready for a Boss Battle.
I can tell that Doom is going to use his Electrical Blast at me so I will have to defend, but before that I can still do something.
I take in my surroundings first: We are on the top floor of the Baxter Building, with most of the space occupied by machines. We have limited space to manoeuvre. Behind us, there's the roof, and beside us, there are huge glass 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 will come back.
Susan is behind me, ready to use her Forcefield and Invisibility powers.
Reed is frozen right now besides Doom. He looks to be connected to a freezing device.
I can see Ben's human form knocked out on a bunch of machines in a corner.
It looks like it is just me and Susan against Doom right now.
There are several plans going through my head.
Plan 1: Charge straight at him, aiming to reach him before he can unleash his Electrical Blast. If he manages to blast me, rely on my Forcefield power and with Susan's assistance, to withstand the attack. With any luck, I will be able to reach him that way.
Plan 2: Attack him with my new cool Fire abilities from a distance while simultaneously creating a reinforced force field for defence, Susan can help me.
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
(Lucas) 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, I harness my newfound power, Holy Fire Magic, summoning a pulsating orb of radiant flames as big as my face in the palm of my hand.
Crackle!
The air crackles with energy as the fiery sphere takes shape, its intense heat palpable even from my close proximity. With practiced precision, I hurl the blazing orb toward Doom, wasting no time in launching the 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, I simultaneously start erecting a Psionic Forcefield around us. Susan sees this and follows suit.
Our powers merge, and a sturdy forcefield envelops us both, making me feel that it will stay here for a while with minimum efforts from us and will most probably be able to tank one or two of Doom's Electrical blasts easily.
I glance ahead at Doom, noticing that my fire has set ablaze his clothes, causing his robe to burn away, leaving his upper metallic body fully exposed.
To my astonishment, the intense flames seem to have had no effect on him whatsoever. Not even his metallic mask shows any signs of damage. It is as if my attack had no impact on him at all!
Now, he fixes me with a piercing stare, and even in the dim light, I 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 me, her worry palpable as she had also observed how my fireball had no effect on Doom.
I reconsider my 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 me, rely on my Forcefield power and with Susan's assistance, to withstand the attack. With any luck, I will be able to reach him that way. But I will be undoing my erected defence if I wish to rush him.
Plan 2: Attack him with my new cool Fire abilities from a distance while simultaneously creating a reinforced force field for defence, Susan can help me. 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
(Lucas) 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
_
I utilize my Telepathy to establish a mental connection with Susan.
Having acquired the Psychic Immunity power recently, I had opted to deactivate my technological shield and maintain the Psychic Immunity, which proved more potent.
However, this rendered my Telepathy temporarily inactive, requiring me to deactivate Psychic Immunity before utilising Telepathy.
'Susan, it's Lucas. I am reaching out to you telepathically. I am going to engage Doom, drawing his attention. Meanwhile, I will create an opening in the shield for you to slip through. Go invisible and release Reed from that machine,' I transmit to Susan's mind, outlining the plan.
Susan offers a silent nod of acknowledgment, indicating her agreement with my strategy.
I concentrate intently, channeling my psychic energy into a powerful forcefield blast directed at Doom. Simultaneously, I create a temporary opening in the forcefield for Susan to slip through.
BAM!
With a resounding impact, my 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, I quickly seal the breach, the forcefield enveloping me 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! CRACKLE!
His ElectroBlast slams into my Forcefield with ferocity, the crackling energy impacting against my shield. I strain against the force, feeling the brunt of his attack as I stand alone to bear its fury. The confrontation lasts mere seconds, but in the end, the 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 my eye I catch sight of the machine's knob turning off. Meanwhile my invisible Psionic shield also fizzle out having strained quite a bit because of Doom's attack already.
"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, I seize the moment to reassess my strategy, running through the plans once more in my mind.
Plan 1: Charge straight at him, aiming to reach him before he can unleash his Electrical Blast. If he manages to blast me, rely on my Forcefield power, with Susan's assistance, to withstand the attack. With any luck, I will be able to reach him that way.
Plan 2: Attack him with my 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 I can blast him with my 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
(Lucas) 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
_
I telepathically instruct Susan to join me in attacking Doom simultaneously with our Forcefield blasts. Without visual confirmation or the ability to respond, I trust she has heard my plan as I proceed with the attack.
I concentrate my mind, directing another Forcefield blast towards Doctor Doom.
"Ughh!" Doom staggers back once again as my blast impacts him while he is still scanning his surroundings.
From the other side, another Forcefield blast accompanies mine, but its impact on Doom is minimal.
"So you were hiding there," Doom notices, his tone dripping with disdain as he catches sight of Susan, whose invisibility falters during the attack, leaving her exposed.
He also notices 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 both 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 me. "Now, it is your turn to face the Doom!"