"Ah, the hospitality at Doom Castle is truly unmatched. Anyone fortunate enough to be a guest would sing its praises!"
Doctor Doom turned, a faint smirk playing across his metallic face as his cold eyes met Adrian's.
Taking advantage of Doom's momentary distraction, a trembling experimenter hurriedly swept the shattered glass into a bin. The relieved scientist shot Adrian a grateful glance before scurrying back to his post.
Adrian gave a curt nod, then smirked. "True, Doom. This is leagues better than the tasteless slop they serve on SHIELD's ships."
Doom's smirk quickly faded. His voice grew sharp. "Flattery will get you nowhere. Speak plainly, Adrian. Why have you come?"
Adrian's expression turned serious. "I heard the teleportation preparations are taking longer than expected. Is that true?" At that moment, Fury entered, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed.
"Yes," Doom admitted, gesturing toward the massive metallic platform in the center of the lab. The sleek, silver device hummed faintly, surrounded by a flurry of activity from Doom's white-coated engineers. "There are two hundred Latverians I've selected to accompany me. On top of that, you brought over a hundred additional people. This has pushed the system's capacity to its limits."
"The calculations to ensure a safe destination are ongoing," Doom continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "Would you prefer to end up in a universe overrun by zombies—or worse, incinerated mid-transport?"
Adrian nodded, his expression unreadable. Fury, standing beside him, shifted uncomfortably as if holding back a retort. Adrian, sensing this, spoke up. "How much longer, Doom? And how long until those zombies reach us?"
"Within the hour, the system will be ready to transport everyone to a world untouched by this plague," Doom replied confidently.
Adrian's lips pressed into a thin line. The temporary advantage he'd gained after injuring Quicksilver was fading fast. The zombie horde would undoubtedly converge soon. After a pause, he said, "The civilians of Latveria will go first."
Fury tensed, clearly wanting to argue, but Adrian silenced him with a firm look. "That's non-negotiable. Agreed?"
Doom inclined his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Agreed. Fort Doom will hold long enough for the evacuation."
As if on cue, Doom raised his hand, summoning a holographic projection into the air. The familiar sight of the Eiffel Tower filled the room, but it was a grotesque parody of its former glory.
The iconic landmark teemed with hordes of infected. Zombies clawed and writhed across its surface, their mouths slack with hunger. Bloodied bite marks and grotesque wounds marred their decaying forms. Beneath the tower stood a figure that commanded immediate attention—a zombified Captain America.
The grotesque mockery of the legendary hero slammed his broken shield into the ground, his voice a guttural growl. Around him stood a group of zombie heroes, their lifeless eyes fixed on the horizon.
"It's pathetic!" the zombie Captain roared, his frustration palpable even through his rotting form. "You idiots waste fresh meat like it grows on trees! Polluting the water supply? Throwing away half-eaten corpses? Do you even understand how precious our food is?"
The other zombie heroes avoided his gaze, the remnants of their humanity reduced to shameful silence.
"You!" Zombie Cap jabbed a rotting finger at Daredevil, whose skeletal hand lacked three fingers. "What about you? Did you contaminate the water supply?"
Daredevil hesitated, his sunken eyes darting nervously. "No! It wasn't me! I saw Liquid Man skulking around the pipes—he's the one who did it!"
Liquid Man, who had been quietly inching away, froze as every undead gaze turned toward him. "You lying sack of—!" he started, but before he could finish, he bolted toward a nearby pool. Jets of water propelled him forward, desperate to escape.
But before he could dive in, a powerful sonic wave shattered the air. Liquid Man's form twisted and splintered, his watery body evaporating into the atmosphere as Black Bolt stood at the center of the devastation.
The zombified king's hollow eyes glowed faintly as he stepped forward, his voice—an unholy gift from the virus—booming across the ruined plaza. "Enough with your petty squabbles. Speak, Captain. Why have you called us here?"
Zombie Cap grinned, revealing jagged, blood-stained teeth. "Glad you asked, your Highness. You see, I've found a place brimming with survivors—Latveria. And not just survivors. They have a fully operational teleportation device, capable of sending us to worlds untouched by this curse. Worlds overflowing with fresh, living meat."
The gathered zombies let out guttural cheers, their hunger overwhelming any semblance of strategy or restraint. Black Bolt's expression turned deadly, his decayed lips curling into a twisted smile.
"If you're lying, Captain, I'll ensure your end is more painful than anything you've ever imagined," Black Bolt warned, his voice reverberating with power.
Captain America met his gaze with equal malice. "Then let's not waste any time."
The camera panned back as Black Bolt unleashed another sonic roar. The Eiffel Tower trembled violently, the ground splitting apart beneath its foundations. Zombies were flung into the air like ragdolls, their decaying bodies bursting into clouds of blood and gore.
As the mighty structure collapsed, Captain America raised his shattered shield. "Tetanos! Activate the portal! We're going to Latveria!"
Back at Fort Doom, Adrian watched the hologram flicker out. His jaw tightened. Fury glanced at him, concern written all over his face.
"They're coming," Adrian muttered.
Fury nodded grimly. "And we're running out of time."
Doom, ever composed, folded his arms. "Let them come. Latveria has stood against gods and monsters. It will not fall to mindless beasts."
But as the clock ticked down, even Doom knew that the storm about to descend on them would be like nothing they had ever faced before.
🛡️Ronin 🛡️
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