Age Of Onslaught 
	Part 32/37
	
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        X-Universe 4.
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        "You sure about this, Doc?" asked Spiderman, wrapping an arm
around Banner's waist.
        "Trust me," said Bruce,"I'm sure."
        "Hold on tight, then," replied Spiderman,"And if you have to
throw up, do it away from me... drycleaning bills are a bitch."
        He spun a webstrand up and around a streetlamp, then pulled him
and Banner up.  Timing his leap he managed to fly above the lamp to the
very end of the web's length, which of course pulled them back.  They
spun around the lamp twice, Banner groaning all the time, and then at
the apex of the third swing, Spiderman let go and they flew upwards into
the air.
        He spun another webline, hitting the side of a tall building and
using his momentum to pull them up even further.  Then, praying that
his timing was right, spun about like an athelete at the shotput and
released Banner, flinging him through the air straight up towards Thor,
who was smashing at the second EMP angrily.
        As Banner had hoped, the adrenaline this lifethreatening situation
had induced began to affect his gamma-irradiated bloodstream.  And thus it
was that although it had been Bruce Banner who was thrown by Spiderman,
it was not Bruce Banner who slammed hard into the Thunder God.
        It was Joe Fixit.
        Thor's eyes bugged out of his head as the thick, heavyset and
greyskinned man smashed into him, knocking him forward through the air.
As he prepared to right himself by swinging Mjolnir back up (he did not
actually fly, he just threw Mjolnir and held on firmly to the leather
strap, the hammer then pulled him along with it, making him appear to
fly) a huge weight smashed into his back and caused him to plummet towards
the Earth.
        Spiderman had been relieved when a group Don had identified to
him as The Storm Division had flown through the air to stop the falling
EMP.  They'd begun blasting it, which had made him fear that debris would
begin falling to the streets below, but then it became clear they weren't
lasers but repulsors.  Slowly they managed to slow the EMP's descent and
move it further out towards the sea, where it would harm nobody.
        "Don't worry," said Don,"For all his faults, I've never seen
anyone stronger than Joe Fixit."
        "First time for everything," muttered Spiderman, and watched
Fixit and Thor fall to the earth.

	-

	"WHY DOST THOU ATTACK ME?" screamed Thor, spinning about inside
the gigantic crater he'd created when they'd hit the old, abandoned coalmine,
a bygone reminder of their former leader's reign.
        "Because you were there," muttered Fixit, brushing dust from his
large, gray arms.  He was tall, but not compared to Thor, who stood near
seven feet, while Joe was only a little above 6'5.
        "I know thou," muttered Thor,"Thou art Bruce Banner, once thou
were an Avenger like mineself... hast thou turned gray again?"
        "Whaddya mean, again?" growled Fixit,"I've always been gray,
except when I'm that wimp, Banner."
        "I must admit," said Thor,"A madness came over me, luckily thine
blow and the plummet down seems to have brought me to mine senses... tell
me, Dr Banner, where is this place?"
        "I ain't Banner!" growled Fixit,"Me and him are two different
people, you wanna throw down or what?"
        "I have no interest in... throwing down," muttered Thor, looking
irritated,"Methinks this may be Madripoor, but I was of the opinion that
the city was seperated between two classes, much like Midgard and Asgard."
        "Well whoop-de-shit," growled Fixit,"I'm tired of waiting."
        He stepped forward and swung a huge arm, smashing it right across
Thor's face and chest.
        Nothing happened.
        "What?" he gasped,"Ain't no one stood up to my punches before."
        "Thou hast tried my patience," muttered Thor, then with
a distracted backhand knocked Fixit off of his feet.
        The startled, gray-skinned man lay on his back for a few seconds,
moaning and dazed, then he looked up, seeing Thor walking away.
        "I don't care if you did just knock me offa my pins," he growled
angrily,"Ain't nobody walks away like I'm nothing."
        He leaped up and charged Thor, screaming, and smashed into the
Thunder God with all his might, knocking the blond haired Asgardian to
his knees.
        "ENOW!" roared Thor and smashed his hand into the back of Fixit's
back, there was a cracking, crunching noise and Fixit released him.  Falling
to the ground his arms and legs seemed to move independent of his body,
making him jerk and shudder about.
        "I am sorry," muttered Thor,"But I know thee well, you will
recover soon enow."
        He began walking away again, and a large shadow fell in front
of him.
        "What now?" he grunted, then he turned about to face the shadow's
owner.
        He had to look up, a rarity for him.
        "Sorry," said The Incredible Hulk with a grin on his greenskinned
face indicating he wasn't sorry at all,"But we need you."
        He smashed out with all his power, all his might, holding nothing
back, and Thor launched through the air, smashing through
several buildings.  When he landed, he did not get back up.
        The Hulk walked over to the the unconscious Thunder God, shaking
his hand slightly.  Bending over he grinned.
        "Don't take it too hard," he said to the unhearing Asgardian,"Doom
says that if it wasn't for you resisting the trans-temporal relocation
for so long I never would have had the strength to do that in one punch."
        He scooped up the Asgardian over his shoulder and began to walk
away, stopping when he heard a rasping question.
        "Who... who are you?" asked Joe Fixit.
        "Who am I?" repeated The Hulk, then smiled ruefully,"I'm everything
you'll never be."
        With that he turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows.


        -

        "Sir!" said the Storm Division Commander, saluting sharply as
Doom walked through the debris in the coalmine.  Doom wore his usual
black uniform, showing not an inch of skin below his collarbones.  The
small, black V collar always looked too tight, but Doom didn't seem
to notice.  His black boots were always shined to a high polish, the
black pants had not a blemish or stain.  His black belt had a small, golden
D in Olde English style lettering, his only concession to vanity.  The
black top had only a small strip of cloth medals over the right breast
(the more the medals the less important the country, as the saying went)
and showed off his muscular upperbody, he wasn't hugely built but wasn't
lean either.  His hands were hidden by black, leather gloves, his black
hair slicked back and looked wet, although he used no gel, his hair just
naturally swept back that way.  His eyes were a startling blue that
always rattled you when you looked into them, they had a piercing quality
that made you sure he could read every thought in your head.  The only
blemish on his face was the scar below his eye, a momento from his youth
he never talked to anyone about, with the exception of his wife.
        "Report," said Doom, looking about with a stern expression.
        "Sir! We dealt with the EMP's as best we could, the first we
directed over the sea, the second we propped up with reserve generators,
a repair crew is working on it now, sir!"
        "And the man responsible?"
        "Sir! When we arrived we only found this man, sir!"
        Dr Bruce Banner was presented to Doom, wearing only ridiculously
baggy purple pants.  He smiled, not being able to see too clearly without
his glasses but guessing from the predominantly black blur that he was
being presented to Doom.
        "Ah yes," said Doom pleasantly, his cultured voice smooth and
relaxing,"Dr Bruce Banner, one of several rebels under Doctor Donald
Blake, if I'm not mistaken."
        "Who?" asked Bruce,"Not sure I know who you mean?"
        "Really?" said Doom, not looking surprised,"You mean that my
rather naive brother-in-law has been feeding information in return for
sexual favors to a group that doesn't exist?"
        Bruce's heart sank, he knew!
        "As fascinating as learning about your families sexual exploits
is," he said, keeping up the bluff,"I would rather be heading home."
        "What happened to the man who destroyed the EMP?"
        "Probably sold out to the record companies and allowed his music
to be watered down," returned Banner instantly,"Pity, I think I remember
his debut album."
        The Storm Division Commander was shocked and furious, he struck
Banner in the back of the knees with the stock of his rifle.
        "Show some respect!" he growled.
        "Belay that!" snapped Doom,"This isn't Nazi Germany!"
        The Commander looked confused, Doom sighed, the man had probably
never even heard of Vietnam, let alone World War II.
        "Just... just help him to his feet,"he sighed.
        "Thank you," Banner said to Doom with a crooked grin,"I'm glad you
didn't let that continue."
        "I can imagine."
        "Not for the reasons you think," said Banner, still smiling.
        "Then why?" asked Doom.
        "You would have made me angry... you wouldn't like me when I'm
angry."
        Doom just smiled,"I don't fear Mr. Fixit either, Dr Banner."
        "Not much get's past you, does it?" sighed Banner.
        "You don't stay Monarch if it does," said Doom,"And you will
be coming back to the palace with the troops here, to tell us some more
about what happened here."
        "I suppose I will," muttered Banner, allowing himself to be led
away.

        -----------------
        The Next Morning.
        -----------------

        Doom came awake slowly out of a dream.  In the dream he'd been
standing on the shore, staring out at the ocean.  Ranging as far along
the horizon as he could see were the towers and gunturrets of Apocalypse's
defensive sea-wall.  He reached up with his hand and held it open, from
his perspective he held the tower furthermost to the left in his hand.
Without hesitation he closed his hand over empty air, blocking the view
of that tower.
        With a faint whump the tower had exploded, then the next and
then the next, onwards across the horizon until he could see them no
more.
        He dreamed every night, everybody did, whether they remembered
their dreams or not.  But sometimes his dreams had a vivid clarity, those
dreams held messages for him, they were sometimes prophetic.
        In his dream he had asked himself what this dream meant.
        "Perhaps," he had said,"The dream prophesizes the end
of Apocalypse's reign? Or maybe the beginning of the end?"
        He looked down at his body, suddenly he was naked.  Susan appeared,
his penis was in her mouth.
        "And what does this mean?" he had asked.
        For awhile he had allowed himself to revel in the sensation of
her mouth around his cock, but slowly the beach and ocean had faded to
black as he came awake.  The only thing from the dream not to fade was
the warm, wet feel of his wife giving him a blowjob.
        As he came awake he found out why, the silken sheets of the bed
had been thrown aside, Susan Von Doom was on all fours, naked and crouched
over his thighs, sucking on his dick.
        "Ahhh," he said,"I see."
        She pulled her mouth up from his cock and smiled,"Is that all
you can say? You wake up to some fellatio and say I see?"
        He smiled at her,"Tell me Susan, not that I mind, but why are
you doing this?"
        "You were moaning in your sleep," she said,"And then you got
that silly, stern look on your face like you do when you're taking yourself
too seriously, I couldn't resist."
        "Well," he said,"Don't begin resisting just because I'm awake."
        She smiled, leaned forward and engulfed his cock in her mouth
once again.
        He stared down at his beautiful wife and smiled, watching her
full, red lips slide wetly up and down his slick cockshaft.  He knew
his wife enjoyed blowjobs, she said there was nothing she loved more
than having cum explode into her mouth and swallowing it down.  Since
he himself wasn't adverse to being on the receiving end, they shared a
happy sex life.
        Susan sucked firmly on the head of his cock, rubbing the long,
hard shaft with her hands at the same time, wanking him even as she
sucked him off.
        Susan's pussy was beginning to throb and cry out to have cock
in it.  She felt a desperate need to pull her mouth away from his cock,
straddle him and fuck him silly, but she meant to finish what she started.
She settled for sliding her hot ass down a bit and spreading her legs so
that her blond haired pussy was pressing against his thigh.  Then she began
to rub it up and down as she deeply sucked on his cock.
        She pulled her hand away as she completely deepthroated him,
her chin pressing against his balls.  She slid her hands between the sheets
and his buttocks and grasped them firmly, giving her a better base from
which to deepthroat him.
        She loved his big cock, and took great pride of taking all of his
meat into her mouth, sliding his shaft down down her throat until her
lips would pressed against his curly, black pubic hair.  Doom moaned in
pleasure, lifting his hips slightly up and down, fucking his wife's mouth
like a looser cunt, pushing the head of his dick into the back of her
throat.
        "Yes!" he hissed,"That's it, Susie, keep it up!"
        Susan's cunt was burning with desire, her moist, shaven lips
parting and sliding up and down over his now wet thigh.  She ground her
hips down, pressing her clit against his hard leg muscles and moaning in
bliss around the hard shaft of her husband's meat.
        He moaned out loud, holding his cocksucking wife's head with
both hands as he felt the hot cum boiling up from within his balls, ready
to explode into her mouth.
        "Get ready, Susie," he moaned,"Get ready!"
        Susan just clung tighter to his naked young ass and began bobbing
her head faster and faster, sucking his cock into her mouth with such
enthusiasm and vigor that it seemed she'd suck the skin right off of his
hard member.
        She used her tongue to good effect, pressing it hard against the
base of her husband's prick and sucking the jerking, quivering shaft of
his cock-meat as hard as she could.  Victor Von Doom's body was tensing
up, his hips raising as he tried to cram every inch up against his wife's
beautiful face.
        With a happy cry of release he shuddered and came, filling Susan's
mouth with squirt after squirt of thick, ropey streams of cum.  His
wife responded by hungrily swallowing as much of it up as she could,
sucking firmly as his spunk hit the back of her throat.  Although she
wanted it all, she knew what turned him on and she caught some on her
tongue, let it dribble out between her full, ruby red lips and down her
chin.
        Von Doom growled out happily as he saw his cum slide down her
chin, escaping from the tightly compressed lips around the base of his
cock.  She continued sucking him as his orgasm subsided, her throat
contracting around his cock as she swallowed everything inside her oral
orifice, making sure she didn't miss anything.  He could feel the hot,
steaming heat of her cunt against his thigh, feel her juices running
down inside his legs onto the sheets.
        "Susan," he moaned,"Turn yourself around, give me that ass of
yours.... I want to return the favor."
        She grinned happily around his cock, Victor could eat pussy with
the best of them.  She pulled her mouth of his glistening, saliva-coated
cock and got up onto her knees, her large breasts bouncing up and down,
glistening with their own sweat.
        "Oh boy," she said,"This is gonna be good."
        There was a knock at the door.
        "FUCK!" she snapped.
        Doom sighed,"Maybe later, my dear."

        -

        Doom strode purposefully down the corridor, passing his old
armor as he went.  The Storm Division Commander stood between two guards,
looking unperturbed despite being held prisoner.
        "Is it true?" snapped Doom,"Is Dr Banner dead?"
        "Yes sir," replied the Commander,"Why am I being held prisoner?"
        "Because," said Doom, glaring at the man with barely restrained
anger,"You've killed a valuable prisoner for no reason whatsoever!"
        "But sir," said the Commander, looking perplexed,"I was just
following your orders."
        Doom said nothing, just sighed.
        "I was hoping to avoid this as long as possible."
        "Sir?"
        "Take him away," said Doom,"Hold him in a cell until I can talk
with him."
        The two guards took the Commander away, leaving just Doom and
one of his Councilors - Stephen Strange.
        "Stephen," he said with a sigh,"Leave us."
        "Us?" asked Strange, looking about.
        Doom closed his eyes and recited pie in his head to the tenth
decimal.  Having calmed down, he turned to face Strange, whom he'd been
attempting to train in magic, sensing a strong mystic talent in the
man.
        "Trust me, Stephen," he said.
        Strange nodded, turned and left.
        Doom walked up to his old armor, which stood on a base, and looked
up at the facemask.
        "It's time we talked," he said.
        "It's about time," replied Dr Doom.

        -

        Spiderman woke up quickly, his Spidersense buzzing low and causing
him to jerk up alert.
        "What?" he said, seeing somebody disappear through the window of
the small, dark room.
        "Calm yourself," said Don, sitting in his chair in the shadows,"It's
only Gwen, she's... going on an errand."
        - Then why did my spidersense buzz? - thought Spiderman, - Warning
of danger? -
        "What kind of errand?" he asked.
        "Nothing important," replied Don,"I'd be more worried about our
still missing friend, Dr Banner."
        "Yeah, you sent anyone out looking for him?" asked Spiderman,
not really caring, thinking through what might have caused his Spidersense
to buzz."
        "Yes, but I doubt they'll find anything," said Don,"After the
fight it's likely Fixit went off on a bender, when he get's tired he'll
change back to Banner and once he's slept off the hangover, the good
Doctor will return."
        - It was a low buzz, - Spiderman thought, - Indicating that
the danger wasn't too me, it was just there.... I've gotten that before,
swinging over a guy with a gun in his glove compartment or in....... -
        A GUN!
        "She's gone to assassinate this ambassador, hasn't she!" he cried
out at Don.
        The man sighed,"Yes," he said,"Northstar arrives today, his
arrival will be guarded strongly, but Gwen will be able to slip between
the cracks."
        "WHY?" cried Spiderman, he still found it hard to comprehend
that Gwen, his Gwen!, could be capable of murdering someone.
        "Because Apocalypse isn't interested in peace, his Ambassador
is only here to recon Madripoor and find a way to destroy it!  By killing
the Ambassador we keep Madripoor safe!"
        Spiderman leaped to the window, ready to find Gwen and stop her.
        "You won't find her now," said Don,"Madripoor is a maze, and
Gwen knows every inch of it."
        "Just watch me," snapped Spiderman, spun out a webline and swung
out the window.

        -

        "You realize Apocalypse is not interested in a treaty," Dr Doom
said to his counterpart.
        "I know," said Victor Von Doom,"Just like I've known about you
from the moment you arrived here."
        "Then you know who I am?"
        "At first I thought you were Mephisto," he replied,"Returning
from the limbo I placed you in to strike back at me... but I didn't
sense any shift in the mystical balance."
        "And so you came to the next, most likely conclusion," said Dr
Doom, not questioning but stating a fact.
        "Yes, obviously you are me, a Von Doom from an alternate
Universe... perhaps the real Universe?"
        "So," said Dr Doom, not impressed by this knowledge, it was a
matter of course that a Doom - any Doom - would know,"You know that this
world was never meant to be?"
        "It's clearest to those of us with mystic senses," said Doom,"But
everybody knows on some level that this world is aberrant, there's a
sickness at the very core."
        "And I," said Dr Doom,"Have come to cut that sickness out and
return the world to it's natural order."
        "With you it's savior?" asked Doom,"Or perhaps you will go back
to the source of the sickness and allow it to spread, but this time
set yourself up in Apocalypse's place."
        "It is meant to be," replied Dr Doom,"I was meant to rule this
planet, there is none better suited."
        "As I suspected," said Doom,"Unlike myself, you never learnt
the lessons of humility and self-sacrifice, you remained the arrogant,
ruthless man I was."
        "You disapprove, but it is you who is weak."
        "On the contrary," replied Doom,"My strength was tempered and
made stronger by what I went through... the oak does not bend in the
storm, my friend, and the reed does."
        "Yes," snapped Dr Doom in irritation,"And when the storm passes
the oak is knocked over but the reed remains."
        "Do you not see the wisdom in that saying?"
        "All I see is that the reed remains, but bent and weak, and victim
to any small child who walks past to rip it from the ground... and my oak
would find a way to use the storm to it's advantage."
        "You still don't see the symbolism, do you," said Doom,"I am
you as well, and I see your subconscious inferiority even if you do
not."
        "What are you babbling about?" snapped Dr Doom, aggravated by
his AOA counterparts smooth, calm voice.
        "The Reed? The Storm? Don't you understand? Reed Richards and Susan
Storm."
        "BAH!" snapped Dr Doom,"You have twisted my words to try and create
a psychological dent in my armor, but no one can know Victor Von Doom!"
        "Not even Victor Von Doom?" asked Doom,"You forget that we are
the same."
        "We are nothing alike!"
        "Why did you order Banner killed?" Doom asked,"Why did you go out
of your way to see a helpless scientist die?"
        "Because Banner IS dangerous, or at least his alter-ego was."
        "I scanned the area of the battle in the coalmine," said Doom,"The
trace amounts of gamma radiation were much too large to have been left
by Joe Fixit alone.... you have another Banner with you, don't you."
        "Bingo," said a new voice, Doom turned around and found himself
facing a giant, green man.  He was huge, standing close to eight feet
tall and several feet across,"I'm Dr Banner, pleased to meet you, Vicky."
        "And this is who you plan to use to keep me out of the way?" Doom
asked his duplicate,"This hulking monstrosity?"
        "Hey," laughed The Hulk with a grin,"Them's fighting words."
        "Indeed," said Doom.
        The Hulk's eyes widened, then rolled back in his head and he
slumped to the ground.
        "Clever," said Dr Doom,"You attacked his psyche, where he was
vulnerable."
        "I suspect yours too, will prove vulnerable," said Doom,"If you
try to stop me from my plans."
        "I know what you plan," muttered Dr Doom,"You plan to attempt
to turn Northstar, use his knowledge of Apocalypse to launch an attack
on the mutant.  A fine plan, but one that has no place in my plans."
        "I care not for your plans," replied Doom,"You would be a worse
ruler that Apocalypse, I would rather let the world's sickness continue
and attempt to change it for the better myself than allow you to rule
over it."
        Simultaneously, the two identical Doom's used their mystical
ability to launch attacks on the other's psyche.

        -

        Gwen sat in the tower, the unconscious Storm Division soldier
lay bound and gagged next to her, wearing only his underwear.  She'd
put on his uniform and now sat in clear view of other lookouts, her
gun on the ledge.  No one would suspect her of being a sniper in the
Storm Division uniform, they would think she was on the lookout for assassins,
not that she was one herself.
        Five patrols of The Storm Division stood in straight ranks on
the landing pad, waiting for Northstar's ship to arrive, ready to welcome
him with a show of strength.
        "Odd," she said,"Doom isn't here yet."
        At that moment the Monarch of Madripoor arrived, teleporting
in from his palace.  He had obviously decided to dress in his old armor
with the green cloak and hood.  Well, it was better than his all black
motiff she guessed.
        "Come on you mutie bastard," she whispered, seeing the ship
approach in the distance,"Let me shoot you right between the eyes."
        The ship grew steadily larger, until finally it landed on the
pad prepared for it.  It was quite large, shaped sleekly like bird of
prey, perhaps a hawk or an eagle.  Along the seemingly seamless side
there suddenly appeared a glowing rectangle of light, then there was
a gap into the ship and stairs leading them, as if from nowhere.
        "Come on, baby," muttered Gwen, peering through the telescopic
lens of the rifle,"Show me that pretty face of yours."
        Instead, ten Infinites stepped out first and moved down the
steps, forming two lines of five Infinite's each leading away from the
ship and towards Doom, a tunnel for Northstar to walk through.
        Then the man himself appeared, stepping out of the plane and
looking with an easygoing smile down on the assembled soldiers.  He stepped
out and moved briskly down the steps, as if eager to begin the negotiations.
He stopped at the bottom, waiting inside the pathway created by the
Infinite's, taking time to sniff the air and smile.
        Then he walked forward, Doom did at the same time and they met
in the middle.
        "Greetings to you," said Northstar,"From the High Lord Apocalypse."
        "Greetings to you," replied Doom,"From the people of Madripoor."
        Gwen smiled, she had the sonuvabitch in her sights.
        "Byebye, mutie scum," she smiled and went to pull the trigger.
        And the gun was pulled out of her hand.
        She jerked her head up and her mouth fell open in disbelief when
she saw Spiderman hanging upside down from the roof, the gun he's pulled
from her hands with a webline now in his hand.
        "Tsk tsk," he said,"You'll put your eye out with one of these
things."
        "Peter!" she snarled,"Give that back, I had a clear shot at him!"
        He flipped off the roof and landed easily on his feet.
        "Geez, Gwen," he said,"You were going to do it, weren't you?
You were actually willing to kill that guy."
        "Do you have any idea how many he's killed!" she yelled.
        "Doesn't justify murder," he replied.
        "What would you know!" she screamed at him,"Not all of us are
lucky enough to be born mutants!"
        He sighed,"I'm not a mutant, Gwen."
        "Oh yeah," she said calmly, her mouth a straight line,"I forgot
that most humans can walk on walls and shoot webs from their wrists."
        "Is your pal, Banner, a mutant?" he asked her, which stopped her
in her tracks.
        "All I know," she said,"Is that Northstar is bad news."
        And as if to prove her point, the sound of a huge explosion rocked
through the air.