While Victor was preparing to deal with Reed Richards, Reed himself was far from idle.
Though he had no idea what Victor was planning, his disdain for Nolan had reached its peak. If he had the time, he would have given Nolan Rock a proper lesson.
Even so, Reed still made some preparations for dealing with Nolan's weapons.
He was Reed Richards, after all, the smartest superhero in the world.
Even if that armor was incredibly powerful, he had countless ways to counter it.
What he didn't know was that Victor Von Doom had already set his own plans in motion.
Ben Grimm arrived as scheduled.
Victor's face lit up with a smile when he saw Ben.
"Ben, long time no see."
Ben hated who he had become. To restore his original body, he had betrayed a friend. His voice was heavy as he asked,
"What's your plan?"
Seeing that Ben didn't respond to his small talk, Victor Von Doom didn't get angry. He simply said,
"You just follow my instructions. By tomorrow morning, you'll be back to your original self."
He gestured toward the device.
"That's the one you stole."
Ben frowned.
"Do you want me to go in or not?"
Victor Von Doom didn't get angry at all. For Ben, the answer had already been decided the moment he chose to come here.
Among the Fantastic Four, the other three had achieved fame and fortune. Only he had been branded a monster. Even his girlfriend had left him.
The thought alone was terrifying.
He wanted to restore himself. If he could, he wouldn't be seen as a monster. He could win back his girlfriend.
He might even say that was the only reason he hadn't taken his own life.
Of course… he had tried before, and failed.
Watching Ben step into the Gamma Reversal Device, Victor Von Doom's lips curled into a faint smile.
Meanwhile, at the Fantastic Four Tower or, rather, the Reed Richards Tower
"Where's Ben?"
Reed looked around, puzzled. He had wanted to discuss some issues about the experiment with Ben, but suddenly, he couldn't find him.
He knocked on Ben Grimm's door.
No answer. The door opened with a push. Inside, there was only a note.
Ben had left it.
Even though he had decided to go to Victor Von Doom, the torment inside him had made him confess everything to Reed.
Reed read the note for a few seconds before clenching it tightly.
First came anger, then worry.
Victor Von Doom's plan was clearly to harm Ben!
Reed's breathing quickened. He had to save him. Victor was not a good man he would act on his plans.
Reed immediately called Susan.
Because he trusted that if Ben were in danger, Susan would never stand by.
At Nolan's villa, Susan had just finished showering and was lying beside Nolan.
Nolan lifted her damp hair to sniff it, then wrapped his arm around her waist.
The phone rang.
Susan glanced at the screen, hesitated briefly, then answered.
"Ben's in trouble. Victor wants to kill him!"
Shock flashed across Susan's eyes. Like Reed, she considered Ben not only her friend but also someone she couldn't abandon.
"I'm coming right away!" she said and hung up.
"Sorry, I have to handle something urgent," she told Nolan.
Nolan looked at her thoughtfully.
"Reed Richards?"
Susan felt a little awkward that Nolan had guessed who called, considering how bad Nolan and Reed's relationship was. She nodded.
"Yes. But he contacted me because Ben's in danger."
Nolan chuckled.
"Susan, I think Reed Richards might be exaggerating. Ben Grimm is made of rock. He has super strength and nearly invincible defense. It's not simple to capture him, even for the military."
Susan hesitated for a moment, then explained,
"It's Victor. I know him. I'm worried he'll actually harm Ben. With Victor's abilities, Ben might not be able to resist."
That was a fair concern.
Nolan sighed.
"I know Victor too. From my perspective, he's just a businessman. He wouldn't attack unless Ben posed a threat."
Still, that didn't stop Susan. She had to see for herself.
Hearing her, Nolan let out a breath.
"You really have to go?"
"Yes. Sorry," Susan replied.
"Then go."
Nolan didn't stop her.
Soon, Susan donned her combat suit and leapt out the window.
Watching her go, Nolan got out of bed. He had thought he could stay out of it, but now that Susan was involved, he couldn't avoid it.
"Red Queen, activate Thorhammer."
He spoke, and a Thorhammer armor powered up, moving to where Nolan stood.
Without hesitation, Nolan's body dissipated and merged into the Thorhammer system.
As the armor's eyes lit up, Nolan fully took over control from Red Queen.
Under the night sky, Nolan ascended and descended repeatedly, racing toward downtown New York.
At Doom Tower, Victor Von Doom had completed the final preparations.
"Ready? Let's begin!"
Though it was phrased as a question, he immediately flipped the switch.
Massive currents surged toward the Gamma Reversal Device, which blazed with dazzling light.
Reed Richards had arrived at the base of Doom Tower. Seeing the light from the top, anger burned in his eyes.
"Victor!"
He shouted and leapt upward, easily scaling several meters.
The device flickered, but Reed reached the roof without hesitation.
He pressed himself against the glass and punched through it. Ten punches shattered it completely.
Victor Von Doom, calm, watched Reed storm in.
"You're too late," he said.
He had underestimated the device's electricity demands. Still, after releasing some of his stored electrical energy, he had powered the device sufficiently.
The device was now active nothing could stop it.
Reed glared at the device, then lunged at Victor with rage.
This was his research! And Victor had stolen it. And Ben was inside. Reed wanted to smash Victor to pieces.
But before his fist landed, the room flashed with electricity. A surge hit Reed, throwing him back as if he'd been struck by a car.
"Victor, you "
Reed was stunned. He hadn't anticipated Victor Von Doom having superhuman abilities.
Victor removed his gloves, revealing metallic hands.
He advanced toward Reed, voice tinged with either irony or bitter reflection.
"We went to space together. You think you gained powers and I gained nothing? Fantastic Four, Mister Fantastic what grand titles. You earned fame and fortune, and what did I get? Hands no longer even flesh, a company on the brink of collapse. You wouldn't even ask once, even if I came to you, all I got was ridicule…"
Victor's anger intensified.
He had reason to be furious. None of this would have happened if Reed's experiments hadn't failed, if Reed hadn't been so indifferent. He hadn't needed to reach this point.
But now, bloodied and cornered, he was determined to kill Reed today.
He had summoned Ben not just as a backup in case of experimental failure but also to remove Reed's ally.
Seeing Victor's expression, Reed had no regrets, only anger.
"That's your choice. You should have known the experiment could fail. And now you're using this pathetic excuse to hurt Ben!"
"Hurt Ben?" Victor laughed.
Though he hadn't actually considered Ben's safety, he knew Ben would accept this outcome.
Reed didn't care. He charged at Victor, fearless.
The earlier attack had proven that Victor's powers couldn't harm him.
Still, Victor had prepared for Reed.
Reed's elastic form was nearly invulnerable, but in this world, nothing was unbeatable.
Victor stepped forward, metallic frame crackling with energy. He grabbed Reed and pinned him to a prearranged chair.
Before Reed could struggle, icy cold surged at them.
Victor was unfazed. His metallic body was impervious to cold. But Reed was not. Rubber stiffened in extreme cold, weakening him.
Soon, Reed could barely resist. Victor smiled.
"Guess what happens when frozen rubber meets force?"
At that moment, the Gamma Reversal Device activated.
Ben staggered out, seeing Reed restrained.
"Victor, what are you doing!"
He didn't think about the reason only that Reed was in danger.
Victor looked at Ben with contempt.
"Me? I'm finishing Reed Richards."
Ben's pupils shrank, but his new body wasn't fully adjusted yet. He ran a few steps and stumbled.
Victor sneered at Reed.
"Now, Reed, pay for what you've done!"
He raised his metallic fist, ready to crush Reed.
But before he could, a figure shot past, smashing Victor into the outside of the tower.
Reed wasn't safe either. Victor's electricity struck him, nearly sending him plummeting.
Ben reacted quickly, grabbing Reed in time.
Yet Ben didn't have enough strength alone. Reed struggled as he descended.
Finally, Reed slipped free.
"Reed!" Ben called in despair. He hadn't held him!
Outside, Victor rose and hurled a lightning strike at Johnny, engaging him fiercely.
As Reed neared the ground, Susan's repulsion field caught him.
"Victor, what are you doing!" she shouted.
"I just want what's mine!" Victor yelled back.
Nolan hadn't restrained Susan, but he had planned ahead. Facing three at once didn't matter he trusted his strength.
Unfortunately, he hadn't yet eliminated Reed.
Victor stood, electricity crackling across him.
Inside Doom Tower, Ben hesitated. Could he use the device again to regain his rock form?
Just as he decided, the elevator opened.
Nolan stepped out.
"Ben, do you really want to become the Thing again?"
"Nolan? What are you doing here?"
Ben was shocked.
Nolan sighed.
"If I could avoid this, I would. But I'd rather Reed stay down than risk exposing myself."
"I'm here to see what Victor is planning. And to see if he can actually kill Reed but apparently, he can't."
Ben's pupils constricted. He hadn't imagined Nolan being here for that reason. Nolan wanted Reed dead too!
Nolan's face was calm.
"Ben, you think Reed miscalculated the energy issue? This is a simple technical problem. He could even build a Gamma Reversal Device I couldn't. He just… didn't want you restored. After all, you're his only friend…"
Nolan's eyes softened on Ben.
He wasn't lying.
With Reed's intelligence and Victor Von Doom's volatility, Reed surely could predict Victor's capabilities. Yet he ignored them focused only on what he wanted.
Victor's anger was obvious. Reed had seen it, but hadn't acted yet.
Once Susan and Johnny left, Reed could no longer ignore it. He would calculate, and he would act.
Nolan never underestimated Reed Richards' intellect.
Schemes meant little to a man like him. Nolan played openly, relying on the fact that Reed was brilliant but lacked understanding of human motives.
As Ben froze, unsure, Nolan watched with quiet intensity.