In the main control center of the space station, Doom's handsome face was filled with tenderness...
His hands were clasped behind his back, as if concealing some surprise gift meant to dazzle.
With a subtle motion, he removed the isolation panel, and the transparent protective shields around them suddenly illuminated with a soft glow...
Susan gasped, covering her mouth as she gazed at the blue planet beneath them... mountains, rivers, and vast continents now reduced to a miniature scale. From this height, the grandeur of the world seemed insignificant, as if they were gods looking down upon creation. The sight was soul-stirring.
Seeing the astonishment on Susan's face, a smug smile curled on Doom's lips. The appearance of his old classmate, Reed, had sparked a sense of crisis in him. Perhaps it was time to secure this captivating woman once and for all, eliminating any chance of interference.
"Susan, every man dreams of meeting the woman he loves and dedicating everything to her. For me, this isn't just a metaphor..." In this secluded, deliberately romantic setting, Doom resolved to break through her defenses and win her heart.
"We've been together for two years..."
Sensing her boyfriend's intentions, Susan chuckled lightly and cut him off, "Victor, these two years have been pleasant. The company is thriving, the future is bright, and you've achieved remarkable success."
For Susan Storm who was born into a wealthy family, Victor Von Doom was not her ideal choice. Their relationship was more of a transaction, an exchange of familial interests.
Doom had pursued her partly for her family's connections, and Susan had agreed to the arrangement under her family's careful orchestration.
Beneath her composed exterior, Susan harbored a rebellious streak, a longing for freedom and adventure. She despised Reed's dullness and lack of romance, yet she couldn't fully embrace Doom's domineering arrogance, especially his obsessive pursuit of wealth and status.
"I've come to realize that all achievements in this world are meaningless if there's no one to share them with. I've never feared making big decisions in my life, and now is the time for me to take the most important step..."
Lost in his own world, Doom failed to notice the discomfort creeping onto Susan's face. Her once-gentle smile had grown strained.
He opened his palm, revealing a small jewelry box. Inside rested a meticulously chosen diamond ring, its brilliance dazzling like a captured star, crafted with masterful artistry.
Doom was confident. No woman could resist such a sight... Susan would be no exception.
"I want to say four words to you, words that will forever change our lives–"
"The cloud is accelerating!" An abrupt voice interrupted.
Holding the ring, a deeply annoyed Doom glared at the intruder... It was Sean from Umbrella Labs...
Unlike Reed, this was no powerless nobody. Suppressing his irritation, Doom demanded an explanation.
"The cosmic storm is accelerating. We'll collide in minutes. Reed says we must abort the mission, the radiation is deadly." Leaning against the railing, Sean smirked as Susan shot him a grateful look.
Had Sean not intervened, Susan would've been trapped in an awkward situation, whereby she would be unwilling to hurt Doom, yet equally unwilling to accept his proposal.
"We still had seven hours!" Doom snapped.
Sean shrugged, feigning ignorance. Minutes earlier, Reed had discovered his miscalculation... the cosmic storm was less than ten minutes away. With Ben still outside, he'd urgently demanded the mission be halted.
"Tell Reed to calm down! We can't abandon everything over a minor hiccup, all our investments will be wasted!" Doom said coldly.
He couldn't let a small mistake ruin everything. If this experiment failed, all the funding and effort would vanish, leaving him to bear the crushing consequences alone. He might even lose his wealth and status.
After clawing his way from the war-torn Latveria to the elite circles of New York, would a single calculation error really drag him back to destitution?
'Never...'
Ignoring Susan's pleading gaze, Doom ordered, "Lower the shields."
"That's murder, Victor," Sean said, his eyes glinting, "We can't do that."
Susan nodded in agreement. Lowering the shields now would doom Ben who was still outside to certain death.
"Great achievements always demand sacrifice." Doom had no patience for sentimentality.
He was a ruthless pragmatist, even his feelings for Susan were never pure... they were laced with self-interest. Had she not been a Storm, he might not have pursued her so ardently.
Watching Susan run out of the control center in disappointment, and Sean stepping out of the only safe chamber, Doom's expression turned icy. He walked to the console and tapped a few virtual buttons.
The sturdy protective shields began closing.
Outside were his once-beloved girlfriend, his rival and former classmate, and a genius he had once sought to collaborate with...
Inside the descending shields stood only Victor Von Doom.
"Johnny!" Reed shouted desperately as he rushed in, "Open the outer airlock! Get Ben back in!"
In the vast darkness of space, a massive orange-red cloud surged forward at terrifying speed, like a violent cosmic tide radiating deadly energy.
Ben, like a whale in the deep sea, abandoned the unfinished placement of plant seedlings. In the vacuum of space, he swam frantically toward his only hope for survival, the open airlock...
He was racing against death itself...