Chapter 24: Chapter 24: The Genius Behind the Cape
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"Doom is no man's second choice."
- Doctor Victor Von Doom, (Marvel Comics)
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[New Quest Received!]
[Quest Title: 'Doom, a space frontier?']
[Quest Description: Find out exactly why the genius Dr. Victor Von Doom wants to join in on the space exploration despite possessing enough wealth, resources, and knowledge to make a space shuttle himself. Is he truly petty enough to spend so much money and join the program just to insult his biggest rival? Or, is it something else? Find out his game plan and put a stop to it.]
[Quest Reward: Spawn's Mystical Cape]
[Quest Failure: Doom starts an apocalypse]
'Huh, A cape? I am going to be investigating and quite possibly fighting against one of THE most intelligent and dangerous guys in the Marvel universe and all the system is going to reward me for it, is one measly cape?... I think this system might be broken or maybe something is malfunctioning after the last UI update. Also, doesn't this system know that capes are out of fashion for supes? In the words of one of the greatest fashion designers in the world of animated fiction, NO CAPES!' I sarcastically thought as I thoroughly read the entire mission details.
The mission's goal itself seemed really vague since the exact objective wasn't specified leaving a lot of grey areas. Also, it didn't give out any choices or options to choose from. This meant I could interpret the mission how I wanted to and the system only cared as long as whatever Doctor Doom wanted to do was prevented, thus leaving a whole lot of ways I could go about this quest.
"A small-time investor? I thought Baxter Foundation was acquired by Meta Enterprises. But, this means that you are still being funded by outside investors. I wonder why. Is this because your owners maybe do not see your 'value'?" Victor snarkily remarked, his comment directed at Reed while ignoring me to the best of his capabilities like I was not even worth his time.
"If he is a small-time investor, then America might be a third-world country." Johnny jokingly whispered to Reed who was standing beside him with a hearty chuckle at which Victor only raised his brows.
"I have no time or patience for your silly jokes and useless conversations. Now, will any of you start the demonstration, or will I have to do it myself? However, in the case of the latter, I doubt the directors at NASA are going to like you not cooperating with me." He threatened with an expression that shouted that he was one of those highly talented yet spoilt young master types.
"Fine, I'll start the practical demonstrations." Reed finally said with a sigh after a few seconds of weighing his options.
The world's smartest man was not only afraid of NASA pulling their funds for half of the project that they were financing but also scared of potential retaliation from the American Government under Latverian pressure by blocking Baxter Foundation's space launch rights while citing some bullshit reasons like the launch possessing some danger to the nation. After all, Reed didn't even have a fraction of the political influence, connections, wealth, and popularity required to directly go and fight against the Government that someone like Tony Stark enjoyed.
Susan, Johnny, and Ben also understood this, so they remained quiet despite the angry expressions they were sporting on their faces. It seems they were angered at Victor's words and arrogant manners as well but unfortunately, all of them had worked too hard on the space project to just give it up.
Of course, I on the other hand didn't care at all. Originally, I wanted the Baxter Foundation to produce its own wealth for all its research, and government contracts from a major developed country like the USA would have been the perfect source of continuous income but considering I had a quest to fulfill, I was ready to cutoff the Government and Victor from the project and give them the rest of the required funding from my own pockets. Hell, Susan would probably be able to earn that amount of money in just a few months if one were to go by her revenue growth.
And, as for the launch rights, I not only had an entire country with its own space program under me which alone was as powerful as Latveria but also some heavy influence over a dozen other countries as well, including America. Also, Meta Enterprises and the League were more than influential enough to not have to care about Doom or some other rich or well-connected young master trying to one-up me by showing off their connections.
I mean if Doom could start a world war, I could too. I had at least that amount of power and trust in myself.
So, if Reed or Susan or any of the other team members had asked me nicely to help them out, I would have, even if it was to just get a chance to face-slap Victor but unfortunately, no one here did, since none of them had any idea about my true political and financial might. I mean I had about 20 billion dollars lying as junk change in my bank account after I forced Yahoo of which I personally was a major investor to take a deal from Microsoft for a 44 billion dollar acquisition a few months ago. Knowing the future pays off really well.
But anyway, since none of them asked for my help, I also didn't bother to do anything because truthfully I was curious about why Victor was here anyway. In the comics, he was a regular burglar of Reed's inventions and research, so was he here for the same thing as well? Some invention he needs to conquer the world or defeat some interdimensional devil ripoff?
Using my telepathic powers on the 'clone' was useless, so I had actually tried to trace the clone's mystical connection to the real Victor Von Doom to try to infiltrate his mind but unfortunately, I came up with nada. I knew that the clone was connected to the real Doom, but the mystical connection was untraceable beyond the borders of Latveria, and even my omega-level telepathy came up short when it came to scanning inside the country of Latveria. Doom might be arrogant as hell but he was definitely thorough in making his security and defense system ironclad, even when it came to defenses against supernatural threats.
'Should I just travel to Latveria and beat him up until he tells me everything? Hmm, that would probably be the fastest way to do this but definitely the most boring as well. Also, there is a good possibility that the arrogant dictator would rather kill himself than tell me what I need.' I thought to myself.
"So, I call this project 'Operation Starlight'. As you can see the space shuttle or starship as I call it, is an advanced state-of-the-art space vehicle capable of deep space flight. It can not only carry small satellites or probes to outer space repeatedly but is also aimed to carry out research on space storms including solar storms as well as gather data about the possibility of hyperspace travel.
If this project succeeds which it most probably will, it will become the fundamental cornerstone of possible light-speed space exploration and even space mining in the future. Space can and will become our playground based on the data we hope to collect and the tests we perform." Reed confidently started his explanation about the program as he began to thoroughly go over the details of the starship's design specifications and features as well as all the tests and experiments he hoped to conduct through it.
It was a lengthy two hours in which he over-explained the entire project and even gave a live demonstration of how the thrusters and some of the testing equipment of the starship worked. Sitting through it for its entirety was a pain, one that I never wanted to experience again but, by the end of it all, I had a rough idea about the specific objective of Doom for which he was here, based on the facial expressions of the clone which lighted up during the explanation of one certain part of the program.
It was the hyperspace engine Reed was working on as well as the data needed to perfect it. Now, Doom was either interested in it because he wanted to go explore space and become an astronaut or because the technology had the potential to become the most terrifying weapon known to mankind. After all, according to Reed's own calculations, an ordinary needle traveling at 99.99 percent speed of light, a speed that he desires to achieve through his hyperdrive one day could potentially completely destroy the Earth if it ever hits the planet. Even a hydrogen bomb is a child's toy in front of technology like that.
"And that concludes my demonstration today. So any questions?" Reed excitedly asked, forgetting that he had one of his biggest rivals and enemies among the audience.
"Yes, once you conduct those tests in space, how long would it take for you to develop a working model of the hyperdrive for field testing?" Victor asked shamelessly, not even trying to hide his interest in the subject but again, he was probably thinking that nobody would even imagine that he was planning to steal Reed's work.
"I already have a rough non-functioning prototype based on my own assumptions and theories but once I get the data from the solar storms and access to a power source, I could probably calibrate and upgrade it into a working model within... a couple of months maybe. Once I get the testing data required, everything else is just going to be a piece of cake." Reed proudly explained.
"Hmm, that is not good enough. Your entire project is based on rough theories and hypotheses. The only thing that is of any value is the hyperdrive but even that is probably just a ruse for you to beg money from the government. Everyone knows that hyperspace and light-speed travel are centuries away from what current technology can achieve. So this entire project is just a sham." Doom snorted mockingly.
"How dare you? This is my life's work. This can evolve into a whole new branch of physics and mathematics. With enough innovations, this can even open the doors to interdimensional travel..." Reed raged as he looked like he wanted to have a fistfight with Victor.
"All theories. From the start, you have shown us no hard proof that such technology is possible. I should cancel this project right now not only to save my money but for the US government as well... But, I still am a scientist at heart and I sympathize with all scientists and the progress of science all over the world, even if the scientist is an idiot on crack. So, how about this? If you can submit the designs and the working principle of the hyperdrive for us to view and conclude that this entire project is feasible, I will approve it. Otherwise, I will 'advise' and 'request' the American government to cancel the entire thing." Victor played his move, making it clear in front of everyone what he truly wanted.
The other two NASA representatives on the other hand wisely kept quiet as they just waited to see where this was going. They were just here to stand and look important anyway, so it was not like they had much say in the deal.
"What? You can't do that you motherfuc..." Johnny was the first one to react as he immediately cursed at the Latverian dictator.
"Doom can do anything he wishes and Doom will do anything he wishes." Victor smiled again slipping back into his Doom persona as he threatened.
"The design is OUR IP. We do not need to give it to anyone else to view. The hyperdrive wasn't even the reason why the US government invested in us. The investment was because of the data we would collect in space as well as the service we would provide to the government by launching one of their satellites using our shuttle. If NASA stops funding by going against the contract, the launch might get delayed by a few months but that doesn't mean we will just let it slide. We WILL go to the courts and WE WILL SUE." The blonde CEO tried to threaten back as she desperately tried to find a solution in her mind.
"Don't. It's okay Sue. Even if we go to court, we won't win. Nobody wins a case against freaking NASA... *Sigh* Fine, I will submit the blueprints of the hyperdrive concept that I have designed for you and the American government to view and determine whether..."
"Wait, I think you are forgetting something here, Mr. Richards. Neither are you the owner of Baxter Foundation nor any of the designs or technologies that you have invented while working here. You are simply an employee here, an inventor at most. So, even if you get the permission of your CEO, shouldn't you still discuss this with the owner of the Foundation before you agree to such an outrageous deal?" I calmly interrupted him, resulting in Victor looking at me with barely held hack anger in his eyes.
"If I remember correctly, Meta Enterprises acquired Baxter as its think tank a few months ago. So the privately held Meta Enterprises is the new owner of this foundation. But, pray tell me who is the owner of Meta Enterprises whom we have to bring in to take permission for this?" He asked as he gave me a mocking look.
"Me," I answered with a straight face.
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