Couldn't you just let me escape?

The sudden lightning strike had knocked Scarlet backwards away from the Doctor who was now standing in the crater. The Doctor approached her and spoke, "That was a good attempt Ms. Hemsworth, but I'm afraid your escape has failed. Ms. Fokukama has been detained and now you will come with me or die, make your choice."

"How about.....NO!" She shouted and threw a blast at the doctor, the power levels dropped significantly more by doing that, leaving her at 5%. I need to warn someone, anyone. If only I could get a message to a hero around here, any of them it doesn't matter right now but the only question is how. She thought to herself, running over ways to alert someone in her head. But none of her ideas were going to work. She needed something and quick she knew she didn't have much longer. "Why don't you just let me escape and forget about this?" Scarlet asked him, trying to buy some more time to think. She finally had an idea, one that she directed to the AI program. "Get a message to any hero groups and quick, we don't have much longer left." She muttered quietly so the Doctor couldn't hear. Now, to deal with him. She began to run away from him in hopes to out run him, the suit wasn't boosting her speed anymore because of the lack of power. We have contact with The Phantoms, begin your message."

"Hello, hello can anyone hear me? Well I don't have much of an option so if you can listen up you could save lives. Now right now I am being chased by the leader of some division of a group known as Project Perfection. They have a massive airship and there are prisoners onboard. I'm not sure what they're after but they have been abducting people, I just wanted to get this out to someone before the doctor catches up to me. Please help them."

While making his advance Necrodium witnessed a projectile flashing towards him, though some might panic, others might evade, Necrodium instead simply raised his hand and erected a barrier to defend himself from it, the projectile harmlessly exploding away from his body. Necrodium made a few more hand motions and created a more than visible barrier around the roof that was created using electrical and magnetic energy. The barrier was sufficient enough to completely shut down any attempts of escape. Necrodium knew that if she began to run, he would not be able to catch her on his own without usage of his magnetic powers, and if she got a sufficient distance, he would not be able to pursue. This was one of the moments where Necrodium cursed his metallic body, he knew its limits and did not favor the fact that his movement speed was comparable to that of a toddler. If Necrodium was going to make his point, it required him to fight dirty, and make sure that his opponent was not able to gain distance on him. As Necrodium approached, the metal in the building began to warp and change, making unstable movements as Necrodium continued to walk. His metallic face could not express emotion and could never display what he was feeling, but his body language and the aura he carried showed that he was feeling a mixture of victory and enjoyment.

"I see you've made your choice. A valiant effort, but you have made a crucial mistake. I happened to study your armor during your incarceration, and you never thought the possibility of your opponent using magnetism against you, a fatal mistake. For now all your attempts are but useless against me, for nothing you can throw at me can harm me. However I will give you one last chance, give me everything you've got, and we'll see how far you get." Necrodium said, spreading his arms and leaving himself wide open for any sort of assault that Scarlet would be able to muster. He was being smug, he knew that for a fact, despite his maturity, even Necrodium liked winning, he always has ever since he was a child. Now this woman was faced with her doom, and he was going to see if she would break down or remain defiant to the end. Nevertheless, Necrodium was gonna make an example of her, and make sure that everyone knew not to get in his way. "However, I would suggest giving up if you aren't going to put up a fight. You have made your choice and now you must fulfill it"

Necrodium was interrupted mentally by a small bleep in side of his head, the signal that the Olympus AI system was attempting to contact him, telling him that something was abnormal in the situation around him and that he should rectify the abnormality in order to subside any sort of complications that happened later. As fast as a thought, the diagnostics report was displayed before his eyes, stating that Scarlet was attempting to get communications with the mysterious Phantoms, a group led by the Black Knight, another Project Perfection creation that Necrodium was assigned to deal with. Necrodium chuckled a bit, he knew that if he continued to erect his barrier, Scarlet would never be able to send the signal past the interference from the magnetic field. However, Necrodium merely made a small opening, one large enough for the signal to seep through and patch to the Phantoms, so that they could warn Pain of where Scarlet and Necrodium were.

"I'll grant you that small attempt Ms. Hemsworth, after all, I want the World's heroes to witness your fall. You will be the martyr that will signal the start of this war, my Dark Crusade shall shake the spirits of your heroes, and we shall see how many will follow your example and fall before my might" Necrodium said chuckling, a light chuckling which echoed across the rooftops, and showed Necrodium's certainty for victory "This is the start, you will be the signal, feel honored."

"Honoured, huh? No thanks I prefer my current state over being dead and feeling honoured." She told him. "So, how did Bliss get off?" She asked him, trying to buy more time. "If you get this, please save those on the ship." She muttered the final line to her message and cuts the connection. Raising her hand she fires a repulsor beam at the Doctor. The power was dropping significantly and she would only be able to fire one more. Better now than never she thought as she fired another one. "Well Doctor, how about you go back up to your big ship and we call this a day?"

With another wave of his hand, Necrodium deflect the projectile this time with a large slab of metal, which was charged with high amounts of electricity. Necrodium stood before Scarlet, more or less unimpressed by the display brought before him. Apparently she had spent all of her resources during her fight in the Olympus and the fights leading to it, so she was left too weak to face the good Doctor. He looked at Scarlet with an aura of pity, for she was not given a fair fight, but Necrodium wasn't one to sacrifice the big picture for small honors, he was here to make an example of the woman, and he was going to, even if it required bending the rules. Necrodium continued to walk towards Scarlet, keeping his metallic barrier in front so he would be able to block any incoming attacks. His slow march crumpled the building around him, the ceiling now uneven and unable to even support the people on top without Necrodium's influence.

"Such a shame, you have not even warranted my presence, if I knew you would be in such poor condition, I would not have come down here myself, maybe had Project Death or even a Necrobot take my place. Alas, what's done is done, and now you shall receive your dues for challenging Project Perfection." Necrodium said shaking his head back and forth. He was going to end this quickly. "Now, I think it is time that I quicken the pace on this little meeting, I have a tight schedule"

With a wave of his hand, Doctor Necrodium compelled Scarlet's armor from her body. In a flurry of parts and magnetic pulses, Scarlet was quickly disarmed and disrobed, her armor now in pieces, spinning around her like a metallic cyclone. Necrodium let the parts fly around their former master for a moment, in order to taunt her and show her just how powerless she really was in the face of Doctor Necrodium. It was then that Necrodium pulled the parts to him and reassembled the armor in front of him, standing at attention and ready for Necrodium to guide it. With a blast of electricity, the armor lit up as it was given a new power source and faced Scarlet with glowing green eyes.

"You made a fatal mistake Ms. Hemsworth, you did not make your armor anti-magnetic, and thus, you now face the humiliation of being destroyed by your own armor. Don't worry though, I'll take care of it after you are dead and gone, it will serve me well to learn how you achieved such a creation. So now it is time for you to die, the one thing that stood by you shall now be the tool to your destruction. Goodbye Ms. Hemsworth, it has been a pleasure."

With that Scarlet's armor flew straight towards its former wielder, extending a hand ready to choke the life out of her. Necrodium looked on, thinking about the amusement one would get out of the situation, he however found no humor in this. But with this event, Necrodium would be able to go into the next phase of his plan a lot quicker than he expected. Necrodium returned his gaze to the scene in front of him, and waited for Scarlet Hemsworth's demise.

"You didn't answer my quest-." Scarlet says to the doctor when he is done speaking. But before I could finish the sentence her suit flew off of her. "Oh shit." She mutters as she begins to run towards the edge of the building, her suit closing in on her. It's arm reached out to grab her by the neck. She made a jab at it's stomach because it should have a lower durability now that the charge has run out only to discover that it had a new power source from the doctor. "Let me go and i may have enough spare time to include that in the next upgrade."

The machine lunged at her once more. There was only one possible escape, jump. She ran towards the ledge and hurtled over into the air, her arms reaching out to grab onto anything. Snagging her hands on a flag pole, she climbed her way up and looked back up at the Doctor and her suit. The suit was coming down to her, she had to keep moving. She jumped off the flag pole and landed on the top of a low TV monitor before she lost balance and fell to the ground below. luckily, it wasn't a far fall and she didn't break anything, just cut her legs, arms and other body parts. Moaning as she got up, pedestrians turned to look at her until they heard the clunk of the metal suit landing on the ground. she began running once more, ducking around signs and people but the suit was too quick. It picked her up by the neck and raised her into the air, slowly choking the life out of her.

Necrodium stood at the top of the building and waited for the results of the pursuit, waiting to see if Scarlet managed to get away from her suit to live another day. Though he knew that she wouldn't be able to in her condition, he never ruled out a possibility of it happening. However, the good doctor's suspicions were settled when the armor returned, carrying its old master by the neck, who was limp in the armor's superhuman grip. Necrodium sighed as he walked over to the armor, who presented Scarlet in front of him, her face beaten and swelling, her eyes barely open as Necrodium stared intensely into them. Scarlet's armor released her and left her kneeling at Doctor Necrodium's feet, tired and weak. Necrodium picked up the girl in his cold, metallic fingers and lifted her up to him. If she could still tell what was happening to her, she would tell that Necrodium had started shooting metal into her body. Necrodium combined metal with her bones, causing her to seize up without anymore ability to move freely, only observe as Doctor Necrodium did as he wished.

"As you can see Ms. Hemsworth, your bone structure has now been bonded with a metal that allows me to freely control you like a puppet. It'll make a good show of where you heroes go when you fail to stop a villain who isn't so interested in making those silly little monologues, rather than get things done quick and cleanly, like they should be. It's not like it matters really, since once I start utilizing the Sodium in your brain, you won't have much of a choice in this matter. I want you to know that I'll be taking good care of you, it seems like you've always wanted to be a hero, and now you can. You are going to be a real hero, a true martyr in this industry. I'm going to bond you and your precious armor, permanently" Necrodium said maliciously as he moved Scarlet towards her armor, which opened up for her, as if waiting to embrace it's long lost lover. "Once it is done, there will be nothing left to save once they get here. But don't worry, just think of this as one big happy reunion, despite being the time apart only a few minutes. Goodbye Ms. Hemsworth, for the last time"

While Doctor Necrodium went off on his tangent, Scarlet was being strapped into her rogue armor, the metallic parts of her bones magnetically bonding the armor to her. However, the pull was too great for the armor to just sit comfortably, instead it was starting to squeeze onto her, crushing her while inside. No one was near enough to hear, but if they were, they could hear the straining of the metal as it started to close down on Scarlet's skin, hear the pounding as the metal got tighter and tighter with increasing waves of magnetism. They would be able to hear the shuddering from within the armor, as Scarlet tried in deep despair to break free, her muffled screams stopped by the sealing armor. If they could see, they could watch as the armor soon became skin tight, hear the sound of one final, muffled scream, and watch as blood oozed from the tiny cracks within the armor. With that, Scarlet Hemsworth was dead, her mind unable to retain the shock from torture and execution, her brain still intact, but overall dead, leaving Necrodium to alter to at his benefit. The armor stood there at attention, waiting for Necrodiums command, covered in Scarlet's blood.

"A fitting execution for a woman named Iron Maiden" Necrodium said, chuckling to himself. He looked at the machine that stood before him, one he created on the spot. An armor that was now run by the organs of its former wearer. Scarlet's brain would provide ample power to the suit's systems, and would have even let Scarlet live a new life, were her mind had survived the procedure. All that was left was an empty husk, waiting for Necrodium to fill the void within its now open brain patterns. Necrodium looked at his newest minion, a machine that could not be hacked, a perfect minion. "We should give you a new name with this new form, shouldn't we Ms. Hemsworth? I think Marionette suits you perfectly, don't you think?"

"Yes Doctor" Marionette replied in a robotic, but still female voice. Necrodium continued to download conditions into her brain, to make sure that she would never betray him, or prove to be a liability. She stood now, looking at Necrodium with her still human eyes, as her remaining flesh was replaced with metal, her form changed to suit Necrodium's needs. "I'm now Marionette, loyal servant to Doctor Necrodium"

"Excellent, now I believe it is time we make our announcement and challenge. The message is already out, we might as well make it official" Necrodium said in a smug, triumphant tone. Though no one could tell whatever emotion Necrodium was feeling, it was obvious to tell how he was feeling now. Necrodium walked to the edge of the building, looking down at all the civilians, looking at them as if they were ants, waiting to be crushed at his single whim. Necrodium raised his hand towards the big screens, waving it over the entire city of New York, and transmitting the entire signal towards himself. "Greetings humans, I am Doctor Necrodium and I have come to relay a simple message. I work for a group known as Project Perfection, our goal is simple. We wish to create an army, an army large enough to destroy the combined forces of the world and obliterate humans off the face of the planet. With that, we will replace you with better, greater beings. I tell you this because it is inevitable, there is nothing you can do to stop us, even your greatest weapons are useless. And even your heroes have failed to stop me, look now at my servant, Ms. Scarlet Hemsworth, formally known as Iron Maiden, who is now Marionette, my servant" Necrodium pointed towards Marionette for a few brief moments before returning his attention to the people. "If you think your great hero, Pain, is enough to stop me, you are sorely mistaken. Even then, Pain will be the most worthy of adversaries, but even he will eventually fall to our might. I would also like you to consider this piece of information, you may think that Pain is your greatest hero, but he was made by Project Perfection. Who is to say that he isn't secretly working for us? Who knows? You humans should not trust anyone anymore, you never know when there is a superhuman around, one that serves me. We are everywhere, we have been in your society for decades, and when the world you know comes crashing down, we will be there and you will be begging us to stop, and we will shall close our doors. You will all burn within the foundations and status quo you have built for yourself, all will crumble. And then our selected few will repopulate the world, with us as rulers and gods." Necrodium raised his arms as lightning shot from his staff, sending bolts every which direction, smashing into everything. "However, I am not one without fairness, if you still think Pain is enough to face us, I ask that he come here to Times Square, I'll be waiting for you Pain, do not disappoint"

Necrodium altered the metal around him as he waited for Pain, creating three traps as he sat. The first was a simple iron maiden style trap, which was located around Necrodium as he sat at the center of the rooftop at a 10 meter distance. Once Necrodium applied the charge, it would spring up and attack with spikes. The second was a grid trap, meant to channel Necrodium's electric capabilities, which was located at 5 meter radius. The final meter around Necrodium was a simple trap door, any pressure and the victim would plummet to the ground below. None of this was necessary, but Necrodium thought it would be more interesting, should Pain actually come. Necrodium sat in his self created throne of metal, waiting for his father's possible arrival, the meeting he had been waiting almost a decade to occur.

The Big Guy relaxed in his own bar named ‘The Old Oil Can’, it was previously owned by an old friend of his. After it was destroyed and most of the people he came to know there were killed in the attack made by Fantom and Relic, Pain took the wreckage and crafted it back into the old piece of junk it used to be. He had it recreated to a near exact replica, the only real changes had been to the name; simply adding the word ‘Old’ into the title. Though he didn’t run the place himself, he thoroughly enjoyed visiting it all the time; made it feel like old times.

A cigarette hung loosely from his lips, his eyes fixed on the darkness provided by the dim lighting. Before him was a single shot glass, today was his attempt at leisure. Pain rested his elbow on the counter, his hand supporting his chin and rubbing the stubbles of hair there. The hero’s icy blue eyes drifted from the darkness and up to the shabby television hanging in the corner. Some football game was playing, but he hadn’t really been paying it any attention, just background noise to him.

A suspicious broadcast interrupted every television in the bar, and Pain immediately assumed all of New York was getting this on their screens. This was obviously no government broadcast, and his suspicions were solidified in the first few seconds of this “Doctor’s” speech. While the small crowd gathered in the bar watched on in fear, the hero observed in silence; he recognized the building this Project punk had been on. His free hand reached for his glass, gripping it as tightly as he could allow, tempted to give it the slightest squeeze and shatter it.


“If you think your great hero, Pain, is enough to stop me, you are sorely mistaken.”


A soft chuckle escaped his lips, and he repressed it with one last shot. After placing the glass back on the counter, the hero rose from the barstool with a smirk on his face. Usually when he was called out, it put one there, but it quickly shifted into a scowl which clung to the scarred hero. This Doctor was no ordinary villain, a member of Project Perfection whose demeanor radiated pure evil. Black Knight was right about their plans, though Pain did not want it to be true, he had no choice but to face it now. Though what bothered him most was seeing the bloodied suit of armor that apparently once was a hero. Whatever happened to that person, Pain swore to make it right; the best he could do for them.

With fists clenched he swiftly left the bar, intending to take down this Doctor Necrodium single handedly. After taking a final drag from the shriveled cigarette it was spat out onto the ground, the hero’s swift stride then broke into a sprint down the street. It did not take him long to hit top speed and immediately after doing so he left the ground in a mighty leap. Pain soared into the sky, ripping the air apart as he blasted across the metropolis towards Times Square.

Several leaps later, the hero arrived in Times Square with a crash, cracking the ground beneath his feet. Piercing blue eyes glared up with ferocity towards the rooftop the Doctor perched himself upon, it was time to face this punk. Pain bent his knees and made another leap, tearing through the sky and landing precisely on the skyscraper’s ledge. “Sup Doc’?” The words immediately came from his smirking mouth, the sarcasm obvious even in his aggressive raspy voice. He paused to roll his neck, first to the left, and then to the right, the usual loud bone cracking followed. “You’re makin’ pretty big threats Doc’, threats I ain’t gonna’ let you back up. I got news for you punk…” The smirk left as Pain slowly opened his palms, the power in them pulsating as they balled back up into mighty bone cracking fists. “If you want this world, you’ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands!”

As Necrodium sat on the top of the building in Times Square, thoughts began to pour into his conscious mind, thoughts he had long discarded along with most emotion in order to think things through rationally when he was the superhuman hunter Dakota. Now that Necrodium was at the mid point of his scheme, he couldn't help but think about tiny little concepts on the subject of his father, Pain. Necrodium knew everything about Pain, his powers, his connections, where he lived, where he slept, who he associated himself with, places he frequented. Yet with all that information, Necrodium knew nothing about his father on an emotional level, he was not familiar enough with Pain as a person. He had a vague idea however, he knew that his father valued life over everything, that he would never kill unless he needed to, he was rash, always rushing in to save the day without a plan to aid him, he was also a devout lover, never leaving his current lover. With all of these traits, Necrodium couldn't help but ask questions, questions that he never had the time to think about as a human, constantly running out of time, now he had all the time in the world. He always wondered about the things going on in Pain's head, sometimes doubting his own resolve. What was Brock thinking when he left Necrodium's mother? Did he regret ever doing it? Did he even remember? Did he bother to check up on her? As far as Necrodium was sure, he didn't, and that was crime enough in his eyes. Necrodium resolved that he would avenge his mother, and make Pain pay for it.

As Necrodium sat, he looked up at Marionette, formally Scarlet Hemsworth, the hero Iron Maiden. Observing the body, the bonding process had ultimately become a success, fitting onto the body like a tight glove, and now the armor was using Scarlet as a battery, powering its functions. Marionette seemed to be fitting into her new role nicely, standing at attention and waiting for orders, the green from her initial activation were settling back to their original settings. Necrodium never enjoyed his work, but he always marveled in the pride of a job well done, and compared to what he was doing everything for, a dead hero or several hundred civilians being murdered was small in comparison. Now Marionette had very little on her mind other than making sure that Necrodium's plans became a success, just like with all of his minions, if one looked at her now, the only way to tell she was formerly human was the blood that she was drenched in when she was permanently bonded with her armor. Necrodium made note to utilize her intelligence and also outfit her with some superior armaments, possibly rework her altogether, Necrodium was certain she wouldn't mind.

Deep within his thoughts, Necrodium didn't hear the first parts, but snapped back to reality once a voice spoke to him, a voice that he had only heard in recordings, a voice that he wanted to hear for himself and meet in person for at least one time in his life. Necrodium's darkened eye sockets shone brightly as he looked up to see his father for the first time. He was a tall man, muscular, covered in scars and dressed in simple clothing. His hair was white, a massive scar gashing across his rugged face. What Necrodium found most interesting was his piercing blue eyes, eyes that Necrodium thought to shine as much as his did. The colors in those tiny organs reminded him of many things, causing emotions to swell up inside him, notably happiness, anger, surprise, but most of all, sadness. Necrodium took a metaphorical breath and stood up from his throne, looking at his father with glowing green eyes, thick green mist oozing from the mouthpiece of his metallic skeleton. Necrodium clanked his staff onto the concrete in order to support himself and continued to look onward towards his father, the man who abandoned him, the man who left his mother with the greatest burden any woman could bear, without any support to grab onto. Before Necrodium was the man he hated the most out of anyone in the world, but also the man he wanted to see for the entirety of his life, since a child he always wanted to meet his father, and in some twisted way, God has granted that wish. Though, with all that Necrodium has done in the past years, he is likely being punished for it.

A wind passed through the rooftop between the two opposites, a man of great strength, a body of nigh-indestructible quality, but ultimately a good man at heart. A man who has been living in a broken body, a mind unparalleled, once good but driven off the edge by the misfortunes that plagued him. A warm, strong man, a cold, calculating machine, only one aware of the relation that was held between them. Necrodium gripped his staff slowly, the sound of his metallic hands screeching along the metal shaft, Necrodium scanned again to remind himself that the traps were in place, and as to where they were located. With the preparations made and his guessed arriving quicker than anticipated, Necrodium cleared his mind of all of his thoughts, his doubts, his fears. Pain was standing before Necrodium at that very moment, and all of Necrodium's planning and suffering were made to lead up to this meeting. With a clear head, Necrodium took another deep breath and began to speak.

"Hello Pain I have been expecting you, or would you rather I call you Brock? I believe that is what your name was before your... transformation. I believe introductions are in order, I am Doctor Necrodium, and this is my newest servant Ms. Hemsworth, now named Marionette. Take note that she isn't quite prepared yet, but since I was already here in New York, I thought I might as well give you a call. But don't worry, she's perfectly fine, in fact she is better than ever. It will take a while before she is up to speed with my adjustments, but she'll be ready for you in no time. Isn't that right Marionette?" Necrodium said in his deep, emotionless robotic voice, looking at his newest servant.

"Yes-Doctor, I-am-feeling-much-better-than-I-was-before, the-world-is-much-clearer-now-that-you-have-enlightened-me" Marionette said in her own robotic monotone, the human inside her lost, all that was left was an obedient gynroid ready to serve Necrodium in whatever task he wished her to do. Necrodium could feel his requirement to hold her together lessen, her body becoming accustom and adapting to the new changes that altered her down to her cellular structure. Soon her transformation would be permanent, so permanent that even Necrodium wouldn't be able to alter her, in theory.

"You welcome, now back to the issue at hand. You believe that what I say is a threat, but it isn't Pain. What I say is a promise, a premonition if you will, something is going to happen to New York, and your precious city will crumble under its wake, it might not even be me that gets to it first. But I am saying this as a warning of certainty, a storm is coming Pain, and even you will not be able to stop it on your own. I can guarantee that, without a doubt. Unless you have everyone you can, you cannot beat me, and even then, I will ultimately succeed, it is only a matter of time. I don't need to kill you to achieve my goals, I have a reason for doing this that is more important than the world, the universe and even God himself. You will not stop my ultimate success, it is all I have left, the only thing I have to keep me alive. It is all because of you that this is happening, take pride or sink in shame, depending on your stance." Necrodium said passionately, the volume of his speech escalating, giving off the aura of anger, his emotions getting the better of him and showing his human side, the side that was still able to feel rage.

Necrodium took a few steps forward, knowing that he wouldn't need any fear of falling, compared to what Pain may experience. He looked at Pain with his glowing green eyes, looking at his father's reaction, what he might do. He may attack right away, he may try and talk Necrodium out of what he was planning to do, which would ultimately prove fruitless, Necrodium had already displayed his conviction. The constant remind of his reasons for his actions, the constant remind of his abandonment, and the shock of meeting his father caused the fires of hatred to flare inside Necrodium, fueling his rage and his lifespan, thanks to the powers of the god Kaluoshen. Necrodium clenched his fist in order to calm himself, he had let his emotions get the better of him before, and that had caused his change into his hideous metallic form, thus he always kept himself calm when needed.

"Would you like to know why it is your fault? I'm afraid the story is quite lengthy, I wouldn't want to bore you with the details, but it is necessary if you want to know how responsible you are for the incoming catastrophe" Necrodium said calmly, his aura radiating his quiet anger, and his eagerness to tell his tale to his unknowing father.

The mention of his real name forced his fists to tremble with unfathomable power. However anger would not get the better of him, he needed to at least know who this man was before their inevitable battle ensued. Though heavily tempted, the hero restrained himself, biting the inside of his lip to suppress it as he held his ground. Piercing blue eyes glared down the skeletal-armored man, his haunting glowing green eyes staring right back at him as he introduced himself. There was no fear in the hero’s icy optics; instead they radiated determination, anger, and a thirst for redemption.

His glare moved to the bloodied robotic figure when she spoke, the voice almost sounded human. In reply he slowly shook his head with solemn regret; the fatal case of melancholia would not come to surface. The hero masked it with aggression, grinding his teeth and forcing out a low growl. Nostrils flaring, his upper lip twitching in anger as adrenaline rushed through his veins. Damn it, he should’ve been here! In his mind, that woman’s life was on his hands, he failed to save her.

Pain stood tall without a word, listening to the robotic ramblings and threats of Doctor Necrodium. His ‘promises’ and accusations like gasoline to the fire brewing in Pain’s eyes, he swore to make this punk eat those words. A man like Pain could not stand sharing his burden with others. Convinced that he needed to handle everything on his own, it infuriated him when he was told he needed help. If pressed, he was an exceptional leader, but he wanted to handle things alone first if he could. Pain was just one man, but he was possibly the most determined and stubborn man alive.

The hero gave no response and instead dug a hand into his pocket. Briefly he fished around for his scrunched pack of cigarettes and pink BIC before withdrawing them. He held them both in one hand, his thumb securing the pack while the lighter was wrapped around his fingers. After a flick of his thumb, the pack was flipped open and brought closer to his face. A single cigarette was pushed up and gripped loosely in between his lips, his pack being returned to his pocket in suite. “Pain...” His raspy voice said lowly before his middle finger flicked the lighter to life, igniting the sweet death stick on the first try; immediately after he pocketed the lighter. With one deep drag, the familiar thick cloud of smoke filled his lungs. “The name’s Pain to you,” The words escaped in tendrils of smoke, his voice clear and booming with authority. “Punk.” He growled lowly as the remainder of smoke poured through his flaring nostrils.

Pain inhaled another deep drag, his icy optics glued to the two robotic figures standing before him. They darted viciously between the two, keeping a close watch for any sudden movements. Like two Cowboys locked in a stare down, neither could let their guard down for even a second. The ‘Sheriff’ of this city exhaled the smoke cloud through his nostrils, his expression like a bull before its charge. “Save it, I ain’t here for story time. Just here to make you eat them words.” His rough voice had been slightly muffled by the cigarette hanging between his lips.

“Enough with the speeches Doc, whaddyou’ want with me?”

Doctor Necrodium watched his father's minute actions, the little quirks he made as he was obviously getting angry, something that Necrodium was enjoying, one of the few things that he was able to enjoy in his life as Doctor Necrodium. Necrodium continued to watch, trying to understand what his father was thinking other than the obvious feelings of anger that he was displaying, was he thinking of putting all the weight on himself? If he was thinking like that, why did he never do such a thing for his mother? The thoughts running through Necrodium's head began to poke at his hatred, once again fueling Necrodium's life source, a new glow of green mist crawling its way outside of Necrodium's husk of a body, his eyes shining bright. To calm himself, Necrodium clanked his staff against the roof once again, breaking the tension of the situation, and giving Necrodium a chance to grab the chance that was placed before him.

"I'm afraid, you are going to have to wait and listen to my story if you want to know the reason I am after you, and your precious little city. It is a rather quick story in retrospect, but the meaning is long, something that is more important to me than anything else in this entire world. But you'll soon come to understand that. Soon enough, soon enough. It all began with YOU Brock, you and a girl. Do you remember Illya Vanko? Your prostitute lover from Russia? She was a simple girl, not the brightest, but she was a loyal one, she loved you until her final days. But I'm getting ahead of myself here." Necrodium began, the memory of his mother giving off the aura of sadness from his metallic, expressionless face. Subconsciously, Necrodium gripped on his staff for support, it was a recap of his horrible existence. "Well, she loved you with all her heart, despite your faults, but she didn't tell you her problems. Thus, when you disappeared, she never told you about your child beforehand, neither did she tell you when you resurfaced as Pain. Instead, she bore the pain of childbirth without a hand to hold onto, the burden of raising a child while being a teenage prostitute, in a country where she had no rights. Not to mention, your son caught every disease under the sun. A side effect from having sex while having a drug addiction." Necrodium continued, chuckling absentmindedly to himself. "Your son did grow though, oh yes he did indeed, managed to live on his own until he was 16. By then, your son, John, had managed to achieve multiple doctrines, and was considered the number one specialist in medical sciences, every single possible field. He had developed a suit that uses Tachyon energy to cure any affliction, even cancer. He was bonded to his suit, without it, his body would destroy itself without the tachyons. But still he worked to save the world, superheroes like you. He had created devices made specifically to treat you Pain, but at that time, he never knew who or what you were."

Necrodium's squeezing became deliberate, the memories were painful, and with his wild hatred, Necrodium could barely contain the negative emotions that were plaguing him. But he wanted to let Pain hear everything, know everything that he wanted him to let out after all the years of waiting.

"But that's when he got a phone call one day, when he managed to perfect a "scalpel" made for you, specifically for you, to save you in case you or any other superhuman of your kind needed surgery of sorts. But on that fateful day, his phone rang, giving him the worst news in the entirety of his life. Worse when he was diagnosed with cancer. On the phone, the doctors were calling to tell him that his mother was on her last few hours of life, and that he should come and see her. Once there, the two had a final talk, talking about Illya's life, John's tough experiences and his incredible success despite his background. It was at the last moments that the subject of John's father came up, he was given your pictures, memories you shared in Russia, and finally, she revealed your name. That information, killed him inside. After all the years he had spent working, it turns out that he was trying to save the same dirtbag of the father that left him and his mother. It occurred to him, that the "Greatest Hero in the World" never came back to check on his Russian lover, leaving her with the greatest burden of all, a child. Your son snapped, as his mother laid in his arms, breathing her last breaths, John swore he would have revenge. He transformed all of his inventions into weapons, instead of machines create to save lives, he turned them into things made to kill YOU specifically." Necrodium story was reaching its final points, so he collected his final thoughts, steeling himself from all of the bad memories that plagued his thoughts. "He became a hunter for Project Perfection, a superhuman killer, optimizing his suit so that it would give him pretahuman level abilities, making him strong, but ripping apart his body to soup inside of his suit, the only thing able to keep him alive long enough to kill you. But when he came face to face to the elemental, Ibis, the one formally from the Abnormals before coming into my employ, though he won, John was mortally wounded. Clinging desperately to life as his hourglass counted down, an immortal gave John an offer, an offer he couldn't refuse. John offered his soul to summon the power of a monster to Earth, and that monster fueled with his undying hatred of you has finally made his appearance."

Necrodium took a deep, long "breath" as one would describe, letting the a massive cloud of green mist expel from his body. Creating an image in front of him, the images altered their lighting, their state molding into the likeness of John Vanko and Illya Vanko. Their likeness would be considered real, if one looked past their greenish hue, and the odd mist seeping around them. Necrodium gripped his staff one last time for the final reveal, walking through the image of mist, breaking it apart and letting it disappear into the air. The Doctor's cold visage allowed the smoke to move around him, giving the effect of a fog machine, except green in hue.

"If you haven't put the pieces together yet, the answer is simple. I am John Vanko, your son. The cost of your irresponsibility affecting the world you hold so dear to your heart"

A scoff of impatience escaped him, ‘wait’, he was told; well he’d done enough of that. His teeth grinded anxiously as he held his position, he was ready to move at any second, just waiting for his moment to strike. His signature piercing glare clung to the Doctor as he listened passively through his robotic ramblings. Certainly was a talker, he was just lucky the Big Guy had the patience to sit through it. Illya Vanko, that name hadn’t crossed his mind in over twenty years. His life in Russia, it had been so long, he’d almost forgotten it even occurred. His memories seemed like illusions to him, their validity as clear as the dreams that so rarely existed with his insomniac sleep. So this Doctor was the product of his actions, all from a life he hadn’t lived for over two decades. This husk of a man standing before him was his son, John. What he felt stung down to his bones, a failure as a father, and never even given a chance. It infuriated him, he had two children, two pieces of his family scattered about for all this time and he never even knew. Pain felt sorry for Illya, a woman who indeed treated his former self with a love so rare to find, but there was nothing he could do now but regret. “Today’s not the past, there’s no need to regret it, and no need to relive it.” Black Knight’s words buzzed through his head, the Knight would never know, but those words helped endure and heal even what his ‘indestructible’ body could not. His icy blue eyes looked down at his hands, balled up into mighty bone crushing fists. The Big Guy hesitantly released his grip, his massive fingers slowly uncurling as his glare observed the open hands that belonged to his superhuman body. Even with all the power he has, he felt useless to his son. Pain briefly wondered what John looked like before he became this, if there was even anything left of his former self. Maybe if he had known things would be different. Those thoughts soon dispersed, now wasn’t the time to reflect, in his head there was nothing that could be done now to save him.

The hero took a step back, heavily tempted to go on the offensive when a green shroud of gas was expelled from the Doctor. All he did was simply exhale, whatever Necrodium was, it gave Pain an uneasy feeling. The green mist began lurking its way towards him, and it radiated an ominous aura which gave even the Big Guy chills. It came to a halt between father and son, forcing an inquisitive eyebrow to rise on the hero’s behalf. Images were soon displayed before him, painting a picture of two figures he’d never forget. The faces, they belonged to dear Illya and a son he never knew, John. The resemblance was uncanny, even through the green fog it was obvious to a father; he was in fact looking at his son. That strength, he saw it in his face, like father like son. Briefly he remembered the time he spent with Illya, specifically a night they spent under the stars. He bought her flowers that day, tulips, and complimented it with the nicest dinner he could afford. Pain remembered it all, but wanted nothing more than to just forget. The guilt built up inside him, brewing up sadness within that would cause fault lines to shake if it were to escape. From this, only anger and frustration surfaced; emotions he had been most familiar with. Pain wished he could’ve been there for his son, but there was nothing that could be done now. Their problems had to be settled through violence, through death and tragedy. This story had no happy ending; his stories rarely did. “Yeah…I got it.” Pain paused briefly, a deadly calm filled the air as he inhaled from the cigarette hanging between his lips. He wasn’t a man of many words, his were rough, blunt, and laced with smoke, but they meant something.

“I suppose you want some sort of apology speech from me, well you ain’t gettin’ it punk...” His upper lip twitched in a tamed rage, his ferocious blue optics staring down the Doctor that used be his son. “I was just a boy, younger than you. That life, I ran away from it, wanted nothin’ to do with it. I wanted the world to change, but I was just tradin’ one curse for another…” The hero paused again, continuing to puff gray clouds as he stood in silence. How to fix everything? The question ran through his head furiously, but he always came to the same conclusion. The Doctor was right, Pain felt he was responsible for all of this, and it was his place to undo the damage he had caused. If there was anything he could for Illya, for his son John, it was to destroy this monster standing before him. He knew not everything and everyone could be saved, but he was determined against any odds. ”Cept’ with this life, I can make a difference… Not always good, but in the end, I can save the world from monsters like you.”

The Big Guy followed up with another old habit, popping his neck to the left, and then to the right. “I got nothin’ else, so let’s just shut up and get this started.” Pain put his chin up and pointed to it with his left hand’s index finger. His guard was down, exposed to the enemy. “I’ll give you the first hit… And don’t hold back on me Doc. I know how long you’ve been waitin’ for this. ”

“Bring it! Knock your old man out!” Pain growled out, barring his teeth and flaring his nostrils like wild wolf.

Even with all the bravado and facades that Pain was making in front of his son, Doctor Necrodium knew that his father was indeed being affected by the story that he was telling, he watched his father's movements, his reactions, his expressions, every single detail to the pacing between each breath, all with unshakable interest. Even with blood boiling hatred, Necrodium couldn't help but be riveted with his father, he never saw him before, and now with him here, he could tell that his father was a good man, everyone made mistakes. But he could never forgive him for what he did, no matter what, nothing could take back the horrible things that happened to Necrodium and his loved ones due to Pain's irresponsible actions. Pain unclenched his fists, and at the same time, Necrodium released his grip on his staff. In the silence, Necrodium stared intensly at his father, the father and son, the distance between them so close, yet so far at the same instance. Clouds of green and grey smoke emerged from each of their mouths, each likely collecting in all the information, both understanding what needed to be done. Necrodium could tell that his father was going to make one of the biggest decisions of his life, choose between his son he failed to love and raise, or the world he swore to protect with his dying breath. As Pain finally spoke, Necrodium relaxed even more as he knew that he got the message across, he listened to his father's blunt words, his flimsy justification, and his iron determination to keep up good after he had done so much wrong. As his father opened up his body, his unbreakable body of steel and power incarnate, Necrodium could see that his father opened up his heart, and his only weakness had now fully become his greatest strength. But everyone expected this from a hero who realized his faults, learned from his mistakes, and desired to make up for them, but no one, not Pain, Necrodium or even God himself could have forseen the next thing to happen. Necrodium laughed...

"Hehehe...." It started at first, quiet, a low chuckle, still hindered by his monotonous voice but soon... "Hehehehehe..." The chuckle became louder, beginning to echo amongst the empty rooftops that surrounded the confrontion between father and son... "Hahahahahahahahahaha" Soon the good doctor was caught in a fit of laughter, uncontrollable, chaotic, meniacal..."HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" and as his unhindered laugh became louder, Necrodium's body shook, his entire being, his body and spirit crying out in a laugh that obliterated every doubt he ever had, letting out the emotions he had repressed for all those years, now unleashed into a single, earthshaking laugh, one that would mark the beginning of a catastrophic event. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahaha...."

After what seemed like an eternity, Necrodium finally relaxed, tiny chuckles escaping as he finally calmed himself down, free of his burdens, free of his doubts, now truly ready to do what must be done in order to make his life goal come true. Necrodium looked at his father once again, this time, his metallic face warped itself, changing into an evil, sinister smile. Necrodium walked towards his father, his gait slow, meaningful, no sign of fear, nothing but pure enjoyment. As he finally came face to face with his father, Necrodium breathed out his green, ominous mist, watching pass around his father. The smile on Necrodium's face grew wider, there were no words, there were no movements, nothing more than a close, deep stare into his fathers brilliant blue eyes.

"Father, if my goal in life was to do harm to you, kill you, I would have done it a long time ago. But that isn't the case here, however I must thank you. With your final resolve to kill me, I have found my bolstering resolve. I will tell you now that you will not stop me, for even with your indestructible body and iron will, your resolve is nothing compared to mine. Now I will set things right, you will see the truth soon enough, I will never let her come to harm ever again. So with this..." Necrodium began to talk again, his calm demeanor and monotone voice returning as he spoke, as he talked her turned around and began to walk again, as if making a distance in order to prepare a shot. Soon the good doctor came to a halt, back at the center of the roof, turning and pointing his staff directly at Pain, energy building up within his staff, ready to shoot. As the energy began to reach max capacity, Necrodium lowered his staff, the energy dying down. "I gracefully decline your offer. Now is not the time that you and I have our battle Father, soon enough though. Now I must take my leave, can't make chaos in your world if I'm here lounging around with you." With that Necrodium bowed, raised his staff above his head with both of his hands, smashing it onto the roof, disappearing in a glorious bolt of green light.

Marionette charged straight for Pain at the same moment, no choice in the matter of why she was attacking him. She knew she was no match for Pain, nothing more than a piece of fodder to throw at the invincible hero, nothing more than a sacrifice in order to ensure that Doctor Necrodium made it out unharmed. In a matter of seconds her fate would be sealed, whether it was to be detained or destroyed, Necrodium left her behind, no longer needing any use for her. The roof as well began to crumble, the metal in the roof giving way, only held up by Necrodium's power. Necrodium had made his message very clear, and now that he cleaned up his personal issues, he was now ready to lay waste to the world that had shunned him.

(Necrodium has exited the topic, but Marionette can be dealt with however way you want Pain. Sorry it took so long)

Their eyes locked onto each other with ferocious determination, their wills powerful enough to shake the morale of an entire army with a simple glare. Here they were, father and son, each with their own motives and unstoppable inner strength. Our hero stood tall and still as he stared into what was left of his son’s eyes. Those glowing green pupils upon his skeletal armored face, they felt inhuman. It had already been established, there was no going back, a chance with his son, John Vanko, had long past. Only ‘Doctor Necrodium’ remained, and only through destruction could he be saved. It was his duty, his responsibility, not only as a hero to the world, but as a father, to destroy his own son. The hero wanted to settle this here and now, he had no desire for any more speeches or to put this off any longer.

Pain impatiently waited for the Doctor to make his attack, anxious to see what his mighty foe was capable of. Was he as strong as he claimed? Pain felt it in his gut, just in the way Necrodium carried himself, the way he spoke, his presence; it all pointed to great power. The Doctor had his father’s blood running through him, this fight would not end until one of them drew their last breath. Would this challenge be too much for him? No, Pain could not be defeated here! He would give his life before he would accept defeat. In his eyes, his defeat meant the world’s fall, so he refused to back down; even against his own son.

The maniacal laughter did nothing but push the already tensed hero. With nostrils flaring, his upper lip again began twitching in frustration as the laughs grew louder and more intense. Pain wanted nothing more than for the two to fight here and now, but instead he was laughed at, like he was some sort of joke. “The hell is so funny…” He growled under his breath, tempted to go back on his word and make the first strike himself. Fists balled up under the pressure of his rage, it took every ounce of self control not to attack. His emotions were suppressed with constant heavy drags, exhaling the grey clouds through his nostrils like an enraged dragon. As the laughter continued, his cigarette was shriveled down to a stub. Pain took it from his lips in between his thumb and index finger, holding it up next to his face as he slowly crumbled it into a fine dust.

Finally, the laughter ceased, and Necrodium began to make his move with a warped sinister smile clinging to his metallic face. He began a fearless slow stride across the rooftop over to the hero, to glare into his father’s eyes face to face. Pain held his ground, the only muscles being moved were his shoulders, rolling and popping them simultaneously as Necrodium drew near. The hero’s piercing icy blue optics glared back with fiery determination, refusing to bend to Necrodium’s monstrous glowing green ones.

Face to face, the two only a few feet apart as Necrodium’s evil grin stretched wider, exhaling a green mist before his harsh metallic words escaped. His words were always laced with that ominous mist, appearing almost like apparitions as they glided past Pain. Midsentence, the Doctor turned his back and began another slow stride, seemed almost like he was pacing. This guy could certainly trash talk, probably got it from his old man. The Doctor’s bold words only fueled Pain’s determination. “You know how many times I heard them claims?” He paused briefly to chuckle at the Doctor. “Me neither, never was good with keepin’ count.” A madman’s smirk clung to the hero’s face, his brows furrowed as his icy eyes watched carefully for the Doctor’s next move. “If you think it’s true, then you shoulda’ killed me when you had the chance.”

The Doctor stopped at the center of the building, turning to face his father once again. As Necrodium lifted and pointed his staff towards Pain, the Big Guy awaited the first attack with a twisted excitement. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he stared into the energy gathering on the tip of his enemy’s staff. Like a wild ape, his right fist pounded his chest twice as a sign for his enemy to strike. “That’s it! Come on!!!” Pain growled and barked out in anticipation as winds gusted from the energy towards him, but to his disappointment Necrodium refused to fight, claiming that now wasn’t the time for it. Bullshit, that’s all it was to Pain; it infuriated him to be denied this battle.

“That your idea of a joke!?!” He loudly growled out again, his rage radiating from him like a blazing wild fire. Take his leave after that? Pain wouldn’t allow it! The hero intended to make his move, but was delayed by Marionette who swiftly charged in on the attack. Pain held back significantly, swiping her to the side like an insect on the windshield; he’d deal with her later.

The Big Guy did not hesitate, leaping from his position towards Doctor Necrodium, intending to crush his foe beneath his boots. To his dismay, Necrodium was able to slam his staff into the floor just before Pain landed. Whatever he did, it caused him to vanish in a blinding green light, leaving nothing behind but green vapors. It left Pain off guard, his vision distorted after being so close to the blinding light, and the green mist he was in the midst of did nothing to help his situation. Normally, blinding lights would have little, if any effect on his superhuman body, but they were of superhuman nature. However his eyes were now accustomed to it, and next time it would take a significantly stronger light to affect him in the same manner.

The hero rubbed his eyes with his right arm, trying to clear his vision up. His mouth opened up as his eyes blinked to life, shaking his head like a wet dog to speed up the process. After that, it only took a few seconds to get his vision back to one hundred percent, but the first thing he saw was Marionette directly in front of him. She slashed him across the right side of his face, leaving a deep gash from his temple to his chin. Having already been charging in on the attack, her momentum added significant force, causing the mighty hero to stumble back a few feet.

Blood gushed down from his wound, painting the right half of his face with a crimson mess. “You…” Pain growled out in frustration, an infuriated scowl clinging to his scarred face. His left hand reached up to wipe some of the blood from his face, coloring his black fingerless glove with crimson. “Damn you…” The hero growled lowly, his fists clenching and shaking with godlike power; he was clearly frustrated with his own failure. Marionette proceeded on the attack, dashing towards Pain, only this time her strike aimed for his heart. There was no thought process, no emotion. She was a puppet, nothing more than a lamb being thrown to the slaughter.

Pain allowed the strike to hit, but it lost all momentum just trying to break the skin. Only the tip of the blade dug in, and the Big Guy barely felt a thing. The hero swiftly extended his right hand, latching it onto her face in the blink of an eye; his hand massive enough to clutch nearly her entire head. He lifted her from the ground and held her high above his head, causing the blade to be ripped from his chest, but he ignored the pain and blood that dripped from the fresh wound. “You deserved better than this.” His rough raspy voice stated as calmly as he possibly could at this moment. “I’m sorry.” Pain exhaled deeply through his nostrils, closing his eyes as he gathered the inner strength to make his next action. “And I’m sorry that this is the best I can do for you.” His eyes flickered open midsentence, and after the last word rolled off his tongue, he executed her. It was simple, quick and painless, but a gory mess; like crushing a rotten apple in your hand. The android's blood splattered all over the hero, on his chest, all over his right arm, and even on his face, but he stood seemingly unaffected by the horrific event.

Her lifeless body fell from his grip, her deadweight hitting the roof with a clang. Pain simply inhaled another deep breath through his nose, looking down at what was left of her. “Rest in peace..” Pain turned away and walked towards the roof’s edge, certainly not proud of what he had done. The hero withdrew his pack of cigarettes and pink BIC, painting them both with crimson as he took one from the pack with his lips. After igniting it with a flick of his middle finger, he deposited the pack and lighter into his back pocket. The bent cigarette rested loosely between his lips, though it was dull, it tasted familiar and sweet. The first drag of a cigarette was always his favorite.

His eyes drifted up to the sunlight, its powerful rays dulled by the light clouds that covered the sky. “Damn it...” Pain said simply, his head solemnly shaking as his vision lowered to the city below.