Flashback: Mission of Mercy (Doom and Titania)

Escort missions weren’t normal operations for Titania, especially when they were mainly civilians. However, there were special circumstances, mainly if the group in question were the Roma gypsies. Lord doom seemed to have a special liking for those people that Titania just didn’t understand. From what she had learned from other countries was that the Roma were vagabonds and wanderers, with the tendency to cut your throat or steal your belongs if it suited them. Of course, this didn’t mean that she was allowed to shirk her duties when given a direct order from her leader. Disobeying Doom was not a thing one did easily. Besides, it allowed her to learn properly about these people.

At first they were afraid upon seeing the armed troops approaching, fearing it was some scouting group sent by the Nazis or anyone intent on exterminating them. However, once the emblems were seen and word that Victor von Doom had sent these soldiers, the atmosphere changed dramatically. They were incredibly grateful for the promise of protection, and though, Titania did keep some distance from them, she could only trust them so far, she found that the Roma were not entirely what the stories made them out to be. Some were petty thieves and liars, but others were good people that had lost everything during the war. Everything just had to be taken on an individual basis.

When the sounds of an engine made itself known, at first everyone panicked. Air strikes were not uncommon and the Germans were known to fire on just about any traveling group they, especially if it was one being escorted by Doom’s forces. However, this plane was different, in both design and intention. Upon its landing, Titania approached, as she was the one in charge and the polite was asking for someone like her. She was also fairly imposing, so hopefully any ideas of a sneak attack would greatly reconsidered. But, seeing that the man, oddly dressed as he was, was delivering much needed supplies, she was grateful for his assistance. “You are looking for someone in charge? That would be me. Titania, Grand General of the Armies of Latveria. How can I assist you?”


ooc: Hope this works. Let me know if I need to change it.

He was her height. That surprised Titania, enough so that it probably showed on her face. Why it did, she wasn’t sure. Men were supposed to be tall, but here he was, not anyone or anything with an apparent specialness and they were looking at eye other eye to eye. It felt almost normal. “Very nice to meet you, Captain. Lord Doom will appreciate your effort and supplies offer, I’m sure. As will the people here. It has been a long time since they’ve had any kindness given to them.” The name wasn’t too familiar, but then again there seemed to be so many costumed people involved with the war that they all seemed to have meshed together in Titania’s mind. Unless they were famous and easily recognized, like Captain America and his people, she really had no reason to know them.

Taking the instructions, Titania nodded and looked them over before assisting with the class and translating properly what errors had been made. She helped where it was needed, but for the most part the Roma were the sort of people who did their own work, rather than ask for help. Or perhaps it was because of her rank with Lord Doom. Did they think it was beneath her to assist the poor? That thought caused her to roll her eyes in disbelief. If only they had known how she had grown up.

“Do you do this sort of thing often, Captain? Fly around, looking for groups of people that may or may not need your help? Acting like a guardian angel?” Titania wasn’t used to this sort of kindness, so it was a bit hard to believe it was sincere. “May I ask what you expect in return?” It was a reasonable question. Few people tended to do things out of the kindness of their hearts, and likely, if they recognized her, they knew who she worked for. Only fools would pass up the opportunity to be granted a favor from Victor Von Doom.

The crack of a rifle brought her attention around, trying to figure out where it came from. Had it been an accidental discharge, or something far worse? It had been from a distance and, due to the behavior of those around her, moods changing from relief and happiness to fear, gave her the answer she needed. “How are you with fighting and shooting, Captain?” she asked before barking orders to get the civilians to safety.

Allowing his squadron to operate within Latverian borders? Titania carefully raised an eyebrow at that. Lord Doom didn’t allow anything to just happen, and she wondered what all this Captain had been asked to do or promised to give in return for such an allowance. She glanced back over the refugees and the various supplies they were going through at this very moment. Surely Doom would have asked for more than just this. He had enough wealth, power, and a growing influence that he wouldn’t have needed to request assistance from this military man.

“My people?” Titania was a bit surprised by that statement before quickly shaking her head, a bit of uncertainty showing through the persona she had started cultivating since her transformation. “No, these aren’t my people, Captain. I’m…” A laugh escaped her lips as she thought how best to explain things. “I’m from America, Captain. Have I finally lost my accent?” She didn’t think that was the case as many of the Latverian citizens still schooled her, although in a polite manner, about how to properly pronounce certain words. After all, Doom’s General should known how to properly speak the native tongue.

Titania started to protest the Captain’s orders as soon as vehicle motors were heard. As far as she could tell, he was only human. Granted, a human with a fancy jumpsuit that let him fly around, but still human. Which meant that he could be killed, whereas she was bulletproof. She should have been the one to rush into battle head-on while he stayed behind and got the refugees to safety. But then again, she could practically hear Doom’s voice in her head, angry over the fact that she had shirked her duty of protecting those she had been ordered to deliver safely. Being a hero didn’t always mean getting the showy parts of the battle.

Turning her back to the fast approaching vehicles, Titania shouted in Latverian for all of the civilians to take cover in the American pilot’s plane. The reaction was almost immediate; panic seized a few souls, while others rushed to grab children or whatever meager possessions they had with them. They must expect to be flown to safety or they fear losing what little they had, she thought. Doing what she could to help move things along, Titania ran towards an elderly couple, scooping them up in her arms and carrying them effortlessly into the belly of the plane. This action she repeated a few more times before explosions and the rattle of gunfire could be heard at an uncomfortably close distance. “Stay down and away from the doors of the plane. I will be back once we are safe,” she told them before sprinting off back towards the fight.

There were so many ways she could have made a first impression with the gunmen, but since they were already looking to the skies and distracted by the flying captain, she decided it was best to simply run headlong into the fray like an enraged bull. Though the cars were mostly unoccupied as she ran through them, she flipped the ones she could grab, ensuring that these men would not have an easy way to escape.

"My soldiers need not restrain them." came a rasping voice on the air.
Thunder rumbled in the clouds as a wind picked up. But the Latverian soldiers did not flinch.
On the contrary, they stood at attention. They knew too well the signs that their master had come.
The captured soldiers seemed bewildered and kept close to each other, speaking in their native tongue.
With a flash and another rumble from the sky above, a figure clad in a long hooded coat of military design stood before the gathering.

Turning his grimacing mask toward the Allied commander, Doom unclasped his arms from behind his back.
"Captain Midnight, I presume," he said, keeping his gaze fixed upon him, "Welcome to my country. I apologize that you have come under such circumstances."
His cold eyes turned to the captured enemy soldiers.
"And with such...rabble."
He approached the Captain and bowed to him.
"I am Lord Victor Von Doom," he growled, "I am your servant. I appreciate that you have made such swift work of this filth. And do not doubt that my General has undoubtedly been accommodating."

Doom saluted Titania, pleased with her work here. She was a good subject indeed, and always had been.
Turning his deep hood again toward his foes, Doom moved toward them.
"You had mentioned...restraint..." Doom said, "As they are prisoners of war and have been captured upon sovereign Latverian soil...you will leave them to me, Captain."
He turned slowly back toward Captain Midnight. In truth the man's wishes did not vex Doom. It was his land, and his rule was not to be questioned. The prisoners would remain, to be questioned or put to whatever used Doom saw fit. But it seemed a formality to ask. He had no reason to distrust his ally. After all, the man clearly had some use indeed and some skill in warfare.
"Do you object to this?"

Further discussion about Titania's powers would have to wait, a sudden roar of thunder picked up heralding the arrival of Lord Doom. Though Albright had heard rumors of Doom's abilities it was a whole other thing to see them in person. Capable of semmingly self propelled flight and ionisation of the local atmosphere to manipulate lightning with no sign of the technology one would expect would be required for such feats. Perhaps it was hidden nearby? A silent airship hidden in the clouds of the night sky armed with storm machinery? Whatever it was would have to wait however. Doom was an ally and the sovereign leader of this nation, and would be respected as such rather than interrogated about his methods.

"Thank you for allowing me passage in your homeland Lord Doom." Midnight returned the bow and saluted. "I imagine it was a difficult decision allowing outsiders entry to Latveria so soon after deposing the tyrants that ruled before."

As Doom turned his attention to the prisoners, Midnight ushered the refugees out of the plane allowing them to recover their belongings and gather more of the supplies they came for before the attack.

"These are your lands and I'll respect your law, but I humbly request that you share any information about their allies that you find out from them. Though these men are Latverian the weapons they use aren't."

He handed over one of the recovered rifles not destroyed in the fight, showing the modifications made to it.

"These are Ivan Shark's designs. Special materials to prevent jamming from dirt and mud while these men were living rough while hunting your people."

"and that's not all Shark has provided!" One of the prisoners growled in a Russian accent before a flash engulfed the area.

Three of the prisoners were suddenly replaced with black clad assassins wearing green skull masks. Ivan Shark's infamous ghosts, his elite agents who could infiltrate almost any organisation. One drew an assassins blade and stalked towards the captain, another blanketed the area with smoke from a chemical spray gun before switching to an acid load to ambush Doom and the third equipped a pair of powered gauntlets to match strength with Titania. The eyes of their masks glowed red through the artificial mist.

"Careful, these ghosts were just holding back earlier for a shot at your leaders."

Midnight warned the loyal Latverian soldiers back as he drew his own knife from a hidden slot in his wrist. Occasionally the blade wielding Ghost would lunge out of the smoke screen and clash weapons with him.

Titania couldn’t help but smirk as she watched the captain try to figure out Doom an this abilities. She wondered if he believed in magic or if he thought Doom’s appearance was nothing more than trickery. The ruler of Latveria was incredibly brilliant when it came to machines and technology, but he had also studied the arcane arts and, having seen it with her own eyes, Titania knew without the shadow of a doubt that magic existed in this world.

She should have searched the prisoners, stripped them of their clothing and items, made sure they could pose no threat to Lord Doom or any of the refugees, but that wasn’t something Titania had done, and now they were paying for it. Ivan Shark was not a name she recognized, not immediately anyways, but his men struck quickly and without mercy. The flash and smoke quickly engulfed the area, momentarily blinding and confusing Titania.

The so called ghosts acted quickly, knowing their intended target was here and vulnerable. Thankfully, Doom handled the first assassin in a manner that was both swift and deadly. It was also done in a manner that, had Titania been made of a lesser resolve, she would have found sickening enough to incapacitate her briefly. It also helped that the gas managed to obscure much of the affects of the acid until the damage was done and the man was on the ground.

Doom’s words of warning, along with the sound of fists hitting armor, caused Titania to quicken her pace through the fog to her lord and master. Unfortunately, her approach wasn’t a quiet one and she was met with a gauntleted blow to the face, one strong enough to send her stumbling backwards onto he ground. That surprised the woman, and she stared in disbelief up at the Ghost as he approached. She hadn’t been hit like that in a while. Yes, Doom has tested her limits when her powers were being developed, but this was unexpected, and a bit of a laugh escaped her lips. How had this Shark fellow duplicated her strength levels? Now wasn’t the time to worry about that, she realized as she got back to her feet. “Impressive,” she told the figure. “I think I will enjoy this quite a bit.” That said, rather than returning a punch, she dove at the man, grappling him in a wrestling move she has seen her older brothers use on each other when they scrapped for fun. She theorized that this man knew how to box and throw a punch, but if she got inside his range, the strength of his gauntlet would be nullified.

(ooc: feel free to prove her wrong, since I need to be punished for taking so long on this.)