discardedheir:

When the smoke and the dust and in some cases the blood finally clears, there's just the electronically sealed vault door separating the combatants from their captive parents, grandparents, and employers.

Kristoff gets to work on the locks, and soon the door rolls back. The technicians surrounding the prisoners are all cowering in fear with their hands up.

The prisoners themselves -- Silver Sablinova, Victor Von Doom, Namor McKenzie, T'Challa, Magneto, and Exodus -- are all under heavy restraints and hooked up to IVs, so heavily drugged that they cannot access their abilities or think straight enough to plan an escape. They have only recently been brought to enough basic consciousness to -- HYDRA had assumed -- watch their children die on the television screen provided.

burnwithlight:

Just before they got near Symkarian airspace, they'd gotten a message from Vernard that he and his brother would be going. Another point in the 'Nazi Trap!' column.

And again they answer a few basic questions from SHIELD before they're even allowed past those border checks.

Eventually, they're in. Giovanna's hand hangs onto Andrew's arm in a girlfriendly fashion. The better to shock him at an instant's notice.

Symkaria's cleanup look like it's going very well.

discardedheir:

Kristoff got Vincent and Andrea together privately within the castle.

"Vincent and I have obtained invitations to the meeting in Symkaria," he says. "Raising the likelihood that this is a trap from 'very likely' to 'extremely likely'."

nextgen_parent:

Nick Fury stood in the three story high bridge of the Helicarrier. The massive flying ship was stationed just outside the border of Latveria. Metal Face was stirring up trouble, or so they were led to believe. Vernard was considerate enough to keep SHIELD in the loop to what was going on, but Nick had his own intelligence on the situation at hand.

He had to keep this from getting out of hand and from spreading.

He turned away from the large screens.

"Listen up ya yahoos," he said in a booming voice. "I want SHIELD forces all around Latveria, Wakanda, Genosha, and Atlantis. Stay outside the respective borders, but I don't want this spreadin' anywhere else. Get our forces movin'."

A chorus of 'Yes sir' echoed in the expansive bridge.

It would stretch SHIELD a little thin elsewhere, but containment was a priority.

nextgen_parent:

At the SSI offices in New York, Nicolai Sablinovia received a transmission over a secure channel.

discardedheir:

Kristoff sent a message to SHIELD. Full Disclosure. Doom was not in Latveria, and the Doombot signals had apparently been hijacked.

Then he got to work trying to raise Atlantis on the communcations system. Even once a signal got through the general difficulties connections with Atlantis sometimes did, it was something of a wait for anyone of the techs on the other end to be willing to take a call coming from Doomstadt right now. Even then, it some work to get someone to take "Please put His Majesty or Her Highness through as soon as possible. No, this is not a trick, this is Kristoff Vernard of the Fantastic Four" seriously.

burnwithlight:

Once Angelo had brought her back to Genosha, Giovanna went to find Andrew. She'd hated not being with him this whole time.

discardedheir:

SHIELD was notified. Cassandra and the children were taken care of, and the Fantasticar was about to enter Latverian airspace.

Obviously, the automatic national defenses were on alert, but they could be temporarily disabled with a code that changed every hour of every day, but was based on particularly complex algorithm Doom had concocted at the age 24 and never shared with another human being, and into which one simply had to plug in the full date and time. And, of course, add the name Valeria.

It's been a very, very long time since he's disobeyed the Master. The Fantasticar touched own on the outskirts of Doomstadt unmolested; Kristoff deliberately does not look in the direction of the gypsy funeral grounds. He can't let himself do that right now.

Since the defenses hadn't been activated, Doomstadt is looking its normal calm, quiet self. People walk unmolested down the cobblestone streets, and the water flows in the fountains. The castle looks its normal self from this distance as well.

Time for them to see about making the Master of Latveria explain himself.

nextgen_parent:

Paris and Carmella had gotten to bed late, after some extra time and work and much interest and speculation on the whole Latverian Thing. But going to bed late normally never prevented them from getting up early.

This morning, it didn't happen. The sun was starting to climb high by the time Carmella groggily stirred, barely able to open her eyes.

onearmofhydra:

"All right, let's unload the 'patients' -- I feel like a Medivac pilot all of a sudden. And careful, people! Let's not start screwing up now!"
"All went well then."
"Yes. They can send in the machines whenever they like. Although it's not like there's lot of the crazy space-power stuff, so...the Genoshans can make mincemeat of them, you know. These two probably could've by themselves, right?"
"Oh, we know. That's not the point. Just get them with the others. And inform the good doctors that their curiosity had best not extend so far as to let anything risk waking them."

aerosmithette:

There was no question about it:  Akilah was going home to Wakanda to aid in the defense and imminent counterattack.  She had, luckily, learned how to fly the Quinjets.  All that she needed to do was let the Avengers know she was leaving.  She assumed it was a given to most of them, but she wrote a note and left it in the kitchen--as that was where they could al stumble upon it.  She was busy gathering what she needed to leave after leaving up the note.

little_mermaid:

If the Doombots were supposed to cause panic and mass chaos under the sea they failed, at least with the citizenry.  Certainly there was a good bit of noise and confusion, but no one ran screaming or jumped behind buildings for cover.  The Atlantean people had dealt with Lemurians for goodness sake.  A Doombot was cause for concern but not full on Nathan Lane-style drama.  No, that type of drama was reserved for the advisers inside the palace.  The first Doombot received notice and almost immediately there was great shouting and flailing and someone actually yelped that the sky was falling.  It woke Kassia from her half-nap and she, like everyone else in the inner sanctum, came running to the war room to find out what the King would do.

Except...there was no King.  Just a lot of nattering, worrying, and flailing.  It went on for about twenty minutes before Kassia realized that something was off.  "Um.  So where's the Army?"  She was told that only the crown could call the Army.  "So where's my Dad?"  No one had an answer. Kassia looked at each adviser in turn, then rolled her eyes. "Oh for fuck's sake...fine.  I'm the crown.  Until my sister can get here I'm the damn Queen.  You there in the...skirt-like toga with the ruffle thing...call the Army.  We're under attack, people!" 

"Goddamn worthless advisers...gotta do everything my own damn self..."  Kassia shoved past palace staff and went straight for the throne room.  Her dad hat a triton in there somewhere.  She'd seen it.  Crowned heads wield cool stuff, right?  Once she found the triton, she grabbed it and then, as advisers yelled after her to seek refuge in the safe room Kassia charged for the door.

"The Fist of Atlantis doesn't cower in safe rooms when her people are under attack." 

***

An hour later, while the Army was dispatching the bulk of the invading 'bots, Kassia stormed back into the palace, a little disheveled and a little scuffed up, and headed straight for the war room...dragging what appeared to be the mangled leg of one of the Doombots with her.  She heaved it up and slammed it down on the table.

"And THAT is how we deal with invaders.  Get my sister on the line.  NOW."

She may have well been Namor Jr.

nextgen_media:

Staggered and vague reports are coming that Dr. Doom has now followed his unprovoked aggression against neighboring Symkaria with attacks against Atlantis and Wakanda. As both of these nations are insular and isolated, these reports have been difficult to confirm, and no public announcements have been made by any of the governments involved.  There are even rumors that the respective kings of Atlantis and Wakanda are missing in action.

Even though all the reported victims so far have been isolated or marginalized nations, the U.N. and various governments around the world are reported to be in an uproar trying to decide what action to take.

onearmofhydra:

"You've disabled them?"
"Yes, Doctor. Lots of them. But they're kind of mucked up now..."
"Once we're done reprogramming, they can be cleaned and repaired."
"You're sure you can? I mean, this is Dr. Freaking Doom here--."
"I assure you, we can. Particularly since the initial change need only be to the transmitter. I would suggest you concern yourself with having the appropriate strike and extraction teams available in each place once the Doombots get there."
"Well, you know your business."
"I certainly do."

nextgen_media:

"Reports are coming in from Symkaria that both major cities are under siege by what are unmistakeably Doombots and other Latverian military automata.

After decades of only occasionally mildly disturbed peace, Latveria has apparently finally invaded its southern neighbor.  Victor Von Doom's motivation for this attack remains unknown; he has made no public statement."

onearmofhydra:

"So if we stick to the plan -- maintain the mystic protections, have the LMD issue the invitation, use the stealth tech as he arrives, wait until he sits, dampen the sound, the cannon fodder operatives, the aromatic polyamide to disable the armor, the drug regimen to keep him down, -- it'll work? You're guaranteeing?"

"I have watched the plan to capture Doom work. I cannot see the course to the end. I guarantee no further."

"Well, Doom is the key. Without him, we don't even have a start."


And so the plan was followed, with many of the varied resources HYDRA could bring to bear.

And what do you know? It worked.