And so it begins....(One Year Ago)
Doom's arrived in Moscow under the cover of darkness, the chill of the winter air stinging his eyes. This was the only effect that the cold had upon him; his armor's life-support systems managed his body temperature easily as he walked across the darkened landscape leading to the city. The time was nearly at hand to make his appearance to the "Russian" president, and Doom could still hear the crowing of those blithering idiots in their self-styled "Intelligencia" . Leader and M.O.D.O.K. were out of the picture, and with them went the true power behind the group.
The remaining members, Wizard, Klaw, Mad Thinker and Ghost, were laughably co-dependent upon each other, Doom felt that it insulted him to intercept their transmissions for the next portion of their plan. Alone, they were nothing. Together, they were just intelligent enough to understand something that Doom recently learned himself.
The Russian President was not who he claimed to be.
At 11:15pm, Doom whispered the incantation to open a portal directly into the President's office.
When President Karloff's eyes settle upon him, the man rises and raises his hand to fire an energy blast, but Dr. Doom was prepared. He extends his left arm, letting his armor absorb the blast, then extends his right arm and fires a blast of his own, which the President dodges with blazing speed, rushing over the desk to attack him physically. Victor von Doom is a master of armed combat, but he will not deign to engage in fisticuffs with a being such as this one. However, he will allow the man to get into striking range as he mentally unlocks one of his armor's most deadly tricks.
Karloff's hands reach Doom's shoulders....and Karloff screams 75,000 volts of electricity flow into him from the armor about Doom's body. The President collapses in a heap upon the brown rug of his office and twitches a bit, smoking somewhat from the shock.
"You will refrain from laying hands upon Doom." he says by way of greeting. Doom reaches down and grabs the president by the throat and lifting him from the ground.
The door bursts open and two guards rush in, leveling automatic weapons at Doom.
"Release the president!"
Doom speaks again, and both men fall unconscious, his will pressing into their weak minds and forcing them to sleep. The door closes of its own accord and Doom returns his attention to the President.
"I have no time for games. Reveal your true self to me or I will reveal you to the world and set them upon you like wolves to the sheep." Doom commands, holding Karloff by the throat.
"I have no idea what you--"
Another jolt of electricity fires from Doom's gauntlet, once again zapping Karloff. This time, the other man shrinks down from his feminine form, shrinking until softer curves emerge in his body, his hair lengthens and his skin turns green. The female hangs off the floor in Doom's grasp, her eyes blazing with both hatred...and fear.
"Do you plan to kill me? Be warned that I will not go quietly." the Skrull says.
"Spare me your infantile declarations of how difficult you will be to kill. You would be dead now if I wished it, but I have another plan for you. You will obtain information from my enemies for me. In return, you will be allowed to continue your charade without impairment from me. Play your part well and perhaps I may even grant you other boons. Men will come to you, seeking an alliance and offering you their inventions to help this country. You will take all that they offer and gain their confidence. You will report their activities to me. You will not fail in either of these tasks." Doom informs her.
"You /dare/ speak to me this way, human? The Queen of the Skrull Empire--"
"Will be the last member of her people if you cross me. The governments of Earth, even now, hunt your people. They find your people and lock them away without trial or any semblance of due process. They die a slow, painful death in prison cells with no hope of freedom.
This is a mercy, compared to my wrath. Cross me and I will exterminate every last Skrull on this planet, root and stem. No one will be spared, not man, woman, nor child. And when the last of you dies, the people of Earth will /thank/ me for doing so, after all the damage your people have wrought. I offer you the chance to live, to save your people, and to carve out a life on this world. Choose now." Doom commands, looking into the woman's eyes.
After nearly a minute, she speaks.
"I have conditions, things I would see done to those who have wronged my people." she says.
"Perhaps an arrangement can be made.." Doom says, releasing her from his grasp.
