MU’s Misfits|| Burnt-Out

This Story contains violence, mention of blood, and swearing. If these are triggers for you I encourage you to find a different post. You’ve been warned!

The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a twilight glow over New York City. Will, cloaked in a swirling mist of shadows, led the way through the bustling streets. Beside him, Spider-Man swung from web to web, his agile form cutting through the air, while Khole danced gracefully along the rooftops, her voice echoing like a melodious wind.

“First things first, we need intel on Doom. You think Reed would be able to help?” Shade asked, his voice deep and resonant, blending with the shadows around him.

“Of course he can!” Spider-Man replied, flipping down from a nearby ledge. “Reed’s a genius. If anyone can figure out how to take down Doom, it’s him.”

Khole sounded surprised, her long hair flowing like water. “Wait, Reed? As in Reed Richards? I didn’t realize it was this serious to involve the Fantastic Four!”

“He said his name was Victor. If I had to guess I think he meant Victor Von Doom! If anyone knows anything, it’s the Fantastic Four!”

They arrived at the iconic Baxter Building, its sleek design towering over the city. The trio made their way inside, greeted by the friendly face of a receptionist. “Hello, can I help you?”

“Hey, Donna! We need to see Reed, you think we could just walk in and ask for some help?” The receptionist raised an eyebrow, leaning forward in her chair as her arms rested against the desk she sat at. “Could you?”

“I… well I mean if we can’t then that’s okay but it's really urgent-“ She broke out laughing before wiping a tear from her eye. “Relax, Spidey. I’m messing with you. Go right in!” She clicked a button as the main doors to the lab opened up as they walked through.

In the main lab, Reed Richards looked up from his workbench. Sue Storm and Johnny Storm were engaged in a light-hearted argument, while Ben Grimm munched on a sandwich.

“Hey, team!” Spider-Man called out, swinging over to them. “We need your brains for a sec.” Reed’s Eyes lit up with curiosity. “What’s going on?”

“We were hoping you could tell us about Victor Von Doom.” Reed and Sue looked at each other before looking back at Will with confusion and concern written all over their faces. “Victor? Why?”

“It’s… rather complicated. We think someone made something resembling him. A clone or whatever.” Sue walked up and helped up a picture of Doom but in an older Metal outfit, not like the one they saw earlier. “Was he wearing this and calling himself Doom?”

“He called himself Doom, but he wasn’t wearing that. It was modern, more polished and made of some… absorbing material.” Reed seemed intrigued by the idea of armor made of such rare material, so he pulled up old news reports of the Fantastic Four battling Doctor Doom.

“What? How come we never heard of this?” Spider-Man asked as they scroll through every newspaper covering their epic battle.

“Time. People forgot about the time where they needed us as superheroes. We’ve only been the Richards since that day.” Sue explained, Khole studying the papers carefully.

“This isn’t Victor.” she said, zooming in on a sentence that confirmed that Victor Von Doom died in the epic battle with the Fantastic Four. “Shit… so if this isn’t Victor, who is it?”

“Regardless of who it is, it sounds like they need a good ol’ beating!” Ben screamed out after finishing his sandwich. “Or… maybe we find his weakness? His old suit used to be made out of titanium, extremely vulnerable to heat!”

“I don’t suppose we could steal a high-powered fire gun lying around?” Johnny immediately jumped up and started to get excited at the thought of ing the group. “Count me in!”

“No,” Sue said, immediately shutting the thought down. “You’re already in trouble with flying into the atmosphere which made the government panic.”

“Y’know how about that one kid from years ago? Called him the Burn-Out!” Will and Spider-Man recognized the name as Reed pulled up more papers about the alias, Burn-Out.

“Huh… says he vanished seven years ago. No one has seen or heard from him since.” Khole scanned the article quickly and found another name. “How about we ask someone who knows him?”

“Ava Staria? She was the last person who saw and spoke to him. Where can we find her?” Reed quickly scanned the entire city and found nothing relating to her description. “She’s not in the city. She could be anywhere.”

“Reed, search in her hometown. Birmingham, Alabama.” Just as Reed started the search, it immediately pinged an area in a graveyard. “Whoa… scans are showing that someone’s there and they’re burning hot.”

“Hotter than me? How is that possible?” Johnny questioned. Ben laughed in the background before giving his response. “Probably because they know how to use their powers.”

While the two bickered, Reed handed Will a device that allowed him to open a portal to Birmingham. The device clicked and suddenly a doorway with a blue outline appeared in front of them and on the other side was the graveyard.

“Be careful, Will. Reports have said that the Burn-Out isn’t like normal enhanced people. The words demon or demonic have been repeated in the papers.” Will scoffed before lifting his harm to show his gauntlet.

“I’ve fought demons, Reed. I doubt he’ll be any different.”

Birmingham, Alabama

“I know it’s weird for me to come here even though this place isn’t my home, but I thought I’d drop by to visit you once again. It’s strange even for me who isn’t even considered a human to stand before you, but I figured it was better that your memory was laid to rest here.” Ava states while looking down at a tombstone that reads the name Ava Elizabeth Staria with the year of her birth to the year of her death.

Ava stood at the tombstone before reaching into her jacket pocket to pull out a box of cigarettes. Her palm tapped the bottom of the box as one of the sticks popped up. Ava’s lips perked around the stick as she lit it with the snap of her fingers. “Thanks to you I live on… I’ll never forget you Ava.” she states as the wind kicks up for a brief moment.

“Not exactly where I’d thought we would be today. You think it’s true about Burn-Out being a demon?” Khole spoke aloud, Ava turned her head as she let the smoke from the cigarette leave her lips.

Her eyes met three unknown individuals, two of which were males and the other one there being female. The three of them appeared from what looked like an opening in the world itself.

“Reed wouldn’t send us to a random place in the country. If he says Nathaniel Reeves is here, then I believe him.” Will lightly tapped Spider-Man’s shoulder and pointed toward Ava, noticing that she had them in her sight.

“What do you want with Nathaniel Reeves?” Ava asked as the three of them looked at her. Khole walked away from the group and stopped before Ava. “That is none of your concern, he is of our top priority and may be a benefactor in putting a stop to the coming threat.” the woman states before raising a brow.

“Well I’m afraid your search is over. Nathan is dead. I watched him die.” Ava stated, quickly turning around to look at the gravestone which William quickly noticed.

“You’re right about one thing. Our search is over… Nathaniel.” Ava tensed, looking back at Will and then squinting her eyes as she took another puff from her cigarette. “That name no longer exists. Not anymore.”

“Then how about one that the stories give you? Amon?” She turned her head back to meet Will’s gaze, letting out a sigh. “You’re a lot smarter than you look, and that’s not much.”

“Well I have a pretty face.” Spider-Man snorted before nudging Will’s arm for him to get to the point. “We need your help to stop someone who’s threatening our world.”

“What’s in it for me?” Ava asked Will, which seemed to annoy him as he started to sound more aggressive. “Well we all don’t die and we still have a planet to live on, how’s that sound?” She scoffed and shook her head. “Sounds like it should happen.”

“You get to beat a man who claims to be a god?” Khole suggests which caught Ava’s attention. “Hm… this has piqued my interest, I’ll it. Who is this guy?”

“My name is Doom, child,” Doom states as his voice echoes in the sky, the wind picking up as it blew rapidly across the group.

Lighting began to strike the ground as Doom slowly floated down from the clouds and onto the ground they all stood on, his metal boots clinking against the earth with each step as Will, Spider-Man, and Khole stood ready in their fighting positions.

“Must we always resort to violence? Can’t we come to a peaceful conclusion?” Doom asked, standing calm fully with his hands folded behind his back. “Fuck you, prick.” Khole blurted out, making Will snicker at the comment.

“Here I thought you were above those childish things, oh well.” Doom lifted his hand and launched green energy toward Khole, launching her backwards and into a tombstone, cracking the solid stone and making it fall over.

“You’re gonna pay for that, Doom!” Will screamed out as he and Spider-Man launched towards the man as Ava watched in curiosity.

“Hey, Doom! Ever heard of graveyard etiquette? You’re supposed to respect the dead!” He flipped through the air, shooting webs directly at the armored figure.

Doctor Doom turned, his metal visage cold and calculating. “Your quips won’t save you, wall-crawler!” He raised a hand, and a force field flared to life, absorbing the webs as if they were nothing.

Will didn’t hesitate. He stepped into the shadows, disappearing from sight. Suddenly, he reappeared behind Doom, shadows coiling around his arms like serpents. “I’m getting sick of you, Doom!” he roared, launching an attack

But Doom turned, his gauntlet glowing ominously. “Foolish boy!” He unleashed a blast of energy that sent Will reeling back, crashing into a tombstone.

Suddenly Doom was sent flying backwards due to a sound wave crashing against him and pinning him against the wall. They turned to see Khole back up on her feet, bruised and cut as she continued to keep Doom pinned with her sonic cry.

“Damn! She sounds pissed!” Spider-Man screamed over the loud pitch to talk to Will. “Either way, we strike now!”

Will surged forward, dark tendrils coiling around his arms as he attempted to envelop Doom in shadows. “This ends now!” he declared, launching his attack.

But Doom countered with a surge of energy, the blast knocking Will back into the ground. “You’re just as stupid as the other Shade!” he taunted, his voice echoing through the graveyard.

Spider-Man swung into action, launching himself at Doom. “Hey, tin man! Let’s see how you handle a little webbing!” He shot a web directly at Doom, but with a swift movement, Doom deflected it, sending Spider-Man crashing into the ground.

“Spider-Man!” Will shouted, trying to rise from the rubble.

But just as despair started to creep in, Ava stepped forward, her eyes blazing with determination. “Alright, I think I’ve seen enough.” She raised her hands, flames igniting around her, transforming her into a beacon of infernal light.

With a fierce cry, Ava unleashed a torrent of demonic fire that surged toward Doom, illuminating the graveyard with a hellish glow. The flames twisted and curled, fueled by her raw emotions.

“You think a little fire can harm me?!” Doom’s voice boomed, but even as he raised his shield, the flames licked at its edges, threatening to engulf him. “You underestimate the might of Doom!”

“You underestimate us, Victor!” Will shouted in rage, launching their combined attacks. The shadows and flames merged, creating a spiraling vortex of dark fire aimed straight at Doom.

But as the combined assault struck, a sudden pulse of energy erupted from Doom. He raised his hand, revealing the gleaming Power Stone embedded in his gauntlet. “Playtime is over!” Feel the power of Doom!”

The energy from the stone surged, creating a shockwave that blasted back Will, Spider-Man, Khole, and Ava, sending them sprawling across the graveyard. The shadows slowly faded, and the flames flickered as Doom harnessed the Power Stone’s energy.

“I have everything I need to return home… I thank you all for helping me put it through its testing stage.” Doom slowly pulled out the same device he used to travel through universes, and gently pressed one of the buttons as the world tears open to open a portal behind him.

“This will be the last time we meet. You might want to check on William though… him and that blue spider didn’t look so good when I left,” he said, cackling as he walked through the portal, the rift quickly shutting behind him leaving no opportunity to follow.

Spider-Man quickly got up to check on Will but he looked fine, nothing serious. “I don’t understand… he said William, but you look fine.” Will struggled to sit up, holding his side.

“I don’t think he meant me, Pete.” Spider-Man’s lenses widen before quickly helping Will to his feet. “I’m gonna go check on them, catch up with me!” He leaped up in the air and started swinging away as Will helped Khole and Ava up on their feet.

“You two doing okay?” he asked, Khole dusting herself off as Ava casually stretches her neck and lightly pops it. “Peachy.” They both said in unison.

“Well, Ava, if you want to us, we would appreciate the back up.” Ava thought to herself as Khole and Will stared, waiting for a response.

“This Doom guy has my interest. I wanna see what it takes for him to break.” Will scoffed before waving them to follow him as they try their best to catch up to Spider-Man.

“I have a feeling that it won’t be that easy now.”

To Be Continued…