Doctor Legion
New member
The Battle of the Capital: the Eleventh Hour
The events that happened during the Battle of the Capital happened in 19XX, three years before the current timeline.
The battle itself lasted for eight days.
On the first day, V.E.N.O.M. insurgents and combatants emerged from the shadows and severely wounded the President of the United States with a vest bomb meant to kill him. The president and all non-combat personnel were immediately escorted to undisclosed shelters for the duration of the conflict. A combined US Armed Forces strike secured the White House for 26 hours before V.E.N.O.M. reinforcements overran their position.
The Lincoln Memorial was barbarically defaced into the likeness of V.E.N.O.M.'s supreme leader: Doctor Legion. The Washington Monument was converted into a fortified firing position for heavy weapons and mortars.
Throughout the battle going into the third day, Doctor Legion inhabited the White House as if it were his own seat of power. From there he plotted and redirected his armies, intent on causing as much havoc as possible. His elite Viper Guard worked tirelessly against the United States Marine Corps, both sides displaying stunning brutality. The battle started on land, then expanded to the air once V.E.N.O.M. began to launch fighter planes and bombers against the US Air Force from the heavily-armed Typhon-class carrier "Fang of Tiamat". To defend the "Fang of Tiamat", V.E.N.O.M. deployed its Amphibious Robot Corps (ARC) troopers into the Potomac. These were essential in severing the US Navy's attempts at infiltrating or even directly engaging the vessel.
Long-range artillery was implemented, but the "Fang of Tiamat" was also deployed alongside the Vengeance-class battleships "Taipan-4" and "Krait-7", turning this phase into an unrelenting duel of heavy guns. Meanwhile, Washington DC itself turned into an urban killing field. Civilians were rushed to evacuation centers and makeshift shelters, but the subways opened a new and dangerous part of the battle.
On the fourth day, V.E.N.O.M. insurgents broke through the reinforced concrete of the subway tunnels, immediately engaging US Army troops tasked with protecting and escorting civilians to neighboring cities. Subterranean warfare was always a potential concern during the battle, so trains were reinforced and repurposed into mobile bunkers for heavy weapons. This only worked in areas that still had electricity, however, meaning most districts could only move slowly through the dark tunnels. Fighting became short, fierce, and brutal in a matter of seconds. Pistols, spades, and improvised weapons were highly sought after. In the end, most tunnels ended up closed off due to V.E.N.O.M. detonating bombs or releasing poisonous gas into the crowded escape routes.
Superheroes officially arrived during the night on the fourth day, breaking the stalemate while also allowing the US Armed Forces ample time and opportunity to properly reorganize and retaliate. Most superheroes were tasked with escalating the relief efforts. Only Torpedo Man could effectively handle the growing situation in the Potomac, however. While V.E.N.O.M. was being pushed back everywhere else, they went undefeated on and below the water. It was here that Doctor Legion would consolidate the final part of his dastardly scheme.
After ordering a general retreat back to the "Fang of Tiamat" by any means necessary, Doctor Legion committed only his most fanatical soldiers along with the unfeeling ARC troopers into the maelstrom of the rearguard. Here, the fighting would be the fiercest it had been throughout the seven days prior. It would also be the bloodiest day by far...
The battle itself lasted for eight days.
On the first day, V.E.N.O.M. insurgents and combatants emerged from the shadows and severely wounded the President of the United States with a vest bomb meant to kill him. The president and all non-combat personnel were immediately escorted to undisclosed shelters for the duration of the conflict. A combined US Armed Forces strike secured the White House for 26 hours before V.E.N.O.M. reinforcements overran their position.
The Lincoln Memorial was barbarically defaced into the likeness of V.E.N.O.M.'s supreme leader: Doctor Legion. The Washington Monument was converted into a fortified firing position for heavy weapons and mortars.
Throughout the battle going into the third day, Doctor Legion inhabited the White House as if it were his own seat of power. From there he plotted and redirected his armies, intent on causing as much havoc as possible. His elite Viper Guard worked tirelessly against the United States Marine Corps, both sides displaying stunning brutality. The battle started on land, then expanded to the air once V.E.N.O.M. began to launch fighter planes and bombers against the US Air Force from the heavily-armed Typhon-class carrier "Fang of Tiamat". To defend the "Fang of Tiamat", V.E.N.O.M. deployed its Amphibious Robot Corps (ARC) troopers into the Potomac. These were essential in severing the US Navy's attempts at infiltrating or even directly engaging the vessel.
Long-range artillery was implemented, but the "Fang of Tiamat" was also deployed alongside the Vengeance-class battleships "Taipan-4" and "Krait-7", turning this phase into an unrelenting duel of heavy guns. Meanwhile, Washington DC itself turned into an urban killing field. Civilians were rushed to evacuation centers and makeshift shelters, but the subways opened a new and dangerous part of the battle.
On the fourth day, V.E.N.O.M. insurgents broke through the reinforced concrete of the subway tunnels, immediately engaging US Army troops tasked with protecting and escorting civilians to neighboring cities. Subterranean warfare was always a potential concern during the battle, so trains were reinforced and repurposed into mobile bunkers for heavy weapons. This only worked in areas that still had electricity, however, meaning most districts could only move slowly through the dark tunnels. Fighting became short, fierce, and brutal in a matter of seconds. Pistols, spades, and improvised weapons were highly sought after. In the end, most tunnels ended up closed off due to V.E.N.O.M. detonating bombs or releasing poisonous gas into the crowded escape routes.
Superheroes officially arrived during the night on the fourth day, breaking the stalemate while also allowing the US Armed Forces ample time and opportunity to properly reorganize and retaliate. Most superheroes were tasked with escalating the relief efforts. Only Torpedo Man could effectively handle the growing situation in the Potomac, however. While V.E.N.O.M. was being pushed back everywhere else, they went undefeated on and below the water. It was here that Doctor Legion would consolidate the final part of his dastardly scheme.
After ordering a general retreat back to the "Fang of Tiamat" by any means necessary, Doctor Legion committed only his most fanatical soldiers along with the unfeeling ARC troopers into the maelstrom of the rearguard. Here, the fighting would be the fiercest it had been throughout the seven days prior. It would also be the bloodiest day by far...
“Hold them here, brave soldiers of democracy! We need to buy the capes time!”
Sergeant Mac Arnold growled as he sent a flurry of bullets from his M1919 into the incoming V.E.N.O.M. horde. They fell into cover, howling fury from their laser rifles and various automated weapons. A grenade popped from a snug barrel, arcing behind Mac's makeshift barricade.
He didn't think twice. He threw it back at the foe, ducking as it exploded with a plume of smoke and debris. He chomped hard into the flesh of his cigar, crunching out dried tobacco from the end.
“Covering fire!” Mac roared.
His commandos obliged, giving him ample opportunity to empty his ammo belts as he advanced, a frenzied juggernaut of patriotism that sent the entrenched V.E.N.O.M. agents fleeing for their lives. He caught a few stray shots, including one in his leg and one taking a rib from his torso, but he still shouted in defiance.
Scenes such as this were rampant across the capital. Washington DC had been turned into a war zone, painted with the broad strokes of tyranny as the insidious Doctor Legion and his vile forces launched a multi-pronged blitzkrieg assault against the heart of the nation he so despised. It had taken months to plan and prepare, but only lasted just over a week. The heroes cornered him in the oval office. Solar Man took point against the madman while The Olympian and Citizen Robot secured the surrounding rooms.
“It's over Legion. Your armies are broken. Your plan has failed. Surrender,”
“Nay - I spit again unto thee, Solar Man: NAY!! Hear me and hear me well: no mortal law shall contain me, no natural order shall define me. Even when the only eyes left to judge me are God's, I shall curse you! I shall poison the soil you stand on, the water you drink, and the very air you breathe with my vengeance! I am ascendant! I am Legion - and this is my decree: now and forever the world shall feel the sting of... V.E.N.O.M.!!”
He laughed. Above the whine of exploding bombs strewn about the city of Washington DC, he laughed. Louder than the crescendo of flesh-eating viral warheads bursting under the Potomac, he laughed. Maniacally, and without even a shred of remorse as the nuclear device in his chest evaporated him on the spot… he laughed.
Torpedo Man caught the brunt of the riverside explosions. He had been fighting hundreds of ARC troopers looking to harrow the progress of evacuation efforts crossing the water to safety. They littered the bottom of the Potomac, bleeding oil as they sank. His tireless task for the past four days was fighting back the robotic hordes and dismantling their strange devices along the river bottom. He denied their pollution, acting as an aquatic sentinel of justice as best he could. His efforts, however, were in vain.
Though he prevented coastline invasions along multiple fronts, he couldn't protect everything at once. When the virus bombs went off, he experienced immediate shell-shock. His brain, already accustomed to the deep fathoms of the world, was rocked by the thunderous miasma of the final phase of the battle.
His eyes bounced in his head, but he heard water breaking. A boy fell overboard from one of the Navy vessels. They were ill-equipped to handle the androids that were now surfacing to attack them in swarms. Torpedo Man sprung into action, catching the boy before he drifted down into the depths. His lungs were on fire. The water became heavy with the sudden influx of gasses from decomposing fish and plants. It was drawing him into a vortex of death - no one else would survive such a crushing torrent!
He shot out from the water and landed on the nearest boat to set the boy down. His skin, normally pale white, now simmered and popped with pink blisters. He threw blow after hefty blow, demolishing the androids and sending their robotic husks to the depths. Torpedo Man knew he had little time left. The other boats were experiencing similar attacks, and so he dove back into the unyielding pressure of the polluted Potomac. His heart pumped until it felt like it was about to explode. There were dozens of boats attempting escape, and the horrors of war dawned on him with a brilliant flash of light.
He recognized the mushroom cloud as it rose from the general vicinity of the White House. He had no time. The people had to be saved. If they were lucky, they'd survive with minor burns and radiation sickness. After disposing of the last standing ARC trooper, Torpedo Man once again went back underwater. The acidic virus clung to his skin. His indomitable flesh finally began to suffer injury. He couldn't open his eyes unless he was above the surface, and even then the toxic fumes caused them to swell shut against his will. He grabbed each and every boat, one by one, exhausting the last of his muscular power and pushing them across the Potomac with all haste. A journey of precious minutes became an exodus of a few seconds as the civilians were then urged to safety by the brave men and women of the military's relief efforts.
Torpedo Man, however, was never destined to survive. He dove under the Potomac 329 times during that darkest hour of the battle. Each consecutive effort was made to evacuate civilians, to defeat submerged robots waiting to ambush survivors, or to breach the other side and intercept V.E.N.O.M. forces approaching the river. When he dove for the 330th time, many were expecting him to cross the Potomac one last time to safety.
But his proud and noble heart finally gave out, and he was dragged into the depths by the dense layer of gas trapping him under the current. It would be Solar Man who would bring him out of the water, holding him in tender sorrow as the iconic image took shape. Torpedo Man had sacrificed himself for the betterment of well over 15,000 people. He forcibly pushed and pulled 147 boats back and forth, exhausting his body to its limits. He demolished 303 ARC troopers, each one of which could have killed dozens or hundreds of innocent people.
The bombs that he could not dismantle in time numbered 93. There were over 400. Each one had the potential to scourge one nautical mile of every organic compound its contents touched. They exploded in close proximity to each other, meaning Torpedo Man was exposed to almost 100 times the normal lethal dose. By the time Solar Man took his body from the Potomac, his flesh had been melted. Bones were exposed. He had nothing resembling eyes in his skull. He died perhaps minutes before his body finally gave out. But through sheer instinct and willpower, he kept moving.
He was immortalized with the silhouette of Solar Man holding him, which has appeared in countless works of art ever since. Details such as the gruesome condition of his final remains were often omitted, of course.
But despite all of this, Washington DC became an inhospitable hell-scape. The stories of the battle carried on into legend. It seemed that the Justice Association finally defeated one of their greatest enemies of all time. Now, there could be rest and recovery found in Paramount City.
Now… there could be peace.
Ten hours following the battle…
Zorina Maximovna - better known as Tsarina - oversaw the resurrection chamber deep within the catacombs of Doctor Legion's citadel. Not only did she receive a message about the demise of one of her master's bodies, but news about the battle had been serialized for radio and television in multiple languages.
The world knew about the devastation at the capital. It also witnessed the solidification of the Justice Association as a purely democratic, heroic organization. It was their baptism by fire. Tsarina laid her clipboard down on the examination table. The chamber hissed with new life as a copy of Doctor Legion's brain lowered into place onto the neck of the sleeper body. The connections snapped and buckled properly, and the fluid was drained. The jar buzzed with a sinister, almost fluorescent, turquoise glow.
Servants flooded into the room, dressing him in the ornate blue, red, and gold of his uniform as the leader of V.E.N.O.M. and the undeniable ruler of Uzurkslavia. The last piece was, of course, his faceless helmet - which he slid over the jar containing his disembodied brain. He brewed a laugh in his chest and released it as he threw his head back.
“Hahaha! I am a genius!! None can deny my right to rule now!”
“Of course not, Doctor,” she flipped a curl of black hair behind her ear. “Especially after you have dealt the Americans such a heavy blow,”
“Oh? Tell me, Tsarina,”
“The destruction of the city of Washington DC is considered total annihilation. It was a complete victory from a logistics perspective,”
“And what of the president?”
“Injured, but alive. Some diplomats from pro-American nations have met their demise, if that should please your lordship,”
Doctor Legion grimaced, clenching his fists and putting a dent in a nearby wall with one.
“No! No!! I may have insulted American pride by defacing their precious monuments and leaving their capital an irradiated crater, but it means nothing if their leadership is still alive!”
He slammed a table, breaking it in half.
“My lord,” Tsarina tilted her head, snapping her fingers.
A servant robot rolled in and presented something.
“What is it?!” Doctor Legion hissed, his mechanical voice rasp with anger.
She presented him with a belt emblazoned with a T, layered in green scales and silver trim.
He gasped, holding it above his head in triumph.
“It was recovered from one of the fallen ARC troopers. Further surveillance has confirmed that - “
Doctor Legion seized his moment.
“TORPEDO MAN IS DEAD!!” he howled with laughter, filling the resurrection chamber with the horror of his mirth.
“Tsarina,” he turned towards her, gripping the belt tightly knowing it would be among his greatest trophies.
“I must have more. I must have Solar Man's blood on my hands next! I refuse to leave this mortal coil while that capitalist blowhard still draws breath! Oh, but what a glorious beginning to my collection,” Doctor Legion cackled again.
“Today, Washington DC… tomorrow - THE WORLD!!”
After a short interjection of maniacal laughter, he walked towards a computer attached to a massive screen.
“But first, I'll need to level the playing field. All that effort just to kill one Justice Associate… just imagine what havoc I can unleash with my own association… my own triumvirate of evil! Yes. Yes! Tsarina!”
He input some numbers into the machine and data began to unravel, revealing two names that he entrusted with his evil schemes more than anyone else.
“Clear my schedule for the foreseeable future. I have meetings to arrange.”
Last edited:
