MUSES OF FIRE

• Writer - John Francis Moore
• Artist - Pat Broderick
• Lettering - John Costanza
• Colorist - Christie Scheele
• Editor - Joey Cavalieri
• Editor in Chief - Tom Defalco

Summary

  The comic book opens into the crowed street in Antikva Vilago in Latveria in the year 2099. We are looking upon 3 people negotiating over some stolen data. Wire is staying how he is the only one who could have gotten the data from Tiger Wylde's Security network. The buyer try's to forcefully take the briefcase containing the data disks but Xandra stops him from taking the briefcase and holds a knife to the mans neck. At that moment the government troops of Tiger Wylde's "Guardsmen" arrive and try to capture Wire and Xandra. Wire and Xandra hop onto there bike and travel into the old ruins of Doom's Castle. There bike battery is running out on power allowing the Guardsmen to catch up, when a lot of unexplained lights appear just in front of them. The unexplained lights are replaced with someone standing hunched over in armor looking very much like Victor Von Doom. The Guardsmen tell Doom that he is interfering in official business, in which doom responds "you dare threaten me" and promptly blows them out of the sky with a blast from his gauntlets. Wire and Xandra are trying to restart there bike to escape but the battery is not recharging fast enough. Doom is now walking over to the two of them and asks about what happened to his castle and Wire informs him that Tiger Wylde runs Latveria now in 2099. Doom decides to make Latveria remember him and travels to Gojradia, Latveria's Capital.

  Zone and Fortune are together in the office of Tiger Wylde, while Tiger Wylde is talking on the video screen to Mr. Stone of Alchemax telling him his assassin failed in his job. Tiger Wylde ask Fortune to read the tarot cards too see if they will tell them about the tritonium ventures future. Fortune reads one card "The Judgment" which means a change in position a shift in power. Before Fortune can read another card Doom blows open the door and demands to see Tiger Wylde. Tiger Wylde bored of his administrative duties remarks to Zone saying that this Doom is a probably an old barely functioning robot from a past era. Doom on hearing this remarks that he is definitely not a robot. Tiger Wylde walks up to Doom and asks him where he has been since the twentieth century, Doom simply answers its not an issue and demands Tiger Wylde turn over control of Latveria to him. Tiger Wylde goes on to explain that the government Doom left collapsed and was on the verge of being taking over by corporate powers before he fortified it as an independent state, and states Doctor Doom is nothing more then a historical foot notes. Doom decides the direct approach is best and grabs Tiger Wylde by the neck. Tiger Wylde is a little surprised on Dooms speeds promptly knocks him to the other side of the room. Tiger Wylde gets Zone's blaster and tells Doom that he is no match for him with the antiquated armor that he is now wearing. Tiger Wylde aims the blaster at Doom point blank range only to have Doom use his gauntlets to blow off Tiger Wylde's hand. Tiger Wylde being a cyborg knows he can replace the hand but now very annoyed by Doom, and demands to know who sent Doom to him before he kills Doom. Doom answers that he serves no one and Tiger Wylde grabs Doom with his remaining hand and starts feeding back Dooms own armors energy back on its self turning Doom's armor into slag. Tiger Wylde removes Dooms mask being curious to Dooms identity before turning the body over to for testing. Tiger Wylde finds a young mans face that is not scared, so Tiger decides to complete the masquerade and burns Dooms face. Tiger Wylde tells Fortune to have the Neurotechs to get the body. Fortune has read the cards and believes Doom is more valuable alive.

  Some time later Doom wakes up with a boy standing over him "Vox" a mute. Doom body aches and faces burns, but thinks at least Vox is not a guard. Doom gets up and leaves the tent to discover he is in a camp site south of Gojradia which he remembers from his childhood. Fortune see Doom is up and explains to him that she reads the tarot cards to protect her people. Fortune tells Doom that the cards and Vox the tribe's Adept say's Doom signals a shift in power. Fortune just wants to topple Tiger Wylde before he destroys Latveria, Doom tells her to except him as the original Doom and help him reclaim Latveria. Fortune tells Doom she is offering her the support of her and her clan the "Zefiro". Doctor Doom is from the Zefiro clan originally. Fortune shows Doom an old pendant, which Doom recognizes and tells Fortune that he gave it to one of his Friends "Boris".

  Fortune and Doom go into another tent where they meet up with Wire trying to salvage what he can of Dooms old armor. Wire hooks into the net after Doom gives him new specs for his new suit of armor, and gets information where they can acquire the materials to build the armor. Wire informs Doom and Fortune that they have to leave the country to acquire the materials.

  Now in the Malhela Mountains near the Southern border of Latveria, Doom, Fortune, Wire and Xandra are standing between some trees facing a cliff. Doom demands the amulet from Fortune, which he then points at the cliff and it fires some light signal that causes the cliff face to reveal a plane hanger. Doom goes on and tells Fortune that he gave it too her great-great grandfather as a means to escape if he should ever fall from power.

  Some time later Doom, Fortune, Wire, Xandra are flying in there clocked ship to a Pixel "Paloma Information Exchange Limited" island research facility. They landed at head towards the door where Wire hooks into the security console glides past the security and opens the door. Unknown to Doom and his party another person has overridden the rest of the security measures that Wire didn't disable. Doom and his party makes it to the laboratory and take it over and offers the Doctors freedom from there indentured servitude to Pixel if they help them. They start the operation on Doom by releasing nanoids (micro machines) into his blood that will attach to Dooms nervous system which will enhance his response times and allow him to interface with his new armor even better.

  Doom having a flash back of sorts, the memories coming back but are fragmented. Doom mind is battling with self doubt with what he was and what he is becoming. Cuts back to the present day and we see Doom back is towards us, and he is talking to the doctor about how the new armor is lighter and stronger then his original armor, and that if feels like it's a part of him now. Doom turns down the doctors request to run a battery of tests on him, and announces Doctor Doom is dead and long live Doom.