Dr. Stephen Strange (doctor__strange) wrote in avengers_logs, @ 2020-06-09 13:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | -complete, stephen strange, steve rogers |
Who: Steve Rogers, Doctor Strange
What: a new Steve arrives in a new universe
Where: a room in the Avengers Tower
When: after Plum Island
Steve stood quietly, his back to the room, his gaze focused on the city below him. He wasn't too concerned about his sudden appearance in a timeline not his own. He had had plenty of strange things happen in his very long life that left him capable of adjusting to things a lot quicker than most. Things felt wrong though. He didn't know what, or what the cause was, but the city looked off. Not by a lot, a smidge, maybe. As if he was looking at a city where something shifted just a hair's breadth off. It unnerved him, of course, but there had to be a reason why he'd been pulled here. To a time not his own. Which meant there was something to focus on doing. That always made him calmer - having a focus, a purpose. He knew there were things he couldn't control, things he couldn't change, so he focused on things that he could change. It wasn't easy. And he really had no idea this time. By the time the dust had settled, and everyone had begun picking up the pieces, he'd realized he needed to live for himself. That he'd given everything to his Country, and while he'd do it again, he'd finally taken steps to make himself happy. He deserved to be happy too, didn't he? He'd been happy to help, to serve, to give everything to protect people. But he'd forgotten to take care of himself in the process. Which is why he felt a little upset that he was here instead. He'd done something for him and yet… here he was. What did that mean? Did that mean he'd chosen wrong? Darn it, what else did the universe want from him? Whatever it was, he'd give it, more or less. It was highly unlikely that anyone would want him for anything nefarious - that he would not do. He had his morals. He would always have those. He turned around to look around the room he'd found himself in. Slowly letting out a breath. He wasn't defenseless. He had his strength, and his shield, and unless he opened the door into Thanos' face, he was confident he'd be okay. Almost everything was easy compared to that. He pulled the door open, then stepped back, falling into a defensive stance, feeling like something else was off. His eyes took in everything just past the door, cautious. Just because he'd be okay in the end didn't mean the middle bits didn't hurt like the dickens. Steve always got back up. It might just take him a few minutes to do so. "If you are waiting for me to make a wrong step out this door, I apologize for your inevitable disappointment." He was careful, head tilting to listen. He didn't know what could have brought him here, which means tactically speaking he didn't know what he might be up against. Rash wasn't something he did often, even he knew there was a time to rush in without a plan but right now he needed to have more information. He only hoped it was not too far into the future. He'd done one big time jump in his life, he didn't need two. It was jarring the first time. Stephen was used to some of the rhythms of this universe, the ebb and tide of exits and arrivals. While it could be a mystery why some left and arrived quickly, he didn't question it. In fact, it was better than the alternative: to lose someone and not have them come back again. The spell net he wove to detect new arrivals was triggered and Stephen had made his way to where Steve was, waiting in the corridor. When he heard the caution in the other man's voice, he let out a nearly silent sigh and reminded himself that for each one that arrived, the experience was new to them, even if it was old hat by now, to him. Before he stepped into view, he said clearly, "At ease, Captain Rogers. I'm a friend, Doctor Stephen Strange. We briefly met during the last battle against Thanos and Stark's funeral." He remembered Strange. The man set him a bit more at ease than he probably did most. He stood upright, straightening his shoulders, looking relaxed but still very much cautious. There was a lot he didn't know and while he knew who Strange was, that didn't mean he deserved absolute trust yet. "Ah. I remember." He was watching Strange, focused even as he listened around them, before sighing. “First - when am I?” he looked out the window, then back to the man before him. “I feel that's a good solid start to explaining what is going on.” he ran a hand through his hair, spiking it up a bit as he paused halfway. “Or is that something I don’t get to know?” It was a fair question. There were a lot of things that Stephen didn't think anyone else needed to know, since they weren't things anyone else could deal with. It was such a specific focus, that he often didn't cross paths with the more tangible world at large. That, he left to the Avengers and SHIELD. What he could offer was a steady assurance and unwavering confidence in what he was saying. Stephen's cape swayed back and forth as he entered the room, walking closer to the window to stand by Steve's side. Stark might like big monuments to himself, or to his various business interests, but Stephen had to quietly admit that the view was superb. "You're in another universe now," Stephen explained, "a result of the time stone, an offshoot of a divergent timeline. This is the New Avengers Tower in New York, formerly Stark Industries. The year is twenty-twenty-four." He waited a moment before adding what might be an important point to ease any turmoil," Stark and Romanoff are both alive, here." Steve thought it was a good view. He liked good vantage points, it gave him the lay of the land. He was a soldier to his core, and some things never died. He looked sideways at Stephen before he looked back out over the city. "Hmm." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Twenty twenty four, New York and another timeline. Things could be worse." He picked his words carefully, then Strange's next bit of news made him go absolutely still. "Did you say Stark and Romanoff are alive?" He held up a hand before Strange could repeat himself. He didn't actually need the man to do so. "That… " he paused trying to sort the myriad of feelings on the matter, "that's good. I'm glad to hear this." For once it was hard to stay focused, two of the people he had come to depend on most were alive. "Did Thanos not come to pass here or is it because of how the timeline split that they are among us?" He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. Stephen wasn't certain what point in time that Steve diverged from. There would be a time to ask, but right now, answering the questions that were foremost on Captain America's mind were the most important. He would mention Bucky and Sam too, soon enough. "Thanos is alive," he told Steve, "whereabouts unknown. We took the gauntlet and the stones. Along with his hand. The battle in Wakanda was vastly different compared to what you experienced. From the link that exists between the two universes, we receive dreams of what's happened in what we call the prime timeline." He was quiet for a minute. He was not loud, by any means, or really talkative by nature. He could be, if someone needed to hear a friendly voice, but he was at home with being thoughtful. He made better choices when he was thoughtful. "That is… interesting." He said after a minute, "Though unnerving to think he's alive." That didn't sit well, but he'd seen so much loss that some things just couldn't sit well with him. "But a threat that's more manageable without the gauntlet and stones." His hand came down to clasp the other behind his back, at ease, out of habit. "There is no reasoning why I am here, not one that I can understand, correct?" He looked out over the city, "I had gone back to live my life for me." He admitted quietly, it was hard for him to be selfish. "And now I'm here instead of living my days out" It was hard not to notice the soldier coming through, one that was trying to face a new battle ahead by reacting to what was familiar. It couldn't be easy, although Stephen wasn't the right person to dive into that. He was a doctor, not a therapist. In his opinion, the Avengers and Asgardians could likely benefit from talking to qualified therapists. Even if Steve held himself together better than most. Whatever got the job done. It was a mantra that Stephen knew and lived by. He couldn't begrudge someone else doing that same thing, either. "No. It's impossible to fully predict who comes or goes, when it's going to happen, or why. I only have the sense that this universe pulls in certain people when they're needed. We're not sure why they are let go." Maybe they accomplished something, big or small. Or it was only meant to be a fleeting moment, and nothing more. He looked for answers while he was lost in meditation, or traveling his astral form. He never found any that made any sense. "Can you tell me where you were, when you last left?" he asked, trying to put some pieces together. Steve was unique in that he had been through things that might, in theory, break others. Oh, maybe not the rest of the Avengers, they were a strong minded bunch, but others perhaps. Not many came through being frozen then thawed out handling things well, or handling things at all. He didn't brag, ranting wasn't his thing, but he was confident that he adapted to weird things pretty well. Even if coping meant falling into old habits. "I suspected that might be how things went." He said with a small sigh, straightforward and easy was also not part of his life. He supposed that was okay, though, he was who he was because things hadn't been easy. "Ah, well." That was how it went. "I'd gone back to return the stones from when and where we'd stolen them, then stayed back in the past with Peggy." He said after a moment, he was honest to a fault. That sounded...messy. Stephen squinted, trying to sort that out and imagine the implications. He was quiet for a long moment before saying, "It's not like you were your own grandfather. I suppose that's not a paradox you'd run into. As far as we know." The cape patted Steve on the shoulder as though consoling him, as Stephen gave it a brief stare like it should behave. Gradually, it stopped patting and drooped back down, as though it's soundtrack should have been a sad trombone. "It's possible you were meant to be there, and here. It's also possible, that your divergence will not be noted," he pointed out, which was always a possibility when messing with the passage of time between timelines. "You may return to the self-same point you left, at that exact moment, and nothing could have transpired. You might not even be missed. And there are people here you can talk to. Not Peggy, but....Bucky and Sam, Natasha, Tony..." He only hoped that might soften the blow of losing a chance at normalcy. He actually gave the cape a smile. A strange thing, but no stranger than half of the things he'd seen. It was amusing the little bit of comfort a sentient piece of cloth gave. He practically greased the sad trombone music from it. Poor thing. "It is a bit out of my understanding." He shrugged, "I think it works out in the end." He hoped. "Bucky and Sam are here, too?" He almost breathed a sigh of relief. His friends were here, he might have lost Peggy. Again. But he was not alone and that did help take the sting out. "I am here now, and for whatever reason that is, I'm sure that I am meant to be here." He shrugged, "there are things I can fight and there are things I must accept for what they are. This is a latter situation. So what's next?" He asked, because that was logical. He was here, he wasn't going home, he was being forced to give up a chance to be normal but that came with the territory. He would just accept it, and move on. What else could he do? The doctor was a strong proponent of ripping off the band-aid. It's what made him a realistic neurosurgeon. Some things couldn't be fixed, only accepted. It didn't mean it was soothing, but it meant that he was offering the realities of what could be done. They were lucky they had a very wide scope of actions available, and this wasn't delivering bad news of an inoperable brain tumor. "There are various threats that need to be addressed," he replied. "Stark can probably fill you in. Thanos is a loose thread, but a diminished threat. At least for now. We've had everything from giant monsters attacking, suspicious weapons, to infinity stones running amuck. I'll give you the information needed to gain access to the Avengers Network. You can read back to see some of what's happened." It was a brief covering of the bases. He opened a small portal, reaching in to grab a package wrapped in colorful handmade paper and tied with twine. Inside was the 'welcome' brochure, a Starkphone, a laptop, and a card with the information to access the network. The portal closed right as he held it out to Steve. "You're in one of the rooms that Stark had listed for your past self, not that I think he used it. You'll need everything in this, if you need to read up. My contact information is on the phone, in case you experience any esoteric issues." One corner of the cape wound itself up to give them a thumbs up. Steve took the package. "I'll speak with Tony, then." He was in no immediate danger which meant he could settle in, get his bearings, read back and do what he did best: learn then adapt. The faster he could do that the better. He nodded, "Ah. Thank you, Doctor, this has been very informative. I'm grateful for your help." He didn't think he'd have esoteric issues, but you never knew these days did you? He grinned a bit at the cheeky bit of cloth, a flair of personality that wasn't stoic by nature paired with one of the most stoic men he knew. It was amusing. At least he knew technology. How to work the phones and access things, he was grateful it was not too much more advanced than he was used to. "That's probably your best bet," was Stephen's wry reply, and Stark's talkative but flippant nature was better navigated by those with the relative patience to put up with it. He wasn't one of those people. He nodded as he turned around, saying, "I'm glad you're here, Captain. This world...this universe...needs you." He put on his sling ring and began making a circular motion with that hand, opening a portal back to the Sanctum. Steve had patience. Literal tons of it. He was sure he'd need all of it to play catch up. It seemed like he always did when it came to Tony but he was also really happy to know he was alive. "I always get worried when people say that." He said with a wry grin, it never was a good thing when he was based by a universe but here he was. He sat down at a table with the package and started sifting through it before he reached out to Tony. "Thanks again for bringing this." He offered Strange a wave as he buried himself in the papers, turning the phone on and getting used to it. He had a feeling he had a lot to learn. |