Dr. Stephen Strange (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} doctor__strange) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} avengers_logs,@ 2020-07-15 14:59:00 |
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| Entry tags: | -complete, shuri, stephen strange |
Who: Doctor Strange and Shuri.
What: Finding herself in a bit of a pickle.
When: Right now, while you’re asleep.
Where: Morningside Park, near Harlem, 4:00 am.
Warnings: Well, Shuri is pissed…
“You’re in Morningside, baby. Like what I done with the place?” The man-boy stood about twenty feet away, his grin visible by the light of a tall lamp post which was one of the few lamps along the path that seemed to be working. Behind him were three other man-boys, who snickered at their friend’s words.
Fan-tas-tic.
Shuri kept her face toward them, taking a quick note of the landscaped vegetation in her peripheral vision. She seemed to be in a park, which was somewhere in a city because she could hear traffic in the distance, smell the fumes of lingering exhaust that couldn’t escape the confines of the neighbourhood. Then there was the smell of refuse to her right, likely the morning garbage from a nearby street. She couldn’t see many stars due to the light pollution and a muggy, summer haze. There were the soft thuds of small bodies bashing themselves against the lamp above her; the wings of the moths made the light that shone down fluctuate in intensity with each manic flutter.
She stood straight, knees slightly bent, ready to make a run for it if things went from oops to uh-oh. Unfortunately, she didn’t know exactly where she was or in which direction to run, though she was counting on following the smell of the garbage, which meant homes with people inside them. It had been mid-morning in Oakland. She’d been jogging along the sunny street to a little place that made the best lattes - and then, she wasn’t. Here it was still dark, a few hours before dawn, she guessed. So, not in California anymore. Definitely not in Kansas and absolutely no where near Wakanda. This was somewhere on the East Coast of the United States, she thought. One other thing she knew for certain: she was in trouble.
“‘Baby’?” Shuri repeated, her eyebrows rising. “I do not think so.”
The gangsta wannabe stepped closer, but she held her ground. She hadn’t seen a knife or anything, not that visibility was the best, but if he had one, she could counter that. She’d been trained by the best.
“Ooooo, we got us a proud little black bitch,” the man-boy said, stopping about two feet away. Then he leaned closer and added, “If you gimme your money, we might not kill you.”
“No,” she said and took a step back, as if afraid. He grinned again, and it wasn’t pleasant.
“We gonna have fun with you,” he crooned, taking another step - then he was screaming, falling over, clutching at his knee, which shouldn’t bend that way at all. Shuri didn’t take the time to be too satisfied with her kick. She turned and fled.
With the screams of one of her opponents now behind her, Shuri didn't have to run too far. A fiery portal threw off sparks as it opened into a circle, revealing the interior of an old dark house. Through it stepped a sorcerer in what looked like dark blue Tibetan garb, an all-too familiar flowing red cloak resting over his shoulders.
Stephen Strange took one look at the situation, with the other three males in hot pursuit of the most recent arrival to this universe. He raised his ruined hands, bending his fingers into the positions they needed to be in to cast a spell, saying in a commanding voice, "Whirling Winds of Watoomb!"
As he thrust his hands out, a blast of wind moved harmlessly around Shuri. It knocked the three pursuers off their feet. They tried to get up, but the winds kept pushing them until they were tumbling back over the grass, toward their knee-capped comrade.
Stephen looked at Shuri as the winds grew calm, quieter now so he could be heard over them.
"Not a white savior moment," he pointed out, staring at the man-boy that had already been incapacitated, "but I'm here to help if you want. Or you can finish kicking their asses. I'm happy to wait. "
"Pasty ass David Blaine wannabe!" shouted one of the man-boy's buddies, clearly having overheard what was said. "Fuck off back to Vegas!"
"Yeeeeeaaaaaah," Strange said, utterly unenthused. "Not even going to lift a finger if you want to start with that guy."
Shuri’s eyes were wide, flicking between the portal and the place beyond it, the man who had stepped through it and over her shoulder at the man-boys on their butts. Bringing her gaze to focus on the sorcerer, she gave him a big, relieved smile.
“Hey, Mistah Wizahd! It has been a while.” She shook her head, long, tiny braids swishing across her back. “Don’t worry about it. You are a saviour, your colour is irrelevant.” Her heart was still thumping from the run, however brief it was, from fear and from the burst of adrenaline, which started when she decided to break someone’s kneecap. She patted just below her breast bone with one hand, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She shook out her other hand at her side, as if she could shake the jitters loose.
Without waiting for him to respond, she asked, “So, I can kick their asses now? Really?” She was kidding. Mostly. Aside from the complete surprise of finding herself somewhere else and in a bit of a pickle, she was now meeting the sorcerer who had not too long ago informed a massive number of people that five years had passed and they needed to join a battle to help save the universe. And now, they were in a park. Before dawn. Without her latte. She turned to regard the flailing threesome. “Sure, I can start with Vegas-boy -”
“Fuck you, bitch!” Vegas-boy yelled eloquently, managing to stand in a crouch.
“You would rather my friend turn you into a toad instead of going toe-to-toe with me, uh?” Her adrenalin was waning and she was getting angry now. Maybe she would take a minute to burn away some of that fear. “It wouldn’t be too hard, since you are halfway there already.”
"Hello again, Shuri. It has been a while." She had been here before, but there would be no memory of that. It was still a relief to see she was in-the-know about this universe.
He played along, and could see from his vantage point that they were wary, but too stupid about looking macho to back down. The least he could do was provide back up. In fact....
"Toads would be easy," Stephen said, loud enough for all of these boys to hear him as he stood in front of the portal. "If you want, I can turn them into something much smaller, like an insect. Then you can step on them."
Of course he wouldn't let it get that far, since he had sworn a doctor's oath to never do harm. Nowhere in that oath did it say he couldn't help intimidate idiots.
Shuri wasn’t so much in the know about this universe - that would require precognition or something - but she knew things weren’t quite right. For starters, she had been relocated to what she believed to be the other side of the country from where she started her day. That just didn’t happen unless something weird was going on. On top of that, the Sorcerer Supreme didn’t appear, and in the knick of time, to make sure you had renewed your subscription to BBC Earth. She would have to get to that in a moment. First -
“That would be even bettah,” she said and pointed at the trio. “Cockroaches take a long time to die. Let’s start with that, uh?” It was good of him to play along. Shuri hoped he didn’t think she was treating him like some sort of novelty magic act at a children’s birthday party.
Not at all. After all, he had done some balloon animals at a children's birthday party before, a few years ago.
Stephen was all too willing to play along as he smiled at the boys. It wasn't a friendly smile at all. He wanted to give them time to think and run. Looking over at a nearby tree, he cast a spell so it hit the ground like an over-cooked noodle, before he raised his hands in their direction.
The tree could be fixed with a reversal spell. But it might be enough incentive for them to think about their next step.
"Cockroaches are a great choice," he said slowly. "You might be able to step on them more than once."
“Exactly my thoughts,” Shuiri said, with enough enthusiasm to make anyone be concerned, especially after that tree demonstration. She felt bad about the tree, but figured the good Doctor would know how to fix it later. She lowered her head and gave the man-boys an evil grin. “Make it so,” she said and followed that statement with an evil laugh. Something she’d probably heard in a Bond film or some such. The laugh, not the statement, which was totally Picard.
Their eyes weren’t actually the size of saucers, the way some books describe a response to something absolutely terrifying, but it was close. The two who hadn’t spoken started running while they were still crawling on the ground in their haste to get away, slipping on the grass which was wet with morning dew. Bent-Knee man-boy called out to them for help in getting away, a request they completely ignored.
Vegas-boy looked like he might have just peed himself. Then he, too, turned and fled, skidding into a bad landing next to his injured friend and helped him stand as best he could. There was a lot of screaming and swearing and a very slow, painful retreat.
“That’s right,” Shuri yelled after them. “Run home to your poor mama! I bet she is so disappointed in you!” Turning back to Strange, she said, in a normal speaking voice, “Well, that takes care of that. Now.” She gave the tree a little sideways nod. “You can fix that, yes?”
She was trembling, but didn’t know if that was residual fear, adrenaline wearing off or being able to give her righteous anger a proper target. Things would likely not have worked out very well if the cavalry hadn’t arrived when it did.
Stephen motioned toward the tree as he cast another spell, and with a few sparks of light, the tree raised upright and was it's formerly solid and straight self.
"All better. Now that they're gone, I can explain." He was sure that Shuri would want the blunt approach, and he moved aside to let her enter the portal. After an experience like that, it would leave anyone rattled. "You've transposed into a parallel dimension from the Earth you knew, another part of the Multiverse. To a certain point, events have transpired in a way that will be familiar to you. In other ways, it will not. For instance, Stark's funeral didn't happen here. He's alive."
That was just for starters, but he didn't want to overwhelm her too much after an already overwhelming experience, before she even stepped foot into the New York Sanctum. He hoped, though, that this might give Wakanda's young genius something else to focus on and think about.
She was very glad the tree was going to be fine and was pleased to have other things to think about, but now she wasn’t so sure about her hearing. A parallel dimension? It wasn‘t enough that she had been ‘relocated’ to the other side of the continent, oh no, but to a universe with an alternate history? At least there was some good news.
“Mistah Stark is alive? Waitwaitwait.” She held up both hands, took a breath and looked into the portal. “I think I need to sit down, uh, but first, I need a washroom. You have one of those in there, right?” She anticipated the full explanation might take a while, which was totally fine with her, but bodily functions needed to be addressed first.
He patiently waited beside the portal for her to go through. But when she asked that, he leaned in and pointed in the right direction.
"Uhh, yeah. It's over there." He pointed to a nearby wooden door that had 'restroom' etched on a tarnished bronze plate. Blessedly, it was one of the safest rooms in the house. Many sorcerers had warded it so guests had some measure of privacy from things unseen lurking around.
"I'll conjure you a cup of tea," he offered, motioning for her to go ahead. "It's safe. If you don't touch any relics. And I can take you to your brother's diplomatic residence in Manhattan, after we talk."
She stood beside Strange and leaned with him to follow the direction of his pointing finger. Having stepped through a portal before, albeit onto a battlefield, she just made certain both her feet were in the new location before she focused on walking quickly to the W.C.. Her eyes tried not to linger on the various items around her - some of the aforementioned relics, she supposed - and reached her destination without incident.
Once inside, she took care of the necessary and washed her hands and face before drying them with a hand towel that had been embroidered with the symbol for Infinity: a figure eight on its side. Folding the towel neatly and hanging it back on the rail, she tried not to think of Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet. Instead, she stared at herself in the mirror, performed the required pinch to confirm she wasn’t dreaming and let herself back into the hall.
Then she realized the meaning of the last words Strange had said before she’d closed the door.
“Wait,” she said to the room, “my brother is here?” The King of Wakanda didn’t have to be present for her to be taken to his New York residence, but she hoped that was the case.
He held up one finger as though asking for a moment. In that moment - which was the span of blinking one's eyes - they were suddenly seated across from one another and there were warm cups of green tea with honey held in both of their hands.
"Yes," he finally responded. "He's here at a building known as 30 Warren. It's where new arrivals used to go. Most have rooms in the new Stark Tower. This is the central point of the universal instability, where everyone arrives. Multiple times, in certain cases...like Captain America, for instance."
Shuri managed not to jump when she found herself sitting and holding a cup of tea. This was just as well, since the tea was hot and spilling it would have been very unfortunate. She gave herself a few breaths to settle and lift the cup to inhale the aroma before she spoke again.
“That… is a different address from the residence I remember,” she said, “but no matter. So, we are in New York, in an alternate universe, and by ‘everyone’, I gather you mean anyone associated with the Avengers?” Black Panther and Wakanda qualified as ‘associates’, as did Doctor Strange, whom Shuri recalled wasn’t strictly an Avenger any more than the King of Wakanda. “Do we come from the same universe? And if Captain America has arrived here multiple times, that means he has been returned to his original universe and been pulled back here for some reason? Do you know why and does he remember anything about being here during his previous visits?” She wasn’t sure what else to call them so ‘visits’ would do until she had more information.
Then she had a sip of tea, which was not a latte but soothing, nonetheless. This was a lot to process and Shuri had a lot of questions in order to qualify the circumstances. Her mind was considering all sorts of possible scenarios; she looked forward to Strange’s answers.
"It's similar, strongly similar, but different," the doctor cautioned. "And yes, the Avengers are here. Actively, after the Accords were ruled unconstitutional in this country. The rest of the world though...."
He shrugged a shoulder, holding the cup lightly between his hands, as though letting the warmth sink in. The tea wasn't too hot. He conjured it to be an easily drinkable temperature. Lessons were learned after a teleported Thor sloshed his beer everywhere.
"...it's surprisingly similar. This was a side effect of using the Time Stone in the Prime Universe, and anyone arriving here comes from the Prime Universe. When they disappear, it seems they go back to that universe. And each time they arrive again, they don't remember being here before. The rift connecting the two will continue to stabilize. But from a metaphysical perspective, the rip in space and time will collapse if it's manipulated in any way. If it does, it will kill everyone in this universe. Certain persons do not have a life to go back to, on the other side."
He took a sedate drink of the tea and hoped that might cover the questions.
It covered a lot. Shuri opted for a summary. “So, we are in a splintah universe, uh? From using the Time Stone? No, don’t tell me now. I’ll ask later.” She had another sip of tea. “Well, Stephen Hawking would be pleased, that we are where most things are the same, except for that critical feature where they are completely different. He was a supporter of the multiverse theory. So, the Prime Universe doesn’t notice these missing people because… they return to when they left, which would be another reason they have no memory of being here…” It was more a statement than a question, though she was just bodging things together in a manner that seemed to make sense with what the Doctor had told her so far. “You say we can’t try to fix this rift as the risk is too great, but what are the ramifications of it stabilizing?”
She didn’t want those who had perished in the Prime Universe to cease to exist, and then there was everyone else in this universe, not associated with the Avengers, who had the right to live as well. “How many know they are in a divergent existence? Do you have some data I can take away with me?” She could feel her energy waning and she was also a little anxious to see her brother.
"Exactly, and that's why I believe no one would be the wiser about leaving or returning there," he replied with a smile. He knew she would understand that there was no gap for those missing, since they could seamlessly leave and enter so quickly, they wouldn't even be considered missing at all. For all they knew, it could even happen when asleep and dreaming. No one should be the wiser, and most dreams are forgotten.
"The ramifications are that it will become its own stable universe. The anomaly may stop, or it may become a permanent fixture. We don't know yet. But, I have greeted every new arrival, and they are aware that something feels or seems different when they arrive."
He set the cup aside in mid-air so he could open a small portal, and he drew out a package from it, of what looked like bound books. He floated it over to her to take, letting it come to a rest on a small table within her reach.
"There's a pamphlet in there, along with everything you need to connect to Stark's Avenger Network." It was easy to see that this took a toll on her, and she needed to rest soon. "I believe they tried to take readings when anomalies happened and certain events caught up with the Prime Universe. We called them 'bleed overs.' Those have stopped for the time being. You can read back on the network if you want, to see what things might match up."
He was grateful that the bleed overs calmed down. Even if only for the time being.
"Would you like me to drop you off at your brother's building?" he asked.
Shuri took a gulp of her tea in order to finish it and set the cup on the table nearest to her, the one with the bundle he had just sent her way. She picked that up, gave it a quick once-over and determined she would have a lot of reading to do after she had some rest.
“They have a network? Good. I don’t like the sound of those ‘bleed overs’.” Aside from anything else, the name alone indicated pain to her and pain was never desirable. She would ask him about the incident that triggered the fracture from the Prime Universe, but not now. Though he hadn’t answered some of her questions directly, she suspected the pamphlet he mentioned would be helpful. With the use of this network, she could explore and inquire as much as she liked, and if she hit a snag, there were always others to consult. Like Stark, for example.
“I would appreciate a lift,” she said with a smile. “For some reason, I’m not interested in a walking tour of the city right now.” Another potential altercation would be just her luck if she didn’t accept the Doctor’s offer. Her day just seemed to be going that way. She stood, tucked the bundle under one arm and added, “Thank you, for everything, including that whole thing in the park. That was fun, but you must be tired, too, so once I’m gone, have some more tea and get to bed. I’m sure your mattress misses you.”
Ah, the wisdom of an eighteen-year-old. Shuri didn’t care what people thought - well, not much, anyway - but when it came to those who took it upon themselves to spend a great deal of time saving the world, she knew they didn’t always take care of themselves.
It was her job to remind them they were human.
Answers about the actual mechanics of what created this universe were few, since it was purely by accident while trying to save the original Earth they all came from. An unintended consequence during two universes merging, with conditions that couldn't be replicated ever again.
It saved Stark and Romanoff here, though. Or at least, preserved some part of their original counterpart. He wasn't about to complain about that, even if Stark could be abrasive and obnoxious.
At her suggestion, he gave her an odd look and hummed thoughtfully. It wasn't a yes or a no, since he didn't really sleep anymore. Trying to explain meditation with Out Of Body Experiences on the Astral Plane would get more complex than Shuri needed right now.
He left his tea floating in midair and stood up, turning to open a portal into a corridor in the 30 Warren building.
"The package has a door keycard. Your brother is likely there in the top floor penthouse," he explained. "Let me know if I can answer any further questions. Although I'll warn you, answers in some cases are going to few, if known at all."
It was better to cover that base, right now.
"Goodnight, Shuri," he said, before she could leave the Sanctum.
Though he didn’t say one way or the other if he would, indeed, get some sleep, he at least looked thoughtful about it. It was up to him, of course, and she didn’t really know how wizards worked.
Shuri glanced at the bundle then smiled at Strange. “You’ve thought of everything and I consider myself warned. Thank you, again, for all your help today.” Dawn would be tinting the edges of the sky shortly. Her brother was probably up and about already so there was no concern about interrupting his rest at this hour.
She stepped toward the portal, turning back to say, “Good morning, Doctor.” Then she crossed through to the New York residence of the King of Wakanda.
End?