InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "It puts the lotion on its skin"

extremely_hot (extremely_hot) wrote in avengers_logs,
@ 2018-03-16 22:14:00

Entry tags:

-complete, ellen brandt, stephen strange

Another New Arrival
Who: Ellen Brandt, Doctor Strange
What: Ellen discovers she's not dead, and that the circus is (apparently) in town.
When: Friday morning, at rush hour
Rating/Warnings: YELLOW (Expect some colorful language from Ellen)

Ellen stood in the kitchen doorway of the burning shop with murder on her mind. Tony Stark had fled out the back, injured and wide-eyed with fear. But not so frightened that he hadn't flung a last witticism at her before running. She savored his fear for a moment before she saw--and smelled--the escaping gas. She had just time enough to realize what he'd done before the explosion slapped her like the hand of god--

DISCONTINUITY

--and she staggered back, raising her arms in a futile attempt to shield herself from the blast. No blast came, though someone behind her cursed as she trod on his foot. He pushed rudely past her with another muttered curse and disappeared into the crowd. Ellen blinked, taking in the crowd, struggling to make sense of her situation. She was breathing heavily from the exertions of the battle, her adrenaline-fueled pulse thudding in her ears and fingertips. She trembled like a race horse eager to run, amped up for a fight to the death, but with no opponent.

An instant ago she'd been in Rose Hill, Tennessee. At night, two days before Christmas. Chasing Tony Stark with murderous intent. Now she stood on a bustling sidewalk in broad daylight. Pedestrians streamed past her in both directions, frequently jostling her, none of them dressed for winter. How was that possible?

She turned in place, studying the area. Daylight, but the sky overhead was hemmed in by skyscrapers towering overhead in every direction. Another shock to the system: she recognized midtown Manhattan. How had she gotten here? Even if she'd been rendered unconscious by Stark's IED, she'd have recovered. Or failing that, been rescued by her teammates and brought back to HQ. In no case would she have been abandoned on the streets of Manhattan.

Yet here she was. Something was dreadfully wrong. She felt the first stirrings of panic but squelched them firmly. Remember your training she told herself. Treat this like being lost behind enemy lines. Get out of sight, avoid the authorities, learn what you can, acquire weapons and tools, try to find a way to make contact with your allies.

Ellen took a couple of calming breaths, squared her shoulders and let herself get swept up in the progress of the crowd around her. She'd walk until an opportunity presented itself. Then she'd improvise.

(Post a new comment)

doctor__strange
2018-03-17 06:09 pm UTC (link)

She didn't have to walk far. Standing against the moving tide of the crowd was a distinguished gentleman wearing dark blue Tibetan style garb, with a long red cloak. People passed around him without daring to bump into him. It wasn't that he was necessarily imposing to look upon, but more than he looked as though he was there with a purpose. And that purpose seemed to be Ellen, since he was staring right at her as she approached. In fact, he was standing directly in her path.

"Ellen Brandt," the man said, which made it known she was expected. "Hello. I'm Doctor Strange. Yes, it's my real name. And yes, I realize this must be very upsetting, and unsettling, for you."

For anyone that returned from the dead, that was probably a vast understatement.

(Reply to this)

extremely_hot
2018-03-17 06:27 pm UTC (link)

Ellen stopped just out of arm's reach of the stranger. Not far, just far enough that one of them would have to move a few inches forward to attack the other, providing an instant's warning. Not that she was expecting an attack, but she wasn't not expecting one either. Readiness is all.

He knew her name. She didn't know him. Which meant he must know more. He'd known to find her here. He'd been waiting for her, meaning he seemed to know more about her current circumstances than she did. Was he responsible for them?

She let her eyes unfocus, paying attention to her peripheral vision. Looking for anyone else standing against the tide of pedestrians. Was he alone? Did he have allies nearby? Were they preparing to snatch her?

Still, he'd started by talking, so maybe not. "You have the advantage of me, Doctor. How did you know to find me here?"

(Reply to this)

doctor__strange
2018-03-17 06:36 pm UTC (link)

There was no one standing nearby watching them. The crowd kept moving around them, and the doctor seemed to ignore them entirely. His focus was on Ellen and only Ellen. One corner of his lips quirked upward for a moment. If he had an advantage, he wasn't taking advantage of it. Rather, he seemed calm, cool, and collected. Very self contained.

"If I told you magic, would you believe me?" he asked. Yet his tone became very serious indeed as he added, "Because, magic. Magic broke a universal timeline, and that is why you are here, now."

After a few seconds, Stephen Strange tacked on a very mumbled, "My bad."

(Reply to this)

extremely_hot
2018-03-17 10:11 pm UTC (link)

"Magic," Ellen said, the single word containing all her skepticism. "Really?"

There was no disputing that he knew something. He'd been here to meet her and greeted her by name. She didn't believe in magic, no matter how weird the world had gotten since aliens invaded New York. But whether he was a lunatic, a con man, or just someone who misused the term 'magic' to describe something else, she needed to know what he knew.

"So how, exactly, did 'magic' break the timeline, and what does that have to do with me being here in Manhattan?"

(Reply to this) (Thread)

doctor__strange
2018-03-18 12:05 am UTC (link)

"Yes, magic. Really."

The doctor refrained from using any such magic on the street, out in the open. The cape seemed to sway in an unnatural way, which was the only sign that anything unnatural was amiss. As though the cape's movements were perfectly natural to him, Stephen went on to explain with the greatest of ease, sounding like he was reading it all verbatim from an encyclopedia.

"All right," he began. "There are many other dimensions and universes, a part of what's known as the multiverse. A soul-eating entity from the dark dimension was trying to attack Earth, through a rift opened by his devotees. It wanted to feast on everyone's souls for an eternity, and I rewound time on this planet to stop it and his cultists. Followed by bargaining with that entity, by looping time repeatedly until he got tired of killing me. It put a very large crack in time, which split us off into this very unstable timeline. And you have been pulled through to this moment, where my magic has alerted me to your arrival. Yes, it was my fault. No, I can't put you back where you came from, but in your case...I don't think you'd want that? And yes...."

He held out a bundle of items inside a Tibetan style messenger bag.

"...these are for you. There's others like you. These will help you settle into the year twenty-eighteen."

(Reply to this) (Parent)

extremely_hot
2018-03-18 12:45 am UTC (link)

Ellen listened with great and growing skepticism as Strange (and wasn't that an appropriate name) yammered on about dimensions and multiverses and monsters from beyond and time travel shenanigans. It was absurd. Preposterous. The ramblings of a madman. Except that she kept remembering the scenes from New York City she'd watched with her fellow soldiers in Iraq.

Hostile aliens from space were an indisputable fact. So maybe hostile aliens from other dimensions weren't...impossible. But time loops? Living thru his own version of Groundhog Day? Yadda yadda yadda.

She accepted the bag. It was lighter than she expected given its size. It contained a laptop computer thinner and lighter than any she'd ever seen, as well as a smartphone--sorry, a Starkphone--larger than any she'd ever seen. Who on earth needed a phone with a screen that big? A small cardstock folder embossed with the name of The Manhattan Club containing a key card and a stiff card labeled Avengers Network with a user name and password printed on it. Plus a wad of cash--several thousand dollars at a guess, though she didn't try to count it.

She looked up at Strange again. "Well, as welcome gifts go, this is quite extravagant. Thank you." It also would make getting her feet under her again much easier. If this was bait of some kind, if he was expecting to gain some advantage over her by dangling these things as a prize, he'd be in for a rude surprise.

She replayed his words in her mind, listening to the parts she'd tuned out while examining the package. "Wait--2018? That's not right. It can't be."

It was 2012. 2013 at the very latest, if she accepted that she'd lost a few days to unconsciousness, or some kind of...blackout. She couldn't have lost six years. She remembered Rose Hill like it was twenty minutes ago.

(Reply to this)

doctor__strange
2018-03-18 12:59 am UTC (link)

"You're welcome," he said, and it wasn't unkind. In fact, he tried to be as gentle as possible, but still remained as factual as ever. "It really is twenty-eighteen. I realize that can be alarming to deal with. We had one returnee who came back nearly seventy years later. It's going to be on your phone and computer. The date there will be accurate."

There was something to her that told him she had been through a lot and maybe, like the others who had been through a traumatic death, she might not be looking to cause that much trouble. He hoped. This was likely very confusing and it was his job to set her at ease. Something he had not managed very well, although he tried to. His bedside manner wasn't the worst, but it wasn't the greatest, either.

"However you ended up here, whatever you did before," he said, "you have a second chance now. That's a chance that not a lot of people are given."

At least they did, for as long as the universe held up. The best case scenario was that it moved forward, before fully stabilizing into a timeline in it's own right. But Stephen Strange didn't want to add that. Ellen probably had enough to worry about.

(Reply to this)

extremely_hot
2018-03-18 01:10 am UTC (link)

Ellen dismissed his assurances that the date on her phone and computer would be accurate. If this was some kind of scam, of course they'd confirm what he said. She reached out to grab the arm of a passerby, halting his progress.

"Hey!" He was in his twenties, wearing an expensive suit and an expensive haircut. His nails were immaculate. His arm, beneath his coat sleeve, felt like it was made of cheese. He tried to pull free and failed.

"What's the date?" she asked.

"Let go of my arm!" He tried again.

"Answer my question first."

His jaw worked and Ellen knew he was considering toughing it out. Fortunately he was smart enough to avoid that mistake. "March sixteenth."

"What year?"

His eyes widened. "It's 2018."

Ellen released him. He clutched his arm and hurried away.

She turned her attention back to Strange, feeling light-headed. Shock, probably. When she spoke, she was pleased to hear that she sounded calm. "Okay, it's 2018. But what did you mean by 'returnees'? Returned from where? Where have I been for six years?"

She all but shouted the last few words. Okay, maybe she wasn't as calm as she'd like to believe.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

doctor__strange
2018-03-18 01:21 am UTC (link)

"Tell me. What do you last remember," Dr. Strange asked, as the cape started to point back in the direction the passerby was rushing off in. He moved his elbow with the motion, slowly, almost as though nudging a buddy, because now was not the time for anything suspicious.

Accosting further passers by was going to earn a one way trip to the mirror dimension, or the sort of thirty minute free fall between dimensions that he put a very volatile Loki through. He didn't imagine that was the sort of welcome wagon that would be appreciated, but he was there to preserve life. Not to witness others manhandled by enhanced individuals. And it was better that Ellen remembered this herself, without him abruptly telling her and making the situation worse.

"Take a breath and a moment to remember, Ellen. Because no one here is intent on hurting you or harming you. Least of all me."

(Reply to this) (Parent)

extremely_hot
2018-03-18 02:37 am UTC (link)

Even through her shock--it was not hysteria, dammit--she sensed Strange's response. She didn't recognize the moves, but the intent in his body language was unmistakeable; he was prepared to act against her, if necessary. Not that she couldn't take him, but that wouldn't help things.

Ellen forcibly calmed herself--she visualized it as squeezing the life out of her anxiety, which looked like one of those thee-eyed alien toys from Toy Story. She felt a giggle trying to emerge and throttled that as well.

"Okay, okay," she said to herself. "Think it through."

She'd been in Rose Hill, Tennessee. December 23rd, 2012. She'd pursued Stark into a shop, struggled with him there, and he'd escaped into the kitchen. She went after him. There was a microwave sparking, flames surrounding her--and the hiss and rotten eggs stench of natural gas. Then...an explosion. Or the beginnings of one. She only remembered a split second of surprise, despair and resignation.

Why resignation? Because--because she knew she'd lost. A gas line explosion like that could kill her. Would kill her. Had killed her. It must have done. She was an Extremis subject.

Anything short of death and she would have recovered completely, and very quickly. She'd have awakened and gone on with her mission. But she had nothing. No memories of the last six years. Nothing.

Ellen fumbled in the bag and pulled out the Starkphone, swiped at the screen, missed and swiped again. She pulled up the search engine. Typed in her full name with a shaking hand. Search.

And there it was: a list of results, and at the very top an obituary for Ellen Marie Brandt. It was very brief, mentioning she'd been in the military but absolutely nothing about her assignments, or about AIM. But the date of death was right there: December 23, 2012.

She looked up at Strange, wondering if she looked as shocked as she felt. "I died. How am I alive again?"

(Reply to this) (Thread)

doctor__strange
2018-03-18 02:52 am UTC (link)

He was ready to act, but was also being very calm and supremely patient. It would take only a second to remove her as a threat from everyone around them. There was a literal arsenal of spells to choose from, his photographic memory able to pull from the pool of knowledge he had obtained. Yet it really would make things worse, and so he continued patiently waiting and watching, letting Ellen begin to piece together what happened.

That shock finally did show. Strange momentarily pressed his lips together, trying not to approach it in a cold, critical manner much like he would have, before his own accident.

"Yes, you died," was his solemn reply. "This timeline really is broken. Fragmented, in pieces. These people around us aren't aware of it.
They're going on unaware, living their own lives as time tries to move forward. There were two others who arrived under similar circumstances, no worse for wear. Where a glitch in time has pulled them from the past into the present. And they remember, too."

(Reply to this) (Parent)

extremely_hot
2018-03-18 05:20 am UTC (link)

I died. The thought kept echoing through her brain. I died. She'd been dead and gone for six years, and now she was back. And the world had clearly soldiered on without her. Which, you know, was only to be expected. Plenty of people in her life had died and life had gone on.

But from the point of view of the dead, the world ended with them. It was very, very unsettling to be here to see that the world had kept spinning without her. Ellen foresaw some sleepless nights in her future, and plenty of booze as well. She gave a mirthless chuckle. At least she had a future again.

"I don't think the timeline is the only thing broken," she said. "My brain is feeling rather broken as well. This is going to take some getting used to. Unless there's something more you need to tell me...?"

She'd uttered the question before she caught up with her subconscious. For all his seeming willingness to answer her questions, he really wasn't very good at elaborating. He just kept repeating the sketchiest of explanations. Maybe the full truth was just too involved or technical to convey to her, she was no master of mystical arts.

In any case, she was pretty sure she'd gotten pretty much everything she was going to get from him. She needed some privacy and some time on the laptop to try to orient herself to her new situation.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

doctor__strange
2018-03-18 08:47 am UTC (link)

Strange wasn't the most emotive individual. He was the sort who liked being holed up studying spells or reading demonology books, with a nice cup of green tea within reach. It was a quiet and solitary existence, for the most part, and it showed. What made matters worse as far as explaining things, was that this was a very technical, and very disturbing truth to try to explain in finer detail. To anyone who knew about it, and their number was few. The network's physics geeks seemed more adept at the metaphors and analogies than he was, without him having to breaking brains by trying to shove astral forms out of bodies. Only then could he actually show people what he was seeing, or hearing. The sound of which might drive some people quite mad.

Factoring dealing with one's death and rebirth into the mix was only compounding the problem. Ellen didn't seem evil. He didn't read that off of her, presently. Whatever unseen hand was moving the pieces of this timeline had brought her back for the same reason it had shoulder tapped the living, or dragged out the dead, before her.

"I think, for right now, this is enough," he replied, nodding in agreement. "Be gentle with yourself, Miss Brandt. You'll feel broken and disjointed for a while. Take time to adjust. When you feel you've processed a bit more, I can be reached on the network. We can speak further, if you want."

After an awkward pause, Stephen held up one scarred hand as though he was waving goodbye. One corner of the cape started to loft upward to follow the motion like it was blown by a wind that couldn't be felt. Or it tried to, until Stephen whispered 'no' and it flopped back down, resembling a cape again. Albeit a sad cape.

"I'm going this way," Stephen said, pointing off to an alleyway. "If you head about three blocks straight ahead and take a right, you'll find the hotel."

He stepped off to one side, to let her pass.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	extremely_hot 2018-03-18 04:19 pm UTC (link)
	"That...sounds like a good idea." Ellen slung the gift bag over one shoulder. "I'll do that. Some time alone is just what I need, I think. Thank you for this," she added, gesturing with the bag. "I guess I'll see you around," she said, and joined the throng of pedestrians moving past her. Three blocks forward, then right. (Reply to this)