i_estrange Dawn Of A New Evil [The Oracle]
The dimensions were shifting. And with their shifting came the pain of a concussive force against his mystical barriers that jerked him out of bed.
Then it was quiet.
Doctor Strange placed a hand to his forehead. The skin was moist and clammy. He was cold but running a small fever. He'd thought it had been a dream, but then the pain returned. Like a violent migraine stabbing into the foremost part of his brain. But it wasn't physical. Once he caught his breath, calming down his erratic heart beat, he realized it wasn't a physical pain. It was something else. Something entirely different.
Something unsettling.
This had happened before. At times, when a great surge of mystical power and energy erupted in a dimension not far from his own, he could feel the effects. A sort of tremor in the magical frequencies, not unlike a mini mystical earthquake blipping on the richter scale.
But this was much more powerful.
And being that he was the Sorceror Supreme, whose soul purpose it was to guard the gates between the various worlds, he automatically took the responsibility for discovering the starting point of this possible disaster. But it wasn't close enough for him to get his own telepathic reading on it. And spells and incantations would only produce obscure results. And since The City prevented him from escaping this dimension to scout out the others, a problem of which he was still trying to to work out, that left him with little choice for who to go to.
All was not lost, however. For there was one man that he could call upon to assist him in his troubles. So without further delay, Strange slipped into his bath robe and called upon The Oracle.
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 19:46:42
An old fashioned television with the slightly bendable rabbit ears appeared in the center of Doctor Strange's bedroom, an eerie cloud of foggy smoke hovering around the screen for a few moments before it fizzled into a channel of static snow. Then it began wildly flipping through channels, a quick and loud buzz of television jargon and changing circuitry, until it finally stopped on a clear image and a family theme song began to fill the room.
"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension. A dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and --"
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 19:49:39
"You can quit with the foolish rhetoric and speeches. They're wasted on me, you know. I've been hearing them for the last thirty years," Strange replied, cutting off the familiar figure on the television set.
He sat on a large velvet cushion in his room, legs crossed in a meditative state, arms limply resting over his knees. He might have been the dimensional guardian, but that didn't mean he wasn't impatient. And in matters of grave importance -- which he felt this to be -- he chose quickness over courtesy.
"I need you to tell me about the--"
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 19:52:18
"--The great and powerful magic that is headed towards your dimension. Yes, I know. But first you must let me continue."
The man in the television, seen by countless viewers over the last four generations, stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Unlike you, I have everlasting life. Immortality even in the face of galactic disasters and universal endings. I have patience. This is still something you need to learn, Doctor."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 19:55:00
Strange opened his mouth to reply, something condescending perhaps, or more likely just frantic and frazzled. That was his human side. The others in the mystical realm had learned to deal with it. He was one of them, and yet he still existed in a different plane. Never completely one of the others -- one of the great and select few -- because he was born mortal. Even if he did live to some six centuries, which was the projected outlook for a human Sorceror Supreme, he would still be made of flesh.
Unless of course the great and venerable Vishanti decided to change the laws of the universe again.
He gave a deep sigh.
"Alright. Proceed."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:05:50
The Oracle cleared his throat.
"You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of the imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - you're next stop, The Twilight Zone!"
Cue that eerie, creepy tumbling music.
The Oracle smiled.
"It's been so long since I've gotten to say that. Gives me a thrill every time! Alright. You may now ask your questions."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:08:41
Strange tried not to look irritated, but he was. He had to go through this every single time. And what with the reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel, well, sometimes he just felt inundated with the mystical realm.
He still couldn't understand how people didn't realize that the truth was being fed to them from local cable television. It seemed so obvious.
"What's coming?"
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:11:29
"Be careful how you phrase your questions, Doctor Strange. I know you can feel it. Let the emotions guide you. It is not a what, but a who," The Oracle replied.
The screen behind him was a black void full of a thousand different stars all sucking into a deep vacuum of space. It was an actual dimension. The set was merely a conduit between one world and the next. For many people it was difficult to understand. Even Strange had his difficulties at first.
But in the end it was the truth.
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:13:42
Strange looked away for a moment, closing his eyes to call upon the powers of Agamotto. The orb hovering over his chest beginning to glow in a beautiful golden hue.
His breathing was shallow, his mind was elsewhere, and when he opened his eyes he knew a little bit more.
"Her."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:17:05
The Oracle nodded.
"If you listened to your own instincts more often you wouldn't need my help."
The background changed to a blank whiteness, and yet still The Oracle stood, seemingly separate from the world behind him.
"The force heading towards your new world is a great danger. Merciless and unafraid, she will come to destroy lives and wreck the city to which you now belong. Many will try to prevent the tragedy she brings with her, and in the end their trials will be futile. She is wrought with anger, guilt, and revenge."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:17:55
The question had been on his lips before this conversation had began. He knew it from the moment the energy of this force struck him, waking him from his slumber.
"How do I stop her?"
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:20:03
The Oracle paused. And in that pause, only lasting a split second, an eternity of devastation was passing in the near distance.
"There is no stopping the evil. It is too powerful. There is only one force in the universe great enough to stand up against this wrath. And you, Doctor Strange, are not the one who can provide it."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:30:23
Oh.
A proverbial battle of good vs. evil. With hate only being comparable to its counterpart. That would cause a problem for his interference.
Still, he had a job to do. And on that he was resolute.
"I have to protect the people. I must keep the dimensions together. If this evil tears them apart then there are greater worries than the destruction of one city."
Doctor Strange, after all, had the entire universe and all of its pockets to protect. It was his solemn oath.
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:34:15
The Oracle nodded.
"Of course. I understand. It is why the Ancient One chose you for his successor. But let me give you one warning. One possible outlook into the future. Take it as you will. You know by now that the time is endless and continuums infinite. Each choice, no matter how small, can uproot and change the course of events."
The stars circled around his flat screened appearance.
"You will inevitably choose to be in conflict with this evil. It is your duty as much as your destiny. But let it be known, from all possible outcomes, there can only be one survivor. You must weigh the consequences of your own life and the life of the girl against the rest of the universe."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:36:00
Strange knew this already. Something in him knew this before the conversation had started. That was the strangeness about consulting The Oracle. After everything was said and done, he had a feeling he was hearing it for a second time.
But for him, there was no choice. Or the choice had been made many years ago.
"How much time do we have?"
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:39:43
"Not long now," The Oracle replied. "The wall above your dimension is already cracking. She will arrive soon."
He paused, a smirk creeping over his face.
"If nothing else, it will not be boring. And it will be replayed on primetime in the Gorchintha galaxy for three thousand years."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:40:42
Strange gave another pause. That brought another question to mind and he raised a hand, mouth partly open in preparation to speak--
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:42:45
The Oracle interrupted.
"You are going to ask me about The City. You are going to ask why you are here, why you cannot leave, and how you will be able to return to your own time and place."
The Oracle shook his head.
"These are not questions you are permitted to ask. And if asked, there will be no answers for you. The time for this is not right. There are more important issues in the universe. One day, when a balance is returned, and the separations of light and dark are restored to peace, then you will know those answers. But not until then."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:55:17
Strange couldn't help but show some disappointment at hearing that. Especially before he even got the words out. Then again, this was the great and powerful Oracle. He probably knew how this entire conversation was going to go before it happened.
Or, at least, been able to give a very accurate and semi-educated guess.
"Thank you for your time."
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 20:59:18
"Always a pleasure, Sorceror."
The television set began to fizzle into static, the metallic rabbit ears twitching back and forth, until eventually there was nothing but snow on the screen and the whispering echo of a voice in the background signing off.
"You have just witnessed the tale of a man. A man with a decision upon which the vastness of the universe was secured. The choice he makes in the future will be unchanging, and yet the fate of an infinite beings rests upon it. A man whose duty must be placed above desire. A man who has just stepped into ... The Twilight Zone!"
Dun dun dun DUN!
From: i_estrange Date: 07/14/2006 21:02:22
Doctor Strange rolled his eyes.
Those cryptic monologues got old after 1962.
Now he was hungry.
He got up and wandered towards his kitchen, hoping to find a sandwich to fuel him for the troubles that awaited him tomorrow.