Doctor Strangelove

Chapter Twenty

The next day, Rachael was sitting in the kitchen with some of the other warriors, including Mordo and Wong, and eating lunch. They all looked up as Stephen entered the kitchen. He cleared his throat.

"I need some volunteers," he started. Everyone immediately started calling for him to pick them, "to go to another dimension."

Everyone who had been begging for Stephen to choose them went oddly silent. They started scuttling away and muttering bad excuses like, "I've left the oven on,"; "I need a shower,"; "I don't do other dimensions before ten in the morning,"; and Rachael's personal favorite, "Other dimensions, more like no."

"What's so bad about going to other dimensions?" Rachael asked.

"Well, seeing as you're the only one left, you're about to find out," Stephen said. "Come on, Sorceress Supreme."

Rachael shrugged and got up to follow Stephen. They went up to the attic together. Rachael turned to Stephen to ask him some questions.

"Why do we have to go to another dimension?" she asked.

"To protect our world from the threats of it," Stephen said.

"How do you even know if there is a threat in another dimension?" Rachael tilted her head.

"You know that time you walked in on me and I was meditating?" Stephen asked. Rachael nodded. "That's what I was doing. I do it once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening to make sure that nothing will happen to our world. I spotted something this morning. It's just a rebel from another dimension whose gotten too big for his britches and thinks he can take over our's. It shouldn't be too hard to handle."

"Right," Rachael said. "Rebel from another dimension who wants to take over Earth. Easy."

"Stand back now," Stephen said. "And just look calm. We don't want to make anyone panic."

Rachael took a step back and let Stephen open the portal to another dimension. They walked through it together calmly. Stephen looked around and saw the person (could he even call it that?) waiting for him about one hundred yards from the portal he had entered through.

"Alright, he's seen us," Stephen whispered to Rachael. "Be careful, Rachael."

"I know," Rachael rolled her eyes. "You're a really overprotective boyfriend, you know that?"

"It's lucky for you I have that instinct. Now, watch out," Stephen said. Rachael watched as the rebel made a long rope of purple sparks.

"He looks like he wants to kill me," she whispered.

"He's not going to kill you, he'll just use magic to give you unimaginable pain," Stephen said.

"And that's supposed to reassure me?" Rachael asked. She kept her eyes on their opponent as he took a step towards them.

"Alright, he's made the first move," Stephen said. "Watch me. I'm just going to walk forward and introduce myself as a warning to try and make him go back."

Stephen took a few steps toward the rebel. "Greetings. I am Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme of Ear-" Stephen didn't get to finish his sentence as their opponent lashed out with his rope of magic. Stephen jumped back, swearing in panic. "Okay...that did not go well. Rachael, I brought you here just to watch, but you're going to have to help me out and possibly fight him with me."

"Fight a demon from another dimension?!" Rachael exclaimed.

"It's our only option," Stephen said.

"But I've never done it before!" Rachael protested.

"You're ready, darling," Stephen said.

Rachael took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, Stephen."