It didn't take long to find Mordo in the Mirror Realm, which was surprising, since Strange had been searching for him for almost a month. The magic light show going on in Mirrored Times Square was enough to draw the attention of any sorcerer worth their salt.
Strange quickly made his way to the busy square, which folded and shifted alarmingly. The glowing neon signs above merged and mirrored psychedelically. In the midst of the chaos, three sorcerers battled Mordo. Mordo was doing a fine job keeping the trio busy.
Strange's red cape sat him down a few feet from the battle. Before his feet even touched the ground, two of the three sorcerers were down for the count. One had a nasty gash across their chest and the other cradled their unnaturally bent arm to their chest.
The third and last sorcerer fought valiantly, protecting her fellow mystics from attack. But Strange could tell she was tiring, and all her strength was focused on defense, rather than offence. He joined the fight, bolts of golden magic shot towards Mordo. The lady mystic turned with wide eyes, looking in admiration at Doctor Strange.
"Go! Take the others!" Strange shouted over the buzz of magic.
The lady mystic nodded, trusting Strange to cover her as she ran to her two hurt comrades. She gathered them up and quickly made a portal, dragging them to safety. Strange turned to Mordo, who paced back and forth.
"No snarky one-liners?" Strange quipped.
Mordo just glared. The Eye of Agamotto hung from his neck, glistening tauntingly in the folding neon lights. It was so close and yet, so far; not to mention, in the possession of a mystic that had beaten Strange twice before. And even then, Strange had had Riley's help. Now, she was gone. The thought burned through him as he stood there.
She was dying in a hospital bed because of the man in front of Strange. The anger curled through him and settled deep in his stomach, making his body feel heavy with the weight of it. Strange lashed out first, his magic bright and searing hot. A spear of magic singed the side of Mordo's face, and he howled in pain.
Quickly, Strange summoned a shield and protected himself from Mordo's retaliation. Mordo inched closer to Strange, pushing Strange a step back. Times Square shifted around them in a sea of colors. Mordo slammed a fist on the ground and it moved like a wave towards Strange. His eyes widened as he saw the tsunami of earth rushing towards him.
His cape jerked him upwards by his shoulders and his breath gasped out of him from the suddenness of it. The wave calmed and Strange's cape sat him back down into the melee. Strange charged at Mordo, tackling him to the ground before he could even react. Strange managed one punch before Mordo fought back.
Mordo viciously kicked Strange, shoving him off of himself. Mordo quickly got up, managing to kick Strange once more before he rose. Strange coughed, and a trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He smiled bloodily, the fight was just getting good.
Strange and Mordo faced each other in hand-to-hand combat. They traded punches, each blocking each other smoothly. They seemed almost evenly matched, both waiting for the other to make even a small mistake.
It happened. The ground pitched forwards, making both Strange and Mordo loose their balance. Strange fell down, his cape slowing his fall as he plummeted past skyscrapers. Mordo clung to the side of a building, heaving himself up onto the sturdy roof. Strange finally grabbed a hold of a rusty fire escape, looking up at where Mordo was.
The landscape around Strange folded over until Mordo was literally just feet above Strange. "This is going to be weird," Strange muttered.
He climbed up the fire escape and onto the roof, running across it. Strange jumped, and his cape carried him up towards the roof of the other building, straight above him. He hovered for a second, the two gravities fighting each other. With a lurch, he flipped over and fell up into the new gravity, and straight into Mordo.
Strange tackled Mordo into the roof of the building, taking a moment to get his new surroundings. Mordo shoved Strange off of him and scurried up. They both stood, about three feet apart, pacing in a circle.
"I'm going to take the Eye back to Riley," Strange growled, "Even if it's the last thing I do."
Mordo sneered, "Strong words, Strange. Let's see if you can deliver."
They both attacked at the same time, their shields of magic clashing in a shower of sparks. Strange summoned a rope of magic and lashed it across Mordo's hands. Mordo swung his legs out, catching Strange and making him stumble.
Mordo struck out and grazed the side of Strange's face, opening a gash from his temple to his jaw. It dripped blood down his shirt, turning the dark blue tunic almost black.
Strange lifted his shield, and Mordo's next attack glanced off of it. Mordo stumbled, giving Strange the chance he needed. Quickly summoning a rope of magic, he looped it around Mordo's feet. With a pull, Mordo crashed to the ground.
Strange jumped on top of him, punching him square in the jaw twice. He reached out with a shaking hand and ripped the Eye from Mordo's neck. After a brief search, Strange found his sling ring too. He palmed it, standing and leaving Mordo groaning on the ground.
"It ends here, Mordo," Strange muttered gravely, "I have the Eye, and I have your sling ring. It's over."
Strange summoned a portal and stepped through it, leaving Mordo stranded in the Mirror Realm... Hopefully for good.
Mordo got up slowly, spitting blood into the shifting ground, "We'll see about that, Doctor Strange."
In Riley's hospital room, Strange stepped out of the portal. A scene like one of his nightmares played out in front of him. A group of doctors and nurses crowded a around her bed, a crash cart pulled close by.
"Clear!" Christine shouted, placing the defibrillator on Riley's chest. They charged it, and Riley's body arched on the bed.
"Again!" Christine shouted, "Clear!"
Strange lifted his hands, and the Eye opened, slowing time down around him. Christine leaned over Riley, defibrillator paddles ready. Her heart monitor was flat, no rhythm.
Strange reached out, ready to turn back time and save her.
A/N
Ohhhhh yeaaaaah
It's gettin Real
YOU ARE READING
Lights → Doctor Strange
Fanfiction"Doctor Strange." "You know my name?" "You were my last hope." After western medicine failed her, Riley Harper started looking for other cures. Little did she know her search would lead her straight to the man who had failed her once before...
