What was he supposed to do?
He'd been in this situation so many times. Villains trying to kill him for revenge, for his technology, megalomaniacs trying to enslave Earth. Things had become livelier when Feuding Asgardian Gods used his home as their battleground, opening Tony's eyes to the reality of the horrors beyond what he could see.
That all seemed infinitesimally small compared to the threat he now faced.
'Stark?'
The universe. Thousands, if not billions of lives. Trillions maybe, who knew how many civilizations were out there?
He could destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of.
'Stark?'
His fingers spasmed from where he had clenched them into fists, his pacing footfalls clanging against the metal floor as he walked, back and forth, back and forth. Thoughts accelerated in his head, sparking off each other, whirling around in a dizzy medley, his heart smacking against its prison of old, shattered bone.
What do I do?
'Have you got a plan?'
Tony always had plans. He couldn't sleep at night with all the information swarming inside his head. Panic had left its wound on his mind ever since Loki had brought the Chitauri to Earth. It had pushed him to do better, invent more, learn more, increase the strength of his armor so he could stand as the last line of defense between evil and those he cared about.
'We've got to turn this ship around.'
'Yeah. Now he wants to run...great plan!'
His mouth ran on autopilot as he strode around the ship, half-listening to Strange berate him.
What do I do!
'...I'm Spider-Man then.'
Why did Peter have to be here? Tony stared into the glowing cerulean liquid that acted as some sort of window. Were those stars drifting past? The guiding system for the ship? He shook his head, wrenching his mind back to where it needed to be. He had no problem giving up his own life, had leapt after the wizard knowing this was a one-way ticket, but Peter?
He glanced over at the kid, looking at the suit he had made to keep him safe, knowing it was next to useless on the journey ahead of them. Peter was more than worthy of the Avenger title, resourceful, compassionate, intelligent, but God he was young. He still had his life ahead of him, and Tony wasn't going to let it end here on a suicide mission.
'Stark? Can you get us home?'
'Yeah. I heard you. I'm not so sure we should.'
He didn't have the answer, his mind coming up with nothing. No tricks to save the day, no quips to buy time while he tried to escape. His lungs screamed as though the air he was breathing congealed inside his alveoli.
Tony had nothing.
'Under no circumstances are we to bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here,' Strange drawled, looking at him as if he were an idiot.
'No! It's you that doesn't understand that Thanos has been inside my head for six years, since he sent an army to New York and now he's back!'
His fear was seeping out from his body like a miasma, and he made a conscious effort to reel it back in, to force his emotions back behind his façade, his Iron Man armor. The man before him had no idea about the struggles he'd fought against, the way his life had been plagued by Thanos, but him losing it, showing his vulnerabilities wasn't the answer.
'Now I don't know what to do.'
Stop it. Don't admit your weakness.
'Can you control the ship? Turn the autopilot off?' Strange asked him, glancing around as if Tony could instantly do it for him.
'I don't know, possibly? I need to look at the internal specs of the ship. I'm not exactly well versed with alien spacecraft. I might be able to buy us some time while we come up with a better plan.'
Time.
Time.
'You said you were the guardian of the Time Stone right? It wasn't damaged or anything during your interrogation with those...needle things?' Tony took a step closer, challenging Strange.
'No. It's protected.'
'Are you sure about that?' Tony goaded.
Come on you arrogant asshole.
'You don't trust me?' Strange seethed, matching Tony's step, refusing to back down.
'I don't know you. For all I know you could be in league with Thanos. This could all be some elaborate plot to bring me and the stone to him!'
'How does your head fit inside that helmet? What would Thanos want with you? An insignificant human on one planet out of billions?'
Tony bit the inside of his cheek, refusing to let the insult land, to be affected by anything this man had to say. He'd heard it all his life, from both people he cared about and the masses.
Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?
'Yeah, well this insignificant human managed to thwart him once already with the invasion he sent to New York. So, let me see the Time Stone is safe, or I'll blast you out of the ship a second time.'
They stared each other down, each loath to concede. Tony had fought against arrogance before, against people who thought they knew better. Even with Strange's threatening aura, his unexplainable abilities, Tony maintained eye contact, ignoring the urge to rise onto his tiptoes so they were at least eye level.
Strange's eyes narrowed further in anger as he did his overcomplicated hand gesture to open his necklace. The green stone was tiny, Tony could reach over and pluck it out, grind it to dust between his fingers. The most sought after possession by the greatest threat the universe had known, and it fell to him and a wizard to guard it.
'There, happy now, everyone on the same page?' Strange asked.
'Just because everyone's on the same page doesn't mean we're reading the same line, asshole.'
He registered the understanding on Strange's face in the split second he decided to act, his nanobots forming a gauntlet over his hand. Strange's reflexes were good, and he was fast, but Tony struck first, blasting the stone with a repulsor beam.
No Infinity Stone, no end of life as they knew it.
Tony widened his stance as a wave of energy recoiled down his blast, bringing up his free hand to support the gauntlet, concentrating all the energy he had into the beam.
'Come on,' he hissed through gritted teeth, holding his ground even as his repulsor beam morphed into an eerie green, snaking up to twine around his wrist, trapping them both in a lasso of energy.
'Stark! Stop!'
'I'm not going to let him win, even if we both die here,' Tony spat, pain shuddering up his arms.
'Mr Stark!' Peter called, the skid of his feet sounding dangerously close.
'No! Stay back!' Tony looked over his shoulder to shout, his attention wavering for the briefest of moments.
That was all it took.
The power of the stone engulfed them both, Tony's retinas screaming at the piercing light. Shoved backwards, he crashed onto the floor, a low boom of sound following in the wake of the overflow of energy. Gasping, Tony ran his hands over his chest, relieved he hadn't been charred to a crisp.
'Where did Doctor Strange go?' Peter squeaked.
Shoving himself up onto his elbows, Tony looked at where, moments ago, Strange had been standing.
'Shit.'
***
Stephen grunted as he tumbled to the ground. Shoving himself up onto all fours, he held himself still as the floor lurched, his body swaying from the lack of equilibrium.
He winced at the ache splintering out from his shins as he stood. His muscles were already in agony from the torture of Ebony Maw's needles, and it took a moment for the throbbing in his head to stop, nausea curdling in his stomach as he tried to breathe through it.
'Stark?'
His hand went to the Eye of Agamotto, opening it to check the Time Stone was still intact, exhaling in relief as his fingertips brushed over the smooth surface.
'Dammit Stark,' he growled under his breath. He should have seen that coming, knew something had been wrong when Stark had changed tack from absentmindedly lost in thought to overtly interested in the stone. Not that he could blame the man, he'd had the same thought when he'd learnt about Thanos.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, it had been created at the beginning of the universe, its immense power impervious to whatever energy beams Iron Man wielded.
Regaining his balance and holding back the scalding bile clawing its way up his throat, Stephen opened his eyes, sweat prickling his scalp as he looked around.
Cribs.
Rows of cribs filled with newborns swaddled in their gender matching blankets were sleeping, one or two of them making content gurgling noises as they discovered their hands for the first time.
A newborn nursery.
Stephen didn't know much about the maternity side of medicine, only what he needed to know to become a doctor and help women deliver their babies or offer surgery if needed. He did know rooms like this were being phased out, that newborns were being encouraged to stay with their mothers unless there was a medical reason.
Dropping into a crouch, he wrapped his hand around a leg of one of the cribs, looking towards the observation window.
'We need to get out of here, now!' he hissed at the Cloak, who plastered itself to his back, almost in fear.
Don't start crying. Don't wake up, he mentally chanted as he shuffled towards the door, one eye on the window the entire time. His back protested the crouch, the muscles in his thighs seizing after his fight in the streets earlier.
Reaching the door, he pressed against it, stretching up for the door handle. He couldn't see a card swipe for maternity staff, and he closed his eyes in relief when the door clicked open. It swung open from his weight against it, sending them tumbling from the room in a flurry of limbs and cloth.
Leaping to his feet, he changed his clothes, the Cloak becoming his shirt as his robes morphed into a white doctor's coat. He flung it over his shoulders as he walked, the nostalgia of his previous life chasing his heels. Stephen set a brisk pace, enough to look like he was busy and not to be disturbed, but not fast enough that it looked like he was running away in guilt.
Rounding the corner of another corridor he stopped, knowing where he was by muscle memory.
Metro General Hospital.
'Are you alright, Doctor?'
He paused, the Cloak fluttering against his chest in alarm. Patting it in reassurance, he turned over his shoulder with a smile, his response withering on his tongue.
Her clothes were outdated, not fit for purpose, the starched whiteness of her gown antiquated even when he'd been training. She had a cap on her head which looked like an upside-down ice cream tub, worn back in the day by female nurses to look presentable.
What have you done, Stark?
'Doctor?'
'Yes? Sorry, difficult patient, my head it's a little...' he trailed off, playing up the wound on his head.
'Would you like me to get someone for you?' she asked, clutching her clipboard closer to her chest as she turned to look around.
'No, no it's fine, I'm just going to the treatment room. Actually, if it's not too much trouble, could I ask you what the date is? I've been working shifts back-to-back, and I've lost what day it is,' he laughed, gesturing down at his clothes as if that somehow indicated how exhausted he was.
She nodded along as another in mutual suffering.
'It's Friday...'
'Friday the...' he coaxed.
'Twenty-ninth? Are you sure you don't-'
'Ah, sorry, must have been working longer than I thought. Thank you, think I'm going to go patch myself up now and sleep for a week.' Waving goodbye, he continued down the corridor, towards the treatment room.
He kept his head down as he walked, gaze flittering up occasionally to take in the details of the people around him, trying to place the time period he was in. Bell-bottomed trousers, psychedelic prints on short dresses and shirts, the flip clocks on the walls. The scent of tobacco smoke swirled through the underlying antiseptic.
Sixties maybe?
Stephen's heartbeat was deafening in his ears, and he focused on the rumble of it, not giving in to the sensation of cold panic streaking up his spine and down to his hands. Clenching them to try and control the shaking, he paused at the door of one of the treatment rooms. Waiting for the corridor to clear, he unlocked it with a spell and slipped through the door.
'Alright, options?' he asked the Cloak as he rummaged through the glass cupboards, knocking over bottles of pills as he looked for gauze pads and antiseptic. Peeling away from his chest, the Cloak shrugged, zooming over to the other cabinet and bringing him a gauze pad.
'Helpful. So, we're stuck in the past while Thanos is out there gathering the Infinity Stones.' Stephen hissed as he dabbed the antiseptic soaked gauze over the wound on his head. Gritting his teeth, he swept outwards towards his temple to brush away all the vestiges of blood.
'Doesn't need stitches,' he muttered to himself, holding out his hand when he saw the Cloak holding out a bottle of painkillers. Reading the label he nodded his approval, shaking a few onto his palm and swallowing them.
'This might be our chance to stop Thanos before it even starts,' Stephen told the Cloak, considering the ramifications. The Ancient One had always warned him about altering timelines, that events had to unfold for reasons, and they couldn't be tampered with. Could saving half the universe be reason enough?
'Let's go to the Sanctum, ask for help,' he told the Cloak, glancing down when it pointed at his hand. 'What? No, I should be able to use the ring here. It's only out in space moving a billion miles an hour that I can't open a portal back.'
He opened a portal to the Sanctum, gesturing with a bow.
'Come on, let's go and then-'
The room swallowed his voice, the air around him thickening and compressing his chest, clinging to his skin, yanking him down. Powerless, he tried to shout, move his arms, but he was trapped, suspended between two times. The Cloak wrapped around him as his feet were swallowed by the floor, his body evaporating into the air around him.
***
By the time Tony had gotten back on his feet, Strange had reappeared, the air around him hazy like a mirage before it cleared.
'Where the hell did you go? I thought you'd gone and left us here...wait...how is your wound clean?' He circled Strange's body once before coming back around to the front, gesturing to the clothes with a wave of his hand. 'Why are you playing doctors now?'
Strange took a staggering step back, his robes reappearing and swallowing the white doctor's coat he'd been wearing.
'Hello? Strange?'
'I'm back? What happened?'
'I don't know. I blasted the stone and that...rope of energy came out of it and then you were gone.'
'I was...in a hospital... I don't know. I need to...sorry I need to think.' Strange whirled around, his cape snapping in a dramatic noise as he stalked away from them, disappearing down the corridor.
'So? A plan?' Tony shouted after him, resisting the urge to take off after him.
'What are we going to do, Mr Stark?'
His jaw clenched as he stared after Strange, fury seeping through his veins like a slow-acting poison. Taking a deep breath, he ignored his feelings, knowing other things needed his attention, one of them staring at him with puppy dog eyes.
Peter was more than capable of looking after himself, but as Tony turned to face him in the alien spaceship, he looked small, fragile. Despite his insistence that he knew what he was getting into, the gravitas of his sacrifice, Tony still wished FRIDAY had been able to send him home.
'Underoos.' Tony walked over, grabbing his shoulder so he could shake him gently. 'Don't doubt yourself, you're an Avenger now and people are depending on you. You've got this, okay?' He squeezed in reassurance, his sweaty fingers screeching on the metal of Peter's suit.
'Okay,' Peter breathed out, closing his eyes for a moment.
'We need to scope out this hellhole of a ship, see what we're dealing with before we come up with a plan. I'll start in here, make sure we don't set off an autodestruct sequence or anything-'
'Oh shit! Do you think this has one of those? What if I stand on something and cause the ship to blow up!'
'Hey, hey calm down, this isn't the Temple of Doom,' Tony gestured around.
'The temple of what?'
'You've seen Alien but not Indiana...you know what, never mind. FRIDAY, you still there?'
'Yes, but I'm limited to the functions of your suit, boss. I can't communicate with my servers at the Avengers Compound, so I can't send a distress signal, or access any of my files.'
'Can you help us scan the ship, find out how it ticks?'
'I said limited functions, not useless,' FRIDAY snapped, making Tony smile despite the situation.
'Right, I'll stay here, try and work out how we can navigate the ship, how it works. Hopefully our wizard friend will come back at some point and we can discuss what we're gonna do, but for now, the more information the better. What was your AI called again, Katie? Kim?'
'Karen.'
'Alright, FRIDAY sync with Karen, make sure you both are checking in with each other every five minutes. Look for anything that looks abnormal, holes in the interior, any life forms in incubation, I don't want a nasty surprise later.'
'Right, scoping. I can do this.'
Peter's face disappeared behind his helmet, and he set off down the same direction Strange had gone. Tony waited until he saw Peter use his webbing to hoist himself to the ceiling, listening to the soft echoes of him moving down the corridor.
When he was certain he was alone, Tony staggered over to one of the mechanical looking arms, collapsing into the side of it and sliding down until his ass hit the floor. The ship gave a constant hum, vibrating through the metal floor beneath him, the ceiling over him, a gigantic cage crafted of metal and chrome.
'FRIDAY keep an eye on him, would you? Any heat signatures, any movement that isn't me or the wizard you take over the suit and bring him back here alright?'
'Boss, he's more than capable of looking after himself.'
'I know!' Tony shouted. As his breaths came in short, sharp pants, he drew his knees up to his chest, bending over so he could hang his head between them, his fingernails digging into his scalp.
This was it. This was his endgame.
'There isn't any way you can get a message back home?' Tony asked, his voice small.
'No, sorry. I'm out of communication range.'
All Tony could hear was Pepper's voice begging him to come home, could picture the way she would be staring up at the sky in terror, not knowing what was going to happen to him. Rhodey would understand, knew Tony was a self-sacrificing asshole when it came to saving the day. He would go to her, they would support each other through the loss.
'Sorry, FRIDAY, I just-'
'You don't need to apologize.'
'I can't...I can't lose anyone else I care about. We need to stop Thanos, to stop the threat to our universe.'
'And then...will you finally be happy?' FRIDAY asked, sounding like JARVIS for a moment.
'I don't know, I've been searching for it so long, I don't think I'll be able to recognize it when I find it. Imagine that? Being able to sleep without dread mingling with your nightmares, the fear of what tomorrow will bring.'
Tony lifted his head, staring around the ship, a hollow feeling inside his chest.
'Let's start with the basics. Oxygen, navigation, can you scan for anything like that?' he asked, shoving aside his fears and getting to his feet.
***
The sensation didn't catch him off guard this time, and he tried to shout out a warning to the other two that he was disappearing again. They couldn't hear him from the other side of the ship, but he didn't want Stark to think he'd abandoned him again.
Even if it was his fault this was happening.
It wasn't the hospital he traveled back to this time. The only light source was a thin strip of moon washed grey peeking out from drawn curtains, and Stephen crept closer to it, freezing when he heard a snuffling noise, a rustle of blankets.
He was in a bedroom.
Taking a tentative, silent step towards the window, he ran his thumb over the sling ring on his fingers. Creating a portal would wake the person up with the light and the noise, but that had to be preferable to trying to jump out the window. It was only one person, they could pretend it was a remnant of a dream, a trick of the light from being snatched from sleep.
With that justification in mind, he began the hand gesture for a portal, the room flashing amber as it sparked into existence. The Cloak had other ideas, dragging him backwards, his boots screeching across the hardwood floors.
'Stop it!' he hissed, fighting with the fabric, swearing when his hip collided with something.
A crib.
Why do I keep being brought back to infants?
Holding himself still until his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw a baby was staring up at him.
'Oh no.'
A muscle in his cheek twitched as it began to whimper, and he took a step backwards, his actions aggravating the baby into crying. Grabbing his arm, the Cloak forced him towards the crib, stretching him towards the child.
'What? What do you want me to do with it?' he whispered, gesturing at it wildly.
The Cloak yanked on him again, encouraging him towards the now wailing child and Stephen conceded, bending over the crib and picking the crying monster up.
'Okay, okay, you're okay, hey, shush,' Stephen hushed, cradling it in his arms as he began to rock it up and down. 'Stop judging me!' he growled at the inquisitive Cloak, who was patting the baby's head, collar turned up at Stephen's face in disapproval.
'I have no experience with this sort of thing, there's a reason I didn't go into pediatrics,' he snapped, bouncing up and down on his feet, his efforts only increasing the noise level. He looked down into the crib, not seeing any comfort items, no soft toys, or a security blanket.
Conceding defeat, he stretched down to place the baby back, halting when the Cloak barred his way.
'We can't be discovered here. It won't stop crying, and any minute its parents are going to come running through that door and find a strange man in robes clutching their precious child, which is going to lead to some very interesting questions,' he hissed.
It refused to budge, and Stephen swore under his breath, moving the baby in his arms so he could rest its head against his shoulder, rubbing a hand over its back. He could feel a tiny vibration against his chest, a bubble of air rumbling in the child's stomach and escaping as a burp into his shoulder.
'Ah, you had wind did you?' Stephen asked it, chancing a look towards the bedroom door, feeling his shoulders relax and release their tension as the crying stopped. Gurgling, chubby fists came up to grab his robes, its legs kicking in excitement.
'You okay now? Hmm? You're full of energy, aren't you?'
He heard the curtains draw back, and he nodded his thanks to the Cloak, now able to make out the detail of the face beaming up at him. He had the most extraordinary eyes, huge as most babies' eyes were, but these were a lustrous, vibrant brown, almost gleaming black in the shadows of the room.
'The first time I came back it was to a maternity observation room, now a nursery. Do you have something to do with all of this?'
The baby babbled, kicking his legs again, scrunching its nose as it watched Stephen talk.
Despite not knowing what was happening, the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, Stephen made sure his grip beneath the baby's behind was secure so he could reach up a hand to stroke his head. His hair was downy, feather-soft, the same rich color as his eyes. Stephen felt a poignant brush of affection as the baby leant into the touch, his eyes closing in a long blink.
He couldn't remember his sister Donna being a baby, but he could remember her toddling around. The way she'd hold onto his legs for balance, trusting him to support her, just like this baby clutched hold of him, its unwavering belief that he wouldn't be dropped.
'Alright, you're pretty cute. I bet you've got your parents wrapped around your finger, hmm?' Holding him a fraction closer, Stephen allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of holding something fragile and precious in his arms. He'd never thought of himself as having any sort of parental instinct, had viewed the idea of having kids as a far-off future when he was a surgeon. A tick box of things he was expected to do, but holding the small creature in his arms, he could see the appeal.
The Cloak pointed at him and then the child.
'I know, I know, I'm going.'
Stephen placed him back in his crib, holding out his hand in goodbye. The baby stared at it for a few moments, before wrapping his minuscule fingers around his scarred, shaking index finger and Stephen shook it in a handshake.
'Goodbye sweetheart.'
The baby frowned as he pulled away, his bottom lip quivering, eyes shining with fresh tears.
The Cloak flapped, reaching down into the crib to wrap around him in a swaddling blanket, rustling in delight as the baby grabbed its corner and shoved it into his gummy mouth.
'Come on, we can't stay here. We need to find out what's going on,' Stephen ordered, tapping his sling ring with his nail as he watched them both.
The Cloak didn't move.
'I'll leave you here,' Stephen threatened.
Drawing away from the baby, the Cloak looked down as he began to cry again, its collar flicking down towards him and up to Stephen, torn.
'Who knew you were such a softie,' Stephen scoffed, cupping his hands together. 'You're a demanding little thing. How about I leave you a better playmate?' Opening his hand, he reached down into the crib, the golden glow of the butterfly cradled in his palm illuminating the wide eyes of the baby, his tears glistening on his cheeks.
He reached out for it, and Stephen let it flutter down to him, giving a small laugh as the baby tried to crush it in his overexcitement.
'There, that will keep him quiet. Come on, before we're caught.'
***
'Strange? Stephen Strange? What are you doing here?'
'Thank God, I was praying you'd be here, whenever here is.'
'Nineteen seventy, it's nearly Christmas...you've not been born yet...' Placing down her tea, the Ancient One rose from her crossed legged position, closing the door shut with a wave of her hand, a locking seal placed over the door handle.
'Well as you can see, I've very much been born.'
The Ancient One walked around the room once, checking the security before standing before him, taking his face in her hands and tilting his head back and forth.
'Do you want to see my dental records as proof?' he asked as she peered into his eyes, frowning.
'I know that in a few decades from now I'll be training you to take over my role, but I also know I would have told you about the properties of the Time Stone and not to mess around with it!' She flicked him on the forehead.
'This isn't my fault! In my time, in the future, Thanos has come to Earth for the Infinity Stones. I'm stuck in a spaceship, miles away from Earth, trying to keep it from his reach, and then Stark, in his infinite wisdom, decided to blast the Time Stone, attempting to destroy it and low and behold, I'm stuck bouncing between two timelines!'
'Alright, breathe, sit down.'
He collapsed onto his knees and fell back on his ass, his arms going behind him to support his weight.
'Hello old friend,' she greeted the Cloak as it peeled away from his shoulders, settling over near the window, its back to Stephen.
'We couldn't stay there,' Stephen told it, turning his own back in turn as it refused to move.
'How long are the intervals of time you're spending in the past?' Getting up, she bustled about with her pot of tea on the small chest in the corner of the room. Stephen recognized what she was doing, felt a stab of grief as he watched her stall for time to process things.
He missed her.
'What does that have to do with what's happening?'
'I'm trying to determine if you're visiting at random flashes of time or a continuous period. That'll help you in future episodes.'
He accepted the cup of tea, taking a cautious sip and coughing as it scalded his tongue and throat.
'I don't know, I'll time myself at the next interval.'
'Tell me what happened the first time you were brought back in time. Where were you, what was the common element?'
'I was in the newborn nursery in the Metro General Hospital. I didn't meet anyone apart from a nurse, but I didn't sense any magical ability within her or any in the vicinity.'
'Newborns?' The Ancient One asked, her head snapping up from where she'd been looking down at her teacup, eyes narrowed. 'And the second time?'
'Which is this time. I was in a bedroom. There was a small child, a baby. He started crying and I held him so he'd stop. But again, I didn't sense any magical energy in him, or in the house I was in. I don't know-'
'The connection is that child. Well, a child now, an adult in your time,' she waved her hand absentmindedly.
Stephen didn't answer straight away, thinking back to the baby he'd just held. He could hear chanting down in one of the rooms below, and he focused on that, clearing his mind as he tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
'This...baby, child. I'm being pulled back to him?' he eventually asked. 'Why would the Time Stone be dragging me back to this point?'
'Not the same point, the same person. The Time Stone was forged from the energy of the birth of the universe. It reacts in a way we barely understand.'
'Is it sentient? Trying to help me find a way to defeat Thanos?' he thought out loud. Blowing over his tea, he stared down at it, his reflection murky. 'We don't have anything,' he admitted, thinking back to Stark looking around the ship. The billionaire thought he'd been hiding it, but Stephen had seen the despair in his eyes.
He might not like Stark, but there was no denying he was the most brilliant man of their time, had fought and kept the Earth safe on countless occasions. What could they do if even Iron Man didn't have the answer?
'We have nothing. He already has most of the Infinity Stones... I don't know how I'm supposed to keep the universe safe.'
'There are forces at work, energies we don't understand. Why does it fall to you alone to protect the universe?' she asked.
'It's not all about you, yes you've told me...well, you're going to.' Stephen drank his tea and held his hand out for more.
'And have you learnt the lesson?'
He recoiled a little from her tone, hunching his shoulders as he thought about how he'd left Stark behind to deal with finding out how the ship worked. To come up with a plan while he dealt with something he'd dubbed more important.
He really hadn't changed from the student he'd once been.
'I'm trying to. I still struggle working with others,' he conceded.
'Is it impossible for you to recognize the importance of others? To work in a team?'
'What... and become an Avenger? No thank you, I saw the shitstorm that became them,' Stephen scoffed, glancing over his shoulder at the Cloak.
Still ignoring him.
'I trust it goes without saying you must not affect anything in your travels,' the Ancient One told him, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand. 'Whatever you're being shown, it must be for a reason. If you interfere-'
'I know, it'll cast off a branching timeline, possibly into a worse future than the one we're in now.' Stephen placed his cup down on the floor, crossing his legs and looking over at her. 'I've missed you. Every time I made a decision, fought in a fight, argued with Wong, I thought to myself, was this what she would've done?'
'You and I are completely different individuals. There are choices I've made that I regret, choices that I believed were for the greater good, choices you might not agree with.' The air between them hung heavy, the realization that he already knew her secrets, knew all there was to know about the future of her end.
'There will be paths laid before you in your life where I might have chosen a different direction, choices you will make that I never would have. The safety of this Sanctum, its students and the multiverse are a responsibility I do not take lightly. I would not have chosen you to shoulder that burden if I did not believe you were capable. You, Stephen Strange, are the one thing I am certain of.'
The trembles in his hand reached up to his forearms, his vision blurring as scalding heat prickled at the corners of his eyes. He felt a weight on his back, a collar poking at his cheeks.
'I'm proud of you. You will be a gifted pupil in my future, and as a teacher I want you to surpass me, to do what I could not.' She leant forward and clasped his elbow. 'Whatever faces you, believe in your decisions. Gather as much information as you can about this child. Observe him, befriend him, destroy him if you must. Protect the universe no matter the cost.'
***
Tony didn't want to touch anything in the bowels of the ship, checking instead for structural damage to the outside hull. This would have been his wet dream back home, an alien ship for him to dismantle. Thor had been such a spoilsport when it came to describing Asgardian technology to him.
There was a faint orange illumination coming from a power source he hadn't investigated yet, dipping his surroundings in hellfire, his shadow a contorted creature. He knew he might end up in Hell one day, but hadn't anticipated it being quite so soon.
'We've got a constant supply of oxygen, that's good news,' he answered FRIDAY's earlier question, kicking off the wall to fly closer to the metal plank in the center of the room, a bridge from the corridor to the gleaming blue thing Tony hadn't worked out yet.
'Not yet, boss. I'm working on it.'
The intricate spinning rings he'd stumbled upon earlier after cutting his way into the ship, seemed to indicate the main power source of the ship, possibly a type of kinetic energy, but FRIDAY's readings kept pointing to the big glowing mirror.
'Priorities, Stark,' he hissed to himself. The ship could be powered by hamsters running in a wheel for all he cared. 'Anything about navigation?' he asked, scanning everything he could.
'He was using these to steer the ship.'
Flinching in his suit, Tony looked up into Strange's face staring down at him, FRIDAY helpfully magnifying his face in his screen so he could see the asshole's smugness up close.
'I could have used that information ages ago, thank you.' Propelling himself back onto the bridge, his suit retracted as he walked over to the extended arm looking things, circling one. 'Some sort of interface system, maybe?' he tapped the exterior with a knuckle. 'Or maybe a type of steering wheel? FRIDAY scan it.'
'On it.'
Tony glanced up when he saw Strange hadn't moved, watching him with his arms crossed.
'You alright? You're looking a bit...well not pale, you were pale before, translucent maybe? What's going on, where do you keep disappearing to?'
Strange glanced down at his feet, his jaw clenching as he thought something over.
'Fine, don't tell me, I've got-'
'When you blasted the Time Stone before, it set off a chain of events...' Strange trailed into nothing.
'Right?' Tony answered, distracted by the huge disk of sparkling blue light.
Is it a window of some sort?
'It's formed some sort of time loop, creating a tether between myself and the past.'
Tony tensed, an ache spreading in the muscles of his chest as his attention focused on Strange.
'I know magic isn't easy to accept. It sounds ludicrous, I know, I'm a man of science too.'
'Strange, the Norse God of Thunder stays at my place and eats Pop-Tarts. I've seen aliens pour out of a wormhole over New York, trust me, nothing surprises me anymore.'
'Mr Stark?' vibrated from further down the ship.
'Look, unless your time traveling magical ass has somehow come up with a solution, save it for later. What you got kid?' Tony brushed Strange off.
'Wait a second, Stark.'
'Mr Stark, I found...oh sorry, am I interrupting?' Peter stumbled to a stop as he rushed in.
'No. What did you find?'
Ignoring the way Strange glared at him, his disapproval souring the space between them, he stared at what Peter was holding in his arms.
'I think they're berries. Karen said they're not toxic to humans.'
'FRIDAY?'
'The building blocks of life on other worlds mirror what we have on Earth. Chances are high we can eat food from an alien planet without becoming sick. The chances of it holding any nutritional value to humans is a different matter,' Strange answered before FRIDAY had a chance.
'So...no eating alien berries then?'
'Oh, you can eat them, you can also eat rocks, doesn't mean they'll sustain you,' Strange answered, a smirk in his voice.
His skin crawled at the condescending tone, but he chose to disregard it, focusing on Peter. Pepper would've been proud of him for taking the high ground.
I hope you're okay, Pep.
'Good job though, Underoos, at least you're helping.'
Goddammit, I just can't help myself.
'FRIDAY?'
'They would be more of a supplement rather than a viable food source, but they are better than nothing.'
'We have nothing then,' Strange scowled at them both.
Reaching into his jacket to his undersuit, Tony rummaged through the pockets, pulling out ration packs with a flourish.
'You're acting like this is my first superhero rodeo.'
'Why do you...you know what never mind.' Strange held his hand out for one.
'You can't seriously be hungry already, Doc.' Tony clutched the packets to his chest.
'I'm...just give them here, Stark.' He snatched one from Tony, closing his eyes in concentration as he held it, an orange glow peeping through his fingers. After a few seconds, Strange handed it back, and an extra handful.
'Hey, wait a minute...Mr Stark, how come he's allowed to hand you-'
'Alright, I'll admit that's a cool party trick,' Tony spoke over Peter, handing him the extra rations packs, and shaking his head at Peter's narrowed eyes. Kid was too damn smart.
'I can't create food out of thin air, but I can multiply and copy what we already have.'
'Are they safe to eat?' Tony met his eyes, searching for any lies.
'Yes, Stark. Listen, I'm not sure what I've done to make you dislike me, but I can promise you-'
'Did you find any water?' Tony interrupted him.
'Yes,' Peter answered, his gaze moving between them.
'Stark.'
'Did Karen say it was safe?' Tony carried on, shifting from foot to foot as he gathered information, needing to know everything so he could formulate a plan.
'She did, but maybe FRIDAY could scan it too?'
'Stark!'
'If your AI says it safe, then it's safe. Cool, we've got enough for a family picnic,' Tony said with a clap of his hands. 'Right, we've got oxygen, food, water, now we just need to...oh for... you've got to be shitting me!'
Strange had disappeared again.
***
Stephen's knees took the brunt of his fall, none of this superhero landing shit he'd seen the Avengers do on the news. Wincing, he got to his feet, recognizing the layout of the bedroom. There was no crib this time, instead a single bed was pushed to the far side of the wall. The bed was immaculate, bedcovers tucked in, pillow fluffed. No soft toys, no creases, nothing.
He hadn't been able to make out details about the room before, too focused on the baby crying and his vision impaired from the darkness of the night. The décor indicated a clean room, magnolia walls, sterile almost, no hint of individual taste, or any indication that someone lived here. It was like a showroom that realtors would present to potential buyers.
A dresser and a cupboard were on the opposite wall, the same mahogany brown as the floors, but there were no personal touches on either, nothing that Stephen could see that would indicate the type of person who stayed in here. Not their age, their gender, nothing.
The Cloak floated over to the desk next to the bed. Reaching down, it picked up a book and held it up for Stephen to see, collecting them all into a pile. Careful not to cause any creaking of floorboards, he crept over, crouching down so he could tilt his head to read the spines.
Engineering textbooks.
'The baby must be a college student now,' Stephen whispered.
Staying close to the floor, Stephen looked around the room again, unable to believe a student could keep a room this clean. Scraps of paper pirouetted down to him as the Cloak swept them off the desk. Catching one of them, he could see a childish sprawl covered most of it, labelling what appeared to be a robot, or a car.
His head snapped up as the bedroom door opened, a small boy slipping through.
'Hey, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you,' Stephen reassured as the kid's hand tightened on the door handle, his muscles bunching as he got ready to run.
'Who are you?'
'I'm a friend,' Stephen promised, batting away the Cloak.
'Why is your cape moving? Are you a superhero?' The boy asked, clicking the door shut.
That's it? That's all it took to convince you I'm not dangerous?
The Cloak drifted over to the boy, making him laugh as it ruffled around him. This was the baby he'd held in his arms not too long ago. The same mop of brown hair longer and curled around his forehead and ears, those same huge, liquid brown eyes, one closing as the Cloak pretended to snuffle at his cheek as a dog would.
'Sort of, I'm the... Sorcerer Supreme, my name is Doctor Strange.'
The words Sorcerer Supreme felt like rancid honey in his throat, but it would be too complicated to explain to a child he was in-training for the role, the ramifications of it. It wasn't a lie, a bend of the truth, but Stephen abhorred dishonesty.
The kid stopped playing with the Cloak, taking a few stumbling steps back and colliding with his bed.
'Doctor? Are you going to give me a shot? Jarvis promised I didn't need more, he pinkie promised!' His eyes welled with tears, pink blotches appearing on his cheeks and neck.
'No, no,' Stephen shuffled closer, desperate to stop any tears before they started. 'I'm not a doctor...well I am...was, but I'm not here to give you any shots. My superhero name is Doctor Strange. I promise I'm not going to hurt you.'
'If you're a superhero why isn't your name cooler?' he asked, cocking his head while wiping his eyes with the edge of his shirt. His clothes looked too grown-up for his age, slacks and a pressed shirt, not something Stephen would've tolerated as a child. He'd always been encouraged outside, to help his parents on the farm. His clothes always had a hole in the knee or elbow, stained with grass.
'Can I give you a new name? You need a scary name otherwise the bad guys won't be scared of you. Hang on a minute!' He scampered over to his desk, looking under the papers, the books he'd left open.
Sitting back on his heels, Stephen watched him, noticing that the boy was all elbows and knees, his small height making it appear like he was just a collection of sharp joints and rangy limbs. He was surprised at himself for feeling a hint of affection for the boy before him. He hadn't seen him at the hospital, had only held him for a few minutes the last time he was here, but it was hard not to be amused by the child.
Stephen might not have much experience with children, subconsciously staying away from treating them at the hospital for fear of history repeating itself, losing them like he had his kid sister, but that didn't mean he didn't like them.
The kid made a tiny happy sound under his breath when he found what he was looking for, reaching down to hand a figurine to Stephen.
'Captain America?'
'See, you knew him straight away. His name means he's in charge, that he's strong, you need a name like that.... Supreme Magic Overlord!' He tried to mirror Stephen's position, giving up and sitting on his knees, fidgeting as he watched Stephen.
'Supreme...what?'
'Supreme Magic Overlord,' the kid said again with all the innocent patience a child could muster.
'Why would I...overlord of what?' Stephen asked.
'The bad guys?
'Ah,' Stephen made an agreeing noise, giving up the fight. 'Supreme Magic Overlord, it is then.'
The boy nodded, giggling as the Cloak wrapped itself around him, bundling him up. 'I like your cape, it's friendly, and warm. Are you controlling it with your mind?'
'No, it thinks for itself. It's stubborn, and naughty, but it's a good friend.'
Biting his lip, the kid looked up at Stephen.
'Are you real? Or are you imaginary? Have I made you both up in my head because I'm lonely?'
He knew what the Ancient One had told him, how this child might be the link to helping them, whether that be through Stephen befriending him or stopping him in the future, but it was hard not to react to that. His mind drawing parallels between their childhoods.
'I'm not imaginary, but I can't let anyone know I'm here.'
'Why?'
'Because I'm not supposed to be here. I'm from your future. I'm trying to save the world, which means I can't do anything in your time that might affect what happens in the future.'
'Can I help you?' He immediately asked.
Stephen forced down the laugh, knowing he wouldn't take kindly to being laughed at, reaching over instead to place his hand on the child's head, ruffling his hair. Still unbelievably soft.
'No, but thank you for trying. So, you know my name, what's yours?'
'Anthony Stark...I hate it, I like Tony more, but mamma won't use it. Jarvis does though.'
'Tony...'
The name stuck to the inside of his skull like paper, layers and layers of it so all that Stephen could think, see, and hear was the name.
Tony Stark.
'Do you have a name?' The boy...Tony asked the Cloak.
Tony Stark. The child he'd been tied to was Tony Stark.
***
Prying off a panel with his gauntlet, Tony looked up at the control arm things Strange had pointed out to him. Whistling, he peered through the hole he'd made, tapping the side of the structure, the clang of metal on metal soothing his nerves. If he didn't think about things too hard, he could almost pretend he was back in his workshop, deciphering the latest piece of rival tech.
'Alright, what are you and what secrets are you withholding?'
'Mr Stark?' Peter's voice echoed down to him, breaking up the monotonous hum Tony was getting used to. 'Are you sure this is a viewscreen and not the power source?'
'I don't have a clue what it is. I'm running on basic Star Wars knowledge here,' Tony called back, receding his gauntlet so he could stick his hand in the control arm.
'It appears to be a mineral of some sort. It's superconductive which might mean it amplifies energy?' Peter shouted down.
'I'm pretty sure the energy source are those revolving rings...hello!' Tony grinned as he noticed a tube shimmering with the same blue light.
'Stark!'
His hand collided with the top of the open panel, and he swore, cradling it close to his chest as he looked over his shoulder.
'What? Kinda busy here, asshole.'
'Have we met before?'
Tony heard the wet sound of his lips prying apart in disbelief as he gestured to the panel in front of him, and then Peter clinging to the ceiling above to look at the alien energy source or viewscreen.
'I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm trying to regain control of this doughnut. So, unless you know something about alien technology-'
'Answer my question! Do we know each other?'
'What? No? I mean I don't think so...maybe at one of the medical fundraisers my company organized?' Tony blew over the reddening skin of his hand, rubbing at it as if that would somehow help.
'You don't remember me?'
'...look, I meet a lot of people, okay. Sorry, what did I do? Did I forget to fund you or something?' Tony sighed, looking back into the open panel.
'Forget it.' Strange spat.
Rolling his eyes, Tony stood up, turning to give Strange his full attention.
'Alright, I'm sorry okay, I...' he trailed off as Strange walked away, his frustration evident in the stamp of his boots. 'Honestly...what is his problem? Pete, can you tell where the energy is being directed to?'
He waited a moment as Peter crawled further up, muttering to Karen as he worked. Crossing his arms over his chest, he ran his tongue over the inside of his teeth, making sure Strange didn't reappear all of a sudden.
'It's good to see you again, Supreme Magic Overlord,' he whispered with a smile.