July 3rd - 2009
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The meeting with Fury took place in a stark, gray conference room at the SHIELD headquarters. Fury was already seated at the head of the table, his one good eye focused sharply on Stephen and Tony as they entered. Tony, ever the picture of casual rebellion, leaned against the wall instead of taking a seat, while Stephen sat down across from Fury with a calm expression.
It began began with Fury's unmistakable dry wit, his voice cutting through the silence of the stark conference room like a whip. "Well, Strange," he said as he folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "I think it's finally time for you to give me that debrief you've been dodging. Don't you?"
Stephen sat across from him, his expression calm but composed, a faint tension in the set of his shoulders. Tony, ever the picture of casual arrogance, leaned against the wall nearby, arms crossed and a smirk playing on his lips as he watched the exchange unfold.
"Director Fury," Stephen began, his tone steady, "I wasn't dodging you. I simply needed to ensure the situation was stabilized before we had this conversation."
Fury snorted, unimpressed. "And by 'stabilized,' you mean turning Harlem into a glorified monster battleground, right? Because that's what it looked like from where I'm standing."
"I fixed it, didn't I?" Stephen took a deep breath. "What happened in Harlem wasn't ideal, I'll admit. But I acted to protect civilians and minimize the damage caused by the two individuals involved—the Hulk and Emil Blonsky, who had transformed into what your people are calling the Abomination."
Fury raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. "Go on."
Stephen's tone was calm and measured as he continued. "When the chaos began, I focused on evacuating civilians first. I created portals, allowing them to escape safely from the immediate area. Once that was done, I redirected my attention to the two... combatants."
Fury tilted his head, his expression skeptical. "Redirected how, exactly?"
Stephen clasped his hands together, his gaze steady. "I contained them temporarily using spells designed to immobilize them—binding them with whips and suspending them mid-air. When they refused to cease their fighting, I took a harsher approach. I used portals to drop them into a controlled freefall, cycling them between two locations until they were sufficiently disoriented."
Tony couldn't resist chiming in at this point, grinning as he gestured toward Stephen. "Basically, he put them in a magical time-out. Very creative, by the way. I might borrow that tactic for dealing with unruly board members."
Fury shot Tony a withering look before turning his attention back to Stephen. "And then what?"
Stephen shook his head. "Once I determined that further fighting would only escalate the destruction, I separated the Hulk and the Abomination. I returned the Hulk to his human form—Dr. Bruce Banner—by using a spell that induces sleep, allowing his Banner personality to reassert itself. As for Blonsky..." He paused, his expression tightening slightly. "I used a more complex spell to lock his transformation. He's unable to return to his Abomination form. He's contained."
Fury's eye narrowed. "You just... locked it? Like flipping a switch?"
Stephen nodded. "In a way, yes. The transformation is tied to their physiology, their DNA. By isolating that mechanism, I rendered it inert. Blonsky is now fully human—and fully vulnerable."
Fury leaned back, clearly processing the explanation. "And how exactly does that work? Don't dumb it down for me."
Stephen allowed himself a small smile at the challenge. "The spell isolates the gamma energy pathways in their cellular structure, effectively severing the link between their normal form and their transformed state. Think of it like cutting a power cable—it's not destroyed, but it's disconnected."
Fury's expression remained unreadable, though there was a flicker of something in his eye—perhaps intrigue, or grudging respect. "And Banner? You did the same thing to him?"
Stephen shook his head. "No. Banner is different. The Hulk isn't just a physical transformation for him—it's tied to his psyche, a second personality. Locking his transformation would be equivalent to severing a part of his mind. It's not something I would do lightly, or without his consent."
"That's some heavy stuff, Strange. Did you explain that to Banner?"
Stephen nodded. "I did. He's still processing it, but he understands the implications. I've offered him guidance to help him find balance."
Fury's gaze sharpened at the mention of guidance, but he didn't comment on it directly. Instead, he leaned forward again, his tone clipped. "And Blonsky? What's the situation with him now?"
Stephen hesitated, glancing briefly at Tony before answering. "That's why I primarily wanted to speak with you, actually."
At the mention of that, Fury's eyebrow twitched slightly, though his face remained impassive. "Go on."
Stephen hesitated for just a moment before continuing. "I need to meet with him. A couple of times, if possible."
Fury leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "And why exactly do you want to meet with him? You turned him into a glorified paperweight. What more could you possibly want from him?"
Stephen met Fury's gaze evenly, his tone measured. "I believe the out-of-body experience I forced him into may have been too much for his psyche. He wasn't prepared for it, and now I fear it's left him... vulnerable."
Fury's eyebrow ticked upward, and he leaned forward slightly. "Vulnerable how?"
Stephen took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I separated his soul from his body and gave him a glimpse of the multiverse—a glimpse of the infinite realms and the insignificance of his place in the grand scheme of things. It was meant to humble him, to show him the cost of his hubris." He paused, his voice softening. "But I underestimated the impact it would have on someone who wasn't trained or prepared for such an experience. It was reckless. He needs guidance—proper guidance—to heal his unbalanced psyche."
Fury's jaw tightened, and he let out a slow breath through his nose. "Unbalanced, huh? That's one way of putting it. You know he's been drawing on the walls of his cell, right? Sceneries, symbols—stuff that makes my people very uneasy. Some of them are... unearthly. Others are outright disturbing. Whatever you showed him, Strange, it rattled him to his core."
Stephen's expression darkened with regret. "I didn't intend for that to happen. But I take responsibility for it. That's why I need to meet with him—to help him understand what he experienced and guide him back to himself."
Fury's eye narrowed, his voice tinged with frustration. "And how exactly are you planning to do that? What's your big plan here, Strange?"
Stephen's tone was firm but calm. "I'll start by earning his trust. Right now, he's overwhelmed and lost. I need to help him process what he saw, to find a way to ground himself. This isn't about magic. And it won't be easy, but I believe it's the right thing to do."
Fury studied him for a long moment, his gaze piercing. "And you're doing this because... what? You feel bad?"
Stephen hesitated before answering, his voice quieter but no less firm. "Because I regret what I did. It was arrogant, and it caused harm. I have a responsibility to fix it."
Fury leaned back again, his arms still crossed. "Hmph. Responsibility. That's a word I don't hear too often from people like you."
Stephen met his gaze unwaveringly. "It's a word I take seriously."
Fury studied him for a long moment, his gaze sharp and unyielding. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. I'll orchestrate a meeting. But let me make one thing clear: it'll be highly monitored. Cameras, guards, the works. And if this goes south, if he so much as twitches the wrong way, we're shutting it down immediately."
Stephen inclined his head in acknowledgment. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
Fury leaned back, his gaze flicking briefly to Tony. "And you? What's your role in this?"
Tony smirked, crossing his arms. "Oh, I'm just here for moral support. You know, keeping things light."
Fury snorted. "Light, huh? Sure." He stood, clearly signaling the end of the meeting. "You've got your chance, Strange. Don't make me regret this."
As Fury turned to leave, Stephen exhaled deeply, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. Tony clapped a hand on his shoulder, grinning. "Well, that went better than I expected. No shouting, no threats of incarceration—progress!"
Stephen shook his head, though a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Let's not jinx it, Stark."
"Please," Tony said, his grin widening. "When have I ever jinxed anything?"
Stephen shot him a dry look. "Do you want the list alphabetically or chronologically?"
Tony laughed as they made their way out of the conference room, the weight of the meeting lingering in the air, but tempered by the promise of action. Stephen's mind was already turning over the steps he would need to take to help Blonsky—and the lessons he would need to learn from his own mistakes.
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As the car hummed quietly down the highway back to Malibu, the tension from the meeting with Fury had begun to dissipate. Tony was sprawled out in the passenger seat, playing with some gadget he'd brought along, while Stephen drove, his attention half on the road and half on his own thoughts. The setting sun cast a warm golden glow over the ocean, but neither of them seemed to be paying it much attention.
After a long stretch of silence, Stephen finally spoke. "So, there's something I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier."
Tony glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Let me guess, the magical council of wizards asked you to slay a dragon. Or maybe—" he grinned mischievously, "—you've been recruited for some kind of mystical talent show?"
Stephen rolled his eyes, though a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Close, but no. It's about the meeting with the Masters."
Tony perked up, leaning slightly toward Stephen. "Oh, right. How'd that go? You're one of the big shots now, right?"
Stephen nodded, his hands gripping the steering wheel lightly. "Yes, I'm one of the high-ranking Masters now, which means I get a say in the decision-making processes for Kamar-Taj."
Tony's grin widened. "So, what kind of decisions are we talking about? Like, do you guys vote on the best cloak designs? Or debate the proper way to conjure a sparkly portal?"
Stephen shot him a sideways glare, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. "No, Stark. It's more... substantial than that. We discuss things like missions, the allocation of resources, the curriculum for disciples, and other important matters that affect Kamar-Taj as a whole."
Tony shrugged, unrepentant. "Sure, sure. Sounds very official. So, what's the drama?"
Stephen hesitated for a moment before answering. "We discussed the disciples who have recently chosen to remain as official disciples, the ones working toward mastery. When the topic of assigning mentors came up, I... volunteered to take one on."
Tony blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, you? A mentor? That's a twist I didn't see coming. Who's the lucky student?"
Stephen glanced at him briefly before returning his gaze to the road. "Kaecilius."
There was a pause, and Tony let out a low whistle. "Him, huh? You've mentioned him before. Complicated guy, right? What made you volunteer?"
Stephen's expression was thoughtful, his voice steady but tinged with something deeper. "In my universe, Kaecilius was... lost. He was a man with incredible potential, but his grief and anger consumed him. I thought that maybe, if I could guide this version of him—if I could show him a different path—it might prevent him from going down the same road."
Tony studied Stephen's profile, his usual teasing demeanor replaced with something softer, more genuine. "That's... noble of you, Steph. You're really going all-in on this whole mentor thing, huh?"
Stephen's lips twitched in a faint smile. "It's not just about him. It's about making a difference. About doing what I couldn't do before."
Tony nodded slowly, his respect for Stephen clear in his expression. "So, how many of you 'high-ranking Masters' are there, anyway? Is it like a mystical board of directors?"
Stephen chuckled softly. "You could say that. There are fifteen high-ranking Masters—those of us who make the decisions for Kamar-Taj. But we're just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more Masters under our leadership. The ones you saw at my ceremony yesterday weren't all of them—far from it."
Tony frowned slightly, his curiosity piqued. "How many are we talking about here? Ballpark it for me."
Stephen glanced at him again, his expression thoughtful. "There are a little over a hundred Masters total. And beneath them, there are hundreds of disciples and apprentices. Kamar-Taj isn't a monarchy, despite the Ancient One's role as our leader. It's more of a democracy, with the high-ranking Masters acting as a council. Decisions are made collectively, not dictated."
Tony raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Huh. That's... actually kind of cool. I always figured it'd be more, I don't know, mystical monarchy vibes. You know, with you guys all bowing to the Ancient One like she's Gandalf or something."
Stephen shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. "It's not like that. The Ancient One leads us, yes, but she listens. She values input, collaboration. And she's always encouraged us to think for ourselves. That's what makes Kamar-Taj strong."
Tony leaned back in his seat, letting out a low whistle. "A hundred Masters, hundreds of disciples... sounds like a lot of responsibility. And you're one of the big players now. How's that feel?"
Stephen's smile faded slightly, replaced by a more contemplative expression. "It's... a lot. But it's different from being the Sorcerer Supreme. I'm not carrying the weight of the entire multiverse on my shoulders anymore. This role—it's more grounded. More focused. And for now, that's enough."
Tony nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "Well, for what it's worth, I think you'll do great. And hey, if this Kaecilius guy turns out okay, that's all you. You'll have changed his life."
Stephen's gaze softened, a faint glimmer of gratitude in his eyes. "Thanks, Anthony. That means more than you know."
Tony smirked, his usual playfulness returning. "Don't get all mushy on me now, Doc. We've got a long drive ahead."
Stephen rolled his eyes, but the faint smile lingered on his lips as the car continued down the highway, the sun dipping lower on the horizon.
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Guess who is alive!
And got herself into university once again!
yay
Less me-time for me.
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Also, if you want to support me and read chapters ahead, go to my p@treon: JorieDS