Chapter Text
2019
Leaving the theater, I walked through the parking lot toward my car, tears streaming down my face. Vision blurry, I kept my gaze at the ground to see my path easier, startling when sparks flickered out of the corner of my eye. My gaze lifted to see a bright orange circle of sparks near my vehicle and I stopped in my tracks. Looking around, I tried to figure out what the hell was happening. The other people in the parking lot didn’t seem to notice anything, just continued on past me talking about how much they loved the move. It almost made me question my sanity.
The longer I stared at the sparks, the more familiar they became. Perhaps it’s because I just finished Avengers: Endgame, but they looked suspiciously like the portals Dr. Strange used to transport himself and others to the battlefield. But magic didn’t exist, being only slight of hand and obfuscation. A thing of fairy tales and movies, not reality.
The circle grew more pronounced, the area within looking nothing like the world around it. It seemed as if I were looking through a portal to another world. Even as I moved closer, the image stayed muddled, like trying to see fish through murky water, but I could make out a figure on the other side with a cloak billowing around them. When I got within a couple of feet from it, a hand reached through the opening and grabbed me, pulling me toward him. Shocked, I didn’t resist the cloaked figure, letting him yank me through the circle of sparks. My eyes stayed trained on the perturbed man in front of me, even as I longed to take in the ornate architecture around us. It couldn’t be, it just couldn’t.
The red caped fluttered around him, moving in ways fabric couldn’t do naturally. No windows were obviously open to account for its movement, making my heart rate soar. It couldn’t be real. The panic began to set in, mind racing with thoughts of what this could be - real or dream.
As my jaw dropped, the man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “You don’t recognize me, do you?”
In an attempt to calm myself, I forced several deep breaths into my lungs before mumbling, “Umm, actually…” My gaze traveled his body as I took in the fancy clothes, the red cap with a mind of its own, the oblong golden pendant around his neck, and the well-manicured goatee. Everything pointed to one conclusion. One impossible conclusion. “I know you, but… but you can’t exist. You’re a fictional character from a movie. Maybe… are you Benedict Cumberbatch, the guy who plays Dr. Strange? Is this someone’s idea of a bad joke? Or a prank?” Taking a moment to look at my surroundings in order to avoid his glare, I realized it looked suspiciously like the main building from his movie. “Fuck, you really are Dr. Strange. This has to be a dream,” I muttered. Wanting to wake myself up, I pinched my arm as hard as I could, yelping, “OW!!”
“Good, you know who I am. Not having to explain the banalities will make this exceedingly easier.” He turned and walked away, calling out, “Please, follow me.” I raced to keep up, not wanting to be left alone in a place I knew nothing about. “As for these movies of which you speak, they are eerily similar to what happened in our reality. There are some differences of course, but it seems someone from your reality must have a way to see into ours, not to mention our future.”
The words he spoke rattled around in my head, serving to confuse me more. Alternate realities, magic, portals… none of this existed. Even if this were a dream, I knew waking up would not happen anytime soon if hurting myself did nothing. “Those stories… they’re not real. They’re made up. Fiction.”
Instantly, he stopped and turned to face me, nose scrunched up in disgust. “Made up? Made UP?” Strange threw his hands into the air as he moved closer to me. Gesturing around him, he asked, “What is all this then if it’s not real? How does your rational mind explain this if it’s not real?”
“Dream? Hallucination? Maybe someone slipped something into my drink in the theater and I’m in a coma right now drugged out of my mind. I don’t know.” Backing away, I placed a hand on my chest, taking several deep breaths in a vain attempt to slow my heart rate. “But you can’t be real. None of this is real. Any moment I’m going to wake up on the ground, or in the hospital, and I’ll go back to my normal life, forgetting this ever happened.” Closing my eyes, I muttered, “Come on… come on… wake up.”
When my eyes opened and I noticed nothing had changed, Strange sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He scoffed, sounded exasperated and disgusted, but his voice came out calmer than his demeanor, “I can understand why you’re confused and don’t believe what you are experiencing is real. However, for the sake of this conversation, are you able to pretend you believe me when I say that I am truly Dr. Stephen Strange and that you are in an alternate reality?”
“Oh, goody, let’s play pretend.” Sarcasm laced every syllable that spilled from my lips. Even though I tried to retain some semblance of calm, everything made absolutely no sense. The words he spoke did, but this implication behind them terrified me beyond comprehension.
When his eyes met mine, they were hard and angry. “And to think, out of the 14,000,605 possibilities I saw, you were one of only two that would lead to victory against Thanos.”
“What?” I exclaimed. Before he could respond, I held up a hand to stop him. My brow furrowed as I tried to force myself to believe him, trying desperately to ignore the impossibility of travel between realities, not to mention that the story I had thought only fiction could possibly be real. One important detail from Endgame came rushing back to me. “I thought there was only one scenario that would let them win. Tony dying with the infinity gauntlet on his hand.”
“I… bent the truth a bit.” Strange shrug, the gesture hinting at bone weary exhaustion. “I much prefer to remain honest in my dealings, but what was I supposed to tell him? That if we went to an alternate reality and plucked a stubborn girl from her world, that she would be the one to keep the Avengers together and defeat Thanos?” He ran a shaky hand through his hair, messing up the previously perfectly coiffed strands. “The problem with doing that - other than your insistent disbelief - is that I cannot simply send you to the moment they learn of Thanos. In order for that future to be averted, I would need to send you back to a much earlier time, before the Avengers were more than a thought in Fury’s mind. So telling Tony of this other possibility… that would also require me to inform past Tony, and as much fun as it would be to try and explain this to him, he would be nearly impossible to convince.”
My mind reeled with everything he said. I couldn’t help but go back to one particular thing he had said. “Time travel? But that’s not…”
Frowning, he sighed yet again, a heavy and weary sound. “Please don’t say it’s not possible. We already established that you will at least temporarily pretend to believe me.” Shutting my mouth, I nodded and he relaxed slightly. “Thank you. Now, in order to avert the future I brought you here to avoid, a few things need to occur. You need to integrate yourself into the lives of the Avengers, become a part of the team. In order to defeat Thanos, you cannot allow the accords to split them apart. The only reason Tony’s death was necessary was because they were divided. The fact that you have more knowledge than most of everything that happened will help to defeat him.”
“And how do I…” Swallowing hard, I masked my apprehension and made my voice as strong as I could, “How do we stop Thanos?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you… not exactly.” Strange looked embarrassed, gaze not meeting my eyes. “That particular future rendered me unconscious from the sheer amount of information I received. Before passing out, I discerned a few key pieces of information. The things required are the defeat of HYDRA inside SHIELD, rescuing Bucky without splitting up the team… and you. Somehow, you are integral to the plan, even if I don’t know how or why. In that future, Thanos never got all the stones, which rendered his plan to eliminate half the galaxy moot.”
“What about the stones he does get? Each one he gets makes him more powerful.” Wrapping my arms around my torso, I hugged tightly. The longer we talked, the more I found myself believing what he told me. “It may not have been real in my world, but I saw the destruction he wrought, the lives he destroyed. Thanos killed his own daughter to get the soul stone. In order to get that one, you have to lose what you love most. If the whole point of bringing me here is to change their fates, I’m not going to let anyone die just to keep that one from him.”
“You’re not understanding me,” Strange groaned in exasperation, swiping a hand down his face. “It’s not necessary to retrieve the stones, just simply keep Thanos from acquiring them.”
“Simply? I know you’re giving me everything you can, but telling me I have to stop Thanos from getting the stones without anything else to go on is the complete opposite of helpful,” I whined, my tone grating even to me. I couldn’t help but feel as if I were missing vital pieces of information. “All you’ve really me is that I need to ensure HYDRA falls and Bucky gets saved. Please, Stephen, I need more than that. There has to be something else you can tell me. Anything.”
“Two stones are on Earth right now.” He held up the necklace, pointing to the glowing green orb at the center of it. “The time stone and the space stone.”
“Yes, the Eye of Agamotto and the Tesseract.”
“Good, you know of them.”
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “I watched all the movies in order before seeing Endgame. I may be from an alternate universe, but I know more about your world than you probably realize.”
Tone serious, he held my gaze. “Before we discuss this any further, I need to know a couple of things. First, do you believe me? I know I’ve thrown a lot at you quickly, but if you still think this is a dream I don’t know what else I can say or do to convince you.” When I opened my mouth to respond, he added, “And if you do believe me, are you willing to do this? Right now, I can put you back in your reality and you pretend this never happened. This world, my world, has already been saved and rehabilitated. The only thing you would be doing is saving it sooner, and maybe stopping some of the bad things that happen because of the snap.”
“I…”
Holding up a hand, he stopped me. “You need to know one more thing. If you do this, if I send you back in time to try and stop Thanos, I won’t be able to send you home. You will be stuck in our reality forever. Too many things will have changed, including me figuring out how to do it.”
My mind raced, thinking of the implications of accepting. Before answering the second question, I responded to the most important one. “Yes, I believe you. God, I shouldn’t, this is nuts… but, I do.” His entire body visibly relaxed and I smiled softly. “But I am curious about something. What exactly was the world like after Bruce brought everyone back five years after they died? The movie didn’t go into detail, just made everything seem hunky dory. Using logic and reason, the world they came back to must have been a mess. Thanos dusted half the planet. Drivers would have disappeared, causing cars to crash and collide with one another. Planes would have crashed for the same reason. People that weren’t snapped would have died as collateral damage, and I can’t imagine the economy would have survived. There is no way the civilized world kept functioning like normal, at least not immediately.” I started pacing as thoughts came faster than I could express them. “Then Bruce brought them back. But instead of doing the logical thing, bringing back to the point where they disappeared, Tony had him bring them back five years after the fact. All because he didn’t want to lose his daughter and his life with Pepper.”
“Honestly?” When I nodded, he continued, “Everything was in shambles. The people who died after the snap didn’t come back when Bruce put on the gauntlet. Those who did come back were confused, not knowing how to react to this new world that had crumbled in the five years they were gone. Their friends and family had aged, but they hadn’t. Even Peter felt out of place. If Ned and MJ hadn't been victims as well, I think he would have had more trouble readjusting. They were the only thing that kept him grounded.” He ran a hand through his hair, shoulders sagging. “Tony died a hero, but this world has still lost so much. It’s been a couple of years since the big battle, but the world is still reeling. The people that were lost,” Strange sighed and looked away, holding his hands behind his back. “Steve, Natasha, Tony… they’re dead. Bruce is incapacitated and Thor is off traveling the galaxy with the Guardians. Bucky and Sam… they are a pretty dynamic duo, but it’s not the same without the original team.”
I was stuck on the phrase ‘a couple of years.’ “What year is it?”
“2030.”
“Dude, that’s more than a couple of years. Why did it take you seven years to decide to come and get me?” Closing my eyes, I took several deep breaths, not even really caring about the answer. This was it, time for me to make a decision that could change my destiny. Change the course of my life, for better or worse. Looking at him, I asked simply, “When are you sending me back to?”
Strange looked surprised that I so readily agreed. “2010, before Tony officially becomes Iron Man.”
“Do I really need to go back that far?” My eyes widened, shocked that I needed to go back twenty years to make it work. “Is there any way you could put me back later, say in 2011 when Captain America is found and thawed?” It’s not that I didn’t like Tony, but I felt that since Steve was a man out of time, he might be more willing to believe me. After all, he was science fiction made real.
Shaking his head, he sighed, “I need you to be a part of Tony’s world. He’s not the most trusting of individuals, so if you meet him before he admits to the world he’s Iron Man, you might be able to make him listen. And being in Tony’s orbit is the best way for you to become integrated into their team.
“Stephen, I’m not a superhero.” I waved up and down at my body. “I’m skinny and weak with no enhanced abilities. Why in the hell would they make me a part of the team? What do I have to offer other than an impossible story about a future that is so terrifying there’s no way they’ll ever believe me?”
Turning, he started moving deeper into the building. “Follow me.”
Even at the fast pace Strange set, I saw enough to realize it looked very similar to the New York location in the movies. When we entered a room with several glass cases housing artifacts I recognized, I knew exactly where we were. “Is this the New York sanctum sanctorum? Is the portal to Kamar-Taj here too?”
“Yes and yes.” Strange stopped in front of a case and opened it, pulling out a ring. Turning to me, he held it up. The ring itself looked to be made of silver or something similar, with several stones set into the band. There were six stones in total - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
It was all I could do not to break out into hysterical laughter. My eyebrows rose as I swallowed a chuckle. “Seriously? The colors of the infinity stones?”
For the first time since I arrived, Strange smiled. “From the little I’ve read on this item, the original intent was not for that, but it is an interesting parallel. You are going to help stop that which should never have happened. It is only fitting that the ring which will grant you enough power to impress the Avengers should have the same colors as the stones that could be the end of everything, again.”
He held it out so I took it, holding the silver ring between my fingers as I stared at the rainbow of gems. “What does it do?”
“I’m not sure.” He gave an embarrassed shrug. From his sheepish expression, I could tell that he hated not knowing the answer to my question. “My mentor died long before she could tell me what most of the items in the room are capable of. For that matter, she died long before telling me a lot of things I needed to know. Unfortunately, that means I don’t know what the ring is capable of. However, the important thing to note is that in my vision you were wearing it. I believe that given enough time, you will figure out what it does.” Making his voice purposefully soothing, he added, “You are the key to changing things. If what I saw is to be believed, then I have faith you will learn everything you need to defeat Thanos.”
As I slid the ring onto my right middle finger, the only thing I noticed was a slight tingling that quickly dissipated. I didn’t feel any different, certainly not like I could save anyone. “You’re sending me back to 2010? Is this before he becomes Iron Man, or before he admits it to the world? His time in Afghanistan is pivotal to him becoming a hero. Without that, so many things never would have happened.” I really didn’t know exactly what time Strange wanted to send me back to, but there was only one option I could think of to make it worth it. “Maybe you should send me back right after he comes back from Afghanistan. If I go up to him and tell him that I know what happened, he might take me seriously. Otherwise, I’m just a young girl in her mid-twenties with nothing to offer him other than an implausible story that I have no real way to prove except through knowledge that I shouldn’t have.”
“Hmm.” He stroked his goatee absently as he contemplated my suggestion. “You make a valid point. If you can tell Tony things that only he should know, he might actually be willing to listen. In the short time I knew him, he was stubborn and obstinate, and that was after he’d calmed down quite a bit. I’ll send you to when he is back from Afghanistan, but Obadiah is still alive. At that point, he had not come out to the public as Iron Man but you need to act fast, it’s not like Tony is very good at keeping secrets.”
“I can do that.”
“One thing I need you to remember, in 2010 I will have no idea who you are. I didn’t see the possible futures until after we crashed on Titan, so I’ve never seen you before. And the me who I was back then… I would not react well to knowledge of the supernatural. In 2010, I’m still an arrogant prick who thinks he’s God’s gift to women and medicine. Besides, in order for me to become this,” he waved his hand over his body, “I can’t know what is coming.”
“Got it, I won’t talk to you, at least not until you are,” I gestured at him.
He smiled and held out one hand, circling the other as he opened another portal. This time, I could see multiple people milling about what looked like a press conference. Strange smiled at me, looking more at peace than he had since I first got there. “It’s all up to you now, Brianna.”