Age of Glory | Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Thirty-One: To Make A Difference

Picture is Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange by unknown.

Music is "One Day" by Hans Zimmer from the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End OST.

All rights go to their rightful owners.

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"The greatest gift we can receive is to have the chance, just once in our lives, to make a difference." ~Stephen Strange

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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The plan ended up being a lot simple than I thought. Carol told us that our best bet was to visit the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange, a once egotistical and arrogant neurosurgeon who trained under the watch of The Ancient One.

Now he is a great magician and a kinder man. He resides in 177A Bleecker Street, in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village, with his lover and apprentice, Clea. His Sanctum Sanctorum is a sacred place, and only after permission from the Doctor himself do we dare to come near. It's not like we could enter if we wanted to. Doctor Strange has put up many magical protections. Especially since the invasion of Manhattan by Black Death.

Stephen Strange is our best bet to solve this problem. If Gregory is really trying to create a wormhole to an alternate world, Doctor Strange is the person to go to. He deals with this sort of thing pretty much every other day, and is one of the strongest heroes in the Marvel universe.

We have to return to New York, though. It's risky, especial since we're right around the corner from Black Death's hideout, but we can't just sit on our asses forever. Not while people are being hurt. Tony had suggested that we make a quick stop by the second Avengers tower outside New York to refuel, restock our weapons, and get ourselves together before we enter enemy territory again.

It takes us a while to get there; Clint's house must be out in the middle of America, and he still won't let anyone else drive out of the resident. We fly low to the ground as to not be heard by either the government, who are no doubt looking for us after our disappearance from the battle, or Black Death. No doubt he has ears to the ground looking for us. We're his biggest threat.

We arrive in a couple hours at the lonely, dark building that is much lower to the earth than Stark's. I'd never been here, only seen pictures and in the last scene of Age of Ultron. It looks as if it hadn't been used in a good while.

We walk towards it, and Steve enters the codes before the doors open to us. "Welcome home," Sam says, looking around at the eerie sight.

"I've never seen the Avenger's tower 2.0 so quiet," Steve says, mainly to himself. "Don't turn on too many lights. We don't want to make a scene."

We all nod, and the group scatters, going to the supply rooms for backup. "Glory," Carol says. "Come with me. I have something for you."

I nod, following her through the dark corridors. It doesn't seem right, the darkness in this place. No one is here but us. The staff have probably been taken in for questioning, and who knows what's happened to the scientists, the workers, the other supers. "We should have been here," I mumble, shame filling my heart.

"Probably," Carol replies. "We'll get them back."

"This is exactly what Black Death warned me of in my dream. He warned me they would all die."

"Don't get all morbid on me," Carol teases, turning into the uniform room. "There's hope still."

I nod, clearing my head. "Right. So, what is it that you wanted to show me?"