Doctor Strangelove

Chapter Twenty-One

"Master! Master!" 

Stephen woke up to someone pounding on the door of his bedroom. It took a moment for him to identify who the voice belonged to, but he soon figured out that it was Wong. Stephen groaned.

"What, Wong?" he snapped before getting up and muttering, "Can't I have just a few hours to do something normal with my girlfriend?" Stephen opened the door to see Wong looking panicked. This mad Stephen less mad and more concerned. "Yes, what is it?"

"What do you think?" Wong asked. "It's Kaecilius again."

"What? You think that spell I would have released on them would have kept them away for a few months at least," Stephen said. "Where are they?" 

"They're attacking the city," Wong explained.

"What?!" Stephen repeated. He took a moment to clear his head before speaking again. "Alright. I need you to take some other warriors and rescue as many civilians as your can. After you do that, wait for me downstairs. When we get to the city, you, Mordo, Rachael, and I are going to find where they are and try to keep the fight there." 

"Good idea," Wong said.

"Thank you," Stephen said. "Go get the warriors ready. I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes." 

"Very good, Master," Wong said before turning around and leaving. 

Stephen shut the door and sat down on the bed. He put his face in his hands. He wasn't ready for this! Small skirmishes where no one really got hurt were one thing, but this was the possible destruction of New York City! Why had the Ancient One died before all of this had taken place?

"I'm not ready, I'm not ready, I'm not ready," he chanted over and over. He got up and looked up at the ceiling angrily. "What were you thinking?! How could you leave me when you probably knew that this was going to happen? You should have just let me die..."

"Stephen?" Stephen turned back to the bed and saw Rachael sitting up and stretching. "Are you okay?" 

"No, I'm not," Stephen said. "Get up. We have to go." 

"Where are we going?" Rachael asked.

"The city," Stephen said. "And no, this isn't a day trip. Kaecilius is attacking it. You, Mordo, Wong, and I are going to try and keep the fight away from the civilians."

"Why is it always New York?" Rachael asked, sighing. 

"I don't know," Stephen said. "You're already ready, so go wait downstairs with Wong. Maybe you can calm his nerves."

"What about your nerves?" Rachael asked. 

"Don't worry about me," Stephen said. "You know me, Rachael. I never panic under pressure." 

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Rachael said.

"Shut up," Stephen laughed. "Go on, now. Shoo." 

Rachael gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek and then left the room. Stephen got his boots out and put them on. It always took him a few minutes to lace them up, so he tried to go as fast as he could. Once he was done with that, he put on the Cloak of Levitation and went into the bathroom. He looked at his tired face in the mirror and immediately felt sick. He was going to get everyone he held close to him killed. To avoid throwing up, he quickly turned on the sink and splashed some cold water on his face. He looked back in the mirror and noticed that the collar of the Cloak was sagging. He frowned and popped it back up. However, the Cloak seemed to have other plans. The collar slowly caved in and brushed up against his cheekbones. Stephen nudged it away and glared at the Cloak.