Christine Supreme AU

[drpalmer]

In all the infinite universes, there was sure to be one in which Stephen Strange didn't survive his car accident, and in this, particular version of such an event, Christine had been with him. It had been a different path that led her to magic. The universe needed a new sorcerer, be it Stephen or someone else.

She had trained and devoted herself to the mystical arts just as she had devoted herself to medicine. Healing magic and defensive spells came most naturally for her, it was in her blood to help. In this universe Christine Palmer became an incredible power, she saved countless lives.

Of course, she had never truly stopped mourning Stephen, but she carried on and fought in his memory.

When the walls between universes started to crack it was as if a call was put out for all the Sorcerers in every universe to find ways to help repair the cracks.

Something was coming and she could feel it. She was pacing around the Sanctum, whatever was on the way was going to come here, of that she was certain.

Comments

[drpalmer]

"Thanks." It's just instinctive, she's thanking whichever entity read that out for her.

"That's not exactly encouraging though." She would prefer her timeline not be expunged.

[mysticaldoctor]

He nodded and took a breath - odd that - sometimes he had to remember how. He wasn't sure if it was just being around her, or if sometimes he didn't in that crystalline space.

"Well I didn't - no point in... everyone being punished for my mistakes."

"It means someone tried to change something - they shouldn't have. The natural order of things. You have some..." he waved his hand oddly. "leeway, with that. Absolute points. If you change one point you have to be prepared to shift it to another, and you can't change your personal timeline, well - maybe not 'can't' - if we're being technical. It's not recommended - we'll put it like that, shall we? It also could make it worse by ... reversing it, unless the original spell-caster can be convinced to undo it."

Sounds like something one of us would do."

[drpalmer]

"It wasn't you, but it sounds like something a Strange would do."

She considers it, wondering the best way to deal with this.

"Should we try to contact the source of this? Granted it's risky, but we're looking at a collapse of reality, so, it seems reasonable."

[mysticaldoctor]

"Could try. Might not want to listen. Think of the most arrogant version of me that you know - and I would guess that's close to what we're looking for."

Strange opened one of the books to the chapter on scrying.
"Probably want to use this, then we'll ... drop in, as it were."
He smiled a little, pleased with at least part of this idea, to be up to the challenge of beating an arrogant version of himself that thought little of breaking the universe itself - and the consequences.

[drpalmer]

"Hopefully the two of us will be a bit more convincing than one alone."

Christine's life without Stephen is about to have entirely too much Stephen in one quick afternoon.

"I so rarely use scrying. It often feels invasive."

[mysticaldoctor]

"It's not invasive if you don't try to find out more information than is currently present." Stephen thought this was too much to worry about morals. "It's them or the world, what are you more worried about, Doctor Palmer, someone's intrusive thoughts or millions of lives?"

He doesn't know how accurate his scrying would be - there's a lot of distractions. He can portal though - without a sling ring though - once the location is pinpointed - if required.

[drpalmer]

"You know I'll do it." She's already casting the spell, pulling up a foggy image that grows in clarity. It's not

And it's Stephen Strange, naturally.

"Well, that seems right."

[mysticaldoctor]

"Ugh. Will the arrogance never cease with this one." He casts rune protection armor at her. "Vishanti Protection Spell. You're welcome."

He opens the portal. "Ready?" He has his ... various creatures, if required to defend himself, or her if required.

[drpalmer]

"With this one? Or just all the version of you?"

She feels the spell hit her, the movement of his magic over her.

"Ready." Or at least as ready as she could possibly be for this.

[mysticaldoctor]

"This particular one. Or any that consider their ... need to fix things more important. Includes me."

He puts up his shields, they are less yellow and more orangish-red, and contain a more complex rune series, so they could double as projectile weapons, if required. He didn't call for the doctor's name, instead he was using his 'other senses' to try and scent him out.

[drpalmer]

Christine's hand glow with their own shields, ready to offer protection if needed.

She glances around, looking for anything obvious.

"Stephen?" She will call out, her voice is likely to be familar to him.

[mysticaldoctor]

The Strange beside Christine remained silent, blessedly, for once.

"Who goes there?" A voice says, resonating through the walls. "Who dares enter my Sanctum?"

Strange honestly found this amusing, that he was trying to be threatening.

"It's Neo and Trinity from the Matrix," he said, in as normal of a voice he could muster, though he felt the demon's powers permeating the walls that he was determined to keep lit. He saw no reason to identify himself, or Christine, not yet - unless he knew what was going on, what this version had done.

"We just want to talk to you and why you've affected our universes."

[drpalmer]

She rolls her eyes at the dramatics.

"Just came on by for tea and a chat, casual Multiverse stuff."

Christine should be more worried, but she's waiting to face yet another Strange, she can't bring herself to be scared of him.

[mysticaldoctor]

"I don't take tea," the thing said, but Stephen saw him anyway. Or what was left of him, if he could be called "Stephen Strange" anymore.


"Clearly." He said, keeping his composure for the time being.

[drpalmer]

"Stephen, what have you done?"

Whatever is left, isn't Stephen anymore. It's an aching feeling, seeing him alive but having destroyed himself.

There is movement in the shadows, she wonders if this Strange knew her at all.

[mysticaldoctor]

She had asked of him the same question. His Christine, that was. "It's Donna, isn't it?" he asked, softly. "Or is it Victor?" Which Victor? Did it matter?

"You know it's Donna," the disembodied voice hissed. "You're here to talk me out of it and you can't stop me."

"Okay." Frankly, Stephen Strange, who spent centuries, calculatingly absorbing enough power, disagreed. But he didn't say so yet.

[drpalmer]

"It's Christine." Her voice is gentle, attempting to offer comfort to whatever bits of human remained.

This will be much easier if she can reach some portion of the man that used to be there. She would rather not fight him, though she is confident that she could.

"Stop you from what?"

[mysticaldoctor]

"Stop me from bringing her back..." He hissed. "Who is that? Like I'm supposed to know who that is."

Frankly that's something this Strange had known better. He didn't want to break... his own timeline entirely - at least that wasn't the intention.

"Yes, but - you're breaking a key pillar of Time Itself, and it's causing... a degrading of it. It's affecting this world, and others around it. In the end you won't get anything you want - and you'll be alone." Stephen would try to reason with him, first. He wouldn't put his shields down entirely. "Didn't the Ancient One warn us about a fixed point?"
He heard hissing and his instincts to hiss back had to be contained.

"He's not here anymore..."
So. Different timeline entirely.

[drpalmer]

She's not even entirely sure what she's watching right now.

There's a temptation to use the time stone, to wind this back to where there was still some human left to try to stop this before it started.

"Right. This is going well."

[mysticaldoctor]

"He hasn't killed us yet." Though that was hardly reassuring, at present. "He's ... er - a different timeline entirely, I'm sure you can gather."

He left his shields up. "You do know... you won't get her back, right - if you destroy that - you won't save her, or anyone else - you'll destroy yourself. Her death is why... you became a doctor. Why you don't take no for answer from a university rejection."

"What do you know about it?" It was suddenly too quiet and he felt it snaking through the half-light and put up his wings in defense, and reached out tentacles to grasp at whatever darkness there was.

"More than you know."

[drpalmer]

Christine casts a soft light, something to at least reveal a bit of what they are facing.

Though she is sure she doesn't want to see. She bolsters her shields, a ring of magic glowing around her before fading.

"What should I do, Stephen?"

[mysticaldoctor]

"Give him a choice. He can stop this, and undo the spell he's cast, or - he can be contained. Forever. In a universe of his own making."

He felt the creature hiss and struggle. "That or you can at least have some things to amuse yourself instead of the nothingness and vastness of space."

He didn't think this Stephen would want to - help. "Think of this - there is a future, for this world, where your sister would be reincarnated, properly. There's also multiverses where ... she's still alive, perhaps - that you could keep from destruction. There is not the "no future without her" that you currently feel. It is a Fixed Point, not even you can change that."

He can tell what was once Strange might be torn over this. It's a pity his soul is so corrupted, that even splitting it would be risky.

[drpalmer]

"He's telling the truth. If this world crumbles so does every other world. Every world where she's still alive, every world where you aren't plauged like this. You're still a doctor."

She doubts she will be able to get through to him, but she needs to try, she will always try to save him, in any version.

[mysticaldoctor]

Stephen had to struggle to hold on to whatever mist that the man once was. His wings unfurled and his arms grasped at almost nothing - a mist. "It's all... right, Doctor. It's going to be all right." He felt the lie - he hated telling anyone this - when it wasn't.

There was a lot of inner turmoil, the Strange of this world did not want to let go of her. "Think of what she would want... would she - want this?"

[drpalmer]

She hates the lie just the same. From her days in medicine, knowing better but still needing to keep someone calm.

"She wouldn't want this, she loved you."