Magic Mania: Book One

21

The interior of the van was in pristine condition to say Ant-Man had stored it in his pocket the entire time. There were four seats – one for the driver, where Scott was sitting, one for the passenger, where Wanda was sat, two more behind, where Strange and Loki were, with a space in the middle to get to the back of the van, which was kitted out with computers and other science-y stuff. It even smelled quite science-y, and Stephen hadn't even realised something could smell like science.

"So, Ant-Man has a getaway vehicle now?" Wanda asked, looking around from her seat at the front. She nodded, impressed. "It's really quite swanky."

"Why thank you, but it's not mine," Scott told them, spinning around to face them better. "I, er, borrowed it from Hank Pym. He's the guy that made my suit. But... he doesn't know I borrowed it."

"You know what I've realised?" Loki wondered aloud, whilst Scott was starting up the engine. "All this time on Midgard and I've never been in one of these transportation vehicles. Not once. They're a lot more cramped than I expected."

Stephen turned to him, trying to detect any sarcasm he might have been hiding. For a change, there didn't appear to be any. "It's not that cramped," he mentioned.

"I didn't say it was," Loki corrected. "I said it was more cramped that I'd expected. That doesn't mean it's cramped."

"Fair enough."

"So, where to then, Strange?" asked Scott, turning back around to face him, behind Wanda's seat. "Shall I just find a car park or alleyway somewhere and park there?"

"Yeah, just do that," Stephen agreed, and Scott drove away, down the road. The sun had already set by now, which was weird, as they'd definitely only been there three hours or so.

No one spoke again until Scott parked in a dark spot between a couple of buildings and cut the ignition. The lights came on inside the van and Wanda and Scott turned around the face Stephen and Loki.

"So, what the heck are we going to do now, defeat them with the magic of friendship?" asked Scott sarcastically.

"No, I don't think that'll be at all effective, Scott," Wanda pointed out. "We will defeat them in whatever way Stephen suggests, and I doubt that will be the magic of friendship."

"What are you talking about?" asked Loki, concerned. "Am I missing an inside joke here or are Midgardians just weird?"

Strange coughed to get their attention. "No, Scott, we won't be using the magic of friendship." They didn't talk for a moment, and he decided to kick things off. "Right then. First things first, does anyone want a drink?"

"I'd love one, but, remember, you don't have your magic anymore," Wanda reminded him, figuring out a way to swivel the passenger's seat around with her telekinesis, which made Scott stare.

"Oh yeah," Stephen said, feeling like an utter idiot. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Loki give him a slight look of pity and make him a cup of tea. "Thanks."

"Guess I'm the living kettle now," Loki joked, handing Wanda a drink of tea as well. "Second isn't, by any chance, for me to try that map spell is it? Not that I read your mind, of course. Don't expect it to work straight away by the way, because it won't."

"Yes, that is second, in fact," Strange confessed. He was desperately trying not to spill his tea while his hands refused to stop shaking. How was it possible for his magic to be just... taken? If he was drawing energy from the Earth, had it been taken, or had he simply been blocked from using it? And in the likely event his teammates ended up fighting without him, could their magic be taken or was it different for them, seeing as their power was their own? It was all so confusing.