The Flames of Amarra - DR STRANGE x OC - COMPLETE

A DIFFICULT DECISION

A book violently dropped next to Nora’s ears. She screamed and immediately sat up. Once she remembered where she was, she looked around and arched a brow at Stephen. 

“You fell asleep,” he said. 

“Did you have to wake me up last that ?”

He kept replacing his books back on the shelves. “I was tired of listening to you.”

“I said something ?” she asked, suddenly in a pure state of panic. “What did I say ?”

“Nonsense about your work for Wong.” Nora let out a relieved sigh. It wasn’t so bad. It could’ve been way worse. “Then you begged me to stop hurting you.”

It couldn’t have been worse. It was positively the worst that could’ve happened. “Oh. Well, my nightmares don’t really make any sense,” she tried to say with a nervous laugh. “Most times I don’t even understand myself, so-”

“Wong told me about them,” he said, crossing his arms. “Is that the image you have of me ? Someone that would endlessly kill you ?” Nora opened her mouth, only to close it again. She didn’t have an answer to that. She knew, but at the same time… they were so real. Stephen nodded when he realized she didn’t have anything to say. “Parker came back. I’ll bring him the box.”

Nora ran after him down the stairs, desperately trying to explain herself. But the walk was rather short, and she didn’t have the kind of time to explain years of trauma and a few months of therapy. Not to mention that Stephen wasn’t even listening to her anymore. 

He slowed down in the stairs leading to the basement, and Nora gave him a grateful smile. She swore to herself that she’d burn that basement as soon as the kids would be done using it. She was tired of coming here. 

When they made it underground, Nora rushed to Peter. “Good, you’re in one piece. What was that thing with-” she stopped and looked around them. “Who are all these people ? Did you find the elf ?” She quickly nodded at the old man next to her, unsure about who this man was. 

“Oh great,” Stephen said. “You caught another one.” He immediately sent the old man in a cell while Peter was trying to stop him. 

“No ! Wait !” he shouted. He quickly looked at Stephen’s hands and pointed at the box. “What is that ?”

“It’s an ancient relic, the Macchina de Kadavus,” Stephen explained. “I trapped the corrupted spell inside and once I finish the proper ritual it will reverse the spell, and send these guys back to their universes.”

“And then what ? We perish ?” the guy with the metal tentacles asked. 

“No thanks, I’m passing on that,” another one added. 

“Let me outta here,” the old man shouted. “Peter !”

Nora looked at them and then back at Peter. Most of them looked terrified to go back. Sure, they weren’t very friendly since they all decided to attack Peter, but they were fine a minute ago. And now they wanted anything but going home.

“We can’t send them back. Not yet,” Peter said. 

“Why ?” Nora asked. 

“Some of these guys are gonna die. They got here right before it happened,” he explained. “If we send them back…”

“Parker,” Stephen said, holding the box. “It’s their fate.”

“Come on, Strange. Have a heart.”

“Stephen, wait a second. We have some to exp-”

He looked at Nora and slowly shook his head. “In the grand calculus of the Multiverse, their sacrifice means infinitely more than their lives.”