Maya Stark

Chapter 148: The Illuminati

After five minutes of trying, I realize my powers wouldn't be getting me out of this glass cage any time soon. I woke up before the other two, watching strange men in strange lab coats work around us. I didn't ask what. I didn't talk at all. I just sat with my back to her and closed my eyes, trying to will the memory from my dream. It made my head hurt, but I kept trying. Wanting more. I need to know more.

America and Strange woke up slowly. America woke up first and did her best to bang on the glass, trying to get anyone's attention. Strange woke up not much longer after that. He stands up quickly to inspect his surroundings, but I try to tune both of them out. It doesn't work.

'This universe sucks!' America said to Strange.

'Cloak?' Strange says, panicked. He tries to conjure up his magic but fails like I did moments before. When he notices the people in lab coats, he knocks on the glass. Loudly. 'Hey, lab coat. Where the hell are we? Look, I don't know who you are or what you think you're trying to do here, but... These situations don't usually work out well for a nameless scientist, so just...' When she turned around, I knew we were screwed. 'Christine?'

'Hello, Stephen,' Christine said.

'Ay, Dios,' America mumbled.

'Miss Chavez. Maya. To answer your question, you're in a highly secure research facility. The three of you, along with your sentient cloak, are here for surveillance and testing.'

'Testing?' Strange asked.

'Well, yes. You're visitors from another universe. Your magnetic signatures could be radioactive. You may be carrying diseases we just don't have treatments for. Hence these amazing Polycarbonate fishbowls.'

Strange shows the wrist cuffs. 'Right. So, I have you to thank for these, then.'

'Yes, I developed those using the Sands of Nisanti,' Christine nods. 'One of 838 Stephen's magical relics.'

'838 Stephen?' Strange scoffed. 'Is that some kind of cyborg me?'

'Our universe is 838. And we've designated yours 616.'

'Oh. You guys sure must know a lot about the multiverse if you got someone going around naming realities.'

'Yes. Me. I'm a senior fellow with the Baxter Foundation, and I specialize in Multiversal research.' Christine starts to walk to the other side of the room so I could now see her face.

'So, how'd you end up working here?' Strange asked. 'Wherever here is.'

'Oh, I volunteered. At your funeral.'

Strange shrugged. 'Thank you for going.'

'Your injuries, they're... they're similar, but they're not identical. It's fascinating.'

Christine shows the pictures of Strange's injured hands. I inspect them slightly, not really knowing the injuries were that bad.

'What were we to each other... in this universe?' Strange asked quietly.

'We never quite figured that out.'

'Yeah. That's something we got in common.' Christine breathed a laugh. 'Christine... You gotta let us out of here. Everyone's in real danger. Look, I know you don't know me—'

'And I don't want to,' Christine cut him off. 'Whatever I was to you, in your universe, does not matter.'

'Why not?'

'Because you're dangerous, Stephen.'

Strange crouched to be closer to her face. 'Someone from my universe wants that girl. And she's gonna rip this place apart, atom by atom, until she gets what she wants. So, I don't care if you're from the Avengers, or S.H.I.E.L.D...'