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He was Doctor Stephen Strange—once famed neurosurgeon and now the Sorcerer Supreme, guarding the Eye of Agamotto along with the Sanctum Sanctorum.
As per his job description, he had to travel between multiple dimensions in the past, confront very powerful beings (like Dormammu), and overall, just protect Earth from the very many mystical threats on and off this world.
However, nothing could prepare him for the sight before his eyes.
Strange had been running several all-nighters (protecting the world yet again) and he could understand if his condition was not as stable as he hoped it would be, but this was on a completely different level.
He must be hallucinating; there was no other explanation for this.
For starters, there was an Egyptian Mau on his carpet. As far as he could remember, neither he or Wong had discussed owning pets.
The cat purred contently, opening its gooseberry green eyes lazily to stare at Strange. The black markings on its pelt moved like ink on water as it stretched, before the cat padded towards him and rubbed his leg affectionately.
"Scram!" Strange stamped his foot, not very fond of animals in general, but the cat remained glued to his side. Strange wracked his mind, trying to guess at how the cat entered the Sanctum despite the hundreds of spells that guarded the place. It didn't even set off a single alarm.
His eyebrows furrowed.
"Where did you come from?" He muttered to himself, stooping to look at the cat more carefully. A weird collar was around its neck, set with a large, blue marble in the center. Something fluid swirled inside of it, clearly not belonging to this world.
Just as Strange reached out to touch the marble, he heard Wong's voice ringing from the staircase. "Strange!" He called out, "a child snuck into the Sanctum."
Strange stiffened, turning towards Wong's direction. Wong was leading some girl down the stairs. Strange's eyes narrowed, studying the intruder before him. He had learned that appearances could be deceiving and what looked like a harmless girl could just as well be some evil being in disguise.
The girl shifted her weight from side to side under Strange's scrutinizing glare. "How did you enter?" Strange asked, his voice sounding harsher than he intended.
The girl's previously timid glances hardened imperceptibly. "Through the door," she replied, some edge in her voice, "same way you would enter any building."
Strange opened his mouth to question her again but the girl's attention had already diverted from the conversation. "Mr. Whiskers!" She exclaimed when she glimpsed the cat, still rubbing its head against Strange's leg.
"Mr. Whiskers?" Wong looked confused, "that's your cat?"
"He prefers to say that I'm his human," The girl's hostility seemed to melt away as she crouched down and held out her hands. The cat immediately left Strange, leaping into the girl's outstretched arms. The scene would have warmed a normal person's heart, but Strange wasn't a normal person, far from it. He was paranoid and the girl did not seem normal in the least.
