Oath • {Ironstrange}

Dr Strange Vol. 1

"Up. Up. Show me your strength"

He struggles to open his fingers to no prevail. How can such a simple action be so impossible? "It’s useless." He groans frustratedly.

"It’s not useless, man, you can do this." The young doctor encourages. If only he were right. The fact is he can't. He can't and it's embarrassing and his life is in pieces. 

"Then answer me this, bachelor’s degree. Have you ever known anyone with nerve damage this severe to do this, and actually recover?"

"I've seen it, with one guy. Factory accident, broke his back. Paralyzed. I personally found him under rubble, couldn't move his legs at all. When I came to the hospital later he was leaving. On foot"

Breathing is suddenly forgotten. "He walked?"

"Yeah, he walked."

He comes back to himself, knowing there must be a catch. "Bullshit. Show me his file."

"It can take me a while to pull the files from the archive. But if it proves your arrogant ass wrong, it’s worth it"

-

He talks to another useless expensive doctor, yells at Christine for even thinking he should give up and finds a file with a post it reading 'I told you so' when he's miserable and alone. It's the man who walked. 

"Jonathan Pangborn. Your spinal injury was complete" 

He steps away from his buddies playing basketball. "Who are you?" 

"Paralyzed from the mid-chest down. Partial paralysis of both hands."

"I don’t know you."

"I’m Stephen Strange. I’m a neurosurgeon. Was a neurosurgeon. You came back from a place there is no way back from. I… I’m trying to find my own way back." He holds up his hands. They shake like leaves and he'd do anything to make them stop. 

"Hey, Pangborn, you in it or not?" One of his friends on the court calls.

"Alright. I was waiting to be taken to the hospital with many others suffering less or worse than I was. Then a man showed up, he was wearing a crimson outfit. He examined each of us, touching some. When he touched me his eyes glowed blue and somehow…"

"Your body healed" he breathes, hanging on to every word of the story even though it sounds insane. 

"Yes. I settled for my miracle, and I came back home"

"Who was he?" 

"I don't know his face, it was covered up to his eyes, but I asked him his name and he said people called him The Mechanic. He sounded American"

"Where did the accident happen?" 

"Nepal. Kathmandu" 

"That's all you know?"

He nods. "Good luck."

-

Last dollar gone, he's in Kathmandu chasing a fairy tale.

With every person he asks about this Mechanic his doubt grows stronger. How could a broken spine possibly be fixed by a touch? It's not possible.