Doctor Strange & The Anomaly

Four • Heroes

There was a storm brewing over New York City. The sky heavy and dark, sunlight forcing its way through thick, smoky clouds. Rain fell in bursts, showering the sidewalk for mere moments at a time before disappearing again, leaving behind glistening puddles and a warm, earthy scent. But there was something else brewing - a tempest - and it was far more destructive than any act of god.

On Tenth Avenue, traffic had slowed to a standstill. A never ending string of buses, cars and yellow taxis honked their horns as passersby stopped to watch the commotion unfold. The line stretched the length of the street, people at the back climbing out of their vehicles and hanging out of windows to try and get a look at what was happening. An accident, perhaps, roadworks or diversions. But further towards the front of the line, the sense of irritation and confusion morphed into one of fear and dread.

Walking side-by-side down the middle of the road was a group of people. A pack. In the middle was a man in a long coat, his face shadowed by a large hood, beside him walked a younger man, flickering and glitching, and a small woman with eyes gauged out and replaced by light. Behind them trailed a large creature walking slowly beside a quiet, stoic woman in a pair of leather gloves. They were ignoring the beeps and shouting onlookers as if they weren't there, as if the city belonged to them.

They stopped, standing together as the lights changed from red to green and eventually back to red, no one daring to drive past them, no one daring to cross the street. The hooded man turned his head, speaking to the younger man.

"Do it."

He nodded and raised his hands slowly, his brow furrowing with concentration before looking around, a slight smile creasing the corners of his sunken cheeks. He brought his hands down quickly, and with them, the ground began to ripple like liquid. It travelled outwards like a shockwave, making everything around them, every building, car and person explode into dust. He looked up, guiding the dust up towards the moody sky before bringing the fragments back together above their heads. Then he dropped his hands to his sides and watched as it all came crashing back down.

"That should get their attention," the hooded man said as the five of them stood calmly amongst the destruction.

*

Stephen stepped through the large front doors of the sanctum, closing them behind him with one hand, his other carrying a brown paper takeout bag. He slipped off his hood and unzipped his jacket as he made his way towards the stairs, taking them two at a time until he almost reached the top.

A sudden jolt surged through his body, knocking him forward like a powerful gust of wind. He fell against the steps, dropping the bag of food and catching himself with his free hand before looking around breathlessly at the empty staircase.

He recognised the feeling; it was malevolent, otherworldly. He was sorcerer supreme, in tune with the world like no one else; he could feel its pain, sense when it was infected by darkness, but nothing had ever brought him to his knees before.

He got up and climbed the remaining stairs, running into Wong on the landing.

"Something's happened," said Stephen.

"Dark magic, I felt it too."

They ran up to the roof, bursting through the door and hurrying to the edge, looking out at the smoke rising over the tops of building, the sound of sirens ringing in the air.

"It's the same people from the other attack," said Stephen.

"But they feel so much stronger."

"That's because they are."