THE APPRENTICE (DOCTOR STRANGE STORY)

40

Everyone, after preparing, got into their suits. There were butterflies in their stomachs and sweat in their palms as they approached the platform.

"Five years ago we lost. All of us. Lost friends, family, a part of ourselves. Today we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams, you know your missions. One round trip each. No mistakes, no do overs. Most of us know what we're doing, but that doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives, and we're gonna win." Steve and Tony gazed at each other, firmly pressing their lips in a thin line and giving each other a nod. "Whatever it takes. Good luck."

"He's pretty good at that!," Rocket smiled

"Right?!" Scott agreed.

Hazel let our a shaky breath and clenched her fist into tight balls. She could basically see her heart throbbing out of her chest and her face pulsating. She couldn't fail this, or everything's gone.

"Hey," Steve put a hand on her shoulder "you got this."

Hazel shot her head up and nodded firmly. "I know I haven't worked with any of you. In fact, I'm sure most of you don't even know me, I'm just a random sorcerer that popped out of nowhere!," Hazel started "But it was an honor working with every single one of you."

"and more years to come." Tony nodded to her, and she gave him a tight lipped smile.

Soon enough, the platform started to buzz, and the heroes got their helmets activated. Hazel felt an extreme force rushing and pulling on her, dragging them across the quantum realm.
The others screamed, but Hazel remained silent, being used to being dragged and thrown across dimensions.
They found themselves amidst a street wreck, cars turned upside down and roads destroyed.

"Alright, we all go to our assignments. Two stones uptown, one stone down. Keep an eye on each other." Steve reminded
Everyone turned their heads towards past Hulk, who was terminating and destroying massive objects in a beastly manner. Bruce covered his face in shame and embarrassment.

"Maybe smash a few things along the way." Steve said as Hulk takes his shirt off.

"I think it's gratuitous but whatever," Hulk said and hesitantly tried to smash different cars. He was clearly trying to force his anger, Hazel shaking her head at him.

"Yeah, has it not occurred to any of you that I can send us through a portal to the Sanctum?" she blinked her eyes repeatedly at the men. Who suddenly became bashful.

She rolled her eyes at them and put Tony and Steve in a portal, sending them to the Stark tower.

"Right." Hazel took a deep breath. She changed back into her tunics but colored them beige and put her hood over her head, making sure Strange wouldn't see her face or robes.

The two arrived at the top of the Sanctum, popping sounds and crashing objects going to the floor. The Ancient One undid her shields and turned back.

"I'd be careful going that way, we just had the floors waxed." Hazel's eyebrows knitted at the voice, who clearly wasn't Strange.

"We're looking for Stephen Strange," Bruce said and the two walked towards her. The Ancient One tilted her head at the girl. 

"You're about 5 years too early. Stephen Strange is currently performing surgery about 20 blocks that way." She explained and pointed to a building. Hazel's eyebrows shot up and she slowly walked to the edge of the building, eyeing where the woman pointed. "What do you want from him?,"

"The time stones," Hulk explained as the girl took the moment in. As of then, she was at the same city as Stephen. She was so close to him she could just appear in front of him.

"Ah, I'm afraid not," she denied, making Bruce walk towards her. The woman was alarmed at his pace and got defensive. "You don't wanna do this."

Bruce was pushed out of his body, leaving him in his Astro form and Hulk as a null object.

"Let's start over, shall we?" She asked. Hazel turned back to check on his status, eyes widening at the sight of the Eye of Agamotto around this woman's neck.

A wave of realization flooded her- before her, was the Ancient One. She quickly undid her hood and walked towards her.

"Ancient One." Hazel gave her a big and deep bow, completely humbled by her presence. The Ancient One stepped back in confusion.

"And you are?," She asked.
Hazel got up from her bow, her robes slowly turning into her regular, green and gold ones as she recovered from it.

"H-,"

the woman was breathless at sight of her, and Hazel was the same to her. "The one from the prophecy,"

"Ancient One, it's an honor meeting you."  Hazel was stammering over her words in complete shock. She was in front of the woman who taught Stephen everything.

"You really do look exactly like the one on the page," she hummed "what's your name?,"

"Hazel Wolfe, ma'am." She bowed her head a little when she introduced herself. "Ancient One, we need your help to save our reality. Please, please help us."

"If I give up the time stone to save your reality I'm dooming my own. You know that, Wolfe." She walked forward and the two tailed her around.

"With all due respect, I'm not sure the science really supports that." Bruce rebutted. The Ancient One draws a huge line leading to alternate realities with the stones in a ring around it.

"The infinity stones create what you experience as the flow of time. Remove one stone, and that flow splits." She explained and flicked one off, creating a dark line in the air. "Now this may benefit your reality, but my new one, not so much. Without our weapon against darkness, our world will be overrun, millions will suffer. Tell me: can your science prevent that?,"

"No, but we can erase it. Once we have all the stones we can put them back where they came from." Bruce debated, and a smile grew on Hazel's face at the epiphany.

"So chronologically, in that reality, it never left!" She lilted.

"You're leaving out the most important part. In order to return the stones you'll have to survive." The Ancient One reminded them

"We will, I promise." Hazel gave her a sincere look on her face. The Ancient One sighed and rubbed her neck.

"I can't depend on a promise, it is the duty of the sorcerer supreme to protect this stone."

"But Stephen gave it away," Hazel reported to her and the woman's face relaxed. "Yeah, he gave it away to Thanos then made me do it. That's how he got the stone from me,"

"Willingly?" she asked and they nodded "Why?"

"Maybe he made a mistake," Bruce suggested

"Or I did." She turned to Hazel urgently, and handed her the Eye of Agamotto, goosebumps traveling around her skin when she held it. "Strange is meant to be the best of us, as of my stay on earth."

"He did it for a reason, I know it." The sorcerer looked at the Master with so much passion and belief in her eyes.

"I fear you might be right." Her voice was barely a whisper. She held Hazel's hands and looked her in the eyes "I'm counting on you."

"You won't be disappointed." Hazel straightened herself up. The sorcerer put the stone around her neck. Her heart beat quickly and her eyebrows scrunched up. She was going to get Stephen. This time, she was sure of it.

"I want to see you with it." The Ancient one requested and gave a small smile. "You with the staff."

Hazel transported the three inside the Sanctum and looked for its case. Her heart dropped to the floor at the sight of it. Tears started to flow her eyes- if only she knew it would be take away from her.

The girl opened up the glass box and held it, the familiar, warm breeze brushing on her face and the green light making her eyes glow.

"I never thought I'd see the day." The Ancient One muttered to herself with a growing smile on her face.

Hazel stared at the staff in her hands and the chain around her neck. She looked at Bruce and gave him a  fiery and determined look.