Shortly after being discharged from the hospital Agent Everett Ross locked himself away in the safety of a hotel in the heart of Las Vegas. Security cameras and patrolling authority figures ensured that the agent would be safe from any intrusive saboteurs or two-faced traitors as he continued his research into finding the secret file and the details sealed away within.

Hovering over his laptop that could give him access to the file Everett set a second laptop next to the first and programmed it to monitor the first for any sign of security breaches or outside interference. A third laptop was sitting on the opposite of the first and had been tapped into the security cameras constantly monitoring the hotel to give himself an additional sense of protection as well as a potential heads up if someone unwanted tried to pay him a visit.

"Okay, let's find this file and get it out of the wrong hands..." Everett encouraged himself with a dull whisper. Pouring himself a shot of bourbon he sipped at the numbing drink to help steady his nerves and ease the soreness of his still healing body after surviving the fire. "This better pay off in the end. I can't stand this 'off the books' cloak and dagger stuff."

A red warning popped up on the second laptop as it detected a third party attempting to install spyware on the first laptop.

"Alright... So there is something odd about this file." Everett sped up his typing and continued to sort through the enigmatic files secured on the laptop. "Wonder how high up the corruption goes?"

The warning continued to flash on the screen as Everett worked meticulously to unlock the encrypted file.

On the security monitor a lone maid walked the floors with her cart, knocking on doors and offering the guests extra towels. She was close to his floor and fortunately she was the only one roaming about that evening. The rest of the guests were either in the casinos or watching shows which left the hotel feeling surprisingly vacant.

"Found it!" Everett nearly shouted as he located the damning file under one of the heaviest encryptions he had ever encountered. The warning flashed quicker as numerous red flags popped up on the second laptop indicating that the outside source was adamant about hacking into Everett's primary laptop. "I just need a few more minutes."

Placing a flashdrive containing special encryption/decryption software into his laptop Everett downloaded the file and let the program run itself while he attempted to block the hacking attempts. Steadily the warnings faded as the threat was minimized, giving Everett additional time to delve into the secret file.

The program's percentage bar was only at twenty percent completion.

"Hurry up..." Everett kept his eyes on the second laptop. "They won't stop so easily."

A knocking on his door made Everett jump and pull his gun from his holster at his left hip under his suit jacket.

A feminine voice called out softly. "Housekeeping. Would you like extra towels?"

Annoyed because he had set the 'Do Not Disturb' placard on his door handle Everett sheathed his gun and walked over to the door. Peering through the little spyhole on the door he spotted a short woman in her thirties with her blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun standing patiently on the other side of his doors with an arm full of towels and her cart setting against the wall.

"Yes? Hello." Everett slipped the lock from the door and feigned a smile as he opened it. "I did ask not to be disturbed?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The maid apologized as she pointed toward the door handle. "But there's no sign."

"There isn't?" Everett peered around the door to the other side and saw that the handle was free of any sign. "Great. Must've fallen."

"Or another a guest took it." The maid smiled sweetly. "Sometimes guests remove the signs because they think it's funny. I can come back later if-"

"No, no." Everett didn't want a second intrusion. "I'll take the towels now, thank you."

"And take this as well." The maid reached into her cart, her hand hand digging down under the large stack of white fluffy towels. "Courtesy of the house!"

"Is that-"

"Bourbon. Top shelf." The maid boasted proudly. "Had to confiscate it from another guest who tried to skip out on his bill." She stated as she walked into Everett's room and set the towels down on the sink in his bathroom before handing the bourbon to Everett himself. "Think of it as apology for disturbing you."

"No apology necessary." Everett replied sincerely as he eyed the bourbon appreciatively. "Have a good night, miss."

"Thank you, sir." She walked toward the opened door and let herself out. "Enjoy your stay!"

The door shut and Everett locked it once again before carrying the bourbon over to laptop where he checked on the progress of the programs decryption process. Thirty-eight percent.

"This is going to take all night." Opening the bourbon Everett poured himself a second shot and glanced at the second laptop. No further attempts to plant spyware, yet. And on the third laptop he watched the maid walk into the elevator and descend from his floor. Toasting his shot glace toward the image of the maid on the screen Everett sighed deeply. "Here's to secrets and lies."

Everett downed the shot and set the glass down on the table next to the laptops.

"Not bad." He complimented the drink as he watched the percentage bar gradually fill. Forty-six percent.

Leaning forward in his seat he watched the three laptops nervously, curious as to why there were no additional attempts to hack into his laptop. It was then an odd hot-flash coursed over his body and a twinge of nausea upset his stomach.

Everett didn't understand why he suddenly felt ill, but he remembered Doctor Stephen Strange's warning about the culprit returning to the scene of the crime to try and stop him. His eyes darted over to the bottle of bourbon and he swallowed anxiously.

"Damn it, Everett."

He tried to get to his feet but his legs were already trembling violently and he couldn't support his own weight. Falling back into his chair he forced himself to search over the three laptop screens and caught a glimpse of the maid one last time before she threw off her maid's uniform in the kitchen of the hotel and slipped out of the backdoor.

Reaching for the bourbon he picked up the glass bottle and inspected the cap. A tiny puncture hole that had been hidden beneath a label gave him all the information he needed.

"Poison."

Everett's vision began to blur as he looked at the progress of his primary laptop. Sixty-six percent.

Wrapping an arm protectively around his stomach he curled up in the chair and breathed deeply. He was trembling all over, feeling hot and cold at the same time and a cold sweat was drenching his body. A strange metallic taste began to fill his mouth and ears were starting to ring.

"No... Not yet..." Everett tried to push himself through the effects of the poison as he waited for the program to finish. "Can't... Can't fail!"

Heavily his eyelids began to droop and the need to sleep overwhelmed his mind. Everett fought to remain awake but the poison was working its way through his system too quickly.

"Stay awake." The familiar voice of Doctor Strange began to speak to Everett, managing to speak louder than the ringing that had drowned out nearly all of the surrounding ambience in Everett's room. "Just a little longer. You need to stay awake."

"I'm... trying." Everett slurred quietly in response to the command. "Tired."

"I know." Stephen's voice low but somehow conveying a sense of understanding. "Your body is being attacked by a very powerful poison. It's going to attempt to stop your heart which will make your chest hurt. Do not panic. Just breathe through the pain."

As if on cue a sharp pain shot through Everett's chest which brought his hand up from his abdomen and to his chest. He clutched at the source of the pain uncomfortably close to his heart and began to pant.

"The laptop is at eighty-two percent." Stephen told Everett calmly. "Just a little longer."

Everett gritted his teeth as he endured the pain and shut his blurry eyes tight. "Who... did this?"

"The mole."

"Who is... she?"

"A plant." Stephen answered firmly. "She was sent by H.Y.D.R.A. to infiltrate the C.I.A. and sabotage computer software, as well as steal secret and eliminate possible threats."

"Meaning... me."

"Meaning you." Stephen sounded remorseful as he spoke. "Ninety percent."

"What do... I do... now?"

"Your work must be destroyed. No one will be able to trace anything back to you or anyone you may trust."

"Destroyed? ...How?" Everett's body began to relax as exhaustion won out. His body went limp and he fell from his chair, crumpling into a defenseless form on the floor.

"Everett? Everett!" The doctorly instincts still hardwired into Stephen's mind kicked into full gear. "Hold on my friend, I'll help you through this!"

A swirling ring of golden-orange energy filled the hotel room as Doctor Strange himself arrived inside the hotel room. Kneeling down beside Everett he pressed his fingers against the agent's neck to check his pulse before rolling Everett from his side and onto his back.

The percentage bar on the laptop began to flash as the progress filled to one-hundred percent.

"Perfect timing..." Stephen commented as he glanced at the laptops on the table. Putting his hand under Everett's shoulders he lifted the dying man up from the floor and wrapped his arm around Everett's chest to help support him; careful of the still healing bruise across Everett's chest. "Well done Agent Ross."

In a rush of energy Stephen hefted Everett through another portal and into the heart of the New York Sanctum. It wasn't easy for the noticeably taller Sorcerer Supreme to carry the shorter C.I.A. agent at his side through the portal, but he managed to get his friend to safety and help him to lay down over the surface of a long oak table.

With a quick flick of his hands Stephen created a symbol for cleansing over Everett's body and let the incredible energy drift downward and dissolve into Everett's poisoned body.

A deep shuddering breath escaped the downed agent as the poison began to dissipate, losing its toxicity as Stephen's magic set to work counteracting what would have been a fatal dose.

"Now that you're safe I'll return momentarily with your laptops."

Stephen disappeared through the portal one more time and returned shortly thereafter with all three laptops closed and stacked atop each other in his arms. Placing the collected laptops on the smaller table beside Everett, who was still unconscious, Stephen returned his attention to his recovering friend.

"Well, I know you won't believe me when I tell you this but you did well Everett. The file has been found, your trail has been destroyed and there is no trace of you checking into the hotel."

Everett's eyes fluttered a little as they opened slowly. He glanced about the room and let out an annoyed side as he propped himself up on his elbows and stared with immense frustration at Stephen.

"I'm in the sanctum. Again."

"Yes. Obviously."

"Please tell me the file is safe!"

"It's secure." Stephen pointed to the laptops on the table nearby. "Also I corrupted the security footage at the hotel to alter your appearance on the cameras. No one will be able to confirm that you were there."

"Except for the 'maid'." Everett smirked a little. "And if she steps forward to try and put me in the line of fire then her own cover will be blown."

"Seems like a fair trade off, don't you think?"

"It's a start. Maybe if she had a shot of that bourbon we'd be able to call it even!" Everett sat upright fully and pressed a hand to his head. "What was that poison, anyway?"

"Something entirely unique and not found in nature." Stephen lifted his hand and a book from a shelf on the far wall flew into his hands. He opened the book and isolated an entry to read. "Your government friends have been busy creating a special untraceable poison that makes it appear as though their intended targets had succumbed to heart failure due to a heart attack or illness." He motioned toward Everett's chest where the faint outline of the bruise was visible. "Seeing as you recently endured cardiac trauma from the fire it wouldn't be too suspicious if you were to die from heart failure."

"And you figured this out... how?"

Stephen shut the book and gave Everett a sly grin. "I'm a doctor. And it's my job to delve into research and secrets revolving around any and all bodies of power on this planet. Being able to identify the poison as either natural or artificial allowed me to remove the poison from your system before it had the chance to finish you off."

"Thanks... I guess."

"And on that," Stephen let the book fly away from his hand and back to its intended place on the shelf. "we need to look through the file."

"We?" Everett didn't like the idea of letting such sensitive secrets being revealed to a civilian. "Thanks for saving my life and for your warnings, but this is where we need to part ways."

"And why is that?"

"That's still government property."

"Actually," Stephen proclaimed arrogantly. "seeing as the activity inside the file is illegal and unofficial there is no government standing over the file itself."

"Why should I trust you?" Everett challenged determinedly. "How do I know you didn't set all of this up just so you could get your hands on that file and use it to harm innocent people?"

"Wow. When you said you don't trust anyone you weren't joking. Need I remind you that I saved your life?"

"Again, could've all been staged to earn my trust."

"Ah. I see."

"Do you?"

"Wouldn't it have been easier to simply let you did in your hotel room and take the laptops for myself?"

Everett didn't have a response to the logical rebuttal.

"Not to mention I helped guide you through what could've been your final moments?"

"Helped me?" Everett's eyes went wide and he got to his feet. Keeping his tone level as he spoke his frustration and repressed anger slowly began to seep through his words. "You abducted me in the middle of the night, left me stranded in a burning building and knew that the bourbon was poisoned but didn't bother to tell me until it was too late... How exactly does that HELP me?"

"Everett, I'm sorry. I truly am. But interference could've had a much more negative effect on the outcome of events than by letting events play out on their own. I didn't want to stand by when the fire started but I had no choice."

"But you could interfere with my personal life for your own little hunches and theories?"

Stephen was quiet for a moment as he took Everett's words to heart. "You're right. I shouldn't have put your life in danger for what seems like a selfish gain. I should've asked."

Everett let out a defeated sigh as he realized that he was lashing out at the wrong person. "Look, I know you told me that this could affect every innocent person on the planet and how there's some kind of war coming, but this is all just a little too much for me to deal with alone."

"You're not alone." Stephen insisted. "I told you that I'm your friend. I won't ask you to risk yourself again."

Turning to look at the laptop Everett folded his arms over his chest and bowed his head. "Alright. We'll look at the file together, but I'm going to walk out of here with the file in my possession and I'm going to lock it away for the rest of time. Deal?"

"Deal."

Residing in the dim sanctuary that is the New York sanctum under Doctor Stephen Strange's protection, Agent Everett Ross worked with the highly intelligent doctor to finish decrypting and decoding the located secret file that contains damning evidence against those who betrayed their own government in favor of siding with the destruction body of power known as H.Y.D.R.A.

"This is incredible." Everett shook his head slightly as he read through the lengthy document and recognized numerous names of power officials who had sided with the dangerous group. "This runs deeper than I thought!"

"And it's all the more critical that you find a way to trust me and the rest of the Avengers."

"Thanks, but I think it's better for everyone else if I keep this secret to myself. I don't want a bunch of innocent or just people getting gunned down by these psychos under the cover of darkness."

"You can't possibly think that you'll be able to go about your business now that you know this secret." Stephen remarked sharply as he stared at Everett warily. "That saboteur who tried to poison you must already know that you've disappeared from the hotel and cracked the code. Even if she doesn't inform her bosses of your work she'll certainly try to finish you off regardless."

"That's my job." Everett replied flatly. "I'm an agent working for the government. Being threatened, attacked and surviving potential assassinations are in the job description."

"Funny."

"Maybe to you." Everett pulled the flashdrive from the laptop and pocketed the downloaded file for safe keeping. "But this is routine for me."

"You're going to keep the file on you? What if someone takes that flashdrive from you?"

"I'm going to hide it. I'll take it somewhere no one will be able to find it."

Stephen thought for a moment before a sly smile appeared on his face. "You're going to hide it in Wakanda, aren't you?"

Everett cocked an eyebrow without confirming or denying Stephen's guess.

"But I thought you wanted to keep innocent people away from it."

"I do. And I will." Everett patted the flashdrive in his pocket. "There's plenty of secret locations throughout the country and the palace itself. I know King T'Challa will keep it safe and tell no one of its existence."

"What of the laptops?" Stephen asked as he turned to look at the three laptops Everett had used to break into the encrypted file.

"Use your imagination."

Taking Everett's comment as a challenge Stephen used his sling-ring to open a portal and revealed the perpetually snowy peak of Mount Everest. He motioned with his hand for Everett to peer through the portal, in turn he nodded in approval.

"That'll do."

Picking up the laptops one by one Everett tossed the computers through the portal and smiled as they crashed down and broke on the hard surface of the mountain, knowing that deathly cold would be enough to destroy the physical hardware that had survived the impact on the ground.

"Now," Everett turned his back on the portal as Stephen closed it. "there's just one last thing to take care of."

"What's that? Your trip to Wakanda?"

"No, that I'll be able to handle." Everett pulled the flashdrive from his pocket and held it tightly in his hand. "But I will need a favor from you after I drop this off."

"What's that?"

"Can you block my memory?"

"Your... memory? Of the file?"

"Yes."

"Why would you want the memory blocked?"

"As you said, the saboteur may continue her pursuit for me and the file. If I can't remember the file or its location then it doesn't matter how much she tortures me, she'll never get the answer. It's the only way to guarantee its safety."

"You'd die to protect a file?"

"No. I'd die to protect innocent people. We can't let these corrupt maniacs seize control over the planet. You saw the file, you know that they're already targeting the members of the Avengers, any remaining members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and anyone else who could prove useless; including you."

"Yes. I saw my name in the file. I'm well aware that I've been targeted."

"And if they put a bullseye on your back what's to stop them from hurting the people you care about to draw you out?"

"Dark, but fair."

"I just need you to block my memory of the file for a short time. When it actually becomes crucial that I remember the file and the people inside of it you can restore my memory."

"Everett, you do understand the risks involved, right?"

"You mean if you block my memory of the file then my subsequent memory of the saboteur and her failed assassination attempt would be blocked as well? Yes. But again, part of my job to take risks."

"That and," Stephen tilted his head awkwardly as he spoke. "there's always a risk of permanent brain damage with any form of memory tampering."

"I... oh."

"Yeah. I can't damn you for your loyalty but as a doctor I must warn you of the potential side effects."

"Is one of those side effects death?"

"No, but-"

"Then do it." Everett stated firmly as placed the flashdrive back into his pocket. "I'll take this to Wakanda and inform T'Challa of its importance. And then I need you to block my memory."

"Everett, please don't ask me to this."

"Too late." Everett had his mind made up and wasn't going to back down. "You're the one who dragged me into this mess, the least you can do is respect my decision."

"Even if it's a stupid one?"

"Especially if it's a stupid one."

More impressed by Everett's fortitude than annoyed by his stubbornness, Stephen reluctantly agreed to the memory wipe. "Very well. Make your arrangements, I'll be waiting."

Using his sling-ring once more Stephen opened another portal, this one leading to the hotel room that Everett had been using to hide out while in Washington D.C. Nodding once Everett stepped through and retrieved his phone. He needed to call King T'Challa: the Black Panther.

Two hours passed by quickly for the anxious agent. One moment Everett was dying on the floor of his hotel room in Las Vegas; poison coursing through his veins courtesy of the spiked bourbon, then he was discussing the merits of decrypting stolen government files with Doctor Strange in New York, now he was standing side by side with King T'Challa in the audience chamber of his palace.

"You are certain that you want to do this?" T'Challa asked sincerely after he listened to Everett's story.

"Yes." He handed the flashdrive to T'Challa for safe keeping. "This is the only way to ensure that justice will be served and the corrupt will finally fall."

"Very well, my friend." T'Challa accepted the flashdrive and held it tightly in his hand. "I will hide this for as long as you need me to do so."

"Thank you." Everett extended his hand for T'Challa to shake respectfully. "I know this is a lot to ask of you, but-"

"Do not worry my friend." T'Challa replied softly as he shook Everett's hand as a sign of good faith. "I understand the need for secrecy and discretion better than most."

Everett couldn't help but laugh a little. "Can't argue with you on that."

"Come." T'Challa motioned for Everett to accompany him elsewhere. "Let us discuss a plan in the event the file becomes necessary, and then we will take you back to America."

"I just hope no one asks too many questions. It'd be a little awkward to not remember something and have to answer for it before a court."

"That would be unfortunate." T'Challa empathized. "Do not worry, we will offer sanctuary to protect you if you so wish."

"I appreciate it."

Exhausted yet still on edge Everett locked himself away in his hotel room back in D.C. and sat down on the edge of his bed. His room was a little messy as he had declined housekeeping to ensure that no one infiltrate his work or try to sabotage him again. As he sat alone he took a deep breath and spoke openly to no one in particular.

"Okay Strange. Do your thing."

A portal opened in the middle of the room leading from D.C. to the heart of the New York sanctum where Doctor Strange was waiting for him.

Everett stepped through the portal and stood before the Sorcerer Supreme without any sign of fear or regret. "Ready to do this?"

"I am if you are." Stephen motioned for Everett to lay down over the long oak table. "This won't hurt, but you will have an unusual sense of deja vu for a few weeks."

"That's fine, I'll just chalk it up to paranoia."

"Good plan." Stephen put his hands, open palms, on either side of his head keeping his hands from just barely touching Everett's temples. "Now, when I do this you'll forget our initial meeting three days ago. You'll forget about the file and about the saboteur. But I'm going to plant a trigger in your mind that will restore your memory, which includes this moment."

"What's the trigger?"

"If I tell you the trigger now then it'll render this entire exercise pointless. As I stated you'll seemingly suffer a sense of deja vu and with that the trigger word could potentially come to mind and restore your memory before it's time."

"Ah. I see." Everett took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Let's get this over with."

"Right. Don't move." Stephen closed his eyes and moved his fingers rhythmically as energy emanated from his fingertips and proceeded to flow gently through Everett's skull.

A sense of peace and calm overtook Everett's mind as slowly the events of the past three days began to fade from his thoughts, fade from his memory. The trauma of the poisoning and the escape from the fire mercifully left his mind as the memories were pushed aside and locked behind an ethereal door that could only be unlocked by the trigger word acting as the key.

"It's done." Stephen opened his eyes and lowered is hands from Everett's head. The agent was placed in a deep sleep and would remember nothing of Doctor Strange, the file or his warning. "Rest well Everett, savor it while you can."

With the wave of his hand Stephen created another portal to take Everett back to his hotel room, using a wave of hand to push the portal through the air and sweep over Everett's body as he laid on the table.

Unaware of the world or of his time spent with Doctor Stephen Strange, encountering the saboteur or of his secret trip to Wakanda, Everett Ross laid on his bed and rested peacefully in a deep, oblivious sleep.

-The End