Chapter One

"Open your eyes, damnnit!" Steve's eyes slowly twitched open, bright lights all around him, blinding him as he groaned. Voices echoed throughout his ears, muttering numbers and medical terms, Steve unable to focus on any of them. As his vision began to return to normal, he saw doctors all around him, and Mary beside him, as they looked over him. His hands were suspended by harnesses in the air, blood coating the burnt and scarred flesh. His eyes widened slightly as he tried to move, but Mary stopped him.

"You were in an accident," she began, putting her hand on his leg as he tried to sit up. "and you're lucky to be alive." He shook his head slowly, realizing the severity of the situation. Mary continued, talking quickly. "Doctor West has been able to keep you alive, and you're going to be okay, but you're going under surgery." Strange began to argue, but his strength failed him, as he lost consciousness.

"Steven Strange." Nicodemus West, a fellow doctor said to Strange, who arrogantly smirked at him. "So you made it big after all? Guess that makes two of us." Strange chuckled.

"Big? I'm the top doctor in NYC. And just like back in school...you're only number two." West frowned. "For now. One day Strange, those hands of yours are going to fail you. And then I'll show you what real talent is."

Strange's eyes shot up, breathing heavily as he looked around him, awake from his dream.. He was in a new room now, Wong asleep on a pull out couch, a single lamp in the corner working alongside the television attached to his bed lighting to light the room. The T.V was set to a news station, where the words "WORLD RENOWN SURGEON STEVEN STRANGE SUFFERS TERRIBLE ACCIDENT" moving across the screen. Strange's eyes darted towards Wong, as he continued to breath quickly.

"W-Wong?" He said, waking his butler, who, startled, sat up quickly, grabbing a clipboard with papers on it.

"Mr. Strange!" He said, standing up, walking towards Strange's bedside. Strange grabbed Wong's arm with his bandaged hand.

"Wong, my hands...!" He said, staring at his friend with fear in his eyes. Wong looked down, unable to look at his master.

"I don't...know how to tell you this-"

"Speak up, man!" Strange interrupted. "I can't take it! What do the X-Rays show?" Wong looked down at the papers.

"Although your..hands seem to be alright...the nerves have been...severely damaged." Strange's eyes widened, and for the first time, had no response as his shaking hands rose to his horrified face.

"You...you...mean...?" He muttered. Wong nodded his head.

"Yes..you will never be able to..perform an operation again." He said, remorse in his voice. Strange jumped from his bed, angrily looking at Wong.

"No! No, I don't believe you! You're lying, you MUST be lying!" Wong shook his head.

"I'm so sorry, Steve..." Strange calmed down, sitting hopelessly down on his bed, dropping his head to his hands, as he sighed.

"How am I going to work...how will I make money..." he whispered to himself. The door to his room swayed open, as he glanced up at a doctor walking through it.

"Doctor Strange." Said the doctor. Strange scowled.

"Nicodemus West, what in the hell do you want?! Don't you know what happened to me?!" Strange yelled. West smiled, his bushy eyebrows rising.

"Yes. I won't lie, Strange. I don't like you. But I never wanted to see poor fortune fall upon you..." Strange frowned angrily at this.

"So," West continued, "I've come to offer you a job. Though you can't operate, you can work as my consultant...as my..assistant." Strange stood up angrily, glaring at his fellow doctor.

"Steven Strange assists NOBODY!" He yelled, storming out of the room, Wong rushing past West to catch up to Strange.

Strange slumped into his seat, a bottle of high quality alcohol in his hand, the lights in his house dimmed as he starred lifelessly at the television, watching the news absentmindedly.

"No word on if Captain Rodgers and his colleagues had any hand in the event. In other news, the top neurosurgeon in the world, Steven Strange, was in a devastating car accident early late Tuesday night on his way to receive an award for his contributions to the field, and we have learned that he received serious damage to his hands. It is unknown if he will be able to return to the operating room any time soon."

Strange frowned, taking another swig from his near empty bottle, Wong bringing him another one. He looked down at his master, who stared at the TV.

"Sir, perhaps you should take the assistant job-"

"I must be the BEST, the GREATEST..or else nothing." He said, looking up at Wong. "I will never consent to work for anyone else." Wong sighed, as Strange took another drink from his bottle, his hands shakily holding the bottle. "I have to fix this damn shaking...I don't even know what I'm going to do anymore." Wong looked at him.

"Well, let's go do some research." He said.

Hello wonderful readers! I hope you give this a read, and if I have any OG Doctor Strange fans (all 2 of them in the world) then you'll recognize that a lot of this dialogue is directly from the Strange Tales 115, where the origin of Strange is told. The next chapter will be the start of his journey to Tibet, and the healing of his hands. It would mean the world to me, if you guys could PM me, or in a review, tell me which form of the Ancient One you want to see, the book or film version?

-Darth Ganon