Chapter 10: Sightseeing NYC

New York City, USA
December 2017

Once Cleopatra was satisfied with the night sky, and done being frozen to the bone, Strange called it a night on their adventure in the Park. Getting up from the bench, Strange and Cleo engaged in some light conversation, discussing the tale of the Ugly Duckling.

"All I'm saying is that if everyone was treated right on the basis of 'beauty' then we have failed as a humanity" Cleo declared, throwing her hands up.

"Don't you think we already do that?" Strange asked as he fumbled in his robes for the sling ring.

"Yes. Wait, how are you going to open a portal to the Sanctum, I thought you and Wong had fortified the defenses?" Cleo asked, looking at the ring on Strange's hand.

"Well, I would open a portal just outside the main door of the Sanctum and then use the key to get in." Strange responded as he stretched out his left hand and began to move his right.

Just as Cleo looked back at the statue of the Ugly Duckling, a loud CRACK filled the air. Turning in time to see Strange blast into a tree. Eyes wide, Cleo turned to face the source of the noise.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally came out to play?" Mordo mocked as black smoke disappeared from his wrist as he started to advance on Cleo.

"How did he find us?" Cleo thought in disbelief.

A loud groan came from the trees. Cleo glanced between Mordo and the broken trees where Strange had been blasted into and began to run towards Strange.

"I don't think so." Mordo called out, as if speaking to a child, as he casted ropes around Cleo's legs, bringing her to the ground.

Yelling as she went down, Cleo frantically tried to undo the ropes screaming out, "Strange! Strange get up!"

No answer.

"Crap…" Cleo muttered as she tried to untie her bindings. In a flash of black robes, Cleo felt a strong hand painfully grip her chin, bringing her face too close to Mordo's. She could feel the magic roll off him in erratic waves and the harshness of his breath. Making eye contact, Cleo could see the madness within his dark eyes, the glee of catching his prey, and hunger.

"I have been looking forward to this for a long time." Mordo spoke, awfully calm, which unsettled Cleo. "I hardly think it fair that you have all that magic bottled up in you, don't you? I had a taste for all the inhabitants of the House and to be deprived of the magic of the High Priestess herself seems almost cruel," Mordo dug his blunt fingernails into Cleo's cheeks, drawing blood "… don't you?"

"You're insane," Cleo painfully spoke, despite the iron grip. "You will not harness my Mother's magic and you will pay for destroying the House of Life." Her dark eyes challenging Mordo's.

Laughing, Mordo brought both of his hands around Cleo's throat, pushing her back into the ground.

"Don't you see, I have won? No one is here to save you, not your Mother, not the House, not even Strange." Mordo spoke gleefully as he began to choke Cleo. Trying to pry his hands off her, Cleo could feel the toll of the lack of oxygen her body was feeling. "All their sacrifices for nothing." Mordo snarled as he tightened his grip.

"Not… for… nothing…" Cleo choked out as she placed her hands on Mordo's chest and with all her remaining strength blasted Mordo off her in a shower of gold kinetic light.

Gasping and coughing for air, Cleo heard the yell and splash of Mordo landing into the pond. Not looking back, Cleo ran to the trees. "Strange! Strange are you okay?" Cleo called out as she fell to her knees pushing branches and leaves aside.

"Oh no…" Cleo whispered as she saw Strange lying on the floor, large cut against his head, groaning.

"Come on… come on, Strange…" Cleo hauled him from under the debris, looking to the pond to find Mordo walking with a limp.

"You witch!" He screamed, murder in his eyes, as he emerged from the pond.

Cursing under her breath, Cleo summoned her strongest shield to cover her and Strange. "Please wake up, please!" Cleo held his head as Mordo continued to approach. Strange only responded with a groan and lulled his head to the side.

"Fine, I'll think of something." Cleo spoke, just as loud BANG brought her attention back to Mordo as he stuck her golden shield with his Staff of the Living Tribunal.

Mordo was calling out, face twisted in fury, but Cleo could not hear him, she couldn't hear anything past her own heart pounding in her ears. Eyes searching for a way out of their situation, but finding none.

"No!" Cleo yelled, looking around, eyes tearing up, "We will not die like this!" Cleo spoke with determination as she looked around for an escape route.

"Wait… if I cannot find an escape route, then I will just have to make one…" Cleo thought as she lunged for Strange's left hand, removing the sling ring from it.

Another BANG resulted and a large crack began to appear in the shield. Mordo's relentless pounding was breaking Cleo's defenses.

"I don't know how to use it…" Cleo thought as she wore the ring on her left hand, sweat rolling down her face, despite it being a cold night.

"I'll just have to try." Cleo spoke, to reassure herself and Strange if he was still conscious somehow.

"You've seen many people do it, Cleopatra. Just hold out your left hand and create circular motions with your right." Cleo spoke aloud, eyes meeting Mordo's wicked face as he began to laugh.

"You do not even know how to use a sling ring? Give up and I will make your deaths swift!" He called out delightedly, eyes shining in amusement.

"Shut up!" Cleo roared as she faced him, holding out her left hand. Mordo continued with his assault on the shield, laughing all the while. Cleo closed her eyes and tried to clear her head of everything. Of all the sounds. Of the madman trying to kill her. Of the fear of letting Strange down. Of dying herself.

Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Cleo began to create circular motions with her right hand, just as she saw the Ancient One did so many years ago in the House. Holding her left hand out steady, just as Strange had. Concentration and confidence, just as her Mother used to possess. Feeling sparks at the ends of her fingers, Cleo opened her eyes to a portal opening. Heart skipping a beat as she saw the shield was cracked all around, Cleo hauled Strange up so his arm was around her shoulders. The height difference made the action uncomfortable but she finally had a grip on the older man.

"We've got to go…" Cleo spoke as Mordo had begun to cast his own offensive spell on the duo. Dragging Strange through the portal to who knows where, Cleo pushed through with a yell. As Cleo stepped into the portal, it automatically closed as the broken shield dissolved. Mordo's scream could be heard as the portal closed and Cleo looked around frantically to see where they had landed.

Grunting under the weight of Strange, Cleo tried to make sense of their location. Looking around, it didn't feel like night at all, rather the neon lights from the countless billboards made her feel like day. Eyes darting back and forth, she tightened her grip on Strange, fearing that Mordo will appear out of nowhere.

Cleo's mind immediately shot to one of Strange's rules "… we will avoid crowded areas, in case something happens, no magic and no going about on your own." Crowded was an understatement as Cleo pieced together where she was.

"Time Square" she spoke, eyes wide. So many strangers, some hooded, some preforming and some with families. Anyone could be Mordo. Or rather, anyone and everyone here could be hurt by Mordo.

"We've got to go" Cleo spoke to no one in particular as a group of high school students gave her and Strange a puzzling look, probably not the strangest thing they had seen in New York City. Half dragging half carrying Strange, Cleo had found a relatively empty place behind the Red Stairs. They were lucky as many people, tourist and locals alike, attempted to run away from the cold and to enter the nearest store or to huddle together taking selfies.

Knees growing weak from holding Strange up for so long, Cleo slumped him against a wall. Holding out her left hand again and beginning to move her right. In the briefest moment, Cleo caught sight of a man in black robes in her peripheral vision, making his way around tourists to her.

"Witch!" Mordo yelled as he began to run towards them as Cleo turned her head towards him.

Panicking Cleo opened the portal again and pushed Strange through, and punched a few energy blasts towards Mordo, which he deflected, before jumping in as well.

"This is getting old…" Cleo thought as she landed on top of Strange in a dark alley. Pushing herself off of him, she slouched Strange's body on the wall.

Looking at Strange, Cleo grimaced. He looked worse for wear. He had a large cut on the left side of his face and several small cuts developing on his arms and face. "I'm sorry…" Cleo said in a quiet voice, holding Strange's face in her hands. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have asked to go out tonight. I should've been the one to get injured tonight, not you. I am sorry." Cleo finished, feeling broken and empty inside. Closing her eyes, Cleo could feel the coldness finally settle in after all the adrenaline. In the distance she could hear a siren and dogs barking. Letting out a sigh, Cleo suddenly felt her hands grow warmer, as if someone had poured hot water on them. Opening her eyes, Cleo found her hands glowing purple.

Confused, she looked to Strange, seeing his face bare no trace of cuts or damage. "Am I… am I healing him?" Cleo thought as the purple aura began to fade and Strange suddenly stir.

Eyes shooting open, Strange began to pant as he looked around the dark alley until his eyes rested on Cleo. "It's me, it's me, Strange. Don't worry, I've got you. I've got you." Cleo spoke gently as Strange began to calm down

"What happened?" Strange asked, chest heaving, his breath showing in the cold.

"We were attacked by Mordo, he blasted you into the trees and tried to choke me. One thing led to another and we are currently jumping around NYC fleeing from Mordo because I have no idea where the Sanctum is." Cleo answered, eyes relieved that Strange was back and could finally help.

"But… I didn't teach you how to use a sling ring…" Strange reasoned as he attempted to stand up, with help from Cleo.

"You didn't. I just put it on and focused on not dying." Cleo responded.

"Okay… we'll talk about that later, for now, give me the ring so we can get home." Strange said weakly, still leaning on Cleo for support.

Taking off the ring, Cleo handed it to Strange who placed it on his shaking hands. Giving him a worried look, Cleo heard footsteps behind her.

"Surprised you came back to so soon, Strange." Mordo called as he entered the alley, trapping Strange and Cleopatra.

Letting go of Strange, Cleo stepped in front of him, "How do you find us so quickly?" Cleo asked, exasperated.

"It's your Mother's magic, it rolls off of you in waves of unrestrained and wild raw magic. I felt it as soon as you left the Sanctum." Mordo answers, as he brought his relic in front of him. Ready for a fight.

"Cleo…" Strange calls out weakly from behind, "We cannot fight him like this…"

"Doesn't mean we cannot try." Cleo growls, determination once again filling her drained form.

Mordo laughed at her again, she was seriously getting so annoyed with him. "You are in no shape to fight me, girl. Surrender yourself and I will spare Strange." Mordo reasoned, taking a step into the alley.

Cleo took a hesitant step back, not meaning to show her fear. Grinning, Mordo continued to advance.

"We must make a stance, or we die trying." Strange said, still leaning against the wall in weakness.

Looking around the alley, Cleo's eye caught her reflection in a broken mirror against the dirty wall, an idea racing into her mind.

"Maybe not…" Cleo said as a plan came to mind. "Strange, on my count open a portal to the Sanctum and get ready to run, we will only have a few seconds." Cleo did not hear his response, her heart pounding in her ears again. Remembering a book she read in the Sanctum's library not to many nights ago. "If you were unable to win in combat then manipulate your opponent to your advantage" the book had stated. Sweat was forming on Cleo's forehead once again, Mordo continued to stalk towards them with a cocky grin. "A simple misdirect could save your life" Cleo recited the book in her head as she entered into a fighting stance. "Focus your energy on who is in front of you."

"Cleo…" Strange strained behind her, growing more apprehensive.

"The goal is to fool he who is in front of you" Cleo thought.

Just as Mordo was halfway between the pair, Cleo held out her hands in front of her and let out a cry. A shimmer engulfed the alley way and in front of Cleo was another set of Strange and Cleopatra, standing just as the pair had a moment ago.

"Now!" Cleo yelled, as Strange began to open to portal behind her, hearing the familiar fizz of sparks. The duplicated Cleo had just created a sword out of kinetic energy, she was fighting with Mordo who seemed content in battling the cloned Cleo. The wicked smile once again on his face.

"Cleo!" Strange called out, holding the portal open for her. Turning around, eyes wide in shock that the spell had worked, Cleo stepped into the portal, leaving Mordo behind fighting the fake versions of themselves.

The uncertainty of exiting the portal was gone once Strange had begun to unlock the doors to the Sanctum, ushering Cleo in. Once inside, both Strange and Cleo collapsed on the floor after he locked the doors with a spell, out of breath and too tired for words between the two. Cleo pushed herself against the front door, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "What a birthday," she thought.

Just as she was about to let out a sigh, she jumped as loud pounding came from the front door.

"You think you can trick me, witch?!" Mordo yelled from outside the door, "I will drain your magic and kill you in the worse ways possible! Do not fool yourself for even a second that you're safe in…" His voice was cut off.

Cleo quickly turned to see Strange place a silencing charm on the door. "Let's get some rest." He says in a tired voice. Cleo got off the floor and together with Strange, made their way to their respective bedrooms. Each feeling broken, each feeling defeated.