Date: June 27, 2104
Location: Brooklyn, Long Island, New York
Time: 5:47 pm
"...You're sure about this?"
"You know it has to be done. It's alright. I'll be back before you know it."
"...Yeah, that's what you said last time."
"You won't even have time to miss me."
"Heh. Famous last words."
Date: April 25, 2023
Location: New York Sanctum, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York
Time: 11:50 pm
Something was wrong.
The interior of the sanctum was quiet, belying nothing untoward about what it was that was amiss. The sounds of Greenwich Village outside filtered in through the old brick and intricate glass windows, the nightlife of the bustling city going on as it always did. People moved about their lives just outside, the colorful population that had made the Village their home moving about, unaware of the importance of the building that they passed by every day and every night. It seemed an utterly normal night - and yet, something was wrong. The very foundations of the Sanctum had felt the shift, fractures in the substructure of time and space - anyone sensitive to this would have known immediately - someone had done something, a plan had gone awry -
The Sorcerer Supreme had long made it his duty to guard this reality - it was a grim task that he took with intense solemnity, and it had served him well through much chaos. His list of interdimensional threats was always expanding, but when the Avengers had taken it upon themselves to seek out the Infinity Stones in the annals of time, he had not been present to voice his opinion on the matter. He had returned to existence in a world still rife with chaos - and there had been no time to consider the implications of manipulating the stones further. Thanos had once again been upon them, with no time to ponder the intricacies of the multiverse. He had not been present to sense the ripple of a single action of one being - and how that action had cracked the bedrock of all reality - but in the aftermath of the Mad Titan's final defeat, he had begun to notice.
Without the Time Stone, Stephen had been made to pursue the clues of this great mystery far more laboriously - it had taken him months to hunt through the multiverse, peering as far as he could into time and space to try and discern what it was that had gone wrong. He had learned later of the mad scheme to pluck the Stones from their rightful place in the past, only to return them back as if they had never been missed. If he had been on hand, he would have had a few things to say, unaware of how the Ancient One had already advised Dr. Banner on the course that they were choosing to take. The very act of taking the stones would have created alternate paths, branches in reality that thrust into the multiverse and threatened instability. Even if they were returned, it would not have changed the fact that something had, at some point, been altered. Months of arduous work, and the cause of ripple in space-time finally had a name.
Loki - the simple theft of the Tesseract while the Avengers were attempting to locate it for their mad scheme. It meant that, on some level, one of the stones was adrift in the multiverse - and it brought further questions to mind. Were there other stones still not returned to their point in time? Had Captain Rogers somehow failed in his task? He had been present there, as a much older man, to present the shield to Sam Wilson, which seemed to have indicated that he had, in fact, been successful, though the man had apparently been mum on the nature of what had happened and how.
That, in and of itself, had brought up another conflict.
That famous shield had been destroyed in the final conflict with the Mad Titan. Captain Rogers had gone on his final mission to return the stones without it - so then, how did the older Captain Rogers bring a shield to Wilson in the first place? After that, he had simply vanished - he had been unable to find any trace of any Captain Rogers on this plane after that, even as an older man.
Questions upon questions.
Stephen Strange opened his eyes from where he had been meditating, pouring over the near limitless possibilities laid out before him. The familiar weight of the Cloak of Levitation settled on his shoulders as he rose, and began to move through the Sanctum. Normally, he would have preferred working alone or with his fellow sorcerers, but this was certainly shaping up to be what the government might have, at one point, termed an "Avengers Level Threat". However, the governments of the world could barely comprehend their own mundane struggles - Stephen Strange did not at all expect them to be able to contemplate the intricate minutiae of interdimensional conflict. If this involved Captain Rogers, Loki, and the Stones, he would need specific assistance - not sorcerers, but those who had been there when it had gone wrong that day in October - and people who had a hand in making it work.
He stood in the center of the landing, under the mystical symbol outlined in the fine glass window overhead. There was no time to waste, not if they wanted to restore things to their proper place before something catastrophic occurred. He held out his hand and began to trace a circle in the air - orange sparks flared out from his touch, and a portal opened up immediately, large enough for him to step through. The interior of a perfectly normal home appeared before him, much earlier in the evening there than it was for him in New York. He might not have been the one to invent the technology used, but he had been the one to be on hand to help utilize it.
Dr. Strange stepped through.
Date: April 25, 2024
Location: San Francisco, California
Time: 8:55 pm
Fourteen years old - well, fifteen, now.
Scott had to admit - when he had been told many years ago that nothing could have prepared him to be the parent of a teenager, he doubted that this was what they'd had in mind. Not everyone escaped from the quantum realm to find five years had passed and your little girl was not so little anymore. Six months later, and he was still trying to sort through everything that he had missed. As pleased as he was that she had survived the Blip, and that she didn't hold anything against him for what had happened, he had still felt intensely guilty for, well, everything. The more that they talked about it, however, the easier it became - he'd spent the evening at Maggie and Jim's house, having dinner as was their custom - always a good time, and something to have been relished considering what the world had gone through.
It really should have been a perfectly normal evening meal - some laughs, maybe some card games or magic tricks - and it was! Scott was sitting at the table with a deck of cards, performing a couple of tricks while he shuffled for a simple game of poker - Cassie was fourteen, she was old enough to learn, he maintained! He flipped a couple of cards around as if he were pretending to be some hotshot dealer in Vegas, when the sound of screeching chair legs filled the air with a scramble.
"What the - what's wrong with - whoa!"
Behind him, the air sizzled, and abruptly opened up in a fiery circle of orange and a legitimate sorcerer stepped right out into the middle of the room. Scott launched himself to his feet as Dr. Strange stepped right out of thin air and into Maggie's living room, and had to decide if he was bewildered that he was about to get roped into some shit - or legitimately thrilled beyond reason to be of assistance. Of course, being in the presence of any enhanced being was impressive, even to a guy who had duked it out with the likes of Iron Man and The Vision, but Dr. Strange really did know how to make a hell of an appearance.
"Doctor - Doctor Strange! Hi! Uh - wow, yeah, sorry, wasn't expecting the Sorcerer Supreme for dinner, uh…would have...set another space at the table if so...what - what's going on? Is it something big? Like, Avengers big? Do I need to suit up?"
Please, let it be a reason to suit up!
He glanced behind him. Maggie and Jim were Looking at him, waiting for an explanation as to what an actual sorcerer was doing standing in their dining room. Cassie simply looked thrilled - even at this age, anything to do with her father and the Avengers was fascinating. Some things really hadn't changed after all this time. As much as they had come to support his efforts in saving the world, they hadn't forgotten about the time he had spent in actual house arrest. But hey! Dr. Strange wasn't an Avenger!
Dr. Strange regarded everyone at the table evenly, then turned his gaze to Scott without preamble. He was clearly not about to waste time on something as insignificant as pleasantries when the multiverse was fracturing around them. His movements were fluid, but somehow measured and precise.
"Mr. Lang. I understand you assisted in the so-called 'time heist' that allowed the Avengers to replace the Infinity Stones in their respective locations in time. Namely, the use of the Pym Particles and the Quantum Realm?"
Scott stared at him for a moment - this was bordering on bewildered now. He chanced a glance back at the others, then brought his gaze back to Strange. He adopted a sort of casual stance, and slipped his hands into his pockets once he had set the playing cards down. Sure, he was one of the only ones who had successfully navigated and returned from the Quantum Realm, but he was an electrical engineer, not a rocket scientist. Even so, that didn't mean he hadn't had an important hand in correcting the big mess out in the world. Deep down, a part of him was pleased that the Sorcerer Supreme had heard about their work.
"Uh - uh, yeah, well, I mean. I didn't do it alone, Dr. Banner really helped out with a lot of the big science, but - "
"Excellent. Come with me. We need to have some words with Dr. Pym."
"Wait - what? Hank? Wait! Oh, let me get my jacket - do I need the suit? Hey, are you going to explain at all?"
Without leaving time for any argument, Strange turned and raised his hand, drawing open another portal in the middle of the dining room. Scott parted his lips to speak further- not argue, really, because if Dr. Strange was wanting his help for something and had teleported all the way from Manhattan to get it, then it must have meant something important was going down. He hurried around the corner and came back, pulling his jacket on over him, and spared Maggie and Jim an apologetic glance.
"Sorry. At least it's not a giant ant? I promise - we'll learn poker next time! Promise - right! Right, coming!"
He could feel Strange glaring back at him. Turning, Scott saw the portal open, and followed Strange right on through.
Date: April 26, 2024
Location: Brooklyn, Long Island, New York
Time: 1:17 AM
His travel bag rustled lightly as he stepped inside the mostly empty apartment, and set it on the chair. It hadn't been a lengthy flight back from Louisiana, but Bucky hadn't wanted to leave the party just yet. It was the first time in an exceptionally long time that he had thoroughly enjoyed himself without the threat of something else looming over him. Sam, his family, his friends - they had all made him feel more welcome than he'd expected, and it had been a little difficult to leave that behind.
He stood in the middle of the sparse living room, the space on the floor where he had made his bed still shuffled about from the last time he had stayed here. The seat cushion was laid out - something that made him smile a little wistfully at - the blankets askew - that was something that needed to change, but he still couldn't shake the fact that beds were just too soft. He'd managed on Sarah Wilson's sofa - so, maybe a sofa was in order. Taking a breath, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he shed his jacket and draped it over the back of the chair, and flipped on the television. The last time he had been here, he had not been in a good place, and though there was still some grieving and acceptance to be done with the departure of Steve, he had finally begun to make some peace with his past. Deep down, a part of him would always miss Steve, and it was true that he still had far more questions than answers about his choice to stay - the bitterness lingered in his mind, more than he cared to admit, but he knew he couldn't dwell on it and still continue to heal. He supposed he would always wonder why.
His eyes lingered on the television for a moment - nothing but infomercials at this time of night, and some late night talk show. He flipped it off again, and let his eyes settle on the canvas bag. He supposed he could unpack, take a shower, and maybe attempt to sleep in that bed - after the success story with the sofa, it was worth a shot. Reaching out, he shouldered the bag and made his way into the little used bedroom, and tossed the bag on the mattress. The springs protested a little from their lack of use, but he unzipped the worn old canvas bag and began to unpack.
A sizzling sound filled the air behind him.
Bucky turned sharply at the sound, dropping whatever he'd produced from his bag immediately as all of his superhuman instincts sounded off at once. The sound was familiar, as was the ring of orange sparks that appeared to cut a literal hole in reality before him. He relaxed almost immediately, and took a step back as Doctor Strange, in all of his red and blue, mystical cape-wearing glory, stepped out of the portal and into his bedroom. Bucky looked him up and down, and crossed his arms, rather unimpressed. You've seen the sling ring used once, you've seen it every time. After a purple demi-god with a serious attitude problem had seen fit to snap him out of existence for five years, very little shocked or impressed him anymore.
"You know, Doc, most people use the front door. Or texting - you know, I text now? Didn't...think the theatrics were necessary - what are you doing here?"
Doctor Strange raised an eyebrow at him that one could have almost called 'smug' and smirked. He clearly was dryly amused at Bucky's offense at his personal space being invaded, but he wasn't about to take any of the Winter Soldier's sassback.
"Sergeant Barnes. I need you to come with me."
"What? No, I don't think so. All this magical mumbo jumbo is out of my wheelhouse - you got the wrong guy. Why don't you try giving Wanda or Thor a call and leave me out of this. When you need the heavy lifting, then I'll consider it."
The silence between them was measured.
"Sergeant. That wasn't a request."
Bucky turned his eyes towards the Sorcerer Supreme, steely with resolve. It wasn't that he wasn't curious about magic or what it was that Strange did, but he'd had a very long several days involving getting his ass kicked a number of times, and he was not in the mood to be bossed around. He frowned deeply, and turned to resume his unpacking. He tossed a couple of dirty shirts aside as he worked, not bothering to give Strange another glance.
"Sorry. I don't take orders from people anymore."
"I believe it has something to do with Captain Rogers."
Bucky's hands stilled immediately. His heart, his breathing - even the room felt suddenly hushed. He'd not been expecting that. Of all of the things that could have come out of Doctor Strange's mouth, anything to do with Steve Rogers had not even remotely been on the list. Bucky turned his head slightly, his hands dropping to rest slightly on his bag, and shook his head. Talking about Steve had gotten easier, after discussing it frankly with Sam, and of course, with time, but at times, it still struck a painful chord.
"Sorry, Doc. Don't know if you've heard - Steve's gone. On the moon, so I hear."
"Yes, exactly the problem at hand. I'm not entirely certain that he was successful in completing your so-called 'time heist', Sergeant. The very fabric of reality is ripping at the seams - which was a possible outcome if you all failed, as I was told after." Strange's tone immediately implied that he thought the lot of them were absolute idiots for trying something so incredibly stupid with such minimal understanding of time, space, and reality. Bucky looked up and over his shoulder, frowning a little. "Tell me, Sergeant - did Captain Rogers leave to return to the stones with or without his shield?"
"Without, it was destroyed in that last fight with - "
Bucky froze. The contradiction was suddenly brought into blazing clarity after months of trying to piece together why it had all felt so very off to him. It would have been impossible for Steve to have held onto the shield through the decades he lived with Peggy if he'd not even taken it with him. So then...how had he delivered the shield to Sam at all? Vibranium had been scarce for decades, and Wakanda still held the bulk of it to this day - it would have been impossible for him to gain enough to craft a shield. He stared at the floor, fixated, as he rapidly mulled over this fact, and looked up at Strange after a moment. He could see the look of smug triumph on Strange's face, and it would have annoyed him had he not suddenly been deeply troubled. He didn't know what it meant - he didn't know what they were about to get themselves into, but…
He remembered the unanswered why.
And if Steve, wherever he had gone, was truly in danger, if something had gone wrong…
It didn't matter if the line had ended for Steve in the moment that he had chosen to remain in the past. For Bucky Barnes, the line continued on. He swallowed, and straightened, nodding his head. It would have almost been funny, had it been any other situation. He knew what he had to do - really, there was no question. Maybe it didn't really matter what Steve thought any longer, but that wasn't the point. He'd made a promise to him, a long time ago - he'd spent so many years having his back, that if there was a chance that he was in danger, or in trouble, he'd be there in an instant to bail his punk ass out.
"...Alright. Alright, fine. Let's go."