They just acted.

They didn't think about it.

They just did what they always did.

They helped, they saved, they healed, and they protected.

-–-

The whole city was in chaos. People had vanished randomly from everywhere, and a lot of now driverless cars had crashed into pedestrians or buildings. Everywhere wandered screaming, panicking people aimlessly around, while others had started rioting and looting.

Peter dragged car wrecks and rubble from hurt people and Stephen did the best he could to stop bleedings and fix fractured bones with whatever he had at hand and a bit of magic.

Now and then the sorcerer incapacitated one of the rioters. He left them bound in magical bonds, hoping that police would pick them up later and even if no one came to collect them, at least they wouldn't be able to do any more damage as long as they lay there neatly wrapped up.

At one time Stephen got nearly hit by an ambulance. He decided to go with them because they had real bandages and medicine instead of torn shirts and useless magic tricks. Together with the driver and the paramedic of the ambulance, he drove through the streets, stopped now and then and helped the hurt people they came across.

When they found a severely injured girl in a car wreck, Stephen asked the driver to bring them to the nearest hospital.

The nearest hospital turned out to be the one where Stephen had worked in his days as a neurosurgeon.

How ironic.

Many people had gathered around the building and blocked all entrances. Stephen had to use magic to force his way through the crowd. Together with the paramedic, he passed a lot of hurt and angry people who screamed and threw things at them. Rachel shielded the hurt girl with her own body.

A security guard blocked their way when the finally arrived at the door. "I can't let you in here. Please leave!"

"This girl will die if she doesn't get medical attention immediately!"

"I'm sorry mister, but we have not enough medical staff to take care of all the patients."

"Then let me through! I am a doctor!" Stephen yelled in a commanding voice, a leftover from his days as a surgeon.

The guard eyed the dust-covered tunic of the sorcerer skeptical, but finally allowed them access to the building.

They wheeled the stretcher with their patient into a corridor, and a nurse stopped them. "What are you doing here?"

"Who is in charge?" Stephen asked.

"I am. And I asked you a question," the nurse answered miffed.

"Patient is female, approximately six years old, severe internal bleeding due to a car accident. We need an operating theatre as fast as possible," explained the sorcerer briefly.

"Oh yes? And who is going to perform this surgery? I don't have enough staff to help even half of the people who come here!"

"I'm going to do that!"

"You? Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I am Doctor Stephen Strange!"

"The Doctor Stephen Strange? You don't look like him. I met the guy once. He's kind of an asshole…"

He closed his eyes and hung his head. "Yes. I was. But that was a long time ago. Now, please let me save the life of this little girl."

She looked at him and contemplated what he just said. "What about that accident that you had. They said you'd never be able to hold a scalpel again."

"I assure you that won't be a problem. Please," he implored her.

She eyed him for a moment, still not sure what to make of him. Then she took a corner of the stretcher and steered it toward the elevators. "Okay. Follow me!"

Stephen turned to the paramedic of the ambulance. "I can handle it from here. Thank you."

"No. We thank you, Doc. Good luck," she said and hugged him goodbye.

He smiled and turned to follow the nurse.

"Does Doctor Christine Palmer still work here?" he asked on the way.

She hesitated before she answered. "I'm sorry. Doctor Palmer is one of those who turned into dust…"

Stephen felt a stab in his heart. How many more loved ones would he lose on this day?

A ping sound let him look up, and they entered the elevator.

"She was a dear friend of mine," he explained.

With a nod, she put her hand on his shoulder. For a fleeting moment, there was a wordless understanding between them.

"I'll take care that the operating theatre is ready. Do you need something before we start?"

He looked at his dirty robe. "A change of clothes would be welcome."

"No problem, I'll get you a pair of scrubs."

"Thank you."

When she brought him the clothes, he quickly changed and washed his hands. Afterward, he pulled a pair of fingerless gloves out of his robe and put them on. The silky blue material was reinforced with wires, but it fit snugly around his fingers.

Stephen sighed. "I hope this works…" He clipped the fasteners at the wrists shut, and the tremor in his hands subsided immediately. "Wow! That is more than I expected. Thanks, Tony."

He put a pair of surgical gloves over them and turned to the door.

The surgery went well and without complications. Stephen marveled at the technological wonder that he had received from Tony Stark. After he had finished the operation on the little girl, the nurse from earlier came to him. She told him that they had another emergency and asked if Stephen had time to help him too. The sorcerer agreed to help the man, and one patient turned into two and three and more. Countless hours later he sat exhausted to the bone in the changing room when the nurse came to him and handed him a paper cup with lukewarm coffee.

"Hey, Doc. I just wanted to thank you. For all that you did today."

He took a sip of coffee and waved his hand dismissively.

"No, honestly. You saved a lot of lives today."

"That wasn't me alone." He looked at the gloves he was still wearing.

"What is it with those gloves? The nurse who assisted you told me you insisted on wearing them the whole time…"

With a heavy sigh, he looked up at her. "The car accident a couple of years ago – it crushed my hands. Ended my career as a surgeon. I had constant tremors that made even small tasks nearly impossible. These gloves manage to stop them almost completely."

"That is impressive tech. I've never heard of something like that."

"I don't think something like that exists anywhere else. They are a prototype Tony Stark gave me as a gift. I didn't have time to try them until today."

"Wow, Tony Stark? You must be a very good friend of his when he made something like that for you."

Stephen laughed a humorless laugh. "Yeah. You could say that…"

The nurse seemed to sense the sadness behind those words and tried to lighten the mood. "Then you are surely invited to the wedding."

"What wedding?" Stephen asked bewildered.

"His wedding?"

Stephen still looked puzzled.

"How can you not have heard of that? It's going to be a bigger deal than Megan and Prince Harry! It's all over the tabloids."

"Who… Who is he going to marry?"

"His CEO, Virginia Potts." She looked at him questioning. "You didn't know that?"

He hesitated, "I thought he was already married…"

"Oh. Maybe you know something the public doesn't. You know him personally after all."

"Yeah… Maybe… Not that it still matters – he's dead anyway." He was too tired to think of what he just heard and said, but deep in his heart, there was this nagging feeling that something was fundamentally wrong with the world.

For a moment there was an awkward silence.

"Change of subject: How do you get home, Doc?" the nurse asked with faked cheerfulness.

Stephen thought of that for a moment, until he answered, "I don't know. My sling ring and the Cloak of Levitation have been destroyed… and even if there were still any busses or taxis running, I wouldn't be able to get home because I'm absolutely broke…"

"Okay." Her glance told the doctor that she questioned his sanity. "I'll pretend that what you just said made any sense."

No matter how tired he was, he couldn't help but laugh.

"How about this: I have a motorbike, and if you like I'll give you a ride."

He looked thankfully at her and nodded. "I didn't even ask for your name," he confessed ashamed.

She laughed. "It's Linda Carter."

Smiling, he shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Linda Carter."

-–-

When Stephen finally arrived home, he didn't even have the energy to remove his shoes. All he managed to do was to crash on the couch and fall asleep.

-–-

"Stephen! Stephen!" Someone poked the sleeping sorcerer. He looked up and saw Spider-Man hovering over him.

"What is it, Pete?"

"There's something wrong with my room! All my stuff is gone!"

Stephen didn't even have the energy to care at the moment. All he wanted was to sleep.

"I'll look into it. Tomorrow. Go to your bed."

"But… it's gone…"

"Then sleep in my bed. I won't move any time soon…" with these words he had already fallen asleep again.

-–-

When Stephen woke up the next day every bone in his body hurt. Damn this couch. Tony was right. They should get a more comfortable one.

Stephen stopped.

There had been this explosion. Tony was dead. He would never come back from Titan. Stephen had to fight the tears. After everything that happened yesterday he simply hadn't had the time to think about that, but now it hit him with the power of a freight train.

Anthony Edward Stark was dead.

Gone.

Forever.

And Christine as well.

But Stephen didn't even have time to mourn. The World needed the few superheroes that were still left more than ever. And maybe this was a good thing – having a purpose would stop him from the despair that lurked in the dark corners of his thoughts.

So, first things first: Stephen had to try to contact the remaining Avengers. He needed to find out what exactly had happened. How was it possible that Thanos' plan was successful when the titan and the gauntlet had been destroyed in a disastrous explosion just moments before? (Together with Tony ... no, better not go there.)

He had to find Captain America (but where should he start to look?) … Or maybe Rhodey (if he hadn't vanished) or even Thor (what if he was still somewhere out in space?).

Clearly, there were too many 'ifs'.

Stephen decided he had to start on familiar ground: he would go to Kamar-Taj and seek Wong's advice (hoping the librarian was still alive).

And just as he steeled himself for the day to come, Peter came screaming into the living room, "He is alive! He's back! They are showing it on TV! The ship of the Guardians just landed at Stark Tower!"

"What?" Stephen was confused.

Peter didn't answer. He just turned on the television. It showed shaky news helicopter footage of a spaceship standing on the landing pad on top of Stark Tower. A small figure in a tattered tracksuit stepped out into the blinding light of the midday sun.

"Tony!" Stephen's heart skipped a beat. How was this possible? His confusion only grew as the blue cyborg warrior called Nebula followed the Avenger. How could she be alive? Stephen had seen her turn into dust just the other day. There was something substantially wrong here.

"Come on!" Peter, already in his Spider-Man outfit, handed him a fresh robe and one of his reserve sling rings.