Ranma Saotome: Master of the Mystic Arts
By Brendan O'Donnell
Chapter 4 appendium
Note mostly retelling the story from Strange Tales183-187 in two appendiums to Chapters 4 and 5
In a less used part of Central Park in New York City, a mugger was searching for his next victim. The part was quiet, and there was no one in sight. He adjusted his jacket as he felt a wind from behind him. Then he froze as he saw the trees in front of him lit up by a great light, heard a deep cracking sound reverberating behind him. He turned around and looked.
On his knees in the path was a tall man in a blue suit with a matching hat. Shaking his head slightly he rose to his feet and looked the Mugger in the eye.
The mugger felt a sense of confidence, then a flash of the same trepidation he had felt the time he had tried to attack SpiderMan. This time he listened to his reservations, and walked away.
Stepping away from the Taxi, Dr. Strange looked up at his Sanctum Sanctorium. Frowning to himself he walked into an alley two buildings away from his home. Standing in a small alcove, he separated his astral body and carefully floated through the walls of his home.
Peeking carefully through the floor, Strange saw a tall looking over a scroll in his sanctum. *As I suspected, Mordo has left one of his servants in case of my return.* His Astral body slipped back out of the house, and returned to his physical form. "I know I could overpower him easily, but the moment he sees me Mordo will know. I have to discover the source of his increased power before facing him again." Leaving the alley, he turned and walked away from his sanctum. Then he paused, glancing at the window of a nearby costume shop. "Hmm, yes, that might work."
"DR. STRANGE!!" the costumed figure called as he pounded his fist on the door of the brownstone. "Come out Dr. Strange! I know your in there! I've come to challenge you! To match my magic powers against yours!" He was a middle-aged man, somewhat heavyset with a trimmed mustache and beard, and decked from head to foot in an extremely gaudy yellow and green costume, complete with cape.
With a frown, Mordo's agent focused his attention on this intruder. "Some costumed oaf. I must dispose of him at once." With a gesture he opened the door from the street.
Storming into the room, the yellow clad 'oaf' paused to look at Mordo's henchman. Taking in his forked beard, his purple and red outfit, he came to a stop. "Hey! Who are you?? You can't fool me! You're not Dr. Strange!"
"Begone, witless one! There is no Dr. Strange within these confines! He has departed forever!"
Pivoting the self proclaimed mage stormed away. "Bah! You cannot fool me! I know he's inside! I'm going to tell the newspapers what a fraud he is! What a coward he is!"
*No! if he does that he could warn Dr. Strange away!* "Wait! Come Back!"
Pivoting, the man in the yellow costume lashed out with a punch that knocked Mordo's agent to the ground. After double checking that his adversary was indeed unconscious, he rose and ran into the sanctum, pulling latex and a false beard off his face. As the disguise was thrown aside, Dr. Strange's features became clear. *I have just enough time. The Orb of Agamotto can show me the source of Mordo's increased power. And that knowledge may be my only hope against him!*
Dr. Strange entered the shrouded chamber where the Orb of Agamotto rested, contained beneath a red metal dome on a pedestal with four eyes looking in four directions.
"By all the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, I command thee, awesome Agamotto, let thine All-seeing eye open before me!"
The metal dome rose, bathing Dr. Strange in it's pure light. "NO!" Dr. Strange froze to look at the black power becoming visible in the light of the orb before dissolving into nothingness. "It's a Trap! Mordo knows I'm here!"
In his own sanctum Baron Mordo smiled as he contemplated the enchanted globe he before him. "See Dormammu? My plan has worked! Now that we know where he is, we can strike once again!"
From his side, Dormamu spoke through the square portal he was using to connect with the Baron. "But heed my words! My Patience wears exceedingly thin! This time he must be destroyed! You must not fail!"
Smirking arrogantly Mordo responded, "With your unearthly power added to my own, I cannot fail! And so Dread Dormammu, I turn to you again." Power radiated from the portal, flowing into Mordo like a raging torrent. "Ahhh, this time victory shall surely be ours!"
In the Dark Dimension Dormammu contemplated Mordo as he flew across the world, moving with a speed that would make the fastest jets look sluggish. *Soon.* Dormammu thought. *Only the oath I swore to Doctor Strange prevents me from claiming that dimension. But once Strange is destroyed, that oath will protect it no longer!*
Nearby a young looking woman with snow white hair looked at Dormammu's throne. She turned to the bald figure beside her. "Father, the dreaded one has sat thus motionless for Days! You are his closest disciple! What new, fantastic plan is he plotting?"
"It is not safe to ask, my child! He shall tell us in his own good time!"
She turned to look at Dormammu again. Thinking back to her brief encounter with Dr. Strange, she shuddered as she thought of how Dormammu had raged about his defeat. And how she had feared that he would seek a way around the oath Dr. Strange had invoked to protect her from his anger.
Dr. Strange stood in his sanctum, discarding the last of his disguise and adjusting his cloak of levitation. "Mordo will be here any moment. And this time there is no where to run."
"Indeed not Strange!" Mordo said as his body reformed from the sphere of energy his had become to cross the distance to New York. "There is no escape for you now."
"This time I will stay and fight."
"True but incomplete. You will also die!" Raising his hands Mordo fired off a quick burst of power that forced Dr. Strange back a step.
Raising his hands Dr. Strange released a quick attack while opening his amulet to release the light of truth that Mordo feared. With a gesture Mordo formed a shield against both the attack and the light.
"You can't dazzle me with your amulet this time." Mordo said with a sneer. Raising his hands he began to pour Dromammu's power into blast after blast, forcing Strange back.
Strange backed away slowly, reluctantly, but inevitably. He staggered through a door into the next room Mordo calmly following him.
"You never guessed my power was so great, did you?"
"Not your power, you are drawing on a power far greater than your own."
"You are guessing! And trying to delay." He attacked once again, channeling Dormammu's power into a massive barrage that knocked strange to the ground.
Using the wall, Dr. Strange pulled himself to his feet.
"How can you still move?" Mordo asked as he attacked once more.
Once again, Dr. Strange just deflected this attack, but he immediately realised that the attack was the weakest blast Mordo had unleashed in the entire battle. At the same time, he could see the power in Mordo surging as strong as before if not stronger. *Of course. I've held out long enough that he feels doubt in his abilities.* Gathering all his strength, Dr. Strange prepaired to take advantage of this brief advantage.
In the Dark Dimension, Dormamu also saw the moment of weakness in his pawn. "Mordo! Stand fast and empty your mind!"
Mordo's uncertainty vanished, displaced by a wave of incredible power. "Prepare yourself, Dr. Strange - - for the Inevitable!!"
Through Mordo, Dormammu lashed out with his own irresistable might.
"YES!" Mordo proclaimed, as his consciousness regained control of his body. "With Dormammu's supreme power I have finally destroyed Dr. Strange!"
"Cease your boasting Mordo, Dr. Strange has escaped you once again!"
"NO! How? You saw him vanish before our final attack! He could not have survived that!"
"He managed to open a rift between dimensions, and the power you channeled simply served to push him through, you blind fool!"
"Dormammu! We must pursue him! Increase my powers once again and I shall. . ."
"Do not presume, Mordo! The dimensions of eternity are infinite! I will not waste my strength on such a pointless search. Instead you will remain on earth and wait.
"The Globe you captured from the ancient one will sense Dr. Strange's magic. When he returns, if he survives to return, you will find him again and send him to the fate he has dodged today."
A small shapeless form hurtled through the infinite. Propelled by an incredible force, it pierced the barriors between hundreds of dimensions, shooting through layer after layer of reality, like a bullet through a thousand sheets of paper. But eventually the force propelling the object was exhausted. As it's speed decreased, the etheral form began to stretch and distort. Finally the now drifting thing, expanded into the human form of Dr. Strange.
Dr. Strange opened his eyes. *It worked! By using the force of Mordo's own spell I've escaped again. But where am I? And what might I have to face here.*
Feeling another presence behind him he turned. On a node on a great twisting vine was a woman "Whoever you are, wherever you come from, you must leave at once! If you stay you will be in terrible danger."
With a thought Dr. Strange floated to the node as well. "What Danger? I mean this world no harm."
"That doesn't matter to my half-sister Shazana. She has recently stolen the throne, and she fears challenge so much that she has decreed death to any and all strangers! If she finds you, she will kill you!"
Suddenly a shimmering globe of mystic force surged from the empty sky to engulf them. Pivoting to look, they saw a man riding a strange looking grey steed through the air toward them. "Your warning is too late. Shazana's eyes and ears are everywhere! And she will reward me handsomely for bringing her you." He put away his vaguely gun shaped talisman, and pulled on loop of wire who's ends were attached to his mount's beak. As he took off toward the large structure rising from the meeting of several of the great vines, the globe rose and followed him.
*I should have guessed that my spell of escape would draw me to a world where the mystic arts are also practised.*
The guard pushed Dr. Strange and his companion before him into a large room, dominated by a small curved staircase. Dr. Strange looked at the dark haired woman standing confidently before the stairs, and stepped forward, raising a hand. "Greetings, I am a visitor from another dimension. I come in peace, and believe we could both learn much of benefit from each other."
Angrily turning, the woman replied angrily, "You can't decieve me so easialy! My half sister has wanted to steal back her throne, and you clearly are trying to help her. You can't fool Shazana so easialy!" She began to gather mystical power in both her hands. "I shall dispose of you both with a single spell!"
*I'm still weak from my trip through the dimensions, but I must fight back!* Raising a hand, Dr. Strange gestured, and the spell Shazana was forming collapsed.
"So, dear sister! You have recruited a mage from another world to regain your throne!" She gathered her mystical powers again, this time prepared for interference.
"She's too strong! We have to run, now!"
Shaking his head Dr. Strange responded, "NO! A mystic spell can travel faster than we could ever hope to move. If we flee, we're doomed!"
"You are doomed whatever you do!" Shazana let her power fill herself and radiate into the surroundings. "I can feel your weakness!" She released a blast of mystical power at Dr. Strange.
*As I am now, she is too powerful for me to face. My only hope is if she thinks that this weakness is my normal state.* He collapsed
"So easy. No need to kill him. He will serve even better as a living reminder of my invincibility, and an example to all who might dare to oppose me!" She laughed confidently.
Her sister took a step toward Dr. Strange. "No closer!" Shazana gathered her power. "Now that I think of it, I have nothing to fear from you either!" With a quick gesture she formed a small globe of light. "I shall let you live also, to show my subjects how merciful their Queen Shazana is!" A motion of her hand sent the globe of light bobbing slowly down the hall. "Follow the light to your quarters! And remain there till I send for you!" Head bowed, her sister followed the globe from the room.
"Now to deal with you. I think I shall cast a spell of helplessness and then put you on public display!"
*By the powers of the Vistani- I conjure a brief delay!* With skill only the greatest sorcerors possesed, Dr. Strange touched the thread of his fate, let the silently called powers touch it and through it all others.
"Supreme Shazana!" declaired a messenger as he bowed low just inside the doorway. "Your subjects have arrived to offer tribute to your supreme majesty!"
"Ah! Good! Good! I shall accept their gifts while you remain here awaiting your fate."
Dr. Strange sat alone in the room. For a moment his astral body began to sepperate from his physical body, but then the two phased back together. *Too soon. Assuming my astral form would weaken me too much.* Relaxing he centered his breathing, and felt the mystic energy of the new world flow into and through him. With each breath he felt a little more of his weakness fade away. *Every moment restores a little more of my strength. But I cannot stay too long in this realm! Mordo threatens earth, and no one has the strength to stop him!* Slowly he sat, gathering more and more of his energy. A small reptile, shaped like a monkey, slowly made its way into the room and circled closer and closer to him.
Dr. Strange clenched a fist. *Enough. I can't benefit any more from waiting.* He glanced around him. The small bipedal lizard that looking at him started back. Raising a hand, Dr. Strange froze the creature with one gesture. *I remember this. It seemed to be Shazana's pet.* The amulet at his throat opened. A glowing eye floated from within it, then affixed itself to his forehead. Light poured from the eye.
Dr. Strange felt the strange alien mind of the animal he was examining. In a few moments he began to feel it's memories. *Ah, there is Shazana, it is indeed hers.* He began to sift through the disjointed images. *It now becomes clear. Shazana offered a master sorceror great rewards in exchange for his crafting a mystic globe that endowed her with great mystical powers. And when he gave her what she had sought she proved it's power by killing him. Then she hid the orb beneath the throne.* The beam of light faded, and the eye detached from his forehead and floated back into the amulet. *Now I know my enemy. And that is the greatest weapon of all.*
Dr. Strange focused his mind through his amulet. The eye rose to merge with his forehead once again, then an image of the eye projected forth. Silently the invisible eye sped through the palace, following the path Shazana's sister had taken. In her room the image grew and became visible, manifesting Dr. Strange's image within itself.
"Have no fear! I can defeat Shazana. Come to me at once." Through the eye Dr. Strange directed a simple spell onto her. "None shall stop you!"
Just under a minute later Shazana's sister entered the room again. "Beter to die fighting." She said quietly.
"No one need die." Dr. Strange looked at her approvingly. "I have learned of the source of Shazana's power, and to eliminate it I will need only to distract her away from her throne for a few moments. You must summon those you most trust."
"There are many who would give their lives to end her reign."
With a thought, Dr. Strange taped the power of his cloak and rose to sit in the air before the small group. "So none of you shall doubt my mastery of the Mystic Arts!" He then outlined his plans to the rebels. Shazana's sister and two others lead him to the throne room, leaving the others to prepare their delaying plans.
Shazana rose from her throne and strode forward, a feirce scowl on her face. "You call this tribute?!" Raising her hands she gathered her mystic powers. "I shall send you to the dungeon to rethink your stinginess." Releasing her spell, she watched with satisfaction as the emisaries and their large gold filled chest fell through the hole in reality she had opened. "They try to test my great benevolence." She turned to the throne, then turned away and smiled. Turning she strode from the room. "I shall deal with that stranger now. When my people see the folly of opposing me, they will not be so disrespectful again." She walked past Dr Strange and her sister and continued down the hall.
"She didn't see us."
"My Magic shileded us from her sight." Dr. Strange replied as he walked into the throne room. He stopped and looked at the throne. Focusing his mystical perception, he saw the ordered magic of the orb permiating the throne. *She will sense physical tampering, but I can see how to circumvent that.* Opening his amulet, he let the light of Agamato shine on the throne, which began to glow in response.
Shazana ran from the audience room. "Where is he! Whoever helped him leave shall feel my wraith," She froze a moment. "My Throne!"
In the throne room, the throne shimmered and faded to nothingness before the light of Dr. Strange's amulet. "There, the source of Shazana's power is revealed!"
From another enterance, Shazana ran into the room. "Stop, I don't know who helped you to escape. . ." She saw Dr. Strange levitating before the diasis, right over her orb. "NO!! KEEP AWAY FROM THAT!!" Tapping her powers as fast as she could, she attacked, and watched her blasts bounce of a casually erected shield.
"Your days as queen are over." Dr. strange said as he wove the remainder of a complex spell across the sphere and himself. With a gesture he shattered the globe, Empowering his newly crafted spell with the power to send him through the dimensions once again, this time aimed precisely at the dimension of earth.
The fabric of reality of the sky above New York, bulged and warped for a few moments, before tearing open to disgorge an amorphos shape which transformed back to the form of Dr. Strange. "I'm back on earth!" he said as he reorineted himself, ignoring the growing thunderstorm overhead. Recognizing his location, he descended to the alley where he had hidden his street clothes. *I cannot return to my sanctom, Mordo's minions are surely on guard. Yet I still posses one advantage! Mordo has no way of knowing that I have returned. I shall use these precious moments to visit the Ancient One.*
He quickly checked into a nearby hotel. Drawing the shades, he settled into the chair and sepperated his astral form. *The Quickest way to reach Tibet is by journeying thru the core of Earth* With this thought, he dived through the street, and within seconds emerged from the floor of the cave where the Ancient one was hidden.
Glancing at the Accolite who was mopping the ancient one's brow with a damp cloth, Dr. Strange cast a small spell to make his Astral form visible.
"Young Master! You have returned! The Vishanti be praised!"
"Thank you but the master is my main concern." Dr. Strange said as he levitated closer to the bed.
The accolite took a respectful step back. "The Ancient One has been in a coma since you left. Each day he grows weaker. But it is beyond my poor powers to aid him. I could only pray for your return!"
Dr. Strange opened his senses, and felt the Ancient one's life energy. "He is weak. He needs strength!"
"Many times in his coma, he muttered a word - - only one word over and over again! The word - - Eternity!"
"No time for that now! I must replenish his strength quickly - - before it is too late!" Standing at the foot of the bed, Dr. Strange focused his power in his amulet.
"Let the power of the Eye of Agamato bathe thee venerable master! Let it's strength become thy strength!" Watching the brightening glow of the Ancient one's life, Dr. Strange let the power flow for one second, then two, then three. "Enough! Too strong a dose could prove fatal!"
Turning to the accolite Dr. Strange said, "I must go now. I shall return periodically to re-administer the amulet's power! Till then, guard him well, faithful one - - while I ponder the meaning of - - Eternity!" Leaning forward, he sank through the floor.
Minutes later he rose in the library of the ancient one's sanctum. Releasing the all seeing eye from it's amulet, he let it rise to his forehead to become a third eye. Focusing his awareness through the eye, he turned his gaze on the books and scrolls filling the room. Long seconds later, he let the eye return to it's place in the amulet. "No use! There is no reference to Eternity! If the Master said it, it must be important! I shall not rest till I learn its meaning!"
He phased through the wall of the chamber, then whipped his head to look at the presence to his left. His eyes met the eyes of one of Mordo's wraith servents, *It's seen me!*
In his own sanctum, Mordo suddenly tensed. "A signal! One of my spirits has found him! At last!"
As Mordo seperated his own astral form from his physical body, Dormamu spoke from the small tear in reality. "After him Mordo! Have no fear, I shall feed you endless mystic power as you need it!"
Seconds later, Mordo and three attendant wraiths caught sight of Dr. Strange in the caverns beneath the earth. "I see him!" Mordo cried as he focused a fast blast of power against Dr. Strange.
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu sat on his throne, using the connection that empowered Mordo to watch the chase through his eyes. "Mordo must triumph this time! I must have Strange dead!
"Once he is gone, I'll be free of my oath! I'll be able to come to earth in person and conquer it!"
Hidden well back from the throne, a young looking woman with short white hair watched Dormammu with a very troubled expression. Turning from him she speed away. *I owe Dr. Strange my life! And now there is only one way I can save him. No matter the cost - - I must do it!*
In the caverns, Dr. Strange phased through a natural piller, avoiding simaltanous mystic blasts from Mordo and a wraith. *It's too cramped down. I must return to the surface!* Seconds later he shot up from the ground in an Indian town square, Mordo in hot pursuit
"You won't escape me this time, Strange! There is no place you can go where I cannot follow!"
Strange fled across and into the ocean, Mordo and his wraiths in pursuit. *Their speed is equal to mine! There is no way I can out-distance them! And Mordo can transfer his power to any of his spirits at will! So they are all equally strong!*
In the Dark Dimension, the white haired girl was flying purposfully, a small speckled sphere grasped to her chest. *The Barrier. Beyond here the Mindless Ones have been imprisoned by the power of the Dread Dormammu!* She felt terror rising within her as she gazed through the barrier. Inside the Mindless One's were following the dictates of their nature, striding irregularly, lashing out at anything in their path with their mighty fists, or blasts of power from their single eye.
*Only Dormammu's mystic barrier kept them at bay!* She carefully set the sphere onto the floating vine which marked the edge of Dormammu's barrier. *But this device which I have seized can weaken the barrier!* Activating the sphere, she fled as the orb drank the barrier power.
Behind her more and more of the barriers power was drained away by the sphere's power. And the drain was intensified as those mindless one's near the barrier continued to periodically recognnise it as an obsticle. Then the barrier collapsed.
Like a hoard of rampaging, living dreadnaughts, the unthinking creatures charged foreward, hungering for the fury of battle! Seconds later, they passed unknowing through a warning spell placed by Dormammu.
"The Mindless Ones Attack!!" The mystic alarm in the dark dimension screamed.
"I can help you no longer! Other Matters need my attention! Defeat Dr. Strange on your own!"
"NO!" Responded Mordo on earth. "You must not desert me now!"
"I must! But Strange will not know you are less powerfull! You can still defeat him!"
"Dormammu! DORMAMMU! Wait! Come back! Come back!"
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu appeared before the onrushing tide of the mindless ones. Sensing his threat, they began their attack, directing enough force to shatter an earth city against him. Gathering his power, Dormammu deflected their power while gathering the magic to form a new barrier to seal them away. "Back, you brainless cattle! Back to the place from whence you came! Dormammu commands!"
On earth, Dr. strange floated between the skyscrapers of LosAngeles, dodging the blasts that now came from every direction. *They've finally surrounded me! I dare not let them come any closer! The only direction left to me is - - upward!* Pushing his astral forms speed to it's limits, he rose straight up into the sky.
"After him!" Mordo urged his minions as he flew into the sky after his prey. "He must not escape!"
*I must go higher - - higher! Past earth's atmosphere - - Past the moon - - Right to the center of the Solar System!*
"Has he gone mad?? He's heading right into the sun itself!" Mordo almost slowed as he realised his enemies destination. *Heat alone cannot affect our ectoplasmic forms, but the sheer power of the suns core. . *
As approached the outer surface of the sun, Dr. Strange glanced backward. "Follow me, Mordo - - if you dare! For if we both perish, earth will be free of your menace and The Ancient One will be safe!" Looking forward, he dove through the Suns flaming skin.
Mordo did slow as he approached the Suns surface. Feeling his servants fear, he glanced back at them. *They will go no further, they fear what awaits them! But I must go on!* Turning back to the sun, Mordo accelerated again. *I've come so close! I can't fail now!* He felt the spirits suddenly fleeing back to earth. *They're deserting me completely! But - - they would not dare such behavior unless they can sense I am doomed!* *Bah! What am I thinking! None can defeat me!*
He plunged into the sun, and flew deeper, feeling the raw might of the sun, feeling his astral body begining to protest what he was doing. "Your scheme did not work, Strange! You cannot loose me! Wherever you go, I'll follow you, until you are destroyed!"
Looking back at Mordo, Dr. Strange responded. "No Mordo - - not just I - - both of us! For I shall fly directly into the core of the Sun - - and I'll take you with me!
*That means certain death! Unless - - what if it is a trick? What if he knows a spell to protect himself? That must be it! He plans to lure me to my death! But I'm too smart for him! He cannot trap me!* No, Strange - - I shall not follow you!" Turning he focused his power into speeding his escape from the sea of nuclear fire. "You cannot trick me so easily! I'll wait for you on earth and attack you again at my leisure!"
Dr. Strange watched Mordo flee, then began to speed an escape of his own. *It worked! He's fleeing! The shades of the seraphim have been merciful to me! Now I shall return to earth by a different route. With luck it will be days before Mordo finds me again!*
A few minutes later, Dr. Strange's astral form floated down through the ceiling of the cave where the Ancient one was hidden. "How fares the Master?"
"He is better, Dr. Strange! Your amulet has strengthened him, though he is still in a coma."
"It is time to repeat the treatment, with a stronger intensity now!"
As the light of Agamato poured over the Ancient One, his breathing quickened, and deepened. "Eternity!" He whispered "You must find Eternity!"
"He tries to speak." The accolite said quietly. "Listen!"
Seconds passed. "He is silent again. The strain has weakened him." Dr. Strange raised his hands to the phantom essence of his amulet. The all seeing eye once again rose to his forehead. "Perhaps I can probe his mind, and learn the meaning of eternity."
Leaning forward, Dr. Strange directed the light from they eye, and reached into the Ancient one's mind. "Gently - - gently - - the slightest error in pressure could cause untold brain damage!" He probed carefully, then frowned. "It is no use! He is in a coma again! And his mind is locked in a mystic defense! If I try to penetrate his mental defences, one of us would surely perish! I must find another way!"
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu watched the Mindless one's futile attempt to force their way through his hasty weavings. "There! Only the Dread Dormammu could have erected a new barrier to confine you once more! And now, by the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, I force my barrier back, back - - Back to the outer reaches of my empire, where you shall remain forevermore!"
Mordo paced anxously in his sanctum. *Why is there no word from Dormammu?? What has happened to him?* Feeling a wash of power, he looked at where Dormammu's image once again shone in the air.
"Mordo! Is it over? Is Dr. Strange destroyed??"
"NO! The spirits deserted me! And Strange had the secret of survival in the sun's core! I dared not follow him!
"Coward! There is no such secret! You feared to follow! I must go now. My own power has been drained - - I must renew it. But I shall return to you before long! Meanwhile, continue to search for Dr. Strange! Hound him - - weary him - - give him no rest! That is all!"
As Dormammu sat on his throne, absorbing power and contemplating the Mindless one's escape, the white haired young woman responsible, replaced the device that had weakened the barrier. *But if he thinks about it, Dormammu is almost certain to discover that I am responsible!*
By Brendan O'Donnell
Chapter 4 appendium
Note mostly retelling the story from Strange Tales183-187 in two appendiums to Chapters 4 and 5
In a less used part of Central Park in New York City, a mugger was searching for his next victim. The part was quiet, and there was no one in sight. He adjusted his jacket as he felt a wind from behind him. Then he froze as he saw the trees in front of him lit up by a great light, heard a deep cracking sound reverberating behind him. He turned around and looked.
On his knees in the path was a tall man in a blue suit with a matching hat. Shaking his head slightly he rose to his feet and looked the Mugger in the eye.
The mugger felt a sense of confidence, then a flash of the same trepidation he had felt the time he had tried to attack SpiderMan. This time he listened to his reservations, and walked away.
Stepping away from the Taxi, Dr. Strange looked up at his Sanctum Sanctorium. Frowning to himself he walked into an alley two buildings away from his home. Standing in a small alcove, he separated his astral body and carefully floated through the walls of his home.
Peeking carefully through the floor, Strange saw a tall looking over a scroll in his sanctum. *As I suspected, Mordo has left one of his servants in case of my return.* His Astral body slipped back out of the house, and returned to his physical form. "I know I could overpower him easily, but the moment he sees me Mordo will know. I have to discover the source of his increased power before facing him again." Leaving the alley, he turned and walked away from his sanctum. Then he paused, glancing at the window of a nearby costume shop. "Hmm, yes, that might work."
"DR. STRANGE!!" the costumed figure called as he pounded his fist on the door of the brownstone. "Come out Dr. Strange! I know your in there! I've come to challenge you! To match my magic powers against yours!" He was a middle-aged man, somewhat heavyset with a trimmed mustache and beard, and decked from head to foot in an extremely gaudy yellow and green costume, complete with cape.
With a frown, Mordo's agent focused his attention on this intruder. "Some costumed oaf. I must dispose of him at once." With a gesture he opened the door from the street.
Storming into the room, the yellow clad 'oaf' paused to look at Mordo's henchman. Taking in his forked beard, his purple and red outfit, he came to a stop. "Hey! Who are you?? You can't fool me! You're not Dr. Strange!"
"Begone, witless one! There is no Dr. Strange within these confines! He has departed forever!"
Pivoting the self proclaimed mage stormed away. "Bah! You cannot fool me! I know he's inside! I'm going to tell the newspapers what a fraud he is! What a coward he is!"
*No! if he does that he could warn Dr. Strange away!* "Wait! Come Back!"
Pivoting, the man in the yellow costume lashed out with a punch that knocked Mordo's agent to the ground. After double checking that his adversary was indeed unconscious, he rose and ran into the sanctum, pulling latex and a false beard off his face. As the disguise was thrown aside, Dr. Strange's features became clear. *I have just enough time. The Orb of Agamotto can show me the source of Mordo's increased power. And that knowledge may be my only hope against him!*
Dr. Strange entered the shrouded chamber where the Orb of Agamotto rested, contained beneath a red metal dome on a pedestal with four eyes looking in four directions.
"By all the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, I command thee, awesome Agamotto, let thine All-seeing eye open before me!"
The metal dome rose, bathing Dr. Strange in it's pure light. "NO!" Dr. Strange froze to look at the black power becoming visible in the light of the orb before dissolving into nothingness. "It's a Trap! Mordo knows I'm here!"
In his own sanctum Baron Mordo smiled as he contemplated the enchanted globe he before him. "See Dormammu? My plan has worked! Now that we know where he is, we can strike once again!"
From his side, Dormamu spoke through the square portal he was using to connect with the Baron. "But heed my words! My Patience wears exceedingly thin! This time he must be destroyed! You must not fail!"
Smirking arrogantly Mordo responded, "With your unearthly power added to my own, I cannot fail! And so Dread Dormammu, I turn to you again." Power radiated from the portal, flowing into Mordo like a raging torrent. "Ahhh, this time victory shall surely be ours!"
In the Dark Dimension Dormammu contemplated Mordo as he flew across the world, moving with a speed that would make the fastest jets look sluggish. *Soon.* Dormammu thought. *Only the oath I swore to Doctor Strange prevents me from claiming that dimension. But once Strange is destroyed, that oath will protect it no longer!*
Nearby a young looking woman with snow white hair looked at Dormammu's throne. She turned to the bald figure beside her. "Father, the dreaded one has sat thus motionless for Days! You are his closest disciple! What new, fantastic plan is he plotting?"
"It is not safe to ask, my child! He shall tell us in his own good time!"
She turned to look at Dormammu again. Thinking back to her brief encounter with Dr. Strange, she shuddered as she thought of how Dormammu had raged about his defeat. And how she had feared that he would seek a way around the oath Dr. Strange had invoked to protect her from his anger.
Dr. Strange stood in his sanctum, discarding the last of his disguise and adjusting his cloak of levitation. "Mordo will be here any moment. And this time there is no where to run."
"Indeed not Strange!" Mordo said as his body reformed from the sphere of energy his had become to cross the distance to New York. "There is no escape for you now."
"This time I will stay and fight."
"True but incomplete. You will also die!" Raising his hands Mordo fired off a quick burst of power that forced Dr. Strange back a step.
Raising his hands Dr. Strange released a quick attack while opening his amulet to release the light of truth that Mordo feared. With a gesture Mordo formed a shield against both the attack and the light.
"You can't dazzle me with your amulet this time." Mordo said with a sneer. Raising his hands he began to pour Dromammu's power into blast after blast, forcing Strange back.
Strange backed away slowly, reluctantly, but inevitably. He staggered through a door into the next room Mordo calmly following him.
"You never guessed my power was so great, did you?"
"Not your power, you are drawing on a power far greater than your own."
"You are guessing! And trying to delay." He attacked once again, channeling Dormammu's power into a massive barrage that knocked strange to the ground.
Using the wall, Dr. Strange pulled himself to his feet.
"How can you still move?" Mordo asked as he attacked once more.
Once again, Dr. Strange just deflected this attack, but he immediately realised that the attack was the weakest blast Mordo had unleashed in the entire battle. At the same time, he could see the power in Mordo surging as strong as before if not stronger. *Of course. I've held out long enough that he feels doubt in his abilities.* Gathering all his strength, Dr. Strange prepaired to take advantage of this brief advantage.
In the Dark Dimension, Dormamu also saw the moment of weakness in his pawn. "Mordo! Stand fast and empty your mind!"
Mordo's uncertainty vanished, displaced by a wave of incredible power. "Prepare yourself, Dr. Strange - - for the Inevitable!!"
Through Mordo, Dormammu lashed out with his own irresistable might.
"YES!" Mordo proclaimed, as his consciousness regained control of his body. "With Dormammu's supreme power I have finally destroyed Dr. Strange!"
"Cease your boasting Mordo, Dr. Strange has escaped you once again!"
"NO! How? You saw him vanish before our final attack! He could not have survived that!"
"He managed to open a rift between dimensions, and the power you channeled simply served to push him through, you blind fool!"
"Dormammu! We must pursue him! Increase my powers once again and I shall. . ."
"Do not presume, Mordo! The dimensions of eternity are infinite! I will not waste my strength on such a pointless search. Instead you will remain on earth and wait.
"The Globe you captured from the ancient one will sense Dr. Strange's magic. When he returns, if he survives to return, you will find him again and send him to the fate he has dodged today."
A small shapeless form hurtled through the infinite. Propelled by an incredible force, it pierced the barriors between hundreds of dimensions, shooting through layer after layer of reality, like a bullet through a thousand sheets of paper. But eventually the force propelling the object was exhausted. As it's speed decreased, the etheral form began to stretch and distort. Finally the now drifting thing, expanded into the human form of Dr. Strange.
Dr. Strange opened his eyes. *It worked! By using the force of Mordo's own spell I've escaped again. But where am I? And what might I have to face here.*
Feeling another presence behind him he turned. On a node on a great twisting vine was a woman "Whoever you are, wherever you come from, you must leave at once! If you stay you will be in terrible danger."
With a thought Dr. Strange floated to the node as well. "What Danger? I mean this world no harm."
"That doesn't matter to my half-sister Shazana. She has recently stolen the throne, and she fears challenge so much that she has decreed death to any and all strangers! If she finds you, she will kill you!"
Suddenly a shimmering globe of mystic force surged from the empty sky to engulf them. Pivoting to look, they saw a man riding a strange looking grey steed through the air toward them. "Your warning is too late. Shazana's eyes and ears are everywhere! And she will reward me handsomely for bringing her you." He put away his vaguely gun shaped talisman, and pulled on loop of wire who's ends were attached to his mount's beak. As he took off toward the large structure rising from the meeting of several of the great vines, the globe rose and followed him.
*I should have guessed that my spell of escape would draw me to a world where the mystic arts are also practised.*
The guard pushed Dr. Strange and his companion before him into a large room, dominated by a small curved staircase. Dr. Strange looked at the dark haired woman standing confidently before the stairs, and stepped forward, raising a hand. "Greetings, I am a visitor from another dimension. I come in peace, and believe we could both learn much of benefit from each other."
Angrily turning, the woman replied angrily, "You can't decieve me so easialy! My half sister has wanted to steal back her throne, and you clearly are trying to help her. You can't fool Shazana so easialy!" She began to gather mystical power in both her hands. "I shall dispose of you both with a single spell!"
*I'm still weak from my trip through the dimensions, but I must fight back!* Raising a hand, Dr. Strange gestured, and the spell Shazana was forming collapsed.
"So, dear sister! You have recruited a mage from another world to regain your throne!" She gathered her mystical powers again, this time prepared for interference.
"She's too strong! We have to run, now!"
Shaking his head Dr. Strange responded, "NO! A mystic spell can travel faster than we could ever hope to move. If we flee, we're doomed!"
"You are doomed whatever you do!" Shazana let her power fill herself and radiate into the surroundings. "I can feel your weakness!" She released a blast of mystical power at Dr. Strange.
*As I am now, she is too powerful for me to face. My only hope is if she thinks that this weakness is my normal state.* He collapsed
"So easy. No need to kill him. He will serve even better as a living reminder of my invincibility, and an example to all who might dare to oppose me!" She laughed confidently.
Her sister took a step toward Dr. Strange. "No closer!" Shazana gathered her power. "Now that I think of it, I have nothing to fear from you either!" With a quick gesture she formed a small globe of light. "I shall let you live also, to show my subjects how merciful their Queen Shazana is!" A motion of her hand sent the globe of light bobbing slowly down the hall. "Follow the light to your quarters! And remain there till I send for you!" Head bowed, her sister followed the globe from the room.
"Now to deal with you. I think I shall cast a spell of helplessness and then put you on public display!"
*By the powers of the Vistani- I conjure a brief delay!* With skill only the greatest sorcerors possesed, Dr. Strange touched the thread of his fate, let the silently called powers touch it and through it all others.
"Supreme Shazana!" declaired a messenger as he bowed low just inside the doorway. "Your subjects have arrived to offer tribute to your supreme majesty!"
"Ah! Good! Good! I shall accept their gifts while you remain here awaiting your fate."
Dr. Strange sat alone in the room. For a moment his astral body began to sepperate from his physical body, but then the two phased back together. *Too soon. Assuming my astral form would weaken me too much.* Relaxing he centered his breathing, and felt the mystic energy of the new world flow into and through him. With each breath he felt a little more of his weakness fade away. *Every moment restores a little more of my strength. But I cannot stay too long in this realm! Mordo threatens earth, and no one has the strength to stop him!* Slowly he sat, gathering more and more of his energy. A small reptile, shaped like a monkey, slowly made its way into the room and circled closer and closer to him.
Dr. Strange clenched a fist. *Enough. I can't benefit any more from waiting.* He glanced around him. The small bipedal lizard that looking at him started back. Raising a hand, Dr. Strange froze the creature with one gesture. *I remember this. It seemed to be Shazana's pet.* The amulet at his throat opened. A glowing eye floated from within it, then affixed itself to his forehead. Light poured from the eye.
Dr. Strange felt the strange alien mind of the animal he was examining. In a few moments he began to feel it's memories. *Ah, there is Shazana, it is indeed hers.* He began to sift through the disjointed images. *It now becomes clear. Shazana offered a master sorceror great rewards in exchange for his crafting a mystic globe that endowed her with great mystical powers. And when he gave her what she had sought she proved it's power by killing him. Then she hid the orb beneath the throne.* The beam of light faded, and the eye detached from his forehead and floated back into the amulet. *Now I know my enemy. And that is the greatest weapon of all.*
Dr. Strange focused his mind through his amulet. The eye rose to merge with his forehead once again, then an image of the eye projected forth. Silently the invisible eye sped through the palace, following the path Shazana's sister had taken. In her room the image grew and became visible, manifesting Dr. Strange's image within itself.
"Have no fear! I can defeat Shazana. Come to me at once." Through the eye Dr. Strange directed a simple spell onto her. "None shall stop you!"
Just under a minute later Shazana's sister entered the room again. "Beter to die fighting." She said quietly.
"No one need die." Dr. Strange looked at her approvingly. "I have learned of the source of Shazana's power, and to eliminate it I will need only to distract her away from her throne for a few moments. You must summon those you most trust."
"There are many who would give their lives to end her reign."
With a thought, Dr. Strange taped the power of his cloak and rose to sit in the air before the small group. "So none of you shall doubt my mastery of the Mystic Arts!" He then outlined his plans to the rebels. Shazana's sister and two others lead him to the throne room, leaving the others to prepare their delaying plans.
Shazana rose from her throne and strode forward, a feirce scowl on her face. "You call this tribute?!" Raising her hands she gathered her mystic powers. "I shall send you to the dungeon to rethink your stinginess." Releasing her spell, she watched with satisfaction as the emisaries and their large gold filled chest fell through the hole in reality she had opened. "They try to test my great benevolence." She turned to the throne, then turned away and smiled. Turning she strode from the room. "I shall deal with that stranger now. When my people see the folly of opposing me, they will not be so disrespectful again." She walked past Dr Strange and her sister and continued down the hall.
"She didn't see us."
"My Magic shileded us from her sight." Dr. Strange replied as he walked into the throne room. He stopped and looked at the throne. Focusing his mystical perception, he saw the ordered magic of the orb permiating the throne. *She will sense physical tampering, but I can see how to circumvent that.* Opening his amulet, he let the light of Agamato shine on the throne, which began to glow in response.
Shazana ran from the audience room. "Where is he! Whoever helped him leave shall feel my wraith," She froze a moment. "My Throne!"
In the throne room, the throne shimmered and faded to nothingness before the light of Dr. Strange's amulet. "There, the source of Shazana's power is revealed!"
From another enterance, Shazana ran into the room. "Stop, I don't know who helped you to escape. . ." She saw Dr. Strange levitating before the diasis, right over her orb. "NO!! KEEP AWAY FROM THAT!!" Tapping her powers as fast as she could, she attacked, and watched her blasts bounce of a casually erected shield.
"Your days as queen are over." Dr. strange said as he wove the remainder of a complex spell across the sphere and himself. With a gesture he shattered the globe, Empowering his newly crafted spell with the power to send him through the dimensions once again, this time aimed precisely at the dimension of earth.
The fabric of reality of the sky above New York, bulged and warped for a few moments, before tearing open to disgorge an amorphos shape which transformed back to the form of Dr. Strange. "I'm back on earth!" he said as he reorineted himself, ignoring the growing thunderstorm overhead. Recognizing his location, he descended to the alley where he had hidden his street clothes. *I cannot return to my sanctom, Mordo's minions are surely on guard. Yet I still posses one advantage! Mordo has no way of knowing that I have returned. I shall use these precious moments to visit the Ancient One.*
He quickly checked into a nearby hotel. Drawing the shades, he settled into the chair and sepperated his astral form. *The Quickest way to reach Tibet is by journeying thru the core of Earth* With this thought, he dived through the street, and within seconds emerged from the floor of the cave where the Ancient one was hidden.
Glancing at the Accolite who was mopping the ancient one's brow with a damp cloth, Dr. Strange cast a small spell to make his Astral form visible.
"Young Master! You have returned! The Vishanti be praised!"
"Thank you but the master is my main concern." Dr. Strange said as he levitated closer to the bed.
The accolite took a respectful step back. "The Ancient One has been in a coma since you left. Each day he grows weaker. But it is beyond my poor powers to aid him. I could only pray for your return!"
Dr. Strange opened his senses, and felt the Ancient one's life energy. "He is weak. He needs strength!"
"Many times in his coma, he muttered a word - - only one word over and over again! The word - - Eternity!"
"No time for that now! I must replenish his strength quickly - - before it is too late!" Standing at the foot of the bed, Dr. Strange focused his power in his amulet.
"Let the power of the Eye of Agamato bathe thee venerable master! Let it's strength become thy strength!" Watching the brightening glow of the Ancient one's life, Dr. Strange let the power flow for one second, then two, then three. "Enough! Too strong a dose could prove fatal!"
Turning to the accolite Dr. Strange said, "I must go now. I shall return periodically to re-administer the amulet's power! Till then, guard him well, faithful one - - while I ponder the meaning of - - Eternity!" Leaning forward, he sank through the floor.
Minutes later he rose in the library of the ancient one's sanctum. Releasing the all seeing eye from it's amulet, he let it rise to his forehead to become a third eye. Focusing his awareness through the eye, he turned his gaze on the books and scrolls filling the room. Long seconds later, he let the eye return to it's place in the amulet. "No use! There is no reference to Eternity! If the Master said it, it must be important! I shall not rest till I learn its meaning!"
He phased through the wall of the chamber, then whipped his head to look at the presence to his left. His eyes met the eyes of one of Mordo's wraith servents, *It's seen me!*
In his own sanctum, Mordo suddenly tensed. "A signal! One of my spirits has found him! At last!"
As Mordo seperated his own astral form from his physical body, Dormamu spoke from the small tear in reality. "After him Mordo! Have no fear, I shall feed you endless mystic power as you need it!"
Seconds later, Mordo and three attendant wraiths caught sight of Dr. Strange in the caverns beneath the earth. "I see him!" Mordo cried as he focused a fast blast of power against Dr. Strange.
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu sat on his throne, using the connection that empowered Mordo to watch the chase through his eyes. "Mordo must triumph this time! I must have Strange dead!
"Once he is gone, I'll be free of my oath! I'll be able to come to earth in person and conquer it!"
Hidden well back from the throne, a young looking woman with short white hair watched Dormammu with a very troubled expression. Turning from him she speed away. *I owe Dr. Strange my life! And now there is only one way I can save him. No matter the cost - - I must do it!*
In the caverns, Dr. Strange phased through a natural piller, avoiding simaltanous mystic blasts from Mordo and a wraith. *It's too cramped down. I must return to the surface!* Seconds later he shot up from the ground in an Indian town square, Mordo in hot pursuit
"You won't escape me this time, Strange! There is no place you can go where I cannot follow!"
Strange fled across and into the ocean, Mordo and his wraiths in pursuit. *Their speed is equal to mine! There is no way I can out-distance them! And Mordo can transfer his power to any of his spirits at will! So they are all equally strong!*
In the Dark Dimension, the white haired girl was flying purposfully, a small speckled sphere grasped to her chest. *The Barrier. Beyond here the Mindless Ones have been imprisoned by the power of the Dread Dormammu!* She felt terror rising within her as she gazed through the barrier. Inside the Mindless One's were following the dictates of their nature, striding irregularly, lashing out at anything in their path with their mighty fists, or blasts of power from their single eye.
*Only Dormammu's mystic barrier kept them at bay!* She carefully set the sphere onto the floating vine which marked the edge of Dormammu's barrier. *But this device which I have seized can weaken the barrier!* Activating the sphere, she fled as the orb drank the barrier power.
Behind her more and more of the barriers power was drained away by the sphere's power. And the drain was intensified as those mindless one's near the barrier continued to periodically recognnise it as an obsticle. Then the barrier collapsed.
Like a hoard of rampaging, living dreadnaughts, the unthinking creatures charged foreward, hungering for the fury of battle! Seconds later, they passed unknowing through a warning spell placed by Dormammu.
"The Mindless Ones Attack!!" The mystic alarm in the dark dimension screamed.
"I can help you no longer! Other Matters need my attention! Defeat Dr. Strange on your own!"
"NO!" Responded Mordo on earth. "You must not desert me now!"
"I must! But Strange will not know you are less powerfull! You can still defeat him!"
"Dormammu! DORMAMMU! Wait! Come back! Come back!"
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu appeared before the onrushing tide of the mindless ones. Sensing his threat, they began their attack, directing enough force to shatter an earth city against him. Gathering his power, Dormammu deflected their power while gathering the magic to form a new barrier to seal them away. "Back, you brainless cattle! Back to the place from whence you came! Dormammu commands!"
On earth, Dr. strange floated between the skyscrapers of LosAngeles, dodging the blasts that now came from every direction. *They've finally surrounded me! I dare not let them come any closer! The only direction left to me is - - upward!* Pushing his astral forms speed to it's limits, he rose straight up into the sky.
"After him!" Mordo urged his minions as he flew into the sky after his prey. "He must not escape!"
*I must go higher - - higher! Past earth's atmosphere - - Past the moon - - Right to the center of the Solar System!*
"Has he gone mad?? He's heading right into the sun itself!" Mordo almost slowed as he realised his enemies destination. *Heat alone cannot affect our ectoplasmic forms, but the sheer power of the suns core. . *
As approached the outer surface of the sun, Dr. Strange glanced backward. "Follow me, Mordo - - if you dare! For if we both perish, earth will be free of your menace and The Ancient One will be safe!" Looking forward, he dove through the Suns flaming skin.
Mordo did slow as he approached the Suns surface. Feeling his servants fear, he glanced back at them. *They will go no further, they fear what awaits them! But I must go on!* Turning back to the sun, Mordo accelerated again. *I've come so close! I can't fail now!* He felt the spirits suddenly fleeing back to earth. *They're deserting me completely! But - - they would not dare such behavior unless they can sense I am doomed!* *Bah! What am I thinking! None can defeat me!*
He plunged into the sun, and flew deeper, feeling the raw might of the sun, feeling his astral body begining to protest what he was doing. "Your scheme did not work, Strange! You cannot loose me! Wherever you go, I'll follow you, until you are destroyed!"
Looking back at Mordo, Dr. Strange responded. "No Mordo - - not just I - - both of us! For I shall fly directly into the core of the Sun - - and I'll take you with me!
*That means certain death! Unless - - what if it is a trick? What if he knows a spell to protect himself? That must be it! He plans to lure me to my death! But I'm too smart for him! He cannot trap me!* No, Strange - - I shall not follow you!" Turning he focused his power into speeding his escape from the sea of nuclear fire. "You cannot trick me so easily! I'll wait for you on earth and attack you again at my leisure!"
Dr. Strange watched Mordo flee, then began to speed an escape of his own. *It worked! He's fleeing! The shades of the seraphim have been merciful to me! Now I shall return to earth by a different route. With luck it will be days before Mordo finds me again!*
A few minutes later, Dr. Strange's astral form floated down through the ceiling of the cave where the Ancient one was hidden. "How fares the Master?"
"He is better, Dr. Strange! Your amulet has strengthened him, though he is still in a coma."
"It is time to repeat the treatment, with a stronger intensity now!"
As the light of Agamato poured over the Ancient One, his breathing quickened, and deepened. "Eternity!" He whispered "You must find Eternity!"
"He tries to speak." The accolite said quietly. "Listen!"
Seconds passed. "He is silent again. The strain has weakened him." Dr. Strange raised his hands to the phantom essence of his amulet. The all seeing eye once again rose to his forehead. "Perhaps I can probe his mind, and learn the meaning of eternity."
Leaning forward, Dr. Strange directed the light from they eye, and reached into the Ancient one's mind. "Gently - - gently - - the slightest error in pressure could cause untold brain damage!" He probed carefully, then frowned. "It is no use! He is in a coma again! And his mind is locked in a mystic defense! If I try to penetrate his mental defences, one of us would surely perish! I must find another way!"
In the Dark Dimension, Dormammu watched the Mindless one's futile attempt to force their way through his hasty weavings. "There! Only the Dread Dormammu could have erected a new barrier to confine you once more! And now, by the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, I force my barrier back, back - - Back to the outer reaches of my empire, where you shall remain forevermore!"
Mordo paced anxously in his sanctum. *Why is there no word from Dormammu?? What has happened to him?* Feeling a wash of power, he looked at where Dormammu's image once again shone in the air.
"Mordo! Is it over? Is Dr. Strange destroyed??"
"NO! The spirits deserted me! And Strange had the secret of survival in the sun's core! I dared not follow him!
"Coward! There is no such secret! You feared to follow! I must go now. My own power has been drained - - I must renew it. But I shall return to you before long! Meanwhile, continue to search for Dr. Strange! Hound him - - weary him - - give him no rest! That is all!"
As Dormammu sat on his throne, absorbing power and contemplating the Mindless one's escape, the white haired young woman responsible, replaced the device that had weakened the barrier. *But if he thinks about it, Dormammu is almost certain to discover that I am responsible!*