Chapter 9: Max's Choice

"Yes, Max Russo. Unfortunately, you are dead."

Those words echoed through Max's mind as he tried to process exactly what they meant. "How could I be dead?" he though to himself, "I'm right here."

"I know what you're probably thinking," Dr. Strange said. "You're wondering how you got here. It's not unusual for the dead to not remember how they got that way. The mind tends to block out those last few traumatic moments."

"So... what happened?" Max asked.

"It's best not to dwell on such things. There are some memories best left repressed. Let's just say it wasn't pretty and leave it at that."

"But... if I'm dead... what about Justin and Alex? And the others?" Max asked.

"They are safe... for now," Strange said.

Max breathed a sigh of relief. He still wasn't sure what exactly had happened on the ship, but was glad to know that whatever had happened to him, his brother and sister were still alive, along with his friends. He stared at the black, marble floor trying hard to process everything that was happening. A realized for a moment that he may never see his family again, but quickly dismissed the idea. "Okay, but... how did I get here? Mephisto is the devil right? Does that mean I did something wrong?"

"Mephisto isn't THE devil, although, he is a demon. There isn't a 'devil' in the way that most people think. Mephisto is the demon most people are referring to when they use that term, though, mostly because of his tendancy to make deals or pacts with people in exchange for their souls. When people think of or speak of 'hell,' they are usually referring to Mephisto's realm where he torments the souls he has collected."

"So... if I haven't done anything wrong... and I know I haven't made any deals with Mephisto... why am I in his palace?" Max asked.

"Because I brought you here. I needed to speak with you, to offer you a choice." Dr. Strange explained.

"But... why here? Couldn't we talk at the arcade or something?"

"For reasons that you won't yet understand, it was important that we meet here. For now, it's not important."

"Okay... is there anything you CAN tell me? I mean...what is this 'choice' you were talking about?"

"Max, you know who I am right?" Strange asked.

"Of course. You're Dr. Steven Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme. The Master of the Mystic Arts. Every wizard learns about you in their training. Heck, I think everyone who knows ANYTHING about magic knows about you, not just wizards. You're... THE guy." Max said. "So... what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Due to... recent events, I began searching the globe for a successor. Someone to take my place as Sorcerer Supreme. Someone who is good and can be trusted to use the powers in the right way. After some time, I narrowed my search down to a few promising possibilities," Strange explained. "Unfortunately, all of them had fatal flaws that could have lead them down a very dark path. I had to keep looking and, finally, I came across a family of wizards in New York. Your family."

"What... do you mean?" Max asked, trying to understand. "You want someone from my family to take your place?"

"In short... yes. I kept an eye on your training and studied your behavior and tendencies with magic. I was pleased with all three of you, but ultimately, I could only pick one."

"Justin, right?" Max said. Strange was a little surprised at Max's tone. The boy didn't seem a bit disappointed, almost as if he had already known and accepted that Justin would be the one.

"What makes you think it was Justin?" Strange asked.

"Well... because he's the best. I've pretty much known my whole life that Justin would win the wizard competition so why wouldn't he get picked for this too?" Max explained matter-of-factly.

"What about you? Or your sister?" Strange asked.

"Come on, man," Max said, laughing a little. "You said yourself you'd been watching us. Justin is the best. He's the smartest and he's memorized the most spells."

"Max, there is a lot more to being a good practitioner of magic than book smarts and memorizing spells," Strange explained. "What matters more than either of those is what's here." He pointed to his heart and then to Max's. "It's how you USE the knowledge you have, not how MUCH knowledge you have."

"But, in case you haven't noticed, magic always gets me in trouble. Same with Alex." Max said.

"Only because you haven't received proper training and attention. The system wizards use is broken. Putting family members in competition with each other like some sort of game is ridiculous. No other class does this. The system sabotages most people, like yourself, from 'winning.' You said yourself that you KNEW your brother would win your whole life. Your family felt the same way. You and your sister were doomed from the start. You were never given a chance so you had no motivation to do good."

"So what are you saying?" Max asked.

"What I'm saying is, that if given the proper chance, if put on equal footing with your brother, that you would have had a very good chance at winning the silly 'competition' and becoming your family's wizard."

"Wow... you really think so?" Max's face lit up.

"I know so," Strange said with a smile. "And that's why I brought you here. To offer you a choice."

"Which is?"

"I want you to be my successor, Max," Strange said. He waited a moment for a response, but Max was speechless. "I will restore your body and you will be given unimaginable power. I will work with you and guide you to ensure you stay on the right path. You will have a great deal of responsibility and pressure placed upon you, but I have no doubt that, under my guidance, you will prove to be the right choice."

Max's jaw dropped. His mind was swirling and he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You... you can't be serious... this has to be a dream."

"I can assure you, Max, this is no dream. There is, however, a trade off," Strange explained. "Should you accept, your brother and sister will lose their powers."

"Oh..." Max said, disappointed. "That's a pretty big catch... I mean... the wizard competition means everything to them. Especially Justin and... he's my big brother..."

"What do you think the biggest loss would be for your brother, Max? Losing his powers or... losing his little brother?" Strange said. "If you say no, your brother and sister will keep their powers and resume the wizard competition, despite their violation of wizard law for interference in the S.S. Tipton matter. I will personally speak to the Wizard Council to ensure it. However, they will still have lost something. You. Think about it."

"I...I don't know. I mean... this is a lot to think about. Do you really think they'll miss me? I mean... no one ever really payed much attention to me when I was alive..."

"Of course they will miss you. You're their little brother and their son," Strange said, sad that the boy would even consider asking such a question. "And another thing you might want to consider is Justin and Alex's current predicament."

"What do you mean?" Max said.

"After you were... sent here... your brother and sister were captured by the pirates. Their wands were lost and they are currently being held hostage on the ship with the rest of the passengers. There is a chance that the military will make it to the ship and rescue everyone, but... there is also the possibility that they won't..."

"I would be able to save them?"

"There is no limit to what you would be able to do."

Max stood silent for a few moments, thinking things over. Strange watched the boys face, studying it in the glow of the torches. He knew that mentioning the possibility of saving his brother and sister would convince Max to accept the offer. Finally, Max spoke, "If it means I can save my friends and Alex and Justin... I'll do it."

"Good," Strange said, "Then you must go. There is no time to waste. Your friends and family are in danger."

"Wait... that's it?" Max asked, confused.

"That's it. Congratulations." Dr. Strange patted Max on the back and started to walk away, toward the fireplace.

"But... how do I get out of here? How do I get back?" Max asked.

Strange turned back to face him. "Through that door and to the right. At the end of the hallway is an elevator that will take you back to the ship." He pointed toward the large wooden door behind Max.

"Okay... and when will I see you again?" Max asked.

"When the time is right." Strange said. With a smile, he vanished into thin air leaving Max alone.

Max was still for a minute, thinking about everything that had just happened before he realized that he should probably hurry. He ran toward the door and pulled it open, the large metal hinges creaking and echoing off of the stone walls all around him. Like the room he had just left, the hallway was dimly lit by a few torches spaced evenly on both sides. He turned to the right and ran down the hallway and spotted the elevator at the end. There was only one button, marked with an arrow pointing up. Max pressed it and the door slid open with a ding. Just as he was about to climb aboard, a voice stopped him from behind. He turned around to see a boy standing in the hallway that hadn't been there before.

"Are you Max Russo?" the boy asked? He was a little taller than Max and Max figured he was about the same age, maybe a year or so older. He had brown hair about the same length as Zack and was wearing black and white Converse All-Star shoes, blue jeans, and a black t-shirt with a picture of the Joker on it. Max couldn't help but think how out of place the boy looked in the dark, medieval looking hallway wearing modern day street clothes.

"Um... yeah."

"And you're friends with Cody Martin?" the boy asked.

"Well... I mean, I sort of know him. I'm friends with his brother more, though. I'm actually on my way to rescue them right now." Max thought the idea of going to rescue people sounded funny coming from his own mouth, but didn't have time to dwell on it.

"Well... could you deliver a message to Cody for me?" the boy said.

"Sure... what is it?" Max asked.

"Well... he's been having nightmares about... something that happened and... well... I just need you to tell him that I'm sorry, that what happened wasn't his fault, and please not to worry about it anymore."

"Okay, but... how do you know he's having nightmares?"

"Part of my punishment here... in the afterlife... is that I am forced to watch Cody's nightmares in 3D IMAX."

"Oh, wow. You mean... like Avatar?" Max asked, oblivious to what the boy meant.

"Um... sort of... I guess..." the boy said.

"Well... I'll tell him for you," Max said as he turned to board the elevator.

"Thank you, Max. You don't know how much this will help."

"No problem. I gotta get going, though," Max said. The door started to slide shut, but Max put out his hand to stop it. "Wait... I didn't catch your name. I'll need to tell him who the message is from."

"My name is Jordan," the boy said. "Jordan Farmer."

(Author's Note: SURPRISE! For those who are unaware, Jordan Farmer is the main character of my Suite Life story, "Teenagers" [please read it!] and is played [in my mind] by Freddie Highmore. I can't really say anything else about his involvement in this story without giving away top secret info about future events. Please review.)