"I'm gonna follow this surprise up with coffee," Max offered, quickly leaving the room.

"You'd think she'd be happier," Tony noted, "This was her idea anyway."

"Well," Stephen suggested, "She's probably just surprised that I've change my mind and you've agreed to her suggestion."

"That and you weird people out, Strange," Tony shrugged, walking past him casually.

"Charming..." Stephen sighed to himself as Tony left the room, "Make it work, Strange. Make it work."

He stepped out of the lab into the hall, before being grabbed by the arm and pulled off to the side.

"What are you doing here?!" Max hissed quietly, after pulling him into a corner.

"I was going to call first."

"But you didn't! Funny how what worked out," she grumbled, "I said more time. More. I needed more time. This is less time!"

"You said more time before we said anything," he corrected, "And I haven't."

"Then why are you here?"

"To offer an opinion of your energy research," he replied calmly.

"That wasn't a real thing. That was a lie you came up with to keep Peter from figuring this all out."

"Yes, it was," Stephen explained, "But Tony heard about it and reached out, thinking that, if you wanted my help and thought it was best, it would be good to agree with you on this. He asked me to come here for you."

"And your job was to say no!" she panicked quietly.

"I considered it," he nodded.

"And here you are."

"Of course. If I can help you, I will. You're so close to figuring this new project out. With help and time, we could-"

"There can't be a "we." Not here," she sighed, "This is just asking for problems."

"Then tell me to leave," Stephen insists, "Tell me you want me to leave, and I will."

"Please, don't do that to me..."

"You're so convinced that I don't fit in your oh-so-busy life!" he scoffed with a dry irony, "But you don't want me out of it. I can't help you. I can't stay away. What do you want me to do?"

"I wanted you to trust me to handle this," she answered.

"And you've made good progress on that then?" he scoffed.

"I started to tell him," she explained, "It's just...complicated."

The dry, bitter laugh stung her, but she shook it off quickly.

"Why? Why can't you let me handle it?"

"I am. I haven't done anything you asked me not to do. I just want to prove to you that we can make it work, easier than you think."

Realization sank in as she crossed her arms and took a deep breath.

"No," she corrected him, "You just wanted to prove that you are right, as usual!"

"I am right!"

"Fine," she shrugged, "Go. Do what you want. I'm telling you, there's no way this ends well."

"Now you're mad at me?"

"What gave me away?" she huffed sarcastically, "Was it my reaction to you being here or my residual anger for you only showing up after I don't hear from you for a week?!"

She started to walk away, before turning back briefly.

"I get what you're trying to do, Stephen. It's not what happened."

"Then what happened? Humor me."

"You took my research and my life and you made it about you. Just like everything else."

He wanted to respond, but words failed him, giving her the escape to leave. Walking back into the lab, he slumped down in one of the stools in front of the numerous monitors. It wasn't long before Tony buzzed back in.

"Max come back around yet?"

"No."

"Where the hell is she?" Tony huffed to himself, "This is her project."

"Perhaps..." Stephen thought out loud, offering anything he could to fix the situation, "I might be the issue here after all. I can offer the best advice I have, to my knowledge, but...something tells me I should go soon after."

"You're not backing out on me yet, Strange," Tony stated, almost pleading, "Your work with untraceable energy signatures is some of the best in the world. If the two of us can't figure this thing out, no one can."

"Margaret can," Stephen corrected, "But, I can offer you some information. The energy source that you're researching isn't self-renewing or self-reliant. There is no form of sustainable energy source that will work for changing the industry on a large scale. One tower can be powered by an arc reactor, sure, but even that isn't self sustaining."

"I think it is," Tony snapped a bit, "The new reactor cores are the first self-sustaining energy in the business. There's no drain or pull from any other sources. Last I checked, that meant it ran itself."

"It's not pulling from sources that you know of. As for your new element, it's not new. Only brought to a new place."

"Run that by me again."

"I'm sorry, Stark, but that element isn't a new creation. Nothing in the universe is ever really new. Something doesn't come from nothing. Even magic doesn't. That element was brought here through your research from another close dimension, suggesting that the arc reactors are drawing from there. It's a new form of clean energy for our world, yes. But we have no way of knowing how it affects other dimensions."

"So, you're suggesting that my arc reactors are what? Magic?"

"Magic is drawn energy from a multiverse. Your arc reactors work the same way. However, if it helps you sleep at night, no. They are not the same thing at all," Strange explained further, "But neither are truly a self-sustaining power. Everything has a cost. It's only a matter of how much energy you are willing to funnel into this dimension and what the effects of that will be. If we can discover that the drain is minimal and harmless to the other dimensions, then you have a clean energy system that works."

"If not? If the draining is causing problems?"

"Then it's back to square one."

"So, you'll help look into it then? If there's even na chance we can make this work, the project could change millions of lives on a global scale," Tony reminded him.

"As much as I wish I could, if it's going to be a problem with Miss Stark, I can't help you," Stephen sighed, "This is her project, isn't it?"

"It is."

"Then thank you for seeing me and good luck," Stephen nodded, walking toward the door.

"She'll get used to the idea," Tony tried to encourage, "Neither of us are a real big fan of "magic" - mostly because it's not really magical - but we could get used to the dimensional energy theories quickly. You gotta help us out, Strange."

"I won't stay against her wish. Her dream, not mine."

"Look, I know you don't know her all that well, but she'll warm up to working with you. I can talk her around."

"Why all the sudden defense, Stark?"

Stephen crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for Tony's excuse.

"I get that we don't get along, Stephen," Tony sighed, sitting down, "But this is a chance to do something right and to help my daughter make a difference that she wants to make. I gotta make it work. Your "magic" is a science that I don't know everything about, so if it can help me then help me!"

"Maybe, she really does just need time to think about this," Stephen noted, mostly to himself, "But there's a reason that she didn't tell you that she came to me about this. I trust that it's a good reason. I'll come back if, and only if, you need my help."

"Before you go..." Tony stopped him again before pausing, "If there any chance that this means there's going to be a dimensional rift opening up on my chest next time I put that suit on?"

"Has that happened yet?"

"No."

"Then let's hope not."

Max looked up from her computer as the door to her office opened. Tony walked in and set a mug of fresh coffee on the desk in front of her.

"What's this?"

"Peace offering."

"Did something happen that you haven't told me about yet?" she asked, skeptically.

"I just wanna talk and you're nicer when you're caffeinated."

"This is true," she shrugged in acceptance, taking a sip of the hot drink, "What's on your mind then? Something wrong?"

"I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but I wanna talk about Strange."

She let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes slightly.

"Okay, why? Why is everyone suddenly so fascinated by Dr. Strange?"

"Hong Kong."

"That doesn't answer my question, Tony."

"Okay, how about this?" he tried again, "The best neurosurgeon in the world gets into an accident that he should never have survived. After that, instead of retiring on a fortune like I would have, he loses all of his money almost overnight and then vanishes. Later, he shows up in Hong Kong, right after a flash of space tears the sky open and disappears in a second, in a cape. There are off the charts energy readings that I've never seen before, casually hanging around his neck. I haven't seen that kind of energy since that rock in Visions head and now it just turns up with a surgeon one day. You don't want to know more? You're not even the slightest bit curious of what he can do with that...or what he might have already done?"

"You think he's dangerous."

"I think I don't know what to think," Tony admitted, "But whatever he did or does, he figured out some form of energy that most scientists can't even dream of. Not to mention, he also apparently kicks ass and saves the world like a lot of other people we know. I don't agree with him on everything. I don't trust him. But...I want him on our side, if we have a chance to make that happen!"

"You didn't ask him here because I talked to him about the project, did you?"

"Look, we've been trying to work things out with this guy for months. He's all but a recluse. Now, out of nowhere, he agrees to help us with something and wave the white flag."

"You want him on the project so you can make a new friend before Steve does," Max realized in a huff, "Not because you want his help."

"That's not what this is, Mags. Hear me out," Tony pleaded, "This is a good chance to find out more and make sure that someone with this kind of power is gonna be on our side when it counts. That's a chance I wanna take."

"So, you're profiling him then? Because I remember you sending me to meet with him months ago, when you decided that you didn't want anything to do with him."

"I know it was a short talk, but I was under the impression that you two were at least on civil terms," Tony noted, "Why the sudden disdain?"

"I just don't know if trusting the new guy with my main project is a good idea. Is that so awful of me?"

"It wouldn't be so bad if that was the truth. I know you're not telling me the whole story here. What's up? What's keeping you from even trying to like this guy?"

"He's a medical doctor that uses magic to save people. That's what I need to know. That doesn't mean we need to become best friends with every cape wearing new super that falls out of the sky, Tony. He promised when I met with him back then that he would come and help save the day if we needed. What more than that do you want?"

"He could be useful on a more...permanent basis."

"You're looking for new Avengers now? Is that what this is?"

"I don't know yet, Mags. I'm figuring it out."

"That's not gonna work," she scoffed out in a dry laugh, "This isn't a new recruit type situation. He's no soldier and he doesn't strike me as a real team player. This is magic and mysticism and nothing we should get the Avengers involved in."

"It's science," Tony corrected, "It's a science that could change everything."

"What do you want from me then?" she sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"I want you to maybe give him a try. Let him on the project. Let him help us. We can find out more about him."

"You're the boss, Tony. You do what you want and I'll support it."

"Thank you."

"While we're on the subject," she wondered, "What do you think of him? As a person? What is a guy like that even like?"

"Your basic know-it-all narcissist with unique style and killer facial hair," Tony noted, "It doesn't seem right for me to judge him by that, because...me. He's got other motives, which worries me. I mean, the man sounds like a fortune cookie a good quarter of the time and like a full of himself genius the rest of it. Doesn't make a lot of sense."

"But...do you like him?"

"He seems alright. Just think about it."

Max smiled a bit to herself as Tony left, her smile only widening after the door closed.