"Look at this," MJ says as she holds her phone out for Peter to see. "It's another one."
"Really?" Peter asks moving her head closer to avoid the glare coming from the bus window.
On the phone is a Youtube video of a doctor and a couple of nurses helping deliver a baby. They flash the baby to the camera momentarily and turn to start cleaning the child.
"The baby appears healthy..." The doctor only manages a few words before loud wailing fills the room.
"Doctor, it's happening again." One of the nurses shouts.
"OK," the doctor responds, setting the baby down in a small bed. "Clear the way everyone, give her some space."
The wailing goes on for nearly half a minute before the camera seems to focus on the mother. She takes a few deep breaths then looks at the doctor, in panic. The person sitting in the maternity bed looks female at first, but as he moves his hair out of his face it's obvious it is clearly male.
The doctor slowly approaches the young man and places a hand on his arm. "Ma'am. Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
The man looks around the room, then back at the doctor. "I feel fine, actually." He then reaches for his throat, surprised at his own voice. Seconds later he is looking at his hands and shaking his head. "No... No!" The man tries to stand up, as the nurses and doctor step forward to try and calm him.
"Ma'am! You're gonna be fine." The doctor says. "There is nothing wrong with you." There are a few more shouts then the video cuts off.
"Wow!" Peter says. "That's insane!"
"I know right!" MJ says, leaning her head on Peter's shoulder.
"When was this?" Peter asks.
"The post says it happened two days ago." MJ tells Peter.
"Two days?" Peter asks in surprise. She looks outside the window, lost in thought. "So the Snap is still in full effect."
"Peter." MJ calls lightly. "Why do you keep calling it the Snap?"
She looks at MJ wide eyed before correcting herself. "I meant the Swap. I don't know why I keep calling it that."
MJ takes her head off Peter's shoulder so she can look at her better. "Peter, is there something you're not telling me?"
Peter looks at MJ guiltily but chooses to continue lying. "No, everything is fine." She attempts to lean her elbow on the bus window, but it's too close, making her pose awkwardly. "Why would you think I was hiding stuff... from you?"
"Well, for starters," MJ says, "You keep saying odd things that imply you know what happened. You don't seem as worried as everyone else, and Tony Stark, who has not been seen since blasting off into space, suddenly just texts you that he wants you to meet his friend in Greenwich."
"I'm sure it wasn't really Tony," Peter offers as an excuse. "It was probably his assistant Happy... or someone."
MJ studies Peter's face for a moment before deciding to let it slide. "It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me." She says while she sets her head back on Peter's shoulder.
"Yeah..." Peter responds. "It is kind of odd." She keeps her arm awkwardly on the bus window and uses it as a pillow as they continue on.
***A short bus ride later***
"This is the place." Peter says as she and MJ walk up to the Sanctum Sanctorum. "I'd better knock and make sure someone's there before you head off." Peter offers. "That way I know if I need to stick around."
MJ is somewhat distracted by the aura of the place. "It looks like some sort of creepy haunted house or apartment." She tells Peter.
"Yeah," Peter responds, "It does, doesn't it?" She reaches up to knock on the door.
Before her knuckles even reach the wood, the door clicks and slowly opens. A dim light comes flowing out and Peter peeks in to see a staircase leading up to a large window, with an extremely small curtain dangling near the top center.
Peter tilts her head curiously watching the curtain flap in the wind coming from the sealed window. Before she can make out what she is looking at, it talks.
"Ah, Peter Parker." The curtain says in a calm passive female voice. Peter notices the curtain getting larger as it moves closer to her. "I was wondering when you would stop by." As the voice gets significantly closer to the door, light starts to shine in to reveal Dr. Strange, her flowing red cape, and equally flowing beautiful black hair. She lowers her hands in a magical gesture Peter can only assume involves her flight.
"Are they there?" MJ asks, bringing Peter back to reality. She turns around and sees MJ trying to peer over her shoulder. In a panic Peter reaches for the door handle and pulls it quicklys slamming the door between her and Dr. Strange.
"NO!" Peter says a little more panicked than she'd like. "There was no one there."
MJ gives Peter a sceptical look that says she knows she is lying. "But I thought I just heard a voice." She says.
"No, it must have been me." Peter says. "I was uhh... muttering."
"You were muttering?" MJ asks.
"Yeah," Peter answers. "I do that sometimes."
The door handle begins to rattle loudly and the sound of someone trying to open it can be clearly heard. Peter uses her inhuman strength to hold it closed.
"Is someone trying to open the door?" MJ asks.
Peter, still holding the door with all her strength, tries to think quickly. "Yeah, I guess they must be unlocking it. I'd better let you go."
"Okay..." MJ says a little annoyed now. "Are you sure you don't want me to..."
Before MJ can finish her sentence the door flies open with a pull strong enough to drag Peter into the building. Peter, startled and not expecting it, stumbles into the lobby and manages to catch her balance only inches away from crashing into Dr. Strange. She is smiling, almost motherly as she watches Peter regain her balance..
"Oh!" Peter exclaims. "Hi... Uh, Dr. Strange."
"Did you just slam the door on the Sorcerer Supreme?" Someone asks angrily from behind Peter. She turns around to see a middle aged asian man holding the inner handle of the door.
"No, I uh..." Peter starts trying to think of an excuse. "There was a bee." She says in a very obvious lie. The man glares even harder at Peter as he lets go of the door handle and crosses his arms.
"And who might you be?" Dr. Strange asks in a soft, calm, and almost beautiful voice. Before Peter can look away she notices that it also seems to calm the face of the angry man.
"Hi." MJ says. "I'm Michelle Jones. My friends just call me MJ."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, MJ. I'm Dr. Steven Strange." Dr. Strange says softly. Peter looks at Dr. Strange and can't help but feel her kindness seems very out of character.
Wong looks at MJ, then at Peter. "You brought a girlfriend to the Sanctum Sanctorum?" He asks, annoyed.
Peter looks at Wong, then MJ, then back to Wong. He is not sure what to say, as he does not know who this is.
"Oh well. It was nice to meet you." MJ responds, sensing the awkwardness in the air. "I was just heading to the library."
"What's the rush?" Dr. Strange asks. Surprising both Peter and Wong. "You can always use our library."
Wong and Peter both go wide eyed, Wong even more so. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asks Dr. Strange.
Dr. Strange studies MJ for a long moment before responding. "Yes, I do believe so." She looks at Wong, then Peter. "She can help us."
Peter wants to ask if they are sure, but she just catches herself looking back toward Wong, to see her reaction.
Wong's shoulders seem to lower as he accepts the Doctor's decision. He looks toward Peter and studies her for a moment. "Does she know about us?" He does a circular gesture implying Dr. Strange, the Sanctorum, and Peter Parker.
Peter, not sure exactly what he is implying and also knowing nothing about the Sanctorum, gives an unsure reply. "No, neither of us really know what is going on."
"It's fine Peter," Dr. Strange says, from the opposite direction she had just been standing. Peter turns toward the door to see that somehow Dr. Strange had gotten around her and was now walking toward MJ. Peter notices that she is no longer wearing the cape.
"She seems like a smart girl." Dr. Strange says. "I can see why you like her." She looks into MJ's eye and tilts her head to imply she is studying her. MJ lightly frowns, feeling she is being tested then tilts her head to peer around Dr. Strange and give Peter a concerned look.
Dr. Strange raises her eyebrows, impressed that MJ could resist her enchantment. She turns back toward Peter and her tone changes to that of a teacher's. "Come, you two! We can train together." Dr. Strange starts walking away, expecting Peter and MJ to follow her.
"Dr. Strange... Uh." Peter Starts. "MJ doesn't..."
Dr. Strange turns back toward Peter. "Don't be silly, dear boy. She pretty much already knows your secret." Peter flushes red, not sure if it's from shock or embarrassment. "She was going to figure it out eventually."
"Really?" Peter asks, looking back and forth between the doctor and MJ, who looks almost as confused.
"Come along!" Dr. Strange says, in a firm teacher like tone, which makes them both jump.
Peter turns to follow Dr. Strange, but MJ hesitates. She is unsure if she should enter, but when she looks at Wong, he smiles and gives her a welcome gesture. She steps in slowly, and rushes to Peter's side the moment she is inside.
***A short while later***
"I hope Tony Stark told you why you are meeting me here?" Dr. Strange asks Peter. "Although, It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't."
"No Ma'am.. I mean Sir... I mean Doctor... Strange, that is." Dr. Strange patiently watches Peter stutter. "He just said to come to you for some training."
Dr. Strange nods, calmly listening. "It seems the eccentric billionaire has a soft spot for you." Dr. Strange tells Peter. "He must really want to protect you if he would actually call me to ask for help."
"I have a question." MJ interrupts them, as Wong comes rushing out with a tray full of cups, cookies, and random snacks.
"Your tea." He offers, setting the tray down on a stone table nearby. He lifts the cup for Dr. Strange and as he hands it to him, he pulls out a small silk handkerchief which he wraps around the handle. "So you don't burn your hands." Dr. Strange smiles at the gesture, which causes Wong to smile even bigger.
Peter and MJ look at Dr. Strange's hands, curious over what that moment was about. She had a very beautiful blue and purple type nail polish on her fingers, but other than how beautiful her hands were, there didn't seem to be anything unique about them.
Dr. Strange herself took a moment to study her left hand before smiling again and taking a sip of tea. "Thank you. You are very kind." She tells Wong. Wong smiles once more like a child, before turning to walk away.
"Please, help yourselves." Wong tells Peter and MJ, gesturing toward the tray as he goes back into the building.
"Thanks." Peter says. She is still a little confused.
"You had a question, miss." Dr. Strange says toward MJ.
"Yeah." She responds. "Are those mountains?" She points off into the distance.
"Yes." Dr. Strange answers proudly. "You're very observant."
Peter looks at the mountains, now surprised. He starts looking at their surroundings. The floor is cobblestone, along with the steps, a nearby water fountain, and random columns. It had not even occurred to her that the sun was now about to set. "Dr. Strange..." Peter interrupts. "Where are we?"
Dr. Strange takes another sip of her tea before answering. "We're in Kamar-Taj... Nepal."
Peter begins to get nervous about being so far from home, again.
"That explains the Tibetan flyers." MJ points at a sign on the wall.
"I like this one." Dr. Strange says, pointing with her teacup toward MJ, prior to setting it down. "She has an observant and curious mind."
"Yeah..." Peter responds, still confused and concerned about their whereabouts. "Dr. Strange... Why are we in Nepal?"
"We are here," Dr. Strange says, "to teach you... Heads up." She tosses something toward Peter, then toward MJ, which they both catch easily.
"Brass knuckles?" Peter asks, confused as both her and MJ try on their new piece of equipment.
Dr. Strange smiles at their curiosity. "Sling ring." She tells them.
"Sling ring?" Peter asks. "Oh cool, does this like, shoot magical rocks, or fireballs, or something?" She asks.
"Hardly anything of the sort." Dr. Strange answers amused, as Peter mimes punching with it. "In the event that things get ugly in the upcoming fight, Tony Stark has asked that I teach you a way to get out of there as quickly as possible."
"Upcoming fight?" Peter asks. "You mean with Thanos?"
"Yes Peter." Dr. Strange says. "Most cases, it requires several months of training before we can even consider teaching this technique, but seeing as this is an extreme situation, we are stressed for time, and it could end up saving many lives, I have decided to make an exception to the rules."
"Oh cool!" Peter says, realizing what the sling ring is. "Are you going to teach me how to teleport like you did on Titan?"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it teleporting." Steven Strange says.
"Wait, I'm still confused." MJ suddenly interjects. "I still don't know what's going on, and you guys lost me in Nepal..." MJ thinks about what she just said before adding, "literally."
Peter looks at MJ and realizes it's a lot to take in, but decides to try to explain anyway. "So, uhm, MJ. Dr. Strange is an Avenger."
"Hardly." Steven Strange says with a bit of a scoff. Peter chooses to ignore the comment for now.
"He's the one who was fighting the aliens on TV a couple weeks back. Anyway, he has this cool trick where he can travel anywhere he's already been by rotating his hands like this." Peter starts trying to mimic the hand gestures and immediately loses grip, dropping the sling ring. It chimes loudly as it bounces a few times. "I'm sorry." Peter says looking back toward Dr. Strange who is rolling her eyes.
Dr. Strange watches Peter pick up the sling ring, then looks toward MJ. "I suppose it's best if we start from the top." She tells MJ. "Ms. Jones, my name is Dr. Steven Strange. As you no doubt have suspected for quite some time, your friend Peter Parker here is Spider-Man."
MJ's eyes widened a little as Dr. Strange gives her time to process the information. "I wasn't so sure about it, until today." MJ says. "Maybe twenty-five percent sure." Peter rubs the back of her head, worried how MJ feels about this new information.
"That's good. That'll make this next part easier." Dr. Strange says. "All of this," Dr. Strange gestures toward herself, and Peter, "was caused by a crazed alien named Thanos. It was his ship that attacked New York about ten days ago. It was his army that attacked New York in 2012. His goal is to kill half of all life across the universe." She gives MJ more time to process what she is hearing.
"He was the guy that attacked New York in 2012?" Peter asks, surprised at just learning this herself. Doctor Strange nods at her.
"What does it have to do with gender?" MJ asks.
"We don't know." Dr. Strange answers. "We think something went wrong. He somehow accidentally changed the gender of half the entire Universe." Another pause so MJ can process the information. When she looks up, Dr. Strange continues. "The tool that Thanos uses is a magical gauntlet. It's very powerful, and he still has it. That's why we need to get it away from him, before he can use it again."
"How much time do we have?" MJ asks, very concerned.
"We don't know." Dr. Strange answers. "My sources tell me, the stones that power the gauntlet are very weak. I suspect it's because they are still making changes to the universe, but we don't know for how much longer."
Peter thinks about the information for a moment before a reason dawns on her. "Wait a second." She says. "The births!"
"The what?" Dr. Strange asks her.
"The births." Peter repeats herself. "On the way here, MJ and I were watching videos of pregnant women who didn't change gender, until after their baby was born." Dr. Strange begins to contemplate this information. "Maybe," Peter continues. "Maybe the stones are still in effect until after all the pregnant women in the Universe have had their babies."
"That would make a lot of sense." Dr. Strange says, thinking about it.
"How much time would that give us?" Peter asks. "Ten months? No, what's the longest pregnancy for an animal?"
"An elephant can be pregnant for two years." MJ responds.
"So that gives us two years." Peter says, with a little relief.
Dr. Strange thinks about it for a moment. "I doubt it's that simple. Two years is probably how long it'll take for the stones to reach full power again. Chances are, the more births that occur, the less strain there is on the stones. Which means the stones will only be getting stronger every minute of every day."
Peter starts to feel chills at the implications.
"Some creatures like mice and rats are only pregnant for two to three weeks. Some even less." Dr. Strange tells her.
Peter begins to think of exactly how many mice and rats are in the world, let alone New York. "We don't have a lot of time, do we?" Peter says, mostly to herself.
"No, we don't." Dr. Strange responds.