The Funeral of Doctor Strange
Earth-92131
The Sanctum Sanctorum,
Greenwich Village, New York
Clea sighed, seeing the vast number of people who had gathered to pay their respects to her late husband. Some were friends from his childhood and family members. Others were colleagues from his days as a surgeon, like Dr. Linda Carter and Dr. Nicodemus West, or people he saved as both a doctor and a superhero, but most were members of the superhero or the supernatural community.
She did not want to be here. She wanted to grieve in solitude, but she was not the only one who loved him, and others deserved a chance to pay their respects to him.
She was so angry at Stephen.
The foolish arrogant man, who had refused to listen to her warnings.
Despite his many talents, his hubris had ultimately led to his downfall, like she had always feared.
She had told him again and again, that venturing into other dimensions was not amongst his responsibilities, but he had not listened to her.
"There are so many dimensions out there, Clea, and most of them do not have sorcerers to protect them from paranormal threats like ours."
Those were what he had said to her, before leaving.
She had tried to stop him using all sorts of reasoning.
"You are the sorcerer supreme of this reality. If you leave and some threat encroaches our dimension, what then?" She had preached.
Stephen had smirked… The smirk that made her unsure whether she wanted to punch him or kiss him.
"Our dimension has bountiful of benevolent magical guardians, whose powers far surpass my own. Ilyana Rasputin, Wanda Maximoff, Agatha Harkness, Billy Kaplan, Nico Minoru, Karnilla, Nico Minoru, and Amaranth, not to mention you, Wong and all the other sorcerers of our Order. I think Earth will be well defended in my absence."
"These other dimensions may have threats you won't be able to subdue."
"That doesn't mean I shouldn't try."
"I don't want you to go, husband."
"I know, but you know I have to."
From her perspective, he might have left a while ago, but time moved differently in different dimensions.
The amulet showed her visions.
Her husband had been traversing dimensions for more than a decade, staving off demonic invasions, curbing bloodthirsty vampires and taking on apprentices, thus making sure that those dimensions still had protectors even after he left.
Stephen had succeeded in what he had set out to do, but that did not ease the sorrow in her heart.
The multiverse might now be a safer place but at what cost?
Stephen had died, not from a magical duel or by the wrath of a cosmic being, but from mortal causes, but that did not make it any less dire.
Mortals were just as capable of evil as any demon, as the Skrulls have proved.
Part of her wanted to set out on a mission of vengeance, hunt every last one of those interdimensional shapeshifting scoundrels and inflict unimaginable torture on them, that would make death seem like a mercy but she knew it would just be a waste of time and effort.
Stephen had taught her to be better than her worse impulses.
The Skrulls would get what was coming to them, with or without her intervention.
Stephen had been right. Her world was protected, but others remained vulnerable.
It was a fool's errand to try protect every dimension, but she can ensure that at least one more was protected, and when that world was ready, someone like Stephen would take the initiative to do the same for another, and start a cycle that would hopefully encompass all worlds.
It was naïve.
But that was what Stephen had died believing in.
It was her responsibility to keep that dream alive.
No, she was not going to follow her husband in traversing to other dimensions but she was going to do the next best thing.
She would train his successor in the ways of magic, and as fate would have it, the amulet's chosen was not from their native world.
Clea had already been to that world and met the chosen, Luz Noceda and she was nothing like Stephen. She was just a child, and yet she was very enthusiastic about all things magical, unlike her husband, who had been a firm non believer till he saw magic with his own eyes.
She would depart in a few days to resume training Luz in the ways of sorcery.
The other sorcerers were dubious about the next Sorcerer Supreme of their world being from a different dimension, and even Clea shared that apprehension, but she supposed this child can defend both dimensions… Though she had a faint feeling that Luz was destined for more than that, and carry on the work Stephen started.
Clea felt a hand on her shoulder, which broke her from her musings.
She turned around to see Jason Wong.
She did not know in what state she would have been if it were not for him, her husband's best friend and now the acting Sorcerer Supreme of their dimension for the foreseeable future.
Though she surpassed him in terms of raw magical power as well as knowledge of the arcane, he had kept a clear mind in the crisis they had just endured, unlike her. Before Stephen had departed their dimension, he had left a series of instructions to enlist other magical heroes to their Order and give them access to the resources at their disposal so the world is not threatened in his absence, and yet the moment she sensed that he was no more amongst the living, she had closed herself off and put humanity at risk. When the superheroes had gathered in the Sanctum inquiring about Strange's inactivity, she had bluntly sent them back to their homes after snapping at them.
She might be acting composed now, but she knew no one here was fooled.
They knew exactly how broken she was.
Wong had taken the reins and reached out to other benevolent magic users like them, and set up an informal global organization of magical protectors. If it were not for him, she would have inadvertently let the world burn in her grief.
Tears streamed down her eyes and Wong, who had never been one for physical intimacy, embraced her in a hug.
Stephen didn't deserve this.
He was a good man and a noble hero.
He did not deserve to die in such a helpless and pathetic way.
This was so unfair.
They should have had more years to themselves.
Instead, he left her alone.
No, that was not right.
He had liberated her from the clutches of the dark dimension, and taught her to embrace humanity. He had done so much for her.
And now, he was gone.
Maybe if she had gone with him… Maybe she would have been able to protect him…
No, she cannot think like that.
Stephen had forbidden her from going, in case Earth faced a grave supernatural crisis while he was away, and besides, if she had gone with him, she might have shared the same fate.
"I feel so angry. I warned him and he didn't listen." She whispered.
"He had to do what he thought was right, you know that." Wong said. "All these people here, they are here to mourn him, to remember him for the hero he was. He made a difference, Clea. In our world and in others."
"I know." Clea smiled, yet the smile did not reach her eyes. "I know how noble he was, Jason, but that doesn't give me any solace."
Clea saw two people coming in their direction. They seemed to be a young couple. A handsome man with broad shoulders, brown hair wearing a denim jacket over a purple shirt, and a beautiful woman with flaming red hair, wearing a yellow sweater. It took her a while to recognize the man from the few times he had come to meet her husband in the Sanctum in his civilian guise. The Spider-man. And she supposed the woman would be his wife. She let go of Wong to face them.
"Mrs. Strange." He said softly. "I am-"
"I remember who you are. My husband spoke highly of you, Spider-man, and I am sorry for our earlier encounter."
"That is okay and more than understandable given what happened." Peter sighed. "I didn't believe it then, and I still have trouble believing it, even now. I owe a lot to the Doc."
"We both owe a lot to him." The woman at his side said, looking at her. "My name is Mary Jane Parker, and if it weren't for your husband, I doubt I would be here."
That name felt familiar, but it was not from something her husband had told her, but something from before she defected to his side. Ah, she remembered it now.
She had heard the name from her mother, Umar's gloats about how her uncle Dormammu's plots to take over Earth had fallen apart due to a mortal girl, who had managed to see through his deception despite the fact she was previously enthralled by one of his earthly agents. Back then, her mother had made it seem that Dormammu's plans had failed because of his incompetency, and gone on trading about how she was better suited to rule the Dark Dimension, but Clea knew better now.
A mortal rejecting demonic illusions was no mere feat.
"I have heard of you, Mary Jane. I doubt my husband saved you. From the stories I have heard, it seemed you saved your entire dimension from the dreaded Dormammu." She said curiously.
"If it were not for him, I would be longing for the love of a parent who left me, instead of treasuring the family who have always been there for me. I may not have known him for long, but he changed my life. Doctor Strange was the one who made me realize the strength in myself, and I will always be grateful for that."
"He didn't just save people. He inspired us to be better." Mary Jane continued. "Even normal folks like me."
Somehow, those words made Clea feel better. It did not take away the pain. Nothing could, but she realized Doctor Stephen Strange had always been a hero. He saw the will in this girl, and gambled his entire dimension's fate on it. He believed in everyone, and the decision that led to his demise was rooted in that… He believed everyone was worth saving, and as angry as Clea was, she could not fault him for that.
"Thank you." She murmured, as Mary Jane unexpectedly hugged her, and she melted into the embrace.
Peter nodded at her.
"Anything you need, don't hesitate to call us."
"I appreciate that. Thank you."
They nodded, before going away.
There were others who came up to her, telling her how her husband had helped them in numerous ways.
Bruce Banner, the alter-ego of the infamous Hulk told her how he had helped his cousin help save him from possession.
Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch told her how he had seen her as a person instead of a threat, and treated her with empathy and kindness, rather than fear and derision.
The Thunder God Thor himself and his companion, Lady Sif, whom Stephen had saved from Count Dracula's vampiric conversion.
Another asgardian named Brunnhilde, whom he had helped regain her own physical form when she was trapped as a specter.
Nightcrawler of the X-men, whose soul he had saved from a hell dimension.
Jessica Jones, with whom he had brought a demonic serial killer to justice.
And many more.
Hearing those tales made her heart lighter even if it was by just a little bit. Her husband's death was inhumane, gruesome, and degrading, but he was more than that. His entire life was spent in the service of others, as a doctor and as a sorcerer.
That was his legacy… a legacy she was proud to be part of.
As the proceedings ended and people left, she stood standing over the grave of her husband. He was the one of the few bearing the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, whose body was salvageable after his demise, which was in no small part due to the bounty hunter she had hired to recover the amulet and if possible his body, River Song and her companions, and there was no other place worthy of being his final resting place than the grounds of the Sanctorum.
It was filled with white roses, and the inscriptions on the grave were in both English and otherworldly languages, regaling his many titles.
Doctor
Sorcerer Supreme
Hero
Husband
And yet all these titles could not encapsulate the entirety of who he was. A man whose intellect and empathy were unrivalled, but most of all, he was the man who she had fallen in love with.
He had managed to light the spark of humanity in her, the niece of the demon overlord of the darkest dimension and the daughter of a demoness.
He was a man of many wonders…
And now, he was gone.
Tears rolled down her eyes, and she felt her knees buckle. She collapsed on the ground, her hands touching the roses that rested on his grave.
"Why did you have to leave me?" She whispered, knowing there was no real answer that could placate her.
Suddenly, she felt it, an otherworldly presence behind her. It was cloaked, but not enough to escape her trained senses.
She felt fury bubbling in her heart. Would the universe not grant her a single day of reprieve?
"Who dares…" She turned around to face the incursion, and the words died in her throat.
It was him.
"Husband?" She stuttered, looking at the spectral apparition.
But it was not him, was it?
"No." He replied, his voice firm yet flowing with sorrow and… guilt.
And while this man resembled her husband, he was younger than him, and his robes while having similar aesthetics, were simpler and less ornate.
That added with the incursion she had sensed before she looked at him, led to only one conclusion.
He was her husband's counterpart from another dimension, and for some reason, he was astral projecting to this reality.
"You are not from this world." She stated. "Why are you here?"
"To convey my condolences." He sighed. "And to say that I saw him, and how he died, but was powerless to save him."
"You were astral projecting to that dimension, when it happened." She deduced.
"Yes. I was scoping out multiversal threats, and I had been warned by a benefactor that no matter what I see, I should not interfere, lest I risk my own safety, leaving my own dimension vulnerable to threats."
"A wise choice." She spat bitterly. "Maybe if my husband shared your instincts for self-preservation, he would still be here."
"I wanted to help, believe me."
"I know you did. You may not be my husband, but you are Doctor Stephen Strange, but I doubt you could have helped." She said desolately. "I know how he died, and I also know your magic wouldn't have helped."
"How?"
"I am not from this dimension. I may look human, but I am not. When I married my husband, we followed both mortal and arcane customs. When we said our vows, our magic was intertwined, and when he was killed, I had nightmarish visions of his last moments."
The other Strange winced.
"I am sorry."
"It is not your fault. The multiverse has suffered the loss of one Doctor Strange. I do not know if reality could have endured the loss of two."
He bowed down his head.
"He seemed like a great man."
"He was." Clea nodded. "The best. He was wise, kind, and brave. I could not have asked for a better husband, and the world could not have asked to be protected by a better hero."
She looked at him.
"Does your world have a version of me?"
"I don't know." He replied, before chuckling. "To be honest, I am surprised I am married in any dimension. First, it was due to my schedule as a surgeon, and then, as a sorcerer."
"My husband didn't expect to fall in love either, but his love saved me." She mused. "But he had to leave me, our world to save others in other dimensions. You remind me of him, but you are different."
"How so?"
She closed her eyes. "My husband was an optimist. He took gambles, and most times it paid off… till it did not. You seem guarded, and that is a good thing. My husband would be here if he shared that trait, but word of advice, do not let this duty bind you. Have a life outside of it. My husband went out of his way to protect the multiverse, and for a while, he did help vulnerable dimensions out there, but he died doing so. He gave too much of himself to his responsibilities. Let that be a warning to you. Learn from his mistakes."
Her husband's counterpart nodded.
"I will keep that in mind." He said just as his form started to fade.
"I believe its time for me to go." He noted. "But before I go, may I ask your name?"
"Clea Strange." She smiled.
"Clea…" He mused. "I had a patient by that name. Clea Lake. I do not think she was you though."
"I doubt that." Clea smirked. If his world had a version of her, and if his world was anything like hers, she would not be in any mundane realm.
"Goodbye, Clea. Despite the circumstances, it was nice to meet you. If your husband was anything like me, he was very lucky to have you."
And he was gone.
Clea turned around, returning to face the grave of her husband.
Was this a sign from the Fates? That despite the fact her husband was gone, variants of him still lived on. That somewhere out there, in some other world, Doctor Strange still lived.
She shook her head.
All these encounters today did little to curb her anguish, but it did help somehow.
Her husband might be gone, but his legacy persisted, in this world and in others.
Clea extended her hands, and a portal appeared behind her.
"Goodbye, my love." She whispered, before turning her back to the grave and stepping through it.
She had only one purpose left now… ensuring that her new protégé would live up to the legacy her husband had left behind.
Earth-2808
Xander Bly gulped on receiving the combined glares of Udonna, Madison, Daggeron, Snow Prince, and worst of all, the most powerful sorceress in the realm, the Mystic Mother.
"As a representative of the Mystic Force on the Earth Ranger Council, I believe it falls under your responsibilities to tell us if your fellow rangers are toying with a Nexus Star." Udonna said sternly.
"Everything worked out?" He shrugged weakly. "Look, I knew that if I told you guys, you wouldn't have allowed us to proceed with the plan, but we really needed to know what was going on."
"The other rangers agreed on this." Bridge Carson said from beside him. Some of the rangers from other teams- the Retro rangers comprising of Bridge, Kira, Tori and Adam, as well as Mack from the Overdrive team, and Preston from the Ninja Steel team, had tagged along with Xander to Rootcore for the meeting with Mystic Mother and rest of the Mystics.
"Without knowing the risks involved." Daggeron snapped. "The Morphin Masters are no less than Gods, and all of you, esteemed rangers decided the best course of action is to tamper with one of their prized artefacts and casually call them!"
"They are on our side, right? And the guy who came out was a former ranger himself." Mack said.
"You all should count the stars that the Masters haven't destroyed the entire planet for your impertinence!" Mystic Mother screeched, reminding Adam of the times he had fought against her past self. "Just because they are once human, does not mean they still are. Make no mistake. Their sole objective is to protect the grid by maintaining the balance between good and evil. They do not operate on our sense of morality."
Tori and Kira looked at each other.
"Maybe we are blowing this out of proportion, a bit." Tori said. "Good news is that it worked and we have received crucial information regarding the strange stuff that happened."
"Let me guess. Regarding the actions of the mad titan Thanos involving the Infinity Stones in a different universe?" The elder witch said dryly.
"How…" Adam stuttered.
"Because, all your actions were unnecessary and needlessly placed our planet at risk, for coincidentally around the same time your comrades were communing with Master Zenith, I encountered a wizard who was from the same dimension as this Thanos creature and was amongst the ones who fought against him."
"Wait, how?" Preston asked. "And what was this guy doing here, in our universe?"
"I sensed a dimensional breach and on investigating, I apprehended this wizard, and as for what he was doing, I guess the simple answer would be that he is human filled with hubris, not unlike you all… He was scouting out possible threats in the infinite worlds, a vain attempt I dissuaded him against, though I am uncertain whether he will heed my advice."
"Okay…" Kira said. "That's a serious coincidence, even for us rangers."
"The universe works in uncanny ways, dear."
"Is that all the information you got?" Adam looked at his former enemy curiously.
"Yes." She said simply.
Adam smirked in response.
"Well, Zayto told us a bit more than what this wizard told you. See what we did wasn't a waste. Besides, you had no idea that this guy would just come upon your doorstep, so you can't hold this over our heads." The veteran ranger pointed out smugly.
Rita rolled her eyes.
"Cut to the chase, Adam. I don't have all day, and your blabbering is giving me quite the headache." She said irritably.
"Well, Zayto said that even though Thanos has been defeated and the Infinity Stones were separated and secured in different hiding spots across the multiverse, there are still numerous threats. First, the two times the Stones exerted their powers over the multiverse, it weakened the dimensional barriers, causing random portals to open, linking different worlds across space and time. Because of this disturbance, interdimensional travel is also easier, meaning-"
"Incursions!" Udonna exclaimed.
"Yes." Adam nodded. "An endless variable of threats we can't predict. But Wes assured us that Time Force will be monitoring the timelines closely, and notify the Silver Guardians and SPA if there are any interdimensional anomalies, but there is a more serious threat… Zayto mentioned that numerous worlds are getting destroyed by something called an Anti-Matter wave, and while our dimension is not currently on its trajectory, it is only a matter of time till it is."
"An anti-matter wave…" Rita paled. "That's not good."
"Yeah. Billy and the other science folks seemed to have the same reaction, but we were hoping that you knew of some magic that can neutralize this wave?" Tori asked.
"I am afraid I can't help you, rangers." Rita said in resignation. "There is nothing, mundane nor magic, matter nor energy, that can interact with anti-matter without ceasing to exist. You can't deflect it. You can't absorb it. You can't counter it. The only thing you can do is escape it."
An uncomfortable silence followed.
"Maybe there can be something in the Xenotome?" Xander suggested. "It has never let us down before."
"You don't understand, child." Rita looked at them gravely. "This is not a battle between heroes and villains or good and evil anymore… It is a struggle for survival."
Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter, and hope you like this one too. :)
One of the first superhero media I saw apart from Power Rangers was the 90s animated Spider-Man show, and one of the first episodes of it which I saw was "Doctor Strange", and though I have no qualms about him being killed off in Ben2Dartmouth's "Glimpses", which was necessary to show the depravity of the Skrulls, I did want to give him a proper sendoff, even if its indirectly and through Clea's perspective, and Peter and MJ's conversation with Clea was a tribute of sorts to that episode.
Clea snapping at the heroes who had inquired about Doctor Strange's absence was in "Fathers and Daughters," again by Ben2Dartmouth.
Wong's first name comes from "Marvel Adventures."
The other examples of Strange helping various characters are influenced by the comics, except the bit with Hulk, which happened in the 90s Hulk show.
Luz Noceda being the next Sorcerer Supreme is from Movie-Brat's "New Discoveries", and River Song and her allies recovering Doctor Strange's body is from Batguy01's "Spirits and Timey Wimey Mischief."
The ending scene with Clea meeting Strange from Earth-199999 was something spontaneous I had not initially planned, but fit the narrative, so I kept it in.
The rangers meeting Mystic Mother and informing her about Zayto's warning was a way to bridge the gap between the last chapter and "Mystic Encounter."