MS3T2 A Tale of Two Stranges (May 1996) - (March 2001)

May 1996

Tony and Isabella waited in the lounge. Dr. Stephen Strange had agreed to receive them. He knew of Tony Stark after all and was curious what he wanted with him. He didn't know the woman and decided to learn about her the old fashioned way. By talking to her. He summoned his cloak, put on the Amulet and headed down the stairs to greet them. Tony held a Scotch with a single ice cube. They both stood as he came down and Tony smiled at him.

"Mr. Stark, Isabella Castle, how may I help you?" He asked. Tony's eyes shifted to Isabella. Stephen's eyebrows drew up when he felt like this was all about Isabella.

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March 2001

Tony, Steve and Kate waited in the lounge. Dr. Stephen Strange had agreed to receive them. He knew them ofcourse. He was an avenger after all but didn't expect them to come to him. Something must be important or he would have just called and asked him to come to them. He summoned his cloak, put on the Amulet and headed down the stairs to greet them. Tony held a Scotch with a single ice cube. Steve and Kate didn't want anything right then.

"Tony, Steve...Kate, how may I help you?" He asked. Tony's eyes held a dark look in them as he silently looked at Strange and took a sip of his drink. "Isabella's gone...and I want to know who took her," Tony said ominously. He was upset and angry...no, FURIOUS! Whomever did this is going to pay for their mistake! Tony seethed inside but outwardly. He just calmly sipped his drink.

Isabella knew that Stephen was the Sorcerer Supreme at this point. He was the only man who she believed would be able to help her. She knew that Tony wanted her to stay, but she didn’t belong there. She stood next to him as Stephen appeared. She had to remind herself that he didn’t know her at this point.

“Dr. Strange, what I’m about to tell you is going to sound...odd, but I know that odd is what you deal with. I know you...or at least a you from another timeline.” She began to tell him everything that she knew and that had happened. “I don’t know why I was brought here, but I know that I don’t belong here. You are the only person I know who might be able to tell me and help me get home.”

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Kate and Steve were doing their best to keep Tony calm. Thankfully, Dr. Strange appeared rather quickly. Tony had started drinking which probably wasn’t a good idea. She sighed and looked at Stephen. “We believe Loki might be involved, but we don’t know what he’s trying to accomplish.”

Stephen looked at Isabella and rubbed his goatee. He listened intently to Isabella but after his earlier conversation with Tony he had to put on a good show. Stephen and Tony had known one another before but he acted as if they had never met for Isabella's benefit. Tony wanted Isabella to stay and so Stephen would make it look as if he were doing something. He owed Tony a favor and so he would do what the man wanted.

"Isabella, I can modify time, look into it, feel it but I can't move someone between a primordial timeline. That requires an ability I do not possess. I can try though, if you wish. I want you to know however...there is an actual psychological condition to what you describe. Where the real world seems false and a made up, fantasy seems more real. This is uncommon, but not unheard of Isabella," Steve said.

"She's not crazy," Tony said trying to defend her. "I didn't say she was," Steve said. "Its a delusion," Steve said. "But how could she know about my suit and the exact amount of palladium?" Tony said. "She is a CIA agent yes? She could have seen a single page of data somewhere, anywhere and pulled it into her conscious mind. What do you do at the CIA Isabella? Does your job have anything to do with data or information?" Stephen asked.

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"Loki...Loki...him again," Stephen said obviously troubled. "I've recently learned about something he is trying to do. It involves a war in which we'd certainly lose if the Avengers were not here to defend our world," Strange said. "Loki tried to capture me and control my mind...it was a while ago. In any case, I escaped him. He is definitely up to something," Strange said.

Isabella looked at Dr. Strange. “I’m not crazy and I didn’t see that information. I know it because I’ve lived it. That amulet around your neck is the Eye of Amagotto. It is actually a reality stone that controls time. And if I wasn’t from another timeline where I knew you, how would I know about this place and how to find you? I wouldn’t exactly be able to get that information working for the CIA.”

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Kate became worried by what Stephen told them. “So, how do you find Isabella?”

"But that's how it works Isabella. You believe you lived it. You're so certain that your mind pulls answers from obscure information.," he said and held his amulet. "This amulet is obscure but not unknown to the world. Neither is my address or who I am. You know me and I am here. You know Tony and he is there. Where is your daughter? How do the people that know you in this 'world' know you are you? Because without you there is another Isabella?" Strange said and looked at her. "What is more likely the case? That you've seen obscure material and subconsciously you've retained it or that you've been transported into another timeline of existence...which you haven't explained why yet," Stephen said.

Isabella was starting to feel frustrated. She began to pace a little as she began to think about who might want to transport her here. There were a couple of options, but one stuck out in her mind. “Loki doesn’t exactly like my husband or myself. The Avengers have foiled several of his plans in the past. He would have the ability and the motive to do this.”

Strange suddenly seemed more alert when she spoke that name. And then he looked at Tony. "Tony...I think maybe we need to consider, she is telling the truth. I've had dealings with Loki before," Stephen said. Tony sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot..." He said before he could stop himself. "I'm not certain how much help I'll be. My suit isnt even built yet," Tony said.

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"I'll have to go back to when she was taken and trace Loki's steps. There is an infinite amount of timelines. Alternate realities where he could have taken her," he said. "Doing things like this can cause irreparable damage to the fabric of time and reality. He should know better," Stephen said angrily.

Isabella looked over at Tony after hearing what Stephen said. She sighed a little and walked over and placed a hand gently on the side of his face. She caressed his cheek with her thumb. “I don’t belong here Tony.”

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Kate looked at Stephen. “Is there anything we can do to help with this?”

Tony looked at Isabella. "That's not true. You're here now and we could do so much together. Don't you see that? I'll be the one playing catch up to you. I doubt you had that opportunity in...where ever you came from. We could be a team," Tony said. "An Amazing one," Tony said. "We could have children," He added. "Get married, the whole bit," He said though before today he doubted he'd ever utter those words. He was now. "Leave Frank and be with me," Tony said as he kissed her cheek. He didn't care that Stephen was watching. He put his hand on the back of her neck and rubbed it.

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"Well, I will need someone to locate Isabella for me when we find where she's gone. I won't be able to remain in the other timeline if I'm holding open the portal between. You'll have to go and search for her and bring her to where I punch the hole through into the other reality," Stephen said.

Isabella didn’t know what to say to Tony. She hated doing this to him, but she needed to find a way home. There had to be a way. “I’m sorry Tony,” she said as she gently took a step back. “I miss my daughter. I need to go home to her.”

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Kate looked at Tony after hearing what Stephen said. “Do you want us to go with you?”

"What if there is no Isabella to replace you when you leave?" Tony asked. "Don't you even care about that?" He asked.

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Tony winced. "I don't think I should go at all. Having 2 Tony's in one place could be disastrous," Tony said. "Well that's a good point. We can do this Kate. I'm still a human ice cube and you're likely just a girl," he said. "Though I'd be fun to see what you looked like as a girl," Steve said with a grin.

Isabella sighed and felt a few tears come to her eyes. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask for any of this. I just want to go home.”

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Kate rolled her eyes with a grin at what Steve said, but then looked back at Stephen. “Is there anything else we need to know?”

"You will need to be the investigator you are to find her I think. The tower wont be built and I wouldn't even know if she remained in New York. I will only know which reality she is in," Stephen said.

"You just need to find her parents. They'll know...most likely where she is," Tony said confidently. Steve smiled. "Oh, well that's a great idea," he said. "They'll not be too hard to find," Steve said.

Kate listened to Stephen and Tony and nodded. It made sense to her. She knew Isabella’s parents’ names and had met them before. “Do you have a time constraint?”

"Well I can't hold the portal open forever. In fact, im not certain how long I can hold it open. I cant sleep and I cant use the eye while its holding open the portal. So I will, A not be able to eat or drink or sleep. And B, not be able to use it to do anything. I cant leave and come back either or we'd inadvertently create a paradox," Strange explained. "So, maybe 2 days?" Stephen said.

Kate nodded. “Ok, well we will find her as quickly as we can.” She looked at Steve. “Do you have any questions?”

"You know...I'll have a thousand of them AFTER we've landed," Steve said with a chuckle. Tony groaned. "Guys...this is Isabella...my wife...my life here. Bring her back...please. Just...just bring her back," He said seriously. "We'll bring her back Tony or we won't be coming back," Steve said. Everyone comes home or nobody does.

"Well to find out where you came from we'll need to retrace your steps on how you got here. Where were you when you arrived?" Strange asked. When Isabella told him he sighed. "Oh, hmm, well, I'll need access to your house. Is that going to be a problem?" Isabella noticed the time. It was 4:30. Again she was late to get home to Frank and again he'd have to go pick up James. She noticed he texted her twice wondering where she was.

Kate looked at Steve and nodded to what he said. Everybody comes home or nobody comes home. She walked over to Tony and looked at him. "We're going to find her Tony. She'll be back and yelling at you to pick up your socks sooner than you think," she told him with a little smile.

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Isabella wasn't sure how she was going to get Stephen Strange into her house. It was late and when she looked at her phone she saw that she had several text messages from Frank wondering where she was. She texted him back that she was going to be late and asked him to pick up James. 

"Well...Frank and James will be there. What about tomorrow while Frank is at work and James is at school?"

Everyone agreed that that was a good plan and so they parted ways with the plan for Strange and Tony to come over when she was alone. Tony offered to drive her home but Isabella took a cab. When the cab arrived she noticed that the seedy dark blue sedan was gone from the curb a block down from her home. When she fished in her purse for her keys she noticed that the front door shifted slightly with the breeze. It was not locked, it wasn't even shut all the way.

Isabella began to feel that she was getting closer to actually getting home. She wasn't going to give up hope just yet. She declined Tony's offer to take her home. She knew that if she did that the likelihood of them having sex again was high. She also knew that Frank was an incredibly jealous man and she didn't want to risk Frank seeing Tony driving her home. When Isabella got out of the cab she looked to see if the car was still there, but she saw that it was gone. She walked up to the front door and started to fish out her keys when she noticed that the front door was open. It moved slightly in the breeze and immediately Isabella's senses went on full alert. There was the possibility that she hadn't closed it all the way that morning, but she remembered shutting it and locking it. She moved back down the steps and picked up a large rock to use as a weapon in case there was an intruder inside. She slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

The living room, the first room from the front door was a mess. The wooden coffee table was broken as if something very large had hit it or landed upon it. The pillows to the sectional couch were everywhere and clearly there was blood on the cream colored carpet by the television. There was also blood on the wall near the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"For the last time, I don't know where she is!" Frank said angrily. "You're lying!" *the sound of something hitting something else. Then the sound of movement* She heard a soft crying from the hall as well. "You let the boy go! You got me..let him go!" Frank said in a desperate voice. She heard the rustle of plastic.

Isabella's eyes widened when she saw the living room. Furniture was broken and items were out of place. It was evident that a fight had taken place. She saw a trail of blood on the carpet and the wall leading towards the bedrooms. She suddenly heard Frank's voice and another voice she didn't recognize. She also heard crying and she knew that was James. Her adrenaline started pumping and she knew that the two men who had been watching them...the two men that had taken the car out of the CIA carpool were the ones who were back there with Frank and James. She put down the rock and knew that she was going to need to truly fight these men. She slipped off her heels and then stepped into the room. 

"Let them go," she said in a commanding voice.

Frank was on his knees with his hands behind his back. His face was covered in blood both new and dried and blood was on his shirt. His nose looked broken. James's hands were behind his back as well and he was face down on the carpet. The two men had pistols with silencers though the one closest to the door had a pair of leather gloves on that he had been using to beat Frank with.

Isabella moved fast as the two men moved. The one with the gloves didn't even go for his sidearm that was in his belt. He swung at Isabella who dodged away from his attack. He was skilled though and strong and he flung blows at her furiously. She blocked, parried and deflected all but one that hit her in the left breast. She ignored the pain as she saw Frank lunge toward the man with the gun. She got in several hard blows to the man attacking her, the last she used her hand like a blade, fingers extended and poked the man right in his eye. She felt the softness of his eye and the sinew that coated it. The man screamed but as he did the other man's gun went off several times. She didn't know how but she managed to grab the hand that held the weapon. He slammed himself with her against the wall and she felt the drywall give way under her weight and knew she was going to have splinters in her side. She still held his hand though and as he pulled back to slam her again she kicked him in the side of the knee. He cried out in pain and she was able to tilt the gun back. It went off in his face and he dropped like a large sack of potatoes onto the carpet face down. Blood began to flow into the carpet from the wound and he did not move.

As she got her bearing, James was crying, she noticed Frank was down. When she rolled him over, he was a very large and heavy man, he had 2 bullet wounds. One in his cheek, the other in his neck and blood was all down his front. He looked up at her.

"I knew something was different bout you!" He said weakly. She pressed her hand on the wound in his neck. Blood was pouring from it profusely. She had seen wounds like that before. By the time the ambulance came, Frank would be dead.

Isabella's blouse was ripped and her left breast ached. She knew it was likely going to bruise. Her side was in pain from where she had been slammed into the drywall. However, she ignored all of that and immediately rushed over to Frank. She managed to turn him over and she gasped when she saw the two bullet wounds. She pressed her hand against his neck, but felt the blood just run through her fingers. She knew his time was running out and that there was nothing anyone would be able to do. She looked down at him as a few tears shimmered in her eyes.

"I'm sorry I lied to you...."