Anomaly

Juno sat on a small couch with the Avengers standing around her as they watched the television. Rhodey flicked from one news channel to another, all of them reporting on the sighting of the strange woman with other-worldly powers.

'Officials say the woman is believed to be a threat from another planet,' said the reporter on screen.

He switched to another station where a news anchor sat behind a desk.

'The attack came yesterday afternoon, injuring many-'

He switched it again.

They watched as footage from the incident played out on screen; a shaky phone camera capturing her stepping down onto the hood of the car. It switched to another angle, someone filming from the window of a building as a blast shattered the glass and people ran for safety.

She averted her eyes as the others continued to watch. Rhodey switched channels again.

'It is unclear whether the attack is linked to the Avengers,' said the reporter. 'A source says the infamous team are working privately and in cooperation with the government to locate the woman the world is now calling: the biggest threat to New York since the intergalactic attack of 2012.'

"Alright, that's enough," said Sam, urging Rhodey to turn off the TV.

They looked down at Juno as she sat with her head in her hands, talking about her as if she wasn't there.

"She should stay here," said Sam. "We can keep her out of danger in case more of those things come."

"That's a good idea," replied Bruce. "Lay low until I can finish the extractor."

"I'm not staying here," she said as she looked up at them. Her eyes were becoming less green, the yellow flecks spreading like veins of gold across her irises. "I can't trust any of you."

"Wait, you can't trust us?" said Rhodey cynically.

She shook her head. "The reports are saying you're working with the government to capture me. How do I know this isn't some elaborate trap?"

Stephen stepped forward. "You can't believe everything you see on the news, Juno. I know these people, I trust them with my life. I did trust them with my life, And I trust them with yours."

"I want to go back to the sanctum with you," she insisted. "I feel safe there."

"It's not about where you feel safest," said Wanda. "It's where you actually are safest."

"Look, if anything goes wrong, he can do that sparkly thing and have me back here in seconds. It's practically like being a door away from each other."

Bruce sighed. "Yeah, it may be like a door when he's there. But what if he's not there? What would you do then?"

"Actually..." Stephen pondered for a moment.

*

They stood beside each other in front of three doors. Behind the first, Juno could see crashing waves and crisp white sand. The second was a night sky, the northern lights flashing like an oil slick amongst the stars. He pointed to the third.

"I'm going to set this door to lead straight to the Avenger's headquarters," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He placed his fingers on the dial and turned it. She watched in awe as the images through the glass flickered quickly, changing from plush rainforests to busy streets. Eventually it stopped on the HQ lab. She peered through the glass, watching Bruce working on the machine. He was dancing around and singing to himself with a pair of modified headphones over his large, green ears. She opened the door. It was really there.

Bruce glanced up and let out a frightened yell. He pulled the headphones off and looked at them, his chest rising and falling quickly.

"Sorry," said Stephen. "As you were."

He closed the door. Juno stared up at him in amazement.

"The Rotunda of Gateways," he said. "Three doors that can take you anywhere on earth."

"This is a really, really cool house."

*

Juno stood at the large, circular window, looking out over the streets of New York below. She folded her arms across her chest, allowing her mind to wander back to the life Stephen had shown her. The way his hand felt on her waist, the way he smiled as they got married. She wondered about all the moments she didn't get to see, wishing she could go back and experience them too.

She looked up at the cloudy blue sky when suddenly, an image invaded her mind. Creatures. Creatures and flying ships descending from a hole in the sky. She felt a wave of panic, followed by a throbbing in the back of her neck.

She placed her hand over the stone and closed her eyes, breathing slowly and begging the flashbacks to stop. Flashbacks. He eyes sprung open and she gave a quiet gasp.

"Stephen?" she called out, turning her back on the window and hurrying down the stairs. "Stephen?"

She found him in the library, hurrying over and sitting opposite him at a table.

"I think I remembered something," she said.

He closed the book he was practicing with, sending it floating back to the shelf with a smooth hand motion.

"Go on?"

"There were things in the sky," she began. "They were destroying everything. People were screaming, buildings crumbling, cars crashing into each other..."

"Things in the sky?"

"Big ships. Space ships, I think, I don't know. And creatures that moved like they were swimming through the air. I was looking up at them and then suddenly... pain. Nothing but pain."

He took her to a room with a large stone table. She stood back, watching as he used his fingers to cast magic into the air above it. Orange sparks swirled around like constellations, finally coming together to form a familiar shape.

"Is this what you saw?" he asked.

She looked up at the creature he had conjured. It rippled and swayed in place, exactly like the one she had remembered.

She nodded.

He pointed up at it. "These things attacked New York City in 2012. People died, the world almost ended."

"What happened?"

"The Avengers happened. They saved us all."

"So... that's how I died," she said. "I got hurt in this attack."

"Looks that way," he replied, before waving his arm and watching the image of the creature melt away.

*

Stephen dressed himself in a t-shirt, jeans and a smart coat before slipping the eye of Agamotto around his neck and hiding it beneath his clothes. He stepped out of the room and jumped with fright at the sight of Juno standing there.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"The hospital," he replied as he made his way downstairs. "I need to find out what timeline you're from. So I figured if there's a record of your death at the hospital-"

"Then I'm not from this reality," she finished as she followed behind.

"Exactly." He waved his finger at her, pivoting on his heels to face her. "Stay out of sight. Don't go in any room that isn't the kitchen, living room or your bedroom. Oh, and don't touch anything."

"Whoa, hold on a second... I'm coming with you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Did you uh, did you miss the part where you're the most wanted person on the planet right now? Have you forgotten the slimy, extra dimensional creatures that tried to kill us last night?"

"I can wear a disguise..."

"Juno."

Wong cleared his throat. They turned around to look at him as he stood nearby with a pile of clothes in his hands.

"These are for you," he said as he walked up to Juno and placed them in her arms. "I thought you might appreciate some... proper attire."

"Where did you get women's clothing?" asked Stephen.

"Kamar Taj," he replied. "When people come to train with us, they trade their regular clothes for robes. We have a whole room of stuff," he turned to Juno. "I just picked out what I thought would fit you."

She smiled. "Thank you, Wong."

She disappeared for a few minutes, leaving the two men bickering near the front door.

When she returned, she was wearing an old, knitted zip-up cardigan and jeans. She walked towards them and pulled a leather baker boy hat onto her head.

Stephen stared at her. "A hat. Your idea of disguise is a hat?"

"I like it," said Wong.

He rolled his eyes.

"If the disguise doesn't work, I could always try and get into people's heads instead," she said. "Erase their memories?"

She closed one eye and pointed at him as swirls of energy began to pour from her fingertip. Her eyes glowed gold, as if she were bewitched.

"Can you even do that?" asked Stephen sceptically.

The power ceased and her eyes stopped glowing. She dropped her hand to her side and shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "It'd be cool if I could, though."

*

Christine Palmer stood at the front desk of the ER shuffling through papers. She handed one to the receptionist and smiled before tapping the others against the counter to straighten them. She turned to walk away but stopped suddenly, her eyes growing wide.

"Stephen?" she said breathlessly.

"Hi Christine," he smiled.

"Oh my god." She hurried towards him and pulled him into a hug, taking a step back and looking at him for a moment. "I tried to look for you after the Vanished came back."

"The Vanished?" asked Juno.

"The dusty people," Stephen replied.

"Ah."

Christine turned her attention to Juno, her eyebrows stitching together. She recognised her, but she couldn't put her finger on how.

"I need to ask you a favour," said Stephen.

"Oh no, you're not gonna turn into a ghost thing again, are you?"

"No," he laughed. "I need you to search through some records."

They began to feel eyes on them. Everywhere they looked, people were taking second glances and whispering to each other.

"Stephen..." Juno muttered. "The hat isn't working."

"Christine," he said quietly. "You need to get us somewhere private. Now."

She led them to a dark, quiet office and closed the door, leaning her back up against it.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Can you access the records?" he replied, ignoring her concern.

"Y-yes, I can access the records but-" Suddenly, it clicked. Her mouth fell open as she looked at Juno. "You're... You're the woman from the news!" she was shouting, clutching her chest with panic.

"Hey, it's not what you think," said Stephen calmly. "You're safe, she's not gonna hurt you. I will explain everything, just please can you get into the records?"

She nodded gently, her eyes never leaving Juno as she walked over to the computer. She sat down at the desk and began to type.

"Is this something to do with your cult?" she asked.

"I told you, it's not a cult," he replied.

"First, you come in making holes in thin air, turning yourself invisible and flying around the place. Now, you come back with an alien friend."

Juno cleared her throat. "I'm actually not an alien. Possibly Inter-Dimensional, we're not sure. But definitely not an alien."

"Inter-dimensional? Oh god, now I really have heard it all."  The computer bleeped. "Alright, I'm in. What do you need?"

"I need you to check records from 2012 for a patient brought in with a broken neck and severed spinal cord."

"What's the name?"

"Juno."

"Juno... who?"

"We don't know her last name."

Christine sighed. "Okay." She began to type. "So... who's Juno?"

"I am."

She looked up at her and laughed. "What? Wait, hold on, a broken neck and severed spinal cord? There's no way you'd be walking around-"

"I was her surgeon," he said bluntly. "Or at least, I should've been."

"Should've been? I'm sorry but do you realise how crazy you sound?"

Juno pulled up a chair and sat down with a huff. "Time is like a tree, with lots of leaves- no, wait, branches. There are infinite versions of reality that run on different timelines, each one different depending on choices, events, all that stuff." She looked up at Stephen. "Am I explaining this right?"

"It'll do."

"In every reality, I die. Except for one. For some reason, in one reality he does the surgery and I survive, creating a new branch of time. In that branch, I survive, we fall in love, we get married, have babies and live happily ever after, until half the human population turns to confetti."

She felt a pang of disappointment at the idea of Stephen loving someone else. But swallowed the feeling quickly, shaking her head in confusion. "So why are you here?"

"That's why I need to see the records," said Stephen.

"Okay, okay." She tucked her hair behind her eyes and leaned closer to the screen. "2012?"

"Yes. During the invasion of New York."

They watched as she continued to type, furiously at first, but her fingers began to slow down. Until eventually, she was sitting quietly, staring at the computer.

"What? What is it?"

"There are no records from the day of the attack on our system," she replied. "At all."

"What?" He pushed her aside gently to see for himself. "How is this possible?"

"I-I'm not sure." She stood up. "It's impossible. Hundreds, if not thousands of people came through the ER that day. The city was like a bloodbath."

"Could someone have deleted them?"

"If they'd been deleted, they'd still show on the system, I just wouldn't be able to access them. But there's nothing here. It's like that day never existed."

The pager beeped on Christines waist. She glanced down at it and sighed. "I have to go," she said as she hurried towards the door. "You guys need to leave before someone finds you."

They waited a few minutes before slipping out of the office, glancing around before making their way down the corridor.

"Is that Stephen Strange?" a voice bellowed from behind them.

"Oh no," he exhaled before turning around with a fake smile. "Doctor West, long time no see."

'Nicodemus West'. Juno heard Stephen's voice in her head. She glanced up at him - he was doing it on purpose, communicating to her with his thoughts. 'Rival surgeon. Hates me because I was always better than him. Stay calm.'

She watched the two men shake hands.

"I didn't expect to see you around here again... Nice beard," said West. "And who's this?"

Stephen looked down at her. "Uh, this is Juno. She's... my wife."

"I'm his wife."

They said it at exactly the same time, immediately putting an arm around each other and smiling.

"Wife? Wow, when did that happen?"

"Last year," they said unison.

"Intimate ceremony," Stephen finished.

"Oh, well congratulations."

Juno could tell he was suspicious of her, his eyes staying on her face for too long, as if he was trying to remember where he'd seen her.

"How, uh, how did the two of you meet?" he asked.

"She was my patient," Stephen replied. "One of the last ones before my accident."

"He saved my life," she smiled.

He narrowed his eyes. "I feel like I've met you before..."

Christine walked over to them with a clipboard in her hand. "Nick, what are you doing?"

"Just talking to my old friend Strange here and his new bride. Did you know he got married?"

She glanced at the two of them, then around at the other people beginning to recognise Juno.

"Of course I did, I was at the wedding," she said cheerfully. "Beautiful ceremony, very intimate. Nick, I need to talk to you about a patient that just came in..."

She dragged him away, glaring back at them, urging them to hurry.

"We have to get out of here. Now," said Stephen.

"Why?"

"Because I was right, the hat is a terrible disguise. And there's a bunch of guys in suits coming straight for us."

She looked up to see them. Black suits, earpieces, guns on belts. She grabbed Stephen by the arms.

"Can you make one of your portal things?"

"Not here. Follow me."

They turned swiftly and began walking down the hall.

"Hey!" one of the men shouted.

"Just ignore them and keep walking," said Stephen.

"Hey, you! Stop!"

"What should I do? Should I use my powers to blast them or something?" she asked.

"In a hospital? Absolutely not."

They turned a corner, their shoes screeching against the floor as they stopped in their tracks. Another group of suited men were coming towards them.

"We're surrounded," she said.

"It's fine."

"No, it's not fine."

As her heart began to race, she could feel the burning in her hands growing stronger and travelling up her arms. The stone in the back of her neck sent a pain down her spine as her fingers ignited with glowing, golden matter.

"Juno, don't."

Her breath became shallow and quick; the closer the men came, the brighter her power burned. She was scared - the mind stone reacting to her fear.

Stephen knew there was only moments before she erupted. He had seen how destructive her powers could be and he couldn't let that happen here. He pulled out the eye of Agamotto and opened it with a quick spell. The time stone shone a bright green light from inside the pendant as he curved his fingers and moved his wrists. Then suddenly, everything paused.

Juno looked around at the people frozen in place, her powers slowly fading until they were gone. "Did you just... stop time?"

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a ring. He slipped it on his fingers and conjured a portal to the sanctum. "Go."

She stepped through it, watching in awe as he restarted time and ran through to join her, closing the portal quickly behind him.

"Do you see now," he said breathlessly, his voice laced with anger. "Why I told you to stay here!"

She jumped in fright at his loud, furious voice.

"I'm sorry, I..."

He stormed off. Leaving her standing alone in the large, empty foyer. She took off her hat, her eyes falling to floor.