Something very like a sun beat down on the deserts of the Dark Dimension, the military encampment set up in the shadow of great cliffs. Humans, humanoids and various other beings were gathering there, more and more every day, rebels dedicated in overthrowing the demonic ruler of this realm and returning their true princess to power. Dr. Stephen Strange smiled slightly, his black beard streaked with gray, his dark hair having reached his shoulders. The heavy oaken staff he leaned on had become almost a familiar to him, the robes he now wore replacing his old costume. Elaborate spells protected this place and the people here, enchantments he had woven with great care to protect them from this place's demonic lord. "It's coming together, isn't it?" Clea murmured, her white hair falling into her gentle eyes. Her purple body suit clung to her slim form, a figure that Stephen had come to know very well. "We're going to win," Stephen answered, looking at her with love in her eyes. She gazed at the crystal sphere and frowned, just slightly. "You're worried you couldn't reach your students?" Clea asked wryly. Stephen shrugged a bit sheepishly, "It is unusual." Clea sighed, "They are both very capable young women, Stephen." She hesitated, "And if you're really intending to stay here with me after the war is over, you'll need to accept that they can handle the job you left them." Stephen hugged her gently, breathing in her lovely scent. "You're right," he smiled, "it's probably nothing too serious." Meanwhile, across the dimensions, a conversation was going on about how to handle possibly one of the most dangerous forces in the universe. "So we're going to build a shield," Kitty Pryde said, her brown hair tied back to keep it out of her eyes as she gestured, "a web to contain any backlash from the Anti-Phoenix." Illyanna Rasuptin nodded agreement, the lovely blonde sitting there by her lover on one of the stones outside the Weird Happenings Organization's tent. "I'm sorry I doubted you," she admitted softly, gently taking Kitty's hand. "Don't be," Kitty flashed her a smile, "that's what a partner is for, to make us look at a problem from all sides." Illyanna looked a bit sheepish as she admitted, "I just wish that Alysande hadn't been the one to finally solve the problem." "Made me feel dumb, yeah," Kitty agreed. She smiled slightly, "Did you notice how Jean seems to like talking to her?" Illyanna looked at her oddly, "You may be reading too much into it." Alysande smiled wryly as the brown haired older woman stepped out of the tent, quietly moving away from where she had been listening to the young women talk. 'I rather wish I hadn't overheard that,' she thought as she casually walked over to the circle of standing stones, 'those women are far too perceptive for my tastes.' The wind was chilly, moisture in the air making Alysande wonder if there wasn't another storm coming. Her uniform kept out the cold, thankfully, and her boots were good enough to handle the rough terrain as she cut across the stony ground. A figure stood near the edge of the churning energy fields, her long red hair flowing back from her face. She had an almost unearthly beauty as she turned to look at Alysande. "I didn't expect to see you out here," Jean commented. 'What are the odds, I wonder?' Alsyande thought to herself with amusement. She shrugged slightly as she smiled at Jean, "I may love my brother dearly but there's only so long I can take being the sounding board on his cross-temporal theories." Jean flashed a smile, "He's trying to determine how Rachel and I could still be here if we've altered the timeline that produced our future?" "Up to a point it's interesting to listen to," Alysande commented warmly, "but after a bit it gets a it much. Kitty and Illyanna went outside to talk, Rachel grabbed a quick snack and with you gone that just left me." Jean looked amused, "So sorry." "Your sympathy overwhelms me," Alysande said dryly. "Have Kitty and Illyanna decided on a strategy yet?" Jean asked. "In broad terms, I think," Alysande answered her as she gazed thoughtfully at the ominous circle of stones, "something about building a kind of barrier." Jean nodded thoughtfully, "A layered shield, probably, and we'll likely need the assistance of other magicians, too." "Why other...?" Alysande blinked. Jean turned to look as lightning arched over the stones, flickering in the cloudy day. "I won't be able to help," she explained grimly, "the Anti-Phoenix was created to target me. If I contributed my power to the barrier our foe might be able to break through much easier." "Makes sense," Alysande admitted. She looked over at Jean, "I have to admit, I was a bit surprised that you chose to tell my brother and I that you were the embodiment of the Phoenix." Jean shrugged slightly, "We may need your help in this." She paused a moment, "I am a creature of impulse and instinct, and those are telling me to trust you." Alysande looked over at Jean in surprise, then smiled. "Thank you," she softly answered. Before they could say anything else there was the crunch of gravel and soft conversation as two figures drew near. Allistaire was talking softly, brown hair falling slightly messily into his face while Rachel looked gently amused by his antics. The redheaded young lady waved as they approached, "The sorcerers say they're ready to go." Allistaire was rubbing his hands together eagerly, "I'll have all our recording equipment on as they work, the data we'll acquire could be invaluable." "Have you asked them first?" Alysande asked as they walked back over to the tent. "I hadn't really thought about that," Allistaire blinked. He looked a bit sheepish as he asked them, "I guess I should?" "Probably a good idea," Rachel laughed. She looked impish, "I don't know what would happen if you annoyed Kitty, but I wouldn't want to find out." With a wicked smile Jean played along, "We don't know what happened to the last guy who did something like that." Alysande smiled as she watched her brother looking very nervous. She strongly suspected that Rachel and Jean were pulling his leg, but she wasn't going to say anything. 'Besides,' she thought semi-seriously, 'I'd be more worried about Illyanna.' Kitty looked up as the group entered the tent, her eyebrow rising as she saw the anxious look on Allistaire's face. "What's with him?" she asked. Rachel grinned at her teacher, "Just nerves, probably." Illyanna gave Rachel a suspicious look but decided not to ask. "Kitty and I have a strategy," she answered, "she'll summarize it." Kitty wiped at her eyes tiredly. "We're setting up a defensive grid," she said, "calling on several magicians to build a intricate defense both for us and Phoenix." "Eh?" Jean looked startled. "Makes sense," Alysande murmured after a moment, "if this thing was built to go after Phoenix it may strike if we tamper with it." "It's frustrating that I can't help," Jean scowled. "If we fail you have to be here to pick up the pieces," Illyanna said seriously. "We've contacted the mystics we'll need via astral projection," Kitty said, the strain of that clearly explaining why she looked so tired. "A bit of a mixed bag," Illyanna added, "Agatha Harkness and the Scarlet Witch, Jennifer Kale, Brother Voodoo, Shaman, Doctor Druid and Albion are all ready to pitch in." "We would have called in Victor Von Doom," Kitty added, "but he'd be way too likely to screw with us and try to gain the Anti-Phoenix himself." "So when do we go?" Rachel asked eagerly. "Tomorrow morning," Illyanna said, ignoring the frown that Kitty gave her. She sighed, "We all need to be at our best when we do this." "We have extra tents we can set up for you," Alysande quickly volunteered. Jean chuckled, "Good, otherwise Kitty or Illyanna would have had to magic something up." "I almost wish I could see that," Allistaire murmured. To be continued... Author's Note: All the mystics mentioned have appeared in Marvel comics before. Agatha Harkness and the Scarlet Witch are from Avengers, Jennifer Kale was originally in Howard the Duck, Brother Voodoo showed up in their older horror comics, Shaman is in Alpha Flight, Doctor Druid was also an Avenger and Albion was a Knight of Pendragon.
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