Strange Things

Xavier Institute, March 13, 2008
It was Friday evening at the Institute, and Jean was in her room, in her regular clothes, sitting on her bed, reading. The week had been long, though uneventful, and she was looking forward to a nice weekend...as well as a date with Scott tomorrow night, she thought with a smile.
"Hey, Jeannie." Logan said, as he popped his head through her door. "You got a package."
Jean looked up from her novel. "From who?"
Logan shrugged. "Beats me." He left a fair-sized box, wrapped in brown paper, just inside her door. 
"'Night." He said, before walking away.
Her curiosity piqued, Jean walked over to the box, picked it up, and brought it over to her bed, sitting down and starting to unwrap it. After getting the paper off, she found that her anonymous gift was a light-violet box, with a turn-crank...
Suddenly, the box burst open, and a grotesque jack-in-the-box burst out at her, grinning its horrible smile...
The very second that it popped out, the repulsive marionette seemed to grow, looming over her, seeming to generate a horrible force that lashed out at her very psyche...
Jean screamed in horror, as darkness claimed her.
Scott awoke a bit late, the next morning. Yawning, he got out of bed, got dressed, and headed downstairs. As he came into the kitchen, he found that breakfast had already been cleared away, with only Clark, in his work-clothes, left in the kitchen, having a glass of milk.
Scott lightly smiled. "Hey, Clark." He greeted. "Rough night?"
Clark lightly smiled. 
"Not really." He answered, "But today looks pretty hectic. Old JJ wants me and Peter in at the Bugle; apparently, there's a story he wants covered."
Scott grimaced. "Ouch."
"Tell me about it."
Scott chuckled. 
"Hey, have you seen Jean?" He inquired.
Clark shook his head. 
"Nope. Sorry." He answered. "Then again, I only got in a few minutes ago, so she might have come and gone. I would've been back earlier, but there was a trans-Atlantic flight that sprung a fuel-leak."
"Morning." A sleepy voice came, as Alison walked into the kitchen, in her light silver nightgown under her blue robe.
"Morning, Alison." Scott greeted.
Alison smiled at Scott, and then her smile grew in radiance as she saw Clark. 
"Morning, baby." She cooed.
Clark smiled back at his girlfriend, before giving her a quick kiss. 
"Good morning, taushi." He greeted. "How was your concert, last night?"
Alison sighed. 
"I did good, but I was wiped. I didn't get back until after midnight." She lamented. "When I got back to my room, I was out before I even hit the bed."
Clark smiled. "Well, you were amazing, sweetheart."
Alison lightly blushed. 
"I knew you were watching me!" She exclaimed. "When I was done, I was sure I'd heard a faint sonic boom, overhead!" She smiled. "Thank you."
Noting Clark's attire, Alison frowned. 
"Don't tell me Mr. Jameson is making you work, today!" she exclaimed.
Clark sighed. "I'm afraid so."
"Argh! That man is a slave-driver!" Alison declared. "He's worse than Magneto and Doom combined!"
Scott chuckled. 
"Well, good luck today, Clark." He said, before he stepped out of the kitchen for a moment.
Stepping into the living room, Scott found the New Mutants there, all engaged in various activities. 
"Hey, has anyone seen Jean?" He inquired.
Bobby spoke up first. "Nope. Sorry, Fearless."
"We haven't seen her." Ray added.
"Maybe she went shopping?" Jubilee suggested.
Tabitha nodded. 
"The Sadie Hawkins Dance is coming up, soon." She added. "Maybe she went dress-shopping."
"Maybe." Scott said. "Well, if you see her, just tell her I wanted to talk to her, okay?" The New Mutants all nodded, and Scott turned to head back to the kitchen.
As he headed to the kitchen, he encountered Kurt on the way, who was reading a newspaper. "Hey, Kurt, have you seen Jean?" he asked.
"No, sorry." Kurt replied. "But get a load of zhis, Scott: 'Gotham City crime wave comes to sudden halt! Gotham Police Chief Angel Rojas credits police crackdown, but sources tell of mysterious 'Bat Man' apprehending criminals!'"
Scott's eyes widened. 
"Did you say a Bat Man?" He repeated. "Man, just when I'd thought I'd heard everything!"
"Ja!" Kurt agreed. "He's got every crook in Gotham City running scared! People are saying zat he can fly, zat bats do his bidding, zat he can listen through valls, and zat bullets go right through him!"
Scott gulped. "Whoa. He sure doesn't sound like anybody I'd want to meet!" He said. "So, you haven't seen Jean at all?" Kurt shook his head.
Scott couldn't help but worry, at that. It wasn't like Jean to just leave without telling anyone. Scott hoped she was okay...but something in his gut was telling him that she was in trouble...
Daily Bugle, New York
"KENT! PARKER! GET IN HERE!"
Clark sighed as he came into the office just in time to hear JJ's bellow, before promptly heading to his boss' office, followed by Peter. "So, Pete, what do you think the boss wants this time?" Clark inquired, chuckling.
Peter grinned. 
"Beats me." he replied, "But it must be pretty big, to drag the both of us out here on a Saturday."
As they both entered Mr. Jameson's office, JJ was just putting the phone down. "I want you both to head over to the New York Museum." He ordered. "There was a robbery, last night."
Clark's eyes widened in surprise. 
"A robbery, sir?" He asked. He hadn't heard any alarms go off at the museum. "What happened?"
"Someone broke in and stole an old Tibetan ring that your pal Luthor had just donated to the museum, Kent." JJ answered. "Somehow, they managed to avoid setting off any alarms. I want you both to head down there and find out exactly what happened!" He started to pull out some paperwork. "What are you two waiting for?! Get going!" With that, Clark and Peter both hurried out, to catch the bus to the museum.
It didn't take them long to reach the museum, after catching the bus. When they headed in, they easily located the exhibit that had held the ring; it was the only one with yellow police tape surrounding it. After showing their press credentials to the police, Clark and Peter were allowed past the tape. "What exactly happened, officer?" Clark inquired.
"We're not sure." The policeman in charge replied. "Someone managed to cut the alarm lines, as well as the lines to the security cameras. It's impossible to tell exactly what happened, now."
Clark thanked the policeman, and began to look around the crime scene, as Peter snapped photos...and then he happened to see Lex, standing at the edge of the scene. "Hey, Lex!" he called, darting over.
"Hey, Clark!" Lex replied, lightly smiling. "I should've known you'd be on the case!"
"Well, it looks like I'm a bit late." Clark said. "It seems that whoever did this managed to disable the alarms and cameras, to avoid detection...from everything."
Lex nodded. "Well, that just makes them smart." he observed. He sighed. "It looks like whoever did this has a passion for Egyptian artifacts."
Clark blinked. "You mean Tibetan artifacts."
Lex shook his head. 
"No, Clark. They were only found in Tibet." He corrected. "The ring that was stolen was part of a set of three rings, and their craftsman ship was Egyptian."
"But...what on Earth were they doing in Tibet?" Clark asked.
Lex shrugged. 
"Beats me." He answered. "Apparently, these rings were of great occult significance...so much so that the police brought in their occult consultant, to see if he could determine a possible angle to these thefts."
"Thefts?" Clark asked. "This has happened before?"
Lex nodded. 
"The first ring was stolen several months ago, in the same manner." He said. "Naturally, security was tightened...but, apparently, it wasn't enough. I'll advise the museum that houses the third ring to tighten security."
"Good idea." Clark said. "I'll see if I can find this consultant, and see if he has any theories."
"Sure." Lex agreed. "Anyway, I'll catch you later, Clark." He grinned. "Good luck."
"Thanks." Clark said, smiling. "Later." With that, he walked off.
After looking around the scene for a few minutes, Clark spotted the man who had to be the consultant, talking to a few uniformed officers...and smiled. "Excuse me, sir?"
Doctor Stephen Strange turned around, lightly smiling as he saw Clark. The good Doctor was a tall, lean man, in his early forties, with short, black hair streaked with grey on the sides, and a trim black beard around his face, with sharp green eyes, clad in black pants and a light blue silk shirt under a dark red overcoat, as well as red gloves. It made perfect sense to be an occult consultant.
Being the Earth's Sorcerer Supreme – its most powerful magic-wielder – tended to make one an expert in the subject.
"Clark Kent, Daily Bugle." Clark introduced himself, holding out his hand.
Doctor Strange nodded in understanding, and shook it. 
"Stephen Strange, M.D., and Occult Consultant." He replied.
"Do you have any theories on this theft, Doctor?" Clark inquired.
"Hmm...at the moment, none, I'm afraid." the Doctor replied. At that moment, the uniformed officers headed off, resuming their duties.
Clark lightly smiled. 
"I didn't know you made house calls." He said softly.
Doctor Strange chuckled. "You shouldn't be surprised; after making a few visits to the North Pole, this is right in my own back yard." he answered.
Clark nodded; just before Professor Xavier had found him in the Fortress, his meditation training had almost enabled him to reach the astral plane...a regular stop for the Sorcerer Supreme, which drew the good Doctor's attention. In the last few months before being found, Clark had enjoyed debating with a more worldly mind, since the Doctor had been a famed neurosurgeon before embracing the magic arts. "So, you have no idea who could have done this?" Clark asked.
"Unfortunately, no." the Doctor answered. "The stolen ring had a great deal of psychic energy around it...but it was of a particular form that I am unfamiliar with." His expression turned grave. "That fact alone is troubling."
Clark nodded. 
"Well, thanks for your input, Doctor." He said. "It was good to see you, again." He turned to go...
"Wait."
Clark stopped, turning back to Doctor Strange. "There is...a matter that I require your particular help with." he said. He handed Clark a scrap of paper. "Please meet me at this address, later today."
Clark took the paper, nodding. "Of course, Doctor." he replied. "I'll fly by after work."
"Thank you." the Doctor said. "Have a good day, Mr. Kent."
"You too, Doctor." Clark said, and he headed off.
When mid-day came around, Scott was still driving around Bayville in his car, looking for Jean...and still, with no luck.
He was getting really worried, now. Jean had been gone all morning; it wasn't like her to be out of contact, for this long. Scott pulled over, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed, acting on a hunch.
"Hello? Fujioka residence, Taryn speaking."
"Taryn? It's Scott." Scott said.
"Oh, hey, Scott! What's up?"
"Not much, but have you seen Jean, lately?" Scott asked. "I haven't seen her, lately, and I figured she might be out with you."
"No, Scott; I haven't seen her since school, yesterday." Taryn replied. "Is everything okay?"
"I think so; maybe it's nothing." Scott said. "Anyway, if you see her, just ask her to give me a call, okay?"
"Sure, Scott. Later." Taryn replied, before hanging up.
Grimacing worriedly to himself, Scott dialed Paul's number; hopefully, his friend knew something.
"Andersen residence, Paul here."
"Hey, man." Scott greeted.
"Yo, Scott!" Paul replied. "What's up?"
"I was just wondering: have you seen Jean, lately?" Scott asked. "She's been MIA since yesterday."
"No, man. Sorry." Paul answered. "Anything wrong?"
"No, that's okay." Scott replied. "Thanks, anyway. If you do see her, tell her to give me a shout, alright?"
"Sure, Scott. Later."
"Later." Scott said, and then he hung up.
Scott frowned to himself; except for Jean, Paul was his best friend, and he hated lying to his pal, like that. But what else could he say? 'Hey, I think my girlfriend, who can hear people's thoughts and move things with her mind, may have been kidnapped. Oh, and by the way, the reason I wear these shades is so I don't fire off my uncontrollable eye-blasts and kill everyone I look at.'
Oh, yeah. That was a conversation he was looking forward to.
Frowning, Scott drove off, to continue his search. Jean, where are' you?'
Brooklyn Museum, New York
It was mid-afternoon, a lax point in museum patronage, and the guard on duty at the entrance was getting a bit sleepy-eyed. After all, nothing ever happened at this time of day...
Suddenly, his security monitor went snowy. The guard jerked himself awake, and quickly took a look at it. He followed the wiring...and found the frayed section of wiring...which looked as if an invisible force had suddenly just pulled the wires apart.
The guard never saw the red-haired, uniform-clad teenage girl walk right past him. His mind was too clouded to even see her. None of the other guards who came to their colleague's aid saw her, either.
Driven by an unseen power, Jean simply walked further into the museum, using her TK to pull the wires on security cameras as she went, remaining undetected. Soon, she came to the exhibit of Tibetan artifacts, donated by Lex Luthor.
Jean walked past the larger artifacts, completely ignoring the priceless jeweled caskets, and stopping in front of the case holding the single gold ring.
Jean reached out, and used her TK to grasp the alarm wires beneath the glass case. With one precise tug, she tore the wires, completely deactivating the security system. She then simply lifted up the glass covering, levitated the ring to her, and then replaced the covering, taking the ring. After placing the ring in a cloth bag, Jean simply walked to a fire exit, pulling a fire alarm as she did. The alarm promptly sounded, and the exit popped open, allowing her to exit unnoticed, before levitating herself to the rooftops, unseen.
Her task complete, Jean awaited the next command from her unseen master. 'Very good, child.' came the master's voice. 'You now have the remaining two rings. But you alone cannot retrieve the final artifact; you will need assistance...and you know where to get it, don't you?'
Jean nodded, and then levitated herself away...
...heading home.
It was fairly late in the afternoon as Superman flew over the address that Doctor Strange had given him. After returning to the Daily Bugle, it had taken him a good few hours to fill out the report to JJ's liking; he hadn't minded, as it had also given him time to research the stolen rings...
...but his research turned up nothing. Zilch.
Silently descending, Superman spied Doctor Strange's residence; it was a fairly large, yet unassuming red-brick manor-style building. Discreetly, Superman touched down on the roof, wondering how to get in without anyone on the street seeing him...
The very instant his feet touched the roof, a glowing green arcane seal appeared beneath Superman, bathing him in emerald light. In the space between two instants, Superman felt a very light shifting sensation...and then, he was inside the manor.
Superman looked around, taking in his new surroundings. The inside of the building was quite pleasant, reminding him somewhat of the Institute...but the presence of shelves filled with books in arcane languages and mystic-looking talismans set it apart.
Just then, a set of doors in front of him opened, and a fairly tall, athletic-looking Asian man, in his late twenties, with a shaved-bald head, and dark eyes, clad in simple white pants and a green silk shirt walked through.
The newcomer walked to Superman, bowing. 
"Greetings." He said. "I am Wong, apprentice to Doctor Strange."
Superman bowed in return.
"I am Kal-El." He replied. Smiling sheepishly, he asked, "How did..?"
Wong smiled. "The Doctor anticipated that you might have difficulty entering the Sanctum Sanctorum without being seen, and that it was most likely that you would be arriving from the air."
"Oh."
Wong gestured to the door. 
"The Doctor is waiting. Please, follow me." He said. With that, he headed for the door, and Superman followed. Wong opened the door, and they both stepped through...
...and walked into the same room...but they were standing on the ceiling.
Superman blinked, making sure he was seeing correctly. "Are we standing on the..?"
Wong nodded. "When I first came here, it took me weeks to adjust to the ever-shifting perspective of the Sanctum." he said. "It was a valuable lesson for a student of the magic arts."
"I can imagine." Superman agreed. With that, they both walked across the ceiling, until they came to another door, which they headed through.
The room beyond this door was much larger, and composed of countless stairwells, all intertwining in an insanely complex pattern. Wong headed up one stairwell, and Superman followed, walking up one stairwell, then down another, and then up a spiraling one, until they came to another door. Wong opened the door...
...which led onto a set of train tracks, with a locomotive barreling straight at them...
Quickly, Wong shut the door. He frowned to himself for a minute...then smiled, and took a key out of his pocket. He inserted the key into the lock and turned it, before opening the door and stepping through, as Superman followed.
The room beyond was a kind of study, with countless shelves laden with books, many of which seemed to be thousands of years old, if the dust coating them was any indication. The study was also spotted with numerous artifacts, including a beautiful, full-length mirror, seemingly framed in crystal, a glowing orb hovering above its pedestal...and a corroded spear-point, stained with what looked like dried blood. Curious, Superman walked over, to get a better look...
"The Spear of Longinus." came Doctor Strange's voice, as the Sorcerer Supreme stepped into view. He still wore his blue shirt and black pants, but had exchanged his coat for a deep crimson, gold-edged, high-collared cloak – a Cloak of Levitation – clasped by a simple white-gold gem. The Doctor continued, "Some call it the Spear of Destiny."
Superman paused...and his eyes widened as he recognized the name. "You mean..."
"Indeed." the Doctor confirmed. "This was the spear that pierced the body of Christ, over 2000 years ago...and still carries a fraction of divine energy from His blood upon it, to this day. Being an inanimate object, it cannot differentiate between good and evil, so I keep it here, for safety; divine power is not a thing that should be used lightly."
Superman nodded, as he reverently backed away from the Spear.
The Doctor smiled. "I see you had no trouble locating the Sanctum Sanctorum."
Superman nodded. "Walking through the inside of this place was certainly...unique."
Doctor Strange chuckled. "The first time through here usually is." he agreed.
"So, Doctor, what's the problem?" Superman inquired.
The Doctor's expression turned grave. 
"I need you to help me rescue someone very dear to me." He said softly. "She is being held in another dimension."
"Who?" Superman asked.
"Her name is Clea." The Doctor answered. "She is the Sorceress Supreme of the Dark Dimension, as well as its Princess and ruler." He lowered his eyes. "She is also...my estranged wife."
Superman nodded. "Who kidnapped her?"
Doctor Strange's eyes narrowed in cold fury. "Dormammu." He growled, as if the very name were a swearword. "Clea's uncle, former ruler of the Dark Dimension...and one of my bitterest enemies. I cannot recall how many times Clea and I thwarted his bids to reclaim power over the Dimension, in the past. He managed to kidnap Clea and is currently holding her at the very edge of the Dark Dimension. He plans to kill her, to remove any challenge to his claim on the Dimension...but he will not do so, just yet."
"Why not?" Superman asked.
"As much as Dormammu despises Clea, he loathes me even more." Doctor Strange said. "He is hoping that I will come to rescue her...and the very moment he senses my magic, he will kill her, if only to cause me pain. If I attempt the rescue myself, Clea is doomed."
Superman nodded in understanding. "What should I do?"
Doctor Strange smiled, and handed Superman a medallion, with a glowing green stone. "This is a Tear of Oshtur; it has many magical properties...including the ability to repel magic." he explained. "Not even Dormammu's most powerful black arts can pierce the barrier that this charm raises. It also has the power to direct you anywhere you wish to go; it will lead you straight to Dormammu's stronghold. Furthermore, I have enchanted it to emit the same light as Earth's sun, so that your powers do not diminish in the Dark Dimension."
The Doctor then walked to an ornate chest, and opened it, taking out a glowing blue energy-orb. "This is one of the strongest banishing spells in my arsenal." he said. "Time and again, this spell has allowed me to drive dark entities back from whence they came. Dormammu will not be expecting any other but me, and he will not be able to detect you, since you have no magic...and he certainly will not expect you to use so powerful a banishment spell."
The Doctor handed the spell to Superman, who took it. 
"I understand." Superman said.
The Doctor's expression turned stern. 
"Make no mistake, Kal-El; Dormammu is not to be underestimated." He said. "Exercise great caution; the Tear of Oshtur is powerful, but it will not make you invulnerable to magic – it can fail after several hits. Furthermore, do not use the banishing spell until you have freed Clea. Once I open the portal to the Dark Dimension, I will keep it open, standing guard on this end, to ensure nothing comes through. Once you have rescued Clea, use the spell on Dormammu...and then get to the portal as fast as you possibly can. The spell has a powerful area-effect; if you are still in its range, it will trap you just as easily as it will Dormammu."
Superman clipped the spell to his belt, and placed the Tear of Oshtur around his neck. "I will be careful." he promised.
The Doctor nodded, and then closed his eyes, concentrating. His hands started to glow with dark purple energy...and then he stabbed his hands into the air, jabbing them into the very fabric of reality, as the energy took shape, forming a swirling, black vortex. Doctor Strange withdrew his hands from the vortex, his brow still narrowed with exertion. "Be warned," the Doctor said, "Dormammu has many servants. It is most likely that they will avoid you due to the light emitted by the Tear, but a few may be brazen enough to investigate. If any see you, do not hesitate to destroy them; they are but apparitions – they are not real. You must destroy them, lest they report back to their master."
Superman nodded gravely. "I understand."
The Doctor lightly smiled. "Godspeed, Kal-El." he said. Superman smiled, and then stepped into the vortex.
As he emerged from the vortex, Superman found himself standing upon a barren, craggy land mass, no larger than the room he'd departed from, floating upon a vast ocean of nothingness. The vortex on this side was glowing a brilliant white-gold, a sharp contrast to the purple-black of the sky ahead, with only a very dim light on the horizon, giving the realm an unnatural beauty, as if wrapped in an endless twilight. Only the glowing light of the Tear of Oshtur around his neck would provide illumination.
'The Doctor wasn't kidding when he called this place the Dark' Dimension.' Superman thought. He looked to the Tear around his neck. Okay...so this is supposed to show me where I have to go...'
As if it had sensed his thoughts, a bright beam of light shone from the Tear, forming a gleaming path through the sea of emptiness. Superman smiled to himself. 'Well, that's handy.' With that thought, Superman took flight, following the path at a cautious speed, so as not to alert any less-than-friendly denizens of the Dark Dimension.
He had been flying for a little while when his hearing picked something up: soft, scrabbling, scratching noises, coming from all around. Superman touched down on a nearby floating land mass, using his vision as best he could; this dimension was "dark" in all wavelengths of light, making it difficult to see anything...
Suddenly, he saw them: a flock of six, black, wispy, gargoyle-like creatures with bat-like wings, flying through the twilit sky.
Unfortunately, they had seen him, as well.
Shrieking like bats, the six shadow-beasts swooped in at him, scratching at him with their claws...which did him no harm. Superman knew he had to stop these creatures before they alerted Dormammu. Taking aim, he fired his eye-rays, blasting two of the apparitions into nothingness.
Shrieking in horror, the remaining four creatures flew off at impressive speeds. Superman quickly flew after them, being careful not to go too fast; if he accelerated to supersonic speeds, the sonic boom could alert Dormammu. Superman inhaled, and unleashed a blast of frost-breath, freezing one creature solid, causing it to fall into the nothingness, out of sight. Inhaling again, he unleashed his gale-breath, knocking two creatures off-balance enough to grab them and smash them together, as they popped right out of existence.
By then, Superman could see a massive structure off in the distance...and the last creature was heading right for it. Quickly, Superman took aim, and fired a surgically precise eye-ray...
...which annihilated the creature before it got close enough to the structure for its cries to be heard.
Alone, Superman stopped, holding his breath, waiting for the potential attack...and then let out a relieved sigh.
Dormammu hadn't heard him.
Superman took a look at the structure: it was an enormous tower, reaching all the way up to the top of the "sky," surrounded by four mighty walls. The tower was composed of black stone, and seemed to echo of an ominous power.
'Well, if I were an extra-dimensional, magic-wielding madman, this is where I'd hang out.' Superman thought. The Tear seemed to agree, as its glowing path ended at the tower. His goal in sight, Superman flew towards the tower.
Reaching the tower's main gate, Superman touched down, and walked through on foot, to avoid attracting attention. As he came through on the other side of the walls, he got a better look at the courtyard. It was incredibly vast, and empty, save for four massive support columns holding up the tower...
...and there, off to the side, was a glowing orange energy field, with a woman inside, sagging weakly, drained, against the side of the field. She was around Doctor Strange's height, and elegantly built, with ample curves, seemingly in her early thirties. Her hair was long, and a gleaming silver, her eyes a soft blue, her skin a moon-white, and she wore a dark fuchsia vest over black tights, as well as tight black pants with fuchsia circle-patterns, with long, shiny fuchsia gloves.
'That must be Clea.' Superman thought. He looked around the courtyard, which was empty, save for himself and the imprisoned Clea. He took one step into the courtyard...
Clea noticed him, first looking confused at his presence, and then her eyes widened in horror, her mouth opening to shout a warning...
"WHO DARES?!"
Too late.
There was a flash of light a few meters ahead of Superman, and another being appeared. He was fairly tall, his frame lean, and his skin a dark orange-red, his head utterly bald, his eyes glowing a malevolent orange. He was clad in a dark green vest, with matching pants, and red gloves upon his hands.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're Dormammu." Superman said pleasantly.
Dormammu's eyes narrowed. "Who are you that dare to trespass in my realm?!" he boomed.
"I'm a friend of the good Doctor's; he regrets to inform you that he can't make a house call, today." Superman said calmly.
Dormammu's face twisted in rage. "Strange cowers in his Sanctum, and instead sends a child?! A CHILD?!" He roared. "I am ruler of the Dark Dimension! I WILL NOT SUFFER SUCH AN INSULT!"
Superman frowned. 
"There's only one thing wrong with that statement, Dormammu." He said. He pointed to Clea. "Technically, she's the ruler of the Dark Dimension, last time I checked."
"YOU DARE?!" Dormammu boomed. Snarling in fury, the evil sorcerer clenched his fists, as energy started to crackle in his hands. In less than a second, he cast a massive bolt of lightning at Superman...
...who easily darted aside, as the powerful spell missed him entirely. "I tried to be nice." Superman said firmly, and with that, he flew at Dormammu. Roaring, the sorcerer summoned massive boulders, transmuting them into huge spiked spheres, before sending them flying at Superman with a wave of his hand. Superman effortlessly punched the spiked spheres away, the force of his punches smashing them. Dormammu tried to ready another spell, but Superman closed on him in seconds, and slammed him with an uppercut, sending him flying into the air...as Superman flew up to intercept him, slamming him with an axe-handle strike, sending him flying down to crater the ground with enough force to shake the earth.
Superman touched down a few feet from the crater. No way' it's that easy.' he thought. Seconds later, the earth began to shake...as a fifty-foot tall Dormammu rose out of the crater, looming over Superman, standing taller than the Empire State Building.
Superman sighed. "Sometimes, I hate being right."
Roaring in rage, Dormammu sent an enormous bolt of lightning at Superman; this bolt was simply too big to evade, and it hit him, sending him flying back, but he wasn't hurt; the Tear of Oshtur had protected him, although its glow had lost over half its light.
It couldn't take many more hits like that.
As Superman recovered, Dormammu loomed over him, trying to crush him with his massive foot...but Superman caught the foot, and pushed it off, causing Dormammu to momentarily lose his balance, and then regaining it, a few seconds later.
Those few seconds were all that Superman needed.
Instantly, Superman took to the air, closing on Dormammu's face as the Sorcerer tried to regain his balance...and punched him right in the eye.
"ARRRRRGGGGHHHH!" Dormammu howled, blindly swatting his hand at Superman, who easily evaded the attack. Dormammu recovered in seconds, and sent a blast of flame at Superman, who was better able to dodge it. Superman flew in close again, dodging Dormammu's swatting hands, and slammed him with an uppercut under the chin, knocking him back. Dormammu roared in fury, and conjured a massive ball of magical energy, casting it at Superman, connecting and knocking him out of the sky.
As he neared the ground, Superman did a mid-air flip, landing on his feet; he was fine, but the Tear was nearly out of power. 'This isn't working.' Superman thought. 'At this rate, the Tear will lose power before I defeat him. I need to take him down fast enough to free Clea and hit him with that banishing spell. But how?' Then, Superman looked around...
...and got an idea.
Superman took to the air, flying to hover in front of one of the support columns for the tower. As expected, Dormammu followed him, sending another spell-ball at him...
At the very last second, Superman ascended at lightning speed, evading the attack, causing it to destroy the support column, instead. Taking aim, Superman fired his eye-rays at Dormammu, striking his forehead, before flying at him to strike the sorcerer in the knee.
Dormammu howled in fury, before stomping after Superman...just as he'd hoped, as he stopped to hover over the second column, before dodging Dormammu's attack, causing him to destroy another column.
Superman then flew under Dormammu's legs, before giving him a swift kick in the rear, causing the sorcerer to roar in pure rage, blindly stomping at Superman...but missing and taking out the third column, instead.
That was all that Superman needed.
As quick as lightning, Superman darted to the final column on the other side of the tower, and sliced it apart with his eye-rays...before flying into the tower at supersonic speeds, smashing into it...
...and pushing it towards Dormammu.
If he'd destroyed the columns by himself, Dormammu might have caught on too soon.
Turning towards the cracking sound of the tower breaking from its foundation, Dormammu's eyes widened in horror, as he realized exactly what his adversary had been doing. Desperately, he tried to ready a spell to catch the tower...but it was too late.
In seconds, the tower broke free of its foundation, and toppled onto the titanic spell-caster, burying him in over 1000 tons of rock.
Slowly descending closer to ground level, Superman saw that the field trapping Clea had dimmed considerably, but it was still there; Dormammu was still alive, though his power had greatly weakened.
Fine by him.
Superman flew at the barrier at supersonic speed, shattering it like glass with one punch. Clea stumbled, but Superman quickly caught her, helping her up. 
"Your Highness, are you alright?" He asked.
"Ugh...yes, yes, I'm fine." Clea replied. "But...who are you?"
"My name is Kal-El." Superman replied. "Doctor Strange sent me to rescue you."
Clea's eyes widened in surprise. "Stephen sent...I-I mean, Doctor Strange sent you?" she asked. Her expression became wistful. "I...wasn't sure if..."
Superman smiled. 
"He was very worried about you, Your Highness." He replied.
Clea's expression became a bit hopeful. "He...was?"
Before Superman could reply, the earth began to shake. "Your Highness." Superman asked, "do you have any spells that can protect you from massive amounts of g-force? If so, I think now might be a good time to use them."
At that moment, the massive Dormammu burst free of the rubble. "INSOLENT WHELP!" he boomed. "YOU SHALL PAY FOR CROSSING ME!"
Superman took the banishing spell in his hand. 
"Are those spells up, Your Highness?" He inquired. Clea nodded. "Good." Superman added, and he quickly lifted a somewhat surprised Clea into his arms, before throwing the spell at Dormammu.
"Now, hang on!"
And with that, Superman flew off at top speeds, moving at well over Mach Five, heading for the vortex as fast as he could go.
The very instant the spell hit Dormammu, it erupted in a massive blue vortex, engulfing the howling sorcerer, pulling him inside, before it reached hungrily outwards, rapidly catching up to Superman, ready to engulf him and Clea in seconds...
In seconds, Superman reached the portal with his passenger, and was through it, coming to a stop inside the Sanctum Sanctorum. "Doctor, shut the portal now!" he exclaimed. In less than a second, Doctor Strange sketched several arcane patterns in the air, and the vortex closed.
Superman set the slightly frazzled Clea down. 
"Thank you, Kal-El." She said softly. "I do not mean to sound ungrateful, but...I would much rather not travel at those speeds, again."
Superman chuckled. 
"No problem, Your Highness." He said, before removing the Tear of Oshtur and handing it back to Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange's expression became wistful at the sight of his estranged wife. "Hello...Clea." he said softly.
Clea froze, before slowly turning to meet the Doctor's gaze. "Hello, Stephen...I mean, Doctor." she whispered.
"I'm...very glad that you're safe."
Clea lightly smiled. 
"I'm...glad that you sent help." She replied.
The Doctor managed a smile. "Until the banishing spell runs its course...perhaps it would be best for you to stay here, for only a little while."
Clea nodded. 
"Thank you." She said.
Doctor Strange turned to Wong. "Wong, escort Clea to the guest chamber, and see that she is comfortable."
Wong bowed. 
"Of course, Master." He said, and he opened the nearby door, heading through, and Clea followed, though not before she and Doctor Strange stole one last, fleeting glimpse of each other.
Superman lightly smiled. "You still love her, don't you?"
Doctor Strange's silence spoke volumes.
"If you don't mind me asking...what exactly happened?" Superman asked.
Doctor Strange sighed. "That, my Kryptonian friend, is a long story."
"I think I've got time."
The Doctor closed his eyes. "When Clea and I first met, it was when I first encountered Dormammu; after I managed to save the Dark Dimension – by the skin of my teeth, mind you – Clea – then but a novice magician – became a pupil of mine. One thing led to another, and we fell in love, and were eventually married."
"So what went wrong?"
Doctor Strange sighed. "A combination of things, I suppose: her duty as ruler, my duty to Earth, her no longer needing my tutelage...and, of course, there was my idiotic failure to recognize and appreciate her talent...and her."
"And you miss her." Superman observed. "You should tell her."
The Doctor sighed. "Were it only that simple."
"It is that simple." Superman said. "Marriage is two people who love each other coming together, to share their lives together; sometimes, it's hard, yes, but that just means you have to work harder to make it work. She loves you, Doctor, and you love her; fight for her."
The Doctor paused. "I will...take that into consideration." he said. "Regardless, while you were away, I instructed Wong to research those rings. He was unable to determine the exact nature of the psychic power about them, but he did discern that they are associated with another artifact; a scepter, from Tibet, on loan to a museum in New York, before it is moved to Egypt."
Superman's eyes narrowed. "You think that the thief will strike again."
"Absolutely." Doctor Strange said. "I would not advise you attempting to apprehend the culprit in a sensitive place as a museum...but there is another way."
"How?" Superman asked. At that, Doctor Strange began to tell Superman his plan.
As the sky began to turn red from the setting sun, a single figure walked up to the gates of the Institute, entering her pass-code into the gate computer. The gates easily swung open, the security systems disarming themselves, as she walked up to the Institute.
Jean walked into the main hall of the Institute, before walking up the stairs. As she turned a corner, Scott saw her from his room. "Jean!" he exclaimed, hurrying to her side. "Where have you been? We've all been worried sick about you..."
He was cut off as Jean simply raised her hand, telekinetically slamming him against the wall, knocking him out. Jean then continued on her way.
Her first stop was Rogue and Kitty's room. Only Kitty was inside, lying on her bed, listening to her MP3 player. Jean simply opened the door a crack, to meet the younger girl's gaze.
That was all it took. Instantly, Kitty's mind succumbed to the same force that had seized Jean's psyche; she turned off her music, stood up, and started to follow Jean.
The next stop was Kurt's room; the German youth was debating whether or not to call Amanda and ask if she was going to the Sadie Hawkins dance. His mind was taken completely by surprise, and was taken easily.
Her recruitment complete, Jean and her new recruits turned to go...
"Well, ain' dis int'restin'."
Jean and her accomplices turned to see Remy, idly leaning against the wall. 
"Remy don' know where y' got dis' 'Children o' De Corn,' act, mes amis, but Remy got t' say..." His voice trailed off as the same power seized his mind.
Once the other three had donned their uniforms, they all took hold of Nightcrawler, who 'ported them out of the Institute, out into the Institute grounds, near the garage. They quickly got into the X-Van, and Jean drove off...heading to the Manhattan Museum.
Night had fallen, by the time they had reached the museum. After parking the X-Van in a nearby alley, Jean levitated them all up to the nearest window, enabling Nightcrawler to see through, where he promptly 'ported them inside. Inside the museum, they headed towards the Tibetan exhibit, Jean shutting off the security cameras as they went. Soon, they reached the exhibit. Gambit took out his deck of cards, charged one card, and flicked it with perfect accuracy at the control box for the security system; it hit with pin-point accuracy, exploding in a tiny burst, shutting off the security beams spotting the floor. They walked towards the case holding the scepter; the one with the pressure-sensors designed to sound the alarm if the glass was removed. Shadowcat simply phased her hands through the glass, grabbed the scepter, and phased it out.
Their task complete, Jean and the others simply walked away, as Nightcrawler 'ported them back outside, where they hopped in the X-Van, and drove off.
Unbeknownst to the spellbound X-Men, someone had been watching them.
Above their heads, the glowing blue, semi-translucent astral form of the Sorcerer Supreme had seen the whole thing. After getting the proof he needed, Doctor Strange glided through the walls, his astral self not limited to the constrictions of solid matter, making it easy to return to his corporeal body, meditating in the Sanctum Sanctorum.
His astral and physical selves reunited, Doctor Strange opened his eyes, standing up. What he had seen disturbed him; he was familiar with the mind-control techniques used to control the X-Men. He knew who had done this.
Mesmero; a mutant illusionist who used his abilities to perform in a circus. But Mesmero did not have enough power to control those four.
Not alone.
What disturbed Doctor Strange even further was the residual magic he'd felt from those four; its particular mystical signature was familiar to him. It makes sense; for Mesmero to initially enchant Jean Grey, he could not do so in person, else Charles would have detected him. He needed to enchant an object', to get Jean to drop her guard.' Mesmero was not sorcerer enough to do that.
And he knew who was.
Stephen had already donned his Cloak of Levitation when Wong came into his study. "Is everything alright, Master?" his apprentice inquired.
"Make sure the barrier-spells around the Sanctum are solid, Wong." Doctor Strange instructed. "Mischief is afoot, tonight; I may be out late."
Wong nodded. "Yes, Master." With that, Stephen's faithful apprentice headed off, to do as he'd been instructed. Softly chanting a teleportation spell, Doctor Strange teleported away, in a puff of crimson smoke.
It was in the evening when Clark heard back from Doctor Strange.
After Alison had told him of the Professor's telepathic summons, he'd followed her to the Professor's office, where he, Ororo, Logan, and the rest of the X-Men met their mentor, as well as Doctor Strange. "Everyone," the Professor said, "I'd like you to meet an old acquaintance of mine, Doctor Stephen Strange, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. Clark, I believe that the two of you have already met." Clark nodded.
"I have determined who has stolen the Tibetan rings from the museums." Doctor Strange said. "It was your friend, Jean Grey, and, more recently, Kitty Pryde, Kurt Wagner, and Remy LeBeau."
Logan snorted. 
"You're full of it, bub." He growled. "Jeannie wouldn't do that, and neither would Half-Pint. Gumbo, on the other hand..."
Doctor Strange kept his cool. "Not of their own will, yes." He agreed. "They were all under the influence of a mutant named Mesmero."
"Mesmero?" The Professor repeated. "He doesn't have that kind of power!"
"True, Charles, but I also sensed a magical element to this mind-control; in the beginning, he had gotten help from another sorcerer." the Doctor said. "I have a theory about who it may be, but I must be absolutely certain."
"No wonder Jean attacked me." Scott mused.
"Do you think...Doom is behind it?" Alison hazarded.
"No, Miss Blaire; Victor von Doom is not the culprit." Doctor Strange replied. "I am familiar with his magic, and this mystic signature is different from his. Furthermore, if Doom did desire those rings, he is intelligent enough to have subtler ways of procuring them."
"Where is this 'Mesmero' now?" Ororo asked.
"I have tracked him to the abandoned circus where he used to work." Doctor Strange answered. "The sorcerer is there, as well."
"And the others?" Rogue asked.
"They are heading there, as we speak."
Evan chuckled. "Don't worry, Rogue; we'll get the others back...including your boyfriend!"
Rogue lightly smacked Evan on the side of his head. "He is not mah boyfriend!"
"We'd better get going." Scott said. "Everyone, suit up! We'll meet back at the vehicle hangar!" With that, the X-Men hurried off, to suit up.
Within minutes, the entire team had donned their uniforms, and met at the vehicle hangar, where the Professor and Doctor Strange were waiting for them, as were Storm and Wolverine, also in uniform. "I'll be accompanying you on this mission." The Professor said. "If Mesmero has the others under his influence, I should be able to break his hold on them."
"Okay." Cyclops agreed. "Since the X-Van is gone, we'll have to take the Blackbird."
"No need." Doctor Strange said. "Raekto Teleportus!" At that incantation, a cloud of crimson haze engulfed them all...and deposited them at an old, run-down circus.
"So this is where Mesmero took them." Storm observed.
"Of course." the Professor agreed. "Mesmero once worked here."
The Doctor closed his eyes, focusing for a moment, before opening them again. "I'm sensing a dark mystical presence." he said. "Our malicious sorcerer is here, as well."
Wolverine scowled, popping out his claws. 
"Thanks for the heads-up, Doc." He said, "but anyone can tell that this place has bad vibes."
Cyclops looked around. "Superman, can you see them?"
Superman's eyes narrowed as he scanned the horizon. "They just got here." He said, pointing to the direction ahead of them. "We may have found them in time."
"Well, let's go!" Spyke exclaimed, as he started towards their friends.
The Doctor's eyes closed in focus. "Dark magic...all around us..." his eyes snapped open, "...no-one move!"
But it was too late.
As Spyke stepped in front of an old popcorn stand, a blast of eldritch flame seared at him...but Superman quickly yanked his teammate out of the way.
Spyke breathed a relieved sigh. 
"Sorry about that, guys." He said. "Thanks, Big Blue."
"Noctemus exili!" Doctor Strange invoked, sending a wave of white-blue energy out from his hands into the area around them. As it passed, Superman noted that it felt warm, pleasant...and then saw it reveal numerous arcane symbols covering the objects around them – black-magic booby-traps – and then, the wave simply erased the traps.
"There can be no mistaking it, now." Doctor Strange said. "I know who this sorcerer is."
"You always were a meddler, Strange."
Doctor Strange's eyes narrowed as a tall, fairly well-built man, in his forties, with black hair, a trim beard, cold green eyes, and clad in a dark green bodysuit with a long, green cape, stepped into view.
"Mordo." Doctor Strange muttered. "I should have known."
"I'm guessing that he's not in your Top Ten Favorite People." Dazzler said.
"Baron Karl Mordo." Doctor Strange said. "He was once a student of my master, the Ancient One, who taught me the magic arts...as well as showing me what it truly meant to be Sorcerer Supreme." He scowled at Mordo. "But Mordo betrayed the Ancient One's teachings, and left to pursue power for its own sake."
Mordo scoffed. "The half-senile rambles of a decrepit old fool." he sneered. "And now, I will soon have all the power I could ever want...more than enough to end our rivalry once and for all."
"Charles." Doctor Strange said, "You and your students should continue; I will deal with Mordo."
"Not alone." Superman said. Doctor Strange smiled, and nodded.
"Good luck." Cyclops said.
Dazzler looked at Superman, her expression worried, knowing his vulnerability to magic. "Be careful, tausha." she whispered.
Superman smiled at her. "I will, taushi." he softly promised. With that, the Professor, Storm, Wolverine, and the rest of the X-Men continued on, leaving Superman and the Doctor to face Mordo.
Baron Mordo sneered. 
"'Deal with me,' will you, Strange?" He said. "Your arrogance is astonishing."
Superman chuckled. "You, of course, being the expert on the subject."
Mordo's face flushed angrily at the shot. 
"You mind your tongue, whelp." He snapped, "or I shall remove it."
"I have always met your treachery, Mordo." Doctor Strange said. "This time is no different."
"Really." Mordo answered. His eyes narrowed, his hands generating malevolent red spell-spheres. "Let us see about that!" With that, he cast the spheres at Superman and Doctor Strange.
As the spells came at them, Superman and the Doctor dodged in opposite directions, the Doctor conjuring counter-spells as Superman countered with his eye-rays. Mordo had been ready, however, and teleported away before the spells and eye-ray beams could touch him.
For a few moments, neither of them could find the evil Baron...until Superman spotted him. "He's above us!"
Mordo smiled wickedly. "I summon the caustic Rains of Rangador!" He invoked. "Sear my foes!" And with a wave of his hand, he conjured an endless torrent of caustic energy, searing down from the sky towards them...
The Doctor had been ready. 
"I summon the benevolent Rings of Rangador!" He invoked. "Hold back the Rains!" At his invocation, numerous golden energy-rings appeared above them, forming a powerful barrier, repelling the energy-rains.
As the rains dissipated, Superman saw his opening; like lightning, he flew up to Mordo's level, and unleashed a burst of gale-breath, sending the startled sorcerer flying. Doctor Strange attacked in perfect tandem; he swept his cloak in front of him, seemingly vanishing into thin air...to reappear in Mordo's path, intercepting his old foe, and blasting him down to earth with a golden spell-blast.
"I summon the Ruby Bands of Cyttorak!" the Doctor chanted. "Bind this villain!" Instantly, countless bands of ruby energy snared Mordo, trapping him.
Superman and Doctor Strange descended, as the Doctor glared at Mordo. "I see one puppet." The Doctor said, "and Mesmero is another. But tell me, Karl...where is the puppet master?"
Mordo laughed. "Fool! I am no puppet! I but wanted a sample of the power of Mesmero's master!" He sneered. "You were right to think him a pawn, Strange...but you were stupid to underestimate the power I sampled!"
With a loud roar, Mordo summoned a deadly pulse of energy, breaking free of the bands, as the pulse washed over Superman and the Doctor. Superman dug in his heels, as the energy slowly forced him back. The Doctor managed to resist the pulse...until he tripped, losing his balance, as the pulse knocked him back against an old 'Test Your Strength' game, dazing him.
Mordo smiled with evil glee, as he waved his hand...turning the game into a razor-sharp axe, which began to fall towards the dazed Doctor...
Instantly, Superman darted to his comrade's side, yanking him out of the way, quickly darting behind an old carnival stand, evading another spell, to give the Doctor time to recover.
Mordo laughed. "What's wrong, Strange? Too much for you?" He sneered. "And you're the great 'Superman' spoken of in all these legends, boy? I am horribly unimpressed!"
"You okay, Doctor?" Superman asked.
"Yes, I believe so." Doctor Strange said.
Superman chuckled. "You wouldn't happen to have that Tear of Oshtur, would you?"
The Doctor smiled wryly. "Tragically, I must have left it in my other Cloak of Levitation." he said. "I did notice, however, that Mordo's last attack was simply one of his own spells, drastically bolstered in power by an unknown psychic energy...an energy generated by a mutant."
Superman nodded. "And the powers of the X-Gene don't affect me." he finished the thought.
The Doctor nodded. "Whoever this mutant is, he is using Mordo as a channel for his power. If I could strike Mordo with enough power, I believe I can sever that connection...though I will need several seconds to do so."
"Leave that to me." Superman said. With that, he darted out from behind the stand. Scowling, Mordo tried to blast him, but Superman was moving at supersonic speed, effortlessly evading the sorcerer's attacks. Then, when he was in range, he unleashed a burst of frost-breath, freezing Mordo in place, before lightly tapping him, sending him flying.
By then, Doctor Strange had darted out, and was gathering power for his attack. Scowling, Mordo stood up, still shivering, slowed drastically by the cold...and then his expression turned to one of horror as Doctor Strange cast his spell at Mordo, sending him flying, and shattering the psychic link between Mordo and the unknown mutant.
Superman and Doctor Strange walked over to the fallen Baron. "Enough games, Mordo!" the Doctor shouted. "Who is this 'master' of Mesmero's?!"
Mordo smiled evilly. "You'll find that out soon enough, Strange." he sneered. "As for our rivalry...another time." And with that, he disappeared.
Doctor Strange looked grave. "We must move quickly!" he exclaimed. "If Mesmero has the same power as Mordo, Charles and the others are in terrible danger!" At that, Superman and Doctor Strange hurried after the others.
Hopefully, they weren't too late.
After leaving Superman and the Doctor to face Mordo, the rest of the X-Men continued on...until they found their friends, walking towards the big top. "Jean!" Cyclops called. "Jean, snap out of it!"
The spellbound X-Men stopped, and turned around, still in their trance.
The Professor frowned. "It's no use, Scott; I can't break Mesmero's influence, so I'll have to find Mesmero, himself." He said. "Keep them busy until I find him."
"Got it." Cyclops agreed...and then grimaced as he looked at Jean. 'Jean, I'm so sorry...'
A pulse of telekinetic force interrupted his thought-train, sending him flying, as Jean walked towards him. Cyclops reached for his visor...and hesitated; he couldn't hurt the woman he loved, mind-control or not...
A sudden flash of light distracted Jean, as Dazzler knocked her back with a flare-bomb. "We just need to keep them busy, remember, Fearless?" she exclaimed. Dazzler then generated three more holograms of herself, and ran at Jean...who knocked them all back with a TK-pulse. The duplicates vanished, but Dazzler was sent flying...until she generated a hard-light hover-board, catching herself.
Dazzler's attack gave Cyclops an opening; he opened his visor a tiny bit, knocking Jean back with an optic-blast. For a moment, he was afraid he'd hurt her...
...but then Jean promptly got back up. Cyclops inwardly groaned. 'It's never easy, is it?'
Wolverine's eyes narrowed as the spellbound Shadowcat walked towards him...and then he retracted his claws. "Aw, who am I kiddin', Half-Pint? I couldn't hurt you even if..." but he was cut off as Kitty grabbed him in a beautiful judo-throw, sending him flying a good ten feet.
Wolverine scowled. "Now, ya see? This is why I don't like to play nice!"
Avalanche took a deep breath, and then generated a small quake under Shadowcat's feet, trapping her in a small pit. "Sorry, Pretty Kitty." He said...and then, Kitty started to phase up through the ground. 'Oh, great...it's like that old movie, "Attack of the Zombie Girlfriend," all over again!' Lance thought. Then, he smiled to himself. Which would' be pretty cool, if she wasn't out to kill me.'
Spyke ducked under Nightcrawler's flying kick, before turning and firing a bone-spear, which pinned him to a nearby tent by his uniform. "Sorry about that, Fuzzy." Spyke said. "It's for your own..."
He stopped as Nightcrawler simply teleported away, to 'port back in and boot him in the rear. 'Aw, man, I forgot he could do that.' Spyke thought. He readied another bone-spear, to defend himself. Nightcrawler 'ported back to attack...
...and was blown to the side by a gust of wind that Storm generated. Spyke took advantage of his Aunt's assistance by closing on Nightcrawler, but Nightcrawler recovered in seconds, back-flipping away, before vanishing in a cloud of brimstone...to reappear a few feet away, seconds later. 'This is getting us nowhere.' Spyke thought. 'I sure wish the Professor would hurry up and find this Mesmero guy...'
Rogue slowly backed away as the entranced Gambit closed on her. "Snap out of it, Cajun!" She shouted. Gambit answered by flicking a handful of charged cards at her, but Rogue rolled to the side, evading the attack. Gambit then drew his bo-staff, closing on her and pinning her against a nearby stand. "Remy...Ah'm so sorry..." Rogue whispered, as she pulled off her gloves...and touched Remy's face.
Rogue cringed as she felt the initial electrical spark as her skin touched Remy's, starting the process of draining him. She knew what came next; she would slowly start to see his memories, everything in his mind. She had to be careful not to hold on too long...
...but no memories came. Rogue froze, confused; she'd only absorbed enough to copy his powers...but no more than that.
She was touching him...and he wasn't being hurt by her power.
That light touch, however, was enough to jolt Gambit awake. "Chere?" Gambit murmured. "Wha's goin' on?" He noticed her hands on his face, his eyes widening. "Mon Dieu..." he whispered.
Rogue didn't dare move; she was too afraid that this was just a fluke, a glitch in her powers. "R-Remy..?" she stammered.
And then, Mesmero's power took hold of Gambit again, as he leapt away, drawing another handful of cards, ready to throw them...
...but he was knocked back by a blast of golden energy, as Superman and Doctor Strange darted in. "Anyone call for backup?" Superman asked.
"Superman, see if you can locate this 'Mesmero' guy!" Cyclops called.
Superman's eyes flashed electric blue, as he scanned the circus...and his eyes narrowed. "Everyone down!" he ordered. At once, the X-Men all dropped to the ground as Superman unleashed a powerful blast of gale-breath, sending their spellbound friends flying to the side...and blowing off the big top, revealing the cloaked, tattooed Mesmero, hiding behind it. In less than a second, Superman darted over and grabbed Mesmero, lifting him up by the collar. "Let my friends go." Superman ordered. "Now."
"Unhand me!" Mesmero yelled.
The Professor and Doctor Strange walked over to Superman. "Be warned, Charles." The Doctor advised. "Another mutant is channeling his power through Mesmero; it was the same with Mordo. You cannot deal with him alone."
"Agreed." the Professor said. He glared at Mesmero. "You manipulated the minds of my students, trickster." He snarled, "but let's see how you handle ours!" At that, both sorcerer and telepath began to concentrate, beginning their assault on the illusionist's mind; Xavier breaking Mesmero's control, and Doctor Strange eroding the link between Mesmero and his master.
Mesmero broke out in a cold sweat, as he began to lose control, the enchanted X-Men starting to break free. In sheer desperation, he sent one last mental command.
Dazedly, Jean tossed a cloth bag to Mesmero, who screamed, "Take them, Master! Take them!" Before Superman could grab the bag...it vanished into thin air.
And then, Mesmero passed out, his control shattering.
One-by-one, the dazed X-Men regained their senses. 
"Scott!" Jean cried, rushing into her boyfriend's arms. "I could see it all..." she whispered, "...I saw everything he made me do...I am so, so sorry."
Cyclops smiled, hugging her close. "It's okay, Jean." he said. "It's okay."
Rogue and Gambit simply looked at each other, confused.
The Doctor and the Professor opened their eyes. "Stephen...did you discern anything from Mesmero's mind?" the Professor asked.
Doctor Strange shook his head. 
"I'm afraid not, Charles." He said. "But I can tell that, whatever psychic power this mutant had, it was the same as the residual power I sensed on the rings." His expression turned grave. "I have a feeling that we may be hearing from Mesmero's master, in the future."
The Professor nodded. "Stephen, thank you for assisting us." He said.
Superman nodded. "We couldn't have done it without you."
The Doctor smiled. "Thank you, Kal-El, for helping to rescue Clea." he said. He sketched a pattern in the air before them. "May the Vishanti forever watch over you all."
"Uh...right." Cyclops said, smiling sheepishly. "Same to you, Doctor." Doctor Strange simply smiled, and waved his hands, vanishing into red haze. Then, the X-Men headed towards the X-Van, as Superman took to the air, to meet them at the Institute.
At the Institute, after telling the Professor what had happened, Rogue and Remy were immediately sent to the infirmary, where Hank promptly looked them over. "Well...nothing seems to be wrong." he observed. "Rogue...would you try to touch Remy, again?"
Rogue held her breath. "Remy...if Ah start to drain ya...pull away, okay?" Remy nodded. Rogue took off her glove...and touched his hand.
She felt the initial spark...and then nothing, save for the sensation of skin touching skin.
Beast nodded. "I have long theorized about exactly how your powers work, Rogue." He said. "I believe that your body intercepts the neural impulses of another person, transferring that bio-electrical energy into yourself, which enables you to, essentially, 'download' their memories and powers for a time." He turned to Remy. "Remy, how exactly do yours work?"
"De short version: Remy blow merde up wit' a touch." Remy said. "Got t' do wit' Remy chargin' t'ings full o' kinetic energy."
Hank grinned. "And there it is!" He exclaimed. "Since Remy's body generates excess kinetic energy, when you touched him, Rogue, you started to drain his neural energy – which is essentially kinetic energy – which triggered his body to produce excess kinetic energy, to take the place of what you normally drain..."
Rogue's eyes widened. "...cancelin' out mah powers!"
Hank nodded. "Precisely."
Rogue looked to Remy, her eyes wide. Remy just grinned. "Now, chere, didn' Remy tell y' dat Remy would find a way?"
Rogue's expression turned to one of incredulous joy...before she smiled slyly.
Hank chuckled. "I'm sure I have tests to run elsewhere." he said knowingly, before he headed out.
As soon as Hank left, Rogue pounced on Remy, kissing him with all the fervor in her soul, infinitely sweetened by the fact that her kiss was a safe one.
At long last, she could touch someone without putting them in a coma.
Initially, Remy was surprised, but he quickly embraced her, returning her kiss, making this moment over a thousand times better than the sweet kiss they'd shared on their first date.
After a few wonderful minutes, Rogue broke the kiss, reveling in this moment, this revelation. Remy grinned stupidly. "Remy ain' so sure 'e's alive, at de moment," he said, "'cause 'e ain' got a clue 'ow 'e managed t' get 't heaven, chere."
Rogue groaned. "Ya just had ta wreck the moment, didn't ya, Swamp-Rat!" She teased, laughing.
Remy grinned slyly. "Can Remy make it up t' y', chere?" he asked. "Ain' dere a school dance comin' up dat y' were t'inkin' 'bout not goin' t'?"
Rogue smiled. 
"What do you think, Cajun?" She whispered.
And then she silenced him once more.
From around the corner, Superman couldn't help but smile, as he and Dazzler walked away, giving Rogue and Remy some privacy.
Alison smiled. "They're so cute, aren't they?"
Superman smiled, nodding. "I'm happy for them." he said. "Rogue deserves to be happy."
Dazzler nodded...and then, her face turned worried. 
"How are you feeling?" She asked. "I mean, you look fine, but...no after-effects from fighting that Mordo guy?"
Superman smiled, shaking his head. 
"No, taushi." He said. "I'm okay."
Alison smiled. "That's good." She cooed. "I mean, I'm wouldn't normally fuss, but magic is one of your few weaknesses."
"I know, sweetheart." Superman assured her.
Alison smiled. "So...it looks like Rogue has a date for the upcoming Sadie Hawkins' dance." she commented. She looked up at him. "Well...I was just wondering if...I know we're together, but I don't want to put you at risk of being seen..."
She took a deep breath. "Clarkie...will you go to the Dance with me?"
Superman grinned, and answered her with a tender kiss, lovingly embracing her, savoring her tiny gasp, which became a soft sigh. "Taushi, you don't even have to ask." he said. "Of course I'll go with you."
Alison beamed. 
"I...just didn't want to put you at risk of people seeing you." She stammered.
"I know." Superman answered. "I'd love to go."
Alison smiled happily. "You are the best boyfriend ever!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me!"
Superman smiled, returning her hug. "Sorry, taushi, but I think you got that backwards." he said. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."
Alison's face turned a lovely rose color, before calming. "So, you had to help Doctor Strange rescue his wife, Clea?" she inquired. "I hope they work things out."
Superman then cupped his hand behind his ear, listening...and smiled, before he stopped listening. "Somehow, sweetheart, I think they'll be okay."
After assisting the X-Men, Doctor Strange returned to the Sanctum Sanctorum, returning to his study. He simply hung up his Cloak of Levitation, before turning to retire for the evening...
...and came face-to-face with Clea.
Stephen suppressed a gulp. "Clea." he greeted. "Is...everything alright?"
Clea nodded. "I was just...surprised that you sent help for me." she said softly.
Stephen's eyes widened in sheer surprise at her statement. "Why in Agamotto's name would you think that?"
Clea lowered her gaze. "Because...I didn't think you wanted to be with me, anymore." she whispered, a single tear falling down her porcelain cheek. "I didn't think you needed me; that you were powerful enough to defend your realm alone, without my help..."
Stephen frowned to himself. "Clea...defending an entire realm is something that no sorcerer can do alone."
Clea sighed. "I see."
Stephen's brow furrowed, as he remembered Kal-El's words. "But that was not why I sent help." he added. "The reason I sent Kal-El to assist you was because..."
His voice dropped to a whisper, "...I miss you."
Clea's eyes widened in surprise. "You...do?"
Stephen nodded. "Clea, I was a fool not to appreciate you as a sorceress; you've learned so much – you've earned the status of Sorceress Supreme." he said. Tenderly, he reached for her, and glided his hand across her flawless face, her perfect features, traces of her Faltine heritage, smiling as she did not pull away. "But you are so much more to me, Clea...I was an utter fool to let you go."
Clea smiled at that. "No more than I was for leaving." she cooed. "Stephen, you've done so much for me; you've saved me, taught me, helped me...and given me the one thing I wanted above all." Her smile grew. "Love." Her hands rested themselves comfortably on his chest. "I should never have left."
Stephen smiled like a perfect, lovesick fool – which, of course, he was. "We can...try again, can't we?" he whispered, embracing his beautiful wife. "Surely, we can make this work; we can share our duties to our realms, share our responsibilities, together...isn't that part of what marriage is about..?"
Clea sweetly placed her fingertip upon his mouth shushing him. "Stephen...I completely agree with everything you've just said..." she cooed, "...but, by All-Seeing Agamotto..."
"...stop talking."
And with that, she looped her arms around his neck, sealing his lips with her own. At first, Stephen was mildly surprised, but smiled, holding his beloved wife close, as she showed him that it was indeed possible to perform a tonsillectomy without even a single surgical tool.
After savoring her kiss for a few minutes, Stephen lifted his wife into his arms, savoring her mild squeak, never breaking her kiss for a minute, before carrying her towards his bedroom.
Teleporting would have been quicker...but there were some things that a man did not hurry.
Louisiana, New Orleans
In her home in Louisiana, the mutant-prophetess Irene Adler – known as Destiny – sat in her usual rocking chair, enjoying a quiet moment. Irene was in her forties, with mid-length brown hair, and sightless blue eyes, clad in a simple pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt.
Irene lightly smiled as she heard the sound of a teleportation spell. "Hello, Victor. I was starting to think that you weren't coming."
The metallic chuckle of Victor von Doom answered her. "The ability to see the future certainly is handy, Irene Adler." he said.
Irene nodded. "Oh, and your daughter needn't worry about that vase."
"What vase..?" Siryn asked...as she accidentally bumped a table, knocking over a vase.
Irene smiled. "That one."
"Your veracity is as impressive as ever, Irene." Doom commented. "However, I am curious about one of your other prophecies...the one regarding Kal-El."
Irene nodded. 
"I had a feeling that you might be." She said. "I remember it well."
"Indeed." Doom said. "What concerns me is that Kal-El does not seem interested in taking his place as leader of the mutant race."
Siryn nodded, frowning. "He seems more concerned with 'helping' humanity...and that...Blaire girl."
Irene chuckled. "You think my prophecy is wrong?" She asked. "Prophecy is never wrong; only people's interpretation of it can err."
Siryn blinked. "But..your prophecy said..."
"...that the Child of the Star would unite mutantkind." Irene corrected. "I remember my own words, Anita LeRoux." With that, she began to recite:
"All of you now, from near and from far,
mark well the Child that comes from the Star!
Great power he has, which no man can match.
The dark he will fight, and swiftly dispatch.
Death shall fall from the sky, with unquenchable fire,
yet the Child will strive on, and shall never tire.
Monsters will rise, in a world full of hate,
yet the Child will bring light, to challenge this fate.
Another will come, with might equal to he,
but he will still win, in ways we can't see.
And all around him, mutantkind shall unite,
to drive back the dark, in a terrible fight.
And hope shall be gone, as victory seems far,
but hope shall return, with the Child of the Star."
"I am aware of the prophecy, Irene." Doom said.
"Then you must have taken heed of some of the last few phrases." Irene said. Her tone turned grave. "I have been feeling it, Victor; the horrible darkness mentioned in the end of the prophecy. Even now, it is growing in strength, drawing nearer. It will be the Child's final challenge...at least, as far as I can see."
"What do you mean?" Siryn asked.
"I cannot see beyond the end of this prophecy." Irene said. "It is the end of time as we know it. Either Kal-El will overcome the darkness...or be defeated by it; either way, the world will never be the same."
"You cannot see what will happen?" Doom asked.
"I can see fragments of what will happen as the darkness draws closer...but nothing beyond it." Irene said. "All I can see are seven figures joining forces with the Child: one who dwells in the dark, striking fear into those who harm the innocent; one born of warriors, blessed by the gods of old; one who is the survivor of a dead world; one who calls the ocean deeps his home; one who bears a brilliant green light; one who moves swifter than lightning; and one who flies upon bird's wings. Even now, some are drawing closer; together, they will help the Child bring back something lost to this world."
"And what is that?" Doom asked.
Irene smiled, as her words caused a slight chill to creep up Doom's metal spine.
"Justice."
Egypt
Deep in the desert, beneath the ancient Sphinx, the stone mutant Ozymandias stood before a massive stone door. He took out the three rings and the scepter...before sliding the rings onto the scepter...forming a key. He then inserted the key into the ancient lock...and turned it.
The door opened, sliding back...revealing another massive door, bearing the stone crest of a spider.
Ozymandias smiled. The first of three doors had been opened.
'Soon, Master Nur.' He thought, as he turned, to begin work on locating the key to the second door. 'Soon, you will be free...and the world will again tremble before Apocalypse.'