Step Through a Doorway

[madimpossibledreamer]

All my knowledge about Civil War comes from the Might for Right Act in City of Heroes.  So.
~Dreamer~

Main Points:
Dr. Strange Genderbend
Summary: Dr. Strange makes a mistake.
Word Count: 550
Rating: Gen

          It’s after it all when she can’t sleep that she starts experimenting again.  It’s an excuse to practice, not to sleep, and of course she can’t learn anything without research and practice.  She briefly wonders if it’s a bad idea, pushing herself like this, but it’s easier than dealing with everything that had happened.
          Her only call to Chris got a hurried message in response.  Apparently he’s swamped.  She swallows and tries not to second-guess it, tries to ignore the voice saying that he’s avoiding her, because she’s experienced these types of hospital rushes before and knows it’s likely not an excuse.  Or rather, not just an excuse.  He probably still needs some time to process.
          A few lesser scale mystical threats arise.  Mordo seems to be biding her time, which is more worrying than an actual attack, but given that people appear to be looking up to her again, she can’t show her worry or she’ll run the risk of making them worry too.  They need to be prepared, not demoralized.  It’s when she starts experimenting in the field that things go wrong.
          She tries to banish some particularly creatures that had been wrecking havoc back to their home dimension.  What she actually accomplishes is to throw herself through a portal instead.  At first, she thinks she’s just teleported to a different street in New York City, but then she sees an advertisement for the Hero Registration Act.  Stark is clearly out of her mind, but then, she’d come to the conclusion having met the woman years prior.  Anonymity was sometimes the only thing that protected some of them, though she doubts Stark understands what it means to stay out of the spotlight.  The Iron Woman pictured there is, well, different than the one she’d known, though.
          The armor’s…well, no way to phrase it delicately, it’s designed for a man.  She’s already exhausted, but she closes her eyes and pushes her senses outward, trying to figure out where she is, and instantly senses an aura fairly close.  A very familiar aura, one she knows as well as she knows her own, and there’s a very good reason for that.
          It’s practically her own.  Just feels a touch more earthy.
          “This isn’t good,” she states quietly, aware that it’s all her own fault (but there’s no time for yelling at herself, no matter how much the stupid mistake annoys her) and it’s a complete understatement.
          Surely she can’t have been the only one to have done this.  There has to be some sort of precedent.  But even if it had happened before, that’s no guarantee that it hasn’t already destroyed other worlds, or that it won’t have consequences, or even that she can get help from a world in which she doesn’t belong rather than being locked up as an interloper or worse.  At least her counterpart won’t…wait, she can’t say that with any certainty; it’s more like isn’t likely to kill her.  Or let her be killed.  He won’t sit passively on the sidelines.
          She shakes her head, ignoring the looks from passersby at her garb (that had been one of the easiest skills to acquire) and starts heading to the Sanctum.  It’s not a sure thing that she’ll be able to get help there, but it’s a start.