Chapter 119: Comprehension

Chapter 119: Comprehension

A/N: Tony is nonplussed.

Chapter early today because I may not be home later at normal chapter time. Doing lunch with my dad's side of the family for a late birthday celebration!

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For a long moment, Tony just stares at the Ancient One, her words hanging in the air between them. The pale-skinned bald woman has a knowing smile on her lips, one that he has to admit... kind of pisses him off.

“Nope. I refuse.”

Her fellow magic men off to the side bristle at Tony’s dismissive, flippant tone. But the Ancient One simply raises an eyebrow questioningly, prompting Tony to explain with a huff.

“I refuse to believe you knew all along! There’s just no way! Surely you would have done SOMETHING at this point.”

Tilting her head to the side, the Sorcerer Supreme, Strange’s predecessor, lets her smile grow a fraction of an inch wider.

“And why would I have done that, all things considered?”

And really... that’s all she has to say for Tony to understand. As much as he hates it, he also gets it. The last puzzle piece slots into place in his mind. Letting out an explosive sigh, he glances to where the remnants of the Ancient One’s enemies had been sucked away into nothingness after he burned their sectioned bodies into ash. Then he looks to the Ancient One’s allies... and finally he looks back to her.

This time, it’s Tony’s turn to raise an eyebrow. To her credit, the Ancient One smiles softly, her eyes drifting shut for a moment as she bows her head in acknowledgment of his unspoken concerns.

“Master Mordo, Master Wong. Return to the New York Sanctum without me. Salvage what can be salvaged and then move to reinforce the Hong Kong Sanctum.”

While Wong, who Tony recognizes as Strange’s sidekick from the original timeline, immediately bows and looks prepared to follow the Ancient One’s orders, the one called Mordo takes a step forward, hesitating.

“Ancient One...”

There’s confusion, desperation, and even a hint of reproach in his voice. It seems not all is totally copacetic in the sorcerer camp, even after Tony and JARVIS had gotten rid of the traitor faction so swiftly. But the Ancient One just holds up a hand, cutting Mordo off.

“We will talk later, Master Mordo, I promise. Whether you like what answers I have for you or not, I guarantee you will receive them either way. For now, the Dark Lord’s forces in our reality have been vanquished. However, the barriers protecting this plane of existence from those who would do it harm, including the Lord of the Dark Dimension, have never been weaker. We must act with haste if we are to uphold our mandate.”

For a moment Mordo looks indecisive. His eyes flicker to Tony and it’s obvious he’s not exactly thrilled, either to be leaving the Ancient One with a man like him, or for Tony to have heard and seen so much. Possibly all of the above. Regardless, in the end Mordo bows to the Ancient One and both he and Wong step through one of the magic portals they like to make so much.

Tony watches them go for a brief moment before turning to the Ancient One.

“Tea?”

Smiling, the bald woman inclines her head.

“Yes, please.”

By the time they make it inside, Friday has already prepared the tea. Meanwhile Loki is lounging nearby, having been the one to, invisibly, jab the Sorcerer Supreme with a syringe full of Extremis out on the roof. Now she’s watching the Ancient One wordlessly. And of course, JARVIS is ever-present.

Tony sits down across from the Ancient One as Friday pours them both a cup and prepares it without hesitation just the way they each like. If the Ancient One is disturbed by the amount of knowledge that they seem to have on her, she doesn’t show it. But then... she wouldn’t, would she?

“So this is the best future, is it? I suppose I’ve done something right, if you’ve just let me be all this time.”

Because at the end of the day, that was the only thing that made sense. Frankly, Tony was kicking himself for not realizing it sooner than now. He’d literally watched Stephen Strange use the Time Stone to view over fourteen million possible futures in the span of about an hour of real time.

Strange might not be the Sorcerer Supreme, might not even be a Sorcerer... but his predecessor still had possession of the Time Stone. Tony had been foolish not to think that she might have used it too... probably constantly. And the moment JARVIS used magic, there was no way they hadn’t been on her radar.

That said, it was possible she didn’t understand technology very well. Maybe she thought Tony was the one who used magic, maybe she didn’t quite comprehend what JARVIS was. For the time being, J was staying quiet even though he was watching this exchange right alongside Friday and Loki, just in case the Ancient One hadn’t properly clocked him. He’d be their ace in the hole if that were the case.

“Hello Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Or would you prefer I call you JARVIS?”

There’s a beat as even Friday completely freezes up off to the side. And then, JARVIS’ voice echoes all around them.

“You may address me as JARVIS, Ancient One. You knew all along that I was observing you then, didn’t you?”

Smiling slightly, the Ancient One’s eyes literally twinkle as she winks at Tony before looking back up.

“Well now, I couldn’t very well expect to train you as my replacement if I didn’t know I was teaching someone, now could I?”

Holy shit. Tony sits back on the couch, more than a little awed by the woman sat across from him. The Ancient One basically represented the leader of the boogeymen for him since coming back in time. Thanos was the Big Bad and the Endgame all wrapped up in one of course, but the Ancient One and her fellow protectors of this dimension had been a looming possible threat in the back of his mind all along.

To find out that not only were they apparently never the threat that he thought they were, but that the Ancient One had somehow managed to slip an entire training regimen past his baby boy’s surveillance... Tony wasn’t sure whether to be ecstatic or horrified.

From the way JARVIS is hesitating harder than he’s ever hesitated before, the AI is in much the same boat.

“... I confess, I’m not confident in my ability to take on your role as Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One.”

Smiling tenderly, the Ancient One nods.

“Only one way to find out now, isn’t there JARVIS? Kaecilius and his Zealots have been defeated, but the London Sanctum has been destroyed and the New York Sanctum damaged. The Hong Kong Sanctum alone cannot hold back the power of the Dark Dimension forever, especially since the loss of his followers will have drawn Dormammu’s direct attention to our realm.”

Suddenly, she rises from the couch.

“Let us see what we can do together to rectify this issue, no? I certainly believe someone with the fine control over magic that you have, combined with your reach, will be of great help in safeguarding this reality. Don’t you?”

“...”

Tony receives a ping that has him resisting the urge to roll his eyes and smiles, even as he pings JARVIS right back. Finally, the AI responds to the Ancient One’s request for help.

“It would be my pleasure, ma’am. Friday and Loki will come with us to assist.”

The Ancient One takes that in stride without so much as a glance in Loki’s direction, despite the Goddess’ past attempt at conquering the planet. Then again, this time around, the attack on New York hadn’t even managed to make it to the New York Sanctum, now had it? In the end the Sorcerer Supreme simply nods before turning to Tony.

“As for you, Tony Stark... I believe you know what you have to do next, don’t you?”

Tony stiffens, but the Ancient One’s smile drops, her countenance turning rather dark as she stares at him with wide, expressive eyes.

“This is a bright path, Tony. One of the brightest I’ve seen. But that does not mean it cannot still end in darkness. We are not, as they sat, out of the woods yet. Thanos has the Dwarven King. If he is allowed much more time, things will only get worse from here.”

Well now, talk about ominous. Fuck him. Tony doesn’t bother asking how they can get worse. Not only can he easily imagine it, but also he understands how the Time Stone works. The Ancient One has probably seen countless futures from this point. A better question would really be ‘how can it NOT get worse’... but she’d already answered that question, hadn’t she?

She believed he knew what he had to do next. And she was right, Tony did know what he had to do next.

Rising from the couch as well, he nods once.

“... I understand.”

As she and Friday step through an orange portal to assist JARVIS and the other Masters of the Mystic Arts in beating back Dormammu, Tony watches them go with a heavy sigh. He doesn’t doubt for a second that they’ll succeed of course, but he does wish he could go with them. Not because he thinks he could help... but because this next part was precisely the route he’d wanted to avoid, to be honest.

Behind him, a blue swirling portal created by the Space Stone appears... and Tony steps through as well.

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A/N: Next time Mordo POV as JARVIS deals with Dormammu and cements his position as the next Sorcerer Supreme. Poor Mordo lmao.