Shadow King: Strange Designs

[x-scarletwitch.livejournal.com]

Three researchers and a magician stretch their brains to the limit in trying to figure out a solution for the problem at hand.



"There is no way," Wanda said firmly, hands yanking slightly at her hair, "that a magical bug is going to be able to combat this. Even if it is the size of a Volkswagen." She actually had no idea why that suggestion had even come up but it had and it was a very good indication that her team was running on insanity and the last dregs of the coffee and tea readily available to them. "Next idea?"

There was a muffled noise from Amanda, who was face-down on the desk, with a book for cushioning. "Gnargh." Then she lifted her head, revealing an exhausted-looking witch. "What about those... things. In that place?" She looked almost accusingly at Strange. "With the whatsis you made me study back when I was at the school."

"Nouns, Amanda. You'll find they're useful," Strange said drily. His customary (in the city at least) suit was decidedly wrinkled, his jacket cast over one of the chairs at the large boardroom table and his tie yanked down haphazardly. Here and there his hair was sticking up from where he'd been running his hands through it distractedly. "If you mean those psychotrophics used by the shamans of certain African tribes for the purposes of expanding their psychic abilities... one, we don't have time to get to Africa and go collect the exceedingly rare plant they use, and two, I'm not sure expanding anyone's psychic abilities is a good idea at this stage. This parasite seems to feed off that kind of energy, and I don't think we want it to have any more."

Amanda poked her tongue out at him and let her head flop down on the book again.

"Children, do not make me turn this room around." After Stephen's explanation, she tossed a book into the growing discard pile with an audible sigh. "More thinking thoughts, if you would be so kind. I will, if I have to, shake every last idea -- no matter how ridiculous -- out of you lot. So, no go on the giant bugs or psychotrophics from Africa. Obviously a no on any type of psychic surgery, either. Illyana?"

Illyana, leaning her face on one hand, looked both bored and unamused. "Why don't we just write up a magical virus -- they don't exist, but I'm sure the queen of unconventional bloody magic over there could figure it out -- and unleash it on the astral plane," was her unhelpful suggestion. "Best case scenario, we completely destroy the astral plane and nobody ever has to deal with this problem again. As an added bonus, no more psychics."

Wanda scowled. "Illyana, I know it is past your bedtime and that we are all growing increasingly homicidal, but I need real solutions. Like, for instance, is there any magical version to a bomb we could possibly send in? I'm not being sarcastic here but something we could use from, say, a distance on the astral plane?" She glanced over at Stephen and Amanda hopefully.

Strange shook his head. "The amount of power that would use is beyond anything any one of us could..."

"Then why use one?" Amanda's head jerked up again, animation returning to her voice. "Pool everyone's power into one point and use it for whatever spell we come up with to fight this thing?"

"We don't have the time for that kind of ritual," Strange began. "And we'd need someone to volunteer to essentially be a magical conduit."

"No need." At Strange's blank stare, Amanda made an impatient noise and half-turned in her seat, yanking the bottom of her shirt up so he could see the scarring on her back. "Ritual's already been done, got your conduit right here. So all we need is the right spell."

Strange usually had impeccable control of his reactions, but something like shock and true regret crossed his face. "But how..."

"It is a long story," Wanda interjected simply but there was iron in her voice -- the fury from the rescue hidden but still there. "One we could tell once this is over. Now, do you two have enough energy on your own to perform something like this? And what kind of spell would you need?"

Amanda gave Strange a helpless look. "I don't even know where to start..."

"Power we can get - it will take more than the two of us, but that's what friends - and favours owed - are for." Strange's tone turned businesslike. "As for the spell... let's go back to basics. The astral plane is the collective unconscious of every mind on the planet, correct? A dimension of pure mind. And this thing, this... parasite, it feeds on psychic energy." Without waiting for a response - it was clearly rhetorical - he continued. "We can't feed it any more psychic energy - we've already proven it only gets stronger, with the increase in strength with every psychic trapped on the plane. But magic... magic is the unknown factor here. From what Amanda said, Mr. Farouk has no knowledge of magic, an unbeliever, if you will. And the parasite that's attached itself to him does not necessarily know anything either. And knowledge is power."

"So, what, we throw magic primers at it until it goes away?" Amanda caught herself. "Sorry, frustrated."

Illyana just sighed and leaned back in her chair, eyes cast upward.

Wanda suddenly barked out a laugh and stared at Stephen. "Oh my God. Are you...yes, I think I know where you're going with this. Amanda, do you remember the write up I did about my encounter with Mr. Wilson and what he was doing? At the end, he was absorbing so much energy that if Kurt had not cut the music I am fairly positive he would have burst." She leaned back in her chair, looking thoughtful.

The witch blinked. "You're saying we... what? Give the astral plane a magical enema?"

Strange nodded. "That exactly what I'm saying. Well, not in those terms, but essentially the principle is the same. Overwhelm the parasite with energy it has no previous experience with, that it can't possibly have any kind of ability to process... The way magic users conceive of and use the astral plane is so divorced from the usual psychic concepts, there's no overlap. There are no telepathic magicians, nor are there magic-using psis. The conflict would so great, it would hopefully weaken the parasite's hold on Cain and the telepaths, enabling them to contain and hopefully eradicate it."

"A magical nuke on the astral plane." Amanda shook her head slowly. "That's going to take a lot of favours. And I'm going to have to get to the astral plane, aren't I, so we can do this? What's going to stop this thing pouncing on me straight away?"

"She is," Wanda responded, pointing at Illyana. "We already know that she is untraceable to psis which means sending her in with you to watch your back. It is the only way to make sure you get out of there without your head being used as a chew toy."

"Hey," Illyana said, alarmed. "If there's a possibility of that, can't we send someone I don't like? Or at least stop with the gory visuals."

Amanda blinked at that. "Huh..." she began.

"One problem," Strange interjected although he didn't seem overly concerned by what he was about to say. "I don't have the personal energy levels to sustain a connection to two people in the astral plane. Not with the sort of magic this chanelling will require." He looked at Wanda. "However, someone with a close enough connection to those two people would suffice."

"Stephen, you have many talents. Being subtle? Not one of them." However, she had a small smile on her face and Wanda nodded in agreement, spreading her hands wide. "What do you need me to do?"

"You haven't seen me play mah jong," he countered with an answering smile, and a softening of his expression. A meaningful cough from Amanda jerked him back to the task at hand. "Ahem. Yes, well. It won't be unlike meditating, except you'll be focussing on Amanda and Miss Rasputin, using your emotional connection to them, your memories, your experiences, to establish a kind of link." He looked around the table, past the jumble of books and notepads and used coffee cups to the three women. "It will be extremely dangerous, what we plan to do. For all involved. I know I don't need to tell you that, but I think I'm obliged to, or I lose my membership of the Mysterious Magic-User Association." Amanda snorted softly.

"Look who grew a sense of humour when he was off traveling..." she murmured, but her eyes were fixed on Strange with a certain seriousness.

"And there's no guarantee that this will work." Strange continued, apparently oblivious to Amanda's remark, although there was a certain quirk to the corner of his mouth for a moment. "There's any number of things that could go wrong..."

"Doc, it's all right," Amanda interrupted. "I know you see 'Yana and I as kids still, and you're still carrying a torch for the Boss Lady here, but... we get it. Almost-certain death, no guarantees." She reached over and pulled her laptop closer towards her. "Wouldn't be the first time we've faced these sorts of odds. Don't worry." She gave him a brief grin. "We're professionals."

"Oh, yeah, we're going to be great," Illyana said glumly, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Although I'm going to be updating my will before we go. Just in case your appalling optimism actually annoys the universe as much as it annoys me."