❝ GIVE NEW YORK A BREAK ❞
( KEEPERS OF THE STONES )
iii. the infiltration
chapter three

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NEW YORK CITY, ONE YEAR AFTER THE DEATH OF THE ANCIENT ONE

Selena had been on the run for what felt like her entire life. After she was sacrificed by her father to the pits of Vormir, in hopes that her death would give him the power that the Soul Stone held, her life had changed. The Stone deemed her father unworthy because he tried to sacrifice someone he did not love. If anything, Selena would've rather died in exchange for the Stone.

Instead, the Stone took her father's soul, and, at age eighteen, Selena was cursed with becoming the Soul Stone, figuratively. It became part of her, infused deep within her heart, and it gave her an incredible power that was almost like a curse.

The ability to kill, to take one's soul, with just a touch. The touch of Death.

At first, after she had found a way off of Vormir, and made her way through the galaxy, Selena had been content with her new life. After finally coming to terms with the fact that her father died because he didn't truly love her, she seemed okay. But, that period of okay-ness did not last as long as she wished it had.

Selena had landed on Jotunheim, more or less accidentally, and quickly found herself in a situation with the Frost Giants that lived there. She didn't mean to trespass, and she certainly didn't want to take anymore of their time than she needed to, but when they began demanding that she leave instantly, Selena tried to explain that she couldn't leave without a means of transportation. Then, one of the giants had grabbed her shoulder - puny and frail, compared to them - and all hell broke loose.

The Frost Giant's skin began to rot almost immediately after contact, and, soon, his flesh was deteriorating before all eyes. The others just stared, in horror, in shock, and in awe. Selena wrapped her arms across her body, the familiar coolness of her gloves attempting to comfort her. She, too, watched with wide eyes, but she was not shocked, nor in awe.

She was terrified, of herself.

Once their friend had finally died, choking for air as his shrinking lungs failed him, the other Frost Giants finally snapped out of their trances. Their attention turned to Selena immediately, shouting angry insults and names at her, stomping towards her until she had backed up as far as she could, near her broken ship.

She had no choice. She didn't want to hurt anyone else, and she could live with dying for that sole reason. So, in attempt to somehow survive the situation, she climbed into the opening of the ship, not stopping until she reached the front, plopping down in the seat.

Selena's hands pressed and pulled at every button and lever, trying everything she could to get the ship to start again, but it was no use. It had crashed because there was something wrong with the engine, an awful gurgling noise had happened. It was clogged, or something, Selena wasn't very good with spaceships.

And, as Selena finally stopped messing with the control panel, she placed her leather-clad hands on her heart, feeling the burning sensation the Stone caused. She was ready for what she had been born to do. For what should have happened years ago, when she first fused with the Soul Stone.

Death.

She could imagine it already, welcoming her with open arms. Her loveless father would be standing next to it, a grimace on his hardened features. Selena would breathe a new kind of air, and would see a new kind of world. One where you didn't worry about living.

But instead of smashing the ship and her into bits, the Frost Giants lifted her spaceship, and, with one strong push, sent it flying into the black sheet of space once more. When she felt the sudden movement, Selena lowered her hands from her chest and glanced out the windshield, seeing the planet slowly growing farther from her, and the Frost Giants pumping their fists, screaming intelligible things.

Selena had just wished they would've killed her. She had always wished that whenever she was in a sort of danger, but somehow, she must've been the most unlucky person in the universe, because she always came out okay.

At least, she thought she wanted death. Prayed for it, some days. Longed for the day she her heart would take its last breath.

That was, until she found Earth.

The crash was much rougher than the other times, possibly because it was in the middle of a busy New York street during rush hour.

Selena had heard of Earth, and, although she did look very human, she never actually got to see it. She lived on a spaceship for most of her life, traveling with her father, on the search for the Soul Stone. Oh, how the story has changed.

Her ship was already wrecked, and she was surprised to have made it as far as she did, but that did not prevent the damage it did to the street. She had weakly stumbled out of the ship, bruises coating her body and signs of exhaustion underneath her eyes and in her clumsy muscles. The New York residents were furious, and, later, Selena would understand why. They were busy people with busy lives, of course, and she had just crashed a spaceship on their way to work.

Many people got out of their cars in a hurry, shouting at her, so many different voices flooded the street that Selena couldn't hear anything any of them were saying. She didn't speak back to any of them, simply in confusion as to why they were just yelling, throwing their hands around violently, but not attacking her. None of them held weapons, and they didn't look all too threatening; she had definitely seen scarier beings than humans.

Just as she had decided that humans were not as dangerous as she had expected, the doors to a nearby building burst open. Before Selena directed her eyes to the people that came from them, she saw the roof of the building. It was a green-blue color, and had what looked like a big, circular window with an intricate golden frame around and through it.

" Don't move. " A voice ordered, and she actually heard it that time; she soon realized that she had been able to hear it because it was the only one now. Everyone else had gone quiet.

Selena glanced around at the people that had been screaming inappropriate profanities at her just a second ago, finding them scattered amongst the street, standing behind their cars, unmoving, some of their faces were even still held in yelling position: jaws dropped and mouths open.

" I'm only going to ask this once, " The voice spoke again, that same low, stern tone. Selena turned back to face the voice, finally noticing the trio of people standing before her.

On the left side was a rounder man, a harsh look on his face, eyes narrowed and jaw tightened. His hands were raised, bright orange circles full of neat designs produced from them. Selena assumed it was a type of magic, since it didn't look like any alien technology she had ever seen. Opposite him was a young woman with tanned skin and black hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. She also held a fighting position, but her hands were closed into fists, faint green magic tracing around her wrists.

In between them both stood a taller man, having quite a few inches on both of his companions. He wore a dark blue tunic, and the maroon cape on his back seemed to have a life of its own as it stayed perfectly still while the wind blew through the man's light brown hair. Not unlike the others, his palms were up, but in a bit of a different position. They were in front of his chest, pulling either way as he seemed to use magic to unlock the necklace hanging at his neck.

Selena noticed the green glowing light coming from he woman's chest now, and thought of herself; the Soul Stone in her heart never lit up like that, but she assumed it did on the inside, where no one could ever see it's beauty.

" Who are you? " The man in the middle finally asked, and, even though it felt like many minutes for Selena, there had barely been a break in his words.

Selena seemed to freeze, not knowing exactly what to do. Usually, when she found people on a planet, they wanted nothing to do with her and ran her out as soon as they found out what was wrong with her, what her touch could do.

" What's your name? " The dark haired girl asked, her voice a bit lighter and more calming than the man's; speaking of the man, when the woman spoke, he glanced over at her with a cautious look, furrowing his eyebrows.

" I. . . Selena Grimm. " She answered, eyeing the woman carefully before looking around at the once-bustling town around her; nothing had moved since she encountered the trio, the people, the traffic, the sun, nothing. " What is wrong with this planet? It is as if everything is. . . "

" Frozen? " The woman suggested, catching Selena's attention again. She gave her partners a slight side eye before looking at Selena with a reassuring smile. " Yeah, we did that-are doing that, I guess. It's just a safety precaution, until we know we can trust you. "

Selena didn't exactly understand, but didn't question the woman, preferring to speak to her over the man. She was a little disconcerted with the shorter man, since he hadn't even said a word yet.

" Your ship is not of this world, where did you come from? " The cloaked man questioned, Selena's dark eyes snapping to him as he spoke.

" Nowhere, really. " She answered truthfully, but the man didn't look convinced.

" Okay, " The woman suddenly broke in, again, giving the man a certain look that said 'I've got this' before taking a step towards Selena. " Why don't we take you inside our Sanctum, and we can talk in there? We'll just talk, is that okay? "

Selena didn't know why, but, for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt as if she could trust this woman's words. She wasn't entirely sure if it was smart, but she nodded her head softly, and the woman's genuine smile grew.

" Okay. " She said aloud, and Selena took it as an order of sorts to the man beside her, watching as the woman gave him a nod as well; then, without a word of hesitation, he moved his hands and arms very gracefully, the green symbols around his arms twisting.

Selena watched in slight amazement, also something she hadn't felt in a while, as he began to rewind time around them. The clouds in the sky retracted across the baby blue canvas, uncovering the bright, shining sun, the people moved back into their cars, and, most impressively, Selena's ship rose off of the street, almost levitating in the air just before the shorter man used his own abilities to open a portal. Together, they sent the ship into a different dimension, unbeknownst to Selena.

" Like I said, we're just going to talk. " The woman repeated, but it seemed as though she was talking more to the two men than she was Selena; she took another few steps towards her, and held out her hand, her eyes lingering on Selena's arm, the one that was barely useable, graying skin and deteriorating bones decorating it.

However, she did not question it, and she did not comment on it. The woman only met Selena's eyes, (and it was now that Selena saw her eye, the left one, was split straight down the iris, half of it a deep brown color, and the other half a vibrant shade of jade) and kept her hand steady.

" My name is Lucina. " She offered, and Selena glanced past her at the two men, who held both worry and caution in their eyes; Lucina noticed this and added, " That's Wong, and Strange. "

Selena was going to make a smart remark about the man definitely being strange, but was stopped by the man himself as he corrected Lucina.

" It's Doctor Strange. " He stated, his eyes barely staying on Selena's before moving over to meet Lucina's as she glanced over her shoulder at him, a slight glare on her face. " Just because you refuse to call me Doctor doesn't mean everyone else can, Lucy. "

Lucina ignored him, feeling as though Selena was more important right now. She turned back to the odd woman, and, still, with her hand out, waited patiently. Selena pulled her stare away from Doctor Strange and found herself looking down at Lucina's outstretched hand.

Selena didn't want to mess this up, since this was the first time she had been able to stay on a planet for more than five minutes without being hunted down. She contemplated her choices, then settled on one, hoping it was the right one.

She gripped Lucina's hand, shaking it gently with her gloved one.

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NEW YORK SANCTUM, PRESENT DAY

" Seriously? " Stephen Strange questioned, giving Wong an incredulous look as they, along with Lucina and Selena, descended down the grand staircase of the Sanctum. " You don't have any money? "

" Attachment to the material is detachment from the spiritual. " Wong stated, reciting it as if it had been a quote out of one of the various books into eh Sanctum's library.

" Strange, " Lucina started, catching the man's attention, him raising an eyebrow at her as they got to the bottom of the stairs, " you do realize that you're the only one here that's ever had an actual job, right? "

Stephen watched her thoughtfully for a moment, knowing she was correct; Wong had been at the Sanctum for who knows how long, Lucina had practically lived there since she arrived on Earth, and Selena still didn't even really understand humans.

" Okay, well, " He quipped, shoving his hands into his sweater pockets before giving Lucina a small smirk, " I'll tell the guys at the deli, maybe they'll make you all metaphysical ham on ryes. "

" Oh, wait, wait, I think I have a two hundred - " Wong interrupted, digging around in his own pocket, making the other three glance back at him expectantly.

" Dollars? " Strange questioned just as Lucina countered, " No way. "

" Rupees. " Wong corrected, and Strange refrained from rolling his eyes; they had just come from the Sanctum in Kamar-Taj, of course the only real money any of the others had would be Indian.

" Which is? " Strange asked, and Wong waved his hands around a little before replying,

" Uh, a buck 'n' a half. "

His answer made Strange sigh, and, Selena, stayed quiet. She had been with the trio for nearly a year now, but still found simple things on Earth so odd. Including money, and these delis that Strange was so obsessed with.

" Couldn't we just, I don't know, pay for a sandwich then reverse time and get another? " Lucina suggested, then, looking between the trio of concerned faces, realized exactly what she had said and then added, " Okay, no, bad idea. I get it, but cut me some slack, I've been stuck in the Eye for hours, and it gets cramped in there.

Plus, " She added, a grin on her tan face as she approached the tall double doors at the front, " I'm ready to finally see New York City in all it's glory. "

Selena managed a small smile at Lucina's giddiness, as did both Stephen and Wong. Trying to move their trip along, Strange looked back at Wong, then at the two women, dryly saying, " Alright, what do you want? "

" I wouldn't say no to a tuna melt. " Wong admitted, and Lucina instinctively made a face of disgust, drawing Selena to look at her in worry.

" That's disgusting, Wong. " She commented, nose scrunched at just the thought of the horrendous sandwich; Wong only shrugged in response.

Lucina reached out and grabbed Selena by the wrist, making sure to touch the gloves rather than her skin, and, with that same mischievous grin on her face, told her, " Do not take Wong's advice on food, a man that likes tuna is one you cannot trust. Turkey is better, anyways. "

Strange laughed loudly at that, his voice just the right amount of obnoxious to make the grin on Lucina's face grow, if possible. Wong seemed a bit offended, and Selena just looked confused.

It didn't matter, though, because they didn't have time to explain the joke to Selena, as something big and heavy crashed through the glass roof, falling into the staircase, crumbling it to the ground, leaving a hole in the middle of the Sanctum. Strange and Lucina shared a distressed look before the four all jogged over to the hole, the Cloak of Levitation coming to Strange's aid, wrapping around him just as they peered over the wreckage.

As they looked down, they saw the cause of the commotion: an older man with salt and peppered hair, his large body shrinking in size until it looked like an average man, and the green shade disappearing from his skin. Wong had his magic at the ready, and Lucina stood near Strange, Selena just behind her, ready to attack if they needed to.

But this man didn't seem very threatening as he panted, trying to catch his breath. His wide eyes darted between the four of them as he began speaking, his sentence broken with large breaths until he could get it all out.

" Thanos is coming, " He said urgently, the expression in his eyes scared and alarmed, like he had seen a ghost, or worse, " he's coming, he's coming. "

Strange barely glanced back, not wanting to take his eyes off of the unnerving man, but found himself stealing a look at both Wong and Lucina, his eyebrows furrowing as they both shrugged lightly. None of them knew what the man was talking about, except Selena. Except the one girl who was now, more afraid to speak than ever.

And, she didn't, letting Strange peer down at the man one more time before asking, " Who? "

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note.
super sorry if it feels like these chapters are moving epically slow, I'm just trying to keep each chapter at 3000 words so that I'm not writing too much, but you guys let me know, should I add more in the chapters or keep them the way they are? whichever you guys think would be better as a reading experience is what I'll do, because I want it to be great for you guys, and not boring and dragging along.

anyways, new characters (kind of) and new backstory, what do you think of Selena and Lucina, as well as their relationships to each other, Wong, and Strange.

any predictions or feedback? it's greatly appreciated! I'd love to know what you're liking about the story and maybe something you don't exactly enjoy!

I also have some memes for this book, but if I post them now there will be a few spoilers (somewhat) so I'll just wait

until next time,