“Where are we?” Aquarian whispered to himself as he floated in abstract space. It was a white void rent through with startling wounds of suppurating color that flashed and mewled distressingly. Immense bramble-like growths of alien coral curled out of nowhere and grew back in on itself like floating free-form sculpture.

Oh, and we’re a ‘we‘, now?

“I never denied your sentience,” Aquarian said quietly as he drifted towards the gleaming, crimson light of the Star of Capistan, the greatest eldritch artifact the world has ever-

“Be silent.” Aquarian gestured, and a null-field snagged the stone and drew it towards him, though he did not touch it. “What happened?”

...

“Stone...”

Let me just say, it wasn’t my fault. It was hers.

“That strange woman who-”

Interrupted a delicate procedure? Yes. Her. Aquarian scratched his head with simian-

“Stop narrating, please.”

Please? Howard never says-

“Howard is full of anger. I am not.”

So wrath’s not your sin, hunh? What about lu-

“Quiet. Please,” Aquarian said, his voice soft, but his eyes hard. “Where are we?”

You’re asking me? I’m just a rock. But if I had to hazard a guess, given the terrain, I'd say we're somewhere south and an hour to the left of the Dark Dimension.

"And Howard?"

Heh.

Aquarian frowned. “What do you know?”

Not a thing. Oh, and by the by...duck.

“Is that supposed to be a joke?” Aquarian didn’t even flinch as something smashed into his null-field and rebounded. He turned, his eyes widening slightly as the gray tide of Mindless Ones bounded towards him through the aether.

“Oh my,” he said, floating backwards as the blocky, featureless shapes crashed into him, knocking him head over heels, despite his field. “What are they?”

See above.

“Stop narrating and tell me! Are they alive?”

Close enough but not quite. They don’t feel pain, if that’s what you’re asking...

“It wasn’t,” Aquarian said, gesturing sharply. His field expanded, shoving the Mindless Ones back. The creatures pushed against his field ceaselessly, hammering away with their massive fists or blasting strange energies from their single cyclopean eye slit.

“No pain?”

No pain. No brain, no pain, no gain. That was a short haiku.

“No, no it wasn’t.” Aquarian stood, hands outstretched, fingers curled. A Mindless One separated into seven parts, sliced into bloodless chunks by Aquarian’s null-field. Another was scooped up and hurled away like a baseball. But still, they came on, crashing into his field, pressing against it, somehow, amazingly, inexorably, pushing him backwards.

“Their strength-”

Mindless, yes. I believe I mentioned that. I can get us out of here you know...all you have to do is pick me up.

“No.” Aquarian shook his head.

Then I guess we get to test the limits of that fancy field of yours, hunh?

---

The Crooked House.

Beverly Switzer watched infinity coruscate, wondering how it got so old, so fast. She blew a strand of hair out of her face and closed the door. Nothing for it, she was bored. Bored, bored, bored.

I've always found the gentle rhythms of infinity to be soothing, myself.

"Doc?" Bev turned, eyebrow arching. The astral image of Doctor Strange hovered in the center of the room, hand clasped behind his back. He smiled politely.

Miss Switzer. I just stopped by to check-

"Thoughtful as always, Doc. Tell me something, when do I get to go home?"

Howard could return you to Earth anytime, Miss Switzer-

"Well that's a fib." Bev ran her fingers through her hair and grinned. "Try again."

Hardly a fib...I gave Howard the Star to facilitate transportation between this safe-house and-

"Yeah, about that...we got rats. Or demons. Or demon rats. I whacked something with a broom anyway..." Bev said, gesturing idly. "Plus, hey, cursed gemstone is not my ideal way to fly. Not Howard's either." She peered up at Strange. "Me and Ducky figure it's a test, right?"

I am not in the habit of testing people randomly, Miss Switzer. Strange's mouth quirked in something that could have been a smile. Bev clapped her hands.

“Key word is ’random’, Monty.”

I don’t get the reference.

“Neither do I,” Bev said, shrugging. “I’m tuned in to frequencies I didn’t even know existed before I got here. Think I’m a latent psychic?”

Most humans are. Strange waved his hand. Why do you think it’s a test?

“Same old be-bop, Doc...life’s a test and then you graduate, right?” Bev flopped down into Howard’s recliner and sighed. “Ducky did some research on the Star and found out-”

That it had possessed me.

Bev looked up at Strange and her smile slid away like water. “Yeah. That it possesses anyone who uses it. Except him...so far,” she said softly. “Since we’re cynical around here, we’re just wondering when and why, in that order.”

Miss Switzer, I- Strange fell silent, his eyes melancholy. Then, Never and because Howard is the only one who can. Howard does not come from this reality and thus has a certain amount of immunity to the Star’s influence. In his hands it goes from a malevolent weapon to a relatively benign tool...but-

“But?”

“But Howard doesn’t have possession of it at the moment.”

Bev and Strange turned as the door to the Crooked House closed softly. The man with the strawberry-colored eyes smiled his strawberry smile at Bev and clasped his hands beneath his chin. “But you didn’t know that, did you Stephen?”

“Who are you, Red?” Bev stayed seated, her left hand, the one not visible from the door, drifted down towards the pistol holstered under the recliner.

“I’m the Strawberry Man. Pip-pip!” He gestured and faint tendrils of crimson energy uncoiled from his fingers and seized Beverly by her arms, legs and throat. “And you’re my cherry in the pie, Beverly Switzer!”

No! Strange said, magic crackling around his weaving fingers as he swooped between them. Begone! I have no wish to confront you-

“Nor I you, brother-father-blood, but these things must be done and done oh-so swiftly!” The Strawberry Man thrust his free hand towards Strange, releasing a burst of crimson light that shattered Strange’s astral form like glass. “So there...”

Elsewhere, Stephen Strange’s eyes shot open and he gasped, sucking air into his lungs. Running his hands through his hair, he stood on shaky legs. Wong stood nearby, ready to steady him if he required aid.

“Master?”

“It’s started, Wong.” Strange summoned his crimson cloak with a crook of his finger. “I’ve tried to stave it off, but I should have known better. Now I have no choice...the Defenders must be destroyed!”

<

Cleveland. A park. And a pond.

“Fie, I say fie! Away from me you cretinous amphibians!” the White Rabbit yelped, lashing out with a stiletto heel to impale a frog that was trying to gum her ankles. “I have no part in this! Cease your attempts at mastication!”

“She’s right. I have no idea who she is, Garko!” Howard squawked as he avoided a hurtling bullfrog. “Hell, I barely know who you are!”

“Garko, Garko, GARKO! I am Garko the Man-Frog! King of all amphibians! You may have stopped me before-” the giant frog-man roared.

“You didn’t put up much of a fight.” Howard said, kicking another frog away. His mind was whirling, confused. Aquarian was missing. So was the Star. And apparently Garko was back. Bad to worse. His life was par for course.

“DIE DUCK!” Garko lunged out of the pond in one great hop, clawing for Howard.

“No.” Howard ducked under the sweeping talons and rammed his head into Garko’s gut, sending him sprawling back into the water. The Man-Frog backhanded him and sent him flying away.

Howard hit the ground and bounced up, slamming against the side of a car that had pulled up. The duck shook his head and looked up at a pair of legs. Close by, sirens howled.

“You!” a voice said.

“Tompkins?” Howard said, shaking his head. “Is that you?”

“Howard?” A strong hand hauled Howard to his feet. The police officer was a tall man, with sandy, thinning hair and the beginning of a belly. He was dressed in civilian clothes and clutched a Glock in one hand. “Jesus, I haven’t seen you in years. Since that thing...with the cow...” Tompkins trailed off.

“It was a vampire.”

“Yeah...”

“It was!”

“Should’ve figured you’d be here, though, considering your history-” Tompkins waved several uniformed men forward. “Cordon off the park until the Green-Meanies get here!”

“Tompkins, I ain’t got time to chat, there’s a-”

“Giant frog running rampant over the park? Yeah, we got the call.” Tompkins checked his weapon and waved a hand at the police officers running to and fro around them. “And we’ve already alerted the Vault. Hopefully they’ll send their animal-control boys out here-”

“Better hope they get here soon Tompkins...look!” Howard pointed as a tide of toads hopped forward, murder in every croak!