Sterling always liked to be prepared. Recent developments, however, made it feel impossible to be so. Every time Sterling, SHIELD, or even the world felt comfortable a new wrench was thrown in the works and it felt like they had to relearn what normal was.
Currently, Sterling's new normal involved magic. A lot of magic.
An amount of magic he was woefully ill equipped to handle or defend himself against. He had ways of escaping ropes and bindings. He had contingency plans for various styles of capture. He'd learned from the best how to hold his own in a fight until help arrived should he need it. He'd withstood torture with physical mortal weapons. He had no idea, however, how to escape magical bindings. He had no idea how to fight being magically thrown around or attacked with spells. He had no plans of attack or defense and, lets face it, he had a horrible track record with magic. It seemed every time he came in contact with it something awful happened to him.
When it had been suggested to him that he see Strange, Sterling had initially and immediately rejected the idea. There was no way a sorcerer as important or as powerful as Doctor Stephen Strange himself had the time to help him, nor would he probably want to help an agent of SHIELD. Sterling had absolutely no illusions about how people felt about them despite their best efforts to rebuild. Their reputation was forever tarnished in the eyes of most everyone who mattered. Still, they continued to try and help. He'd briefly met Strange when evacuating civilians during a city wide battle. Strange had even blocked incoming debris, allowing him to hurriedly guide a small group of people through the streets to safety. Still, he'd never expect the man to remember him or think fondly of his work.
Sterling wandered into the Sanctum completely expecting to be rejected and, at worst, kicked out.
"Excuse me?" He called out into the seemingly empty building. His voice echoed eerily around the vast room and up the duel staircases. "I'm looking for Doctor Stephen Strange if he has a moment."
