#Missile Man of India

[manasastuff-blog]

"Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's Birth Anniversary"#trending#viral

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's Birth Anniversary 2024 is a special day to remember the Missile Man of India and his inspiring legacy. Celebrated on October 15th, this day marks a tribute to his contributions in science, education, and nation-building.

Call:799799221

Website:www.manasadefenceacademy.com

#APJAbdulKalam#KalamBirthAnniversary#MissileManOfIndia#Inspiration#DefenceTraining#ManasaDefenceAcademy#IndianArmy#NDA#SSBInterview#DefenceAspirants#trending#viral

[vipschoolbaddi]

https://vipschool.in/apj-abdul-kalam-how-he-became-missile-man-of-india/

APJ Abdul Kalam: How He Became Missile Man of India

APJ Abdul Kalam was a great engineer and author. He grew up in a middle-class family and worked hard to achieve success. Despite limited resources, he secured admission into a prestigious university and earned an engineering degree. He is known as the “Missile Man of India” for his work on missile development and satellite projects, including India's first satellite, Aryabhatta. You can read about him more in the best school in Baddi, where you’ll get extensive knowledge about Dr Kalam.

For his contributions to the field of science and defence modernization, he was conferred the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. Kalam also made contributions to healthcare, technology, and education. He passed away on 27 July 2015 at the age of 83 from a heart attack while delivering a lecture in Shillong, Meghalaya. Even after his demise, he continues to inspire us with his writings, including Wings of Fire, Ignited Minds, and Indomitable Spirit.

[engineersplanet]

Legendary Tale Of A Great Scientist : A.P.J Abdul Kalam

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam) was born on October 15, 1931. His birth anniversary is celebrated as World Students’ Day. He was an Indian scientist and also a politician and leader who later became the 11th President of India. He played an important role in the development of India’s missile and nuclear weapons programs.  He received several major accolades,…

[powerfulmind611]

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam -The Extraordinary Journey

Discover the extraordinary journey of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the renowned scientist, educator, and former President of India. Join us as we delve into the life and achievements of the Missile Man of India, who played a pivotal role in shaping the nation's space and defense programs. Explore his inspiring leadership, unwavering dedication to education, and timeless legacy that continues to inspire generations. Get ready to be inspired by his words, 'Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action.' Watch now and be part of the incredible story of Abdul Kalam, a visionary, leader, and national icon. #AbdulKalam #Inspiration #DreamBig

APJAbdulKalam #AbdulKalam #MissileManOfIndia #Inspiration #DreamBig #Leadership #Education #Science #Technology #YouthEmpowerment #IndianHero #Motivation #NationBuilder #Legacy #Visionary #Innovation #PresidentOfIndia #SpaceProgram #AerospaceEngineering #Rameswaram #DreamsTransform #RoleModel #SuccessStory #InspiringQuotes #IndianIcon

[asadur6294]

Who is the Missile man of India ?

[indiadiries]

APJ Abdul Kalam - The Missile Man of India and People's President

APJ Abdul Kalam- The Missile Man of India and People’s President Kalam’s trip from humble onsets to getting India’s 11th President is nothing short of extraordinary. Born on October 15, 1931, in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, he hailed from a modest family. Despite facing fiscal constraints, Kalam was determined to pursue advanced education and fulfill his dreams. His unvarying fidelity and passion for…

[livesanskrit]

Send from Sansgreet Android App. Sanskrit greetings app from team @livesanskrit .

It's the first Android app for sending @sanskrit greetings. Download app from https://livesanskrit.com/sansgreet

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and politician who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics and aerospace engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was intimately involved in India's civilian space programme and military missile development efforts. He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. He also played a pivotal organisational, technical, and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974.

#sansgreet #sanskritgreetings #greetingsinsanskrit #sanskritquotes #sanskritthoughts #emergingsanskrit #sanskrittrends #trendsinsanskrit #livesanskrit #sanskritlanguage #sanskritlove #sanskritdailyquotes #sanskritdailythoughts #sanskrit #samskrit #resanskrit #apjabdulkalamquotes #apjabdulkalam #drdo #isro #isromissions #isro_india #missileman #missilemanofindia #rameswaram #tamilnadu #pokhran #indianscientists #celebratingsanskrit #indianpresident

[drstonetrivia]

Chapter 203 Trivia

Happy 4th of July from Dr. Xeno*!

(*Indirectly.)

Fluorite mines still exist in Japan, however they're far inland so the KoS can't make use of their boat routes for transport.

Fluorite is one of the first materials shown to fluoresce (=glow when light/EM radiation hits it), which is what the phenomenon was named after!

One of the major problems in improving telescope quality is getting rid of chromatic aberration, which can be improved by using lenses with a lower refractive index (such as those made of fluorite rather than glass). This bends the light less, leading to clearer magnification.

The rocket design is similar to cruise missiles, in that it uses a jet engine rather than a rocket engine. Cruise missiles will follow an almost direct path to their target, and have the ability to adjust direction at any point. Ballistic missiles cannot.

The blocky thing shown here could be a stylized vacuum column tape drive, a device for storing data on magnetic tape (the black ribbon in cassettes) to be used in computations.

One of these devices is the IBM 7090, which was used by NASA to control space flights in the 60s.

The map shows that the KoS may be aiming to land around Goa in India.

Assuming they don't stop, the journey via the Suez is >10 days, and >23 days via the Cape of Good Hope.

The Banana Canal seems to be how the villagers remember the name of the Panama Canal, which is odd because bananas only grow in the very south of Japan (if at all) so they're unlikely to have been familiar with them before reaching South America.

The Suez is a man-made canal that gets drained and cleared every 10 years so the boats can pass through unobstructed. The area has also been mostly desert for thousands of years. Sandstorms would soon fill it in, making it impassable.

What Ryusui is worried about here is probably similar to the Ever Given back in March, when winds ran it aground, blocking the whole canal. It had to be dug out to be freed, which the KoS can't do here. Turning around or backing up is also impossible if the canal is too narrow.

Kohaku is the only power/fighter team member here, and she's definitely making sure to represent the hot-heads! Getting revenge on a canal, trying to destroy things…

Chelsea's old banners made a comeback, which isn't surprising since fabric is tedious to make. Reuse is the basis of Senku's science after all!

But more importantly, how the H-E-L-L did it survive those 7 years when everyone was petrified?!

The dam shown looks more like a beaver dam or a deliberate structure than something that naturally got packed like that. The way it follows onto the land is a little odd to me as well… Something could be hiding underneath?

Senku always makes sure to number his rockets.

(I spent too long wondering if this was a pun, but the i-shi/stone pun is for 1-4, and "Dr. One" doesn't quite fit how "Dr. Stone" is pronounced…)

The rocket has two sets of controllers, one used by Senku on the ship and the other by Ryusui about half way to the dam. It's unlikely that this choice is due to range issues, as the cell phones worked 80 km apart and this is only 20 km.

It's probably so that Ryusui can pinpoint the landing while Senku takes care of the launch.

The coordination between them is impressive!

India has likely been chosen as Math City because of its long history of mathematics dating back over 3000 years, before Europe had made similar advances. They invented many important concepts, such as negative numbers, the idea of zero, and decimal points.

The other option for India being Math City is that it has many natural resources useful for making computers and other electronics, however I think we'll have to wait until future chapters to see why they chose it!

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.3

Holidays

Air Conditioning Appreciation Day

American Redneck Day

Anti-Aircraft Missile Troops Day (Ukraine)

Army Day (Guatemala)

Beh Deinkhlan (Meghalaya, India)

Chamois Day (French Republic)

Colour TV Demonstration Day

Compliment Your Mirror Day

Disobedience Day

Dog Days of Summer begin [until August 11]

Emancipation Day (U.S. Virgin Islands)

Family Day (Lesotho)

Festival of the Wilderness

Fiesta del Fuego begins (Festival of Fire; Cuba; through 9th)

Fishermen’s Day (Marshall Islands)

Gettysburg Day

Independence Eve (What If We Won; Newcastle Brown Ale)

International Drop a Rock Day

International Plastic Bag Free Day

Jaindl-Good Day

Lady Gaga Day (Taiwan)

Mallard Steam Engine World Record Day

Mallow Day

National Air Conditioning Appreciation Day

National Bereaved Parents Day (UK)

National Burpee Day

National CROWN Day (Black Hair Independence Day)

Perfect Pac-Man Day

Quebec Day

Raid on Entebbe Day

Sata-Hame Soi Accordion Festival begins (Ikaalinen, Finland) [thru Sunday]

703 Day

Start the Conversation Day

Stay Out of the Sun Day

Superman Day (New York World’s Fair; 1940)

Temple Asteroid Day

Traffic Patrol Day (Russia)

Women’s Day (Myanmar)

World Awareness Day for Rubenstein-Taybi Syndrome

World Billionaires Day

World Meerkat Day

World Seabird Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

American Sparkling Wine Day

Cultivated Strawberry Day

National Chocolate Wafer Day

National Eat Your Beans Day (a.k.a. Eat Beans Day)

National Fried Clam Day

National Independent Beer Run Day

Independence & Related Days

Belarus (from German Occupation, 1944)

Idaho (US Statehood Day; 1890) [#43]

Quebec (Foundation Day; 1608)

Urabba Parks (Declared; 2012) [unrecognized]

New Year’s Days

New Year’s Day (Seminole Tribe; Florida)

1st Wednesday in July

Multiple Disadvantage Awareness Day [1st Wednesday]

National Property Managers’ Day (New Zealand) [1st Wednesday]

Zine Distro Appreciation Day [1st Wednesday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 3 (1st Week of July)

Air Conditioning Appreciation Days (thru 8.15)

Dogs Days (Ancient Rome) [thru 8.11]

Festivals Beginning July 3, 2024

Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival (Battle Creek, Michigan) [thru 7.7]

The Buxton Festival Fringe (Buxton, United Kingdom)

Grand Bay Watermelon Festival (Grand Bay, Alabama) [thru 7.7]

Istanbul Jazz Festival (Istanbul, Turkey) [thru 7.18]

Key Lime Festival (Key West, Florida) [thru 7.7]

Kongsberg Jazzfestival (Kongsberg, Norway) [thru 7.6]

Marquette County Fair (Westfield , Wisconsin) [thru 7.7]

Off d’Avignon (Avignon, France) [thru 7.21]

Feast Days

Aaron and Julius (Christian; Saints)

Albert Gottschalk (Artology)

Alec Guinness Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Anatolius of Constantinople (Christian; Saint)

Anatolius of Laodicea (Christian; Saint)

Bernardino Realino (Christian; Saint)

Bertram (Christian; Saint)

Chinese Writing Stone Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Corneille Guillaume Beverloo (Artology)

Dathus (Christian; Saint)

Dave Barry (Writerism)

Didier Mouron (Artology)

Dipolieia (Ancient Greek Festival of Zeus as God of the City)

Distressed Elves’ Creditors’ Pets’ Day (Shamanism)

Feast of Athena (Ancient Greece)

Festival of Cerridwen (Welsh Goddess of Barley)

Franz Kafka (Writerism)

Germanus of Man (Christian; Saint)

Gerbert (Positivist; Saint)

Green Corn Dance (Seminole Tribe)

Gurthiern, Abbot in Brittany (Christian; Saint)

Guthagon of Oostkerk (Christian; Saint)

Harald Kihle (Artology)

Heliodorus of Altino (Christian; Saint)

Irenaeus and Mustiola (Christian; Martyrs)

Johann Friedrich Overbeck (Artology)

John Singleton Copley (Artology)

Julius and Aaron (Christian; Martyrs)

Leo II, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Marinus (Christian; Martyr)

Melvin Milk (Muppetism)

Mongan (Celtic Book of Days)

Mucian (Christian; Saint)

Philip Jamison (Artology)

Phocas (Christian; Saint)

Peregrina Mogas Fontcuberta (Christian; Saint) Questpit Pitch Day

Raymond of Toulouse (Christian; Saint)

Rose of the World Day (Palestinian Christian)

Rumbled (a.k.a. Rombaut; Christian; Martyr)

Sándor Bortnyik (Artology)

Solstitium III (Pagan)

Strange Urges Day (Pastafarian)

Thomas the Apostle (Christian; Saint)

Tom Stoppard (Writerism)

Whip Someone with a Wet Noodle Day (Pastafarian)

Witch of Gaeta Festival (Italy)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [38 of 57]

Premieres

The Abbot and Costello Show (Radio Series; 1940)

Adventures in Babysitting (Film; 1987)

The Amazing Spider-Man (Film; 2012)

Baby Wants a Bottleship (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1942)

Back to the Future (Film; 1985)

Birdman of Alcatraz (Film; 1962)

Blondie (Radio Series; 1939)

Brown Sugar, by D’Angelo (Album; 995)

Despicable Me 2 (Animated Film; 2013)

Despicable Me 4 (Animated Film; 2024)

The Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac (Novel; 1958)

Fat Lip, by Sum 41 (Song; 2001)

Fireworks (America Rocks Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1976)

Fireworks (Animated Film; 2018)

Hamilton (Filmed Broadway Play; 2020)

I’m Still Standing, by Elton John (Song; 1983)

Independence Day (Film; 1996)

Innerspace (Film; 1987)

Le Cop on Le Rocks (The Inspector Cartoon; 1967)

The Lone Ranger (Film; 2013)

Men in Black II (Film; 2002)

Midsommer (Film; 2019)

A Picture of Her Face, by Scott Joplin (Song; 1895)

Porky’s Super Service (WB LT Cartoon; 1937)

Smoke Signals (Film; 1998)

Strangers on a Train (Film; 1951)

Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene (Novel; 1973)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Film; 1991)

Transformers (Film; 2007)

Trolley Ahoy (Rainbow Parade Cartoon; 1936)

The Wallflower (Phantasies Cartoon; 1941)

Today’s Name Days

Günther, Ramon, Ramona, Thomas (Austria)

Toma, Tomislav (Croatia)

Radomír (Czech Republic)

Cornelius (Denmark)

Arvo, Aulik (Estonia)

Arvo (Finland)

Thomas (France)

Ramon, Ramona, Thomas (Germany)

Anatolios, Yakinthos, Zoumboulia (Greece)

Kornél, Soma (Hungary)

Leone, Tommaso (Italy)

Benita, Bonita, Everita, Sulamite (Latvia)

Anatolijus, Liaudmina, Vaidilas (Lithuania)

André, Andrea, Andrine (Norway)

Anatol, Jacek, Korneli, Leon, Miłosław, Otto (Poland)

Iachint (România)

Miroslav (Slovakia)

Heliodoro, Tomás (Spain)

Aurora (Sweden)

Anatole (Ukraine)

Anatol, Anatola, Lindsay, Lindsey, Lyndsey (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 185 of 2024; 181 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 27 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Duir (Oak) [Day 25 of 28]

Chinese: Month 5 (Geng-Wu), Day 28 (Wu-Chen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 27 Sivan 5784

Islamic: 26 Dhu al-Hijjah 1445

J Cal: 5 Red; Fryday [5 of 30]

Julian: 20 June 2024

Moon: 6%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 16 Charlemagne (7th Month) [Gerbert]

Runic Half Month: Feoh (Wealth) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 14 of 94)

Week: 1st Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 13 of 31)

[aelaer]

⛓

Okay so. THREE YEARS AGO, back in early 2020 before The World Went To Shit, I posted a "whump prompt request" thing with icons to basically request fics based on the whumpy icon. I answered 2 or 3 of them before I basically stopped writing for like, over a year.

This year I'm doing my damnedest to finish the 6 whump prompts I have from early 2020 and the last (anon) prompt I have from 2019. That's my goal. (If I can get to the 2022 user-submitted prompt as well this year, that's an extra bonus).

I don't think this user is even in the fandom anymore (possibly not even on tumblr), but I'm still doing the prompt fics. As always with tumblr prompts, my tumblr followers get them first, and I'll post it on AO3 at a later time.

Obviously the prompt is chains. For 2 years I was trying another fic to fill this, but when it just wasn't happening, I threw out the original idea for this new one below.

So I've done alternate meetings between Stephen and various Avengers before, but I wanted to try something different and have a different set of Avengers meet him in different circumstances. Well, not that different because I just enjoy seeing Stephen suffer. Sorry love. But it's a different crew of Avengers, so it's at least a little different. I don't think I've seen this particular group meeting him before in this timeframe, either.

This fic stars Steve, Nat, Sam, and Stephen, and is actually written from Steve's POV! First time writing from Steve's POV so it was a lot of fun. Not betaed, but this is still about 7,000 words long, so enjoy!

—--

Ever since aliens attacked New York in 2012, alien technology was a major part of the arms dealing scene in the black market. Nuclear missiles were old school; Chitauri-powered weaponry was the cream of the crop. And as the United States' Department of Damage Control seemed to have done a very lousy job at controlling all the weaponry leaving the country the last several years, Steve Rogers figured he'd put his time out of the country to good use and clean up for them.

From all the people that came back from the Raft, only two were with him now. Clint and Ant-Man—Scott, nice guy—had families back home and went for a plea bargain. Wanda asked to be dropped off in Europe and Nat provided her with a new ID and enough money to get by for a couple months without any sort of job. Bucky—well, Bucky was getting help in Wakanda.

That just left him, Sam, and Nat. When he told them what he planned to do, they were fully on board. Nat even had some old KGB connections to get them started.

And that's how they had spent the last year, going from city to city, country to country, chasing leads on illegal alien weaponry across Asia. They started in Yemen and Oman, then went north to Syria (where they got into a tight spot and found Nick Fury of all people waiting for them. How he got to Syria in the first place, Steve had no idea.) After a tense conversation with him, he parted with him in Lebanon, then they started their way east to Iraq, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.

It was another old contact of Nat's that pointed them to their next destination: the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India.

With most of their hits, it was clear that terrorists, insurgents, and other sorts who dealt with black market arms were getting types of Chitauri weapons. With their information out of India, it was less clear what the nature of the weapon was.

"From how they're discussing it, it sounds alien," Nat said as she read over her contact's notes. "And they're guarding it fiercely. But it appears they don't know what to do with it."

"Who has the weapon?" Sam asked. "Lashkar-e-Taiba? ISIS?"

She shook her head. "It's a small splinter group of revolutionists. No household names here."

Steve frowned; these small groups were more difficult to determine how to respond to. "Are they considered terrorists by the United States?"

Nat shook her head once more as she looked through the notes. "Strictly Indian. This group doesn't go beyond their borders."

"Then let's go for a nonlethal encounter, as much as possible. We're not here to say who's right and wrong about such things, so long as they're not hurting anyone in their actions."

She half-smiled. "They do have a weapon, Cap." They've likely hurt people, she didn't say.

He quirked his lips in return. "And that's why we're going to relieve them of it." In the end, it was up to the local authorities to take care of the people themselves and to put them through due process. If Steve could, he'd do the same for every terrorist, too—but he didn't have that luxury when they were caught in the middle of a gunfight, or when it was just the three of them versus dozens in enemy territory.

He wasn't happy with the fact, but he made do with what he could. He didn't particularly enjoy killing others in the war, either—and the fact that he still had to from time to time was an unhappy reality.

So when he could get through an incident without death, he gladly took it.

"All right," Sam said. "Next stop, India."

—--

Nat's connections made getting the quinjet from country to country actually possible. From there, they paid someone enough cash to both keep an eye on the jet and to keep quiet about it. These people made a living on such gigs, so after a year of seeing such deals, Steve was a lot less worried about it than when they first started.

Their contact got them a van and from there, they fit everything they needed into it to get to a safehouse and gather more intel from there.

Uttar Pradesh was a land of extremes. As the most populous state of India, it also saw some of its richest and poorest citizens, some great beauty and great ugliness, and both wondrous joys and terrible suffering. Steve didn't interact with the locals—Nat did all that if they had to, as she somehow knew Hindi as well—but he could see it in the people's faces as they went from city to village, and back again.

It took them a couple days to secure their safehouse to their liking, then another few days to find the location of their target. It took Nat and Sam another 48 hours to break into their security and tap their communications, and it wasn't too long that they got the location of the weapon.

"They're not giving any further description on what this weapon is," Nat said with a grimace as she leaned back in her chair. "I don't think the guys we bugged actually know what it is, just where it is as they were guarding the building. On the second floor, so that narrows it down further."

"That's annoying," Sam said. "I'll look up the address and see what I can find on the building. This city's large enough to have blueprints."

"Not sure how much you'll find," Nat said. "I'll drive out there and scout it out tonight."

"You can add it to what I do find," Sam said, grinning.

—---

When Nat came back from her scouting just before dawn, Steve woke up to find her thoughtful. "What happened?"

"The building was unusually busy, considering the time of night," she said. "The good news is that I found the most likely room in which they're keeping the weapon."

"Should be an easy snatch and grab?"

"Absolutely; this is a group of amateurs. You and Sam can probably stay in the car."

Steve snorted. "Well, if we would just get in your way."

Nat smirked, then went to get herself some breakfast. "I'll listen in today to see if anyone says anything more about the weapon."

About two hours later, Sam and Steve were mapping out their route away from the building once Nat had the weapon. From the corner of his eye, Steve saw her frowning as she listened to the tapped broadcast. He did not like that frown. "What is it?"

She listened for about ten more seconds. "It sounds like they have a prisoner."

Sam jerked his head up. "What?"

She paused as she listened, then after two minutes she shook her head. "These idiots know nothing. They think he was after the weapon, naturally, but for all they know he could be a political prisoner or hostage." She sighed. "Should've bugged someone more useful."

"This changes things," Steve said.

"A rescue mission makes this more complicated," Nat pointed out.

"Are you suggesting we leave him?"

Nat smiled slightly. "Just making sure you were aware."

"Well, I've never been one to back down from a challenge." He looked at Sam. "You'll be fine alone in the car?"

Sam shrugged. "I can keep the engine running. You sure you won't need help with sneaking in?"

"No. Show me what blueprints you found again, Sam." He had learned several things about subterfuge and stealth over the last year from Nat. He had to.

With their combined intelligence gathering, Steve was able to map out his own route to search for this prisoner. It was likely he was being kept in the basement level of the building, so Steve would start there and work his way up, if need be. As decided before, Steve wanted to go for the non-lethal route, and they had just enough drugs to knock people out to make it happen (one of the good things of running into Fury all those months ago was getting supplies of that nature).

With their plan set, all they had to do now was wait until nightfall.

—----

Nat was right: these guys were amateurs. Steve was certain that she'd be in and out of the building in five minutes, tops. He had the longer route here just because he had to find the room this prisoner was actually being held.

Half the people in the building were asleep on the second floor; those awake were either guarding the mysterious weapon (Nat had them handled) or posted around the perimeter. He only encountered one other guard on the first floor before making his way into the basement. Those he did encounter he stashed away in dark corners so they weren't easily spotted by anyone passing by.

The basement was a little busier. The stairwell led to a long hallway filled with several tiny rooms, one of which was easily seen as occupied the moment he came to the floor. Steve took out two guys in a room at a pair of computers and kept them propped in their chairs. The other rooms in the hall were empty of people, largely filled with storage and detritus.

At the edge of the corridor was another hallway and Steve carefully peered beyond the corner to see if anyone was there. There was a man sitting outside of a door playing on his phone; that was very likely the door Steve was looking for. It was child's play to sneak up at him and jab him in the neck just as he had done with the rest. 

He lowered the guard to the floor before he could fall out of his chair, then peered through the small window—hole, really—within the door to take a look inside.

Well, he had definitely found the prisoner. While the light in the room was dim, he could tell that their prisoner didn't appear Indian; his skin was just too light. Steve frowned; what was a foreign national doing dealing with a group that largely dealt with Indian affairs?

It appeared that he had crossed them in some way because the man looked terrible. Bruises and bloody scrapes blossomed across his face; they appeared to be recent hurts, gained in hours or days rather than weeks or months. His dark hair was pressed damp against his head, though from sweat or water, Steve did not know. His clothes were unlike anything Steve's seen in the future so far, at least outside of movies. 

Despite his poor state of being, this group had considered their captive enough of a threat to chain him to the wall itself. Steve had no idea wall fetters like that still existed. The man was leaning his head against one of his arms pulled up, though sleeping or unconscious, he couldn't say.

Steve soon discovered neither. As soon as he took the cell door key off the unconscious guard and slotted it into the lock, the man's eyes snapped open and he straightened his position as much as he was able to. And he didn't appear afraid at all. Resigned, perhaps, but not afraid. Interesting. Nat would have quite the analysis on him from just this.

The man's grim resignation turned into outright confusion as Steve opened the door to reveal himself.

"Keep your voice down," Steve warned as he dragged the guard's body from the hallway and into the cell. He carefully shut the door to make it look closed, but left it open a crack in case it locked from the inside. He turned back to the hostage. "We'd rather avoid a full on confrontation if we can."

"Captain America?" Disbelief dripped through every syllable, but he kept his voice low. And he sounded American; that wasn't expected at all.

Steve could not help his unhappy smile. "Not so sure I can call myself that anymore."

The man remained still as Steve closed the distance between them. "Let me get these off," he muttered as he brought up the key again. But he could see the problem immediately—the key was too large for the manacles.

The man was watching him and seemed to catch his realization. "I imagine that one of the leaders has that key," he said, voice flat. Not panicked at all like many others would be if they thought they were so close to freedom and were stuck.

This man was no normal civilian, that much was clear.

Steve, though, had another idea. "Hold on." He took hold of the left manacle and chain, then paused as he caught long scars on the hand accompanied by a tremor that certainly wasn't fear. "This might pinch. Brace yourself."

The man said nothing, but hissed softly as Steve snapped the chain from the manacle as the rough metal scraped against him, despite Steve's best efforts.

"Okay?" Steve said as he slowly let go of the manacle still around his wrist, allowing the man time to gain control of his arm.

"Fine. Don't worry about it."

Steve moved to the other manacle and saw the same patterns of scars on his right hand, as well. He broke the chain with as much care as he could, and this time the man remained silent at the break.

"Can you stand?"

The man was already standing—or at least attempting it. He managed to get up to his feet, but he was leaning heavily against the wall. His eyes were focused on the corner where Steve had deposited the unconscious guard near the door. Steve followed his gaze and saw that beyond the guard was some sort of red fabric in the corner.

"I need that," the man said, leaving no room for argument in his voice. With some bemusement, Steve gathered the long length of red fabric in one hand (a coat?), and with the other dragged the guard to where the hostage once sat so anyone looking in the dimly lit room would make out the figure of a body. So long as no one took a closer look, it would hold until morning.

The man took the red fabric as soon as Steve offered it to him and slung it over his shoulder. Steve caught the glint of silver of what he assumed was some sort of clasp on his coat, and while he was no expert, it looked like the real deal. 

"Surprised they didn't take those," Steve said as he nodded to the ornamentation. "Lean on me."

The man did so without protest. Steve couldn't see what was causing the other's inability to fully stand, but that would have to be examined later. He did mutter, though, "They couldn't rip the clasps off. Then they thought they were maybe cursed." For some reason this seemed to amuse the man.

Right, then. "Follow my lead," Steve murmured.

He locked the door behind them and dropped the key in one of the storage rooms within the basement. Steve was slower going out than coming in, but he had been thorough in jabbing everyone and placing them in either hidden areas or in discrete positions, should anyone pass. But for all the rumors of having a powerful weapon, as their security personnel was not what Steve would consider top-rated, he wasn't expecting any change of guard anytime soon.

The building was thankfully small enough that the journey from the cell to the exit was less than five minutes, even at the slowed pace they were forced to go. From the corner of his eye Steve saw the man turn his head at the sight of one of the men stashed on a chair, positioned as if he were asleep rather than drugged.

It wasn't until they were past the building's outer fencing and around a corner that Steve breathed more easily. Perhaps the man sensed it, because he spoke for the first time since they left the cell. "Did you kill them?"

"The guards?"

"Yes."

"No. Just drugged."

Steve felt the man exhale beside him. "Good."

That… wasn't expected. But then again, nothing about this man met any of the preconceptions he originally thought about the person he would be rescuing. "What's your name?"

"Strange."

They turned another corner. "Your name is Strange?"

"Yes."

Fair enough.

"How far are we going?" Strange asked. Steve was supporting more of his weight now, his hidden injury seeming to do a number on him.

"Not far," he assured him. "I've got a car waiting."

"Great." The 'great' sounded oddly sarcastic.

The van was only a couple minutes further, which was good because Strange only seemed to be getting weaker with every step. By the time they turned the final corner to meet it, Strange's left leg fully gave out on him. Steve caught him before he could totally collapse, but he noticed Strange's attention was fully on the van.

"I'm not the only thing you're taking from that building, am I?" he asked between clenched teeth.

How could he possibly know? Steve didn't know how to answer, but before he needed to, Sam was stepping out of the van to assist him. He took in Strange's interesting fashion choices with a raised brow, then took on the role of medic immediately. "Where are you injured?" he asked as he took Strange's other arm. He spared a look at the hand and the manacle, then gripped him on the forearm as he slung it over his shoulders.

"It's complicated," was Strange's cryptic answer. "Nothing you can—" He sharply inhaled, "—help right now."

Once they loaded Strange into the back seat (with his coat on his lap—though it was rather large to be a coat, now that he took a longer look at it), Steve asked Sam quietly as they rounded the car, "You found the weapon?"

"Well, we definitely found what they were hiding, though I'm not so sure I'd call it that," he replied.

What on earth did that mean? Steve sent Sam a look, but held off on any further questions until they were out of immediate danger.

Nat had slipped into the driver's seat as soon as Sam was out of the van, and Sam gave it up with the roll of his eyes. Steve decided to sit in the back with Strange to keep an eye on him as they drove back to their safe house about thirty minutes away. Somehow Strange seemed worse resting in the van than moving. Yes, the road was bumpy and unpaved in many spots, but he would have thought walking from his prison would have been more taxing on him. 

As he eyed Strange's clenched fists, tight eyes, and pallor face, he wondered where these hidden injuries lie—and if they were all physical in nature.

Perhaps more importantly, he was wondering what on Earth another American was doing all the way out there in the middle of Uttar Pradesh and far away from any sort of tourist destination (and they had done their research—this was absolutely not an area for tourists). 

Apparently he wasn't the only one wondering about him. "So, you gonna tell us who you are and what on earth you're doing all the way out here?" Sam asked, turning himself partially around to look at him.

"If we could save the interrogation for when we're stopped, I would greatly appreciate it," he said without moving his eyes from the center of the windshield.

"Carsick?" Nat asked in that casual way that was anything but casual. 

"Yes," Strange said, but Steve wasn't sure if he fully believed him. It was the tight anxiety in his gaze that pointed to something else. 

But what it was wasn't important for him to know. Every man had his demons. So Steve said, "His name is Strange."

Sam looked between the two of them, gaze settling on Strange. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Strange said, curt and tense.

"Right," said Sam. He cleared his throat. "Well, Mr Strange, when we get to our little base, we'll take a look at you and see what we can do for your injuries."

At first, Strange didn't seem like he would reply. Then a moment later, after Sam had already turned around and Steve was getting ready to settle in for a long, silent trip, Strange said, "Doctor."

"Pardon?" Steve asked. Sam slightly turned his head.

"It's Doctor Strange."

Well, that just created more questions than it answered. 

—---

Doctor Strange could barely walk by the time they made it to the safe house. His lips were pressed tight as he contained what appeared to be excruciating agony. Steve had seen that look on men's faces before in war as they lost limbs and burned from napalm fire.

What sort of wounds was he hiding underneath all his clothing?

"He can take my cot," Sam said. The cots were in a separate, smaller room to the side of the larger room that held their base of operations. Their vital equipment didn't exceed what could fit in a single van should they need to leave fast, but at this point they had acquired decent bedding, more fresh clothing, and a mini-fridge alongside the basic necessities of the trade: their tech, a well-stocked first aid kit, non-perishables to last for several weeks, and a few weapons.

Sam already had their first aid kit by his side as they got Strange to the cot, and Strange collapsed as soon as they let him go. However, when Sam started to undo his belts to his—robes, Steve guessed—to get access to whatever hurts he was hiding, Strange stopped him by grabbing at his arm. But the grip was minimal; Strange's hand was shaking badly enough to continuously jiggle the ugly manacle still there. 

"Not—not hurt—physically," he panted.

Sam raised his eyebrows incredulously at the comment. "You've got bruises all over you. Look, with this weakness, you could have a bad internal bleed—"

"No," he hissed. "Listen." His weak grip readjusted itself on Sam's arm. "Move the statuette—away from me."

Steve turned a confused look to Sam, but Sam had stilled and was looking at Strange with narrowed eyes. "How did you—"

"200 feet," he interrupted. "For an hour. You'll see." With that, he finally passed out.

"Statuette?" Steve asked. 

"It was what they were protecting." Nat appeared at the door and frowned at Strange as Sam, obviously, ignored his protests and started stripping him down to both attach him to a BPM and to look for any signs of massive trauma. "He shouldn't know that we took it."

Steve frowned. "He said something of the same just as we got to the van."

Nat's eyes narrowed. "Did he, now."

Steve shook his head. "But that doesn't make sense. They were supposed to be holding onto some powerful weapon."

"Whatever our intel, the statuette was definitely the only thing they were truly guarding," Nat said. "Had two men at the entrance and one on the ground below—even more than last night." She kept her narrowed gaze upon Strange. "Maybe he is what caused all the disturbance last night, too."

Steve frowned at the information. "Did anything about it seem suspicious?"

Nat shook her head. "Not from a cursory look. It's just a rather ugly statue made out of stone. Weighs no more than 10 pounds. I was saving the closer examination for when we got back here, though."

"This makes no sense." It was Sam this time, and he was looking at the diagnostics on his small handheld that he had hooked up to Strange.

"What is it?" Steve asked. 

"His vitals are not what I was expecting. His blood pressure is higher than normal, which is opposite what you'd see with internal bleeding, and none of this bruising is severe. I mean, he should still get himself to a hospital when he can to double check, but I'm not seeing any obvious signs of hemorrhaging."

Nat looked back at Strange. "He's not faking it. He's out."

"I know." Sam worked on cleaning up some of the cuts on Strange's face because they were, apparently, the worst wounds they found. "But from what I can see, he shouldn't be unconscious. I found no head trauma, no major blood loss, and his temperature's stable."

Steve pursed his lips together in thought. The world had gotten very weird the last few years.

Nat read him like a book. "You're going to entertain his idea?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, the world isn't exactly what it used to be," Steve said. "We can try for an hour. Just to see what happens."

Nat canted her head, then nodded slowly. "I know a spot. Be back soon."

—--

Fifteen minutes later, Steve had his chair at the doorway between the beds and the rest of the space as he kept an eye on Strange. Sam was working on repairing some of their surveillance tech while Nat was looking up something at the computers after having returned just a couple minutes ago.

"He said Doctor Strange, right?" Sam asked. "You think, being an American with robes and a cape and all, that he's playing at being some sort of superhero with a secret identity or something?"

Steve blinked and took another look at the red pile of cloth resting at the foot of Strange's cot. Huh, yeah, he supposed it could be a cape. A red cape like Thor's, to boot.

"I'm not so sure," Steve said as he eyed the man. "He didn't act like a civilian playing hero that got in over his head when I found him."

"Not a fake name, either," Nat said, causing the both of them to turn her way. She recited, "Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange, MD, PhD. Neurosurgeon. And yes, I found images. It's him, just without the beard and a little less grey hair."

For some reason the name sounded familiar, though Steve had no idea why. He definitely hadn't met the guy before; he was pretty sure he'd remember him if he had.

Sam raised his eyebrows high. "What in the world is a neurosurgeon doing dressed like that in the weeds of Uttar Pradesh?"

"Former neurosurgeon, actually," Nat said with a thoughtful frown. "Last news I can find of him is from early 2016 after he got into a bad car accident. His hospital doesn't list him as a doctor there, anymore."

Steve frowned softly as he looked back at Strange. That would explain his hands. But as Sam said, it didn't explain what he was doing all the way out here. Then he narrowed his gaze as he saw Strange stir—or he thought he saw him move.

Then Steve blinked as he saw the edges of the red cape start rising upward. It reminded him of a cobra. He blinked again, and yea, it was definitely moving a bit like a snake. It was slinking.

"Hey uh, Sam?"

"Hmm?"

"Clothing generally doesn't move on its own in this century, right?"

"Uh, what?"

"You better come see this."

Steve felt both Sam and Nat beside him as they watched the cape—definitely a cape, not a coat—extend itself upwards until it was no longer a bundle of cloth at the edge of the bed, but fully extended and covering Strange from the bottom of his neck to his feet.

This cape might've been bigger than Thor's cape.

"So that's definitely not normal, yes?" Steve reiterated.

"Yes, Steve, that's not normal," Nat repeated. "You two sure there wasn't any sort of tech embedded within it?"

"Surveillance would've picked up something," Sam said, which Steve knew that Nat knew.

"Right," she said. "I'd ah, I'd keep my distance from it, gentlemen."

"Right."

"Yep."

—------

Another twenty minutes passed before Steve heard a groan coming from the cot. He looked up from his sketch to watch a minutiae of expressions cross over Strange's face before it settled on the blank expression of a man who woke up in unfamiliar, potentially dangerous situations. Steve saw that expression all the time once, a lifetime ago.

Strange was not just a neurosurgeon, no matter where his internet trail ended. Nearly two years had passed since early 2016, after all—and much of the world had changed since then.

Steve pushed away the troubling, all-too-personal train of thought before it went somewhere dangerous. "Welcome back, Doctor Strange," he said. He kept his distance.

Strange glanced his way with a furrowed brow before a light of understanding came to his eyes. "Ah. Right." He slowly sat up, grimacing softly, frowning down at what was obviously rumpled, disturbed clothing. Speaking of clothing—the cape was floating a bit more now, its collar at the same level as Strange's head.

"Oh, good, I'm glad you're starting to feel better," Strange said, and he was definitely talking to his cape. Steve was certain about it.

"Uh," Steve started, causing Strange's eyes to focus again on him. They were no longer clouded in pain, and he could see the man had an unusually sharp gaze. "Nat was going to remove those manacles off you, but then your cape started moving…" He trailed off.

"It's a cloak," was Strange's absolutely absurd reply.

Steve was saved from replying by Sam joining him. And just out of sight of Strange, Nat lingered, listening. "Hey, doc. How're you feeling?" Steve was pretty sure Sam was mostly staring at the half-floating cape—cloak.

"Much better. Thank you for moving the statuette." He frowned at the manacles on his wrists before making something of an effort to straighten out his robes. The red cloak moved behind him and settled itself upon his shoulders with Strange saying nothing about it.

"Uh, you wanna tell us what that is?" Sam jerked his chin to the cloak as it moved.

"It's a cloak," Strange replied. With eyes that sharp, Steve knew the man was being purposefully obtuse.

"Funny." Sam crossed his arms. "You wanna tell us why it flies?"

"It's called the Cloak of Levitation. That's what it does."

Steve wasn't sure if he should be annoyed or amused by the obfuscation. He settled for something around the realm of exasperation. "Doctor Strange, please." Strange stilled his adjusting and settled his gaze on Steve. "If you would sit down with us," he gestured past his shoulder to the main room, "Natasha can remove the manacles while you answer a few questions."

Strange pursed his lips. "I don't suppose you'll let me go without answers," he said dryly, but he stood up. Steve stood as well to give Strange ample room to pass.

Steve could feel Nat stepping into line of sight just behind him. "Consider it payment for us getting you out of there."

Strange huffed as he stepped through into the main room; with his so-called cloak, his whole ensemble had an odd feeling of completion that was missing prior. "I thought the Avengers were meant to be altruistic." Steve had been pretty certain that Strange knew who the other two were, but that at least confirmed it.

Nat smiled. "Some of us are more altruistic than others." She nodded to the table where the laptops were sitting a minute ago, but were now closed and set aside. "Sit."

Steve was more than happy to leave the bulk of the interrogation to Nat. He retook his chair and Sam went back to his tech maintenance corner while Strange sat adjacent to Nat at the center table.

With her left hand, Nat slid her fingers underneath the manacle to offer some cushioning between the metal and Strange's skin, certainly raw from the metal and more sensitive with whatever lay underneath his skin now. Steve knew, only after being with her for so long, that it was yet another way she could better tell truth from lies by being right on top of his pulse.

She had never forgotten her years and years of training.

"Why were you being held in that building?" she started as she flicked open the pick.

Strange narrowed his eyes at the question. "The same reason you were drawn to it."

"And you were caught trying to take it."

"Well," Strange said, "I was not expecting to have such an adverse reaction."

Nat kept her gaze on the manacle, seemingly. Steve wouldn't doubt that she was looking up at Strange through her lashes at pertinent moments. "We came because we heard there was a powerful weapon being held there," she said slowly, "but it seems only to affect you."  

Strange didn't reply, at first. "Was there a question in that statement, Miss Romanoff?"

Nat smiled. "You know my question, Doctor Strange."

Strange, again, considered his words. "And what would you do with that knowledge?"

Something that looked like true confusion flickered across Nat's expression. Steve doubted Strange caught it, but after all these years, he did. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be obtuse," Strange said, and there was an edge to his voice, suddenly. "After all, it was not even four years ago that the very agency you worked for created a weapon to kill millions. What am I to think of a person who worked for such an organization?"

The flash of something real crossing through Nat's eyes was so fast that Steve wasn't entirely sure that he hadn't just imagined it. "And all of us here were part of the team that exposed that plot." The first manacle clicked open, and Nat removed it, allowing Strange to take his wrist to rub it. "And when the worlds' governments tried to force us to sign a document that we believed endangered the world's freedom, we ran. And here we are."

Strange stared at her wordlessly, and they held a battle of wills. He had seen this expression on Nat very few times. The first she started showing it to him was when they really started working together, when—

Steve suddenly remembered. "Hydra!" At his exclamation, the battle of wills was dropped as everyone looked to him, but his eyes were again on Strange. "During Project Insight—one of their high level goons mentioned your name, your name and a few others—as he explained exactly what the algorithm was written to do." He looked at the other two. "Sitwell on the rooftop, remember?"

Realization came to them and they looked again at Strange, perhaps in a different light. "He did mention you," Sam said, pointing a screwdriver his way.

Strange cleared his throat. "That was in 2014, years before… this. They couldn't have known this would happen to me."

"And what is 'this', Doctor Strange?" Nat asked. She gestured for his left hand, and Strange gave it to her wordlessly. As she slipped her fingers underneath the metal and against his wrist, she asked, "What makes you different from us that the statue would only be an effective weapon against you?"

The silence sat. Strange said nothing, and it remained steady until the second manacle clicked open. Natasha removed it and stared at him for a moment, but when he remained still, she simply nodded and stood. "Steve can help you make arrangements to get back to where you need to go," is all she said, and turned to leave.

"Magic."

Nat stopped mid-step.

"The statuette has an adverse effect upon people who practice what you would call magic."

Sam was the first to break the silence. "Wait, do you mean 'You're a wizard, Harry,' type of magic?"

Strange's carefully blank expression fell away into a look of distaste. "The preferred term is sorcerer."

"A sorcerer is just a wizard without a hat," Sam said in return, and Strange's expression went through the whole range between gobsmacked and irritation, and back again.

Steve stepped in before Sam was completely eviscerated. "Right, so the statuette's bad news. What did you want to do with it?"

Strange seemed surprised by the question. "If it were up to me, I'd have it destroyed; were that impossible, burying it several miles deep or throwing it into the Mariana Trench is a good alternative. I'd say it could be placed in another dimension, but I'd be worried about another intelligent species potentially coming across it."

Right, dimensions. That was—something. Steve just nodded, as if all of that sounded perfectly reasonable and not completely insane.

Still, there was something Strange wasn't saying, and Steve had to make sure. "And these adverse effects—they're not permanent?"

"They're not."

"You sure?" Sam asked. "You were pretty badly off there for a time."

Strange cleared his throat. "I had been within near proximity to the object for almost a day, and the car ride's enforced closeness simply exacerbated the symptoms. They were unpleasant, but not permanent for the length of time I was exposed."

Steve narrowed his eyes; 'unpleasant' was a soldier's word for 'agonizing, but it didn't kill me so I'll be fine.' And Strange had the gaze of a man who had seen battle.

The other two noticed, naturally. They were both soldiers too. But it was Nat who prodded, to see just how much she could glean. It was almost instinctual for her to do so, Steve thought. "Sam is right to be concerned. You were near catatonic by the time the drive was through."

Strange's lip twitched upward in displeasure. He would allow some prying to establish—what? Some sort of basic trust? Whatever it was, it only went so far, and when Strange said, "I'm fine, thank you," Nat laid off with a raised hand and a slight smile.

Steve switched topics. "If you knew this statuette was so dangerous, why did you go in alone?" At Strange's quirked brow, Steve explained, "I assume there's more than one sorcerer around. You had to learn it from someone. You needed backup." Steve allowed a tone of disapproval to shine through his last sentence.

Strange heard it and rose up to it. "The statuette hasn't been encountered for quite some time, so its intensity wasn't known to any living sorcerer. Besides, we thought it was something else entirely here. If we'd known it was the statuette, we would have used a completely different strategy in retrieving it. On that note," he said, tone moving to decisive and unrelenting, "I'd like my phone call, now."

"Your what?" Sam asked. 

"Well, Miss Romanoff said you'd be assisting me in getting out of here," Strange said. "To do that, I need to call somebody."

Steve nodded, though that statement led to more questions as to how Strange got out here in the first place. Did that mean there were other sorcerers in the vicinity?

They had several burner phones as part of their stash. Nat selected one not on their persons, so not yet in active use. Depending on what happened here would determine if they kept it or threw it out after this.

Strange nodded in thanks and dialed a number slowly enough that it didn't take a spy to read his movement, should he decide to steal the phone for some reason. Steve didn't think he would. Besides, if he was more concerned about keeping the number private, he certainly wouldn't have dialed it in front of Nat.

Regardless, it took about ten seconds from Strange lifting the phone to his ear for him to start talking. He stood as he did and began to slowly pace during the conversation.

"Wong, it's Stephen. I have good news and bad news." A pause. "The good news is that it wasn't the Jade of Antioch. The bad news is that it's the Empirikul Statuette."

Another pause. "Oh yeah, it's as bad as the books say it is. Can't say I recommend the experience." His cloak was swaying quite a bit. Was that natural? "The Avengers. Or, well, three former ones, I guess." Another pause. "Yeah, them. And yes. Where do you think I found a phone?" Pause. "Why would I have my wallet on me? That's an awful idea. It would've been taken from me if I had brought it."

Strange paused mid-stride as the response on the other side went for a few seconds longer than the other replies. "It wasn't—you're exaggerating. No, it wasn't that bad. The issue was the Empirikul Statuette, not the guys holding onto it. It wasn't even a day. I'm fine. But they did take my sling ring, so."

Strange rolled his eyes after another pause. "Look, it could have happened to anyone. It was just my luck that I went searching rather than someone else." He huffed in annoyance. "I just need someone to pick me up. Can you do that?" Another pause. "It's not in my immediate vicinity, but it's still too close. Give me ten minutes to walk—not going to chance the Cloak right now." A beat. "Yep. Right. Bye." He snapped the phone shut and looked at Steve. "If that's all, I should be on my way."

That phone call had only made him more curious about Strange. And when Steve exchanged looks with Sam, he could see the same on his face.

And apparently Nat wasn't going to let it go so easily, either. "This area can be dangerous at night," she said. "We'll escort you to a safe spot."

"That won't be necessary," Strange said. He set the phone back down on the table. "I can take care of myself."

Sam asked, "Your powers are fully back, then?"

Strange pressed his lips together at the question. He answered, "As I said, I can handle myself."

"So that's a no," Sam supplied.

"We wouldn't want anything to happen to you," Steve added.

Strange looked between the three of them, then exhaled in resignation. "You'd follow me regardless, wouldn't you?"

Nat smiled at him. "Wouldn't want our hard work to go to waste."

Strange rolled his eyes and gestured to the door. "Lead the way to this 'safe spot', then. Away from the statuette, if you would."

"Gladly." Nat headed to the door and Strange followed. Sam followed and Steve did as well because of course he wanted to see where this went. Before leaving, he swiped the burner phone Strange had left and slipped it into his pocket.

Nat led them through the dark back alleys southward of their hideout. In a few minutes, they were at a dead-end corridor nestled between three silent industrial buildings. "How's here?" she asked as she looked at Strange.

Strange's brow furrowed and he looked at his hands and made a gesture, then suddenly a bunch of golden sparks appeared on the tips of his fingers. "Here is far enough," he said.

Steve exchanged a look with Sam, and the latter asked, "So… what exactly can you do with magic?"

"Many things," Strange said as lowered his hands again.

Steve frowned at the vagueness of the answer. "And what is it that you do use your powers for, doctor?"

Strange looked at Steve again, his gaze considering. After a moment, he said, "When I was still learning the Mystic Arts, I was told that the Avengers handled physical threats to the world, while sorcerers handled more mystical threats—a countless number of them."

Sam folded his arms. "And that statuette is one of these so-called mystical threats?"

"In a way. In the wrong hands, it could cause a catastrophe." Strange waved his hand. "But I was thinking more along the lines of extra-dimensional entities that would enjoy consuming the Earth."

Nat tilted her head. "And do you come across those often?"

"More often than you would think," said Strange. 

Suddenly, golden sparks appeared in the air behind Strange up against the wall. Nat took a step back, hand on her holster, and Steve felt Sam tense beside him. Strange, however, just turned and said, "And here's my ride."

The golden sparks widened into a circle large enough for anyone to walk through it. On the other side was a room and another man, Asian, dressed in brown robes and looking exasperated. "Strange."

"Wong." Strange stepped through the circle to the other side.

This so-called Wong glanced at Steve, then Nat and Sam. "Thank you for the assistance. We'll take care of the relic from here."

"Relic?" Sam asked.

"The statuette. You won't find any use for it, I assure you."

Nat narrowed her eyes but didn't argue. Steve decided to keep it simple. "Happy to help. You can, uh, call on us if you ever need assistance." He held the burner phone up.

Strange shot him a raised eyebrow. Wong's expression, however, remained even. "You should hope that day never comes, Captain." With that, the golden circle closed, leaving the three alone in the dark once more.

"Are we just gonna let them take the statuette?" Sam asked.

Nat's lips were pursed. "They may already have. He was able to get to Strange without knowing where he was physically. And if they were able to find the statuette in the first place without any sort of scouting and they now know it's in this area, I suspect that they could have moved it since they can travel with portals like that."

"He was right in that there's not much we can do with it," Steve said as he opened up the burner phone. "We can take a look to see if it's in the hiding spot or not anymore." He pulled up the last called number. "Either of you know what country code +977 is for?"

Nat was faster with searching. "Nepal."

"Huh. They're right next door." Steve closed the phone. "Still, I'll keep this phone handy. They may prove to be useful allies in the future."

Sam sighed. "So I guess it's now the big three rather than the big two that we gotta keep an eye out for."

"What?" Steve asked as they headed out of the alley.

"Well, it was just robots and aliens before. Now it's robots, aliens, and wizards. Or at least magical 'entities', whatever that means."

Steve huffed in amusement. "Well, we certainly do live in interesting times."

"Can't argue against that."

—----

The history of going after weapons in Syria then Lebanon, and getting picked up by Nick Fury are actually from the MCU Prelude comics! Those are considered backstory canon so I definitely recommend giving them a read, they're really interesting and fill in some holes for a lot of Avengers-related stuff around AOU, CW, and IW. (The Doctor Strange ones are really great, too.)

According to Wiki, Nat spoke *at least* 11 languages. I'm not sure how much of this is from the MCU or not. But I figured her having another language under her belt wasn't the most insane thing in the world.

The "jab to instant unconsciousness" isn't a thing in the real world, but it was established as existing in the MCU in FFH, so it makes these non-lethal special ops missions much easier. It's a fun trope so I certainly don't blame Hollywood for having it.

Finally, the Empirikul Statuette is a made up item, named as a nod to the Empirikuls, who in the comics kill all magic—items, books, users, etc. So an item that makes magic inert and makes magic users suffer in its presence seemed an appropriate item to name after them.

[beleaf-blockchain-company]

The Missile Man of India once said - Obstacles are the challenge setters, You should accept it and overcome yourself. Rise against failures with your brilliant moves. "If You want to shine like a sun, First burn like a sun". Hard work only gives the smell of the success.

[mewaruniversity]

Remembering Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on His Birth Anniversary 🎂🚀

On the occasion of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Jayanti, Mewar University pays tribute to the Missile Man of India whose vision and dedication continue to inspire us all.✨

Let us honor his memory by striving for excellence and working towards a brighter future. 🚀📚

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[npskudlu]

It would surprise you that Abdul Kalam had 48 doctorates.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, India's 'Missile Man' and former 11th President from 2002 to 2007. Despite being born into a poor family, Kalam went on to become one of India's most respected scientists and leaders. He played a key role in India's space program and military missile development, earning him the nickname 'Missile Man of India'. Kalam believed in the potential of every child to be a scientist, a leader, or an entrepreneur, and he encouraged them to dream big and work hard. Let's be inspired by Kalam's life and legacy of hard work, humility, and belief in the power of youth."" National Public School Kudlu believes that every child has the potential to become a leader and make a positive impact in the world. They inspire students to dream big and work hard to achieve their goals through rigorous academic programs and co-curricular activities.

Visit us at www.npskudlu.com"

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Col. Warden Recalls Hindu 'Invasion’,” Border Cities Star. February 16, 1933. Page 5.  ---- Addresses Lions; Plan To Make Jobs Is Advanced ---- THE Koma Gato Maru incident in Vancouver in 1914 was related by Colonel John W. Warden, O.B.E., D S O., at last night's meeting of the Windsor Lions Club, held in the Norton-Palmer Hotel. The other features of the program were Edward Harding's plan for the relief of unemployment and the announcement that Dr. H. Irvine Wiley was chosen as the new district governor of Lions. 

'"When war is in the offing," declared Colonel Warden, "nations who are anxious to go to war show it by their plans. Previous to the world war Germany planned against England. They sent 300 strikers out to the coal mines in British Columbia to bring on a strike a year before the war. This was done so that no coal would be available for the navy or commercial purposes. 

"I was stationed there just one year then and it presented a delicate situation. We rounded up 100 men but we could not find the ringleaders. To find them we said that we were going out of town and we left town but waited just outside of the town. As soon as we had left 1,500 men gathered in one place and we were notified immediately. We came back to town and captured the ringleaders and had them brought up for trial. This was done in spite of considerable disturbance from the women folks. 

Wishing to cause trouble within the British Empire Germany collected 350 Hindu deserters of the Indian Army, took them to Shanghai and sent them to Canada. British naval authorities were watching their movements and notified us in Vancouver. We were told to handle the situation with diplomacy and to avoid trouble. 

'Canadian officials told us not to allow them to land by any means. When the boat, the Koma Gato Maru, pulled into the harbor took 20 sea-going launches and a tug out to meet it. The man in charge of immigration was not familiar with East Indians and lost their respect by going to them first. A man who was then a member of Parliament and is now a cabinet minister made the same mistake.

"They often promised to go back peaceably but their promises were only tricks to get supplies. '"Immigration officials sent 200 policemen out at midnight to surprise the Indians but they were waiting and drove the police away by throwing missiles of every kind down at them in the smaller boat. I was struck in the back with a large lump of coal and then they cut the grappling ropes. 

'"Finally I went out to their ship and told them that if they did not leave by five o'clock we would bring a warship out and make them leave. The warship came alongside with men marching on deck and at two minutes to five they cast anchor and moved out the harbor under our escort. As we left them they took off their sandals and threw, them at us and spit at us.

"When they got back to India they started a riot and two-thirds of them were killed and the rest captured. Then the war started and I left but shortly afterwards our interpreter who had been threatened with myself was shot while in the courtroom. 

"This is just an example." concluded Colonel Warden, "of how other nations seek to make trouble for Great Britain when they are planning a war." 

A plan for the relief of unemployment was submitted by Mr. Harding and a committee was appointed to present it to the Border Chamber of Commerce. The plan has been tried and found sound in Rochester, New York, and now other cities are undertaking it. It calls for a canvass of all citizens and obtaining their pledges to spend whatever amount they can in the next three months on improving homes, factories, stores, buildings and grounds and for the purchase of new articles. In Rochester and Monroe County the residents pledged themselves to spend $6.026.351.95 during the next three months. The plan is designed to prevent hoarding of money and to create employment.

[AL: A remarkable display of the racist, classist, conspiracy theorizing of the Canadian military and political elite, especially the ‘small fry’ of this class - local administrators, politicians, police, prison, military and capitalists, the powerful on a municipal or rural level, who can only understand events in their time as the acts of agitators and foreign enemies. It’s clearly a post-facto argument, too, sort of like The Simpsons’ Moe claiming ‘even when I knew it was the bears, I knew it was them [the immigrants].’ People like Warden opposed to Sikh immigration or strikers didn’t hide behind ‘imperial Germany did it’ at the time - they just argued that White Canada had to keep out the wrong colour and punish the labour agitator. The implication here, too, is that the unrest of the Great Depression was being caused by the Soviet Union.]

[brookston]

Holidays 12.4

Holidays

Alpha Phi Alpha Day

Andisop begins (Isle of Man) [3-Weeks before Xmas fiddlers go door-to-door playing the song and announcing the weather in exchange for a tip; thru Xmas]

Barbórka (Miners' Day; Poland)

Berkeley Hundred Thanksgiving

Carbon Literacy Action Day

Co-Ed College Day

Computer Science Day (Russia)

Day of Publicists (Colombia)

Day of the Artisans (Mexico)

Dragon Age Day

Ed Tech Appreciation Day

Elf Day (UK)

Epic of Manas Day (Kyrgyzstan)

Extraordinary Work Team Recognition Day

Fir Day (French Republic)

Fred Hampton Day (Illinois)

Grange Day

Hov Day

Insurance Day (Iran)

International Cheetah Day

International Day of Banks (UN)

International Free Hugs Day (a.k.a. Int'l Hug Day)

International Revolutionary Day

Missile Troops and Artillery Day (Ukraine)

National Cyber Signing Day

National Day (Laos; UAE)

National Dice Day

National Dystychiphobia Awareness Day

National Francis Day

National Kitten Day

National Rototelehandler Day

National Sock Day

National Tunneling Day (UK)

National Write a Letter to Santa Day

Navy Day (India)

Pallister-Killian Syndrome (PKS) Awareness Day

Rake Leaves Into the World's Largest Pile Day

Ribbons and Wrap Day

Santa's List Day

Sarsodaw Pwe (a.k.a. Sarsodaw-nei or Writers’ Day/Literati Day; Myanmar) [varies during month of Natdaw, 9th month pf Burmese calendar]

Thai Environment Day (Thailand)

Tupou Day (Tonga)

Wear a Beard of Bees Today Day 

Wear Brown Shoes Day

Women in Agriculture Day (India)

Wood Spunge Day

World Water Loss Day

Worldwide Handsome Day (South Korea)

World Wildlife Conservation Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Cabernet Franc Day

National Cookie Day (a.k.a. Cookie Baking Day)

Independence & Related Days

Commonwealth of Fundy (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Queensland (Declared a Province; Australia; 1859)

1st Wednesday in December

Choose Women Wednesday [1st Wednesday]

Hump Day [Every Wednesday]

National Missing Persons Day (Ireland) [1st Wednesday]

National Package Protection Day [Wednesday after Thanksgiving]

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting [Wednesday after Thanksgiving]

Special Kids Day [1st Wednesday]

Wacky Wednesday [Every Wednesday]

Website Wednesday [Every Wednesday]

Wheat Beer Wednesday [1st Wednesday of Each Month]

Wilderness Wednesday [1st Wednesday of Each Month]

Women Wednesday (a.k.a. Women Wow or Choose Women Wednesday) [Wednesday after Thanksgiving]

Weekly Holidays beginning December 4 (1st Full Week of December)

None Known

Festivals Beginning December 4, 2024

Arkansas Farm Bureau Convention and Trade Show (Little Rock, Arkansas) [thru 12.6]

OSU Surimi School Forum USA (Seattle, Washington) [thru 12.6]

Più Libri Più Liberi Book Fair (Rome, Italy) [thru 12.8]

Feast Days

Ada (Christian; Saint)

Anno II (Christian; Saint)

Barbera (Christian; Saint) [brewers] *

Bernard of Parma (Christian; Saint)

Bernardo degli Uberti (Christian; Saint)

Bodhi Season, Day 4 (Buddhism; Secular Date) [Leading Up to 12.8] (a.k.a. ... 

Principles: The Tidy Symbolic World

Secular: Our Unique Paths

Eightfold Path: Awakened Action

The Heart Sutra: Resilience

Bona Dea ("The Good Goddess" Secret Ceremony; Ancient Rome)

Chocolate Anything Day (Pastafarian)

Clement of Alexandria (Anglicanism, Eastern Catholicism)

Day of Shango (a.k.a. Sango, Chango or Zango; God of Fire, Thunder & Lightning in Santería, Yorùbá)

Day of the Frost King (Pagan)

Eid il-Burbara (Honoring St. Barbara, but like Halloween; Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Russia, Syria, Turkey)

Festival for Minerva (Ancient Rome)

Giovanni Calabria (Christian; Saint)

Gogledd (Celtic Book of Days)

John of Damascus (Christian; Saint)

Kepler (Positivist; Saint)

Maruthas (Christian; Saint)

Mechagodzilla Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

The Merrill Lunch Hungerdunger McCormack All Accountant Marching Society (Muppetism)

Nadir Afonso (Artology)

Nicholas Ferrar (Anglicanism)

Osmund (Christian; Saint)

Pallas Athena Celebration (Goddess of Wisdom)

Peter Chrysologus (Christian; Saint)

Rainier Maria Rilke (Writerism)

Rhiannon Meditation Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Rudolf Hausner (Artology)

Sigiramnus (a.k.a. Siran; Christian; Saint)

Thomas Carlyle (Writerism)

Wassily Kandinsky (Artology)

William Diehl (Writerism)

Wind Whirling Bacchanalia (Shamanism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Basin Street Blues, recorded by Louis Armstrong (Song; 1928)

Beatles for Sale, by The Beatles (Album; 1964)

Black Mirror (Anthology TV Series 2011)

Boston Beanie (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1947)

Concerto in F, by George Gershwin (Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; 1925)

December’s Children (And Everybody’s), by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1965)

Dixieland Droopy (Tex Avery Droopy MGM Cartoon; 1954)

The Dreadful Doll (Animated TV Show;Jonny Quest #12; 1964)

Father’s Lion (Disney Cartoon; 1952)

The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman (Novel; 1974)

I Fought the Law, by The Crickets (Song; 1960)

I Get a Kick Out of You, recorded by Ethel Merman (Song; 1934)

Jet Jockey Rocky or The One Point Landing (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 77; 1960)

Krakatoa (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1945)

Krampus (Film; 2015)

Landslide on the Rails or Bullwinkle Covers His Tracks (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 184; 1962)

Mickey’s Polo Team (Disney Cartoon; 1936)

MI-5 (Film; 2015)

Missouri Mish Mash, Part 1 (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 183; 1962)

The Observer (UK Sunday Newspaper; 1791)

On Golden Pond (Film; 1981)

Out of Our Idiot, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1987)

Plots and Plans or Two Many Crooks (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 78; 1960)

Porky’s Hero Agency (WB LT Cartoon; 1937)

Reds (Film; 1981)

Roamin’ Roman (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1964)

The Silver Thieves, Parts 1 & 2 (Underdog Cartoon, S2, Eps. 41 & 42; 1965)

The Simpsons Sings the Blues (Album; 1990)

The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf (Children’s Book; 1936)

The Ten Commandments (Film; 1923)

Tobacco Road, by Jack Kirkland (Play; 1933)

Too Late to Cry, by Alison Krauss (Album; 1987)

Up in the Air (Film; 2009)

Violin Concerto in D Major, by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Violin Concerto; 1881)

What’s Peckin’ (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1965)

The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos (WB MM Cartoon; 1937)

Today’s Name Days

Adolf, Barbara, Johannes (Austria)

Varvara (Bulgaria)

Barbara, Ivan, Sunčica (Croatia)

Barbora (Czech Republic)

Barbara (Denmark)

Barba, Barbara, Parba, Varje, Varju, Varve (Estonia)

Aira, Airi (Finland)

Barbara (France)

Barbara, Johannes (Germany)

Barbara, Seraphim, Varvara (Greece)

Barbara, Borbála (Hungary)

Barbara (Italy)

Baiba, Barba, Barbara (Latvia)

Barbora, Liugailė, Vainotas (Lithuania)

Barbara, Barbro (Norway)

Barbara, Berno, Biernat, Chrystian, Hieronim, Krystian, Piotr (Poland)

Varava (Romania)

Barbora (Slovakia)

Bárbara, Juan (Spain)

Barbara, Barbro (Sweden)

Barbara (Ukraine)

Ada, Adah, Adina, Aida, Babette, Barbara, Barbie, Barbra, Osman, Osmond (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 339 of 2024; 27 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of Week 49 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 11 of 28]

Chinese: Month 11 (Bing-Zi), Day 4 (Ren-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 3 Kislev 5785

Islamic: 2 Jumada II 1446

J Cal: 9 Black; Twosday [9 of 30]

Julian: 21 November 2024

Moon: 14%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 3 Bichat (13th Month) [Varignon / Huyghens]

Runic Half Month: Is (Stasis) [Day 13 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 73 of 90)

Week: 1st Full Week of December

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 13 of 30)