Chapter 307: Dr. Banner Realizes He's in the Wrong Timeline
"Name."
"Bruce Banner."
"Gender."
"Isn't that kind of obvious? Are you serious right now?"
"Watch your tone. For all I know, you conjured that appearance with magic, or some mutant power."
"...Fine. Male."
"Current address."
"You mean now, or in the future? I snuck in — I don't even have an address here."
"If you're really from the future, you'd know exactly where your present self lives."
"My present self should be living in the apartment S.H.I.E.L.D. set up for me!"
"GOTCHA. Caught you in a lie already." Strange immediately summoned the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, ready to strike down this fraud claiming to be Dr. Banner.
Strange had known it — this guy was clearly nothing more than a con artist trying to muddy the waters. If he hadn't stayed cautious and sharp, he might've fallen right into whatever trap this was.
Strange found himself deeply, genuinely grateful for the paranoid streak he'd picked up thanks to his time in Hell's Kitchen. The old him, arrogant as he used to be, might have just waved this guy straight into the Sanctum without a second thought.
If this impostor had actually done something once inside — the consequences didn't bear thinking about.
Damage to the Sanctum itself would be a minor problem, comparatively. If he'd been ambushed or hurt personally — even if this body here was only a clone — that was a genuinely serious concern.
"Wait, wait, wait! I don't live at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s place? Then where DO I live?" Banner reeled at Strange's reaction, genuinely stunned. That couldn't be right — his past self absolutely lived in the S.H.I.E.L.D.-arranged apartment.
If that wasn't true... where was he actually living? Or — had they somehow ended up in the wrong timeline entirely?
This wasn't the moment to dwell on that, though — Strange was actively attacking him. Future-Banner needed to say something, anything, that would actually convince Strange he was telling the truth.
"You keep skipping out on your girlfriend, Christine Palmer, because you're always buried in surgeries. In the future — you two break up over it," Banner blurted out, thinking fast under pressure.
At that, Strange's attack genuinely paused.
It wasn't that this stranger knowing his girlfriend's name meant much — anyone determined enough could dig that up. What actually stopped him cold was the second half of that sentence.
Because of his time training at Kamar-Taj, his relationship with Christine really had grown distant lately — genuinely strained.
Not even Ethan knew about that. Could this person actually be a real future version of Banner?
Doubt crept into Strange's mind. But if he's genuinely from the future, why does he know absolutely nothing about my present situation? He doesn't even know where I live.
Banner picked up on the shift too, and pressed his advantage. "So if I don't live at the S.H.I.E.L.D. apartment right now, where DO I live?"
Strange, apparently starting to believe the man really might be from the future, still hadn't touched the energy whip binding him — but answered anyway. "Right now, you live in Hell's Kitchen."
"What? Hell's Kitchen? Where is that? I've lived my whole life and never once heard of a place called Hell's Kitchen anywhere in our country." A genuinely bad feeling settled over Banner. Did we not actually travel to the past at all — did we end up in a completely different world instead?
Because in the world he came from, neither the past nor the future had ever contained a place called Hell's Kitchen.
Strange sensed the weight of the situation too, brow furrowing as he thought it over. "In your world, then — do you know anyone by the name of Ethan Cross?"
Banner shook his head, utterly lost. "Ethan Cross? Who's that? Is he... some kind of Asian guy?"
"He's the one currently leading this entire battle. Your world doesn't have Ethan? No Hell's Kitchen at all? Did it ever?" A flicker of unease ran through Strange. Did the future really lose both Ethan and Hell's Kitchen somehow?
Then again, this future version of Banner still existed and was standing right in front of him — proof enough that his own caution had paid off. Strange quietly reassured himself of that.
"No — it's not that. In my world, neither the past nor the future has ever had anyone called Ethan, or any place called Hell's Kitchen. This whole battle, for us, only ever involved the Avengers — just the handful of us. Nowhere near this many people," Banner said, finally certain: they'd landed in the wrong timeline, or possibly an entirely different world altogether.
By now, Strange had more or less concluded the same thing — this Banner was from a different multiversal branch entirely, one whose own timeline had simply moved faster than this one's.
Right about then, Strange heard the Ancient One's voice call out. "Bring the guest up here."
Strange finally released the energy whip binding Banner, and personally helped him back to his feet. "Sorry about that — I genuinely thought you were an impostor, so I tied you up. We're in the middle of a war right now, you understand — I figured you might be some alien in disguise. And for what it's worth, I really don't have a Time Stone on me. Let me take you to see my teacher, the Ancient One. She might actually have the answer you're looking for."
Banner accepted the apology gracefully enough — honestly, in Strange's position, he probably wouldn't have believed himself either. Still, something nagged at him: this Strange felt subtly different from the one he remembered.
This Strange, if he had to put a word to it... felt oddly, excessively cautious.
Strange led Banner off to find the Ancient One.
"Careful there — the floor was just waxed." Banner followed the voice and found a bald woman in a yellow sorcerer's robe.
"You're the Ancient One?" Banner asked.
"Master, this is Dr. Banner — he's from a different parallel universe," Strange said.
"I know. He's from another parallel universe, and their timeline moves considerably faster than ours." The Ancient One turned to address Banner directly. "Going by your world's own timeline, you never would have found Strange at all — the Strange from your timeline is currently twenty blocks away, still in the middle of surgery, right about now."
Both Banner and Strange exchanged a stunned look at that.
"So. What exactly do you want?" the Ancient One asked, fixing Banner with a steady gaze.
Banner pointed straight at the pocket-watch-like object hanging around her neck. "That. I want that."
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