"It's not that I don't want to do it, but I simply can't," Doctor Strange said. "If I could still perform surgery, I wouldn't have taken up magic, would I?"
"Wait a minute." Iron Man stepped forward, looking at Doctor Strange, he said, "You have to give it a try, Steven. Didn't you hear what he said? This mutant might have critical information from the lab!"
Doctor Strange's eyebrows knitted together. He noticed that all the Avengers were looking at him. He was clearly unhappy, his face turning somber, seemingly annoyed at being forced to uncover old wounds.
Shiller knew there wasn't much time left, so he decided to go for broke. He cleared his throat and said, "It seems that what the Strange from that universe said was indeed correct."
"What did he say?" Doctor Strange immediately turned around.
"He said you're a coward, 'Mr. God's Hands Are Tied.'
Magneto suddenly turned his head, looking at the magic storm rising above Clarkia Island. He squinted and was just about to fly out the window when a figure enveloped in dense magic power rushed in.
Shiller walked in from the other side of the door, pointing Doctor Strange toward the operating room. Doctor Strange, with a blank expression, strode in.
Magneto looked shocked in the direction he disappeared. Shiller waited outside the operating room, arms crossed, leaning against the door, and said, "Ask Professor X to find a way to erase or diminish the memory of his injured hands."
"Why?" Magneto asked.
"He can't perform surgery, partly for psychological reasons. Get rid of that part first."
"What about the rest?" Magneto asked. "What about the reasons beyond psychological ones? Isn't that just as hard to resolve?"
Shiller took out the Clarkia Flower Magneto had given him and asked, "How do you use this thing? Just eat it?"
"It'll dissolve in water," Magneto said. "Just drink the water. But I'm not sure if it will work on old injuries."
Shiller took the Clarkia Flower into the operating room, and as soon as he entered, he heard Doctor Strange's roar, "I already said I couldn't do it!"
Shiller looked at his hands. They were shaking severely, and even with the presence of magic, it wasn't able to keep them steady, and his entire face was pale, looking in a bad state.
Shiller waved the flower in front of his eyes, catching Doctor Strange's attention. He placed the flower into a cup of water, handed the cup to Doctor Strange, and said, "This should make you feel better."
"No. This thing can't possibly fix it..."
"You must try," Shiller said, looking into his eyes. "Even if you don't consider the Multiverse's opinion of you. If the surgery fails, what will The Avengers think of you? Especially Tony Stark, you know how much he wants those clues."
Doctor Strange's face suddenly darkened. Shiller sneered inwardly: That's the consequence of forming your little cliques.
In the comics, Doctor Strange and Iron Man had relatively close relations, as both were members of the Illuminati and both advocated interventionism. The traits in their personalities are similar, and it's not surprising they conspired together.
But because they stood together so often, it caused some opposition with other members of The Avengers. Usually, when one of them proposed a solution, the other would support it when everyone else was voicing objections, acting as allies within the team.
Therefore, neither of them could afford to lose the other as an ally, or they might find themselves isolated within the team. Because of the considerable differences with others, integrating in a short time would be difficult, and they might easily end up being the one left behind.
At this stage, Doctor Strange still needed The Avengers more. Tony Stark was obviously having an anxiety attack, urgently needing to accomplish something and make progress. If he really couldn't do it, he might indeed become the target of Iron Man's anger.
With slightly trembling hands, Doctor Strange took and downed the cup of water. Magically, he quickly felt calmer, his breathing steadying, even his hands stopped shaking so much.
Shiller felt Professor X's brainwaves and knew the Professor had taken action. But Doctor Strange, given his current state, didn't realize it, thinking it was the Clarkia Flower's doing.
He took a deep breath and then said, "The patient's condition is very complicated, this might take a while."
"No one here is going to rush you," Shiller said before leaving.
Doctor Strange's actions paused for a moment, then he showed a bitter smile, yet still moved forward to the operating table to begin working.
The surgery had been going for a little over an hour when things got noisy outside. Iron Man rushed to outside the operating room, eager to learn what was happening inside, but Magneto stopped him.
"You can't go in, Mr. Stark," Magneto said. "Don't disturb the Doctor during surgery."
"I'm not trying to disturb him. I just want to know how the surgery is going. Is Steven okay?"
"It should be fine," Magneto said. "I heard he was once a very famous surgeon, he should be able to complete the surgery well."
"But he had an accident," the Main Universe Iron Man spoke rapidly, pacing back and forth outside the door. "Since then he hasn't picked up a scalpel, nor performed surgery. Doesn't that require proficiency? Can he really manage after all this time without practice?"
He then turned to Magneto, saying, "I think while there's time, you might as well quickly find a good surgeon from the mainland to come over, that way the surgery's success rate will be higher, and Steven wouldn't have to be forced."
Although the Main Universe Iron Man sounded considerate, Magneto felt he simply didn't trust Doctor Strange's surgical skills, worried he might end up killing the patient who held crucial clues.
"I think I should contact Stark Group's medical consultant," Main Universe Iron Man was still talking, "Although he's not the one from my universe, I trust his skill. All New York's top doctors are at my disposal; there's no patient they can't save..."
By this point, Magneto also sensed something was off. This Main Universe Iron Man seemed to be going crazy. He wasn't necessarily saying these things because he genuinely wanted to do them; it seemed more like a compulsion.
"Sorry, Mr. Stark, I don't think you should be here," Magneto said. "Please leave immediately."
Magneto had considered various factors. He felt that Main Universe Iron Man might be mentally unstable, and if he stayed here any longer, he might storm into the operating room and hinder the doctors from saving lives. Moreover, if he didn't leave and his mental state worsened, the mutants wouldn't be able to explain to The Avengers. After all, they were here to help, and unnecessary casualties would affect the universe's reputation. If people blamed Professor X, it would be troublesome.
But the Main Universe Iron Man clearly wouldn't listen at this moment. Magneto wanted to say more, but Main Universe Iron Man suddenly raised his hand, and a flash of light shot from the cannon. Magneto hurriedly controlled his arm to lift upward, and with a "boom," the floor was blasted through.
Feeling the tremor outside the door, Doctor Strange clenched his teeth. How could he not be angered by what Main Universe Iron Man said? He was just trying to control his emotions, but now he was finding it difficult.
"Calm down, Dr. Strange." Professor X's voice appeared in his mind. "In your life, there's never been a shortage of doubts. But every time, you've proven who the real genius is with victories in the operating room. This time will be no different, isn't that so?"
One must admit, setting aside mutant abilities, Professor X is a pretty brilliant psychiatrist. His words shifted Doctor Strange's focus to his career experiences, which helped to ease his emotions.
Doctor Strange steadied the scalpel and took several deep breaths. He knew that since his hand injury, he had tried countless times without success, but this time he was closest to success. He must not give up.
Being a magician is great, but why couldn't he be a surgeon who can perform magic too? If the whole multiverse is like him, it would be fine, but why could the Central Universe do it and not him?
Just like Professor X said, in his life, there were many moments of defeating doubts with professional ability, completely stepping over those who questioned him. For a genius like him, why should he give up one talent to gain another?
Doctor Strange reflected on Iron Man's doubts. At this moment, those words no longer made him angry; instead, they refined another type of calm from his anger. Gradually, the last trace of tremble hidden deep in the muscles and nerves disappeared—the divine finally offered his hands again.
Magneto forcefully pushed the Main Universe Iron Man out of the hospital. He didn't attack Iron Man, just found a way to throw him to the ground, trying to calm him down. Meanwhile, the Main Universe Avengers rushed out and saw Magneto's actions and almost encircled him.
"Stop!!!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Tony!!"
Magneto sidestepped Captain America's shield, dispelled Thor's summoned lightning, then dodged his hammer. Before Hawkeye could release the bow, he turned and flew away.
But it was the teammates' calls that awakened Main Universe Iron Man. He finally regained clarity, crawling up from the ground, and then shouted, "No! Don't fight!"
Captain America rushed to help him up, glanced at his battle armor, and saw no damage, then breathed a sigh of relief. Next was Spider Man, but he didn't immediately rush over, merely stood a little further away to take a look.
"I'm fine," Main Universe Iron Man said.
"Why did you two start fighting?" Natasha asked, frowning as she jumped down.
"I..." Main Universe Iron Man realized he was somewhat emotionally out of control. He took a deep breath and then said, "I was a bit worried about Steven and accidentally fired a cannon in the hospital, which angered Magneto."
Banner's face darkened as he said, "He should be angry. What kind of person would make a move in a hospital?"
Main Universe Iron Man knew he was at fault, bit his lip, and then said, "We shouldn't have pressured Steven to go over."
"Clearly, you initially..."
"That's why I came over," Main Universe Iron Man emphasized, "I was just caught up in the moment, and you didn't stop me; you actually allowed him to go over. If he fails again, he'll definitely be devastated!"
Spider Man was momentarily stunned, then asked, "So you're not worried about the patient dying and us losing leads?"
"Of course I'm worried!" Main Universe Iron Man raised his voice but quickly clenched his teeth again, "It's precisely because of this concern I wanted him to go—but I clearly didn't consider the consequences, you should have stopped me!"
Hawkeye was evidently speechless, saying, "Who knows if you two had planned this? You always have some schemes away from us."
Main Universe Iron Man opened his mouth but didn't know how to refute. Spider Man seemed to have thought of something, looked at Main Universe Iron Man, and asked, "What did you say outside the operating room?"
"I..." Main Universe Iron Man seemed to come to his senses, then somewhat guiltily said, "I didn't say anything; I just wanted the mutants to find another doctor, that way Steven wouldn't be forced, right?"
Everyone turned and left. Captain America said as he walked, "You're in trouble, Tony Stark."
Black Widow also turned back while walking and said to Main Universe Iron Man, "Keep blabbering like that, you'll eventually lose all your friends and spend your life with your armor!"
"I didn't. I was just worried about him..."
"Anyone you're worried about is really unlucky," Thor waved his hammer, pointing at him, and said, "When Steven comes out after the surgery to beat you, we definitely won't help you."
Main Universe Iron Man was so annoyed he stomped his foot, but then chased after them: "Wait for me!"