Christine Palmer's perspective
15 October 2016
01:10 AM New York time USA
In the bedroom of room 754 7th floor of a 4-star luxury condo on the outskirts of New York
I rolled around on the bed staring at my phone scrolling through the feed absentmindedly
The world's number one trend was still #BlackHoleInHongKong which everyone was talking about
Some said it was a natural cosmic phenomenon that happened once in thousands or millions of years
Like the one that appeared at Stonehenge Amesbury England in 2013 which Thor the God of Thunder from the Avengers later explained as the alignment of the Nine Realms under Asgard's rule happening every 5000 years
Some said it was a failed quantum physics experiment by a government organisation somewhere that led to an accident
Some said it was an alien attack like the one that hit New York in 2012
Some said it was a mass hallucination where even high-tech devices were tricked into seeing the same apocalyptic vision
Each news agency analysed it differently inviting experts and scientists the one I found most credible was the channel that invited Dr Selvig who had previously solved the mystery of the Convergence at Stonehenge his explanation sounded the most scientific and reasonable to me though I wasn't counting that time he ran naked around Stonehenge like Archimedes shouting Eureka after discovering the crown volume principle and ran naked through town
The rest were just pure imagination but maybe that was a good thing for Strange
" Haa Strange what are you doing right now" I turned off my phone placed it beside the bed rolled over closed my eyes and placed my right hand on my forehead " You disappeared for 2 days . . . none of the videos around Hong Kong show you or the other . . . sorcerers? protecting the world from the dark dimension you must all be hiding yourselves well . . ."
The catastrophe that began at 1:13 AM and lasted until 2:16 AM spanned 1 hour 13 minutes during which countless CCTV cameras home security systems dashcams and even international satellite feeds recorded matching images and footage though with varying levels of clarity colour and sound
Analysts from every field whether using scientific logic or wild speculation all agreed on one thing the Black Hole in Hong Kong was real proven by photos videos and witnesses including the injured dead and the visible environmental devastation across the city
The confirmed numbers of casualties were backed by identification and passport records proving each person existed and wasn't fabricated to inflate the death toll
Property damage was assessed by Damage Control the first global disaster response team founded after the New York alien invasion jointly run by Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D the organisation that formed the Avengers to defend the city
" We still can't conclude what caused this we'll have to wait until Thor returns from Asgard he'll explain it better than endless guessing"
Tony Stark's words still echoed in my head though I tried to forget his next arrogant remark bragging about his team's quick and professional response in rescuing people around Hong Kong even if it was true
I still felt annoyed unable to forgive him for his part in the Sokovia disaster when the city floated into the sky and nearly wiped out humanity not to mention the airport battle at Leipzig Halle Germany where the Avengers wrecked everything control towers destroyed by a vibranium android shattered glass buildings and cars hurled like stones by the Scarlet Witch's power
Thinking back comparing all the disasters since the alien invasion in New York it felt like supernatural and superhuman crises had only kept increasing
Lucky this time it wasn't in New York again and lucky that I wasn't just an ordinary outsider limited to what the government revealed and having to dig through half-baked analyses online
Because this time the one who stopped the black hole crisis was someone very important to me
And he messaged me as if reading my mind with a line that could easily be taken the wrong way
" Christine are you asleep ? are you free ?? can I come over ???"
At first glance it looked like a lovesick teenage boy's text wanting to sneak out to see his girlfriend but it was from the once stoic genius surgeon
Now he was someone unbelievable on the same level as the Avengers even if I'd only seen it when he opened a portal
" Just lying in bed you can come over tomorrow's my day off" I replied and within 10 seconds came a knock on my bedroom door which could only mean . . . he had just opened a portal and appeared right outside
" Wait a sec" I shouted slipping into a soft pink bathrobe since I was only in my bra and panties
The door creaked open slowly I blinked as I saw Stephen in blue and white checkered pyjamas holding two steaming cups of hot cocoa from that famous coffee chain which definitely shouldn't be open anywhere in New York at 1 AM
" Hot cocoa from a new branch in Nepal they said the beans are locally grown"
" Nepal grows cocoa?" I asked confused as I took a cup " And . . . if you can warp directly to my bedroom door . . . can you open a small portal to peek at me in the shower too?"
I had no idea why I said that maybe from exhaustion after a long day mixed with too much news he raised an eyebrow then chuckled softly
" Heh if I wanted to watch you shower wouldn't it be better to just ask I'm still a gentleman you know"
" Ask directly . . . uh . . ." I gaped stunned that Stephen would actually say something like that my reaction seemed to amuse him because he laughed more easily his face and eyes softer than I'd ever seen before
" Christine do you have 2 or 3 hours free time ?"
" You're not trying to sell me something or pitch investments right ?? " I shot back automatically remembering all those acquaintances who tried that once or twice a month just because I was a well-paid doctor
" No haha I just want to tell you the true legend behind the Hong Kong black hole"
" Ah . . . take 2 hours or till morning I don't mind if it's that story" I nodded leading him to the dining area looked like I wouldn't be sleeping tonight but honestly . . . I wanted to hear it
The latest catastrophe through the eyes of Stephen Strange