"Hello, Mr. Stephen Strange. I am Bens Asentai, a member of the US Congress House Committee on International Relations and Security Affairs. This is Ari Trannis, a member of the Committee on Solar System Development and Cosmic Affairs. The two of us are the organizers and questioners for this hearing. We hope you will answer our questions truthfully and cooperate with us in resolving the matters currently under deliberation by the House..."
The congressman seated in the middle had somewhat graying hair and looked rather old. Nick quietly reminded Strange, "Bens is an old guard from the post-Cold War era. He's very difficult to deal with. When he questions you later, don't answer if you can avoid it. If you absolutely have to answer, don't follow his line of thinking. It's fine even if you go off-topic..."
Strange looked as though he were listening, but Nick was not sure. Strange possessed many of the typical traits of a sorcerer, as well as pronounced mystic tendencies. Sometimes, it was hard to tell what he was thinking. He looked completely impossible to communicate with.
"Hello, Congressmen." Strange nodded. "I'm pleased to speak with you here. What would you like to ask?"
His attitude was clearly a little too friendly. The reporters behind and beside him, as well as the assembled congressmen seated before him, were all somewhat baffled. In their minds, sorcerers ought to be people with very strange tempers—even if Strange had once been a surgeon, he had not had a good temper when he was a surgeon either!
"Thank you very much for your cooperation. My first question is this: How did you acquire this ability known as 'magic'?"
"It was a matter of chance, I suppose," Strange said. "One day, a sorcerer named The Ancient One came to find