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October 2017, New York Sanctum

"It was...weird." I shook my head. "I control my astral projection but it still feels weird. You're very light one moment then back to your physical body."

"It is disturbing at first," Strange admitted. "You get used to it."

"I sure hope so."

I could astral project, use portals, conjured things...The other day, I conjured Cap's shield. Yes, it landed on my head but it counted. I could also send energy blast, make shields and bind people. With my regular dark matter, I could make shields and bind people too, but it wouldn't work on everyone. For instance, this Malice was a psionic entity. Now that I could bind people with magic, I could do it to her.

Most importantly, I knew an incantation to find people.

"You're sure I'll find her?"

"You're related. A strand of your hair will be enough as a binder." I nodded and pulled out one of my hair.

I took a deep breath and covered it in dark matter energy. I twirled it in several ways before casting a portal in front of me.

"Madripoor," I mumbled under my breath.

"Never heard of it." I shot Strange a look.

"Yeah, doesn't surprise me, it's not the kind of place you would go to now or before you were a sorcerer." I took a deep breath. "See you."

I walked through the portal and closed it behind me. I looked all around me. The place was dark if not for the few paintings on their pedestals. I walked along them and into what seemed to be an apartment. It was big, not many furniture though.

"That is a surprise." I turned around.

Sharon was sitting casually at her bar, her legs crossed. She took a sip of whiskey, her brown eyes not leaving me.

"How did you find me?"

"I have my ways," I replied. She smiled faintly.

"Avengers way?" I shook my head.

"Far from it." I went to the window. "It's High Town, isn't it? Quite an achievement for someone who's been here for a year."

"I really shouldn't be surprised you know about Madripoor." I put my hands in my jeans pockets and turned toward her, my eyes slightly blinded by the streets lights. "So, what do you want Addison?"

"I was pardoned and finally am at a place where I can try to help you, or at least make sure you're still alive." She pursed her lips. "Did Steve contact you?" She scoffed and finished her glass in one go.

"Haven't heard from him or anyone since Germany."

"Tony lost your tracks when you entered Singapore."

"I escaped the one and only Stark's eyes. I should be proud, shouldn't I?" Sarcastic and snarky Sharon was rarely a nice Sharon.

"You're pissed." She scoffed again and stood up.

"Pissed? Why, it's not as if I had to go off the grid in Madripoor and everyone forgot about me, is it Miss Pardoned?" I clenched my jaw. "Did Stark get you this pardon? It wouldn't be the first time you got a particular treatment."

"Are you jealous?"

"No, I'm really not jealous of you being a pawn once more Addison. Although, I'm not entirely happy with knowing I'm stuck here but you can freely walk around the world."

"Going back to New York after Germany wasn't the easiest thing to do Sharon," I said coldly. "Neither was the reason I got pardoned."

"Really now?" I showed her the palms of my hands. She frowned at the letters on them.

"Really, being sent into a mutant concentration camp and having my memories wiped out like the Winter Soldier is not a walk around the block." She pursed her lips, the anger in her eyes calming a little.

"I guess it's the reason why the Sokovia Accords are about to be replaced."

"Yes. Let's just say it was not very good PR." I looked around. "The paintings I saw, they're yours?"

"Kind of yes."

"Stolen?" She nodded.

And her dad thought I'd bring shame to the family. He was so set on throwing his own father and wrong doings in the shadows and now Sharon was…

Oh...the irony.

"Are you here to bring me back?"

"I'm here to see how you were doing. You're still breathing and apparently not starving or sleeping under a bridge so...it's not bad."

"It requires some getting used to…" she whispered to herself.

"Do you want to go back to the US?"

"I set a foot in this country I'm sent in jail."

"What about the UK?" She frowned. "I told you I had a place and an identity there."

"I'd rather not go to the UK."

"As you wish."

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay at the Avengers?" It was my turn to frown. "Who knows when you'll be a fugitive again. Nobody would find you in Madripoor."

"I'm fine where I am Sharon, but thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind."

"Do that, I'm starting to have a reputation around here." I bit the inside of my cheek.

A part of me wanted to know what she was doing exactly, even if I knew it was nothing legal but...I think I was scared to know, just to ask.

"Do you want me to give your parents a message?" She raised her brows in surprise.

After a few seconds, she nodded slowly.

"I'll...I'm going to write them. Just wait here."

I had a letter to deliver shortly after.

"How are you going back? Actually, how did you get the…" I made a portal.

"Like that." I walked through it. Once near her parent's house, I looked at her, still in Madripoor. "Just a piece of advice Sharon. Don't get too deep into bad choice making." She clenched her jaw and I raised my hand. "See you." With a swift move of the hand, the gate vanished.

I dropped the letter in the mailbox. I knew they were inside, watching TV, but even after all these years, I didn't want anything to do with them.

With another portal, I was home.

November 2017, Sokovian Memorial, Sokovia

I hugged myself, my nose deep in my scarf. Pietro put his arm around me, his other arm around Wanda to give us some warmth. We were at the Sokovian Memorial.

Sokovia no longer existed, eaten by her neighbors.

"Were you okay to sign something using our homeland as a pretext?" Wanda asked her brother slowly, her eyes staring at the statues and names.

"No, it pissed me off. How could it not? But it was more important to make sure none of us would go to jail." She looked at her twin, squeezing his hand.

"I know now." They shared a knowing smile.

As for me, I had a lump in my throat. Seeing these statues, a family of four with the symbol of Sokovia in front of them...A hundred and seventy-seven people died, when you thought about it as figures it was not much but…

That kid is an orphan today. I would never be able to go to her and tell her that what we did that day was 'good work'.

I remembered Sokovia. Hell, it was one of the trigger words.

"I'm sorry," I whispered in the cold wind. I stepped forward and put down the white flowers at the bottom of the statues. "I'm so sorry…" I wiped away a tear.

The twins were silent behind me. Each of us reflected silently until I stood up. I sniffed deeply and turned to look at them.

"I'm gonna send you both to the Compound."

"You're off to London?" I nodded at Wanda.

"Alistaire asked me to come to talk about...the new Accords. I don't even know if it's actually Accords or something else."

"Let's hope it will be less of a disaster this time around," Pietro muttered under his breath.

Once they were safely home, I went to my flat in London. At least there, nobody would see me magically appear. It was still empty but…

I...still liked it. I think that once Thanos dealt with...I probably would move here, remain a reserve member of the Avengers but actively join MI:13. With my powers connected to the Multiverse, London, England in general, might be the place I was supposed to be because of Otherworld. Brian told me about the Captain Britain's corps the last time I had him on the phone, so last week.

I took a cab for MI:13. It didn't take long for me to be in front of Alistaire, Wisdom there.

"Nice to see you Carter!" I smiled at him. "Take a seat." I did.

"So, is this about the new Accords?" He raised a finger.

"There won't be Accords." I frowned. "It was voted that the UN had no...idea how to deal with enhanced individuals."

"To put it mildly," Pete commented.

"What's going to happen?

"In a year time, the Sokovia Accords should officially be dissolved and be replaced with the International Superhero Organization, or ISO." I leaned my forearms on my knees.

"Did my idea actually work?"

"You could say that. ISO would work with the UN. It would regulate superhero teams in the world so that the border issue is solved. You want to go abroad to deal with something for one reason or another? You go through them who put you in contact with the ones in the country and depending on the threat level, you work together or not. There would be a database on anyone that fit the criteria to be dealt with by super humans."

"And what about those on the teams?"

"Well, first of all there'd be tests to see if they have what is required to be on one of those teams." I nodded. "Then, the ISO would need names and a quick description of their skills but nothing regarding their biology. There are...the financial aspect of things to consider to pay them, cover their expenses and such."

"You're making it sound almost trivial when it's quite a big part," I commented.

"Having the world to agree was the hardest part," Pete said.

Huh, made sense.

"It's nice and all, but I would have been told by Tony once back at the Avengers Compound. Why did you want to see me?"

"MI:13 will fund a superhero team, the first of the United Kingdom. So far, there are not many candidates but...I want you to lead them." I blinked and pointed at me.

"Are you serious? I'm not the leader type."

"Yet you have experience in superhero team from the Avengers, and you trained with and watched Captain America enough to know how to lead a team. Just because you've never done it doesn't mean you can't do it." I turned to Wisdom, who shrugged.

"I'm not looking forward to take orders from you Carter."

"Look, I'm honored you thought of me, truly," I told Alistaire. "But I'm not...the hero type. I tried but I can't pretend forever. Doing the right thing sometimes requires to be messy and it's not something that will make a team look good. You should ask Brian, he's the Captain, not me." Alistaire sighed.

"That's the other issue." I blinked. "He turned us down."

"He doesn't want to lead?"

"No, he turned everything down," Pete corrected me, annoyed. "He said he was fine on his own and didn't need any help. What a twat."

"Every time I see you you challenge my American-raised mind with your slang Pete," I told him idly. He smirked.

"It's a pleasure."

"Can you at least think about it Addison?" I pursed my lips at Alistaire.

"Fine, fine, I'll think about it. Was that all?"

"Yes."

I went back to the US deep in thoughts.

Leading a team? Me?

November 18th, 2017, New York

"So he removed a part of your brain so you could control your powers better and you were in his debt," I summed up, Gambit sitting quietly next to me.

"That's pretty much it." I leaned my head against the wall behind me.

I was on my way to the Sanctum, Strange was adamant on me being there today, when I ran into Remy, or more like he tracked me down. Now we were in a back alley, facing each other.

"What have you been up to these past months?" He shrugged.

"I've been here and there, just...tryin' to make up for it."

"How's it been so far?"

"...remember how stubborn we were with Aksel?" I raised a brow. "Do you rem…"

"Unfortunately, Ivanov came back in my memories after just a couple of months." He cleared his throat. "Something else?"

"Eventually, I crossed path with Storm." I blinked.

"Did you now?"

"I'm...an X-Man now." I widened my eyes.

"So I never get in the team but you do!?" He grinned nervously at my outburst. I raised my hands in front of me and forced myself to smile. "No, you know what, it doesn't matter anymore. Good for you Remy." I put my hands in the pockets of my coat. "I have to go. Take care."

"You as well Addison," he replied before we walked opposite ways. "Stay away from the Thieves' Guild and Assassins' Guild too!"

"Got it, stay away from New Orleans!" I shot back above my shoulder.

Let's not remember how I somehow got involved in that when I went with him in New Orleans at age seventeen. He was what, something like twenty-two at the time?

Anyway, I reached the Sanctum shortly after leaving Remy. Strange was...strange. I used to be called 'Cryptic' but I would give him that alias any day.

I was Dark Omen now anyway. I didn't change back. Cryptic was long gone and would never come back. I couldn't picture myself being that person again, even if I got all my memories back.

Strange asked me to bring the pager, which was weird. He also made sure I could conjure stuff when I wanted to and made me leave a magic pointer on objects I'd need in emergencies.

"Stephen!" I yelled once I was inside.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"We could have just walked," the man with him grumbled. I blinked in astonishment.

"Right on time Addison," Strange greeted me, too focused on his incantation to look up. The man turned to me and his face split in a huge grin.

"Addison, how have you been?" He hugged me tightly and I patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey Thor, good and you?"

"Looking for my father, preventing Ragnarok, nothing too big." My eyes went big.

"Ragna…"

"Done." Strange made a portal to a grass field. He gestured it with his arm, looking at Thor. "He's waiting for you."

"All right."

"And don't forget your umbrella."

"Oh right." Thor stretched out his hand and sounds of things falling and crashing into one another started to be heard. Strange looked around with furrowed brows. I raised a brow at the God of Thunder, who just grinned at me as if it was nothing.

I shared a look with Stephen and shrugged, silently telling him that Thor was a God and I couldn't do much against him, even if we used to be teammates.

Finally, Thor got his umbrella. He dusted it, pieces of glass falling to the floor.

"Oh and I'd need my brother."

"Right." A portal was opened above us.

A man all dressed in black fell face first on the floor.

"I have been falling, for thirty minutes!" he yelled in anger.

"You can handle him from here."

"Sure."

"Addison." I looked at Stephen. "Make sure they go home." I blinked.

"Wh…and is that Loki? I thought he was dead!"

"Yeah, me too," Thor said as his brother stood up. He turned toward us and daggers appeared in his hands.

"Handle me? Who are you? You think you're some kind of sorcerer? Don't think for one minute that…" Loki moved toward Strange, who moved the portal to us.

"Okay bye!"

We were outside in a second, Loki falling to the ground because of the sudden change. I snickered, which he heard. He got back up, throwing his hair back dramatically, and pointed a dagger at me.

"Who are you? You think this if funny?"

"I don't think it is, I know it is." He grinned like a maniac.

"Loki," Thor called him, disturbed. We both looked at him.

There was an old man, sitting on a rock and looking at the sea down the cliff. Thor went to him first, then Loki. I moved closer as well, but remained far enough so that I couldn't understand what they were saying.

I looked down when Odin vanished in golden dust. They both stood up and I frowned, looking around me. There was a sudden flare of magic in the air. Not only that, but dark clouds appeared in the sky as thunder started to rumble. I barely saw a few sparks on Thor's hand that I ran to them.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but there's no time for that. Something is coming!" Thor glared at Loki some more then looked at me.

"How do you know that?"

"Huh...I'll explain later because this…" I pointed at the dark energy in the air. "This is very bad!" There was a green light in it.

The siblings exchanged a look and walked toward it, changing for their fighting clothes. I looked down at myself. Faint dark red energy changed my clothes to my skinny high-waist leather pants, combat boots, tight black tank top and long leather coat.

I went between them.

"New look as well?" Thor commented without actually looking at me.

"Yep." A slender woman walked out of the portal, which vanished behind her.

"So he's gone. That's a shame, I would have liked to see that."

"You must be Hela," Thor said.

"Loki's daughter?" I mumbled under my breath.

"Absolutely not," Loki replied.

"I'm Thor, son of Odin."

"Really? You look nothing like him."

"Perhaps we can come to an arrangement."

"You do speak like him though," she told Loki. "Kneel."

"I beg your pardon?" the God of mischief said.

"Kneel," she repeated with authority and superiority, "before your Queen." A sword appeared in her hand.

"I don't think so." Thor threw his hammer.

Hela stopped it in her hand. I widened my eyes in shock.

"It's...not good," I said, shaking my head.

"It's...impossible…"

"Oh darling, you have no idea of what's possible," Hela replied casually. She broke Mjolnir as if it was nothing.

The blast of lightnings sent us all backward. I stared in disbelief at the pieces of Thor's hammer on the ground. Hela changed her hair to a...weird pointy headdress and summoned a sword in each hand.

"Bring us back!" Loki yelled toward the sky.

"No!" Thor yelled.

I shut my eyes when what could only be the Bifrost fell on us, Thor trying to run to Hela, probably to deal with her away from Asgard.

Then, my feet left the ground. I opened my eyes, barely seeing anything because of the lights, but I knew Thor and Loki were above me. Thor widened his eyes.

"Addison!" I blinked when I felt a cold grip on my shoulder. I looked to my right and Hela's grinning face was in front of my terrified one.

"Mortal," she simply said before pushing me out of the Bifrost.

I yelled. It felt like crashing through glass. Then, I felt like going through the Multiverse all over again as I went through various wormholes of several colors. However, it didn't feel as if I was falling. No, it felt like something was pulling me somewhere.

I touched the ground at some point. I tried to get up but failed, groaning in pain. I was alive. I was very painfully alive. So alive that I couldn't not see the various aliens surrounding me. They talked and one of them tried to poke me with an electrical baton. I pushed him away with telekinesis, which only made the others more wary of me.

I blinked several times as they parted way to let a man walk to me. He had weird, small round glasses on his nose. He turned to someone, said things I didn't understand while gesturing at me and I was dragged away.

Was it the day I was going to die?

Knowhere, November 2017

I hated my life.

"Terra is full of wonders," Tivan said.

I was taken to a cage in his museum. Taneleer Tivan, also known as the Collector, was known in the whole galaxy for his vast collection. That was what he told me once he gave me a translator implant. It was behind my ear, stuck to my skin. It was still sore around it.

I was on Knowhere, in his museum, and had no idea how to get out. Well, I could make a portal but this necklace, handcuffs and things on my forehead were making it hard.

"It's...fascinating. Your DNA is different from a regular terran. I knew of course you...you terrans are weak yet have a way to accommodate to things. Now tell me why you are such a peculiar specimen."

Tivan was creepy. He was obsessed with collecting stuff and his looks...white puffy hair, makeup, extravagant outfit. It screamed 'I'm powerful' basically.

I shrugged at his question.

"You are an unhelpful guest so far."

"I don't see myself as a 'guest'."

"Clearly, you have no idea what could have happened," he noted as he left.

I shut my eyes and focused, trying to gather some magic to at least get away from that cage. I could feel it, just at my finger tips. I gasped when I felt something...something suddenly cling to my magic.

Anything restraining me phased through me and fell. I looked down.

"O...kay?" I mumbled to myself. That was weird.

Let's not focus on logic. Let's focus on getting out of here.

I stood up and put my hands on the glass. I pushed a little. It was solid. It'd make a lot of noise if I were to break it…

I fell forward when the glass vanished. I groaned in pain when I met the floor but got up immediately after. I touched the glass. It was back. Did I just pull a Harry Potter or was there something here messing with me or trying to help me?

No, focus on leaving the place.

I walked around aimlessly. I thought about making a portal to Earth but...Strange told me to make sure Thor and Loki made it home. He was cryptic, but...he probably meant it, meaning if I showed up at the Sanctum right now, he'd kick my ass.

Anyway, I walked through the collections, raising a brow at the orange NASA suit. There were...things missing I think, but it was still impressive. And creepy, let's not forget creepy.

I went deeper and deeper in the collections. I took a deep breath when I felt...something. There was something, like calling me. I turned right and stopped in front of a display unit. There was a rectangular black box, the edges golden. It seemed expensive and the symbols on it...it reminded me of Thor's hammer.

Was it from Asgard?

I grabbed it and brought it closer to my face but it started shaking. I blinked and opened it like an idiot. A dark red fluid was floating in front of me.

Oh, I get it now.

The Aether.

The Reality Stone. The one which improved my powers.

It was what brought me here.

I gulped and put down the box. Thor told me once in Jane's body, it was acting as a parasite and slowly killing her. Yet right now, it was...behaving. I pulled magic energy from my dark matter and immediately, it clung to the Aether. I frowned and focused on...wanting to see it as a stone. It was the Reality Stone, of course it could change its shape. My powers were linked to her now, they were responding.

I blinked when the liquid turned into a stone. Just like when my dark matter was mixed with dark matter magic it was a mix of red and black, it was the same for the stone. The heart was red but it darkened to black as it went to the edges. It was...small, but I could feel the energy from it in my whole body. It was resonating with me.

"What...is happening?" I turned around, the stone floating above my hands. The Collector raised a curious brow. "For a surprise." I blinked and the stone went back to its liquid form, diving for my nostrils and open mouth.

I shared a look with Tivan, who seemed thoughtful.

Did I...just absorb an Infinity Stone?

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