They didn't really know what to focus their attention on. America was still on the floor, clinging onto Wong's robes with a tight grip. But the sight of the two formidable women was a worthy distraction, especially since they'd never been expecting Carol to return with a guest. The Sorcerer Supreme didn't exactly like the fact that someone had been invited inside the Sanctum without his permission but, even with his mighty abilities, he wasn't about to challenge the Captain. It was just that his home was starting to become rather crowded. He'd have to build an extension at this rate. Perhaps a waiting room for other superheroes who wanted a piece of his time. If only they still had the Time Stone - it would have given more opportunities to handle each problem that was being added to the pile.

"I go for five minutes and everything descends into chaos," Carol quipped, though she was quite alarmed at how severe the situation was that they'd walked into.

Jane was anxiously twiddling her fingers, nervous that she was interrupting a moment that didn't require her presence. "Maybe I should come back another time. You're obviously busy with something important." She made to move out of the room, giving them a polite smile, but Carol's hand was already resting on the small of her back preemptively, stopping that plan before it had properly begun.

"You're not going anywhere. Judging by what's going on, we might need some spare hands. Especially some that are as capable as yours."

"I don't really know whether they're capable though, remember. I'm still…learning…learning how to control these powers. It doesn't look like you can afford the sort of distraction that'd come with that."

"Maybe you should introduce yourself before we decide to kick you out," Yaz suggested. "Though I don't think we'll take that drastic action."

"Well…I suppose you could call me…Thor." Jane bit her lip. "In my current form, at least. I don't know what the rules are like. There have to be some sort of guidelines when it comes to this sort of thing. Then again…this sort of thing probably hasn't happened before so how could there be any instructions?" She was twiddling with a strand of her long, blonde hair (something she was also struggling to get used to), showing the nerves that were still eating away at her. She thought superheroes weren't supposed to succumb to such trivial feelings. Or did that come with practice? Jane reckoned she would have better luck channelling lightning rather than mastering her social awkwardness.

The Doctor scrunched up her nose in confusion, glancing at Kamala. "This is Thor? She's not exactly what you were describing, though I do get what you were talking about with the muscles." She stared at them unabashedly. Yaz coughed loudly into her hand (she didn't want to think about how completely jealous she was feeling at the adoration her friend was giving the other woman), which snapped the Doctor back to reality. "Very impressive. I'm really not the one to get bogged down by the limits of societal gender constructs…but I'm sure that we were told Thor was a… he ."

"That's because he is," Kamala argued. "I'm sorry, Captain, but I think you've got the wrong person. An imposter. Maybe a really big fan."

"She doesn't exactly look like an imposter," Dan said, though he wasn't going to look for lest he received his own reprimand from Yaz.

"You'd be surprised. Some of the cosplayers I've seen at cons and online take their hobby very seriously. This level of detail is almost expected from the best ones." She gave Jane a smile and a thumbs up. "Trust me, you'd be the winner straight away if I was judging."

Jane had quickly lost control of the conversation. "I'm not a… fan ! And I know he would find it highly amusing if he heard me being called that." She could only imagine the guffaws of laughter she would receive. If they ever spoke to one another again. "And I'm certainly not an imposter." There was a hint of indignation in her voice, her tone perhaps coloured by anger as well. Maybe thinking about Thor hadn't been the best of ideas, adding to her irritation. She didn't really understand what was happening to her but she also didn't want to be dismissed so readily. The hammer hanging lazily in her hand began to flicker and fizzle with blue electricity. The lights above their heads dimmed as if she were draining the place of its own energy, channelling it into her display.

Wong, making sure that Yaz was on hand to support America's head, stood up promptly, giving them a hard look. "I'd appreciate it if we don't descend into a fight. There's enough power amongst this group to level the street, let alone the Sanctum itself. And I've just had this place cleaned."

Jane looked guilty, the sparkling energy dissipating. The heavy cracks lining Mjolnir stopped glowing and the atmosphere became less tense. Those in the room, especially the ones without any superpowers, breathed a sigh of relief. They had enough to be dealing with to also face ducking for cover. Could you run from the sort of lightning storm that she'd threatened to produce.

"Sorry." Jane shook her head, visibly disappointed with herself. "Like I said, I'm still struggling to get a handle on this sort of thing. It's like the hammer wants to be used, seeking any opportunity when my emotions spike. It's something that I really want to look into when I have the time. I'd write a research paper on it but the academics of the world would probably laugh me out of their societies if I published something like that."

"So…you're another new superhero?" Wong assumed. "Just what we need. It's not as if the world has plenty already. I'll add you to the roster once I get a spare moment. Which should be in about a month's time with the way things are going for me."

"I told you that I should have stayed at New Asgard." Jane looked pleadingly at Carol, wondering whether they could make a hasty exit whilst she still had a modicum of dignity still intact.

"And I told you that I knew a group of people who would really like to meet you. I just never expected them to be so…testy."

"You'd understand if you knew what was going on," Yaz said, a touch defensively.

Carol folded her arms. Of course, she wanted to be on a team, but she also didn't want to be spoken to in that manner. And she could give as good as she got. "Enlighten me then." Her tone was clipped. Wong was worried that another potential fight was going to break out.

"America was just about to tell us something important," the Doctor explained, hoping to be the peacemaker. It was her usual position, unless she was the one causing the initial trouble.

The Captain stepped forward, peering at the girl still on the floor. She was moving at least. What had she and Jane walked in on? "This is the girl that you were searching for when I left? I was going to say congrats on finding her…but I'm a bit concerned with what you've done to her?"

"Do you really think we could do this to her?" Dan asked sceptically. "I could punch her in the face as hard as I possibly could, and I wouldn't even cause a scratch." He paused, reevaluating that statement. "Not that I go around…you know…hitting kids."

Even in a situation like this, he was able to make a clown out of himself. Yaz could only roll her eyes. Laughing would have moved the injured girl in her lap, so she stopped herself from doing that. "Thanks for the clarification."

"I'm not a kid," America complained through a groan. She attempted to shift her position, winced a great deal, and was held in place by the woman currently holding her. There were worse places to be. She got a nice view of Yaz's face from this angle when she managed to find the strength to open her eyes. It was a pretty face, mainly because of that smile. Though it wasn't on show right now? What was she even talking about? America wasn't sure whether she'd inadvertently said this all out loud, though Yaz hadn't reacted to any of it. That was reassuring. Had she really been knocked this badly to leave her not thinking straight?

"We tasked America with searching through the multiverse, hoping to find the cause behind our guests' frankly impossible arrival," Wong told the latest visitors. "It seems that something found her instead."

Jane had her hands up, Mjolnir now abandoned on the floor. She felt slightly weaker without it attached to her, though she was too excited to notice fully. "Hold on…the multiverse? As in…different realities? Are you saying that it actually exists?"

Wong muttered something under his breath. "I'm growing rather bored of having this discussion on repeat. Yes, it exists. Yes, it's amazing. Yes, I would like to talk about it more when I have a moment to sit down. As you can see, now is not that time."

She ran a hand through her hair, coming to terms with what she was being told. "But…this is revolutionary! This is going to change everything . The way we think, the way we view the world, the way we utilise science! Why is this being kept a secret?" Jane was walking in a small circle, pacing excitedly. "Obviously, there'd be a bit of a panic at first, which is probably why you've kept it under wraps. But…they'd get used to it eventually! This is…I can't even put it into words! The number of theories I've researched into this sort of thing, most of which I threw right into the bin…I wonder if I could find those papers again."

"Are you Jane Foster?" Kamala asked out of the blue.

It put an abrupt end to her feverish giddiness. "...yes? How did you figure that out?"

"Well, you're obviously connected to Thor in some manner with the powers you've got. I've seen pictures of you online before but you looked nothing like this." Maybe Kamala was staring a bit too long, on the edge of making it weird. "But it was all the nerdy comments just then that really sealed the deal. You're supposed to be like… super intelligent, right?"

"I really don't know how to take that because…half of it was fairly insulting…and then the other half was fairly pleasant."

Kamala gestured her head to the trio currently out of the loop. "Jane used to date Thor. They were like a proper power couple. But then she dumped him out of the blue. He hasn't been the same ever since."

Jane scoffed. "I'll have you know that it wasn't out of the blue! It happened over a long and sustained period of time. And it was pretty much a mutual separation in the end, not that I should be going into detail about this with people I barely know. Although…do you really think that the break-up affected him that much?"

"I don't exactly know him but I'd be an emotional wreck if you left me."

"You know…when I risked my life to go on a mission for the team…I half expected my return to be the centre of attention," America remarked groggily. "Not to be sidelined by some woman's love life. Though it's nice to meet you, I'm sure." Jane gave her an unsure smile.

"America's right," Wong agreed. "We've become distracted by gossip, one of my few weaknesses. I'm a sucker for any Desperate Housewives series." He knelt down beside the girl, the Doctor mirroring his actions on the other side of her. "America…can you remember anything about what happened? Who attacked you?"

"I…I don't know. I tried to get out of there as quickly as possible once I knew something was wrong. It was like…they were expecting my arrival. But how could that happen? We didn't exactly plan it."

"We can't underestimate the capabilities of those from other realities."

"I think there was like this…beacon I could see…just before I got out of there. It was golden. Yeah…golden. And they said something. One word." She scrunched up her face in concentration. "Kang."

Wong looked to the others. "Does that mean anything to you? Is it something from your universe?"

The Doctor was quick to shake her head. "I've never heard of it before. Maybe it's from another language that we don't understand yet. I'd suggest using the translation circuits of the Tardis but I don't think she's in any fit state to be in use right now."

"Kang," Jane whispered.

Wong was quick to look at her. "Does it ring a bell for you?" It was clear to see that he was shocked by the possibility.

Jane was having to become accustomed to everyone looking at her constantly very quickly. She was half wishing that she hadn't said anything. "Sort of? I don't know. I'm sure I've read it somewhere…it might have cropped up when we were doing research…but, frankly, I've done my fair share of that over the years. And none of it relates to the multiverse. I shouldn't have spoken up."

"You're a part of the team now," Carol reassured her. "And it's not as if we've got any other leads to follow. We've got not loathing to lose by listening to you."

Wong nodded his head. "This research you speak of…do you still have access to it?"

"Not on me," Jane replied. "It's all backed up on our systems though." Something seemed to click, her eyes lighting up. "Do you have conference calls in this place? Facetime? Web chat?"

The Sorcerer Supreme huffed. "The Sanctum Sanctorum contains a multitude of wonders that would defy most of the logic you seek comfort in. It is a safe place for objects with powers that could create or destroy worlds. I think I'll be able to find you an iPad somewhere. I think Strange keeps one in his bedroom, not that I really want to be going through that."

xxxxxxxxxx

"Give it here. I'm an expert at using iPads."

"No one's an expert in that, Dan. You just like playing the games on it. You accidentally charged fifteen pounds to the Doctor's Apple account because you 'needed' upgrades for your characters."

"And I didn't even know that I had an Apple account in the first place."

Jane was busy setting up the tablet, attaching it to a stand so that she didn't need to hold it. What she was planning was a long shot but, as Carol had said, they didn't have many avenues to look down. She could feel a strange sort of pressure resting on her shoulders, knowing that this was her first proper involvement as part of the team. Was her career as an Avenger really going to start with a call to an old friend? If this didn't work, would the rest of them simply give up on her involvement and send her back to Asgard? Of course not. They seemed friendly enough. Even Wong had his moments.

"Dialling now," she told them, though they could all see it on the screen. She just felt nervous, needing to fill the silence with something . The strangest part about it, besides being surrounded by superheroes, was how small the tablet had felt in her hands. Jane was still getting used to the size difference of her new body compared to the old one.

It didn't take long before the person on the other end of the call picked up. A man's face appeared, haggard and weary. It was a comfort to see him again, even on a screen. His eyes were bleary and he blinked at them tiredly. It looked as if he was still in bed, and Jane was increasingly self conscious of the doubtful looks the others were sending her way.

"Hello?" he said, his voice raspy and hoarse. Sometimes she forgot that he was, in some ways, still trying to recover from Loki's influence.

"Doctor Selvig?" she spoke into the screen, a bit too loudly judging from the way he flinched back. "Erik?"

"Jane? Is that you?" His eyes were wide as he surveyed her. "You look different. Have you done something with your hair?"

"We can discuss that a bit later…but there's another reason why I'm calling you. It's fairly urgent."

"Why is it so bright there? Are you still in America? Don't you realise that there's a pretty big time difference?"

"Again, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't really need you. I'll make it up to you. I'll even take you to that fancy restaurant you like. The one you got kicked out of last time."

Erik seemed to smile at the memory. "That was a fun night. I can't believe Darcy thought she could keep up with my drinking." He moved his face closer to the camera, peering at them. "Hold on…are you with other people?"

The Doctor and Kamala gave him energetic waves. The others were less sure of how to react. Carol simply smiled awkwardly, whilst Wong just nodded his head. It appeared that Erik was quick to recognise some of them, for he was suddenly shifting out of bed and sitting up straight. He attempted to fix his hair but he'd abandoned any such hopes of doing anything with it a good few years ago.

"You could have told me that you had guests," he complained.

"In fact, I'm technically their guest. It's superhero business, Erik. You'll understand."

"Has Thor returned? He still hasn't paid me back for the lawnmower he broke." He muttered something about the god trying to charge it directly with lightning, when it had been powered by petrol in the first place.

Jane's smile faltered slightly. "No, no he hasn't. This is something completely different and I don't want to keep them waiting much longer." She could tell that Wong was growing particularly impatient.

"Well, you know that I'll do anything for you, Jane. I'm just…trying to get over how well you look! Last time I spoke to you, you were in the hospital and…"

"And we don't need to talk about that!" she quickly interrupted, glancing nervously at the group around her. That definitely wasn't something she wanted to get into right now. "Do you have your computer with you?"

Erik seemed perturbed by her sudden change in topic but he slowly nodded his head. "Always."

"I need you to do a keyword search through our database. Every piece of information we've ever collected. Just one word: Kang."

"Give me a minute." The camera spun around, revealing his apartment bathed in darkness. They tried not to focus on the fact that the new angle, and the fact that he was now walking about, revealed that he had only been sleeping in his underwear. Thankfully, the lack of light obscured most of the details before it was back on his face, illuminated by the glow of a computer screen in front of him. They could hear a keyboard tapping away as he logged into the system. "Kang, did you say?"

"K-A-N-G," Jane spelled for good measure.

A few, tense seconds passed. "There's one result."

Everyone was on high alert now. Jane could feel her heart thundering. "What is it?"

"It's strange. It's not a part of…you know…our official research. Remember when Thor crashed into our lives?"

"As if I could forget…" It was still a memory she looked back on fondly, despite everything that had eventually happened.

"We realised that our own mythologies could give us an insight into the way the universe actually worked. Norse legends transpired to stem from Asgard, so why couldn't other cultures have come from other planets? Of course, it didn't end up being an especially fruitful line of reasoning, but the work is still on record. And that's where this word has popped up. In a study of Ancient Egyptian history."

"Ancient Egypt?" Dan echoed. "You mean like…mummies and pyramids? Brendan Fraser?" He received empty looks. "Do you guys…have Brendan Fraser here?"

Jane refocused on the task at hand, leaving it up to Yaz to give Dan a slight knock for interrupting. "What does it say about this word?"

"Hardly anything. It's barely in any records." Erik scratched his chin, scrolling through the information in front of him. "The only known occurrence seems to come from the age of Rama-Tut, one of the pharaohs. A fairly short lived one. It pops up, and then appears to disappear with that ruler."

"Doesn't look like it connects to this multiversal threat," Carol commented.

"Did she just say multiversal?" The professor looked more closely at her. "Hey! I've seen you on the news. Aren't you…"

"We really don't have time to be going through introductions once again," Wong quickly instructed, shutting down that tedious conversation before it began. "It seems that our best chance of figuring out whether this threat is linked to this period in time is by going to the source."

"I'd love to take you to Ancient Egypt," the Doctor remarked. "But, again, the Tardis is knackered. Oh, you would have loved it! It's absolutely gorgeous. My wife was Cleopatra at one stage…though that's a long story." It was her turn to be subjected to their questioning glances.

"Modern day will have to suffice. Though I don't think we should stop there. Carol…the mission you were previously on seems to be carrying more significance than we first thought. It was that which brought us to this point, bringing Kamala to these three outsiders. We need to discover the intended target of that signal."

"I'm on it," the Captain responded, giving him a playful salute.

"Perhaps it would be best if you discuss it further with the current owner of the Ten Rings."

"As long as he doesn't force me to do karaoke with him and his friend."

"Could I…come with you?" Kamala asked, slightly anxious at voicing her desires. "I mean…it's not as if these guys need this many hands to go to Egypt. You could use some help."

"You just want to spend time with me, don't you?"

"That…could be part of the equation, yes."

Carol smirked at the girl. "I don't blame you. I am rather spectacular."

"So I'll come with you as well," Jane said hopefully, wanting to stick with the only person she kind of knew.

She got a roll of the eyes from the other woman. "Nah. Me and Kamala have this sorted. But this will be good for you! Branch out! Mingle! You're a superhero now. Make superhero friends."

"You make it sound easy."

"We don't bite," the Doctor assured her. "Unless you want me to."

"She doesn't mean that," Yaz said with an uneasy smile. "I think."

Jane gave Carol an agitated look, as if the previous comments had proved her point. "You'll be fine!" she was told, though the Captain was a lot less convincing than she'd previously been.

"What about me?" America asked, now lying on a bench. "Where do you want me to go?"

"You're staying here," Wong told her firmly, holding up a hand to stop her from arguing. "You need rest. Those at Kamar Taj will look after you. But don't worry…I'll bring back a postcard of the pyramids for you."