[24th March 2011]

[SHIELD Portal Security, Orange Zone, Gotham City, New Jersey, United States of America, Earth-16]

"Ah, domestic bliss"

I sighed, giving Jade a glare, as my 'roommate' offered her opinion on things as she slouched out on the couch, drinking a beer, dressed in a gray t-shirt and boxers as I finished cooked "Having fun?"

"Oh of course, Sis got you trained into a proper househusband, and I'm bored actually"

I shook my head as she waved the can of beer she was drinking at me "And you're apparently a slob when off-duty"

Jade huffed at me "I'm not in prison, can you not let me have *any* fun oh mighty and powerful wizard Master, I did clean up, and am your ever loyal bodyguard. Now, where's my dinner, hmph, hmph?"

"You really choose your codename well didn't you Ninja-Kitty?" I replied back taking out the lasagne from the oven and turning off the oven in the quarantine compartment "...so throw me a bloody beer and I'll actually give you some"

She could throw things well, whether they be shuriken or cans of beer, and I caught it easily, avoiding shaking it before opening the bottle. In truth I didn't mind her lazing about for a few hours, albeit she was an annoying roommate as well, as one had to make some minor efforts to build loyalty even with deadly murder machines I didn't trust like Jade Nyugen was. It was also going to lead to the mother of all 'sparring' matches between Artemis and her sister once we got let out of 'ready' status due to my status as one of the 'dimensional experts' thanks to Sigil.

"Meow" she replied with a sneer, then looked at me after gulping down the remnants of her bottle before reaching into the fridge-bar beside the couch "You think they'll send us back over?"

"Yeah, pretty much, recover the stuff we installed before making formal contact so we don't get found out for spying. Either that or escorting whoever they decide to put up as First Contact ambassador or whatever they'll call the role" I answered taking a drink, before putting the bottle down and cutting up the lasagne to split between the two of us. With some weak healing potion mixed in with the meat heavy meal to boost our immune systems without having to burn a strong potion. Personally I found any good alchemist should learn how to cook, as that way you could control what went into your body...and it was relaxing as well, and good for keeping up skills.

"Whew, more community service for me then!" she answered back continuing in her surprisingly slob like ways for a fit twenty year old Asian assassin. Sorry 'reformed' assassin according to the job description we'd given the Justice League "Though I have concerns how exactly they found us in that library, as those were law enforcement or, at least look like, anything more than mercs or someone's enforcers"

"Move over" I somewhat commanded, and she obeyed, as I handed her the plate and she moved from lying on the couch to sitting on it as I plopped down with meal and drink in hand "...but yeah, I've concerns too. General consensus is either some scrying or seer like abilities, or something in our downloads set off some alarm bells with someone, somewhere. It's not exactly the nicest of city's you'll note?"

She gave a snort as she started to gobble down the food "Yes, it felt just like home...several of them in fact"

"Same old, same old, human nature, etc, etc..." I agreed with a shrug resting back and picking at my food, easing the hunger after a fubar'd mission and a long debriefing after "...maybe the magical hell-mouth this city seems have been built on just naturally finds its parallel dimension opposite, who knows? Whatever the case, I think the sooner they make contact and stop making us play secret agents the better..."

--

[26th March 2011]

[Protectorate ENE Headquarters, The Bay, Brockton Bay, United States of America, Earth Bet]

"This has to be some cruel joke being played upon us" Emily Piggot muttered to herself reading the communiqué once again, before adopting a calm and cold demeanour and entering the conference room where her senior staff waited. Armsmaster being foremost amongst them; the only one who knew the contents of what she'd been ordered, by multiple telephone calls and emails from Chief Director Costa-Brown, and the White House even, to prepare for. It seemed fate deemed she had not suffered enough, and decided she needed more on her plate to handle along with damned parahuman disaster she had to herd along.

"Stay seated, we have a serious problem and little time to deal with it" she told them all firmly as she came into the room, ignoring the pain of moving and the stress of recent hours. She hid her discomfort as she sat, instead opening the recently printed file and giving them a stern look to reinforce her authority. Washington was in something of a panic, a repeat of the Earth Aleph situation, and one made worse that this Earth...Gimel? Dalet?...had seemingly been scouting them out with no-one, except Coil's organisation, noticing that infiltration...

'Dependent on the kindness of scum...unacceptable, completely unacceptable' was her only opinion on that particular piece of information being sent to the PRT by the small-time mercenary and criminal. So now she had to sit with her staff, who should have discovered this in truth, after Dragon had decided to interfere at the request of both the PRT and Guild, and Armsmaster of course. That aside, once they had become aware of the issue several oddities had become obvious; significant downloads of information on...things everyone knew about really, and reports of an new, assumed, Stranger based cape around the town.

Now they had a dimensional portal somewhere within the city, for God knew how long, all while barely keeping a lid on a potential gang war between the ABB and the Empire Eighty-Eight for one. There was to be a special emergency meeting of all the Directors later on 'reinforcing' Brockton Bay, as now, suddenly, there was serious concern that they were outgunned by both bands of criminals. That it meant this other Earth could easily have made in-roads with either group, or with degenerates such as the Merchants, and a hundred other nightmare scenarios running through Emily's head.

"Two days ago, as many of you already know, we received an unusual report from a third party on the presence within the city of a pair of unknown parahumans, tentatively classed with Stranger powers, and also potential teleportation based abilities. Several hours ago a communication was sent to the State Department, and to the office of Chief Director Costa-Brown, detailing that the sender was operating on behalf of parallel reality's United States government, along with its version of the United Nations, and that a portal has opened between our Earth and theirs..."

--

[26th March 2011]

[SHIELD Portal Security, Orange Zone, Gotham City, New Jersey, United States of America, Earth-16]

"They haven't responded as yet..." I heard as the newly completed Gate remained locked down with a massive block of concrete and rune coated steel 'behind' the portal. The Gate itself was a series of great slab like blocks; the first with cameras, covered in arcane wardings to reflect any energy and force directed against it, that dropped down from a lift above. A second solid block of another nonsensically hard, and expensive, metal came out from the right, followed by an energy shield generator as the third defensive line just like the portal in Sigil, as walls were covered in monitoring systems and arcane protections.

Myself and Jade had one last excursion last night, prior to the American's decision to send a message to the other side's Americans, to remove any leftover evidence of our equipment; beyond one box with a self-destruct to enable said communication. It was less concern about spooking the other Earth authorities, than the fact we'd lose access momentarily and that meant any tech left behind might be back-engineered; not that I disagreed with the American version of SHIELD's paranoia of course. Alternate Earth had some serious, serious, dangers and right now even the Justice League agreed with an organised, and more formal, approach.

So, yet again, I said quietly and listened for potential marching orders. Sending me and Jade as escorts made sense, and as initial representative of Ireland, in some ways as I was used to playing bodyguard, and it minimised the numbers exposed to the other side. On the other hand, my successes with Peace Talks and Conferences were...mixed I found; I hadn't failed, but they did tend towards problematic public spectacles and violence. Apparently selling points for Director Waller should the situation turn to crap as laid out in the currently outlined scenario.

So far they seemed intent on a woman named Grace Guiness from the US State Department, or the CIA I suspected, along with Captain Atom from the Justice League, and Colonel Flagg representing the US version of SHIELD. Fun and games...assuming the locals responded to the request to meet, and our revealing where the Portal actually was, after getting some assurances we were all going to be friends. Or, to be more accurate, all friends before both our world's publics, and at the very least managed to peaceful co-exist in the less public eye...

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