Chapter 11

SHIELD agent Natasha Romanoff was having difficulty adjusting the new reality. In one reality the USSR made her into a super solider resulting in her super hero way of life. In the other reality the USSR never had such a program and she was never recruited nor had any extra ordinary skills. In SG-1's reality she had left the Russia after the Soviet Union fell and fled to America and gained citizenship by finding and marrying an American. She then divorced after suffering a miscarriage and worked in retail. She decided early after the blending that she was going to remain working for SHIELD and tell no one what her life was like in SG-1's reality for it was simply too embarrassing to let her friends know that she was a nobody.

Natasha was still getting use to her new room in the SGC. She liked the large VIP room, the large bed and satin sheets and having a place on base where she could just go and sit and gather her thoughts. As she sat on the bed thinking a knock came to the door.

"Come in," she called out.

Clint opened the door and peeked inside. He found her sitting alone, cross legged on the bed in thought. "You okay?" he asked walking inside. He closed the door behind him.

"I suppose." she shrugged. "What is it?" She feared there as yet another looming problem to be solved.

Clint took a seat in a nearby chair. He admitted, "I'm trying to wrap my head around two different realities combining into one in my head. You know what I mean?"

"I do," she confessed. "What were in their reality?"

"You mean SG-1's reality?" he asked.

She nodded.

"There was no SHIELD so I was never an agent. There were no Avengers so I was never on any team. I was a pilot in the US Air Force and hung around my friend, John."

Curiously she asked, "Who is John?"

"His a Major! John Sheppard. Hell of a pilot. Better than me. Always getting himself into a heap of trouble too." he added. "My last memory of here is being notified that me and John were being sent to the base in Antarctica as punishment. We stepped on a few toes. In our reality, I'm married, have kids that I keep hidden on the farm. In the other reality my life was totally different. I was some hot shot pilot and I was always after the girls." He asked, "What about you? What was your life like without SHIELD?" He imagined she was some kind of Russian asset and waited for a confession of espionage.

"There was no USSR program and I was never taken into it. I was never trained and never sterilized against my will. When the Soviet Union fell, I left Russia and married a guy to get me into the US. I got pregnant but had a miscarriage and he left me for another woman. I worked at Walmart as a cashier." She looked upon waiting for some kind of reply, maybe even a little chuckle.

He sat for a second, "You just had a normal life. Nothing special like millions of Americans."

She nodded, "The highlight in that life was I can speak Russian and my co-workers would ask me how to swear in Russian. They thought it was funny." She then began to chuckle, "Whenever my store manager did something stupid I would start swearing in Russian at him. He had no idea what I said."

"Do you know how much of a gift this reality blending is for you?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I had to carve out a piece of normalcy in my life in both realities. In our reality I had a secret family that I kept away from everything on a farm. In the other reality I was some hot shot pilot looking for girls with my buddies. I would take leave and go party. You got to be a normal, everyday person. You had a low paying job and got to live life just millions of others. You got the best of both worlds. You got to be a special agent in one reality and an average everyday citizen in another. Your view on this blending has got to be mind blowing."

"It kind of is." she agreed. "One moment I'm ready to got out there and just kick ass and get a mission done and the other I'm like holding doors, greeting people and fearing what I will find in the restroom."

Clint had to agree, "My wife refuses to use the restrooms at Walmart. She says it's gross."

"It is!" she confirmed. "Honestly, I kind of envy Colonel O'Neill's daughter, Jackie. She didn't exist in the other reality. She only has one memory of one reality. She's lucky."

Clint agreed, "I think she is lucky in that regards too. Only one set of memories to deal with is way better than two."

Natasha asked curious, "So…what's John Sheppard like?"

"He's a good looking a guy and you would like him along with a lot of other women. He's a ladies man." he told her. "I'm gonna give him a call and see if he has an alternate memory too. I wonder he did in our reality. I only know him from SG-1's reality."

"Call him!" she cheered eager to meet his friend.

"I will," he agreed.

Meanwhile

Major John Sheppard was absolutely baffled by the reality blending. He faced more disciplinary action for telling off his Commanding Officer and his friend who was to be in trouble with him seemed to have just disappeared off the face of the earth. He was about to be sent to the ends of the Earth as punishment and Major Clint Barton was simply gone. As he packed his bag for his new assignment his cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the number but answered it.

"Hello." he sounded. He held his uniform shirt in his hands and tossed it in the duffle bag.

"John!" It was Clint.

He stopped and asked, "Where the hell are you, Clint? How did you get out of this one?"

"Question! Do you have two sets of memories? Like you live two different lives." he wondered.

"Yeah…I do." he confessed. "Weirdest thing too. I remember you being my buddy and us getting in all sort of trouble together and in another…you are not there. It's just me. What happened? You were abducted by aliens or something."

Clint asked, "In the memory where I am not there do you recall SHIELD and the Avengers?"

"Yeah!' he gasped heavy. "I have a memory of New York City being attacked and a memory of it not. It's freaking me out here, Clint. Do you know what is going on?"

"I do! I'm going to pull a few strings and get you transferred to Colorado Springs."

John gasped, "You can get me out of this assignment to the Antarctic?"

"I can." he bragged.

"Well then do it, man. That whole thing with the nudes was your idea." John told him.

"Consider it done." Clint assured and then disconnected the call. "Some things just don't change." he grinned at Natasha.

Meanwhile

Peter Quill needed some advise. He walked the hallway upon returning to the SGC after his meeting with Odin. He found himself at the door of Dr. Daniel Jackson's office and really didn't know why. He looked inside and spied the stacks of books and the man sitting at the table going over text and Ancient artifacts. Peter asked, "Can I come in?"

Daniel looked up from his work and spotted Peter. He replied, "Certainly."

The man walked into the office and looked about. "Lots of books."

"I read them all." Daniel confessed. "What can I help you with Peter?" He wondered what Odin had said as well but figured he should not push the issue.

Peter plopped down on a stool next to the table. He crossed his arms and looked as if in deep thought. "Odin said my dad is this being that is like God. It's a mind. He also said there are these stones and Thanos is trying to collect them. He fears Thanos will make an allegiance with Anubis and use the infinity stones to control the new universe."

"Who is Thanos and what are these stones, Peter?" Daniel asked alarmed.

"His some big bad ass. He's really powerful. Gamora was raised by him. She was on my crew but disappeared with the big blending." he told him. "Odin says Anubis is a half ascended Goa'uld and has real power like my father does. He also wonders why I don't seem to have any powers. I guess being his kid I should like…walk on water or something…" He glanced at Daniel, "I don't even know why I came to you to tell you this. Odin said I have some powers like Anubis has but I have no idea what he talking about. I don't have any powers. I held an infinity stone but that's it."

"Do you know what the Ascended are, Peter?" he asked.

He shrugged, "I haven't a clue. That the other reality?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Do you have two sets of memories or one, Peter?"

"Just one." he informed. "I overheard some guys talking in the hall about their other lives in the other reality. I'm not sure I am really following it."

"That means that you only existed in one reality, Peter. You did not exist in my reality. Colonel O'Neill's daughter also has that one reality memory. She wasn't born in my reality and apparently neither were you. The Ascended were once human, like us. They were called the Ancients and they built the Star Gates and seeded the galaxy with them. Probably more than one galaxy to be honest. There was a plague and many died. Those who survived did so by using their minds to ascend to a higher life form, leaving their bodies behind. Many races who came in contact with them called them angels. They don't usually interfere with us lower life forms. But, a year ago, before the blending I met one and I ascended to be like them to survive radiation poising. I spent a year as an Ascended being and then was sent back. Anubis was also ascended and they tried to send him back but he resisted and it didn't work. He's now this half Goa'uld and half ghost like thing." Daniel suggested, "Maybe the Celestial part of you honed in on my former ascension and that's why you are here talking to me now."

Peter asked surprised, "You were like a god and had real power."

"I did," he nodded. "But there is a club of them and they police each other. You can't really do any good."

Peter suggested, "You can help me do whatever it is I'm supposed to do then."

Daniel replied amused, "I'm not sure what you are supposed to do either but if Odin thinks you have some gifts, maybe we can look into that."

"Cool!" he sounded relieved. "Maybe once I get this walk on water thing down I can find my crew."

"We can try." Daniel assured him. "But if this guy Thanos has Odin of the Asgard worried and has the attention of Anubis we better look into that."

Feeling not so alone Peter grinned, "Great! What do we do first?"

Daniel explained, "The key to ascension is knowledge. The more you study the closer to unlocking your true power."

Peter's face melted, "Study!"

He confirmed, "Yes! Those who seek knowledge and wisdom can ascend. That's the key."

The man looked defeated, "I hated school though."

Daniel stood up and walked over to his bookshelf. He retrieved a large book of Plato's works in English. He placed it before him, "Here…this is a good start. You can start by reading Plato."

Peter gasped, "Seriously! You expect me to read all this?"

"Yes I do." he confirmed.

He complained, "Just tell what magic words to use."

"There are no magic words, Peter. It comes from the mind." he tapped the side if his head.

"Fine," he muttered and then placed on his headphones. He dug out his old walkman and started the music playing.

Daniel looked over and then pulled on one earphone, "What are you doing?"

Peter replied, "Listening to some tunes." He opened the book and started to read while listening to rock music.

Daniel let out a deep sigh for Peter was not going to be an easy student to teach.