[121] : The Separation of Two

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Seeing that Wanda had no intention of leaving, Pietro couldn't help but speak up:

"Wanda, they're using us!"

HYDRA had always been exploiting Pietro and Wanda. Even before their powers awakened, they weren't seen as anything more than mere test subjects in HYDRA's experiments. Compared to the twins, HYDRA was far more interested in Loki's scepter, now in Roger's possession.

Pietro didn't trust these people. With a way out right in front of them, there was no chance he'd miss it.

Wanda stared at Roger for a long while and finally said:

"…Break the room holding us, and we can leave on our own."

"Alright, if that's what you wish."

It wasn't surprising that this pair of twins, who harbored a deep grudge against Tony Stark, didn't trust Roger, a stranger. Since they wanted to leave on their own, Roger respected their decision.

Standing before the glass wall separating the twins from freedom, Roger instructed:

"You two, step back."

Pietro and Wanda did as told. Roger then placed his hands on the glass and gently applied pressure.

Crash!

The glass, which had been reinforced to contain powered individuals, shattered easily. Shards scattered across the room, and Pietro and Wanda looked at the fragments, momentarily lost in thought. Roger spoke again:

"The thing trapping you is gone. You're free."

Pietro and Wanda stepped out, exchanging a glance. Pietro then asked Roger:

"We don't even know your name."

"That's not important. You won't be coming with me, anyway. As a last act of goodwill, I'll handle the HYDRA agents outside. After that, do as you wish."

Seeing that the two weren't interested in joining him, Roger didn't hesitate. He turned and left.

Helping Wanda and Pietro was a mere detour; Roger hadn't expected anything from them. After destroying the HYDRA base and taking out most of its personnel, he took to the skies and departed.

Pietro and Wanda, now free, looked up in the direction Roger had flown. Wanda turned to her brother and asked:

"Where do we go now?"

Pietro, after a brief silence, replied with determination:

"To find Stark. For revenge!"

…

Having left the world where Wanda and Pietro existed, Roger continued his quest to find Jean Grey.

But whether Jean hadn't followed him into this world, or if something had gone wrong during the dimensional transfer, Roger couldn't find any trace of her on Earth.

After three full days of searching without results, he gave up looking on Earth. He considered that perhaps Jean had been transported to another planet or even another dimension. If that were the case, searching like this was futile.

After all, the Marvel Universe wasn't limited to just Earth as a life-bearing place.

Roger tried not to dwell on the possibility of something happening to Jean. He felt responsible for her safety, having brought her out of her world. If anything did happen to Jean, he couldn't imagine how he'd face Charles Xavier.

Meanwhile, he discovered another piece of bad news over those three days.

His dimensional portal… had stopped charging.

The portal had been gradually accumulating energy. Roger could feel the growing power within it, even if it was slow. It was a peculiar feeling, but as long as the portal charged, he knew it.

However, upon arriving in this world, the energy in the portal had stagnated. It wasn't absorbing energy anymore. Roger wasn't sure if the portal had lost its ability to absorb energy, or if the Mind Stone's earlier massive drain had damaged it, rendering it incapable of recharging.

Either way, for now, Roger appeared to be stuck in the Marvel Universe.

"Talk about misfortune coming in waves…"

Holding the Mind Stone in one hand and Loki's scepter, which he had taken from the HYDRA base, in the other, Roger sighed deeply.

He had often wondered what he would do if the portal ever stopped working, trapping him in a world. He'd considered the possibility, but he hadn't expected that day to come so soon.

"At least it's not some desolate world."

The only silver lining was that he hadn't ended up in a barren, lifeless dimension. The presence of civilization was a comfort.

"What do I do now?"

Storing the Mind Stone, Roger asked himself.

Jean was nowhere to be found, and this Marvel Universe's timeline was at the stage of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. HYDRA, disguised within S.H.I.E.L.D., was planning to launch the Insight program, and Captain America and Natasha were preparing to thwart their plans.

Roger saw no need to involve himself. Captain America could undoubtedly handle HYDRA on his own. Roger's intervention was unnecessary.

Moving forward, his presence wouldn't change much in the overarching plot unless Thanos decided to arrive early. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any pressing reason for Roger to intervene.

"Right, Andrea Kelson!"

Holding Loki's scepter, Roger remembered why he'd come to this universe. He had followed coordinates hidden within the Mind Stone, which meant this world had to be connected to the mysterious Andrea Kelson, possibly another dimensional traveler.

With that realization, Roger set out for Kamar-Taj.

Diana had mentioned that Andrea was the Sorcerer Supreme. Kamar-Taj might have some clues, and since physical searches for Jean had proven fruitless, perhaps magic could provide new leads.

Having spent considerable time at Kamar-Taj in the zombie Marvel Universe, Roger knew its location well.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at Kamar-Taj's gates.

Standing outside the entrance, Roger was about to knock when the door opened from within. A dark-skinned sorcerer bowed respectfully and greeted him:

"Welcome. The Sorcerer Supreme has been expecting you."

"…Of course. Why am I not surprised?"

Sorcerer Supremes were always enigmatic. Charitably, they were wise, their words and actions always philosophical. Less charitably, they were cryptic, often leaving one to figure things out on their own.

Stephen Strange had been that way, as had the Ancient One.

So, Roger wasn't shocked that the Ancient One knew of his arrival. Perhaps she had sensed him the moment he entered this dimension.

Roger braced himself, knowing he'd need to navigate the Ancient One's cryptic nature.

The sorcerer who greeted Roger was Mordo, or more commonly known as Baron Mordo.

Mordo was Doctor Strange's mentor before eventually turning into an antagonist. After Dormammu's defeat in Doctor Strange, Mordo came to believe there were too many sorcerers in the world and began eliminating them, disappearing at the film's end.

But for now, Mordo was just a student of the Ancient One, alongside Kaecilius, who would later become another antagonist.

Mordo guided Roger into Kamar-Taj and led him to the tea room. There, Roger saw a bald woman, dressed simply, making tea.

The current Sorcerer Supreme: The Ancient One.

"Welcome, traveler from an unknown dimension. Care for some tea?" 

Hearing Roger's footsteps, the Ancient One smiled and offered him a cup.

Roger glanced at the tea and politely declined:

"No tea, thanks. Sorcerer Supreme, since you know I'm here, you must know why I've come."

"I only knew a guest would arrive today, but not your purpose."

The Ancient One set the tea aside and gestured for Roger to sit, asking:

"Why don't you explain your intentions, traveler?"

"…"

Roger felt like she was toying with him.

With the Time Stone in her possession, there was no way the Ancient One didn't know his purpose. Still, Roger decided to play along. Taking a deep breath, he said:

"I need your help finding someone. Her name is Jean Grey. She has red hair and powers of telekinesis and telepathy. She was transported to this universe with me, but… she's gone missing."

He described Jean's traits as best as he could.

"Are you sure?"

The Ancient One asked, a curious look in her eyes.

Roger frowned.

"Of course, I'm sure."

"Well, that's interesting."

"What do you mean?"

"From what I've observed, only one being crossed over from another dimension into this world recently: you. Be it Earth or the Nine Realms, there's no sign of a second arrival."

The Ancient One's words stunned Roger.

"w..what?"

Roger couldn't believe he was the only one brought into the Marvel Universe. But the Sorcerer Supreme was a guardian of this dimension. If even she hadn't detected Jean's presence, then Jean might truly not be here.

But… if Jean wasn't in the Marvel Universe, where could she be?

…

Meanwhile, Jean Grey, the one Roger worried over, opened her eyes in an unfamiliar place.

Her mind was still hazy, stuck on the moment she and Roger were pulled into the sudden portal. She was dazed, her thoughts sluggish.

"Roger…?"

Barely awake and yet to survey her surroundings, Jean's first instinct was to call out for Roger.

But just then, a familiar yet foreign voice spoke nearby:

"Awake already?"

Startled, Jean turned to see an elderly, bald man in a wheelchair, smiling kindly at her. He said:

"The first thing you do upon waking is look for this 'Roger.' It seems he's very important to you."

"You… are… Professor?"

Jean widened her eyes, recognizing the familiar psychic energy and the iconic wheelchair.

"It's me, child. I'm Professor X, Charles Xavier. But… I may not be the Charles you know, just as you may not be the Jean I know."

He maneuvered his wheelchair to the window, drawing back the curtains and gesturing at the outside world. "And, unfortunately, child, you've arrived at a terrible time."

Sunlight poured into the room, warming Jean's skin and causing her to squint slightly.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, puzzled.

"It's quite simple," came another voice as the door to the room swung open. An aging Magneto, still wearing his iconic helmet, entered. He fixed his gaze on Jean and declared, "This world has become a dystopia for mutants. You shouldn't be here, Jean Grey."

...

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