Chapter 2

Jogging along a newfound trail from the forest, Mary emerged to see a small village in the distance. After an hour of walking, Mary arrived at the village and was quickly singled out as she stood out without any intention to do so. Mary was a rare beauty and one without an escort no less. Few scums had spotted her and gave lust-filled smiles; they stared as if they found a new prey to eat. 

("Those guys seem like trouble. Better keep an eye out. ") Mary thought as she kept a cold and calm expression as she stopped in front of a small shop and walked inside. ("This is a store for fishing equipment. Nothing of use here. Might as well ask for some directions and hope for the best. ")

"Excuse me…" The middle-aged woman glanced up from her seat behind the counter as she met Mary's eyes from under her cloak. "Can you tell me if there are any weapons shops around here? Also, where I can get some food and drink as well if possible?"

"Heeeh… a pretty thing like you is walking around without an escort. Especially when there is a war going on… you are either really brave or really stupid. "Though Mary looked rather frail and slender, she was, nonetheless, twice as strong as any average built man in terms of strength and speed. "Ahh… turn down the road, a few buildings on the left, there is a small red shop and you'll find your weapons shop. As for the food and drink, try visiting stands near the old inn. "

"Great! Thank you for the information Ma'am." Mary nodded and turned around as the second she stepped outside, she instinctively bent her body backwards as a large club swung the air before her. "Tsk!"

Sweeping her leg and knocking the large man off his feet, Mary sucker-punched the man's throat and got back up slowly as she shifted her rugged cloak and walked off, leaving everyone who just witnessed the inhuman moves Mary had pulled with awe and shock on their faces. The large unconscious man's subordinates were all frightened by the swift exchange and did not dare to bother Mary any longer. 

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Holding a stuffed duffle bag filled with dried foods and water jugs, Allie had stopped by the weapons shop and bought a few short swords as well as a dozen knives. 

After which, Mary was on her way to leave the small village when a small boy bumped into her in an accident as he was running from a group of older kids. The second they saw Mary, they shivered and ran away scared as they had also seen the exchange she had with the large man twice her size. 

Standing up, the small boy was crying and Mary softened her expression as she then had an idea and took a knife from her duffle bag. Handing it over to the kid in his small hands, he looked up and was scared for a split second when he then replaced as he saw Mary's warm and kind smile. Though the two did not speak, through their eyes, they conveyed enough as Mary continued toward the forest to get back to the others as she was gone for a half the day already. 

"Hey Tazuna! " Looking back from Mary's departing figure, Tazuna wiped his nose and turned toward his friends as they had split up to escape from the bullies. 

"Yeah! I'm coming!" Tazuna put the knife away and held a trace of a smile on his face as he returned to continue playing with his friends now that the bullies were gone. 

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Arriving at the campsite a few hours later, Allie spoke up as Mary dropped to the grass to relax her aching feet. 

"You're an hour shy from being left behind kiddo. "Allie spoke with her eyes closed and in a meditative stance near a small campfire. "We leave in an hour as I was able to absorb more of my energy with this world's unique natural energy compatible with my spirit

Pack your things, we won't have to wait weeks or months, luckily. Get your things ready and make sure not to leave a trace behind. "

Mary turned her gaze and raised her brow as she saw Freya had cut her hair short and parted half her brown hair to the side. 

"Like the new look. "Mary commented as Freya chuckled while Athena was slightly proud as she was the one who had cut her hair. 

After a little over an hour, Allie raised and opened her eyes and stood up as she then lifted a bag over her shoulder while ripping open a new rift before their very eyes. Allie did not hesitate to enter and soon, Freya tilted her head with a wry smile as she then spoke to calm her nerves. 

"Shall we?" Freya spoke as she and the other Two soon entered and disappeared from the clearing. 

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In an alternate world, a rift opened up in an alleyway. From it, four otherworldly beauties  stepped out as three out of the four regained their bearings.

("Sweetie~")

({"Scans complete: Mother, the information has been uploaded to your mind and filtered. "})

("Hmm. Thank you hun. ") As Allie began going over the new information as in the world they arrived, there was internet and satellites which the Red Queen had swiftly hacked and connected with everything to do with technology connected with a Wi-Fi source around the world. 

"Hoh… this world had those here? No. This universe is quite something. Heroes or rather, 'Avengers' is what they go by. They even fight and defend this world as it's mighty defenders from any and all threats to it from space and domestic. "Allie spoke casually as the other three could barely understand what she was talking about. "The year is 2012 is it? A whole millennia younger than my world that ended up destroyed. "

Allie then began walking and stopped as she raised her gaze at the sky. 

"It's not nice to peep at a lady, sir. "Athena, Freya and Mary instantly surrounded Allie while drawing their weapons and looking all around. "You can come out now!"

"Hoh… pardon me miss. "A green cloak appeared and soon, a floating man in midair stood looking down at Allie and her sisters. "My name is Dr Strange. I felt it, a disturbance in this world and a 'rift' opened up along with four new arrivals. Who are you and state your business in coming here? "

"My name is Allie. These are my sisters Athena, Freya, and Mary. " Allie was curious as she felt celestial energy coming from the man yet, her eyes instantly located the source which was on the man's amulet toward his cape. "You gonna float there all day or what?"

"I am waiting for you to tell me what your business is here… traveler. " Allie smirked as she knew if she spoke the truth on her peacefully passing by, there was no guarantee she would be let go. "Don't you think of escaping-"

In a flash, the four young women disappeared in a white flash as Dr Strange sighed as he knew he would have to report what he had just encountered to his superior. 

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Meanwhile, in a glass house somewhere in Los Angeles, four women crashed down onto a garage filled with luxury sports cars and cutting edge equipment as an alarm was set off.

Groaning as Allie had forgotten what pain felt like, she forced herself off the ruined roof of a red sports car while Athena and Freya crashed onto the floor. Mary was knocked out as she had crashed onto a metal cart nearby. 

Standing up and staggering on their feet, Allie held her head as she had used the little energy she still had to teleport themselves to another place in the world.  

("Sweetie… where are we!?")

*Fritz* 

The monitors in the garage soon flickered and the Red Queen appeared in a hologram standing before Allie and the others. 

"We are currently inside a 'Tony stark' million dollar mansion, Mother. I have taken control of the house and found the owner gone out to an expo where he is currently engaged in a right. "

The monitors soon pulled up the live camera feed of Tony's suits's camera which shocked the hell out of him as someone or something had bypassed his security systems in less than a few second flat. 

Since it wasn't actively getting in his way, Tony focused on what was before him as he was fighting in metallic-high end armor as he and another similarly looking suit of armor were fighting another man with electric whips on either hand. 

*Whistle* "That's some fancy suit." Spoke Freya as she was holding up Athena while having pulled Mary next to them. 

Allie was looking at the monitor and turned away as she took a seat on the ruined car while gritting her teeth and popping her shoulder back into place. 

"We'll take what we can and go. We can't stay around here for long… ah… It will take a few weeks until my energy is recharged enough for another jump. "Allie exhaled a heavy breath as Mary soon began regaining consciousness. "Pack what we can and let's go. "

("Sweetie, I want you to leave a message for the man we'll be stealing from and tell him we aren't sorry. If he wants his stuff back, he can come and get it… Fufufu… it'll be funny seeing him going in circles trying to catch us. ")

({"Yes. Mother. "})

After a few minutes, the four had gathered what they needed and stole a high end sports car as Freya drove while everyone else was spent and fell asleep on each other rather quickly.

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"Stop up here, Freya." Pulling into a gas station a while into the desert, the four had been on the road for half a day. ("Sweetie~")

({"All security cameras within the vicinity are down, Mother. "})Allie held a soft smile while both her and Freya went into the AM/PM. Seeing the sole clerk behind the pixie-glass window, Freya flashed a smile while Allie walked over to the ATM and had The Red Queen withdraw nearly $1,000 in crisp $20 bills. With Freya walking up to Allie, Allie parted a quarter and handed over the rest to Freya while Allie went ahead and looked around for sweets on the isles. 

After paying for gas, sweets and good ol' American jerky, a rather content Allie and Freya walked back to the luxurious car that seemed somewhat out of place at the gas station in the middle of the night. 

"Hey... did you have to use 'her' help?" Freya uncupped the gas nozzle and pressed in the premium option while plugging in the tank and letting the premium gas flow. "Allie."

"Yes." Allie responded while munching in some twizzlers and leaning her back in the hood of the car. At the moment, she had her eyes open but if one looked real closely, one could see data streams streaking past both her light green eyes. "I understand you and the Queen had some... problems-"

"That psycho murdered my friends. "Freya recounted as she still had memories from further back in her life that were programmed into her. "Either way, it's dangerous-"

"'She'. "Allie felt Freya's silent frustration and sighed as she closed her eyes and turned her full attention toward Freya. Inside the car, in the back seat, both Mary and Athena had already woken up and could hear their conversation. "Look, I know how things went down back when she was on a leash, but that doesn't dissuade me from keeping her by my side. Besides, even then, she was just doing what she was programmed to do. This new Red Queen has a soul, Freya. She can feel like we do and I know if I was in her shoes, I would have done the same thing and done all I could to keep the virus from breaking out… But no. What happened, humans broke into somewhere they shouldn't. Shut down a loyal AI. And what else happened again after The Red Queen was shut-"

*Slam*

Holding Allie by her neck, Freya had a pissed off look while Allie met her glare with a complacent one. 

"What do you know!?" Freya went off as Athena tried to get out and stop them but Mary held her back. "Good people died down there… I may not have been in my right mind and before you'd say those weren't my memories, I felt them… from those memories, I felt what it was to cost another human their life. I was born a clone and despite having already killed, I felt nothing! I don't know if you can feel empathy, but I do! I was designed that way… "

A deadly silence hung over the two and it broke abruptly when Allie sighed and pulled herself off the hood of the car. 

"You are right. You are more human than I am and ever will be. I'm just a monster who can mimic emotions. Blah, blah, blah-" Freya grit her teeth and glared as Allie. "But you know something… between you and me and even those two, heck, even the Red Queen… you all have feelings and emotions. You are capable of caring. The only thing I know in life is to survive and hope, pray or cheat whoever or whatever until you reach that promised land where nothing can hurt you anymore. I've traveled many galaxies and jumped universes to find a place I can call home countless times… I have been fighting and running my whole life. I only ever knew how to survive and no matter how I try to put down roots anywhere. Fate cursed me to yearn for a life I will never have. "

"What… are you talking about?" Freya seemed to see the downcast expression on Allie's face and from just the deep and abyssal look in her eyes, Freya calmed down and wondered what had happened for her to reveal such lifelessness in those green eyes of hers. "Haaah… fine. You win. But if I ever see 'her' hurt people, I'm shutting you both down… understand?"

"Hmph… even if you think you could, whatever. "Allie compromised as she was tired from all the talking and hopped back in the car while Freya sighed and regained her composure. 

"Such an arrogant a*s. "Freya mumbled under her breath as she took out the nozzle and closed the gas-cap. Hopping back into the car, the engine roared and soon, tires skidded off the pavement before landing back in the dusty road. "So, Allie. Mind telling us where the heck we are going?"

Allie waited for a few seconds before talking in a composed manner as her mind was elsewhere but still heard Freya. 

"Just keep going straight… wake me when we get to New Mexico. "Allie closed her eyes but she did not sleep the same as before as she was on the world web surfing through dozens of classified files both old and new at an astonishing pace with the help of The Red Queen. 

"What's in New Mexico?" Asked Athena for the first time since they woke up. 

Allie only smirked as Freya was the only one who noticed Allie's mischievous smirk. 

('I have a bad feeling and I know I'm not gonna like whatever Allie is planning. ')Freya thought as she kept her eyes on the long stretching road in the Arizona desert.

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