Czarina

An arm looped around his. Her charming smile seemed to hypnotize but in reality, it was simple charisma. His co-worker, the secretary of Oscorp Tower, Czarina was here. 

"Wanna take a walk?" Czarina asked.

"...sure."

It didn't feel like he had much of a choice. Suddenly, he was walking through the halls of a mega yacht. It felt like his own mansion, except with the added addition of feeling like being on a plane that was about to crash.

Czarina's smile never wavered. "I'm glad to see you're alright—and that they brought you here. I heard you did some amazing things."

"I did my best."

"Mr. Osborn took you under his wing?"

"Something like that." 

"That must be nice. Are you learning?"

"Not particularly. I do my own study."

Czarina hummed. They took a turn. "I believe Mr. Osborn is about to unveil the device responsible for all this. The Ganali Device, I believe?" 

"That was his invention, yes. A way to distribute my cures."

"Oh, I get it now."

Another turn and they were facing a door. Czarina turned the door knob and gestured to go inside. It was a nice, expensive room with a bed and champagne on a table. She winked and proceeded to slap his butt before shutting the door closed.

"What—"

"Sorry!" Czarina came close, far too close, and suddenly, she was kissing him. Her hands were on the back of his head and Felix himself hoisted her hips. "Real sorry~"

Felix squinted. Oh sure, she kissed him, but he didn't get the vibe that she wanted to have sex with him. The closeness, her breasts pressed to his chest, it felt intimate as though she was trying to hypnotize him.

'Gauge me.' 

Click.

A button was clicked. In that moment, her smile dropped and Czarina pulled away from him. "Your little guard shouldn't be able to listen to us now."

Felix cocked his head. There was a shift in her face and her very existence. She crossed her arms as she went and leaned on the door. He saw her hide a remote device into her pocket. The technology was…familiar…

'Too advanced. Where did she get that?'

Felix joked, "I assume we're not here to fuck?"

"Your guard will think so, yes."

"A sound based device?"

"Precisely. It's already recorded your voice and mine. It knows how to echo."

"But I don't hear anything."

"It's a spy-device. Those whose voices were recorded will not hear their voices."

'What the hell kind of technology…? How? Recording my voice and still being able to select me as a listener?' 

The redhead known as Czarina smiled softly. "I take it you're interested?"

"Yes."

"Then perhaps this will make everything make more sense. My name is Natasha Romanoff—" His eyes widened. What!? "—although not the one you're most familiar with. I hail from another universe."

Natasha Romanoff was the Chameleon and Yelena's "mentor", so to speak. A member of the Red Room. A quasi-immortal super spy.

This woman…was an alternate version of her?"

"I was sent here through…troubling circumstances. I know this is a lot to take in but I've been searching for you."

He stiffened. "For me?"

"Yes, you. The smartest man alive. I need the best mind in this world to help me take me home. I decided to work at Oscorp as a way to keep an eye on the brightest minds."

"Take you back to your universe…?"

"You don't seem surprised. You know of the multiverse?" 

"I've…done some theorizing and interaction, yes."

"Interaction? What kind?"

Well, she wasn't a scientist so he could probably make up some bullshit. "I've, ah, designated my Earth as Earth 65. Your Earth, we can say is Earth—"

"Earth 4," Czarina interjected.

"Alright, Earth 4. And these other Earths, 3, 4, 5, to infinity, all of them, are nearly identical to ours. And they all exist at the same time, giving us endless alternatives to what we have here. For example, the Czarina on Earth-2, your doppelgänger, she might not be a secretary. She could be a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. And me, over there, I could be an electrician. Most worlds theoretically should occupy the same space but vibrate at different frequencies. That's the extent of what I've theorized."

Her eyes widened a little. Czarina stepped up and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Perfect then! If you can interact with the universe, then you can take me home."

This…was sudden. To go from the hot secretary at Oscorp Tower to this, another version of Natasha Romanoff—the enemy immortal super spy—it was a lot to take in. She didn't suspect him as Spider-Man nor did she need him. She wanted Felix Faeth, the man she believed to be the smartest in the world.

"That's…"

"I have had some contact with this universe's SHIELD. Information, money, freedom—whatever you need, I can supply it." Her grip on his shoulder tightened. "Anything you want, I can do. I can guarantee it—as long as you can bring me back home." 

"Can I ask you something?" Felix said.

A nod from Czarina. "Anything."

"Did somebody else come with you to this Earth?"

Czarina drew in a breath and walked over to the bed. She sat down and crossed her legs. "There was. I have not been able to locate them but…"

"A name maybe?"

"So you wish to help me?"

"I do. I don't know the long-term effects of somebody of another Earth being here. It's better to take anyone that was sent here back home. You're like an invasive species: you could become a parasite or a competitor. That tech on you, it's far beyond what we have here."

"In the time we've spent together, you've been nothing but kind and trustworthy. Even now, your goal is to help people. I admire that, Felix Faeth." Czarina drew in a breath. The moment of truth had arrived for her. "Her name is Felicia Hardy, a thief. I caught her in the middle of a heist attempting to steal the blueprints of SHIELD's greatest weapon, the Super-Collider. It's meant to pull things from other universes here. Diamonds, gold, nuclear weaponry. The battle went haywire and the device went off." 

'So that was how Felicia got here…'

Czarina's expression shifted into that of confusion and maybe even fear.

"Something…something came out of it. Something strange. A Spider-Woman of red rage. The current Spider-Man sprouted something similar except hers was…angrier. Red."

'A symbioteee….red…red symbiotes signify a perfect bond with a host. One with its host…' 

'I assume that's not good.' 

'Very powerful. Stronger than black. Powerfuuul hunterssss.' 

"Wait, Spider-Woman?" Felix repeated. "You mean…Gwen Stacy…?"

Czarina recrossed her legs. "This is just a personal theory of mine but I believe your Gwen Stacy is capable of traversing the multiverse. When the Super-Collider went off, she looked like she was being ripped apart. Her powers...I've seen the footage. Later in her career, she gained some sort of parasite. A Symbiote is what the documents called it."

'Damn, she knows her stuff. Natasha Romanoffs aren't to be underestimated in any capacity. Hm, I could use someone like her…' 

"I know," Felix said. "This is, well, top-secret information but the Symbiote originally came from Oscorp."

Czarina didn't look surprised. She knew. Of course she did, she wasn't twiddling her thumbs as secretary. She was learning and stealing information.

"Elsa Brock leads the research on the Symbiote. The Symbiote is not exactly healthy for normal humans to have, even someone like Gwen Stacy. You would need to be a perfect host, which in the realm of probability is very low. When you brought her to your universe, my guess is she must have merged with the Symbiote in an unnatural way. Or, maybe it was already happening and the space-time apparition caused her unstable form to accelerate."

"She's dangerous," Czarina said. "I have not seen any sign of her on this Earth yet. However, if she is here, I intend to kill her."

"What? K-kill her—"

"You don't understand. You don't know what I saw. She was becoming a monster, Felix. Once you become a monster, there is no turning back."

'I saw Gwen when I was leaving Stark's Project JARVIS, she…I mean…'

Upon reflection, the state of her Symbiote did look unstable. Moreover, she stole a piece of a Symbiote from Mary Jane Watson too. Gwen was losing her powers, that much he knew and that he assumed was the crux of her behaviour.

But if Gwen had truly lost control…

'Symbiote, message Herbie. Ask what happened to Project JARVIS after I left. I've been so damn busy, I haven't even thought about what happened.'

A beat passed and Herbie sent its frequency-based message. 'FOLLOWING OUR BATTLE, PROJECT JARVIS WAS DESTROYED.' 

Damn. Destroyed? That…didn't sound good. And Gwen Stacy was the one and only person that could be responsible for it. Felicia was a thief interested in money, not destruction.

Everything was lining up. Meeting up with Alistair and Norman in secret, it made sense.

Gwen Stacy was losing control and she didn't know what to do about it. She must have gone to the most advanced supercomputer, JARVIS for answers.

"The Muffler will last for half an hour," Czarina said, pulling out the tape recorder-like device. "The battery used for this is not compatible with any on this Earth, so I prefer our conversation to be curt. We do have a deal, don't we, Felix Faeth?"

"Sure. I'll help you, Czarina. It's the least I can do for a friend."

He extended a hand. Still sitting, Czarina smiled and took it. 

"Thank you."

"You know, I am a bit surprised that you're even here in the first place," Felix said. "This is only for the richest."

Czarina just laughed. "Trust me, places like this always need eye candy. The men can't help it."

In her case, according to the messages Herbie was sending him, it was Charles Standish, the Chief Financial Officer of Oscorp. Despite being married, he enjoyed the attention of attractive women. He never touched them, citing his marriage, but that didn't mean he didn't leering at some tits.

Some minutes later, when Felix went out, Captain America stood with her back pressed next to the door with flushed cheeks and a side-eye. "Are you done?" she asked.

"Yep, totally," Felix replied. 

Czarina was a hot redhead and with her intentionally ruffled up hair, Samantha definitely thought they did it. The fake noises created by her device combined with her old preconceptions of Felix being a hung stud and who could blame Captain America?

Felix was more occupied with his own thoughts over how he might have appeared. 'First Emma Frost, then Director Peggy Carter, and now Czarina.' 

Felix adjusted his cuffs as he strolled down the velvet-carpeted hallway of the yacht, flanked by Czarina. 

A few paces behind them, Captain Samantha Wilson followed in step, calm but sharp-eyed, her presence a reminder that Felix Faeth was now someone you didn't leave unsupervised at billionaires' parties. She didn't make it too obvious, some might think they were just on the same path. Not that it mattered. Nobody could or wanted to do shit when Captain America was around. 

Felix's mind wandered as Czarina whispered something about Baltic politics, nonsense in order to make them seem like they had merely had sex and nothing more, but then—

"Felix, darling," came the silken voice that sliced through the hallway like a finely-tuned blade.

Felix barely turned before Emma Frost appeared, wrapped in white from head to toe, diamonds practically sparkling from her neckline. Without hesitation, she looped her arm into Felix's and, with a practiced smile, smoothly peeled him away from Czarina.

"Apologies," Emma said coolly to the redhead. "But I need to borrow Dr. Faeth."

Czarina smiled and offered a polite nod, masking her annoyance behind diplomatic grace. As Felix let himself be led, he caught Samantha's amused smirk as she stayed at a distance, giving him space but still following.

'Was that really necessary?' Felix thought as Emma pulled him further down the corridor. With no powers, she should have been able to read his mind, right? 'Wait, Symbiote, is Emma trying to speak?' 

'Yesss. I denied herrr. Should I not?'

'Let her in.' 

There seemed to be a screech that only the two of them could hear: the opening of a gate. Emma winced.

'Jesus! What's up with your brain?' Emma's voice rang clearly in his head. 'Is it that black muck on TV?'

Felix smirked to himself. 'Something like that.' 

'Seriously, it hurts just to talk to you.' Emma's tone shifted, more sincere now. 'Although I suppose this is worth the risk for what you did. I believe thanks are in order.' 

'For what?'

'For defeating Creature Z,' Emma said in his head. 'That thing… it could have erased more than just New York.'

'Someone had to stop it.'

Emma gave him a sidelong glance, her voice now purely in his mind. 'Project Jarvis. Did you do what I asked? Did you get the blueprints?' 

Felix kept walking, but his posture stiffened slightly. 'I did—and the program itself is on ice.' 

Emma's mental voice purred, satisfied. 'Excellent. You'll have to show me those one day. Did you bring a USB?'

'I'll mail it over. I was…busy the past couple weeks.'

'Hrm. I can see that.'

They emerged onto the top deck, where the party was even more extravagant. Glass chandeliers swayed gently under the night breeze and the view of the harbor was breathtaking.

Two familiar figures stood near a private lounge setup overlooking the water.

Silvija Sablinova, the enigmatic princess known as Silver Sable, stood tall and poised in a sleek silver cocktail dress, arms crossed, surveying the deck like she owned it. Her signature white hair was tied back in a clean braid, eyes sharp as always.

Beside her, in contrast, was Kate Bishop, casually dressed in a silver-trimmed suit, sipping a glass of champagne while casually scrolling through something on her phone.

The moment Kate noticed Felix, she blinked twice. "Felix?"

Felix grinned, breaking free from Emma and moving toward her. "Kate, hey. Good to see you."

There was a lot between them. Intense emotions regarding her mother, but with everything that happened, the two met in a brief but warm hug.

"Glad to see you're okay," Kate murmured.

"Me too."

Kate pulled back, unable to hide a smile. "Wow, look at you. You're here. I'm genuinely surprised, are you even supposed to be here? Are you arm candy for Ms. Frost?"

As in, aren't you too broke to be here? 

"I've been leading the team alongside Mr. Osborn, actually."

"So you're his arm candy," Emma joked.

Silver Sable gave him a polite nod. "Ah, yes, Dr. Faeth. Mr. Osborn did mention you."

Felix returned it. "Mrs. Sable. An honour to meet you. You're the owner of Silver Sable International. I love your work."

Sable International was based in Symkaria and owned by the beautiful princess of Symkaria, the woman in front of him, Silvija Sablinova. Founded by Silver's grandfather, it was known for intervening in European countries that struggled against rising crime and other internal social issues. Although to say they were completely good was a stretch. He saw the numbers. Lots of civilian causalities.

"We do our best," Silver Sable replied. "And you run a charity operation from my understanding on top of scientific work?"

"Running, working, and expanding," Felix replied. "Especially after… well, everything. We're short-staffed, underfunded, but the number of volunteers has increased exponentially. Oscorp and the military have found us to be super effective."

"So I heard. You're a smart, determined man, Dr. Faeth. Many can claim to be one but not the other," Silver Sable said. "Any interest in working in Europe?"

"For sure. No question about it, I'd like to expand what we do beyond America. Once we've done enough here, of course."

"Talk to me in two month's time then," said Silver Sable. "By then, I am sure the situation here will be more stable."

With Herbie constantly faxing instructions and updates, it was easily the best organization for helping people on the ground. FEAST did not make mistakes and if they went into Europe, that would likely not change.

Because by then, he would have access to Herbie's Master Control.

Kate looked at Felix. She pursed her lips, blinking as if guilty, and then said, "Do you need any more backers?"

"I could use all the help I can get—although this does seem new for you, Kate."

Kate grinned. "Since I started hanging out with way too many bored billionaires. Don't underestimate wine-fueled philanthropy."

She must have inherited everything her mother had after her arrest; and given the amount of cash left in those accounts, after Creature Z's attack, Kate had no choice but to use it.

Silver Sable's lips quirked faintly. "The rich are feeling generous post-disaster. Take advantage while you can."

Felix chuckled. "I'd be a fool not to."