Jay woke up feeling someone climbing on his bed, making him turn, wrapping his hand around her. He stroked her soft hair, taking in her scent, kissing her forehead, "tough mission?"

"No, just lengthy," A husky, seductive voice entered his ear, making him open his eyes.

He glanced at the dark red hair, "seeing me, again and again, is a lengthy mission?"

Natasha raised her head from his chest, sliding up to put her head on the pillow. With her face inches apart from his, she whispered, "very lengthy."

"Why are you here now?" Jay's lips brushed against her, stroking her back, moving his hand towards her thigh.

Natasha stopped his hand when it was on her waist, "there was an attack on Gulmira. By the hands of your dear friend."

Jay turned on his back, "Hm, so figured that much out. Since you know what do you want with me?"

Natasha narrowed her attractive green eyes, "your old nemesis attacked again. He took out a team of agents but didn't kill them. We don't know what he has been doing to them. With this, the number has reached a hundred. Director is thinking about terminating their services...but you understand. If the numbers keep rising..."

"SHIELD will be the one to get terminated," Jay whispered, "Hm, I understand. But I can't beat Primo. I doubt anyone can."

Natasha traced his cheeks, softly kissing his lips. She closed her eyes as he kissed back, pulling away, "I missed that..."

Jay stroked her waist, "yeah, so did I."

Natasha softly pecked his lips again, "you were the only one that even got close to Primo in the past two decades since he appeared."

Her palm traced his hands, their fingers interlocking, "come back. We can be together again. Go on the missions together? Do you really want to forget about everything that happened in the past five years?"

Jay watched her with a kind look, "No. I thought you would be happy that I am out? You were always the one who told me to get out if I get a chance, that the life of an agent wasn't for me."

Natasha sat up, her chest heaving, "I did, and I was hoping that you could live a regular life. But I was wrong."

She glared at him, "What have you been doing, Jay? Meeting random people, keeping tabs on people. Monitoring them? Some of them have something special, and Nick, Coulson, and Maria believe that others might have the potential to be exceptional in their own way. You are not out, if so. I'd rather have you with me than alone, separated, isolated."

Jay sat up, putting his hand on her palm, "I am not isolated, alone, or lonely. You were right; that life isn't for me, I couldn't handle all the secrets, so I left. I also couldn't deal with the failure of not being able to defeat Primo. Nat, I need a break from all this."

He stood up from bed, "how about this? Things are becoming messy, and they will only get messier."

Jay picked up two black blocks, sticking together like chopsticks, opening them, "I will give you a number to the secured line. If there is any advice that you like. I will help you or other trusted units that I have vetted. Does that help?"

Natasha heard her mobile ring, telling, it had a new message, looking up, "yes, that works."

She stood up from bed, standing in front of him, "have you decided that you won't be coming back? You can team up with me?"

Jay watched her with a knowing smile, "will you stay?"

Natasha raised her arms, cradling his face as she got on her toes to kiss him. The sweet, seductive kiss they shared caused the both of them to close their eyes until Natasha pulled back, inches away from him, "Of course not."

Jay chuckled, "yeah, that's the Natasha I know and love."

Natasha smiled, turning to leave, when she stopped near the door, "Jay, why are you doing this? Meeting these people, keeping taps of them, becoming their so-called friend? Are they going to turn out like Tony Stark?"

Jay watched her back, side of her face nearly covered with her dark red hair, "No, they won't. I think I know what the future holds, and I don't know what it holds. That is why I am not acting but collecting. People who can make things right if something goes wrong. Ask Fury to leave them alone, or he won't just have Primo on his back."

Natasha let out a smile, "I'll tell him. I am glad you are still on this side."

"Always." Jay watched her leave, following in distance until she left his apartment.

Although he knew that she wouldn't leave anything behind just to keep tabs on him.

He closed his eyes, and in his mind, everything started breaking apart, losing its color. It all started turning into blueprints until there was nothing. It all started building up again, the blueprints, the material, the furniture until even he was rebuilt, standing in the middle of the house, watching everything.

He opened his eyes, "that was unexpected. I was hoping for a bug or two."

He sat down on the sofa, thinking about what Natasha's question was. He walked outside, climbing the stairs of the building with 6 floors. He stepped onto the roof, standing at the edge.

How did he get here?

Well, it started 25 years ago, when he was born to a beautiful woman who was too young to have him. And so, he was dumped into an orphanage.

Ordinarily, it might be good or bad, depending on the luck. Jay's was best and worse.

Best because it was a good orphanage, worst because his powers awakened the moment he was born.

This universe that he was born in had numerous parallel universes. He knew of 1024 parallel universes because 22 years ago, at the 6th hour, of the 6th day of the 6th month, he was simultaneously born in all 1024 universes. The year varied depending on the timeline of that universe.

The worse part was that he was not only born in 1024 parallel universes. In most, he had parents and families. In some, he nearly lost them.

The main question is, how did he know when and how many universes he was born in.

It was because his counterparts and he were connected, sharing information. If need be, sometimes senses, knowledge, even the thought process.

He existed in 1023 parallel universes and this universe at the same time. And because of that, he had seen more than any things humans of this universe had seen.

He had seen Gwen turn into Spider-woman, Cindy turn into Silk, Mary into Carnage. Fought alongside Fantastic Four and Silver surfer against the Galactus and entity that ate planets.

Fought against Victor Doom, a Tony that put armors around the world and make them bend their knees into submission, fought against alien races. Stopped Ultron's plan to reach higher evolution by making man and machine into one. It would have wiped out the whole population because of the flaw in his plan.

And there were battles that his counterparts were currently fighting and those that didn't have to fight anymore.

Because of this connection, because some of them needed much help. Jay's few other counterparts decided to put a few unstable Earths under their control and use them for research.

They were the research centers of their collectiveness, helping those who didn't even have the resources to do any research.

Throughout their journey to this point, the collective had learned many things. Martial Arts, Magic, Numerous branches of technology, collected dangerous items, and master the knowledge over how to build them. From something as simple as a perfect super-soldier serum to much grander things.

But above all was the unique mind and power he was born with, red energy that could take the shape of a freakish kind of flames. Flames that were much stronger than any ordinary flame, with various properties.

He thought he didn't need these powers in this universe until he turned five years old, and there was a report in the newspaper. Howard Stark and his wife died in an alleged accident. That report sent him in a furry, wondering if something was hiding underneath after all.

And it started them, he had to use his powers again, he had to make sure who was safe, who was not, where the threat could come from.

Most of all, to make sure the people he fought alongside in the other universes, some who sacrificed themselves for a greater good. He needed to make sure these people lived a good life without being tormented by evil hiding in this universe.

Maybe it was guilt over not being able to save Howard Stark and his wife - that was why he took an identity.

In New York, In some basement,

There was a chair, kept in front of a mirror with clothes on it. A black pinstripe suit with a white shirt and black tie. There was also a ring at the center of the chair.

Red energy appeared around the chair, going inside the clothes and ring. Forming the shape of a human before it turned into a young man with middle-length spiky blonde hair, burning flames like orange eyes, with a height of 190 cm.

He raised his right hand, looking at the ring with a blue crystal that had a roman numerical one on it. It was a stolen identity from a comic character that he really liked. One which was perfect for doing the job that needed to be done, "Primo."