Since Lex had finally fallen asleep after almost two days of staying awake, Sharon decided to spend the evening exploring New York.
The city felt strangely familiar.
As she walked through the streets beneath the glow of neon signs and streetlights, memories kept surfacing one after another. She remembered fighting in places like these once upon a time. Patrolling rooftops with her friends. Saving people. Laughing between battles like the world wasn't constantly trying to end.
Someone had once told her she would probably outlive almost everyone she knew.
At the time she had been happy about it.
She had only been a teenager back then. To her it sounded like winning at life.
Now she knew better.
Outliving your friends and family could be its own kind of cruelty.
Sharon looked up toward the night sky as cold wind brushed against her face.
She could no longer sleep properly anymore. Over the years she had altered her body enough that she only needed a few hours of sleep every week.
Not because there had been too much work to do in that god-forsaken world.
But because dreams were sometimes worse than reality.
Especially when reality itself had already become a nightmare.
After all, what could possibly be worse than living alone in the world?
Dreaming of a good life.
Dreaming of people who were gone.
Dreaming of normalcy.
Sharon let out a slow breath before stepping onto a rooftop and continuing across the city.
Below her New York remained alive despite the late hour. Cars moved through glowing streets, distant music echoed faintly from somewhere nearby and occasionally she heard laughter drifting upward from civilians who had no idea how lucky they were.
For a brief moment she envied them.
Then she heard fighting.
Her expression sharpened almost instantly.
The sounds were distant but clear enough to her enhanced senses. Metal clashing. Footsteps. Someone landing hard against concrete.
Without hesitation Sharon moved.
She crossed rooftops quickly before dropping down near an alleyway where the fight was taking place.
And there she saw White Tiger.
Or more specifically, Ava Ayala.
A younger Ava.
For a second Sharon froze slightly.
The sight hit her harder than expected.
Her Ava had been older. More exhausted. Hardened by years of fighting.
This Ava still moved with reckless energy.
Even now while surrounded by black-clad ninjas she looked more annoyed than afraid.
The Hand.
Sharon recognized them almost immediately from Lex's descriptions.
Ava was trying to fight them off, but the sheer number of ninjas was slowly overwhelming her. More importantly, Sharon quickly noticed they weren't trying to kill her.
They were trying to capture her.
Sharon immediately activated her Darkstar Armour.
Black and silver plating formed around her body in seconds while faint blue energy pulsed across the armor lines. She specifically chose this armor because it had the highest defensive capability among her equipment while also excelling in crowd control.
Exactly what she needed right now.
Because regardless of timelines or universes...
Ava had once been her friend.
And Sharon wasn't about to stand there and watch her get dragged away.
The nearest ninja suddenly flew backward as Sharon slammed her shield directly into his chest.
The impact cracked the wall behind him.
Several others immediately turned toward her only for Sharon's sword to slash through them in a blur of silver light.
Years of experience showed themselves almost immediately.
Every movement was efficient.
Precise.
Controlled.
Her shield intercepted attacks aimed toward both herself and Ava while her sword moved almost independently, forcing the surrounding ninjas back.
“Ahh thank you miss…?” Ava asked while jumping onto one ninja's shoulders before using him as a foothold to launch herself into another group.
Two ninjas crashed into a dumpster from the impact.
“No need for thanks,” Sharon replied while blocking a sword strike with her shield. “Just helping out a fellow Hero.”
The word made her pause internally for the briefest moment.
Hero.
She hadn't called someone that in years.
Not since her own world had fallen apart.
Meanwhile Ava visibly brightened.
“Yes.. yup that's what we Heroes should do.” Ava said proudly before kicking one ninja hard enough to send him tumbling across the alley. “Still.. thanks.”
She grinned afterward despite the situation.
“Oh let me introduce myself, I'm White Tiger.”
Sharon looked at her for a second too long.
The same confidence.
The same stubborn energy.
For one painful moment it almost felt like looking at a ghost.
“I'm…” Sharon hesitated.
Captain America.
She could no longer call herself that.
Not after failing to save her world.
Not after everyone she fought beside had died.
Before she could think of another name however, Ava's phone suddenly started ringing.
“Sorry, gotta take this—” Ava said before quickly answering it.
Sharon meanwhile slammed her shield into another Hand ninja hard enough to break his stance completely.
“Yes… no I'm alright… yes they did…” Ava spoke quickly into the phone while catching her breath. “Okay I'm coming.”
She hung up before immediately looking back toward Sharon.
“Sorry I've gotta go,” Ava explained while adjusting her mask slightly. “The Hand is also attacking someone else.”
“Do you need any help?” Sharon asked immediately.
“No it should be fine,” Ava replied confidently. “My aunt has already called for backup.”
Sharon narrowed her eyes slightly at that.
Backup.
Interesting.
Still, Ava gave her no time to question further before sprinting off across the rooftops.
Sharon watched her disappear into the night silently.
Then after a few seconds she looked down at the unconscious Hand ninjas scattered around the alley.
Something told her New York was about to become very chaotic.
As she once again started moving around the city, only a few minutes had passed when Sharon suddenly heard Lex call out to her from behind.
“Sharon, wait up.”
She stopped and turned around, slightly surprised to see him jogging toward her.
“What happened? Weren't you asleep?” Sharon asked with a small frown. Lex had only fallen asleep after staying awake for almost two days straight. Sure, he could technically ignore the need for sleep if he wanted to, but that didn't mean it was healthy for him, especially while dealing with all of this.
“Yes, I woke up and thought I'd find you.” He replied once he reached her.
“Well you really should have tried to sleep again but it's okay,” Sharon sighed lightly before crossing her arms. “So why were you looking for me?”
“Oh I was just worried about the girls you know…” Lex rubbed the back of his neck slightly. “We should probably go and check out that site too, the farmhouse. Just to check on the situation.”
Sharon thought about it for a second before nodding.
“Fair enough.” She glanced around briefly. “So where's your car?”
“Oh there was some problem with it, don't know what happened. I'll have to check it out tomorrow.” He replied casually.
“Is that so…” Sharon narrowed her eyes slightly before shrugging. “So how are you planning we go there?”
“Ah don't worry, I've got it covered.” Lex gestured for her to follow him. “I rented out this car.”
He led her toward a parked Ford Fusion by the side of the road.
“Can you drive though? I'm feeling kind of tired.” He requested while handing her the keys.
“Of course, don't worry about it.” Sharon replied as she took the keys and got into the driver's seat.
The engine started smoothly and soon they were driving through the streets of New York.
“Sharon…” Lex spoke up after a few moments of silence. “I was thinking we should go over everything we know about this kidnapping and mutant experiments once again, just to see if we missed anything.”
“Of course.” Sharon glanced toward him briefly before focusing back on the road. “Anything specific you wanna talk about?”
“No no… just what do you think about the whole incident and how much resistance do you expect? After all you are experienced at this.” Lex replied.
“Well…” Sharon leaned back slightly into the seat while thinking. “I think that while the entire Hellfire Club might not be involved in it, some members might not even know about it. But most of them would still be ready to defend one of their own if he gets attacked.”
The city lights reflected across the windshield as the car moved through traffic.
“And since this base is so close to New York,” Sharon continued, “it won't take them much time to reach Jason either.”
Lex nodded quietly while listening.
“Jason can cast illusions so we'll also have to be extremely careful in what we believe and what we should scrutinize,” Sharon added. “As for the other mutant who looks like a demon… we don't know his powers yet, which can cause problems.”
As they continued talking, they eventually arrived close enough to observe the farmhouse from a distance without looking suspicious.
The area looked quiet.
Too quiet if anything.
“Well, we're here.” Sharon slowly looked over the property. “There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary though.”
“Yes, it seems I was worried for nothing.” Lex replied while staring toward the farmhouse. “We should probably go back unless someone accidentally spots us.”
Sharon nodded and slowly turned the car around.
The drive back was much quieter.
By the time they reached the hotel, the streets had already started emptying out for the night.
Sharon parked the car and both of them stepped out.
Lex walked toward the hotel entrance alongside her before suddenly stopping and pulling out his phone.
“Ohh, looks like a friend of mine is stuck at a nightclub and she lost her wallet.” He looked up from the screen. “I'll go help her out.”
Before Sharon could reply, Lex casually took the car keys from her hand and got back into the car.
The engine started again and the Ford Fusion slowly drove away into the city lights.
A few moments later, as the car disappeared into a darker street away from the hotel—
‘Lex’ began to change.
His skin shifted first.
Then his face.
His entire body seemed to ripple unnaturally before the image of Lex melted away completely.
In his place appeared a young woman with blue skin.
Meanwhile Sharon entered the hotel and returned to the suite only to find it empty.
The lights were still on and some of Lex’s things were lying around casually, but Lex himself was nowhere to be seen.
Sharon immediately took out her phone and called him.
“Hey, where are you?”
“Oh, remember Angela? The former White Tiger?” Lex replied from the other side almost immediately. “She called and asked for help against the Hand since I've told them if they can find any lead, they should call me.”
“Oh okay,” Sharon nodded slightly to herself. “Forward me the address, I'll come too.”
She paused for a second before continuing.
“Anyways, it's confirmed now. It was the Brotherhood.”
“Oh what happened?” Lex immediately asked.
“Mystique came,” Sharon replied calmly while walking toward the balcony. “She had polymorphed into you and pretended to be you to get information out of me.”
There was a brief silence.
“Damn…” Lex muttered. “Maybe I should polymorph into her and go into the Brotherhood…”
Another short pause.
“Oh or better I'll polymorph into her and seduce her using herself— oh wait forget that part, I accidentally said it out loud.”
Sharon closed her eyes for a second.
“…You're the first person I've met who isn't panicking that someone just pretended to be you.” she sighed.
“Not really worried,” Lex replied casually. “They can only barely copy my appearance anyways. If anyone tries to copy anything truly ‘me’ they won't be able to. It's one of the powers I have.”
Sharon leaned lightly against the balcony railing while listening.
“Anyways…” she continued, steering the conversation back on topic. “I think after this the Brotherhood might arrive sooner than the X-Men.”
“Probably.”
“But it's still better this way,” Sharon said. “For us it doesn't matter who comes as long as the girls are rescued. No matter if Brotherhood is called a terrorist organization, I've experienced it myself that they would never willingly go against mutants.”
“We'll see,” Lex replied. “I'll keep an eye on it using the Compass. I'll send you the address.”
“Alright.”
The call ended soon afterward.
Sharon quietly put her phone away.
Honestly, she had figured out Lex wasn't Lex almost immediately after meeting him.
Even ignoring everything else, just the connection between Summon and Summoner alone had already confirmed it.
Still, she had decided to play along.
Partially because she wanted to know who it was.
And partially because it benefited them more this way.
Of course Mystique had immediately come to mind once she started connecting things together.
First Lex meeting Pyro.
Then Sharon discovering a microphone hidden inside their hotel room earlier that morning.
And now someone polymorphing into Lex.
The answer had become fairly obvious.
Still, Sharon had continued pretending because it was simply the best course of action.
This way she could conveniently pass down the information she wanted them to find out.
Even without the summon connection, there had still been several small things wrong.
For one, the car.
According to Lex, nobody else could use his actual car without permission, yet this ‘Lex’ suddenly had another vehicle entirely.
Meaning whoever it was either couldn't access the original car or didn't know enough about it.
Then there was the fact that the Ford Fusion wasn't actually rented either.
It had been stolen.
Sharon had checked while they were driving.
And from Lex's personality alone, it was obvious he would've simply bought a car if he really needed one.
The fake had been close enough to fool most people.
But not her.
Still, in the end none of it really mattered as long as things turned out the way they wanted.