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The multiverse and parallel universes were two different concepts.
Put simply, every universe within the multiverse was like an independent lake. The lakes might exist beside one another, but each had its own water, ecosystem, and boundaries.
Parallel universes were different. They existed within the same lake, like reflections cast across its surface when the light struck from different angles. They shared the same foundation and depended on a primary reality. If that primary reality ceased to exist, every parallel world branching from it would disappear as well.
A parallel universe formed whenever someone made a consequential choice. That decision split the timeline, creating a new path whose events developed into a separate parallel world.
Hawk's arrival provided a perfect example.
He had crossed into a reality belonging to another multiverse. The moment he arrived, the timeline split. One branch included his arrival, while the other continued as though he had never appeared.
When this timeline's Captain America traveled into the past to return the Infinity Stones, another Captain America did the same in the parallel timeline where Hawk had never arrived.
Then something that should have been impossible occurred—
For a fraction of a second, both versions of Captain America traveled through the same temporal coordinates. Their paths overlapped, allowing this Cap's Quantum Realm wristband to capture data from the parallel world.
Evidence of that overlap lay hidden inside the final video file.
It was the recording immediately after the footage of Captain America returning to the past alone and spending the rest of his life with Peggy Carter.
No one had played it yet. Instead, the team stood in silence, staring at the Captain America in front of them.
"..." Cap met their uneasy gazes and laughed softly. "Hey, I'm right here, aren't I?"
It was not merely similar to Natasha's earlier response. He had stolen it word for word.
Cap understood why his parallel self had chosen to remain with Peggy. Given the same circumstances, part of him might have made the same decision.
But that man was not him.
Cap studied the worried faces of his teammates, then reached forward and opened the final file.
The video began to play.
Within seconds, everyone gathered around the console fell silent. Their eyes widened as they watched the footage, and stunned looks passed between them.
Cap recovered first. "Is Hawk back?"
"Ten minutes ago," one of the technicians answered. "Our scanners detected his energy signature entering the atmosphere. He should be at 521A Palm Street."
Cap turned toward Natasha. "Natasha…"
"On it."
She immediately copied the file and headed for the parking garage. "I'll find him."
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At 521A Palm Street, Hawk touched down in the backyard and looked through the glass doors. Wanda and his sister, Anya, were sitting in the living room, laughing together.
He paused before casually sliding the door open and stepping inside.
Anya sat cross-legged on the couch, her eyes gleaming with curiosity as Wanda told her stories about Jean, Billy, and Tommy. The moment Anya heard the door, she whipped her head around. Her face lit up.
"BROTHER!"
Hawk took one look at her and immediately recognized the hunger for gossip in her eyes.
It made sense. He had never told her that, in his original universe, he and Wanda had three children.
Their conception might have involved an unusual amount of science, but they were still unquestionably his children.
Hawk glanced at Wanda, and their eyes met.
"I thought you already told her," he said.
"I didn't."
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
Hawk smiled, ignored Anya's increasingly intense stare, and walked toward the bar.
Anya remained on the couch, blinking in disbelief at being ignored. She opened her mouth to complain, but Wanda stood and followed Hawk before she could say anything.
Anya glanced around, decided to stay where she was, and listened closely.
Hawk stepped behind the bar, grabbed a bottle of bourbon, and poured himself a strong drink. After the fight he had just survived, he needed one. When Wanda approached, he filled a second glass and slid it across the counter.
"Thanks," she said.
"Don't mention it."
Hawk tapped his glass against hers, and they both drank.
Wanda wrapped her hands around her glass and settled onto a barstool. After studying Hawk for a moment, she finally asked the question that had been troubling her since her arrival.
"Were you the one who pulled me into this universe?"
She had wanted to ask him immediately, but Thanos had interrupted before she had the chance. Now that the battle was over, nothing stood in her way.
Hawk shook his head. "No."
"If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
"I don't know."
He took another sip of bourbon.
Wanda frowned as she examined his face. "You aren't curious?"
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"Curiosity killed the cat."
Hawk raised his glass and lightly tapped it against hers again. "When the answer is ready to reveal itself, it will."
Her frown deepened, but after a brief silence, she shook her head and abandoned the subject.
"Fine. How do I get back?"
Jean, Billy, and Tommy were still waiting in their original universe. She needed to return to them.
Worry entered her voice. "Don't tell me I'm trapped here."
"You aren't," Hawk said.
"Then how do I leave?"
"You need a Quantum Realm wristband."
Hawk set down his glass and raised Peter's wristband, the device that allowed its wearer to navigate through the Quantum Realm. He gave Wanda a quick explanation of its functions, removed it from his wrist, and placed it in her hand.
Wanda stared at the device resting in her palm, then looked up at him. "You aren't coming with me?"
"I have business here."
A faint smirk crossed Hawk's face.
His rules had always been simple. Back on Earth, if someone provoked him, he burned down the Pentagon.
Those same rules applied here.
Gwen had disappeared, which meant Hawk intended to make her disappearance the Celestials' problem. The universe might still be restricting his power, but he remained capable of destroying a planet if necessary.
The Celestials had two choices: return Gwen or watch him slaughter every last one of them in this reality.
Wanda seemed to realize what he was thinking. "What about afterward? How will you get home without the wristband?"
"Don't worry about it."
Hawk noticed the concern in her eyes. He smiled and tapped his temple. "The coordinates of our universe are locked inside my head. When I'm ready to leave, I'll have this world's Hank Pym build another wristband. Then I'll jump straight into the Quantum Realm."
Besides, he was only ten steps away from unlocking the Eighth Sense of Life.
Once he attained that power and evolved the essence of his life, he would no longer need technology to cross the Quantum Realm.
By then, he would be the universe itself.
Wanda considered his explanation, then nodded. Looking down at the wristband, she laughed softly.
"Alright. I'll head back first. Anya was asking me yesterday where you had disappeared to."
From the couch behind them, Anya blinked. A moment later, she realized Wanda meant the Anya from the other universe.
The one who was supposedly…
"The gentle and kind Anya?" she asked.
"Yep."
"..." Hawk glanced toward the couch. Anya was practically bouncing with excitement as she listened to their conversation.
He smirked. "I think I prefer the gentle and kind Anya now."
Anya launched herself off the couch, sprinted across the room, and hopped onto the stool beside Wanda.
"Why? Last time, you said you preferred your smart and clever sister!"
"Because the gentle and kind sister doesn't gossip nearly as much as the smart and clever one."
Anya stared at him with wide eyes. Tears immediately gathered in them, and her lower lip began to tremble.
Hawk watched her performance for several seconds before surrendering.
"I'm joking. I like the smart one, and I like the gentle one. You're both my little sisters."
"Hehe."
Her tears vanished instantly. Anya beamed at him as though she had never been upset.
"Then can I visit that universe and meet my little sister?"
Hawk blinked.
Wanda turned toward the girl beside her, her curiosity suddenly piqued.
Anya looked between them. "I'm twenty-seven, and she's twenty-two. That makes her my little sister, right?"
Her timeline had already reached the year 2022, after all.
Wanda mentally calculated the difference. Once she understood, she gave Hawk a pointed look.
The corner of Hawk's mouth twitched. He glared at Anya. "Are you trying to play the big sister again?"
Seeing his expression darken, Anya raised both hands defensively.
"This is different! You have to keep the relationships separate. You call me your sister, and I call her my sister. I've always dreamed of being a big sister!"
Hawk drew a deep breath and looked down, searching the area around his waist.
Anya blinked. "Brother, what are you looking for?"
"My belt."
"Why do you need your belt?"
"Take a wild guess."
Anya froze.
"…I'm going to my room."
She immediately jumped off the stool, stopped arguing, and ran upstairs.
Hawk watched her retreat before shaking his head and laughing. He turned back toward Wanda and opened his mouth to speak, but the doorbell rang before he could begin.
"Natasha," he said.
Wanda glanced toward the entrance, rose from her stool, and walked over to open the door. When she saw the woman standing on the porch, she smiled.
"Hawk is inside."
Natasha did not return the smile. Her expression remained completely serious.
"I have a video," she said. "Both of you need to see it."
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