In the world of superheroes, Earths are numbered. For example, Universe 52 has Earth 52.
Liu A'dou had no idea what number his own Earth was. But since they were about to travel, he figured he'd just call it Earth 1—even though he knew full well his Earth was definitely not number one.
"Ada-jie, are you cold?"
Ada was the obvious choice for the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but her pregnancy forced her to step down. Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. was restructuring, Director Nick Fury had resigned, members had scattered into different organizations, and many had been absorbed by the Eye of Providence—like Agent Coulson. Agent Maria had left to work at Stark Industries. The Director had decided to keep faking his death and completely go into hiding.
"What a shame. If I had held on for just one more month, I'd be sitting in the Director's seat right now," Ada said, clearly still bitter about missing such a rare opportunity.
"Come on, Ada-jie, we'll have more chances later. Earth's never gonna be peaceful. Who knows, maybe you'll become President of the United States someday," Liu A'dou said as he hauled equipment out of the base.
"I don't want to be President. That job's exhausting. I think being Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is more than enough."
"Then why not start your own organization after our daughter is born?"
"Doesn't sound fun. I just enjoy the thrill of getting promoted," she said with a smirk. Her interests were definitely... unique.
But thinking about her past, it made sense. Ada had always been treated like a tool, sent on the most dangerous missions. In this world, she needed to rebuild her identity. Being an agent gave her something familiar. S.H.I.E.L.D. felt like another version of the Umbrella Corporation, except it was government-run and her job was to protect people. That gave her a sense of fulfillment.
"Can't we activate the portal from inside the base?"
"We can, but I've never tested it before. Not sure how safe it is. You don't want the Kaitou base blowing up, do you?"
"I think that'd be great. We could remodel the place," Ada replied. She rarely came to the base, always feeling like the decor screamed 'narcissistic thief'—too much Kaitou paraphernalia.
"...Fine, I'm not arguing with my wife."
Kaitou Kid pulled out the cables. Activating the gate required a lot of energy. He planned to pull power from the main reactor. After all, Dr. Manhattan had stored up plenty—it'd be a waste not to use it.
"First, place the Quantum Earth on the stand..."
Ada stood off to the side in her oversized coat, watching Liu A'dou work. Her belly was already huge. He wouldn't dare let her lift a finger.
"Don't we need to carry the Quantum Earth with us?" she asked.
"This is just a test. When we actually travel, we'll bring it along," Liu A'dou explained. "We'll also need to bring the computer. Without it, we can't locate our way back. Right now, the supercomputer has mapped coordinates for 17 standard Earths. We'll be going to Earth 9 first. I like that number."
"I like 13," Ada said.
"Then we'll try Universe 13 next time," Liu A'dou grinned. "For this first trip, we've gotta bring our Gold Cloths and some gold."
"I'm bringing my guns too," Ada said. She really never went anywhere without them.
"Bring it all." Just imagining a pregnant woman traveling with weapons was kinda epic.
Once everything was set, Kaitou Kid moved Ada aside and got ready to activate the portal.
Energy would be transmitted in particle-beam form into the Quantum Earth. As the beam hit the tiny globe inside the crystal pillar, the surface of the mini Earth began to ripple, like a drop of water hitting a lake, spreading wider and wider.
About 30 seconds later, the spatial vibrations stabilized.
Liu A'dou monitored the energy output. Just opening the gate once had already drained 2% of the reactor's energy—and it kept rising. Alarmed, he quickly ran a test, tossing a few objects into the portal. Using the Force, he sensed that neither living nor non-living things were harmed. Then he shut it down.
In just a few minutes, it had consumed 10% of the power—enough to supply half of America for years.
"Why'd you shut it off?" Ada asked.
"This portal's a damn energy-eating monster. If we keep it on, we won't need to travel—it'll blow us up first," Liu A'dou said, scratching his head. "If the destination world doesn't have advanced tech, and no energy source, we're screwed. Looks like we'll have to haul a whole truck of energy with us."
"Can't we use Cosmos energy to activate it?"
"Cosmos energy's for defense. We can't waste it on opening gates. We still don't know what kind of world's waiting for us on the other side."
Ada nodded. "So what do we do about the energy?"
"I'll spend the next few days building more Arc Reactors just in case," Liu A'dou said. He figured they'd need at least 50. To be safe, he planned for 60. Liu A'dou was a cautious guy. For family matters, he had to be thorough.
"I'll help." Starting from synthesizing the new element, the two of them spent a few days creating 60 Arc Reactors together.
When the day of the journey arrived, Diana brought the Gold Cloths from Themyscira. Elsa came along too, carrying a stash of gold.
While Liu A'dou and Ada were gone, Elsa would be in charge of everything at home.
Diana set down the Cloths and told Ada, "Don't forget—you promised I'd get to train your daughter when she's born."
A'dou gave a helpless smile, but Ada nodded. "I won't forget."
Liu A'dou gave Elsa a long list of instructions. He really saw her as family—he even gave her the bank password. "After we leave, take care of the house. And don't forget to mow the lawn."
Elsa nodded. She looked a little sad. Her first 'family' in this modern world was going off on an adventure, and she'd be alone again.
"If something comes up you can't handle, go to Professor X. Or find Pepper. Or Chu Yuxuan. The three of them can help." But honestly, he doubted anything major would happen. The two of them would be gone no more than half a year. They'd return once their daughter was born—or once they confirmed the bug wasn't a problem.
Everything was ready. The Gold Cloths were packed in cases. Odin's Robe had its own crystal-gold box. The 60 Arc Reactors and 10 gold bars were packed in an aluminum crate. All the weapons and outfits were organized in separate cases.
"All right, Elsa, Diana—we're off," Liu A'dou said. "See you at the end of the year."
This time, Liu A'dou held the Quantum Earth himself. As the energy beam hit it, ripples spread once again, and space began to quake.
Liu A'dou could feel his hands slipping into another dimension—like they didn't belong to him anymore. Luckily, the ripples grew large enough to surround them both. The more energy they fed in, the bigger the gate became.
Watching the tablet, Liu A'dou saw the energy usage pass 30%. 'As expected, the more stuff we bring, the more energy it burns.'
Whoosh!
Elsa and Diana exchanged shocked looks. It was like watching a magic trick. The two of them—loaded with bags and gear—just vanished from this world. It felt completely surreal.