Showing Felicia my complete truth took an hour.
She experienced it all through the psychic connection—my death in another world, awakening in Marcus Cole's body, the discovery of my powers, every manipulation I'd performed, every life I'd touched and changed. I held nothing back, letting her see not just my actions but my reasoning, my fears, my goals.
When I finally pulled back, she stumbled to the couch, her face pale.
"You're not from this world," she whispered. "You're from a place where this is all… fiction. Comics and movies."
"Yes."
"And you know what's coming. Thanos. The Infinity Stones. All of it."
"Some of it. Timelines can change. But yes, I know the major threats."
She was silent for a long time, processing. I waited, giving her space. Through our lingering connection, I could feel her mind racing through the implications.
"That's why you're building power," she said finally. "You're preparing for war."
"I'm preparing to survive. To make sure the people I care about survive." I sat beside her, but didn't touch her. "In my old world, I was nobody. Powerless to change anything. Here, I have the ability to make a difference. To protect what matters."
"And I matter?"
"More than you know."
She looked at me then, really looked at me, seeing me fully for the first time. "You could have anyone. With your powers, you could make anyone feel anything for you. Why me? Why really?"
"Because you chose me. Because when you decided to trust me, it was your decision, not mine. That's worth more than anything I could force." I finally reached out, taking her hand. "I've been alone, Felicia. In both lives. But with you, I don't feel alone anymore."
Her expression softened. "You absolute idiot. You should have told me sooner."
"I know."
"No, I mean—" she squeezed my hand, "—I've been falling in love with you for months, you asshole. And you let me think I might be crazy for trusting someone so completely."
My breath caught. "You love me?"
"Of course I do. Why do you think I moved in? Why do you think I trust you with my life on every job?" She pulled me closer. "I love you, Marcus Cole. Or whoever you really are. I love the person you are now, the choices you make, the way you see me."
Something in my chest cracked open—a wall I hadn't even known was there. In my old life, I'd never had this. In this life, I'd been too afraid to hope for it.
"I love you too," I said, and meant it with every fiber of my being.
She kissed me then, fierce and claiming, her hands fisting in my hair. And this time, when I felt her mind open to mine, I let her in just as completely. We shared everything—every emotion, every sensation, every ounce of feeling we had for each other.
When we finally broke apart, both breathless, she smiled.
"So," she said. "Since I know everything now… when do I meet the other girls in your future harem?"
I blinked. "What?"
"Oh please. I saw your plans in there. Building an empire, gathering powerful allies, multiple romantic relationships." She smirked. "I'm not stupid, Marcus. And honestly? I'm not even mad about it. As long as I'm first and you never lie to me again."
"You're serious."
"Completely. We're going to face gods and monsters and cosmic threats. If you need a team—a real team, people you can trust absolutely—then we build that team together. And if some of them end up in your bed?" She shrugged. "I know you're loyal. I know you'll never manipulate them. That's enough for me."
"Felicia Hardy, you are the most extraordinary woman I've ever met."
"I know. Now come here and remind me why you're worth all this trouble."
I did.
Two weeks later
With Felicia fully in the loop, everything changed.
She became my true partner—not just in heists, but in building the network that would become my empire. She had insights I'd missed, connections I didn't know existed, and a ruthless pragmatism that balanced my calculated approach.
Together, we were unstoppable.
"What about her?" Felicia asked one evening, pointing to a file on my desk. Jessica Drew's SHIELD profile stared back at us. "Spider-Woman. Former SHIELD agent, former Hydra… complicated history. But she's powerful, skilled, and from what your memories show, she's going to be important."
"She's also deeply loyal to SHIELD right now," I countered. "Recruiting her would be risky."
"Everything worth doing is risky." Felicia flipped through the file. "But I'm not saying we recruit her now. I'm saying we put ourselves in position to be there when she needs us. SHIELD is going to betray her eventually—they always do. When that happens, we're the alternative."
She was right. In the comics timeline, Jessica had been betrayed, used, and discarded more times than I could count. If I positioned myself correctly, I could be the one she turned to when everything fell apart.
"Alright," I agreed. "We start building a relationship. Nothing overt. Just… being visible in the right places."
"See? This is why you need me." She kissed my cheek. "You're brilliant at the big picture, but you miss the emotional angles. People aren't just chess pieces, Marcus. They're people with needs, fears, desires. You want a real team? You need to understand what drives them."
"And what drives you?"
"Freedom. Excitement. And you." She grinned. "In that order."
I laughed, pulling her into my lap. "You know, in my old world, I used to read stories about this. Isekai power fantasies where the hero builds a harem and conquers the world."
"And how's reality comparing to fiction?"
"Reality is better. Fiction never got the part right where you actually have to care about people. Where relationships are work and vulnerability and choosing each other every day."
"Good answer." She settled against me. "So what's our next move? We've got money, we've got information, we've got me being absolutely perfect. What else do we need?"
"Technology. Real cutting-edge stuff. Dr. Chen is going to be key for that. Also, we need to start thinking about a base of operations that's not just my penthouse."
"Ooh, a secret lair. I like it."
"Naturally." I pulled up a map on my tablet. "I've been looking at properties. There's an abandoned facility under Midtown—old Cold War bunker that's been forgotten. We could renovate it, turn it into headquarters."
"How abandoned are we talking?"
"Completely off the books. The city thinks it was filled in decades ago."
"Perfect." She studied the map. "We'll need people to help with construction. People we can trust."
"I can handle that. A few strategic suggestions to the right contractors…" I trailed off, thinking. "But we'll need to be careful. Every time I use my powers, there's a risk someone notices. A psychic like Emma Frost or Charles Xavier could potentially detect the anomaly."
"Then we work smart. Use your powers only when necessary, build genuine relationships when we can." She looked up at me. "You know what you're building, right? Not just a team or an empire. You're building a family. People who choose to be together because they want to, not because they have to."
"Is that what we are? A family?"
"We're whatever we decide to be." She kissed me softly. "But yeah. I think so. A really weird, probably-going-to-fight-gods family. But a family."
"I can live with that."
"Good. Because you're stuck with me now." She stood, stretching. "Come on. We've got a secret base to plan and a world to prepare for. Let's get to work."
As I watched her walk to the window, silhouetted against the New York skyline, I realized something profound: I'd come to this world expecting to have to control everything to survive. But what I'd found instead was something infinitely more valuable.
I'd found someone who saw all of me—the power, the manipulation, the darkness—and chose to stand beside me anyway.
And that was worth more than all the mind control in the world.