"Oooh. So that's what Red Skull meant." Naomi hummed, swinging her legs in the air. She had moved from the table to her tiny couch at some point during the day, lying across it even though it was short enough that her legs from the knees down hung over the side. Smith remained professional as ever, only readjusting herself in the chair a couple times and crossing and uncrossing her legs. Naomi couldn't imagine staying so still for so long. Even at the office, she had had a hard time sitting in one position for an extended time.

"Yes." Smith nodded. "Because you entered dimension 616 through one of our portals, your existence in 616 was effectively brought about by our organization. And because the Red Skull was unable to see beyond his own dimension, he perceived you as having been 'birthed,' in a sense, by the Watchers."

"I still can't believe it's actually called Earth 616." Naomi grinned, all too pleased with her new knowledge, courtesy of Smith. The woman had been extremely informative, and not to mention patient over the last two hours. Naomi hadn't been kidding when she said she had several questions. As soon as she started thinking about the Watchers, and the role they had played in her life, her Marvel-fan brain went on a joy-ride, picking at Smith for any and all details. Honestly, Naomi was a little disappointed in herself that she hadn't suspected something sooner. She had brushed off Red Skull's strange words because the situation had taken priority, but how was it that Naomi had never considered that there was a reason her phone could still pull up the internet from her dimension while in 616? It had been all too convenient for convincing heroes to believe her incredulous story, and for doing additional research on the MCU in order to defeat Thanos. Which Smith had been so kind as to inform Naomi that yes, Thanos had been defeated.

"As I explained earlier, dimensions in the Multiverse have a tendency to overlap in a multitude of ways. In this version of Earth," Smith raised a hand, gesturing around Naomi's dingy apartment, "alternate dimensions are prone to overlap in the form of media. Thus, the Marvel franchise was created." She finished, sounding rather deadpan for the incredulous information she kept dumping on Naomi. From the couch, Naomi glanced at the woman, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Wait a minute..." Naomi chewed her lip, "does that mean that the creators of the Marvel brand could see through dimensions?" She gasped, making a mental effort not to raise her hands up, or clench her fists. Her fingers were still giving the woman hell whenever she inadvertently moved them. But Naomi could hardly care about that now, she was too busy trying to connect all the dots from the information Smith gave out so care freely, as if it were no big deal.

"No. The multiverse is not so transparent as that." Smith said. Naomi grinned mischievously, staring up at her ceiling.

"Except in the universe where it is." She retorted. Naomi over, trying to see if she could get any sort of reaction from the woman. If she strained her eyes, she thought that maybe the corners of Smith's mouth were raised-

"Correct." Any amusement on her face washed away, back to business. "Any more questions, Naomi?"

Naomi huffed, momentarily giving up on trying to make the other woman crack a real smile. She knew that she should have asked Smith about this way earlier, considering the manner in which Naomi left, but to be honest she just needed a second to breathe. Everything in the MCU was always happening so fast, and Naomi had thought she was going to die a few more times than she was comfortable with. Apparently the Watchers had been helping to ensure that she didn't die, pulling some strings behind the scenes to create some classic MCU coincidences, but it didn't help to ease Naomi's consciousness. And yet, she knew that she couldn't lie down forever, and that there were people who cared about her deeply that were likely under the impression Naomi was dead. It was time to get up and go.

"So, can I go back to Earth 616?"

Smith didn't answer immediately. Naomi's shoulders tensed, she could practically feel the calculating gaze coming from the Watcher at her kitchen table. After a few seconds, Smith seemed to decide something, Naomi catching a strange expression on her face when she finally glanced over. "Yes. You may."

She couldn't help the grin that spread over her face, the breath of relief that flowed through her. With a grunt, Naomi pulled herself up into a sitting position, mentally noting that she would need to work on her core if her arms would be out of commission for much longer. Carefully, she rested her forearms on her knees an leaned forward, gazing at Smith expectantly. She blinked once at Naomi's behavior, then continued. "The Watchers will aid you in returning to 616, but after that our presence in your life will diminish greatly. You may not rely on us for free travel through the multiverse." Smith warned, her voice growing even more serious. She looked Naomi dead in the eyes as she spoke, ensuring that the younger woman took her seriously.

"Okay..." Naomi frowned, thinking deeply for a moment. "Will there be any way for me to travel on my own?" She questioned, going out on a limb but praying for it to work. Smith stared at her, gaze momentarily flickering down to her wrapped hands.

"That will depend on you, Naomi. I would advise you to practice caution, however. I have witnessed your reckless nature firsthand, remember." She revealed, standing up and brushing off her slacks. Naomi rushed to stand as well, jostling her left hand slightly in the process and wincing. She was really going to need to ask Strange about some physical therapy once she saw him. Naomi bounced on the heels of her feet slightly, the excitement about seeing everyone finally getting to her. She knew that it would likely be more depressing than anything else, since she might as well have been coming back from the dead, but it was still exciting. She was aching to see everyone safe and sound, especially Tony and Loki.

Reaching up, Smith pulled a thick, black object from her inner coat pocket. The realization that it was actually a phone hit Naomi when Smith flipped it open, proceeding to press several of the buttons in a focused manner. Naomi stepped closer, standing at her side and observing the phone with undisguised interest. It was nothing like an iPhone, its purpose seemingly to solely take and receive calls and texts. Not to mention that it was built like a Nokia, meaning that Naomi doubted she could break the thing if she tried, which was good considering her record of cracking her screens.

As she watched, Smith created a contact in the phone, the first contact, and proceeded to punch in Naomi's cell number. It was a little strange that the woman could recall he phone number from memory, but Naomi hardly found it the oddest thing about Smith, or anything in her life recently. Smith saved the contact under 'Naomi Swanson,' before handing the phone over to Naomi herself. She took it gingerly, cradling it in her palms so as not to overwork her fingers. Seeing as it was coming from Smith, a literal Watcher of the multiverse, Naomi took special interest in the phone, even non-smart phones were practically useless in the modern world.

"When you are prepared, call your cell number. Because your personal phone remains on 616, calling it will create a small, but solid link between the dimensions for a limited time. HQ will aid you in using that link to transverse dimensions, but remember that it will not happen again." Smith said, hands folded behind her back. Naomi nodded seriously, before raising an eyebrow as a question hit her.

"Hey, if you can go through dimensions with cell phones, why did I find that group of Watchers doing weird cult stuff to open a portal in an alley?" She prodded, remembering her confusion when she happened across that group what felt like years ago. She couldn't imagine what would have happened had Naomi chosen to leave them well enough alone.

"This kind of technology is reserved for higher-ups. Congratulations." Smith said dryly. Naomi smirked, glad to see some sliver of humor within the woman. She decided not to push the issue further, simply observing as Smith pulled a small card out of her other jacket pocket, holding it between two fingers as she offered it to Naomi. "This is my card. Do not call me."

"Gotcha." Naomi grinned, with every intention to call her with more questions. She let Smith drop the card into her palm, carefully transferring it to her pants pocket. Smith took a step back, giving Naomi a pointed stare. It was go time. Naomi nodded, biting her lip in anticipation as she stared down at the phone in her palm. The contact was already opened, so all she had to do was press the 'Call' button. Naomi took a deep breath, nodding to herself as she worked up the courage to press the button. She didn't have any reservations, she just knew it was going to hurt like a bitch when she pressed down.

Naomi hovered her finger over the button, before glancing back up at Smith with a smile. "Hasta la vista, Smithy."

She pushed the call button, pain instantly shooting through her finger. Smith raised an eyebrow at her, but the woman's face was not unkind, which was enough for Naomi.

---

Worlds away, Naomi's iPhone lit up with an unknown caller ID.