There are some things you have to understand about having unbelievable super powers:

1. They're insanely cool!

2. Fame is inevitable.

3. They don't always go according to plan.

After I stepped through the portal to my universe, I felt a disturbance. I felt my stomach tighten, a knot squeezing taut. My senses peaked, on high alert for something I'd have yet to detect. My security and defences were up. After what happened with...I decided that I needed everything to be on full alert. I didn't want to take the risk.

I went to investigate the disturbance when suddenly a portal opened nearby (indeed, my galaxy has a mind of its own). And I was shoved through. I don't know how it happened.

I landed in a damp alley near some trashcans. Some stinky trashcans; the smell was unbelievable. The brick walls of the parallel buildings rose around me, enclosing me, entrapping me in a place I didn't want to be or knew where. The sky above was cloudy, the signs of a rainstorm on the way. I heard the sounds of a bustling street nearby, but something felt off about it. The cars sounded...different. Noisier.

I pushed myself to my feet, brushing the garbage from my form. I checked my watch. "Goddammit."

It was broken, the glass shattered and the golden lid scratched, the hands struggling to move around the face.

I groaned, shoving it into my pocket. Without my watch, I couldn't travel. I was stuck. I was stranded in whatever period I was in with no way out. "Great. Just perfect."

I heard the sound of a fist meeting a cheek, followed by a grunt and a metallic crash of a body falling into a trashcan. I shrunk into the shadows. From experience, I couldn't be seen in what I was wearing. I didn't know what time period I was in, and I couldn't risk of being discovered and drawing attention to myself.

I scampered to a corner to peer around it. I saw a smaller man trying to stand up against a much larger man; a bully.

"I can do this all day," the smaller man said, out of breath.

Just as quickly, the bully punched him, sending him crashing to the ground. I winced. What was the point of the confrontation?

Another man came out of nowhere, grabbing the bully and shoving him out of the way. The offender made the wrong choice by turning his rage on the saviour, who deflected a flying punch and countered with one of his own, the bully teetering back and the new man kicking the bully in the backside to send him running.

I gazed curiously at the dress of the saviour: an army uniform. It was different from the one I'd seen men in 2014 roaming around in. Where was I? More specifically, when was I?

"Sometimes, I think you like getting punched," the saviour remarked.

The small man got shakily to his feet, brushing off his hands. "I had him on the ropes."

The saviour picked up a folded piece of paper from the ground. "How many times is this?"

"Did you get your orders?" the small man asked, ignoring the previous question.

"The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes. Shipping for England first thing tomorrow."

James Barnes. Certainly sounded like a name fit for an army man.

The small man sighed. "I should be going."

"Come on, man! It's my last night." James Barnes tossed the paper away and draped his arm over his friend. "Gotta get you cleaned up."

I raced away to a dark spot and hid behind a dumpster as the men walked past.

"Why? Where are we going?" he asked.

"The future."

I realised Barnes had been holding a newspaper, which he handed to his friend. Their voices became distant as they walked away.

I looked to the sky. The sun was going to set soon. I rested my back on the wall and slid to the ground. When night came, I'd go shopping.

The streets were abandoned when I finally exited the alleyway. The shops along the street were closed. The light from street lamps gave the place an ominous feeling, like a cheesy detective film or something neo noir. There were cars parked along the street. They were old-school automobiles. I hadn't seen transport like that in a very long time. It at least gave me a clue to when I was.

I noticed a trashcan nearby with a crumpled newspaper inside. I snatched it and opened it to the front page, looking for a date.

My eyes widened and my lips split in shock. "Oh. My. God."

I didn't care about what day and month it was. It was the year that was important. And I couldn't believe what I'd read. Of all the places I wanted to travel, this place was the last I wanted to be.

I was standing in a Brooklyn street in 1942. I was in the midst of World War II. I was witnessing what people thought was the end of the world. That explained the crappy cars.

I tossed the newspaper back into the trashcan and explored up the path for a clothing store. I found one, and it was locked. I smirked. Easily fixed.

I placed a finger on the keyhole. It glowed golden with power. As I retracted my finger, dust rushed out, the lock completely disintegrated. I shook my hand and the gold power dispersed. I twisted the handle and the door opened.

I grinned. "Still got it."

There wasn't much to choose from. All of the clothing wasn't my style. But I had to admit, it was better than the Tudor fashion.

I needed to blend in as much as possible, which meant going all out.

I pulled a red dress with small, almost insignificant blue stars and a brown coat from the rack with matching dark shoes. I found a pair of beige stockings and a red hat with a pin.

After dressing in my new clothes, I tied my flame red hair in a low bun and pinned the hat to my head. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a '40s girl.

I sighed, straightening invisible creases. And I grinned. "Good enough."

Making sure the coast was clear, I slipped out of the store and trudged down the street.

I was still baffled by the empty place. What would clear the streets out like this? War purposes? A film? I didn't know, and I wanted to find out.

And then I remembered what the front page of that newspaper had said: The World Exposition of Tomorrow opens tonight! Thinkers of the future present.

I had to admit, I was curious. And, fortunately, it was close; a couple of blocks away. I pulled the coat tighter around my body and started my walk.

The closer I got, the louder new sounds raged. I turned the block and was confronted with the expo. "Holy..."

Thousands of people mingled around a massive outdoor area. A gigantic Earth spun with a rollarcoaster track curving around it. Huge buildings towered around the open area with flags surrounding them. The expo looked way ahead of its time. I couldn't deny that I was shocked at what I was seeing as I wandered around. They weren't kidding when they called it the Word Exposition of Tomorrow.

I strolled into an open theatre packed with people. A red car was positioned on the stage, five women in 'tuxedos' dancing in front of it. A familiar name arched over the top of the stage: Stark Industries.

A man strutted onto the stage wearing a tux and an identical top hat as the girls. He had a cool moustache too. He took off his hat and handed it to one of the ladies, giving her a passionate kiss before she gave him the old fashion microphone; you know, the one with the grating on it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the man began, "what if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won't even have to touch the ground at all."

I raised my brow. Seriously? It was a bit early for such technology. All the same, I watched curiously as the ladies removed the wheels from the car. The man smiled at one in particular. "Thanks, Mandy." He turned to the audience. "With Stark Robotic Reversion technology, you'll be able to do just that."

I scoffed. This was going to be good.

He turned to a switchboard on a stand. He turned a knob and pushed up an increasing mechanism. The car hummed, and, miraculously, it began to hover off the ground. The people around me gasped in surprise. I was probably one of them.

Suddenly, sparks flew and the car thumped back on the stage, smoking and sparking. Faint clapping filled the theatre.

The young man chuckled nervously. "I did say a few years, didn't I?"

I felt the corner of my lips rise in a side smirk. Interesting. I turned on my heel and strolled off.

I looked at a couple of other fascinating inventions before I began to leave the expo. I passed a few men dressed in army uniforms. It made me think, looking down at my new clothes. Being a normal woman in this time was, well, boring. I didn't want to blend in this way. I wanted to do more. To have fun, like the good ol' times. I chuckled to myself. Old. Yep, that's me. But I had the qualifications and the skills to do more, even without using my powers.

And I needed to find those people on that list. If my universe shoved me into this timeline, it was hardly by accident. It couldn't be. One of the people on that list was here. And I had to find them.

Walking past those army men gave me an idea. Not to join the army, but a better idea.

❈Author's Note: Hey, there! If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a quick vote! Thanks for reading!