I'll Always Follow - Mandalorian/MCU Crossover

When Mando Met Darcy

The excitement amongst those in the lab had faded after hours of failed testing attempts; everyone was a bit on edge at this point. Jane's newest portal was finally in the testing phase, and things were not going well. They thought maybe it was the type of portal she was trying to create. Her previously successful ones were connected to places in their current universe. But Jane had decided to try and expand the range and try to successfully portal into the multiverse.

The theories of multiple universes or multiple realities seemed to be accurate; the math had checked out, and Jane's tests and calculations had been in the affirmative, it was just getting the machine to actually work.

Darcy had been fascinated by Jane's studies. The proof that there were endless possibilities of different universes that could be traveled to. Darcy couldn't help but wonder what the alternate versions of herself were like. There could be Darcy's that got their degrees in political science or maybe even astrophysics, or went to work for SHIELD, Darcy's with powers, and don't get her started on the possibilities of people her others could have fallen in love with. She hoped in one of the alternate universes she found love, because her love life was definitely lacking here. She simply had no time with being Jane's assistant and sometimes bodyguard. Sure, things were better now that they lived in Avengers Tower, but she just hadn't met the right person, much to Natasha's chagrin and many matchmaking attempts.

Darcy was fine with how her life was going. She worked with her best friend, she was being trained by the world's best spysassin, she was friends with superheroes, aliens, and gods. She couldn't really complain. There had always been this little piece of her that felt like she was missing something, but she tried not to dwell on it, and attempted to keep the doubts hidden away.

So, here they were, five years after moving into Avengers Tower at Tony Stark's behest to build portals, and Jane was trying to make a way to travel to a different universe.

The thirty-eighth attempt had just failed, and Darcy knew that the only way to get their spirits back up was with some caffeine and snacks that she would procure from the downstairs coffee shop.

Jane was caught up in her Science! Trying to figure out what went wrong and probably wouldn't even hear a word Darcy was about to say.

"Janey, I'm going to the coffee shop for much-needed sustenance. I will return in twenty minutes," Darcy said as she grabbed her messenger bag from her desk, throwing it over her shoulder.

Jane mumbled a confirmation, her eyes not moving from the portal controls and her notepad, continuing to hit buttons.

Darcy just nodded and started heading for the door, her path taking her near the portal device.

She didn't think much of it since the thing wasn't active, and it hadn't been working. It should be safe to simply walk past it.

Darcy couldn't have been more wrong.

When she was right in front of it, the thing hummed to life, the lights igniting.

Darcy didn't even have a chance to run. The machine pulled her through, Darcy screaming.

She was panicking, her heart thudding rapidly in her chest as she was sucked through. The last thing she saw was Jane's face, her eyes wide, mouth open as she screamed Darcy's name.

One minute Darcy was in the lab, and the next, she was rolling down a hill of sand.

The wind was knocked out of her lungs. She was still freaking out; sand was in her mouth and up her nose, not to mention other uncomfortable places. When she finally stopped rolling, she was hit with an intense wave of nausea, leaning over to dry heave.