Osman folded her hands together on the table.
"Then perhaps the better question is not who you are."
The holographic display beside her shifted. Several blank files appeared in the air, waiting to be filled.
"Perhaps the better question is where you ca from."
Tony leaned back in his chair.
"That's a bigger answer."
"Yes."
Osman looked around the room.
"Because people do not exist in isolation."
Her gaze settled on Tony first.
"A man does not build advanced nanotechnology without a civilization supporting him."
Then she looked toward Tanya.
"A child does not beco an officer without a military structure behind her."
Finally, her eyes moved toward Gaius.
"And no warrior becos what you are without a society capable of creating you."
The room remained quiet.
Everyone understood what she was asking now.
She was no longer trying to understand them as individuals.
She was trying to understand the worlds that had produced them.
The societies.
The cultures.
The history.
The technology.
The things that shaped them.
Osman looked around the table once more.
"Then I will ask this ti: what kind of worlds are you all from?"
She paused briefly.
"This will be the last topic for today."
Several of the group relaxed slightly.
"Next ti," Osman continued, "we will begin actual cooperation and the exchange of technology."
Tony nodded.
That seed reasonable.
Before sharing anything important, both sides needed a better understanding of each other.
Osman considered the group for a mont.
She intentionally did not choose Gaius first.
In truth, she was saving him for last.
Everything she had learned so far suggested his world might require the longest explanation.
Instead, her gaze shifted toward Saeko.
"What kind of world is yours, Saeko?"
Saeko smiled gently.
"Mine is an apocalyptic world."
The room beca quieter.
"It is set in modern tis," she continued. "It is also called Earth. Similar to Tony's ti."
Osman froze.
"Apocalyptic?"
Saeko nodded slowly.
"A virus spread throughout the world."
Her smile faded slightly.
"It turned living people into undead."
The ONI Specialist on the other side of the connection imdiately beca more attentive.
"And it is very contagious."
Osman stared at her.
A world-ending plague.
A virus capable of destroying civilization.
That was not a small thing.
Images of biological warfare reports and containnt scenarios flashed through her mind automatically.
"What about the humans?" Osman asked. "How many are left?"
Saeko shook her head.
"I don't know."
There was no hesitation in her answer.
Nobody in her world truly knew.
"But because of Gaius, we now have a city free of zombies."
Her eyes briefly moved toward the giant Space Marine.
"It holds tens of thousands of people."
Osman looked at Gaius for a mont.
Another piece of information to add to the growing list.
The existence of a safe city.
The fact that he had helped establish it.
The fact that tens of thousands of people were still alive because of it.
"I see."
She thought for a mont.
Then spoke.
"If needed, and if you possess tissue samples or specins, you can provide them to us."
Saeko blinked.
Osman continued.
"We may be able to assist in developing a vaccine."
A look of genuine happiness appeared on Saeko's face.
"I actually do have one."
"You do?"
"Yes."
Saeko nodded.
"I kept an undead corpse."
The ONI specialist imdiately made notes.
She had done that deliberately.
Long before arriving here, she had already considered the possibility of bringing samples to another world.
Scientists in her own city had been researching the virus for so ti.
There had been progress.
So promising results.
But they still lacked a true cure.
They still lacked a proper vaccine.
If a civilization with technology far beyond theirs beca involved, perhaps that process could move much faster.
Osman understood the reasoning.
she did not feel afraid of the virus itself.
Undead infected were dangerous, certainly.
But what interested her more was the opportunity.
Studying an entirely different biological threat could produce valuable discoveries.
Even if nothing ca from it, helping these otherworlders solve one of their greatest problems would still create goodwill.
That alone had value.
"Then we can discuss that later," Osman said.
Saeko smiled.
"I would appreciate that."
Osman nodded once before moving on.
Her attention shifted toward Naruto.
"What about you, Naruto?"
Naruto blinked.
Then imdiately looked thoughtful.
The room waited.
Several seconds passed.
Naruto frowned slightly.
"Hm."
He seed to be genuinely thinking about the question.
Finally, he answered.
"I think mine is ancient tis?"
The answer sounded uncertain.
Even Naruto noticed that.
"My world isn't called Earth."
He scratched his cheek.
"And I'm a ninja from Konoha Village."
Osman listened carefully.
Ancient tis.
Ninjas.
A village.
The answer raised as many questions as it answered.
Naruto himself wasn't completely certain how to describe his world.
Ever since joining the group chat, he had learned much more about technology and history than he had before.
Compared to Tony's world.
Compared to Mindy's world.
Compared to Saeko's world.
His ho felt ancient.
There were lights.
There was electricity.
There were certain advanced technologies.
Yet many aspects of daily life still resembled sothing much older.
Even Naruto occasionally found it confusing.
He rembered conversations with Saeko.
More than once she had simply described his world as being similar to feudal Japan.
That explanation had seed close enough.
"Ninja?" Osman asked.
Naruto looked up.
"You ntioned Shadow Clones and Rasengan earlier."
She leaned forward slightly.
"And we have already witnessed your speed."
Naruto imdiately brightened.
"Oh."
Then he repeated.
"Shadow Clone?"
Before anyone could answer, he ford hand seals.
A puff of smoke exploded beside him.
Poof.
A second Naruto appeared.
Osman's eyes widened slightly.
The clone grinned.
"I'm a clone."
The original Naruto pointed proudly.
"See?"
The clone rolled his eyes.
Then looked toward Osman.
"We ninjas use sothing called chakra."
The ONI Specialist imdiately began recording every word.
"By using chakra and hand seals, we perform various jutsu."
The clone lifted one hand.
"Like this."
Blue energy began spinning above his palm.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
A swirling sphere of energy ford.
Rasengan.
The room beca completely silent.
Osman stared.
The ONI specialists stared.
The sphere looked stable.
Controlled.
Powerful.
And completely impossible according to everything they understood about physics.
"This is a Rasengan," the clone explained.
After several seconds, he dismissed it.
The blue sphere vanished.
Then the clone disappeared in another puff of smoke.
Poof.
Gone.
The room remained silent briefly.
Osman finally spoke.
"Can others learn your jutsu and chakra?"
Naruto paused.
"Probably not."
"Why?"
"Saeko and Mindy already tried."
Mindy nodded from her seat.
"We did."
Naruto continued.
"They couldn't learn chakra refinent."
Osman frowned slightly.
That was unexpected.
By all appearances, they were human.
Yet sothing prevented them from learning it.
Her thoughts imdiately moved toward biology.
Different universes.
Different evolutionary paths.
Different versions of humanity.
Perhaps humanity itself was not identical across realities.
Naruto scratched his head.
"It might be because we have one hundred thirty trillion cells."
Silence.
Osman stared.
"...What?"
Naruto blinked.
"One hundred thirty trillion."
The room froze.
For the first ti that day, Osman lost more composure than she had during Tony's explanations.
"One hundred thirty trillion cells?"
Her voice rose slightly.
Even several ONI specialist stopped writing.
The number was absurd.
A normal human body contained roughly thirty to thirty-seven trillion cells.
Naruto was describing humans who possessed over three tis that amount.
Yet looking at him, there was almost no visible difference.
Aside from the whisker marks on his face, he looked human.
Completely human.
That realization was deeply unsettling.
If the sa-sized body possessed over three tis the cellular count, then countless biological assumptions changed imdiately.
Strength.
Durability.
Healing.
Energy production.
Everything.
Osman found herself staring at Naruto again.
Humans from his world might naturally be far stronger than humans from hers.
anwhile, nobody else seed particularly surprised.
Tony remained relaxed.
Mindy looked bored.
Saeko sipped her tea.
They had already heard this before.
all three of them had repeatedly questioned Naruto about chakra before.
The reason was simple.
They had wanted to learn it themselves.
Those conversations had eventually led to lengthy discussions about chakra, biology, and the fundantal differences between their worlds.
The process had also forced Naruto to learn far more about chakra than he ever had before. To answer the questions coming from Tony and the others, he had spent ti studying subjects he normally would have ignored, reading through scrolls and books on chakra theory, physiology, and dical applications.
Whenever he found useful material, he would send copies to Tony and the rest of the group, allowing them to study the information for themselves.
Naruto noticed Osman's reaction.
A smug grin slowly spread across his face.
For once, soone else's world wasn't getting all the attention.
His revelation had shocked her more than Tony's technology.
That felt good.
Osman eventually recovered.
"I see."
Naruto looked pleased with himself.
Then Osman turned toward Diana.
"What about you, Diana?"
Diana lightly touched her hair before answering.
"I am Diana Prince."
Her voice remained calm.
"This is the na I use in the modern world."
Osman listened.
"My real na is Diana of Themyscira."
Several notes were recorded.
"I am the daughter of Queen Hippolyta and Zeus."
Osman paused.
The room paused.
"Daughter of Zeus?"
"Yes."
Diana answered without hesitation.
"The Zeus?"
Osman asked.
"The King of the Gods?"
"Yes."
The answer ca just as simply.
Osman's thoughts stalled for a mont.
Zeus was not a myth, legend, or religious figure from Diana's world.
He was real.
And the woman sitting across from her claid to be his daughter.
She found herself studying Diana more closely.
Unlike Gaius, Diana wasn't wearing armor.
They were living in a residence, not a battlefield.
She wore simple clothing. Unlike Gaius, who slept in his armor.
Yet there was sothing striking about her appearance.
No visible imperfections.
No blemishes.
No signs of weakness.
She seed almost unreal in her physical perfection.
"Does that an gods are real in your world?"
Diana nodded.
"Yes."
That answer alone would have shocked most people.
But Diana continued.
"Many gods exist."
Osman waited.
Diana smiled slightly.
"But do not think of them as omnipotent or omniscient."
That imdiately caught Osman's attention.
"They possess trendous power."
Diana folded her hands together.
"But they are not all-powerful."
"They are not all-knowing."
Osman relaxed slightly.
That distinction mattered.
If these gods were not truly omnipotent, then they beca easier to understand and categorize.
They were extrely powerful beings, dangerous, influential, and possibly immortal, but they were not all-powerful. They had limits, even if those limits were far beyond what most people could imagine.
Her mind automatically shifted them into a category much closer to powerful alien entities than true divine beings.
That interpretation felt far easier to process.
"I understand," Osman said.
Diana nodded, and the conversation moved on.
A mont later, Osman turned her attention toward Tanya.
"Tanya Degurechaff," she said, "what is your world like?"
Tanya t her gaze without hesitation.
"My world is similar to theirs in so respects," she said. "Human civilization developed along familiar lines, but technologically it resembles an earlier era. Most nations are engaged in a global war, and the overall level of technology is comparable to early twentieth-century Earth."
She paused briefly.
"However, there is one major difference."
Osman waited.
"Magic exists."
That answer drew imdiate interest.
"Magic?" Osman repeated.
Tanya nodded.
"It is nothing more than an anomaly within the laws of physics," she said matter-of-factly. "An observable and asurable phenonon. It can be quantified, reproduced, optimized, and weaponized. Through the use of computation orbs, mages perform calculations that allow them to manipulate this energy according to established principles."
Osman considered the explanation for a mont before giving a small nod.
Regardless of the terminology, Tanya was clearly describing a system governed by rules rather than mysticism.
That alone made it worthy of study.
Beside her, the ONI specialist continued taking notes without pause. Every statent, mannerism, and explanation was being recorded for later analysis. The technologies, the societies they described, the terminology they used, and even the way they interpreted their own worlds could provide valuable insight.
Osman was doing much the sa ntally.
Finally.
Osman's gaze shifted toward the last person remaining.
The largest individual in the room.
Gaius Maximor Thassor.
The giant Space Marine sat quietly throughout the discussion.
Watching.
Listening.
Observing.
Now the attention settled fully upon him.
Osman folded her hands once more.
"Gaius Maximor Thassor."
The room grew slightly quieter.
"May I ask about your world?"
And with that question hanging in the air, every eye in the room turned toward the Praetor.
~~~
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