15 Growing Stronger

The years had passed and Thanos had begun to build his organization, recruiting people existing the gray area of the world - not too good, nor too evil - as too much of either could bring them in conflict with his own morals. He left Russia and went to Jersey City, where he built his own company under the guise of a construction business owned by the Maximoff siblings. In reality, it was a base made by the Mad Titan to prepare for the upcoming events that would arrive in a few years. He used this base to recruit potential allies, gather items that he could get his hands on, and make some profits thanks to his construction company.

It was easy for Thanos to acquire the necessary funds. Reading minds was an extremely useful ability that he took advantage of. He now understood why the bald teacher of the X-Men liked to violate minds so much. As time went by, Thanos grew more powerful, and the voice in his head couldn't help but remind him that it was right all along.

Thanos' appearance had not changed much, except for his increased size and strength. He felt like he could go toe to toe against the Hulk, where in the past he felt like he could only resist a little again the green giant. But the most noticeable improvement was in his mental abilities. His mind-reading powers could now reach the size of a two-story building, and he could feel all creatures within this radius. He even unlocked a little bit of psychokinesis. The voice in his head laughed at him, reminding him that the first time he had used it, he could only move a pencil. But now, he could lift moderately heavy boulders if he focused enough.

Thanos was not lazy. He used the contacts he had made to learn more about the world he was in. He did not want to rely solely on his knowledge of the MCU as that could be fatal if any information was incorrect. Thanks to this, he learned about someone he had wanted to recruit for a long time: Ava Starr, alias Ghost. He knew that SHIELD had recruited her after the Ant-Man events, so he was practically sure that she was still somewhere, away from SHIELD's grasp. Thanos had only a few years before the first Iron Man appeared, so he had to move quickly and be prepared as much as possible.

Currently, Thanos was sitting on a large chair, facing the breathtaking view of the city. He was looking at the bright sky, at the humans like ants below, and at the numerous buildings in the city. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching, she felt the presence of a woman being escorted by two guards. She was in her early 20s, with brown skin and long chestnut hair.

"Welcome, Miss Starr."

The woman looked at the chair and answered back. "Hello, Mr. Maximoff."

The voice in Thanos' head cackled. Thanos stood silent, then a few seconds later, he sighed. A discussion thus began between the future Ghost and the Mad Titan.