Chapter 14: The Sibling Revelation
Ding
[Credits Earned: +3 (Contact with Awakened Mutant - Polaris)]
[Current Credits: 10]
The system's chime rang in Alex's mind, a cold, clinical validation of the girl's existence. He took a step forward, his mind racing. The state of her clothes, the haunted look in her eyes, the very fact she was here—it all screamed of a life on the run.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly, keeping his voice calm and open. "You don't look well. I can help."
She flinched, her purple eyes locking onto his with a guarded intensity. She didn't speak, just took a step back, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. Alex, with his enhanced senses, felt a strange hum in the air, a vibration in the ground beneath his feet. Metal filings from a nearby rusted engine block began to shudder.
"You're a mutant, right?" Alex blurted out, trying to get her to trust him.
It was the wrong thing to say. A primal fear flashed in her eyes, and then a furious, raw power. The air screamed with a metallic screech as a dozen rusty parts, from an old crankshaft to a tangle of wire, ripped free from the ground and came flying toward him. It was a chaotic, unrefined attack, but lethal all the same.
Alex's reflexes, honed by Assassin's Creed and CS:GO simulations, took over. He moved in a blur, dodging the large pieces of metal, the smaller ones whizzing past his head, cutting through the air like shrapnel. Before she could gather her focus for another attack, Alex closed the distance. She was malnourished, her movements slow and telegraphed. A simple, precise tap to her neck was all it took. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, a fragile, hollow shell of a person.
He scooped her up gently. She was light as a feather. He carried her through the woods and back toward the private villa he had arranged for Wanda and Pietro. The building's sleek, modern design felt like a world away from the grimy dump site he had just left. He pushed the door open with his foot, and the first thing he saw was Wanda, sitting on a plush couch in the main hall.
She looked up, a flicker of something that looked a lot like jealousy in her eyes, before it softened into concern when she saw the girl's torn clothes and pale, bruised face. She didn't say a word, just led him to a spare room and helped him gently place her on the bed.
A few hours later, the girl's eyes fluttered open. She was in a soft bed, the room warm and clean. She sat bolt upright, every muscle tense, her eyes darting around the unfamiliar space. She was a coiled spring, ready to attack at the first sign of a threat. The door opened slowly, and Alex walked in.
"You're awake," he said simply, a plate of food in his hand. "Dinner's ready."
She was about to lash out, but then Wanda walked in behind Alex. Wanda's eyes met hers, and something shifted. The air between them hummed with a strange, undeniable energy. Polaris's shoulders slumped, her muscles relaxing as a mutual understanding, a deep, cosmic connection, passed between them.
She took a long, hot shower, changed into a fresh shirt and pants, and came to the dining room. Pietro was already there, a blur of silver hair and impatient energy. Wanda, dressed in a soft, scarlet sweater, was sitting between Alex and Pietro.
Polaris took a seat at the far end of the long dining table, the distance a comfortable barrier. She was eating slowly when Pietro leaned over and whispered to Wanda, his words a conspiratorial drone.
"What's with the new girl? Is she competition?"
Wanda glared at him, but Alex, his senses heightened, heard every word. He didn't react, just continued to eat. What a strange life, he thought to himself. He was a 14-year-old managing the dynamics of a world-ending genius, a grim vigilante, and now the awkward emotional lives of three incredibly powerful mutants.
When they finished dinner, Polaris broke the silence. "Why did you bring me here? Who are you people?"
Alex sighed, the words tumbling out before he could think them through. "Because the three of you are siblings."
The silence that followed was deafening. All three of them looked at him, their faces a mix of confusion and disbelief.
"We...what?" Pietro sputtered, his chair scraping back as he stood up.
Alex hit his head with his hand and stuck his tongue out. "Oops," he muttered. He looked at Wanda, who wasn't even blinking.
"Don't 'oops' me," she said, her voice eerily calm. "Explain. Now."
Alex's easygoing demeanor vanished. He looked at Polaris first. "Your father is a man named Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto." He then turned to Wanda and Pietro. "So is yours. Your father was not your real father. He just loved you like his own."
Pietro's face went white. "But... but our parents died in Sokovia. We hated Stark because of them!"
Alex looked at them both, his voice full of remorse. "Your parents were not your real parents, but they loved you like you were. I started searching for who was behind the bombing and the system told me something felt off with the bombing. That's when I found your X-Gene. The hospital records showed you were adopted. Your parents knew they weren't your biological family, but they chose to love you anyway."
Polaris cut in, her voice raw. "And how do you know about me? How do you know about my father?"
"It's because you have the same powers," Alex said quietly. "At first, I wasn't sure. But when the doctors were checking your injuries, I took a blood sample. The DNA test was conclusive." He looked at all three of them, a deep sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for doing it without asking. I'm sorry for not telling you before."
Wanda's face, so calm a moment ago, twisted with fury. "You had no right!" she shrieked. She walked up to Alex and, without a moment's hesitation, slapped him hard across the face. Then she turned and ran to her room.
Pietro and Polaris looked at each other, a thousand unspoken questions passing between them. They turned and walked away, leaving Alex alone in the massive dining room.
He touched his cheek, a red mark blooming on his skin. He had brought them together, but he had done it in the worst possible way.
"What a life," he muttered to himself, watching the shadows grow long in the room.