Marvel: The Awakened One

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”Hurry, this way!”

”Exit’s over here! Keep moving!”

”Move it!”

Footsteps and frantic shouts filled the hallway. Moments later, a group of people turned the corner at the end of the tunnel and slid into view, right in front of Hawk and Wanda.

At the front was a young man with a rebellious look, wearing a visor with ruby-quartz lenses.

Cyclops. Scott Summers.

Next to him was a mutant covered in fine blue fur, with a prehensile tail and a face that looked more demonic than human.

Nightcrawler. Kurt Wagner.

Mystique was there too. Raven Darkhölme wore a face that resembled that of a well-known Hollywood actress.

But Hawk and Wanda looked past everyone else and focused on the young woman running next to Raven. She seemed about seventeen or eighteen, with bright red hair that fell like a waterfall, just like Wanda’s. Her defined jawline matched Hawk’s, and her lips were full and delicate, like her mother’s. Her eyes had Hawk’s calm, piercing look, mixed with Wanda’s mysterious touch.

It was their daughter.

Jean.

Their eyes met. Or really, a dozen pairs of eyes met. As soon as the young X-Men turned the corner and saw the man in the red tactical suit and the woman with him, they stopped short, staring in shock and suspicion at the two strangers in their way.

”...” Hawk and Wanda barely noticed anyone else. They only saw one person, and Jean felt the same. As soon as Jean looked at them, it felt like the rest of the world disappeared, leaving just her and her parents.

A moment later, the skepticism on Jean’s face turned into pure joy—

She paused for a second, then walked toward them.

Next to her, Scott reached out on instinct, trying to grab her arm and pull her back.

He grabbed empty air.

Hawk noticed the movement. He frowned for a moment, but the expression disappeared just as quickly, because...

”Daddy!”

”Mom!”

Jean’s voice shook. As soon as she realized this was real, she broke into a run and rushed straight into her parents’ arms.

”Daddy?”

”Mom?”

”...”

The young X-Men were stunned. They looked at each other, completely confused.

”I thought Jean was an orphan?”

”She is.”

”Didn’t Professor X adopt her?”

Hearing the confused whispers, Raven frowned. Then she remembered an old conversation and suddenly understood. She glanced at Jean, who was hiding her face in her parents’ arms, and her eyes lit up with realization.

Jean hugged Wanda tight. Laughing through her tears, she turned her head to look at Hawk.

”Daddy. I’ve waited so long for you.”

”...I’m sorry.”

Hawk looked at his daughter. In their home universe, she was only six. She had been gone for just a month, but now, in what felt like an instant, she was a young woman.

Time moved differently across the multiverse. It was a rule of the universe. Here, time passed much faster than at home, so he and Wanda had missed seeing their daughter grow up.

Of course. This universe really was a mess.

Looking at his seventeen-year-old daughter, who had the best traits from both parents, Hawk quietly cursed this awful reality.

His apology only made Jean’s smile brighter.

”But I always knew you’d come find me, Daddy.”

”And Mom.” She added the second part quickly, turning her head to beam at Wanda.

The smile froze on Wanda’s face.

That settled it. This was definitely her daughter. Wanda had raised her since she was a baby, but in Jean’s heart, her dad was always first.

Proof: Jean hugged Hawk first.

Wanda looked at her daughter’s glowing face and rolled her eyes. ”If you love your daddy so much, go hug him.”

”No way!” Jean wrapped her arms tighter around Wanda’s waist and giggled. ”By the way, Mom, how did you guys know I was here?”

Wanda let out a dry laugh. ”How do you think? Your daddy just turned the outside world completely upside down. Finding you was the easy part.”

Everything really was upside down. Quantico was destroyed. Dozens of Pentagon generals were dead. Half the White House had collapsed. There was no waiting for morning—Washington, D.C. was in total chaos right now.

Jean blinked. But before she could ask what that meant, the frantic thud of combat boots resounded from the far end of the tunnel.

”SHIT, MOVE!”

”DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE!”

”HOLY SHIT!”

”DAMMIT, THEY’RE CATCHING UP! RUN!”

The angry shouts brought Scott and Raven back to the moment. They called out warnings to the other rescued X-Men, telling everyone to run toward Hawk and Wanda.

Jean felt the panic too.

”Oh no. Daddy, Mom, we have to run! The weapons they use can suppress our...”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The words died in her throat.

Jean’s vision blurred, and Hawk disappeared from her side. She spun around and saw him already behind the fleeing X-Men. Her eyebrows lifted, and the worry on her face faded away, just like snow melting in sunlight.

’Oh, right. Daddy was here. Why on earth was she running?’

Her dad was the most powerful being in the universe. If he wasn’t, that huge cosmic monster—one bigger than a planet—wouldn’t have needed to kidnap her just to get to him.

She let out a long breath and called out, completely relaxed, to Scott, Raven, and the others sprinting toward them. ”Stop running! We’re safe now.”

The young mutants heard her. They looked at Jean and registered the total absence of fear on her face.

”Shit!”

”They’re right behind us!”

Kurt yelled in panic as armed agents poured into the far end of the tunnel.

Everyone turned to look, and what they saw would stay with them forever. It wasn’t the most impressive sight, but it was definitely the most terrifying.

Every agent disintegrated instantly. A flash of red light shot through the corridor, and their bodies turned into a mist of blood.

The shouting and pounding footsteps stopped at once. Only a thick cloud of red vapor was left in the tunnel, and Hawk, expressionless, walked calmly toward them with his back to the destruction.

”Holy shit!”

”Jesus Christ!”

”God almighty!”

”Who the hell is that?”

”My daddy.” Jean smiled, looking directly at Raven. ”I got my psychic powers from him.”

Raven raised an eyebrow.

Hawk walked up and let out a soft laugh. ”Actually, the psychic powers you have in this world came from your mother. Not me.”

That was true. Jean’s current powers came from Wanda. She hadn’t unlocked Hawk’s Phoenix Powers yet—and she couldn’t. If Hawk was cut off from his powers in this world, there was no way his daughter could use the powers she got from him.

The proof was simple. If Jean could have used the Phoenix Force here, it would have protected her as soon as Sentinel Services attacked Xavier’s School.

Without Hawk to control it, the Phoenix Force would have destroyed the planet.

Jean blinked in surprise. ”My powers here came from Mom? How did I not know that?”

Hawk smiled. ”The powers your mother gave you have always been there. You just never noticed them.”

That was also true. If Jean hadn’t gotten Wanda’s wild psychic energy, which let her mind grow without limits, she wouldn’t have been able to hold the Phoenix Force. If the Phoenix Force were water, Wanda’s magic would be the cup. That’s why Jean’s power kept growing stronger and scarier as she got older.

Comprehension washed over Jean’s face, and she nodded slowly. Then she looked at Hawk, curious.

”Then, Daddy, where’s the power you gave me?”

”It’s stuck in traffic.”

Hawk smiled at the slightly annoyed pout she gave him.

Wanda reached out and stroked Jean’s hair. ”Your dad’s power hasn’t reached this world yet. Right now, he’s just an ordinary guy.”

The words hung in the air.

The young X-Men, who had watched this strange family moment from the sidelines, immediately remembered the Agents turning into red mist just seconds before. They looked at each other in disbelief.

Jesus Christ. If that were an ordinary guy without his powers, then what would that make them?

Looking at Hawk, with his broad, powerful build and red tactical suit, the young mutants quietly started to question everything they knew.

”Alright.” Hawk didn’t know what the X-Men were thinking, and truthfully, he didn’t care. He brought the conversation back and looked at Wanda. ”Wanda, take Jean and go outside. I need to check further inside.”

Wanda nodded. ”Okay...”

”Wait!”

A gray-haired speedster in street clothes, leaning on a teammate for support because the X-Gene Suppressant had left him unable to run.

When he heard that name, he blurted it out before he could stop himself.

”Wanda? Your name is Wanda?”

”...”

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