Marvel: The Awakened One

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Pietro’s words drew everyone’s attention.

Wanda and Jean turned instinctively toward the silver-haired speedster, who was leaning on Beast for support. Hawk looked at him too.

He had noticed this universe’s Pietro earlier.

But compared to this kid’s bold hip-hop style, Hawk preferred the Pietro from his own world. That one had stubble, seemed more mature. Maybe it was because both of them had grown up as older brothers—always looking out for their little sisters.

This Pietro had a perfect family growing up. Even more surprising, in this universe, Wanda was his older sister instead of his younger one.

”...” As Wanda’s frown grew, Jean blinked playfully and introduced them.

”Mom, meet Pietro. He’s this universe’s Quicksilver. He has an older sister, and her name also happens to be Wanda.”

”Quicksilver, meet my mom, Wanda Maximoff. My mom has an older brother... named Pietro.”

”...” Pietro gasped.

Wanda stayed quiet and turned her gaze to Hawk.

Catching her look, he gave a slight nod.

Wanda raised an eyebrow. She glanced at the stunned speedster and smiled.

”Call me big sister.”

”...”

This time, Hawk didn’t know what to say. Every little sister secretly wanted to be the older one. Anya from Universe-616 was like that, and so was Wanda.

Shaking his head, Hawk looked at his Wanda. ”You two catch up. I’m going further in to take a look.”

Wanda nodded, her eyes still fixed on Pietro.

Jean turned to Hawk. ”Daddy, I’ll go with you.”

He was about to say no, but his daughter’s eager, hopeful look made him laugh instead.

”Alright. Come on.”

”Okay!” Jean grinned, quickly said goodbye to Wanda, and hurried after him down the hall, slipping her arm through his.

”Daddy.”

”Yeah.”

”I missed you so much.”

”I missed you too.” Hawk talked and laughed with his daughter as they walked further into the facility. When they turned a corner, he asked, ”It seems like that Quicksilver kid doesn’t know who you really are.”

Jean nodded. ”He doesn’t.”

”You didn’t tell him? You know this Earth has your mom on it, right?”

”But she isn’t really my mom, is she?” Jean glanced at him. ”I was also worried that the monster who tried to kidnap me might find me here. So, except for Professor X and maybe Raven, no one knows where I’m from. And honestly, I just can’t see this Quicksilver as the Uncle Pietro I remember.”

The difference was just too much. One was a grown-up, dependable uncle with stubble and sad eyes. The other was a young mutant speedster in casual clothes.

Hawk thought about the two Quicksilvers again and nodded. ”Fair point. But your mom doesn’t seem to mind.”

”Mom just wants to be the big sister.” Jean smiled. ”Back in Westview, she used to pretend she was older. But when Grandpa and Grandma came back, they made it clear she was the younger sister.”

Hawk burst out laughing.

Still talking with Jean, he reached the end of the tunnel and walked into the deeper parts of the dam, where the mutants had just escaped.

Only a group of researchers remained.

When the screams outside finally stopped, the scientists closed the blast doors of the raised control room and gathered inside. As soon as Hawk opened the door, a trembling researcher fired his pistol out of instinct.

The bullet hit Hawk and broke apart into fine dust.

Hawk looked down at his chest, then met the eyes of the terrified man with glasses who was holding the gun.

”You’re awfully brave. Guess that makes you the boss around here?”

”I...”

Splat!

Hawk moved swiftly. As soon as his hand closed around the researcher’s neck, the other scientists hiding behind him—dressed in white lab coats—exploded into clouds of blood mist.

The researcher’s pupils blew wide, and he fainted from sheer terror.

Thud!

”Ah!”

He was tossed like a ragdoll, hitting the hard floor and screaming as the pain jolted him awake. When he looked up, he saw Hawk standing over him again, and his eyes began to roll back.

Hawk’s voice was dead calm.

”Pass out again, and you won’t wake up.”

”...No!”

The man, on the verge of fainting, snapped awake. He dropped to his knees, pressed his forehead to the floor, and begged. ”Don’t kill me! Please, don’t kill me! I’m begging you!”

Hawk’s face stayed blank.

”Mutant Subject X. And Mutant Subject 8.”

”What?”

”Where are they?” Hawk asked directly.

The groveling researcher froze and looked up. ”I... I don’t know.”

Hawk laughed.

Terrified, the man hurried to explain. ”Wait! I swear I don’t know! We only keep the test subjects here! Once the research gets results, those mutants are moved! I have no idea where they’re kept! Only Stryker and his inner circle know!”

Hawk looked at him, seemingly deep in thought. ”Is that right?”

”I swear to God!” The researcher’s hand shot up in a frantic oath.

Hawk nodded, watching the man swear to prove he really knew nothing. ”So... you literally know nothing.”

The researcher nodded eagerly.

”Yes! I know nothing... wait, no, I...”

Splat!

By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. A sharp pain struck his chest, and his vision went black forever. Blood splattered all over the control panels.

Hawk withdrew his gaze, turned, and walked out of the control room.

Jean waited outside, pretending to stand guard. When she heard his footsteps, she turned and broke into a bright smile.

”Daddy.”

”Let’s go.”

Hawk smiled back.

He wasn’t interested in Subject X, the mutant who could weaken others. But Subject 8, who could temporarily give powers to normal people, caught his attention. He thought Subject 8 might be locked up here and decided to check. Since the mutant wasn’t here, he let it go. It was just a passing thought.

Soon after, Hawk and Jean returned to the cavern lined with transparent holding cells.

By now, Mystique and the young X-Men had freed all the captive mutants from their glass coffins, and Wanda was busy interrogating this Earth’s Quicksilver about her alternate self.

Maybe it was Wanda’s strong presence as an older sister, or the red Chaos Magic sparking between her fingers, but Pietro answered every question without hesitation. The usually confident speedster acted as obediently as a schoolchild.

”So, the ’me’ on this Earth... she’s a mutant too?”

”I don’t know.”

”What?” Wanda arched an eyebrow at the head-shaking speedster.

Pietro gave a bitter smile. ”I really don’t know if my sister is a mutant. If she is, she’s never shown it in front of me.”

Wanda looked thoughtful. Spotting Hawk returning with Jean, her eyes lit up. ”Hawk, is the ’me’ in this universe a mutant?”

Hawk thought about it for a second and shook his head.

”I don’t know.”

”You don’t know?” Wanda didn’t believe it.

The moment they landed in this universe, Hawk already knew Quicksilver was here. He even knew that Jean’s name in this world was Jean Grey.

Meeting her doubtful look, Hawk shrugged.

It was true. In the X-Men film world he remembered, Quicksilver was the only one who clearly appeared on screen; Wanda was only mentioned briefly in a deleted scene.

But there was that younger sister.

Thinking about it, Hawk looked at Pietro. ”By the way, what’s your younger sister’s name?”

Wanda arched an eyebrow and spun toward Pietro. ”We have a younger sister?”

”Uh...” Pietro looked at the suddenly eager Wanda, then back at Hawk. ”Nina. Why?”

Not Polaris?

Hawk frowned slightly.

”Are you two full siblings? Same mother, same father?”

”...”

Pietro gave him a confused look. ”What do you mean?”

”What do you think I mean?” Hawk smirked.

”Hawk?” Wanda stared at him in confusion, unable to understand why he was suddenly asking these questions.

Hawk merely smiled. ”You do know that Magneto is your biological father, and your sister’s too, right?”

CLANG!

”WHAT??”

”Erik??”

”...”

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