Chapter 11: A New Reality
Sokovia – The Aftermath
The battle was over.
Sokovia lay in ruins, the floating city now nothing more than debris scattered across the land. The chaos had ended, but the tension in the air remained.
And at the center of it all—Alex and Wanda.
Wanda's hand was still gripping Alex's. Her fingers trembled slightly as she stared at him, searching his face for any sign of pain.
"You… you're okay, right?" Her voice was soft, but there was an undeniable urgency in her tone.
Alex met her gaze, his lips curving into a small reassuring smile. He gently squeezed her hand.
"I'm fine," he said, his voice steady. "Really."
Wanda wasn't convinced.
Her eyes darted across his face, taking in every detail—his slightly ragged breathing, the subtle exhaustion behind his dark eyes, the faint bruises that had already begun to fade.
She had just seen him tear Ultron apart with his bare hands.
He had stopped bullets. He had flown across the battlefield as if gravity meant nothing.
He was powerful—terrifyingly powerful.
Yet, right now, all she could see was the boy she had left behind in that Hydra facility. The boy who had endured more pain than anyone should have.
Her grip on his hand tightened.
Alex noticed. His eyes softened, and with a careful motion, he brushed his free hand against her cheek.
"I promise," he murmured. "I'm really okay."
Before Wanda could say anything else—
The others arrived.
---
The Avengers Gather
The sound of approaching footsteps made Alex turn his head.
Captain America.
Iron Man.
Thor.
Bruce Banner.
Clint Barton.
Pietro.
Vision.
All of them gathered around, their expressions a mix of curiosity, suspicion, and outright disbelief.
Pietro was the first to move, his silver hair messy and dust covering his face. He rushed forward, stopping right beside Wanda. His blue eyes scanned Alex up and down before narrowing.
"You stopped those bullets," he muttered. "You were… flying?"
Alex smirked. "Guilty as charged."
Pietro let out a breath, rubbing his forehead. "Right. Of course. Because that makes perfect sense."
Iron Man—Tony Stark—took a step forward, his helmet retracting to reveal his bruised but still sharp face. His eyes scanned Alex, analyzing every inch of him.
"Okay," Tony said, breaking the silence. "Someone wanna tell me who this guy is? Because last I checked, we didn't have a Superman on the roster."
Alex arched a brow. "Superman?"
"You know—tall, dark, flies around, ridiculously overpowered?" Tony gestured toward him. "Ringin' any bells?"
Alex let out a small chuckle. "Can't say I've met him."
Steve Rogers, Captain America, cut in. His voice was calm but firm. "We saw what you did back there. You took down Ultron like it was nothing." His blue eyes locked onto Alex's. "Who are you?"
For a moment, silence settled over the group.
Then—
Wanda spoke.
"He's like us," she said, stepping forward, still holding Alex's hand. "An experiment. A prisoner of Hydra."
She turned to face them fully.
"But he's more than that."
Everyone's attention snapped back to Alex.
Thor, who had been silent until now, stepped forward, his hammer resting on his shoulder. His intense gaze studied Alex.
"I sense great power within you," he said. "And yet, your presence is unlike any other Midgardian."
Bruce Banner adjusted his glasses, his scientific mind already working. "Hydra experimented on you? Like they did with Wanda and Pietro?"
Alex nodded slowly. "Yeah."
Clint scoffed. "What the hell were they trying to create this time?"
Alex hesitated, glancing at Wanda before looking back at the group. "Something that could rival the strongest threats in the universe. But they failed. I wasn't supposed to survive."
That made everyone pause.
The weight of his words settled over them.
They had all seen what Hydra was capable of—but this?
Tony folded his arms, his expression unreadable. "So, what? They gave you flight, bullet-stopping powers, and what? A nuclear punch?"
Alex smirked. "Something like that."
Pietro crossed his arms. "And you were stuck in Hydra all this time?"
Alex's gaze darkened slightly. "Yeah."
For a brief moment, memories flashed through his mind.
The endless pain.
The torturous experiments.
The nights of screaming.
But then—Wanda.
Her voice.
Her presence.
Her warmth.
She had been the light in that darkness.
He looked at her now, standing beside him, her grip on his hand still firm.
He squeezed it once.
"I survived," Alex said, his voice calm but certain. "And now I'm here."
---
The Trust Question
Captain America exhaled through his nose, rubbing his chin.
"We need to know we can trust you," he said.
Alex met his gaze without hesitation. "I understand."
Vision, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke.
"You possess a power unlike any we have encountered. It is… unprecedented." The android's head tilted slightly. "What do you intend to do with it?"
Alex didn't hesitate.
"I want to protect the people I care about."
He glanced at Wanda.
"And I want to help."
For a moment, no one said anything.
Then, Tony Stark let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Alright, I've had a long day, nearly died twice, and watched a floating city collapse. So I'm gonna go ahead and say—we can deal with this later."
He pointed at Alex. "But you? You're coming with us."
Steve nodded. "Agreed. We need to figure out exactly what Hydra did to you."
Alex smirked. "Fine by me."
Wanda's grip on his hand never loosened.
And for the first time in a long time—he felt like he was exactly where he needed to be.
---
Epilogue - A New Beginning
As the Avengers prepared to leave Sokovia, Alex took one last glance at the battlefield.
This was the end of Hydra's experiments.
But for him…
It was just the beginning.
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End of Chapter 11