"Are we special?"
After hearing his words, Pietro and Wanda frowned simultaneously.
Just as Pietro was about to press further, Richard's voice cut through the tension.
"If you have questions, save them for later. There are other mutants imprisoned here. Let's free them first."
"On it!" Pietro replied immediately.
With the staff and guards in the institute all immobilized by telepathy, they rescued several other mutants from their cells without much resistance.
After liberating everyone, Richard ignored the unfamiliar mutants and turned to Pietro and Wanda.
"Where will you go now?"
"Home?" Pietro began, then his voice dropped. "We no longer have a home."
Richard nodded, considering this.
"In that case, you should come with me for now."
Pietro and Wanda agreed without hesitation.
At that moment, a blond male mutant who appeared to be in his early twenties approached Richard.
"Can I come with you too?" His eyes shone with admiration. "I'm a loyal fan of yours. I'm a senior member on your website and forum. I even have your tattoo on my body."
As he spoke, the young mutant rolled up his right sleeve, revealing the tattoo on his arm.
It was small but intricately detailed—Richard sitting atop the wreckage of a Sentinel robot at the Los Angeles branch, the Masamune embedded in the ground beside him.
After examining the tattoo and noting the sycophantic smile on the man's face, Richard responded flatly:
"Get lost."
Though his voice wasn't particularly loud, both the blond man displaying his tattoo and the other mutants instinctively stepped back, feeling an indescribable pressure bearing down on them.
Richard ignored their reactions and turned back to Pietro and Wanda.
"I'll take you away after I destroy this place."
"Let me help!" Pietro offered eagerly.
"Very well," Richard nodded.
Five minutes later, raging flames engulfed the entire institute, consuming everything inside—experimental materials, scientific instruments, staff, and guards.
After surveying the research facility as it burned, Richard turned to Wanda.
"Give me your right hand."
Though uncertain of his intentions, Wanda extended her hand without question.
Richard took it firmly in his grasp.
Recognizing that Richard was about to teleport them away, Pietro moved quickly to take Richard's left hand. Before he could reach it, Emma Frost stepped in, gracefully wrapping her arm around Richard's and pressing her curvaceous body against him.
When Pietro saw the sensual Emma leaning into Richard, his expression shifted from surprise to unmistakable envy.
Richard hadn't yet introduced Emma to them, so neither Pietro nor Wanda knew she was White Queen of the Hellfire Club. They had heard of someone code-named White Queen in the Hellfire Club but had never seen her in person.
Though he didn't yet know Emma's identity, Pietro was certain of one thing—she was exactly his type. Her alluring figure, delicate features, and fair complexion captivated him. Emma Frost's long, shapely legs in particular made it difficult for him to look away.
Had the circumstances been different, he would have immediately approached her to start a conversation.
As Pietro gazed enviously at Richard, Wanda's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Come over here already!"
As his twin sister, she knew exactly what was going through Pietro's mind. His behavior was making her both embarrassed and irritated. Were longer legs and revealing clothes really so fascinating that he had to stare like some pervert?
Reluctantly, Pietro tore his gaze away, walked to Wanda, and took her left hand.
The moment he did, Richard activated his teleportation without delay.
They had completely vanished by the time sirens began wailing in the distance.
Las Vegas
Caesars Palace Hotel
Richard brought Pietro and Wanda directly to the business suite where he was staying.
In the living room, Richard turned to Pietro, who sat across from him.
"You mentioned you no longer have a home. Explain what happened," Richard said. "Also, tell me how you were captured."
Pietro explained without hesitation.
As time passed and Pietro's story unfolded, Richard's brow furrowed slightly.
As he'd suspected, Pietro and Wanda were unaware of their biological father's identity.
Their mother had died years ago in one of America's many shooting incidents, becoming another statistic in the country's gun violence epidemic.
After her death, they'd dropped out of school. Their home was repossessed by the bank due to unpaid loans.
What followed was straightforward. Though they were mutants, they were registered legally. Quicksilver's documented power was Super Speed, while Wanda's registered abilities were telekinesis and telepathy.
Like Sebastian Shaw, the Department of Mutant Affairs officials were unaware of chaos magic's existence, mistaking Wanda's powers for conventional telekinesis and telepathy.
Being minors without legal guardians, they were assigned to separate foster families, like other orphans.
As twins, Pietro and Wanda refused to be separated. Before the welfare agency could deliver them to their respective foster homes, they escaped and began a life of mutual dependence and wandering.
Though minors at the time, their nomadic existence wasn't as difficult as it might have been for ordinary children. After all, they possessed formidable powers.
During their years on the move, they encountered many other young mutants living similar lives and received recruitment offers from various mutant organizations.
They declined these offers, preferring to maintain their independence together.
Two weeks ago, while staying in Houston, Texas, they were discovered by Sebastian Shaw. He brought them to the Orlando Research Institute, where they became "raw materials" for the enhanced cloning project.
Though Pietro had detailed their past thoroughly, Richard still couldn't confirm whether they were Magneto's children.
But soon, he set the question aside. Whether Pietro and Wanda were Magneto's children wasn't his primary concern.
What he coveted was Wanda's power, not her connection to Magneto.
As long as Wanda had potential, that was enough.
"Are you two hungry?" Richard asked.
"You're taking us out to dinner?" Pietro replied quickly.
Richard arched an eyebrow. "Dressed like that? If you want food, just call room service. As for clothes, you can ask them to deliver a few sets."
Caesars Palace was a renowned five-star hotel in Las Vegas. Providing guests with clothing was a trivial request—they could even arrange to purchase vehicles for guests if needed.
Though having the hotel handle purchases was more expensive than buying things yourself, for guests with means, convenience outweighed cost.
"Right, got it," Pietro nodded.
"You can take the remaining two bedrooms," Richard said, standing and walking toward the master bedroom.
Without prompting, Emma Frost followed him immediately.
"Is she Richard's girlfriend?" Pietro asked once they were alone.
"She's gorgeous, with an amazing figure!"
"Of course she's beautiful. Someone couldn't stop staring at her like a pervert," Wanda rolled her eyes at her brother.
Pietro ignored her jab. "Why can't I meet women like that? Richard might be powerful, but I'm not exactly weak either. We both have silver hair and similar style. Why aren't beautiful women throwing themselves at me?"
Wanda sighed helplessly. "You're hopeless."
She stood and walked toward the second bedroom.
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
X-Men Underground Base
Meeting Room
Jean Grey, Scott Summers, Ororo Munroe, and Logan sat around the conference table, looking at Professor Xavier with confused expressions.
They had just received an urgent telepathic message from the Professor, summoning them immediately.
Though uncertain what had happened, his use of telepathy to contact them instilled a sense of foreboding.
While Professor X possessed extraordinary telepathic abilities, he rarely used them to communicate routine matters.
Under their watchful gazes, Professor X spoke deliberately:
"A contact in Miami just called. A mutant confrontation occurred at Bayfront Park Marina about an hour ago."
"You're all familiar with the mutants involved—Richard Wesley and Sebastian Shaw from the Hellfire Club."
Scott frowned. "Why were they fighting? Didn't Richard just battle the Hulk in San Francisco earlier today?"
"I don't know their motives," Xavier replied. "There are only two things I know for certain."
"First, Sebastian Shaw was killed by Richard."
He paused, his expression grave.
"Second... Richard didn't just kill Shaw. He killed other mutants as well."
Xavier's voice grew heavier. "One of them was Eric... or rather, a younger version of Eric."
A younger Magneto?
Surprise registered simultaneously on all four faces as the same realization dawned on them.
Clone.
Even without telepathy, Professor X recognized their conclusion.
"You've guessed correctly—it was Eric's clone."
His tone shifted, resolute now. "Jean, Logan, Ororo—take the Blackbird to Miami immediately and retrieve Eric's clone's remains. The body is currently at the Department of Mutant Affairs in Miami."
"Scott, you'll accompany me to the Department's headquarters in Washington D.C. tomorrow morning. I intend to have a serious conversation with the Minister."
Professor Xavier, normally the epitome of composure, displayed uncharacteristic anger.
Though he'd learned three months ago that the Department was secretly creating mutant clones as potential weapons, the previous discovery involved only Sabretooth clones.
Had they limited their experiments to Sabretooth, Xavier might not have completely opposed the Department. After all, he shared no meaningful bond with that particular mutant.
But this was different. The Department had cloned Magneto.
Despite their ideological differences, in Xavier's heart, Magneto remained one of his closest friends.
Whether from personal loyalty or concern for the mutant community, he could no longer stand by while the Department carried out such experiments.
"We're on it, Professor," Jean said immediately.
"Be careful. I await your report."
As Jean, Logan, and Ororo departed for the hangar, heading toward the Blackbird, Xavier and Scott remained behind.
Brotherhood of Mutants Headquarters
Mystique rushed down the corridor to Magneto's quarters, tablet in hand.
"What's happened?" Magneto asked, perplexed by her sudden appearance as he prepared for bed.
"A source in Miami just sent this," she said, pressing play on a video and turning the screen toward Magneto.
Magneto's expression darkened as he watched.
The edited footage ran only two or three minutes, but it told the whole story—his clone standing with Sebastian Shaw at the dock, fighting Richard, and finally, a close-up of the clone's broken remains.
After watching the entire video, Magneto remained silent for several seconds.
"Have I been too quiet lately?" he finally asked, a dangerous smile forming. "Do they think I've grown too old for conflict?"
Though he seemed to be addressing Mystique, she understood no answer was required.
As expected, before she could respond, Magneto's face hardened with lethal intent:
"Since they want war, I'll give them war."
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