After Lorna left, Rex turned to Colleen, his brow furrowed in surprise. 'What was that all about? You were very insistent. That's not like you.'
Colleen hesitated. 'You don't know... This child is special. It would be dangerous for her to live alone. She'll be targeted if we're not careful.'
Rex nodded. 'You've got a point. That beautiful girl could get into trouble easily.'
Colleen shook her head. 'That's not what I meant. She's a mutant.'
The word 'mutant' hung in the air, heavy and shocking. Lorna Lehnsherr... Rex felt a jolt of disbelief, as if he'd been hit by a truck. 'No… no…' he whispered, the words barely audible.
Colleen frowned. 'What do you mean? I told you because I thought you'd understand. You've always been sympathetic to mutants.'
Rex shook his head quickly. 'No, you misunderstood. I didn't mean to discriminate. I just remembered another mutant with the last name Lehnsherr.'
Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, was a powerful mutant with control over metal. But this was impossible! Rex had investigated thoroughly after crossing over. While there were a few mutants, they weren't prominent. Neither the X-Men nor the Brotherhood of Mutants existed in this world.
With SHIELD and the Sentinel Services keeping a close eye on them, mutants couldn't form a strong force. Magneto, the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, shouldn't even be here. He'd never stay quiet in a world like this.
How could his daughter, Lorna Lehnsherr, who had his powers, exist here? Was this a coincidence?
Rex didn't believe it was. He activated his Ki Sense, focusing on Lorna.
Rex's face paled, his eyes widening in shock. Sweat beaded on his forehead. 'What happened to you?' Colleen asked, concerned. 'My god! What strong Ki!' Rex gasped, his voice barely a whisper. The girl he'd seen as fragile had Ki that was 50 times stronger than his own!
Rex had twice the Ki of a normal human, so Lorna was 100 times stronger! She was worthy of being Polaris!
Colleen frowned. 'What are you talking about? What strong Ki?'
Rex gulped, his gaze fixed on Colleen. 'You worry too much, Colleen. Lorna is strong, very strong! Ordinary people couldn't hold a candle to her!'
Colleen's face hardened. 'You've got me all wrong! She's a mutant. I'm not just worried about her safety; I'm worried about everyone around her!'
When a mutant awakens, they get a massive power boost. It's a lot for their bodies to handle, and they might not be able to control themselves right away.
Rex nodded. 'Are you worried she might go out of control and cause trouble? SHIELD and the Sentinel Services would hunt her down.'
Colleen frowned. 'SHIELD? I know about the Sentinel Services, but what's SHIELD?'
Rex realized he'd slipped up. SHIELD was a secret organization. 'Yeah, that's the acronym for Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division!'
Colleen was surprised. 'What is this division? You didn't make it up, did you?' Rex smiled. 'No, it's real. Most people ask for the acronym when they hear the full name.' Colleen shook her head. 'Good god! What a weird name!'
Colleen returned to her main point. 'Rex, you have to let Lorna live here! I'm afraid for her on the streets.' Rex thought, 'You're not afraid she'll go out of control and destroy my restaurant?' He hesitated. 'I'll try my best, but she's stubborn, just like you. I can't promise anything.' Colleen ignored his comment. 'I'm going back to my Dojo. You deal with this.'
Rex nodded and watched Colleen leave. He found the spare keys and gave them to Lorna. 'These are the keys to the store. The big one is for the front door, the small one for the back. Lock up after work. We start at 11:30 tomorrow, don't be late.' Rex ignored Lorna's surprised expression and went upstairs to the living room. It wasn't ready for her. He wished Colleen hadn't left so soon; he could have asked for her help.
Lorna watched Rex go, a thoughtful frown on her face. 'Isn't he afraid I'll steal something?' She was used to people's suspicions. Rex left hundreds of dollars in the cash register, but he didn't seem worried at all. He even gave her the keys to the store!