"It's you!"
Bruce flashed a bright smile, greeting enthusiastically.
In truth, he had no idea who this guy was.
Every time he entered a new world, he would assume a new orphan identity. Along with that came a slew of "acquaintances"—like the matron of an orphanage or peers he'd supposedly grown up with.
But these were never deep relationships—just people he knew in passing.
At this moment, a silver-haired boy grabbed Bruce's hand and pulled him aside.
"What are you doing in this courtyard?"
The boy looked a bit nervous, glancing behind Bruce at the extraordinary individuals in the distance.
"This place is full of weirdos," he said. "If you don't need to be here, don't come. Come with me—Matron's been looking for you."
Bruce had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but now was clearly not the time.
Suppressing all his doubts, he followed the silver-haired boy into another building.
Inside, everything felt far more normal.
The silver-haired boy was quite talkative. He spoke nonstop while Bruce listened, occasionally asking leading questions that helped him piece together a lot of information.
For example—
"The people in that courtyard are all problem children," the boy said. "I'm not talking about their superpowers, but their extreme personalities. You could say something completely innocent, and they'd take offense and want to fight you."
He stuck out his tongue in disgust.
"Why would I want to fight them? I still have to survive and take my revenge!"
"Fair point," Bruce nodded. "I don't have your level of wisdom."
"Exactly!" The boy beamed. "Backing down for now doesn't mean much. So what if they punch me a few times? It doesn't even hurt!"
"That's obvious," Bruce said casually.
"Actually, it's not like I can't fight back—it's just that Wanda doesn't let me."
The boy struck a mock boxing pose, feinting dodges to prove his point.
"My combat skills are pretty good. I could easily take down three to five adults!"
"You have a sister?" Bruce asked suddenly.
"An older sister," the boy replied, his enthusiasm deflating. "A twin, actually. She's only thirty seconds older than me. Too bad the doctor didn't pull me out first; otherwise, I'd be the older one."
"Ohhh," Bruce drawled. "I see. By the way, Pietro, didn't you say Matron was waiting for us? Let's hurry up!"
The boy snapped back to attention. He'd gotten so caught up in talking that he'd forgotten their purpose.
"Right, let's go!"
His reaction confirmed his identity to Bruce.
After all, Bruce had called him Pietro, and he hadn't denied it.
"So, it really is those siblings you mentioned," Bruce telepathically conveyed to Kathoom.
The owl was circling above, unwilling to land near the orphanage.
It seemed the bird didn't want to get involved in Bruce's misfortune.
"I told you it was them," Kathoom replied. "The moment I saw his silver hair, I was sure. You're the one who insisted on double-checking."
The silver-haired boy, Pietro Maximoff, was none other than the future Quicksilver—the first unlucky soul to die after Hawkeye's infamous flag-raising moment.
And the sister he mentioned, Wanda Maximoff, would grow up to be an even greater force—a powerhouse capable of obliterating the Illuminati.
For now, though, the two of them were just kids—likely around twelve years old, younger than Bruce appeared.
Bruce followed Pietro into the Matron's office. Inside, a woman in her fifties was frowning over a list in her hand, her expression full of worry.
When the two boys entered, her face darkened even more.
In the room stood a girl in a crimson dress, waiting quietly off to the side.
Her expression was vacant, as if lost in her own thoughts, completely uninterested in the outside world.
"We're here!" Pietro greeted the Matron loudly. "Matron White, you don't look so happy!"
"Keep your voice down!"
The Matron scolded him, then paused, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Pietro, Bruce, it's good you're here. There's something I need to tell you."
"Go ahead!" Pietro plopped down beside the girl in the red dress, patting the seat next to him for Bruce to join.
Once all three kids were seated, they waited for the Matron to continue.
"This year's list has come out," the Matron began. Her voice trembled, almost faltering mid-sentence.
This unusual emotion didn't escape Bruce's notice.
Why would the Matron look like this? he wondered. Could the announcement be about something other than inheriting an estate?
In every new world Bruce entered, he usually found himself in an orphanage, only to inherit a large fortune soon after.
That had become the norm. So when Pietro called for him earlier, Bruce assumed this time would be no different.
But now, it seemed something had deviated from the usual pattern.
"This time, the ones selected are you three," the Matron said, taking a long moment to collect herself. "When you go to Baron Strucker, you must remember—"
Before she could finish, Pietro suddenly cheered.
"Awesome!"
He shouted, "That's the second good news I've heard today!"
"Shut up, Pietro."
The girl in red, who had been lost in her thoughts, finally spoke. Her soft words made Pietro shrink back, his neck retracting like a turtle.
The way she subdued him with just a few words confirmed her identity to Bruce.
She must be Wanda.
"Not bad," Bruce thought to himself. "I've met this sister before!"
"What nonsense are you spouting now?" Kathoom interjected. "When did you meet her?"
"I did meet her!" Bruce insisted.
"In the final battle of the Old Man Logan Universe, didn't we see those shadows in the lightning storm? She was among them."
He had indeed seen Wanda before—just the adult version.
And she was much more attractive then.
"By the way," Bruce asked the owl, "do you know who Baron Strucker is? Why did Matron look so terrified when she mentioned him?"
"Hydra operative," Kathoom replied without hesitation. "He's like Professor Pig-Face, someone who conducts experiments on humans. Except Strucker focuses more on researching superhumans."
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, it was Strucker who used Loki's scepter to awaken the superpowers in Wanda and Pietro.
"So, those kids back in that courtyard—are they all Strucker's experiments?" Bruce asked.
"Pretty much," Kathoom sighed. "But it doesn't look like his experiments worked. Those kids clearly can't control their abilities—and their lifespans are nearing their end."
Bruce found this scenario disturbingly familiar. In The Boys universe, Vought International ran orphanages like these to dispose of defective superpowered children.
Hearing this, Bruce pieced together the grim reality. Were they being sent to Strucker for experiments too?
Matron had been interrupted before she could finish explaining, and after Pietro's outburst, she seemed to lose the will to continue. She simply told the children to prepare themselves, as Strucker's people would come to take them away tomorrow.
Once outside the office, Pietro was bursting with excitement.
"Fantastic! Amazing!" he exclaimed, practically bouncing on his feet. "Now I can finally get the power to avenge my parents!"
Clearly, Pietro understood what being chosen entailed.
Yet, instead of fear, he seemed thrilled.
Wanda, however, was unimpressed by his enthusiasm. She let out a scoff.
"What are you so happy about? Even if we get superpowers, it'll be years from now. By then, Stark might already be dead!"
"Stark?" Bruce caught the name and confirmed, "Do you mean the Stark from Stark Industries?"
If so, Bruce had a few words for Stark himself.
What kind of suits are you designing? Why can't they withstand Superman's punches?
It was Stark's subpar tech that had capped the Hellbat armor's potential, forcing Bruce to take a loss in his fight against Superman.
He'd love to have a chat with Stark about that.
"Of course it's Stark from Stark Industries!" Pietro snarled, his teeth clenched. "Who else could it be? Do you know another war demon named Tony Stark?"
Wrapping an arm around Bruce's shoulders, Pietro launched into his and Wanda's tragic backstory.
"Bruce, don't tell me you think Wanda and I were born orphans?"
"I've never thought that!" Bruce quickly clarified. "I believe you must've had parents."
"Exactly!" Pietro sighed deeply. "We had a happy family once, but Tony Stark destroyed it all!"
Through Pietro's recounting, Bruce heard a story of unspeakable tragedy.
The Maximoffs had once been a blissful family of four living in Sokovia. Then war broke out.
One evening, while they were having dinner, a missile manufactured by Stark Industries struck their home, killing Pietro's parents instantly. Pietro and Wanda survived only because they were buried under rubble.
But then, a second missile came in.
"It was a dud—it didn't explode," Pietro said, his emotions complex. "I was holding Wanda, trembling under the debris. No one came to rescue us. The bomb could've gone off at any moment. All I could do was stare at the Stark Industries logo on the shell and pray to God for mercy."
Bruce could barely fathom the horror of what they'd endured while waiting for rescue.
They couldn't move, terrified that the slightest shift might set off the bomb. Yet staying trapped under the rubble was just as much a death sentence.
In that situation, all they could do was pray.
"This grudge definitely needs settling!" Bruce said, fully supporting Pietro's resolve. "Stark Industries took your parents—they must pay for it!"
"Do you really think so?" Kathoom interjected. "Think about it. If your parents were shot, would you hold the gun manufacturer responsible? Or would you go after the person who pulled the trigger?"
"A sharp blade invites a sharp intent," Bruce replied. "And Stark Industries is an arms manufacturer. They profit from war, and they'll continue fueling more of it."
All those weapons should be confiscated—and repurposed for Hellbat armor upgrades.
"Suit yourself," Kathoom muttered. He'd asked out of curiosity but wasn't about to argue.
Returning to his conversation with Pietro, Bruce asked, "Why did Wanda say Stark might already be dead by the time you get powers?"
"Because Tony Stark's been kidnapped!" Pietro grinned. "Wait here—I'll show you something!"
He abruptly left Bruce and Wanda, dashing toward the orphanage's main hall.
Pietro ran with astonishing speed. No wonder he'd bragged about taking on three or five adults—it'd be hard for anyone to catch him.
Even Bruce, in his current state, would struggle to keep up.
No longer in the Harry Potter or DC universes, Bruce no longer had access to the Speed Force. Without it, his speed was gone.
He wasn't Barry Allen; he couldn't create the Speed Force on his own. To become the Red Streak again, he'd have to return to those worlds.
Pietro disappeared in a flash, leaving Bruce and Wanda behind.
Wanda, as usual, seemed lost in her thoughts, showing no intention of engaging Bruce in conversation.
Bruce, for his part, wasn't sure how to break the silence.
The awkward atmosphere lingered until Pietro returned, waving a newspaper and breaking the tension.
"Check this out—great news!" Pietro grinned, handing the paper to Bruce. "Tony Stark had an accident in the Middle East and is missing! I hope he's in big trouble!"
Though Pietro wouldn't admit it, he did harbor a slight regret. He wanted to kill Stark with his own hands—it was the only way to truly feel avenged.
But he also understood how difficult it would be for him and Wanda to topple such a giant on their own.
If someone else was willing to take Stark down for them, Pietro could begrudgingly accept it.
Bruce scanned the newspaper, reading the entire article.
It contained little useful information. Beyond Stark's initial whereabouts, the rest was pure speculation.
"Stark's not going to die, is he?" Bruce asked Kathoom internally. "If he dies here, then who was the Iron Man I saw before?"
"He won't," Kathoom confirmed. "In about three months, he'll escape the desert himself. That's when Iron Man makes his debut."
So that's how it is.
Bruce sighed, glancing at the cheering Pietro.
Bad news: Stark won't die.
Good news: You'll get your chance to avenge him yourself.
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T/N: AHAHAIHFIAIFSGIFA i just realized i havent been putting the convos between karthoom and bruce in italics.... HMPH WHATEVER
Ichinose was blocked :D