synthetic humanoid

Wanda nods. “Good.” But it was more than just physical harm, even if physical harm was what Wanda had been thinking of. She considers his offer for a moment before shrugging. “I’ll talk to Klara. We’ll see.” She probably should go to Pietro, but in truth, she was annoyed with him. He had been reckless, despite what he told her, she felt he’d let himself get hurt. “He’ll be okay.”

“I am not a father, I think you’re confused.”

Wanda froze. Klara had mentioned Alexei before. He was the man who’d gotten her out of the facility. “Yes, she’s Russian,” Wanda replies a little absently. She doesn’t answer for a moment, considering how to phrase it. “I think… Possibly. I don’t know. But Klara’s… been through a lot. I don’t want any harm to come to her.”

Wanda blinks and frowns. “Confused you for who?” she asks. That could be important in figuring out who he was. Particularly since Klara’s file was in Alex’s head. She had to be wary; what if he was here for nefarious purposes? “Did she seem afraid?” Klara might not have said who, Wanda reasons, but if she was afraid of him it would tell them a lot. “Good.”

Wanda shakes her head. “No, he’s just… No, you didn’t.” She couldn’t begin to explain Pietro, and she didn’t want Alex to end up getting hit because she said the wrong thing. His question makes her frown. “I know her, yes, but she’s not my sister.” She hadn’t really thought about it. She supposed she and Klara did have similarities in their appearances. “Why?”

Wanda could guess who the women were given what little Pietro had told her. She wondered if Klara had recognised the man who seemed to be from her facility. But Alex was probably right that Hank’s attention was more urgently needed for the girls. She catches Pietro’s eyeroll and were he not so injured she might’ve given him a light shove. As it was, she ignores it. 

“Good idea. I’ll come up later to check on you, mm?” she offers. She shakes her head at Alex’s concern. “Don’t worry, he’ll be okay.” Never mind the fact she was worried out of her mind. “So, was there something I could help you with?”

“Brother. This is Pietro. Pietro, this is Alex.” She hasn’t yet had a chance to tell Pietro about Alex or what she’d found in his mind. So when she glances up at him, she’d not expected to see him staring hard at the stranger, though maybe she should’ve. She narrows her eyes at him before turning back to Alex.

“It’s alright. Did Hank help at all?”

Alex doesn’t quite get the look he’s receiving from Pietro, brow furrowed as he stares back while answering Wanda. “Um... No he didn’t get a chance. We just spoke some but then these women showed up.” He finally looks back at her and gives her a small smile. “It’s alright, I’ll just go back later when he isn’t so busy. They need his help more than I do.”

Pietro rolls his eyes at the self-sacrificing bit, patting his sister’s shoulder before he straightens up. “Alright, I’m going to go sleep this off.”

Klara nods slowly. It wasn’t even the answer that hurt the most. It was how easily he said it. Like he didn’t care to remember. It didn’t matter to him. “Klara.” You gave it to me, she wants to scream. You taught me I could have a name and not a number. Why don’t you remember? “I think you should go.” She can’t take it right now. Not after the day she’s had.

“I...” Alex isn’t sure what to say, looking between the doctor and this girl who swore she knew him. “I’m sorry,” he tries again but it still doesn’t feel sincere. He backs away, making eye contact with the doctor. “I trust you’ll take good care of Klara.” Her name made bright lights flash in his head. He should remember this. He should remember. But he refuses to stay and put her through any more hurt. He reaches the door and tries smiling at her again. “I hope you feel better.”

Klara feels that more than she felt the shot Hank’s administering. Her jaw tightens as she tries to hide how much it hurt. He doesn’t remember her at all. He didn’t care. “What happened to you?” she whispers. Had they found him? Had the facility done this? Then why was he here?

When Hank suggests that Alexei leave, Klara isn’t as against it as she might normally be. She can’t stop wondering if the facility got to him, if he would turn on her like Alisa had. She couldn’t take it again, not from him. When Alexei interrupts, saying that Klara can decide, she presses her lips together, looking down. “Do you remember anything?” she asks.

Hank has half a mind to kick the guy out of his clinic, but he wouldn’t deny Klara the choice. He was right that she could make her own decisions, that wasn’t something most people afforded Klara. Not even Pietro, sometimes. He grits his teeth but doesn’t say anything more. Just listens. Klara knew this guy, but this guy knew nothing. It was heartbreaking to watch, and maybe it was the absence of Jean but he wanted to protect her.

“No,” he says honestly, easily. Alex wasn’t necessarily sad about that either. Just frustrated that he was so clueless and everyone was looking at him like he didn’t belong. He didn’t, but he wanted to find out where he did. “I didn’t even remember my name when I woke up. What’s yours?”

Klara is as startled as Hank when Alexei reaches in to stop him. He still knew where she couldn’t hide her pain, but he didn’t know her? Her eyes don’t leave him, answering Hank’s question with a shrug, until Hank returns with the needle. She still hates them. But she swallows and nods. Although she doesn’t react outwardly, she feels her heartrate jump when he goes to administer the shot.

She blinks in surprise when Alexei takes her hand. This was worse. This kindness without recognition. It made her feel invisible. “You never came. You got shot in Berlin. You made me get on that plane, said you’d follow.”

Berlin? Alex wracked his brain to find a memory, any memory that coincided with this. But he couldn’t, he didn’t remember anything before waking up and finding his way here. “I’m sorry...” he says blandly, because he wasn’t even that apologetic about it. “My mind, it’s... I don’t remember that. Or you.” 

Hank isn’t trying to listen in to their conversation but it’s clear that Alex is upsetting Klara. From what he’d assessed of Alex, he’d come to the conclusion that his memories had been wiped. Literally like a hard drive rather than a brain injury. It could explain why he didn’t remember Klara, if they in fact did know each other. “Maybe it’s best that he leaves, hmm?” he asks her softly. “Sir-”

“She can decide,” Alex interrupts Hank without looking at him. “That’s not up to you, she can decide for herself.” He lets go of Klara’s hand, seeing maybe he is bothering her after all. “I can come back later, if that’s what you wish. I can talk to my friend, Wanda. Maybe she can help me remember Berlin.”

Lorna blinks, surprised at the doctor’s shortness about her brother, but she takes a bed.

Klara resoutely refuses to react despite the flares of pain as Hank looks at the infected stab wound. Her eyes flit from Hank to Alexei, distracted by the man’s presence. A childlike part of her wishes Pietro or even Wanda were there. Someone to shield her, to tell her what was going on. But she couldn’t rely on Pietro all the time, and he wasn’t here.

“Yes, I’m Russian,” she murmurs. The way he reacted to her Russian is all too familiar– she’d reacted in a similar way when she’d discovered Pietro could understand her. “You know me. You helped me get here. Don’t you remember? Do you remember Berlin?”

Alex could tell the girl was in extreme pain, even if she didn’t show it. There were markers his eyes immediately looked for. Her fingers twitching, the tautness of her brow. Things usually gone unnoticed. He looks at Hank and takes his wrist, making the bigger man startle and stare at him with annoyance. “You’re hurting her,” he says firmly. “Surely you can numb it first?”

Blinking in surprise, Hank looks down at Klara. “Why didn’t you say something?” He turns away for a moment and when he turns back he has a needle in hand. “I know you hate these, but try to keep calm. Okay?” She’d gotten much better since her initial vaccinations when she’d first got here, thanks to Pietro. But he was still quick and careful when he administered any shot to the teenager.

Before Hank sticks her, Alex takes her hand and gives her a tight smile. “You can squeeze, if you need,” he switches to Russian effortlessly. He doesn’t know why he’s compelled to help the girl but he is. What she says about him makes him frown though. Wouldn’t he remember her if he knew her? “You could be mistaken, I’ve never been to the United States before now.” He thinks.

Lorna, not knowing what was going on with the younger girl, is a little reluctant to let her go, but she does need to sit down. So she lets the man –Alex– take Klara’s shoulders, though she’s watching closely as Klara stiffens in his grip.

Klara’s eyes don’t leave Alexei, watching him like a cornered animal watches a predator. Was he going to betray her as Alisa had done? “What happened to you?” she asks in quiet Russian.

When Hank walks in, it’s a relief. She wants to ask him about Alexei, but she doesn’t get a chance before he’s lifting her onto a bed. Off her feet, suddenly she’s not sure how she managed to stay on them until now. Eveything hurts. 

“Her leg was infected when Pietro found her. Our car rolled on the way back. Some… Russian mutant attacked us. She nearly killed Pietro. He’s…” Lorna looked to the door. “I don’t know why he’s not here.”

Hank keeps his mouth shut about Pietro, knowing why Lorna is surprised.It wouldn’t be the first time Pietro had nearly died here, and surprised everybody by staying on his feet. At first Hank had thought he had a healing factor, but when he learned that wasn’t the case... It was best not to learn too much about the Maximoff twins. Though, Lorna doesn’t have that luxury he’s sure. “He’ll be fine,” he says shortly before turning to cut open the crude bandaging they’d done on Klara’s leg. He frowns at the obviously inflamed skin. “There’s a lot of work to do here. Lorna grab a bed, I need to have a look at you too.” He’s so focused on healing Klara that he doesn’t notice how disturbed she is.

Alex? No, this was Alexei. Klara couldn’t forget that face. The face of kindness to her in a place of cruelty. She thinks maybe he’s simply American-ised his name when he asks her if she was Wanda’s sister. After everything, it’s a dagger through her heart. Klara’s hand tightens on Lorna’s arm as if she might fall, making Lorna wince.

Klara doesn’t understand. Why had he forgotten her? What was happening? She looks around, hoping Hank or someone could explain. Despite feeling her heart break, no tears are forming. Instead, Klara feels like she’s shutting down emotionally.

Alex frowns at the shift in her demeanor, standing up as she grips onto the other woman. The lady with the green hair looks hurt too, like she shouldn’t be supporting someone right now. He walks over to them quickly, hoping he can lend a hand. “The doctor should be back shortly,” he says mechanically, trying to reassure them both. His hands awkwardly close around the younger one’s shoulders so the other woman can slip away.

When Lorna places her on the ground, Klara forces herself to shift and shakily get to her feet. But she had to hold onto the green-haired girl just to stay upright. Then she sees him.

“Alexei?” @svnthezoid

It had been months, maybe a year, since Klara had seen Alexei. Since he’d been shot as they nearly got caught. Since he’d sent her on ahead. He’d changed, slightly, but so had she. What strikes dread into her heart is the way he looks at her. It’s not the same. After what had happened with Alisa, Klara is not so trusting of strange behaviour. She doesn’t move, apprehensive even as she’s hopeful.

This was the doctor’s office, Wanda had told him. Alex stared at the lights lining multiple examination beds, not bothered by the brightness. He wished Wanda had stayed, it would make things easier for him. Easier to explain to the doctor what was wrong with him. What was wrong with him? But she had said something about her brother, that he needed her. 

When two girls come through the doors looking worse off than him by miles, he frowns. “Alex,” he corrects the younger looking one. She looked like Wanda. “Are you Wanda’s sister?” That would make sense. “Are you okay?”

“Files. On mutants.” She allows him to see the one she’s looking at. “Do you recognise this mutant?” she asks. “Do you know where these are from?”

Alex blinks slowly as she shows him a particular file. A particular mutant. She’s so small, he wonders what she’s doing in the files in his mind. “Who is she?” Shaking his head, he sighs. “I have no idea, I...” His frustration is reaching a  head, and he has to turn away to sit down.