Spark

10

Many years ago

"I'm glad you're awake," Someone spoke to him, calling him back from his slumber. The voice was sharp and distinct, with a hint of command laced within the pitch. It was the kind of voice that scared soldiers into being a real army, the voice of a general leading the charge.

When he opened his eyes, the voice was matched to a face. He thought he was looking at a man, but there was something about their features that made it seem like it was a female. Strawberry hair cropped off right at the ears, with undertones of black hair. Emerald green eyes stared at him, their depths obscured with curiosity and power. The woman was wearing a yellow and black bodysuit, and she was leaning right above him.

"You've been asleep for a few days," The woman said, standing up. He followed her movements, getting a look at the room around him. The floor was white octagonal plates connected together with silver trimming, and the walls were a crisp metal that started from the bottom, angled upwards, before meeting a blue glowing line. Right after the line, the metal wall continued straight up to meet a gray stone ceiling. He was to one corner on a bed connected to the wall, with the doorway out being right at his feet a several feet off. "Medusa was beginning to worry you wouldn't wake up."

"Who's Medusa?" He croaked, sitting up with strained muscles. He felt like he'd been sleeping for a few weeks, and by the sound of what the woman was saying, he could assume that it had been awhile since he last woke up and went walking. He attempted to sift through what little he knew, but only fragments appeared, each one returning as slow as he thought he could go at the moment.

"My sister. You don't know us, and we have no idea where you came from. You just appeared, in a coma, in the main room. I wanted to throw you out, but Medusa and Blackagar thought it would be better to wait for you to wake up," She said, brutally honest with him.

"Thanks for the compassion," He said with a smile, his memories starting to form together to create a cohesive past. His name came first, Pietro Maximoff, and his twin sister's name came second, Wanda Maximoff. As his childhood was reconstructed, Pietro realized that he didn't know anything about where he was.

"So, if we don't know each other, where am I? I grew up in Sokovia," Pietro said with an accent that was akin to the land of where he came from. It was a small, war-torn country in Europe, hidden away by mountains that built barriers between the cities and outside civilization. Modernization hadn't even hit yet before Pietro and his sister volunteered for an experiment that would turn them into weapons to use against the rest of the world.

"This is Attilan, a base on the moon for inhomo supremis, or Inhumans. We're genetically enhance humans with powers that have been unlocked in our genetics," The woman said with sigh, only because she never paid much attention to her species genetic codes or history. "I'm Crystalia Amaquelin, but you may call me Crystal."

"Pietro Maximoff."

***

"So, this is Earth? Smells weird, the air is garbage," Crystal said, letting her boots sink into the mud of the farm that Pietro had recently bought for them. After a few months of living together, Pietro was finally able to convince Crystal to join him on Earth.

"Ahh, my dear, the pollution may be awful, but the Earth isn't an all bad place. I can tell you it's more diverse than that space base you lived on," Pietro said, soaking in what it was like to return. Last time he was on Earth, Pietro had died, leaving his sister and the Avengers to defend Sokovia. Pietro learned that his sister was still alive, had legally joined the Avengers, and was caught up in many troubles with the law.

"Oh? I better get a tour. I want to know how exactly incredible Earth is after all the talk you gave it," Crystal said with a smile, looking around with dissatisfied eyes. How could this place be so bleak, she wondered, and soon she caught herself wondering why it looked so different from the pictures Pietro showed her.

"You've already seen some of the places! This is the countryside in Texas, I bought some land near a city called Austin. Now, the pictures I showed you were of New York City, Paris, and London, each huge cities in their own respective countries," Pietro started. While on the Attilan, Pietro made sure to teach himself about Earth culture to the fullest extent of the Inhuman library. Pietro was astounded by how different it all was from Sokovia.

"Earth is much larger than Attilan," Crystal noted, looking for the house she would be moving into. A little ways off, a wooden cabin resided on the top of a hill, standing before the entire grassy plains like a majestic animal.

"It is. I can't wait for you to see all these cities. Especially, Sokovia, where I grew-" Pietro stopped, reaching a hand towards Crystal. The woman turned to look at her husband, but she was there to witness his face slowly dissolving into dust. Crystal grabbed his hand, pressing it against her cheek as the tips became flakes that blew into the breeze. Pietro gave Crystal a sad smile before he was completely gone.

"Wha- where are you!" Crystal yelled, confused about what was happening. She looked around for Pietro, but there wasn't anyone there. Crystal raced inside the house, trying to see if he ran up there with his super speed, like this was an elaborate prank.

The TV was on, and Crystal soon discovered the fate of her husband. The news spoke of a villain named Thanos, who snapped his fingers and wiped out half of humanity. Crystal took a deep breath, tears washing down her face. Crystal hugged her stomach, whispering through the tears, "I'm pregnant, Pietro, we were supposed to have a daughter together."