New Ability

New York, United States, Stark Industries.

Steve and Bucky came to see Howard again. "Mr. Stark, still no news?" Alex had been gone for over a month now, and there had not been a single word from him. They were extremely worried and often came to ask for updates.

Seeing Steve and Bucky again gave Howard a headache. He was also deeply worried about Alex's safety, and he had contacted many people to search for news of him, including high-ranking figures in the British and French military. Unfortunately, there had been no news at all. Howard was now afraid to face Alex's friends, especially Marilyn Monroe.

Howard did not know what to say. He could only force a bitter smile and remain silent.

Steve and Bucky's expressions darkened in disappointment. "Then we'll be going, Mr. Stark. Please let us know the moment you hear anything!"

Howard sighed inwardly. Alex, where on earth are you?

Poland, Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

After a day of labor, the camp quickly fell silent. Jacob and Marx had gone to bed early as well, as though they had already forgotten the news from that morning. But Alex knew very well that they had merely buried their hatred deep in their hearts, waiting for the day it erupted.

Alex lay on his bed with his eyes open, staring blankly at the wooden board in front of him as he recalled Marx's outburst that morning. The timing doesn't match, but in the Marvel Universe, apart from Magneto, there's no one else who can control metal. Marx must be Magneto.

"With Magneto here, escaping Auschwitz shouldn't be a problem." Alex turned his head toward the bedside, where a piece of iron had been pried up. Marx had caused it that morning. "Marx has only just awakened his X-Gene ability. He can't control metal as effortlessly as the seasoned Magneto in the movies. I need to find a way to train his ability."

As he recalled scenes from the movies, Alex's attention unconsciously focused on the iron sheet. Then something astonishing happened—the piece of iron bent for no reason at all!

"Marx?" Alex immediately thought of Marx and poked his head out to look at the third bunk, where Marx slept. But to his surprise, Marx showed no abnormalities. His breathing was steady, and he clearly had not caused the iron sheet to bend.

Alex looked around in alarm. Could there be a second Magneto?

After searching for a long time, Alex found no one acting strangely. Other than himself, everyone in the brick barracks was fast asleep!

In his confusion, Alex looked again at the iron sheet. It really had bent. He stared at it for a long while, and suddenly it moved again. Rather than bending further, it flattened itself back against the bed.

"Was that me?!" Alex covered his mouth, his face full of disbelief.

After realizing there might be a second Magneto, Alex had become extremely cautious and extended his Psionic Power to closely observe his surroundings. But just now, a flash of inspiration had suddenly crossed his mind, and the motionless iron sheet had moved again!

Filled with astonishment, Alex tried controlling the iron sheet himself. To his surprise, it really did as he wished and lifted off the bed again. He then tried controlling an iron shovel beside the bed. The shovel rose into the air at his command, constantly changing shape according to his will.

Watching the shovel twist and deform in midair, Alex could not help growing excited.

Teleportation was indeed extremely powerful, but it was far less useful in combat unless Alex could recover to the level of his previous life and teleport without limits. He had always hoped to gain a powerful combat ability. This sudden ability had finally fulfilled that wish. In his excitement, Alex even forgot to train his Psionic Power and spent the whole night playing with the shovel and all kinds of metal objects.

The shrill bell rang again, and the deathly silent brick barracks instantly came back to life as everyone began bustling about.

Alex woke as well. He could not remember how late he had played the night before. He had only fallen into a deep sleep after his mind could no longer hold on. Even after sleeping, he had recovered only a little energy, and dark circles had appeared beneath his eyes.

Seeing Alex's exhausted appearance, Jacob grew worried. "Alex, are you alright?"

Alex waved a hand, his face still carrying traces of last night's excitement. "I'm fine. I'm great!" As he spoke, a thought crossed his mind, and he wanted to play with the metal sheet beside the bed again.

But to Alex's surprise, the metal sheet did not move at all.

"What's going on? Wasn't it working perfectly last night?" Alex could not accept it. Could last night have all been an illusion?

Seeing Alex's expression abruptly change, Jacob became even more worried. Having learned the terrible news about his wife and daughter only yesterday, he did not want to see anything happen to Alex too.

Marx also reached out and grabbed Alex's hand. With a faint sob in his voice, he whispered, "Brother Alex, you mustn't let anything happen to you!" It had to be said that Alex was very good with children, and Marx trusted him deeply as well.

That familiar current once again passed from Marx's small hand into Alex's palm, flowing up his arm and through his entire body. The tingling sensation immediately reminded Alex of yesterday morning.

Alex lowered his head to look at Marx, and a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind. Could this metal-controlling ability have been absorbed from Marx? Will it disappear after some time?

With that thought, Alex turned his gaze toward the iron sheet beside the bed again. As expected, the iron sheet twisted.

"I'm not Magneto. I'm Rogue!" Alex thought of Rogue from the movies. Rogue's ability was to absorb the abilities of others and make them her own. "That's not bad either. I can use different abilities."

Thinking of Rogue, Alex's expression suddenly changed again. He lowered his head to look at Marx and found him perfectly fine, without the slightest change. "Why isn't Marx reacting at all?" In the movies, anyone Rogue touched had been drained to the point of ecstasy and agony. Even Wolverine, with his incredibly powerful healing ability, had nearly died at her hands.

Before Alex could figure it out, Jacob grabbed him and dragged him out of the brick barracks. If they were any later, they would be beaten.

That day, Alex came into contact with Marx several times. Each time, that tingling current appeared, and the pleasurable sensation made Alex feel as though he were floating among the clouds. Marx, however, showed no reaction from beginning to end. Even his expression never changed.

That evening, after eating a piece of black bread, Alex pulled Marx into a corner. He held an iron sheet in his hand, which he had removed from the bed.

"Marx, try controlling this iron sheet." Alex had been worried that absorbing Marx's ability this way might harm him. Would Marx lose his ability because of it? He needed to test it.

Marx looked at Alex in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

"Stare at this piece of iron. Use your thoughts, your will, whatever it is. Think about it. You want to control it—control it!" Alex's Psionic Power was extremely strong, allowing him to control metal quickly and skillfully. But Marx could not. He needed practice.

Marx did not understand, but he still did as Alex told him.

For a long time, the iron sheet did not move at all.

"Anger!" Alex was somewhat disappointed when another idea came to him. It was the method Sebastian Shaw had used in the movies to awaken Magneto's abilities. "Your mother and little sister were killed. You want revenge. You want to kill them all..."

Before Alex could finish speaking, he saw the iron sheet in his hand slowly rise into the air.

"Good, Marx. Remember this feeling." Alex patted Marx and pulled him out of his rage. He did not want Marx to spend his entire life living in anger. "Learn to use and control this ability. It is our only way out of here."