The dark alley was thick with tension as Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff, and Talia Stark stood facing the would-be mugger. Fracture's semi-liquid form curled zily around Wanda’s shoulders, her tendrils rippling as if sensing the trouble brewing in the shadows.

  **“Go on,”** Fracture taunted, her voice oozing menace. **“Make my night.”**

  The mugger let out a loud, mocking ugh that echoed through the alley. “Mwahahahaha! Did you truly think I would be afraid of a little girl and her pet worm?”

  Wanda raised an eyebrow. “Pet worm? Fracture, did he just insult you?”

  **“He did,”** Fracture replied indignantly. **“Now I’m definitely eating him.”**

  Before Wanda could respond, a wave of oppressive heat swept through the alley, forcing them all to step back. Fmes erupted from the shadows, illuminating the space with a flickering orange glow. A tall, wiry man stepped into view, his fiery orange hair matching the fmes dancing around his hands. His eyes burned with a dangerous intensity, and the air around him shimmered with heat.

  The mugger pointed dramatically. “Behold! Pyrelight, the Fming Fist of the Brotherhood of Mutants! Your doom has arrived!”

  Natasha blinked. “Pyrelight? Really?”

  Talia tilted her head, her lips twitching with amusement. “That’s... ambitious.”

  Wanda’s lips curved into a smirk. “Oh, look. God sent me a gift. I get to test Fracture’s new upgrades.”

  Fracture groaned. **“Oh, come on. A fire guy? My luck is the worst.”**

  “Let’s see how you handle the heat,” Pyrelight sneered, raising his fming fists.

  “Natasha, Talia,” Wanda said, stepping forward, her voice calm and commanding. “Step back. This one’s mine.”

  Natasha frowned but complied, pulling Talia with her. “Be careful.”

  “Careful’s boring,” Wanda replied, a sly grin forming as she closed her eyes. “Suit up, Fracture.”

  With a ripple of crimson and bck, Fracture enveloped Wanda’s body, forming a sleek, armored suit of liquid darkness. Sharp cws extended from her fingers, and jagged edges decorated the suit, giving her a predatory, menacing appearance. A faint glow pulsed along the veins of the symbiote, a subtle hint of the Extremis Virus at work.

  “This feels... different,” Wanda murmured, flexing her cwed hands. “Stronger.”

  **“You’re welcome,”** Fracture quipped. **“Now, let’s show this hothead what we can do.”**

  Pyrelight unched a fireball toward Wanda without warning, the fmes roaring through the alley. Wanda moved instinctively, her enhanced speed propelling her to the side as the fireball crashed harmlessly into the brick wall.

  “Not bad,” Wanda said, her voice muffled slightly by the symbiote suit. “But you’ll have to try harder.”

  Pyrelight growled, fmes swirling around him. “Don’t underestimate me!”

  Pyrelight charged, his fists abze, swinging wildly at Wanda. She sidestepped his attacks with ease, the fluid motion of the symbiote suit amplifying her agility. One of his punches came dangerously close, but Wanda countered with a swipe of her cwed hand, sshing through the air and forcing him to retreat.

  “Sharp cws,” Talia muttered from the sidelines. “Nice touch.”

  “Very Wolverine-chic,” Natasha added with a smirk.

  “Focus, dies,” Wanda called over her shoulder before lunging at Pyrelight.

  Her cws raked across his fming defenses, sending sparks flying. Pyrelight retaliated with a burst of heat, the intense wave forcing Wanda back a step. Steam hissed from the symbiote’s surface, and Fracture let out a dramatic groan.

  **“Ugh, I hate this guy,”** Fracture grumbled. **“Wanda, can we eat him already?”**

  “Not yet,” Wanda said, her tone firm. “We’re testing you, remember?”

  Pyrelight smirked, sensing an opening. “You think your fancy suit can handle me? Let’s turn up the heat!”

  He unleashed a torrent of fire, the fmes surging toward Wanda with terrifying speed. Wanda pnted her feet, bracing herself as Fracture shifted, forming a jagged shield in front of her. The fmes collided with the shield, sending a wave of heat rippling through the alley, but Wanda didn’t falter.

  “Nice try,” Wanda said, lowering the shield and advancing toward him. “But you’re out of your league.”

  Pyrelight swung at her again, but this time, Wanda caught his wrist with her cwed hand. The symbiote writhed around his arm, absorbing some of the heat as Wanda twisted his wrist and sent him crashing to the ground.

  Pyrelight struggled to his feet, his fmes sputtering as his energy waned. Wanda stood over him, her symbiote suit glinting in the faint light.

  “You’re done,” Wanda said coldly. “Fracture?”

  **“With pleasure,”** Fracture replied, her tendrils rippling eagerly.

  Pyrelight let out a startled cry as Fracture enveloped him, her mass shimmering with dark energy. His fmes flickered one st time before vanishing entirely, his body disappearing into the symbiote’s hungry depths.

  **“Delicious,”** Fracture said, her tone dripping with satisfaction. **“He was spicy, but not too bad.”**

  Wanda turned her attention to the mugger, who stood frozen in pce, his face pale with terror.

  “Your turn,” Wanda said, her crimson eyes narrowing.

  “Wait, wait!” the man stammered, backing away. “I didn’t mean it! I was just—”

  Fracture interrupted with a gleeful ugh. **“Oh, you’re not getting out of this.”** Her tendrils shed out, pulling him into her mass. **“Mmm, a little bnd, but he’ll do.”**

  Talia wrinkled her nose. “I’m never going to get used to that.”

  Natasha crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. “Forget the mugger. Why is the Brotherhood of Mutants showing up in New York? And why now?”

  Wanda’s symbiote suit began to retract, Fracture melting back into her semi-liquid form. Wanda frowned, her expression troubled. “Good question. If Magneto’s involved, this isn’t random. He’s pnning something.”

  Talia’s blue eyes narrowed. “And sending someone like Pyrelight? Either he’s testing the waters, or he doesn’t think much of us.”

  “Either way,” Natasha said, her voice firm, “we need to figure out what’s going on.”

  Fracture let out a satisfied sigh, her form settling back around Wanda. **“Can we do that after dessert? I’m finally full for the first time in days.”**

  Wanda sighed, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

  **“And you love it,”** Fracture replied smugly.

  Talia grinned. “You’ve got to admit, she’s growing on you.”

  “Like a fungus,” Natasha muttered, earning a ugh from Talia.

  As the trio left the alley, the tension lingered in the air. The fight with Pyrelight had raised more questions than answers, and they all knew it was only the beginning. The Brotherhood’s presence in New York wasn’t a coincidence—and whatever Magneto was pnning, it was only a matter of time before they were caught in the middle of it. The events of the X men and Charles Xavier would soon draw Wanda into their fold.

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