SHIFTER ─ marvel

XXXVII. Gratitude

The entire room backs away from us, giving Alex some room. With his suit now activated, he bends down on his knees, hunching over and shifting into a grizzly bear. I would have chosen the same animal. Grizzly bears are intimidating predators, given their size and sharp claws. Alex makes a show of it; clawing at the ground and growling loudly in Analiese's direction.

Analiese looks very uncomfortable, but not afraid yet. Alex looks at me, waiting for me to give him the okay. I nod my head once, watching as he growls loudly in attack, charging at full speed towards Analiese. I can smell the adrenaline go through Analiese, which only increases as Alex unexpectedly pushes Analiese out of her chair. She lets out a yell, shutting her eyes and letting out small whimpers as Alex places one of his paws on her chest, growling directly in her face.

Analiese hasn't shifted. She was completely untrained, and I remember that anything hostile would set off my powers back when I was in the same position. If she still had her powers she would have shifted by now.

I nod to Shuri, watching as she makes her way over to her work counter to get a needle. Now it was time for the real test. I look over at my brother, who is now on his back feet, clawing at the air. He's just showing off now.

I look over to Khari, who is raising his eyebrow inquisitively at his fiancé, knowing all too well he's making a show of his powers right now. Scott is the only one who seems impressed; having an entertained look on his face like he's watching a television program

I roll my eyes. "Alex, that's enough."

He turns his head towards me, the gigantic frame of the bear in front of me slowly shifting back into the form of a man. Once he's a human again, Alex leans down, grabbing Analiese's arm and bringing her onto her feet. The grin Alex gives her is as arrogant as ever. "In HYDRA they called me the 'untamed', but I think that's a much more fitting name for you."

Analiese lets out a shaky breath, stepping back from Alex. "Becker gave you the serum too." She says matter of factly.

Alex nods, looking over towards me. "It looks like HYDRA scientists have a keen interest in the Roberts siblings. I wonder why we're so popular. Must be our impeccable genes."

I roll my eyes at my brother, guiding Analiese back to the chair. Shuri sticks the needle in her left arm, extracting a sample of her blood to test her genetic code. When she gets enough she puts a sample of the blood in a microscope slide, handing it to Bruce. He looks down into the neck of the microscope, leaving the rest of us waiting in suspense for several moments.

Bruce lifts his head back up, allowing Shuri to look into the microscope and double check the result. The two give each other a firm nod, before Shuri looks to Analiese. "Congratulations. You're normal."

A smile breaks over Analiese's face, a genuine smile with no toxicity or sarcasm etched in her dimples. Her smile reminds me of her brother, and it makes my heart ache.

Her voice is rather strained as she asks; "I'm-I'm cured?"

Shuri nods. "Your cells and genes are like any other human. The animal DNA is gone."

Her happiness fades for a single moment. She looks from Shuri to me, her expression a mixture of reluctance and awkwardness. She pushes past these feelings however, saying to me sincerely yet curtly. "Thank you. Truly, thank you."

I nod to her, feeling shocked that she said this with as much sincerity as she did. I look over to T'Challa, giving him a knowing look. "I'll call Everett. Would you like to be included in this call?"

He nods, glancing at Okoye. "I want to make sure he doesn't bring too many agents. We don't want the CIA poking around..." He says, eyeing Bucky.

I look over at Bucky, taking my phone out of my pocket. "Buck, Khari is going to take you to his parent's house. Please stay there until I tell you to come back."