Yes. Very.

‘Ach! I’ve got to come up with something better!’ Doctor List berated himself, still trying to think of a code name for his current project. ‘If I have to ask the prototype intelligent-response program for its input one more time…’ List pondered, walking back to his automated surgical equipment. List actually really Did want to use the prototype AI base-protocol again, but shuttered to think of the long term implications for the program if he had it begin exploring such taboo topics so early in its development. Considering how far that project still had to come, best not to mettle unduly.

It had been about 20 minutes since List had initiated the Maximoff fertilisation.

According to most of his computer trials, List expected Wanda’s egg cell to repulse a huge number of the incipient sperm cells seeking to fertilise it. In this light, Pietro’s hyperactive swimmers would be better suited than most to seal the deal. By his mental clock, the zygote fertilisation should be taking place soon.. Then the zygote would begin multiplying slowly. The embryo would be about 8 cells in size in a day or two, and therefore ready to transfer to the artificial uterus List’s lab had previously flash-cloned. ‘Best to go observe how the fertilisation is taking place,’ List thought to himself.

Doctor List approached the surgical interface and brought up the Maximoff embryo culture.

!!!

He was supposed to be seeing a fertilised egg, slowly thinking about splitting, or perhaps Wanda’s magic-imbued oocyte still repulsing fertilisation.

He was looking at an embryo at least a dozen cells large…! And if he were any judge, on the verge of growing further!!

No time to wonder! List drew up the command functions and initiated a procedure he didn’t expect for a couple days— the automated surgeon electrolysed the embryo-transfer medium and began matching the artificial womb’s homeostatic conditions to that of the embryo culture.

‘The zygote should barely have been fertilised by now, all the trials said so!’ List began shouting at himself internally. ‘How is there already an embryo of THIS size?!’

-bleeng- -bleeng- -bleeng-

the computer-surgeon toned patiently.

The embryo transfer was complete. Every aspect of this procedure seemed to be moving faster than List expected. Sure enough, List saw that the embryo had latched on in the artificial uterus, and showed all signs of being healthy.

List began pouring back through the recorded data, from the fertilisation commencement up to the embryo transfer. There had to be some clues why everything was happening so damned quickly!

Sure enough, the video record revealed what took place: Wanda’s egg’s hex energy was expected to repulse the majority of the incoming swimmers, like the north end of a magnet repulsing another magnet’s north end… The exact opposite happened with Pietro’s sample. Between the oocyte’s hex energy and the swimmers’ hyperactivity, fertilisation took fractions of a moment. Even more spectacular, List noted, was that at least three different sperm cells managed to simultaneously penetrate Wanda’s ovum! That probably explained why there was an initial monozygotic split before the fertilisation finished, and then a further split of one of the two fertilised zygotes.

So that explained the Huge apparent embryo— Triplets. The computer confirmed as much. From the apparent genotypes, the computer identified one male and two semi-identical female embryos all gestating in the artificial womb.

‘Triplets…! Fantastic news. Three times as many possibilities! Strucker will be pleased,’ List thought to himself as he continued poring through the data workup. ‘I just wish I could share the great news with the Twins,’ List smirked. ‘Of course we’ll need to find a surrogate to carry them before long,’ List thought to himself, hoping to maximise the embryos’ chances of surviving full-term.