Later that night, Natasha Romanoff quietly stepped into her apartment, the familiar creak of the old wooden floor greeting her arrival. The city outside was bathed in a dim orange glow, its heartbeat steady and predictable—unlike the strange tides she'd been swimming through lately.
She approached the window, fingers parting the curtain just enough to peek through. There it was again.
The same black car, parked across the street, lights off, windows tinted. Her eyes narrowed. 'Amateurs.'
"Honestly, who the hell calls this tailing?" she muttered under her breath. "They might as well hang a neon sign saying 'We're watching you'."
With a sharp tap to her earpiece, she initiated a secure line. "This is Romanoff. Reporting in. Fury, we have a problem."
There was a brief pause, then the gravel voice of Nick Fury responded, "Talk to me."
Natasha kept her voice low and calm, "I've got updates. From Kitty and Angelica."
She turned away from the window and sat on the edge of her couch, "Ethan Carter is not just enhanced. I think he was created. Born in a lab. Held as an experiment. Broke out on his own. According to Kitty, his body adapts to anything. Physically. Mentally. And according to him, even his soul reacts to threats like a living weapon."
There was a silence on the other end.
Natasha continued, "That's not all. He can use magic. The real deal and so can Jean and Anna."
She heard Fury inhale sharply. Then—"Motherfucker is more dangerous than we thought."
Natasha's lips curved into a dry smirk. "Told you."
Fury exhaled audibly. "Keep your distance for now and Observe. Don't engage directly unless absolutely necessary."
She nodded, though he couldn't see it. "Also, that black car followed us from the pub last night. It's still here. Hasn't moved. Same plate. Either they're trying to intimidate me or they really suck at covert ops."
Fury made a disgruntled noise. "We'll trace it. Might be independent eyes. Could be government, could be other agencies. Or maybe even another faction trying to observe Ethan. I'll run it through our backchannels,"
Natasha stood and moved toward her weapons closet. Her fingers hovered over the hilt of a collapsible baton.
Fury spoke again. "There's another thing, it's about the women named Diana. I had someone look into her records. On the surface, everything checks out. Clean profile. Academic credentials. Diplomatic ties. Her background's too perfect. Every record checks out... except one.
He paused. Natasha sensed the catch coming.
"But… someone forgot to account for tax records. We did a deeper scrub. Her financial footprint doesn't line up with her social security records. And here's the real kicker—her facial recognition doesn't match anything in our database. She's a ghost in our system"
Natasha's eyes narrowed. "So, either she can change her face… or she's not from this planet."
"Exactly," Fury said grimly. "We have a powerful man who can manipulate weather, a woman who can absorb powers with a touch, another who can unleash planet-scale psychic phenomena like the one she pulled on Sinister and now a possible alien with a fake paper trail."
He paused again. "I'm raising the threat level on Ethan and his inner circle. If they ever go rogue…"
"You'll need a contingency," Natasha finished.
"Damn right I will," he growled.
She leaned back from the window, thoughtful. "You know… they're not hostile. Yet. They're just… living. Quietly. But they're powerful, and connected by something more than coincidence."
"That's what scares me," Fury admitted. "People with power and no leash don't stay quiet forever."
"And if someone else tries to leash them," she added, "they might bite back."
"Which is why I need your eyes and ears closer than ever, Natasha," Fury said. "Get to know them more. Understand what makes them tick. And if they break bad…"
"I'll be ready," she said softly.
The line went silent.
Natasha turned away from the window, her reflection briefly flashing in the glass.
Why did a part of her hope he wasn't the enemy?
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Two men sat quietly in a black, unmarked car parked discreetly near a quiet suburban block. The engine was off, the windows slightly cracked, and a long-range listening device lay dormant on the back seat.
Their eyes, however, were locked on the house across the street.
"That redhead that passed by, before" the younger one said while chewing on a toothpick. "Should we follow her?"
The other man, older and clearly in charge, shook his head without looking away. "Negative. She's not on the list. Not a mutant. She's just unnecessary noise. What we need is inside that house."
Their eyes locked on the modest two-story home across the street—Ethan Carter's residence.
But before another word could be exchanged, an ominous voice echoed inside the car. "And who exactly would that be?"
The temperature inside the car plummeted. The men froze—literally. Not by fear alone, but by something unseen, something powerful. An invisible force gripped them like steel vices, holding their limbs in place. They couldn't move, couldn't scream, couldn't even blink.
The younger man's eyes shifted to the rearview mirror—and what he saw made his blood run colder than ice.
Ethan stood behind the vehicle, one hand resting lightly on the trunk, his smile wide—but far from friendly.
He had been expecting them. Anna and Jean had told him about the car that followed them from the pub. He'd sensed it too, confirmed its presence as it lingered near his house all day. While the girls were cautious—warning Kitty and Angelica as well—Ethan had simply smiled and told them to relax. It was Sunday, after all. A day for peace.
They spent it indoors. The girls had spent a peaceful Sunday indoors, laughing and teasing each other. Diana had even joined them for games, though she'd lost every round. Ethan found her competitiveness adorable, her slight pout at defeat is cute.
But beneath that warmth, Ethan hadn't forgotten. He was only waiting for nightfall to deal with the uninvited guests.
"I've been aware of you two," Ethan said in almost playful tone, "You've been parked across from my house all day. I let it slide because I wanted to enjoy my Sunday."
The men still couldn't speak. Their bodies were paralyzed by Ethan's telekinetic grip. And now… his mind invaded theirs. He reached into their heads and found… some barriers.
"Neurochips," Ethan muttered. "How cute."
Ethan's irises ignited with faint orange fire as he tapped into his telepathy. His control over telepathy had long surpassed Jean's. Even Charles Xavier—once the most powerful psychic mind on Earth—now stood second to Ethan in sheer mental prowess.
And now, that mastery was peeling away the layers of these men's minds like tissue paper.
He fried the neurchips without harming their mind. The agents began bleeding from their noses, their eyes wide in horror as their secrets spilled forth into Ethan's consciousness.
Moments passed in silence.
Then Ethan exhaled and muttered, "Stryker…"
Of course it was him. The shadows always trace back to the same monster. William Stryker—the man obsessed with mutant extinction. He was gathering telepaths for some Experimenting. Eliminating threats before they grew beyond his control.
These agents? They are just pawns. Their knowledge was limited. Their minds are almost blank slates besides the basic directives.
Ethan sighed. "Sorry, gentlemen. You've served your purpose."
He snapped his fingers and their necks snapped in unison. Lifeless, they slumped forward, the silence that followed is more chilling than the act itself.
He opened the car door and stepped out, Anna and Diana stood behind the car, waiting. Anna looked calm but concerned. Diana, now in her full Wonder Woman regalia also stood near.
"You got anything?" Anna asked. She didn't need to say more—she trusted he'd found answers, even with the neurochips.
Ethan nodded. "It's Stryker. He's running some off-grid experiments again. Capturing mutants. Telepaths especially. I think he's doing something big. But these two didn't know much. If we want answers—we go straight to the source. And we should save whoever he's captured."
Diana stepped forward and in one swift motion, she reached behind her back and drew her sword. Its gleaming edge caught the moonlight as she raised it toward the sky. "Then we must save them. Innocents should not suffer under the yoke of madmen."
Ethan looked at her with a slow smile spreading on his face. 'This would improve his image,' he thought.
He turned to Anna. "Go inside. It might get messy."
Jean was inside Ethan's home along with Kitty and Angelica. They had also brought Bobby over using a portal, ensuring everyone was together and safe.
Now, they were staying in a house so heavily enhanced that it could withstand multiple nuclear explosions.
Anna folded her arms under her chest defiantly. "I'm not staying behind."
Ethan frowned. "Anna… This isn't a game. We might have to kill. These aren't just thugs—they're trained military armed with weapons that can kill mutants."
"I know," she said firmly. "This world isn't black and white. You've shown me enough and I've lived enough. I'm not a kid anymore. I want to help."
He looked her up and down, tracing the curve of her figure and his eyes lingering on her chest. "Yeah… you've definitely grown."
Anna smirked and puffed her chest out, "Damn right I have."
Diana chuckled behind her.
"Alright, No talking you out of it." He raised his hand, summoning a swirling golden portal.
On the other side was a dark, high-tech facility—a surveillance hub buried beneath a desert range.
The command center. The man giving the orders to tail Ethan's girls was inside.
"Time to knock our guest doors," Ethan said, stepping through with Diana at his side and Anna just behind him, her eyes fierce and ready.
The hunt had begun.
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Inside one of Stryker's hidden military bases, deep underground beneath a remote mountain range, the scent of metal, oil, and blood lingered in the air. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as soldiers in black tactical gear moved with precision, checking their weapons and prepping equipment.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stood at the center of the control room, a cold sneer on his scarred face. His name was General Marcus Heller, one of Stryker's most trusted commanders. He wore a sleek black uniform with silver accents, and a patch over one eye—an old battle injury from an encounter with a mutant long ago.
He stood before a large digital screen displaying red dots—mutant locations marked across the map.
"Listen up!" Heller barked loudly, the room stilled. Soldiers turned to him and Scientists froze mid-data entry.
"We have our orders straight from Stryker himself. Our mission is simple—observe and capture. We've got the locations and data of every high-level telepath in the region. First, we observe through drones. Then, we strike silently. No witnesses. No mess. We're targeting telepaths first. With neuro chips, the weak-minded freaks will be easier to contain and dissect."
One soldier hesitated. "And… if they resist, sir?"
Heller smirked darkly. "Then put them down. Make no mistake—this is a war. And we're not losing our future to a species that shouldn't even exist."
A few scientists standing by nodded grimly.
"We are the shield of humanity," Heller barked before pacing in front of his men. "These mutants—these abominations—have lived unchecked for too long. They read minds, tear steel like paper, and fly like gods. But don't forget this: they are not gods. We are! We hold the guns. We hold the power. And most importantly, we hold the resolve."
He stopped and stared each soldier in the eye. "This isn't just another mission. This is the first step toward reclaiming our world. Stryker arrives tonight. The experiments will begin. It's time we cleansed this world of their disease. We are the true future."
Applause and rallying shouts echoed through the room. The soldiers stood taller. The scientists typed faster. The air was thick with zealous certainty.
Then, a smooth, confident voice interrupted the moment. "Now that… that was a very mediocre villain speech."
The applause died instantly. Everyone turned toward the entrance—eyes wide in disbelief.
Walking through the wide metal doors like they owned the place were Ethan, Anna, and Diana. Ethan strolled in with calm authority, hands in his pockets. Diana, dressed in her Wonder Woman armor, carried herself like a goddess of war.
Anna hovered slightly off the ground. She leaned toward Ethan and whispered, "Is this really a good idea? Just walking in front of the enemy like this?"
Ethan turned his head with a relaxed smile. "My dear Anna, what can a bunch of Sheeps do to a lion? They simply become prey to be hunted."
Suddenly, the mutant detector worn on General Heller's wrist began to beep violently. His eyes widened as he shouted, "Mutants! Kill them! Kill them all!"
Gunfire erupted in an instant. Dozens of soldiers opened fire, bullets flying through the air.
But the trio didn't even blink. The bullets hit them—and bounced off harmlessly.
A few ricocheted, striking the very soldiers who fired them. Chaos erupted and Screams filled the room.
In the middle of the chaos, Ethan's eyes glowed orange-gold. He had already invaded Heller's mind, bypassing his defenses like they weren't even there. The general's body seized as Ethan telepathically fried the neurochip embedded in the back of his skull. Blood streamed from his nose. Scientists tried to bolt for the exits, but Ethan's telekinesis gripped them mid-run, freezing them in place like statues.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ethan said coolly. "The party's just getting started."
The soldiers had emptied their magazines. Now they stood frozen, watching as their leaders were hoisted like rag dolls.
Ethan turned toward Anna and Diana, projecting a precise mental image into their minds—a map of the facility, including the secure basement where several captured mutants were being held. Along with it, he transmitted the necessary codes to bypass the security systems.
"You two," he said calmly, "go to the basement. Save the ones they've taken. I'll handle this mess."
Diana hesitated with her fingers brushing the hilt of her sword. "I can help fight—"
"I know you can," Ethan said, his voice warm. "But saving innocent lives is more important right now."
She nodded. "You're right."
Anna looked him in the eyes, "We'll get them out. Just… don't go overboard."
Ethan chuckled. "No promises."
The two women lifted off the ground, soaring swiftly toward the basement. The reinforced steel doors crumpled like paper under their strength, a testament to the incredible durability of their physiques.
Back in the control room, Ethan turned to the terrified group of soldiers and scientists still alive. He rolled his neck, "Now… Let's begin the party."
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Author's Note: So, how did you like the chapter? I've seen some of you asking about Natasha—let me clarify: she won't be part of the harem.
As always, reviews and feedback are appreciated, folks!