The Road to Divinity

by Darwin-18

(SI) A Marvel fan, who decided to do the right thing and save a life, succeded but at the cost of his own. Instead of facing death, he was thrown into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Coming to terms with his new surroundings, he has to navigate his way through a world full of heroes, gods, and villains. How difficult could it be? (Includes X-Men and F4, and more)

10. Chapter 10

Thank you everyone for the support in recent Chapters! I know the first few are a bit "rough", but I'm glad you stuck around this far, it means a lot. I read the comments, and I'm thinking of changing some aspects of Chapter 1 but still skeptical. I feel it's fitting how I visualize my MC, which saddens me for the ones who didn't read past Ch1, I think its quite fair how I portrayed Ethan early on.

Anywho, enjoy the next team up with our trio and the X-Men

---

Chapter 10 - Teamwork
"How unfortunate…"

A middle-aged man with long black hair that covered the right side of his face uttered in what could be mistaken for a sad tone. Observing several screens in his quarters, the man remained calm while dealing the unexpected issue. As much as he wanted to viciously murder each and every S.H.I.E.L.D. member that roamed inside their raided base, he knew it was best to resist that urge. Having connections with Hydra, it meant risking their sweet deal if he would make a move. But it narrowed things down, someone tipped them off, he was sure of that.

Question is, who dared to mess with them, and how did they manage to find out one of their locations?

Hearing the door behind him open, the man didn't bother to even turn around.

"Sir." His right-hand man greeted him upon entering the room.

"Ah, just in time," The leader spoke excitedly. "I was beginning to worry you weren't able to obtain any information on our uninvited guests."

"That's just it, sir… we have nothing," The second in command uttered remorsefully. "The cameras we're all disabled, with all connections lost during the break-in. Our "allies" tried questioning our men, but everyone claims to have no recollection of what happened during the break in. I'm… sorry, but that's everything…"

Several seconds of silence passed, making the man worry he said something his boss didn't want to hear.

"Oh, I see."

Getting an insecure feeling the boss didn't like his report, the man choose his next words carefully. "We will double our efforts, sir! Until we get results, we won't stop-"

"No need," The leader simply raised his hand, turning around for the first time with a smile on his face. "I don't really care who they are, but eliminating them is our priority right now. While it's unfortunate that we lost quite a bit, our targets will come on their own."

"How can you be so sure?" Asked the right hand man.

"Simple," The leader began explaining. "If they managed to find out one of our facilities, I find it doubtful they'll just stop there. Luckily, we didn't leave any information regarding our other locations, and no other members beside us know of their whereabouts. We'll use this opportunity to eliminate them when we notice any kind of suspicious movement around our facilities."

"What do you suggest?"

"We'll keep a close eye on the "potential" threats, if we pick the slightest sigh of someone approaching our bases, we will give them a welcoming present."

---

I tapped the stone that was connected to Jean, hopefully, and patiently waiting for a quick response.

To my delight, I only had to wait a few short seconds.

"[Hey, Ethan!]" Jean said cheerfully.

"Hey Jean, hope I'm not intru- wait," I stopped mid-sentence, a sly grin forming at the sudden realization. "Are you… carrying the stone I gave you? Gee, so I'm touched."

"[Oh, don't flatter yourself, big guy,]" Jean shot back with an amused tone. "[I keep it in my room, we just got back from a mission not fifteen minutes ago. Sorry I haven't been in touch for the last month, things around here were pretty hectic, to say the least,]"

"Naw, I had a pretty booked month as well, wanted to call but always managed to slip my mind. Sorry about that."

"[No worries. Anyway, what's up? How are things with you?]"

"I wish I called to simply catch up, but there was a favor I wanted to ask you."

"[Not getting yourself into unnecessary trouble, I hope?]" Jean asked, her tone lightheaded with a hint of seriousness.

"Only when I feel like it," I shot back but decided to get to the point. "To what I was saying, by any chance, did you ever encounter a group called the U-Men?"

The line went dead silent for several seconds until she spoke up. "[Yeah… I did. The first time we've seen them was roughly a few months ago, but they've been silent ever since. We made it out with everyone unharmed, but they gave us a lot of trouble. They didn't attack you, did they?]"

"Noup, but I did infiltrate one of their bases once I learned they captured several mutants," I informed her, hearing a slight gasp on the other end. "Don't worry, I got out perfectly fine with my team's help. Back to the favor, I heard the Professor mention if a mutant needs a home, your doors were open? You see, the homes they lived in are exposed, not sure where to go. I told them about you guys, so does that offer still stand?"

Instantly, Jean beamed up. "[Yes! Of course. I'll have to see the Professor, but he'll gladly take everyone for sure, I'm positive of that. When can we meet up?]"

"I'd say in five minutes or so. At your front door?"

"[Deal. See ya there!]"

With a quick goodbye, the stone's colors died down, ending the call.

"Now before we go, I have to give Bucky and Peter those beads I prepared to keep Xavier out."

"Who were you talking to?" Alex asked curiously as he entered the room.

"A friend of mine," I said as I turned to him. "It's the place I told you about."

Alex's face immediately became wary. "How can you be sure this place is safe?

"Aside from a bald man with mind-control powers as their leader, I'd say alright for the most part," I thought truthfully but decided to sugar coat it for now. "I can vouch for these people. When a mutant needs a place to go, this is it."

Alex was silent for a few seconds before a smile formed. "Well, you did save us from a fate worse than death, so I'll trust ya on this one."

"I think you'll like it there, there are plenty of people of your age, plus it's practically a high school, the best of both worlds."

"Hope so, the last one I attended experienced minor issues when I attended," Alex replied jokingly.

I hummed lowly, eyeing the blonde much to his awkward expression. "Why do you look so familiar…? Have we met before, by any chance?"

Alex could only laugh at that. "Trust me, I think I'd remember you if we already met."

"No, I'm serious. It's the face, I've definitely seen it before," I hummed once more. "What about your parents, or siblings if you have any?"

The mention of his family forced a mood swing onto the blond. "They… died a few years ago in a plane crash. My brother and I jumped out before it could hit the water, but the tides separated us, with me barely ending up on land by some miracle. I can't say the same about my brother."

"I see, I'm sorry to hear that," I uttered quietly. "What's your last name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Summers."

"One other question if you don't mind, what was your brother's name?" I asked, close to revealing the revelation.

"Scott…" Alex replied with uncertainty. "But I don't know what's that got to do-"

"Then great!" I said cheerfully. "You better prepare for a reunion, because he's at the place we're going to."

Alex's eyes went wide at the sound of that, silent for a few seconds. "My brother… is alive?"

"Alive and well, a bit of a stickler if you ask me, but yeah. I knew the face seemed familiar, I just couldn't put my finger on it." I said sincerely.

A wide range of emotions passed through Alex, the subtle changes in his facial expression confirmed that. "When can I see him…?"

"In about five minutes or so," I responded leisurely, a soft gasp escaping his lips. "Portals, remember?"

"Oh… yeah… already forgot about that." Alex rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'll go check on the others to see if they're ready," I told him, making my way to the other rooms.

"Hey," I heard Alex call out to me. When I turned around to face him, it seemed like he had difficulty saying what was on his mind. "Thank you… I know I already said that, but honestly, I don't what else to say. Saving me is one thing, but… now knowing my brother is alive and I'm minutes away from seeing him again after so long, it's the kind of debt I'll never be able to repay. Maybe one day I'll be able to, but for now, all I can say is thank you, for everything."

I merely smiled with a thumbs up, not another word needed to be said.

Honestly, I'm just glad one of the Summer twins doesn't hate me for no reason. He's way more reasonable than that visor-wearing douche.

---

"What's this? To go with my outfit?"

Peter asked as he admired his bead necklace with interest.

"Protection, against telepaths," I informed the two. We're minutes away from going to the X-Mansion, and I had to make sure Peter and Bucky knew what we were in for.

"There are mind readers at this place?" Bucky asked cautiously.

"Only two, but I'm only worried about one. The man in charge, Charles Xavier."

"Wait, Professor Xavier is a telepath?!" Peter asked in a mix of surprise and worry.

"Yup. It's as problematic as it sounds," I confirmed his suspicion. "Telepaths are the most dangerous beings on the planet, if your mind is exposed, there isn't a detail they won't know about you, the risk is just too high. Xavier in particular, is quite famous in his own regard, that also being the only person providing a home to mutant-kind, I don't want to think the number of times he used his powers to gain an advantage at any given opportunity."

"If you don't trust this person, why are we taking them there?" Bucky asked.

"While I don't trust this person specifically, everyone else is completely fine," I responded stoically. "The kind of movement he started is within good intentions, but the way he goes about things and his methods don't sit well with me. Nevertheless, there isn't another place that would take in stray mutants without question, or without probing them. They will be taken care of for the time being, until I can make a place that will be a better alternative. It's the best option we have at the moment."

While reluctant, Bucky knew the situation these people were in, as well that their options were scarce. "You sure these things will work?"

"It did last time, but even then I was unprepared," I admitted, albeit a little ashamed. "I added a few modifications, such as being a few times stronger than when I went there, as well as making it impossible to take off unless the wearer "willingly" wants to take it off. We can't risk revealing anything to this man if he tries going inside our minds."

"But won't that cause more suspicion?" Peter asked curiously. "I mean if he couldn't read your mind, and now two more show up with the same kind of protection, won't that make him feel threatened by us?"

"If he's smart, he won't do anything," I responded confidently. "I showed them I'm on their side, it just means he can't know every single detail about us. Personally, I don't care what he does, as what he's doing is already morally wrong if he does it regularly. Besides, a person there who's also a telepath knows I use protection, and she's completely fine with it."

Without any more objections, Bucky put on his necklace. "Anything else we should worry about?"

"Nah, other than that, we're perfectly fine," I reassured him, with the pair both deciding to trust me on this one. We walked to the room with all the mutants patiently waiting.

"Everyone ready?"

I asked the group of mutants standing in front of me, receiving multiple nods, with Lorna responding with a yawn, we were good to go. The portal I made brought us to the front entrance of the X-Mansion, knocking several times on the door, Jean and Kurt's welcoming expressions were revealed a few short seconds while waiting

"Ethan! Right on time." Jean exclaimed cheerfully with a bright smile.

"Yo," I replied with a smile of my own.

Besides the duo, Xavier rolled up next to Colossus for everyone to see, a smile plastered on his face. "Everyone, allow me to welcome you to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters! Right this way, we'll answer any question you might have."

"Actually, I have a few questions." Jamie was the one to speak up, multiple copies of himself popping out.

We allowed the mutants to step in first, walking in the direction of the Professor and Colossus, who stopped a few meters away from us to inform the potential new tenants.

"Sup, man!" Kurt greeted me with a fist bump.

"Not much, just trying to get by in this crazy world," I said before realizing something. "Where are my manners, Jean, Kurt, meet Peter Parker and James Buchanan Barnes, these are my teammates."

"Whoa, dude, you have blue fur," Peter explained energetically, his eyes moving downward. "And a tail!"

Kurt merely laughed at the obvious observation that was in good intention. "That's not all I got."

A puff of smoke appeared as Kurt vanished at the edge of the long half hallway, reappearing in the same he was a second prior with two soda cans in hand. "Catch."

Effortlessly, Peter grabbed the can without batting an eye. "Instant teleportation as well?! Cool."

The two clicked instantly, neither of them even caring for their obvious differences.

"You didn't tell me you had a team." Jean asked me with a curious look.

"As I said, a lot of stuff happened in the past month." I replied sheepishly.

In the distance, I spotted Logan and Laura walking towards us. Seeing as my attention was elsewhere, Bucky and Peter looked in the same direction as I did. The moment Bucky turned his head, Logan stopped in his tracks with his eyes widening. Looking over Bucky, he shared the same expression as the Wolverine, with everyone catching on to the sudden stare down that was going down. Silence filled the air, Laura looked back and forth between the two men, both having an identical expression on their faces.

"Bucky…?" Logan uttered the name that sounded foreign, yet familiar.

"James…?" Bucky spoke quietly but with confidence, positive of the man that was in front of him.

Upon hearing the name, Logan grunted while clutching his head, kneeling down as he breathed heavily. Without missing a beat, Bucky sprinted towards him, Laura taking a protective stance but blocked by her father's arm.

Kneeling down to his aid, the two merely looked at each other in silence, before Logan spoke up. "Is that really you…? I… I thought they said you died while helping… Steve on the train…?"

"A part of me wishes I did, old friend," Bucky said remorsefully.

Confused Logan's eyes trailed Bucky's metallic arm. Then, the dots started to connect slowly, but Logan didn't want to believe it. "What… happened to you, Buck?"

"Hydra."

Like the first time, Logan had to clutch his head as more buried memories started surfacing. With Bucky and Laura's aid, he was able to stand. Xavier strolled towards his friend in a hurry. "Logan, are you alright?"

"Not so much, Charlie…" Logan uttered with a groan.

"Come, let's head to my study, we'll be behind a round of treatment right awa-" Charles got cut off by Logan before he could finish.

"No…" Logan grunted, eyeing Bucky from the side. "I-I need some time alone… with him…"

Charles was silent for a few seconds, unsure how to respond. "I… understand, if there's any way I could be of help, please, just ask."

Scott spoke with a neutral tone as he entered the crowded hall. "What's going on here?"

From the group of mutants, Alex emerged, staring at his brother with a soft yet disbelieved expression. "Scott…"

The soldier-like stature Scott held instantly vanished, replaced with an expression full of disbelief. Slowly walking to close the distance, they rushed to each other's embrace when their suspicions were confirmed, only soft whimpers could be heard afterward.

Jean, Kurt, and Piotr were left speechless, while for me it was nothing special. "Two reunions in like two minutes, that's got to be a record."

---

"Life, as much as it's complicated, sure has its surprises," I said thoughtfully while standing next to Jean.

"What do you mean?" Jean asked curiously as the elevator doors opened.

"Think about it, two sets of people, with each thinking the other is dead, are having a reunion under the same roof. I mean, what are the odds?" I told her in an astonished tone.

"Well, when you put it like that," Jean released a sigh as we walked down the hall. "I just hope Logan will be alright. Every time this happened, he'd go totally berserk until we can calm him down. This is the first time I've seen this kind of reaction from him."

"They were once teammates, if anything can jog a person's memories, it's someone dear to them." I theorized.

"Speaking of which, if they knew each other way back then, how did you two meet?"

I was silent for a few seconds until I formulated the proper response. "In an underground base where he was held captive for nearly seven decades," I said grimly, earning a gasp from the redhead. "To tell you the truth, I'd rather not go into detail. With Logan, albeit he can't remember his past properly, probably doesn't talk much about his experience, so I don't want to speak on Bucky's behalf. I managed to restore his memories, but still. Sorry, I'm just not comfortable talking about it."

"No, no, it's alright," Jean reassured me. "I understand. I usually help Logan when he has trouble remembering stuff, so I know what its like."

"But aside from life-threatening situations on an almost daily occurrence, what else have you been up to?"

"Studying mostly, or when I got some free time that is," Jean said. "For now, I'm focused on Biochemistry, I want to get my Ph.D. in it before moving onto another field. Dunno what to pick for the others, though."

"Doesn't TK and mind powers make things easy in terms of learning," I pointed out. "No offense."

Jean laughed sheepishly. "Kind of. Like, it's easier to remember stuff, which is good as there's a ton of minute details to know, nevertheless, it's a hassle. As for my telekinesis, it's a bit trickier. I need to fully concentrate since a minor distraction or loss of focus can cause a mess. I'm getting more adjusted to my powers, but there's still plenty to work on."

"That's good to hear," I commented happily. "Just don't overdo it."

"Anyway, what have you been up to since last time?" Jean asked with curiosity.

"A mix of training and establishing a base," I replied simply before elaborating. "I wanted to expand my arsenal so I had a bit of everything just in case. I managed to cut plenty of corners, considering how much time has passed. I… tend to go a bit crazy and creative when exploring sub-sections of magic, but the experience was fun. For the other thing, Peter is a genius in his own right, so I learned a bit from him while lending a hand to help out with various projects."

"Oooo, somebody's been productive," Jean commented. "Any chance of getting a tour in the future?"

"Of course, it's not entirely finished yet, but most of the work is already done," Coming through the doors of the Danger Room, we found it to be empty. "Huh, thought someone might be in here." I pondered out loud.

"Same, honestly. Seems like everyone's taking it easy since we got back," Jean uttered before an idea popped into her head. "Since you didn't get to try it out last time, wanna take it for a spin?"

"Aww, you remembered," I said jokingly, receiving a playful nudge. "But yeah, I'm down."

"Great! Come, I'll show you how it works."

While Jean was showing me the ropes, the doors behind us opened, revealing Laura with a distraught expression on her face, not fully noticing us until she arrived at the control panel. "Oh… hey you two."

"Long time no see!" I greeted her cheerfully, but it seemed like she barely registered it. I see what's going on. "How's your dad? Is he alright?" I asked the raven-haired assassin tenderly.

After a short pause, Laura responded. "I'm not sure. The Professor tried helping him but he refused. He wanted to be left alone with that man."

"Oh, I see."

"Your friend," Laura spoke up again, making me solely focus on her. "Does he really know my father?"

"I never asked him personally about what he did or who he met in his life, but judging how both of them reacted, I see no reason for either of them to fake it," I said tenderly. "They both experienced hell, I think it's best they spend some time alone before we start prying into their past."

Laura merely nodded, her gaze drifting away, but it was evident this bothered her in some way.

Time to fix that frown.

"Did you wanna go?" I asked Laura. "I don't mind waiting if wanted to go first."

Laura simply shook her head, but she was horrible at lying when she didn't put effort into her act. "Wait, I have a way better idea."

"Which is?" Laura was the one to ask, which came as a surprise to me.

"You, as a matter of fact. Let's have a sparring match." I proclaimed optimistically while turning towards her.

Jean and Laura were both surprised by my suggestion, Laura speaking up first. "Why me?"

"Simple, I think it would be more fun," I replied somewhat excitedly. "Training courses are fine and all, but it isn't the same as without a partner to do it with. You said it has various terrains that change every now and then, right? We can pick something to keep us on our toes while we fight. Come on, you know you owe me for last time, can you at least grant me this?"

I said in a pleading tone, along with clasping my hands, forming puppy dog eyes to further sell it.

Laura simply looked at me unconvincingly, not a single facial muscle moving at my plea. Releasing a sigh, she agreed. "Fine... what course do you want?"

Excitedly, I kept my smile from growing while replying. "Whatever you prefer, I don't really mind what you pick."

Snapping my fingers, my attire quickly morphed into something more fitting, revealing the full black bodysuit that hugged my form quite well, with the addition of the bottom half of my robe, otherwise, I felt like I was "naked" when training. Seeing I was ready, Laura set the finishing touches to the system, walking past me without batting an eye.

"Try to keep up."

Laura was the first to head down, Jean stopped me before I could follow her. "You sure you wanna do this?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" I asked confusingly.

"How do I say this…?" Jean tried finding the right words to say. "Laura isn't the type to hold back, per se. Aside from Logan, anyone who goes up against her gets send to the medical wing pretty quickly."

"Ohhhh…" I responded like I had a sudden realization, before forming a grin. "Then I definitely made the right call."

Rolling her eyes, Jean knew it was useless to reason any further. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

I walked down in the same direction as Laura, with her already standing on the opposite end with her hands crossed.

"Just a simple sparring match, sound good?" I asked while performing a few quick stretches.

"If you say so," Laura responded, her demeanor becoming stoic and serious, ready to go into action at a moment's notice.

The environment around us started to change, slowly materializing until we stood on the rooftop of a fairly tall construction building.

Several seconds of silence and anticipation passed, courtesy of Jean who waited before giving the signal. "[Ready, set... start!]"

Right on the singal, Laura and I sprinted towards the center. Even with my enhanced speed, Laura was able to match it effortlessly, the look of nothing but sheer focus on her face promising me that I was in for something else. Sparing with Bucky so much made me a little hungry to test my combat capabilities on skilled fighters.

I was hoping to make the first move, but she beat me to it, starting off with a series of quick punches and jabs when the opening presented itself. Using what Bucky taught me, I blocked attack after attack as I was forced on the defensive, easily seeing when it was coming while simultaneously getting pushed back.

While fast, it certainly didn't mean she was untouchable.

Her style was aggressive, going for quick and concessive blows, meaning there were different openings for me to exploit. Each hit I landed made her hit back harder, and honestly, wouldn't want it any other way.

---

"Here we have the Danger Room, a state-of-the-art training facility," Kurt presented Peter when he, Kitty, and Rogue entered the Danger Room, listing off its many features. "This is the best of the best."

"Pretty good, pretty good." Peter whitelisted upon taking in the view of the Danger Room's control center.

"Just "pretty good"? Kurt repeated. "Either you have this bad boy, or you're not easily impressed."

"Hey, someone's fighting," Rogue commented when she spotted Jean paying close attention down at the training field.

"Wait," Kurt uttered once they looked at the ongoing bout. "Why are they down there?"

"He wanted to try it out, but he also wanted Laura to join him," Jean explained, still yet to take her eyes off of them.

"Seems like they've been going at it for a while, yeah?" Peter asked curiously.

"About ten minutes or so," Jean answered.

Kitty clapped excitedly. "Uuuu, this is going to be good!"

"Why?" Peter questioned.

"You're looking at the X-Men's best fighter, that why," Kitty explained. "If he isn't on the floor already, means he's actually giving her a challenge. Doubt he'll last when she gets serious though."

"I don't know," Kurt put a hand to his chin. "Ethan seems to be putting up a good fight."

While the two continued to discuss who will come out on top, Rogue leaned towards Jean. "Did you warn him?"

"Yup." Jean simply responded.

"Didn't listen?" Rogue asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Yup..."

Rogue merely shrugged. "Eh, his funeral then."

---

The sparing session, in terms of hand combat, was reaching its limits, so Laura decided to spice things up.

After completing a spinning kick, Laura rushed forward with a singular claw popping out from her right hand. My ears picking up the sound before my eyes could witness it, a single Sol Blade appeared behind my hand, a thin coat of yellow energy surrounding it to withstand the Adamantium blade.

The moment our respective blades clashed, I wasn't angered by the sudden action. If anything, it made me excited to step up my own game.

Our movements were quick, the occasional blade clash with punches and kicks in-between. Twirling her hand from below, the claw almost sliced off my fingers, forcing me to release my blade, tossed into the air as a result. Standing my ground, I evaded her claw swipes, sending out a kick to the stomach when I saw an opening, making her stumble back. In the meantime, I jumped into the air, doing a front flip so my heel hit the pommel of the falling dagger, catching Laura off guard as it flew past her face, leaving a small cut on her right cheek.

Eyeing the thin line of blood leaking from her cheek, Laura's focus shifted back to me, eyes narrowed with growing rage, as well as interest. With the small cut closing up almost instantly, Laura balled her fists to draw out her remaining claws before charging in.

"Yup, that definitely pissed her off."

Putting more force into my legs, I made an attempt to jump over her, taking out my other dagger to block the attack from below. I dashed slightly forward to pick up my dagger, kneeling down as I activated it just in time to block her next assault.

"Thought we agreed on a "regular" sparring match?" I asked with a small smile, keeping our stance locked for the short pause.

"Since you got this far, I thought I'd crank it up a bit," Laura replied, not breaking eye contact for even a second.

"Oh, now we're talking," I replied eagerly.

In an instant, Laura pulled back, her right leg with its respective claw popping out. It missed my chin by an inch as I threw myself back, rolling on my sides until I stood up with a slight jump.

With all of her claws out, Laura charged in, with literal killer instinct. Because of this, her style of fighting changed, becoming wilder than before. Laura jumped and dashed all around, the tip of her claws coming one after another, forcing me to solely focus on defense. I could only move back to ensure I didn't take any damage.

Now, she would constantly jump around between blows, throwing herself forward to have the tip of her claws, trying to catch me off guard by the sheer speed she moved at. She was well aware of how I used my blades, able to quickly counter my attacks when I made an attempt.

While it was possible to keep up, I was able to fully witness the difference in skill, it was night and day. When she found an opening, Laura made sure to not let me go for a single moment. Hastily moving back, I found myself nearing the open window behind me, jumping out without even looking back, stopping my descent by plunging a blade into the wall. Laura followed me without hesitation, using the claws on her feet to gradually make her way down. I had to resort to using my one free blade to fend off against her claws, rotating her body constantly to get a surprise hit in with her unpredictability.

By not properly plunging in my blade, I nearly lost balance and slid down, jumping off the wall before it could happen. Hot in pursuit, Laura jumped as well, leading with her claws as she flew down, forcing me to cross my blades into an X to block her. Due to the sudden shift, I was propelled downward, just barely landing a few meters from the edge, while Laura missed the landing by several inches.

That was until she climbed back up several seconds later with a front flip, standing on the edge intimidatingly.

Oh yeah, enhancing serum or not, she's good.

I didn't keep track of how long we fought, but neither of us wanted to stop. Neither could properly injure the other, so it felt like that was our objective, not letting a single blow be dealt. Whoever was pushed back had to be extra cautious to not get overwhelmed by the constant and repetitive attacks.

Which was mostly me, but I did get manage to corner her a few times.

Right now, we stood opposite one another, standing in place as if we were stone statues. The staring contest went on for several seconds, with mine and her eyes narrowing as we studied each other's form. Laura leaned forward a little, eager to jump back in but was patient for me to make the first move.

To which I did.

"I surrender."

The stoic and unemotional expression of Laura quickly turned to a mix of surprise and confusion, definitely not excepting this kind of turn of events. "What? Why?"

"Two reasons," I began explaining with a smile as I deactivated my blades. "While I could keep going, I'm simply too inexperienced against someone like you. At best, I can see this ending in a draw, but neither of us is simply going to stop until the other is out for the count completely. Solely relying on physical abilities, there's no way I can beat you without any of my tricks. As for the other reason, I'm not wearing any armor so I'd rather not lose a limb going for a risky attack."

I said the last part jokingly but my statement wasn't entirely false. Walking forward towards Laura, who exited her battle stance I continued. "You really are a skilled fighter, I had a blast sparring with you. I'll be sure to step up my game next time for the rematch."

Unsure of how to respond with the sudden compliment, as well as requesting for a future bout, Laura uttered the first thing that came to mind. "Looking forward to it."

---

Meanwhile, in the control room…

"What. The. Hell?!" Kurt yelled out, baffled at the events that just unfolded.

"It was just getting good!" Kitty whined.

The only ones who weren't shocked were Peter and Jean, who were more surprised than anything.

"Well, that ended exactly how imagined it," Peter said amusingly, shaking his head in a playful manner.

"Huh?!" Kitty and Kurt both exclaimed in a similar manner as they looked at the brown-haired teen.

"What made you so sure?" Jean asked with curiosity.

"Ethan and I spar quite regularly, if I learned one thing from training with him, he can properly analyze the full extent of his ability, as well the opponent he's facing. I doubt he would randomly make this call if he wasn't sure of it," Peter explained thoroughly before a thoughtful expression took over. "Or maybe it's just Ethan being Ethan, he's confusing at times, I'll give him that."

"Huh," Rogue uttered as she looked back at the screen. "Maybe he isn't so stupid after all."

"Boooo!" Kitty pouted with a thumbs down. "Everyone aside of Logan gets their ass beat by her, and the one guy who can go toe-to-toe with her simply gives up? Talk about an anticlimactic ending…"

"Ya' sure it isn't because each time you're forced to spar with Laura she sends you, and almost all of us, quite frankly, two days into the infirmary?" Rogue taunted, causing Kitty to turn away with a pout.

"Once again, you manage to surprise everyone, even when you're not trying to." Jean thought as a sliver of a smile formed on her face.

---

"Dude, that was just disappointing." Kurt proclaimed as Laura and I entered the control room, Kitty nodding profusely beside him.

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Heh, sorry about that. But I got what I wanted, so I can't complain really."

"And what might that be?" Kitty asked raising an eyebrow.

"To have fun," I answered simply with a smile.

Kitty and Kurt's mouths dropped at my nonchalant comment as if I suddenly opened a previously healed wound, judging how their eyes practically bulged out of their eye sockets. Before the conversation would start up again, we were met with the sound of the sliding doors opening, revealing Xavier alongside Scott, Ororo, Logan, and Bucky behind him.

"Everyone, please, if you could join us for a moment. There is something we must discuss." Xavier spoke in a grim tone. Piquing my interest, I was eager to see what got the Professor's panties in a bunch, his expression was a dead giveaway from the start. All of us exited the control center, making our way down the hall to the planning room.

"What is it, Charles?" Hank was the one to get the ball rolling, some of the students taking a seat while we three leaned against the wall.

"There's no point in beating around the bush, so I'll just cut to the chase, it's about the U-Men," Xavier exclaimed calmly, which gathered numerous reactions from the others, while we three were neutral. "Thanks to Ethan and his team, they've managed to rescue a handful of mutants, we can now give them a proper home far away from their grasp. But now we also learned their intentions, experimenting on mutants to seize their X-Gene to use however they see fit. Before, I had no idea they were doing this without us noticing, I tried using my powers on them when we first encountered them but it was no use. Now that we learned what they are up to, we are able to prevent it. Mind giving us your thoughts on the matter, Ethan?"

The X-Men all turned to look at us, me specifically, to which I spoke up. "From my point of view, I didn't consider them much of a "threat", but that's only because the specific base most likely didn't have their top players and I made sure my team was well prepared before going in. There were only a few I would consider dangerous, so I can imagine how the others might look like. I do have reason to believe they have other bases, but I could use anything from within to track the others, so they are careful."

"By any chance, was this the base you were in?" Ororo asked while typing on a tablet, the screen behind her lit up to show a map of North America with a red dot on the West Coast.

"No, this is a different one," I told her. "The one I found was in the Appalachian Mountains. We tried getting information of their whereabouts, but everything was gone by that point."

"So this pretty much confirms it, they have multiple bases," Jean spoke. "Who knows how many they have."

"That's what worries me," Xavier chimed in. "If they had almost a dozen mutants, who knows how many are in the other bases, or how many lives were lost by their hand."

"I think it's obvious what you're asking from us, Chuck. Do I need to spell it out?" Logan huffed.

"I know it would be asking too much, but they are in desperate need of help, and only we could give it to them," Xavier brought up. "It's been a few months since our first and only encounter, I'm certain they only grew stronger since then."

"That's not the end of our concerns," Ororo chimed in. "There's no telling what kind of connections these people have, or if there are other groups who do a similar thing. It's our duty to save them, but I'm worried if they have a method of canceling our X-Genes. That theory is all but unproven."

"I agree," Bucky spoke up. "But still, I think we should try. Being experimented on is worse than a death sentence. How their operation is set up, I doubt they ever experienced a break-in, so they'll take this matter very seriously. Not to mention the troops they reserved for other locations, there's no telling how truly powerful they are. If not dealt with soon as possible, the damage could be on a massive scale."

"I may not know much about mutants, but if someone is in need of help, it's our moral obligation to save them when they have no one else to rely on," Peter said solemnly.

Once again, all eyes were on me, since both Bucky and Peter voiced their opinion on the matter, which practically meant they wanted to help, my hands were tied. I couldn't flat out say no, but jumping into bed with another U-Men squad wasn't the most optimal idea. They most likely are even more paranoid now, not to mention increased precaution in case another break-in happens.

It was a plate full of crazy, and I was forced to eat it.

With a sigh, I agreed. "I'm in."

Relieved expressions spread across the X-Men's faces that all three of us agreed to the cause. Scott proceeded to give his rundown of the plan he had in mind. Of course, my impatience with his incompetence grew as more time passed. First off, he barely included us in his "plan", not even asking what our strengths were, even though two completely new parties present within the group. There was a certain cap of nonsense my ears could take, and I feel like if he says another ridiculous sentence, I will lose it.

"That's everything," Scott finished. "If we stay in close proximity of one another, I doubt they'll be able to overpower us."

Oh yeah, there it was.

If one thing didn't change from my previous life, it's the habit of speaking up to get myself into unnecessary arguments.

Letting out a few fake coughs, I lowly uttered in-between them. "Horrible plan."

Once more, as if I was asking for it, albeit I was, everyone's attention was back on me.

"What was that?" Scott said, sounding more like a command than a question.

"Hmm?" I played dumb, looking around as if I had nothing to hide. "I didn't say anything."

"No, you most certainly did," Scott spoke in an aggravated tone. "Mind running it by me one more time?"

Throwing a sideways glance from Peter to Bucky, the former's face was full of unsureness while the latter shook his head slightly, as to say that I should stop right then and there, but I couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay... where do I start?" I hummed. "First off, your whole plan is a mess."

Scott gritted his teeth but retained his cool. "Care to elaborate?"

"If you seriously think bomb-rushing them is the way to go, then you are way over your head," I shook my head at the mere thought of it. "Not only would that be going in blind, but we would also have little time to properly react to the situation at hand. Dealing with the unknown isn't that plain and simple as you make it out to be. To me, it sounds like a surefire way to get someone killed without proper preparation."

Scott stiffed a laugh. "You save a few mutants and you think you're some kind of expert? We aren't toddlers, we've seen all kinds of threats that are the same, if not worse than these guys. Let me guess, you'd rather waste time playing cat and mouse?"

"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I did," I stated, taking another step to close the distance. "Before I do anything, I use every ounce of my abilities to make sure I have the upper hand, as well as to make sure that my comrades are safe, only a fool would think otherwise. Every minute we have is a valuable asset."

"You're missing the point, we have no time," Scott shot back, taking a few steps of his own. "One base was already compromised, you think they will sit around and wait for round two? I clearly remember you stating that these guys are careful about their whereabouts, if they were attacked out of the blue who's to say it won't happen again, at a completely random time. We have a small window to work with, the best course of action is to exploit it while they're still there, if they haven't moved already."

"That," I pointed my finger at him when I heard that line. "You just said the exact issue I have with your half-assed plan. You have absolutely no idea what you're getting, not only yourself but everyone in this room into."

"Is this is a common thing for you to question authority?" Scott asked, his voice dripping with rising anger. "We made a plan, save us all the trouble, and just follow it."

"Oh, I will, when I get a death wish that is."

It was déjà vu all over again, right where I found myself last time.

"Scott, Ethan, please." Jean's voice could be heard from the side, which was the only reason I averted my gaze from Cyclops.

Looking around the room, I saw anxious and worried expressions, save for a few exceptions. While it may not be my place to give demands, I couldn't risk the chance of someone getting wounded or possibly killed because their leader was an absolute dumbass. While I had no intention of following his plan, I'll have to be relegated to support duty to make sure.

To not start another argument, I raised both my hands up. "You know what, I'll let it go. I have no intention of arguing with you since you're stubborn as a brick wall, but if anything happens, it's on you. That's all I have to say on the matter."

I didn't give him the chance to say the last word as I walked back in-between Peter and Bucky, crossing my arms while focusing on anything other than the dunce idiot. The second I notice something is off, I'll take control.

---

"Something will go wrong, something will definitely go wrong."

The same thought circled my mind ever since we got on board the Blackbird. Not only was Scott a complete jackass, but he was also an egomaniac to boot. We didn't talk strategy or how my team could be of use, but a part of me really didn't care. I will make sure everything goes smoothly since I can trust his planning process in the slightest, with barely any faith whatsoever. Alex and Lorna tagged along as well, much to everyone's concern, one wanting to help out while the other wanted to get some revenge.

But yet, why did I have this occurring feeling?

It was bugging me to no end, but I was positive I had everything covered. While Hank boasted the Blackbird was perfectly designed for stealth, with their advanced technology dedicated to making sure of that. Not to be disrespectful, but I made sure to add my own touch for extra measure. Not only did I not like the fact we were doing the old "rush in, shoot on sight" plan, but since I didn't get enough time to be sure, my mind was in turmoil.

My thoughts were broken when I spotted Laura's figure coming from the side, sitting a bit closer than one might call personal space.

"What's bothering you?" Laura asked bluntly.

Perplexed, I didn't answer truthfully. "What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine."

"The look on your face for the last twenty minutes says otherwise," Laura said sarcastically. "What is it?"

Rolling my eyes, I kicked myself mentally for forgetting how perceptive Laura is, she definitely can spot the subtleties. Seeing as I couldn't lie if I wanted to, I responded. "OCD."

"That doesn't qualify as an actual response… be more specific," Laura said somewhat demandingly.

"I don't like the way we're going about this plan," I explained, eyeing some of the team who seemed a bit too carefree. "We know so little about these guys' other locations, for all we know we might be walking into a death trap. Not to mention not knowing how the layout looks like. If only he gave me some time I could've gotten everything we needed without them noticing. At least then we would have a concrete plan."

"Sometimes, proper preparation is a luxury you can't afford, especially on a mission such as this," Laura spoke lowly. "Seeing as they lost one of their facilities, we have little room to work with either way. We make do with what we're given."

"Still, I manage to obtain information faster than you might expect, as well construct a strategy without wasting too much time," I replied informingly. "I don't know, I made sure to block any traces of us heading their way until we jump in, and some counter-measures just in case... and yet, I feel like something will catch me off guard. It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't make heads or tails of it."

The next several seconds passed with silence between us until she broke it. "This feeling you're having, how positive are you that it isn't just temporary?"

"More than I'd like to admit, actually. Seems like it will keep on bugging me until it happens." I admitted with a slight shrug.

"Well then, make sure you don't get cold feet if it happens," Laura said, sounding more like honest advice rather than a warning.

Grinning, I turned to her. "Now I know who to turn to if I ever need any advice."

Laura merely huffed, looking off to the side, which prompted me to laugh a little at her behavior. I'm just glad I know someone else around me was aware of the potential danger we were in. Within a few minutes, we landed hundreds of kilometers away to not get noticed, telling Bucky and Peter to not let their guard down.

Everyone was behind me, while I stood like a statue, that weird feeling once again starting to trouble me.

"What's the holdup?" Scott asked impatiently.

"Scott, don't be like that." Ororo dismissed the visor-wearing mutant for his behavior.

"Nothing, nothing at all," I replied sarcastically, opening a wide portal from below moments later.

Once in, I immediately placed a Rune on the floor, where we were already greeted with a loud alarm.

Not long after, soldiers and robots alike came rushing in, immediately shooting at us when we're in their field of view. The team quickly separated for cover, while I simply sidestepped with an occasional spell ring for defense. I analyzed the situation without wasting too much time, but with so many variables moving at the same time, I made sure nobody was in danger. I formed countless projectiles to lower their numbers.

Within a minute, the whole room was filled with U-Men and robots that didn't allow us to advance further.

"Fulcrum!" Peter's voice boomed into my ear. "My Spider-Senses are going haywire, and it's coming from Cyclops' direction!"

Looking around, I found that Scott's focus was set on blasting away the single U-Man with his optic beams, several robots moving close by completely ignored him. The soldier in question could only move forward as he absorbed the beams, but once his suit started to turn red, arms starting to flay around while moving backwards, with sparks of electricity surging around him. Activating a scanning spell in my eye that see's energy readings in greater detail, I realized what kind of danger we were in.

"Summers! Call off your attack right now!" I screamed at the comlink, with him not even responding, only increasing the intensity.

"Damn it, listen for once goddamn it!" I mentally screamed, ready to activate the Mirror Dimension to trap the U-Man in.

Sadly, it was too late, as the suit reached nuclear, releasing a massive explosion.

When I say massive explosion, I wasn't lowballing it. The entire base was turned to dust within seconds, smoke clouds were all that were visible after the loud bang.

Naturally, I was quick to react.

"Are... are we dead...?" Kitty asked in a trembling voice, observing her now see-through body with a yellow tint.

"You guys seriously don't give me enough credit, do you?" I asked while walking past them all, my right hand stuck in a specific gesture as small orange spell rings rotated around each finger.

"What did you do?" The Professor asked, releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I created an area around us, that when activated, we enter a different plane altogether, while still being in the same spot prior to the explosion. It's almost instantaneous but varies on distance. Luckily, I was right to be extra paranoid," I explained but had more to say. "I didn't want to take any risks in case they knew we would escape, so I used this at the last second. It doesn't leave any kind of trail, but if they do have some method of double-checking their work, all they'll find is a huge pile of dust and nothing else."

To not test our luck, I quickly opened a portal from above that engulfed us all, now standing inside my massive library.

"Now that we're in the clear," I spoke dully, taking off my mask to look at Cyclops with a bored expression. "This is the part where I would say "I told you so", but I rest my case."

Without any kind of leeway, Scott could only clench his teeth, choosing to stay silent than to argue back when it was obvious he made a bad call.

"The Blackbird," Ororo brought up while looking at her wristwatch. "It's destroyed. They knew we were coming."

"Luckily, nobody was on board," The Professor sighed.

"Where are we now?" Hank asked looking around.

"In my base. Since we got outsmarted by them, I want to check something before we make another play. Until then, make yourselves at home. Peter, mind giving them the tour?"

"Sure! Right this way!" Peter said excitedly, motioning for some of them to follow his lead. Kurt and Kitty were right behind him, while the others roamed around slowly to admire the unique layout. Instead of finding a simple celling, Rogue's eyes widened upon seeing the clear blue sky that provided light around the whole Pocket Dimension.

"Ughhh… question," Rogue spoke up with a finger pointed upwards. "What's the deal with that?"

"Oh, yeah, a moment," Throwing my hand to the side, the weather rapidly changed from a clear blue sky to a now orange sunset. "I like to switch it up from time to time."

While everyone else was occupied by the sights and Peter giving the tour, Jean followed me to the small table with many items scattered with bookshelves above it.

"Hey, you!" Jean's face lit up when she saw Helix land on her shoulder, jumping down her arm until stopping on her forearm. "What's your name, little guy?"

"Jean, meet Helix," I introduced her as my bird flew around her before landing onto her hands. "Just don't tickle him under his left wing, he's not too fond of that."

Taking out several books above the table, preparing to begin my little experiment.

"What are you doing?" Jean asked with her head tilted.

"I want to be sure of something," I simply said while focusing on the red pyramid-like energy construct in front of me. Opening a small portal, I took out a miniature energy box that released a low echoing screech from a puff of white smoke, a small fragment of the soul belonging to the U-Man that detonated.

Upon hearing the low screech, Jean shivered, placing a hand on her temple. "Is… is that a soul, and why is it so loud?"

"Only a fragment though, like the remains of the person's last remnants in the physical world," I began explaining, forming an ocean blue pyramid that opened from all sides. "Whoever blew themselves up made sure their explosion left nothing but dust in its place, so they most definitely knew we were coming, only I'm not sure how. They were even willing to sacrifice a small squadron of their own to ensure we were wiped out. This one acted a bit off in my eyes, and something's bugging me ever since I caught on. If my hunch is wrong, I still might be able to get something worthwhile."

Placing the soul inside, I waited several seconds to receive the results. The pyramid would scan everything, as well if the person prior was victim to experimentation or if multiple people were at one point around him. The glow died down, indicating the process was complete. The open and blank book beside it, an ancient language began forming on the page, using a spell to translate it on the other page. In the meanwhile, I typed in the name of the individual, digging through the database for more information. When my suspicion was confirmed, I intently stared down at the piece of paper containing his information.

Of course. This is what I get for not taking initiative.

"Ethan?" Jean asked worryingly. "What's wrong?"

Without answering her, I turned around and made my way to Scott to give him another piece of my mind. Turning the corner, the X-Men with Peter beside Kurt and Kitty spotted me aggressively approaching Scott, my fowl expression giving a good indication of what's about to happen.

Just as he turned around, I slammed the sheet of paper onto his chest, pushing him back slightly. "Nice going, asshole."

Looking at the paper in his hands, with Alex peaking from the side, he wasn't sure what to make of it. "What is this?"

"Mario Iglesias, went missing about three months ago, mysteriously disappearing from the hospital he was taken after an "incident" regarding his X-Gene, causing an explosion in his apartment complex when it manifested," I said bitterly, glaring at Scott who already had a grim expression. "This was the person inside that suit, taken hostage, experimented on and used as a scapegoat to wipe us off the map."

After saying that, low gasps arose from some of them, while the others remained dead silent. Alex looked off to the side, while Scott could only look down at the paper. Leaning forward, making him look me in the eye, and speaking in a low tone. "I was willing to put aside our difference to work together, but now I see how your leadership not only puts your team into danger, but even the people who aren't involved whatsoever. I told you to back off, but you didn't. Now an innocent man's death is on your hands."

I backed off, since I had no intention of rubbing it in, but I had to get this out of my system. "The next time I say "listen to me", either you'll comply, or I'll force to you to. I won't have any more blood on my hands because of you."

"Dumbass."

It was infuriating, it honestly was. There is only a handful of things that can genuinely make my blood boil, and this was one of them. While I said I had no intention sharing any of the blame, it was my fault for letting this whole fiasco play out as it did. I knew I shouldn't let the moron lead the mission, whether it was my place to overstep my limitations or not. It isn't just about an innocent man dying, it's the fact that all of us could've met a similar fate.

This is just another harsh lesson I had to learn the hard way; even if it means being an asshole, take control of the situation if it means the outcome will be guaranteed survival.

From each side, Bucky and Jean came from behind, with the former starting off. "Don't beat yourself up too much, this wasn't your fault."

"Uh, yeah, it kind of is, Buck," I retorted sarcastically. "I am supposed to prevent this kind of stuff from happening, yet, I failed miraculously."

"What happened, happened, we can't change that now," Jean said sympathetically, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I know that's the last thing you want to hear right now, but if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't even be here. Right now, we have to make sure we find the ones responsible."

"She's right," Bucky agreed. "Sometimes these things just happen, even when we try preventing it. We can't let this affect our mission, otherwise, his death will be in vain."

Sighing, I rubbed my eyes. "You two are right. I'm just not used to missions going this badly. Luckily, none of us were injured or left behind, so I'm thankful for that, at least."

"Did you sense any other mutants when we got in?" Jean asked.

"No, just one," I told her truthfully. "Which is weird, they were willing to sacrifice their own troops to make the scene believable

"Even to go as far to make sure we don't get the faintest clue on figuring out where their main base is," Bucky shook his head. "We're back to square one, with no lead whatsoever."

Looking at the second sheet of paper that was yet to be translated, I released a low hum. "Maybe we do."

Confused, Bucky and Jean could only watch as I took the paper, I highlighted the section that listed various energy signatures. I was only concerned about a specific detail. Hypothetically, if they knew we were coming, and wanted to make sure we don't ruin another facility, willing to vaporize one, it wouldn't be too farfetched to assume the leader himself did the work or at least the higher-ups. Honestly, I would take anything I could get.

Creating a wide blue energy line, I had each signature pop up in their own separate square. Immediately, I noticed something odd. There were red spheres that indicated it they were human beings, but within, most had two to three smaller green orbs with a single red one, meaning they had other signatures within them. In the center, the largest sphere had about a dozen or so orbs inside.

"Interesting, very interesting." I thought curiously. The glow itself was dim, indicating they didn't spend too much time around Mario, but the numbers were off in my eyes. Only one of them had more than four signatures, meaning there is a high likely hood this was the guy.

Summoning and opening my Codex, I took them all to find out where each source came from. To my delight, all of them came from a single location that glowed brightly, with a small portion marked on the location of the vaporized base.

"Bingo," I said pleasingly, a smile spreading across my face.

"What?" The two said in unison, leaning closer a little too much with the anticipation building.

"I got us a lead."

---

"Good news, everyone!"

I said cheerfully to the remaining X-Men, including Peter, as I sat down on the empty chair on the other end of the table, Jean and Bucky sat down beside me.

"What is it?" Xavier asked in anticipation.

"I found out the main hideout of the U-Men," I stated simply, receiving surprised looks from everyone. "Actually, I did more than just that, I have a rough layout of it, as well as confirming the locations of mutants they're keeping. I told you I only needed some time to get the ball rolling."

"But how?" Hank asked perplexed.

"Magic," I replied grinningly, not entirely lying in my response.

"Eh, good enough for me." Logan shrugged.

"Way to go, Ethan!" Kitty raised her fist excitedly. "We're back in the game!"

"Excellent," Charles crossed his hands with a grateful tone. "If they are under the impression that we were killed, it's imperative we don't waste this chance."

"Way ahead of you, Professor," I said calmly. "Before we jumped the gun this time, I wanted to at least get an idea what we're going up against. This base is located, or should I say built inside a canyon, easily three times larger than the one we raided. Currently, we know there are plenty of mutants held in captivity, so I advise a group to focus on rescue while the other keeps their reinforcements at bay. As for my squad, we'll directly face the boss himself. I have a special weapon in mind to secure our chances, as well as nullifying them any kind of escape."

"What might that be?" Alex asked.

"This."

Simply pushing my hands out, the entire environment inverted slightly to take the form of the Mirror Dimension. The X-Men were wide eyed at the sudden action, only Logan looking down at the table that showed his reflection, tapping it with his knuckles. "Doubt this is only a house of mirrors-type of gag, right?"

"It's called the Mirror Dimension, an alternate plane where sorcerers can practice without having to worry about harming anyone or the area around them. It can also serve as a prison, as only sorcerers can leave if they so choose. Once I trap them in, they can't get out."

"But you're insinuating we will be trapped in as well," Scott spoke up bitterly.

Restraining myself to not respond in the same tone as him, I remained calm. "Not trapped in, take advantage of not falling into any traps they might have set up as a last-ditch effort. The environment will be the same, but they can't use any machines or tools if they left them behind. We have the home advantage this time around, as long as I'm around they can't beat us in my realm. Also, I've taken the liberty to do this…"

Snapping my fingers, a thin stone panel with different Rune marks appeared in front of each member of the X-Men. "From what I could gather, most of the U-Men have energy-based projectiles or some sort of augment. I thought about what kind of upgrade each of you can use to increase our chances, so I hope they'll fit you all well."

Curious, Kurt trailed his finger on the odd marking, making it lit up momentarily while feeling a warm sensation on the tip. On it, the same marking was on there but way smaller. "Cool…"

"What kind of changes should we expect from… this?" Piotr asked, taking his own panel.

"A protective and defensive Rune, numerous stored into one actually," I said to the Russian. "Bullets, energy beams, and projectiles alike will simply not damage the wearer. The opponent would have to be considerably strong on several instances to even leave a mark, but I still advise not getting hit if possible."

"Thanks for making it sound easy..." Kurt pouted.

"Trust me, you'll notice the difference in battle, but that's not all." I went over each individual addition I had in mind for the X-Men, primarily focusing on their weaknesses and giving more options to fight.

"You sure thought about everything, kid." Logan voiced his opinion, a small hint of admiration in his voice.

"Not yet. Claws out, please," I spoke to him and Laura, receiving questionable looks before they obliged. With red vapor, I coated the Adamantium weapons, giving them a low transparent red glow around them before vanishing. "In case you come across any kind of energy shield, your claws will be able to pierce and effectively destroy it. Armor or not, with this, I seriously doubt anything will be able to stop them now.

"Now we're talking!" Giving approving nods, Logan seemed more than satisfied. Laura on the other hand, only hummed.

"Not impressed?" I teased her, kneeling down to add an additional Rune to her feet. "During our spar, I figured out the way you fight, taking advantage of your speed and unpredictability to catch your opponent off guard. The only "issue" I could find is if you have no space to move around, you'll have a difficult time. So to compensate, I thought about a technique I frequently use, creating a platform beneath your feet to move around while airborne or quickly repositioning. To use it, simply imagine a platform to form underneath you when needed."

Doing as instructed, Laura jumped, a thin white energy platform forming beneath her feet, essentially doing a double jump with a flip. "You pay close to attention it seems."

"Not sure if that's a compliment, but thanks," I replied, once again unsure what to make of her comment.

I think she meant it in a good way, right?

"What about me?" Scott asked bluntly from the side.

I looked at the man completely bewilderment. "You are joking, right? You expect me to give you something when we both know your stupid ass got the entire team in trouble."

The visor-wearing mutant could only stare, unable to say anything to defend his case. To my right, I saw Jean giving me a sympathetic look, one I couldn't just simply ignore. Behind Scott, Alex gave me a similar look, the guilt-tripping from their combined efforts actually making me reconsider. While I didn't care what happened to him, I was still the bigger man here.

Forming a stone panel into my hands, I tossed it to him. "Once we're in, if I say something, follow it, that's my only request."

Seeing as I covered all of the X-Men, I had one person left to suit up. "Now that we're going up against a deadlier batch of baddies, I think it's time we pulled out the big guns for you too, Pete." I turned to the genius.

"Do you mean... the "thing"? Do you think it's ready, I mean, we didn't properly test-"

I simply raised my hand to stop him. "Peter, if there's one thing I doubt it's your calculations, plus we both closely followed the design plan, I made sure it's ready just in case. All that's missing is the person wearing it."

"What are you guys talkin' about?" Rogue asked confused.

Walking over to the sleek white wall, Peter placed his thumb on an outlined square, scanning his fingerprint. The area opened from both sides equally, revealing a slowly rotating black and red suit of armor, one that's undoubtedly close to the MK III design. It would be sinful if I didn't make him have this in case of emergency. While the original MK III suit was made to deal with each member of the Sinister Six, we assembled a variant that would be ideal for countering many different enemies.

Similar to how Peter from the MCU received the Iron Spider suit from Stark, this is a major power-up for him, but having more of that "Parker charm" in it with his own touches. Just how Bucky is able to store up energy into his arm for a harder punch, the more Peter moves around in it he is able to utilize it it. With his fighting style focusing on being all over the place, he can easily use his quick movements to his advantage while dishing out more power without tiring himself out too much.

That's not including the other gadgets sprinkled within.

"Woah, you have your own Iron Man suit!" Kurt said wide-eyed, admiring the set of armor.

"Heh, I wouldn't call it that," Peter replied sheepishly.

"Of course, it's even better, in his case that is," I said truthfully. "While Stark's tech is advanced and has plenty of gadgets, this suit is properly tuned to fit Peter while in combat with his unique style of fighting. There's no better time to pull this bad boy out."

"I'll do one more quick check just in case," Peter took his touchpad to do so. "What about those magical enchantments you talked about?"

"Already added them, so don't you worry about that," I dismissed his worries, then turning to the X-Men. "Now, onto the plan…"

---

I split up our large group so I, Bucky, and Peter would each have a squad so we efficiently carry out the mission. Ironically, the base's layout resembled a U shape, and we planned on hitting three areas at the same time. One group focuses on the prison rescue, one keeps ahold of the opposite end of the base, while my squad goes for the main guys in charge. In the Mirror Dimension, they can say goodbye to robots for aid, or any booby-traps, if they have them by any chance. With the additional help from my enchantments, they should be fine for the most part.

"Looks like we're set," I turned to look at Bucky and Peter, then to the X-Men. "We all have our assignments, if we do them accordingly, there's no way they can possibly stop us. Make sure to stay with your respective group, but in case it gets too much, make sure to notify the others so we can teleport right to your location. Both Peter and Bucky are familiar with how the Mirror Dimension works, so they'll be able to change up the field if needed. Remember, as long as we coordinate our movements properly, there's no possible way we can lose."

After my short speech, I was greeted with confident and approving nods from everyone. Opening a small-sized portal at the U-Men's base, I send out the Mirror Dimension to engulf it whole. When done, I created three separate portals for each squad, wishing them good luck as we all departed to our respective missions.

---

Meanwhile, Bucky, Logan, and Hank moved forward with their part of the mission.

The rooms keeping the mutants were more widespread than the previous base, meaning they had to go one cell at a time to teleport an individual mutant to the X-Mansion. They were sure to cause enough of a ruckus at their location to attract as many as possible. With the help of the Mirror Dimension, Bucky was easily able to bypass thick walls, as well as create different pathways for sneak attacks, letting Hank take over to speak with the captives.

The soldiers on the other hand...

"Big guy, five o'clock," Bucky warned his old comrade as they stood back to back.

"Way ahead of ya, bub," Logan responded, both of them lunging at their respective adversaries.

For Logan, he had to face a bulky suit of armor nearly twice his size, firing a spray of bullets in his direction. His skin, while taking in a hefty amount of bullets, didn't cause too much pain, with some not even piercing his skin. Seeing the Wolverine approaching with no sigh on stopping, the U-Man's gauntlets released blue vapor, coating them with a layer of energy. Going for a right swing, Logan ducked whilst slashing his knee, quickly slicing off the left arm as he fell.

Bucky, on the other hand, had to deal with a member that was able to generate shockwaves at a rapid rate, a separate U-Men managing to restrain him for a short period with energy whips. Breaking them, Bucky shot out his hooks towards him, his newly formed blade piercing the U-Man through the chest, then throwing him towards the horde of the blue-armored scumbags, meeting an explosive end due to the bomb he placed on the first one.

The U-Men on the second floor, a U-Men that blinded the duo with the light radiating from his hands. Bucky was able to dish out an optic beam beneath his feet, causing him and the floor to come crashing down. Before the soldier had time to recuperate, Logan sprinted to plunge his claws into the helmet, the light dying down for good.

"Don't remember you ever having those," Bucky commented as he shot two U-Men from afar.

"Not exactly glad to have em'," Logan responded with a gruff, plunging his claws at the head of a nearby enemy numerous times. "You learned some new tricks yourself, bub."

The duo had to deal with U-Men whose powers were dedicated to area of effect, Bucky using shields and making sure nothing hit him, while Logan went in like a wild animal, allowing Bucky to deal the final blow from afar if need be.

Hank emerged from one of the holding cells, using the distorted field to move around to his advantage. "How many are there left?" Hank asked upon taking cover.

"About seven more. After that, we should regroup with the others if we don't find any more." Bucky advised, forming a blade with his left arm while materializing a customized AR-15 in the other.

"Let's make sure these clowns don't follow then," Logan stated, eager to get back into the fight. "Just don't get tired."

"Was about to say the same thing." Bucky retaliated, glad to see his old teammate hasn't changed all that much. With a war cry, the two men leaped from their hiding spot, Hank following right behind them.

---

"Ahhhh!" Kitty shrieked as she ran through the walls to avoid a black-skinned tiger-like creature that almost swallowed her whole. "Somebody mind helping?!"

"On it!" Peter responded while swinging in her direction. Due to his suit, which acted similar to Bucky's Vibranium arm, he stored energy the more he swung around, landing a direct punch to the creature's head, making it stumble in place before landing a final kick. Compared to the other groups, Peter's team consisted of him, Kitty, Kurt, Lorna, Ororo, and Piotr. His group would specialize in making sure no reinforcements interrupt Ethan and Bucky's squads. On their way to their position, Peter realized how serious of a threat these guys were.

The reason being the humanoid-like creatures with various animal parts showcasing numerous powers.

At first, he and the X-Men were shocked to face such opponents, for different reasons. Due to previous events, Peter wanted to fully know his opponents, in case he would have to hold back for unnecessary reasons. Already one life was lost, he can't let it happen again. With his magical gear, Peter was told they weren't humans transformed into these beasts, rather, artificially created mutant soldiers. Having that info in mind, Peter could go all out.

Lorna was able to suppress the U-Men due to her powers, but it painted a target on her head for the creatures. Peter and Piotr would act as a frontline, Kurt teleporting them closer to their targets to catch them off guard. Ororo would provide support from afar, making sure they won't be surrounded.

Opening its mouth, the creature with a monkey head released an ear-piercing screech, causing everyone except Peter to stop in their tracks. While they could still move, the sound was greatly discomforting, to say the least.

"Leave it to me!" Peter launched himself towards the creature, managing to withstand the pain somehow. He shot out webs at those who tried stopping him, while shooting a web grenade at the screeching monster, effectively shutting it up, Ororo sending out a powerful lightning blast, with Lorna's rotating blade to finish it off. With so many factors to take in, along with the gear he wore, Peter was able to be twice as effective in battle.

Peter was glad Ethan talked him into using the suit.

While he could tank their hits, it was better to not risk it. The difference in durability was more than noticeable, not falling victim to unnecessary injuries, having more leeway in his fighting style. These U-Men were skilled, but they weren't enough to take him out.

"Let's see what an extra pair of arms can do in a pinch like this," While not the appropriate situation, Peter couldn't hide his excitement, as four long silver and red mechanical spider-arms formed on his back.

Although solely controlling the arms through technological means was still in development, Ethan's influence allowed them to cut several corners in the meantime. A spell allowed him to control the arms telepathically as they were always connected to the power source, while also having some control within the suit with different pre-programmed algorithms.

Springing upward, Peter used his spider-legs to reposition quickly, shooting out webs from the tips and sticking to the ceiling.

The speed he was moving was too quick for the U-Men, shooting webs out to disrupt their aim while the other arms destroyed their suit augments and taking away their guns. When punches and kicks weren't enough to subdue them, the arms would pierce through their armor, injecting them with a small dose of a very powerful toxin to put them to sleep.

As the battle went on, the X-Men suffered some injuries along the way, making Peter work double time to not have anyone get killed. "Shadowcat, mind lending a hand?" Peter asked the girl upon landing next to her.

"Sure, what'd you have in mind?" Kitty asked when she fully phased out of the wall. Giving her the quick rundown, Kitty agreed, grabbing his hand so they could both phase down into the ground.

Not being able to feel solid mass but phase through like it was nothing was weird, but Peter quickly adapted. With his scanner, Peter was easily able to pinpoint where the U-Men were positioned, going for two closest to them. Shooting upwards, Peter used one set of spider-arms to create a shield for Kitty once he surfaced, using the other pair to pull the duo from the back, diving below the ground once more. To not risk her safety, Peter was the only one to resurface to plunge his spider-arms into another creature's head.

"Did he really have to station us here in this hellish place!?" Lorna complained, slicing off parts of numerous creatures with her blades.

"We all have our part to play," Ororo spoke calmly. "Even if we don't like it."

"Besides," Peter started as he landed beside them. "We know their secret weapon, they can't catch us off guard now."

Seeing as more monsters came their way, instead of charging back in, Peter had a diffident idea in mind. Taking out several small metallic cubes, the webhead threw them at the monsters, the creatures catching them as they drastically increased in size. With a snap of his fingers, their weight increased a dozen times, instantly breaking their bones as they were crushed by the cubes. Piotr made sure to not waste this opportunity, coming at them like a speeding train, acting as shield to give his team some time until they all regrouped.

"Is everybody alright?" Ororo asked tenderly upon checking her students for any wounds.

"Somewhat…" Kitty groaned, rubbing her sides in slight discomfort.

"We will manage," Piotr stated confidently. "Minor wounds, yes, but nothing we can't handle. We are the X-Men, we fought greater opponents than these monsters."

"Good pep talk, Big Guy!" Peter commended his new friend/temporary teammate. "We do our job here, it will make things easier for the others, that's all that matters."

"He's right," Kurt stood up with a grin, ignoring his wounds. "I don't know about you all, but I'm just getting started!"

"How do you guys keep such a positive attitude…?" Lorna complained. "It's sickening."

"You should try it sometime, having a frown all the time is bad for your health." Peter shot back, earning a disapproving scowl.

---

"-Good, good, keep me informed if anything happens," I said into my comlink, getting word from Peter and Bucky that they were fine on their end.

"-Stay safe guys, we're right there if you need us," Jean uttered out loud, sending a telepathic message to her teammates.

Jean, Laura, Rogue, Scott, Alex, and I made up the last group of our little split up. Since we were already here, I wanted to get a hold of the one in charge, seeing as I could still sense he was inside the building. It didn't seem like he was running, more like waiting for us to show up. I doubt this guy was that stupid, which meant he probably is "prepared" to take us on. There is no telling what kind of powers he amassed, so I'll have to be on my toes for this one.

"It's just up ahead," I informed everyone as we neared our target. "Whatever you do, don't let your guard down."

"Are you sure about this?" Alex asked wearily. "It's not too late to wait for everyone else."

"Stop whining. It's distracting." Laura said without even looking at the blonde, causing him to chuckle nervously.

I stepped in before Alex could continue. "Your ability will be very useful against these guys, plus I can give you any amount of energy that you'll need. Making sure we hit all spots at once will disorient them while we take on the leader."

Seeing as we were on the same page, everyone braced themselves as I sent several explosions to destroy the doors, shards falling down to reveal the wide and spacious room from within.

"Impressive, mighty impressive," The sound of unrhythmic clapping alongside a deep and mocking voice from the far end of the room. "Pretty clever, if I do say so myself."

The man in question had long, messy black hair swaying to the right, which obviously covered a nasty scar. Compared to everyone else, he was the only one not wearing a helmet, all having identical black bulky suits. There were in total of eight of them, all unmoving except the "supposed" leader. Once I had everyone in my sights, I slammed my hands to the ground, the glass beneath them shooting upwards to trap them.

The leader hummed. "I take it, this is your doing?"

The way he said that it felt more like an inconvenience than anything. "You'd be right to assume that."

"I see," The leader grinned. "Then it was you who attacked us this morning."

"I can't enter their minds," Jean uttered. "I'm completely blocked out, even the one without a helmet."

"Stick to the plan," I spoke bluntly. "I'll make sure they don't get far. We'll take them out as quickly as we can."

"I didn't expect you'd find us this fast. Actually, I'm glad," The leader spoke eagerly. "You've made our job significantly easier, more subjects to toy with."

"You're a bit too overconfident for someone who's trapped." Scott spoke confidently.

"Are we now?"

Each member broke out of their binds by different means, weapons from the suits or by their respective power. Moving at in-human speed, all of them entered a sprint in perfect coordination.

"Not happening!"

Flicking my wrists outward, the whole room expanded, putting more distance between us as glass panels rose up, then sending out numerous lightning beams that bounced all over. Only two got hit, while the others advanced forward. My goal was to separate them so they could only focus on themselves. Laura didn't waste any time going on the offensive, creating platforms beneath her to give her the needed boost. The energy shield the U-Man projected was shattered instantly by her claws, slicing his arm off in the process. The former assassin was blasted away by the shortest U-Man, who made various guns from their suit, unable to land another hit as Laura was already on the move.

Jean, Alex and Scott helped me attack them from afar, Rogue going head-on with the towering giant. I made the ground around him similar to quicksand, multiple hands popping up to slow him down. With a punch, it sent him flying onto his back, where I formed a hole that pulled him in.

I didn't have time to play games.

Creating numerous portals around me, I send out a combination of energy hands with enchanted metal blades that will slow down the target. I made sure to properly time my spells to ensure they were caught off guard, adding the finishing attacks with an empowered projectile alongside Alex's plasma blasts, Laura dashing to the closest one to make sure they stayed down. Jean was able to use her TK to disrupt her enemies, changing the direction of her projectiles to make it harder to dodge.

I kept changing the field to allow the X-Men to fight while putting them at a disadvantage. While we kept a lengthy distance from them, I felt a powerful gust of wind to the left, all of us getting separated within a second. I could spot Alex flying towards the wind user. I could see the leader flying with his focus solely set on me. To secure my odds, I will eliminate him first before helping out everyone else. Alongside morphing the Mirror Dimension, plant-like creatures surfaced to outnumber him with their own attacks.

His hand raised up for a layer of skin spread all over, forming an organic canon with a blade in the other as he flew towards me, ignoring everything else. We engaged in hand-to-hand combat, him trying to create weapons from his skin but I was five steps ahead. I either distorted the ground beneath him with cheap spells to stop his attacks, easily outmatching his enhanced speed, with my own blows ramped up, dishing out explosions in close range with no worry as it wouldn't harm me.

He tried absorbing my attacks, but I was one step ahead of this time. Just as it reached his finger, the blue turned red-colored projectile exploded, pushing the leader back with his arm in critical condition. You can't absorb something if it has already exploded.

"You bastard...!" The black-haired man spoke menacingly with a savage grin. "I'll take pleasure in dissecting you alive."

"Good luck with that." I responded sarcastically, not buying into his taunt.

Catching a foul expression before returning to a wide grin, his arms instantly regenerating but the armor from the waist down broke apart, chunks of flesh shooting outwards. It quickly took the shape of a scorpion while having a lower half of a human underneath it, the upper half of his body sticking outwards where the head would be, the size comparison way off in his monster-like form. The skin gooey skin solidified to a now hardened dark grey skin color, obvious traits of armor visible on the furnace, and two sets of lengthy crab arms with the end of the tail identical to its claws.

"Now that's just revolting." I spoke with disgust at his appearance.

Not even giving a reply back, the leader charged in at immense speed. I created a durable glass shield with metal as a second layer. It was shattered instantly, but by then I jumped far away, several chains that sprung when he got to my position, sending a powerful shock of electricity through his whole body. While restrained, I threw countless enhanced glass spears from above, managing to pierce his skin all over. Even though he took the full hit, the leader simply jumped with great force, seeing his wounds heal at a quicker rate than before. Aiming with its tail, it released a thin blue beam that I was able to dodge by a few inches, maneuvering back and creating more distance while he tried to hit me with the beam, my reaction speed giving me the leg up. Purple missile-like projectiles fired repeatedly that I blocked with consecutive shields, shooting my own energy binds and blasts via portals.

Every time I dashed, I left a different Rune trap that would detonate when he came in close range. I used these to analyze a potential weakness, as well to see if his body could really withstand this much. He managed to survive each one, his latest jump propelled him further than before, attempting to grab me with his hands that grew in size once more.

I threw out two small orbs of metal to the side, expanding into giant-sized arms that latched onto his tail and portion of his back. He was still in range to throw energy claw blasts and flail his arms, but I managed to reposition with many Chi Steps, taking out my daggers to form dark green blades, I slashed off one right arm and left multiple slashes on that side of his body. Swinging his left arm that was coated in red electricity, I flew into a portal that positioned me above his head.

If he can take reduced damage from energy-based attacks, I doubt the same will work for physical ones. Due to moving at such impressive speeds, I gathered an absurd amount of energy into my suit, regulating all of it into my right heel with a hefty amount of Chi, I slammed my leg onto his head, sending him hurtling down and leaving a massive crater that shook the ground.

Gliding back down, I saw his body slowly rise up amidst the floating glass shards. His limbs were broken but began snapping back into place, his head being the last part to be repaired. Looking at his sliced arm, the man screamed as he tried restoring it, while at the same time growing in size, sprouting canons and tentacles with the tips sharp as a blade. From the side, I noticed the marksman and wind user surrounding me.

He realized I'm the real danger here, and isn't willing to take any chances.

I'll find their weakness and exploit it, no matter how many I have to face at once.

---

Scott fired beam after beam as he moved a better distance, only for a purple-colored force field to spawn around him, connected to a U-Man in the far end. All of a sudden, Scott felt as his strength was being drained, unable to move or raise his hand without his muscles would break, once he did get the chance to shoot at the approaching enemy, his beams traveled at a fraction of its usual speed, with the intensity not nearly as strong.

A purple energy fist formed from within the force field, sending Scott crashing onto the floor on his chest, not capable to properly stand up. He received multiple hits while down, unable to defend himself inside the field.

Seeing the scene unfold, Alex flew at great speed whilst shooting plasma projectiles at his target. The U-Man had to dodge and create shields how powerful the attacks wore. Entering the field, Alex felt his strength diminish, but was still able to move. However, the U-Man zoomed right in front of him, swaying his massive arms in quick, repeated attack. Due to the layers of energy armor protecting him, he was able to withstand such blows but felt his stamina gradually decreasing. His own attacks paled in comparison due to being unable to properly charge up, trying to figure out a way to outsmart him.

A punch to the face along with an energy fist hitting Alex from the back, the U-Man grabbed him by the neck, turning around to create a closed fist around Scott, pulling him towards him then grabbing his neck as well.

As the area around them darkened in a bright purple cocoon, the two brothers prepared for the worst, but witnessed their enemy's arms and portions of his upper chest being crushed, Alex managing to see the redhead in the corner of his eye with her hand clenched. Taking this opportunity, Alex channeled everything he had into his arm, piercing the armor to clutch his captor's neck, putting everything else he had to enable him flight.

As they flew out of the field, it tried to follow them but became slower over time the harder his grip tightened. When Scott managed to inhale a deep breath after being choked, he fired a powerful beam at point-blank range, the armor gradually melting when hit on the same spot. Using his own jetpack, the U-Man changed their trajectory, sending the trio crashing the wall without stopping.

Seeing the giants' figure rising up from the hole, Laura jumped towards him but was caught off guard how fast he swung his arm, pulverizing her into the ground and throwing her down the hole. When she was about to jump back up, the area around her exploded all of a sudden, spotting another U-Men standing over the edge. Having to take a detour, Laura made her way back up while trying to not get hit.

The biggest one's body was now coated with a black energy layer that had spikes on the front. Glass beneath his feet shattered upon dashing forward, easily doubling in speed, unlike the first time. Following the direction where the tank was headed, Rogue's eyes widened upon realizing an occupied Jean was his target.

"Jean! Watch out!" Rogue shouted as she sprinted towards Jean, creating an energy shield to defend her teammate.

Sensing her thoughts and the approaching danger, Jean's attempt at blocking the attack was cut off as a loud shriek broke her concentration. Rogue took the full hit, pushing her backwards as she crashed into Jean, the latter tossed to the side while Rogue was sent flying back.

Crashing into the wall, the glass-like objects came falling down on top of her. Jean tried standing up but had difficulty doing so.

Looking down, a support beam held her leg in place, using her powers to move it away, but the wound on her abdomen slowed her down significantly.

"Shit," Jean mentally cursed, slowly removing the wedged metal beam from her wound. "Come on, stand up! I can't slack off, not here!"

Her concentration was shattered when she heard Rogue let out an ear-piercing screech. Locating her within a second, Jean watched in horror as Rogue was pinned to the wall by multiple mechanical arms, throwing her back and forth to tire her out.

"Stop…"

Rogue struggled to break free, but more and more mechanical restraints popped out from the U-Man's gauntlets. Squeezing harder, Jean felt the pain inside Rogue when her wrists were broken, as if they were her own.

"Stop…!"

The center of his chest opened, revealing a blue orb with sparks leaking out. It started to glow brightly, able to hear the humming sound through Rogue's perspective.

At that instance, something snapped inside Jean's mind.

"STOP!" Jean yelled out in rage, the rubble around her shooting in every possible direction.

The U-Man restraining Rogue, in the blink of an eye, received a boulder to his entire body at supersonic speed, only leaving a giant red mess on the wall he collided with.

Jean had no idea what she had just done, but for some reason, she told herself her actions were justified. It felt… like something else was telling her it was within her right to kill. If she didn't, her friend, her teammate, would've died. But as a result, she had to kill someone in order to accomplish that.

Yet, a part of her kept saying she had the right to do so.

Why would she care about such insignificant concepts? They were irrelevant. The people close to her are in danger, against people who treat her kind like dirt. They don't deserve mercy, especially not from her.

All of those thoughts entered the back end of her mind, only able to focus on two emotions at the current moment. One being anxiety, desperately trying to control the burning feeling that surged across her entire body. The other, rage, moments away from unleashing this newfound power to annihilate the scumbags that dared to murder her friends.

Jean knew what she had to do, and she was more than willing to play judge, jury, and executioner.

---

"I. Said. Stop!"

A powerful, yet demanding voice echoed across the whole area. Immediately, my mind was solely focused on figuring out what that was, a part of me not wanting to find out. The feeling was... unsettling, goosebumps rising around my whole body. Something was wrong.

Scanning my surroundings, I found where it was coming from, a chill went down my spine the moment I looked at Jean.

Crimson fire surrounded her, red hair flying upwards wildly as she rose up from the ground. The familiar soft and tender face I grew to know was replaced with growing rage and a literal ticking time bomb. Behind her, the flames molded into the shape of a bird, its appearance slowly becoming more distinct.

Each second that passed the aura grew stronger, meaning time was running out. "Oh fuck! This is bad, this is bad! I have about another ten solid seconds until it goes nuclear. I dont think it's smart to intervene with the Phoenix Force, but if I don't, it can potentially be a bigger problem to deal with. Better make this shot count!"

I knew some stasis spells that would match the scenario, but considering this is the Phoenix Force, this is a huge gamble. Quickly opening a portal beneath Rogue and Laura, getting them out to not get caught in the crossfire. Placing my middle finger onto my thumb, small water bubbles forming and popping around my two fingers. On the other end, the monstrous U-Man was grinning like the devil itself, its posture leaning forward as he was ready to spring into action.

Just as I raised my arm, the U-Man bolted, but we were both too late. In the blink of an eye, the aura surrounding Jean Imploded in every direction, yellow lightning bolts surfing along with the red flames. The attack obliterated the area around us, cracks all over the floor, and walls that quickly tumbled to the ground.

While the whole environment was in ruins, a barrier protected me as I tried to withstand the pain. I could only release agonizing groans, my teeth clenched harder than ever before, desperately trying to open a single eye lid to inspect the wound. Every joint in my left arm was broken, but luckily it was still in one piece. The Vibranium protecting it was shattered, some areas melted but still could be salvageable, but I had to take it off to properly inspect it. Third-degree burns from my hand all the way to my shoulder, barely able to move it on my own accord.

"D-D-Dammit…!" I cursed out loud, feeling my eyes getting teary from the sensation. "Even with all my enchantments, my armor was almost completely shattered, like it was made out of paper. The Phoenix… even with a very small percentage of its power, was able to damage me. I saw those bolts play out before me, but the speed it traveled is frightening. If my other protection spells didn't activate in time, my whole body could've been fried."

If there was ever a time to be thankful for having contingency plans to keep me alive, this would be it.

Hearing someone call out my name, I tried focusing on who the voice belonged to, quickly seeing Laura kneeling before me. "Are you alright?!"

Quickly scanning her, I took notice of the burnt flesh across her body with parts of her uniform shredded. "S-Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"I will heal naturally, you on the other hand, not so much," Laura stated bluntly.

I tried numerous healing methods, but they were going painfully slow, taking dozens of times longer for the process to even start. Cursing once more at my misfortune, I couldn't waste any more time, coating my injured arm with a layer of Chi to stabilize it, placing it behind my back so it stays in place.

"Why aren't none of your spells working?" Laura asked in confusion, unaware that my methods didn't help in the slightest.

"This power is far greater than any magic I've come across," I explained with my teeth clenched, Laura helping me stand up. "It's not permanent, but for now, it's pretty much unusable until I tend to it properly."

"Can you still fight?" Laura asked, more softly this time.

"I almost lost an arm, I'm not dead yet," I answered back, drinking the entire potion that was equivalent to a painkiller. "Besides, it doesn't matter if I can or not. I have to help her out."

Looking at the massive holes in the ceiling, the bright red ball of flames was visible as Jean flew around massive chunks of metal and rock, using them to toss around the leader. Glass shards followed in her wake, if it wasn't already destroyed she would use it as a weapon.

"Is that… Jean?" Laura asked with uncertainty.

"Yeah, but something else is controlling her," I said, but her confused expression demanded more. "I'm positive I sensed another presence inside of her. I met a deity that's essentially a God, but this… this is way worse."

"We should contact the Professor," Laura suggested. "Whatever is controlling her, he will be able to push it out."

"That won't work. It's too risky to even try. This kind of entity cannot be simply "pushed out", if anything, it will fry his brain if he attempts that kind of move."

While she wanted to ask for more information, Laura simply allowed herself to not complicate the situation any further. "Then what can we do?"

"First, I have to notify the others so they know what's going on," I informed her. "Everyone! Report in!" I shouted at my communicator hastily.

"[Yo, what the hell was that explosion!]" Kurt yelled frantically.

"[I'd like to know why chunks of this base are suddenly flying upwards!]" Logan joined in.

"[Ethan! What happened to Jean!?]" Xavier screamed loudly, causing each member of the X-Men to ask their own questions upon mentioning the redhead.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how to properly describe it," I said grimly, acting as if I didn't know what kind of issue we had on our hands. "Whatever that was, this isn't Jean anymore. Her power suddenly got a massive amp, and she's not using it how Jean usually would. The room we were in got blown up within a second. Not just that, but I also sensed another presence within her."

"[What do you mean by that, Ethan…?]" Xavier asked in a scared tone.

"Exactly what I just said," I repeated, to Charles specifically. "It was strong and wild, far more powerful than anything I've ever seen. I could faintly make out a shape of a phoenix made out of flames behind her, but that's about it."

I could hear a faint gasp, knowing that it belonged to Xavier. Logan was the next to speak up. "[Doesn't matter, right now, we have to get her back down.]"

"I might have an idea what to do. Everyone else make sure to keep their distance until I figure out what to do next."

"[What do you plan on doing?]" Ororo asked with concern. "[If she isn't in control, it's too risky to go alone!]"

"[Yeah…]" Kitty spoke with her voice trembling. "[Maybe we should re-group before we do anything else.]"

"Don't worry about me, I'll try to calm her down. Besides, the more time we waste, I feel like we'll lose our only opportunity to do anything." I told them all before logging off.

"What are you planning to do?" Laura asked.

"Not sure yet to be honest, but I want to talk to her," I admitted, looking back up to the sky. "Jean is still in there, I'm sure of it. I have to try, otherwise, we are in massive trouble."

Laura was silent, hesitant to speak up. "Whatever you do, just be careful, you idiot."

"Like always, I can't make any promises. But I won't stop until Jean is back to normal." I responded to Laura, reassuring her, I won't fail.

---

"Can… can it be…? No, impossible. I'm positive I prevented any possibility of it ever returning."

Xavier, who stayed behind to not get in his team's way, was currently experiencing what he believed was a semi-panic attack. Memories he long ago thought to be nothing more than a terrible dream, lost over the course of many years, began surfacing. His mind went into overdrive, thinking and theorizing on whatever little straw he could grasp to disprove his fears.

For years, he worried this day might come, but never did Xavier actually think he would see the day. The mental blocks he placed within her mind should've prevented it from waking up. Even going as far do placing them into the deepest parts of her mind just in case, revising them every few years to make sure they were still intact.

The possibility of this being a totally separate issue was high. Maybe he was just overacting

Then why did Xavier feel like he was in denial?

Placing his already shaking hand to his temple, he hesitated to enter Jean's mind, but he had to be sure.

Within a second, Xavier jolted into his seat, sweating bullets profusely.

"There's no mistaking it…" Xavier swallowed the lump in his throat he didn't know was there. "The Phoenix… is unleashed…!"

"Professor?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Xavier looked up at the spider-themed hero who gently tapped his shoulder. "Are you alright? You seem… out of it, I guess?"

"N-No, I'm quite alright," Xavier tried composing himself, barely manage to utter a single sentence without stuttering. "Thank you for your concern."

"No prob," Peter accepted the compliment cheerfully but quickly switched into serious mode. "Anyway, we should move out. We took care of the creatures in this area, but we have to make sure everyone else is safe."

"Yes, I agree. Lead the way, I will be right behind you all." Xavier spoke confidently, gesturing for Peter to take charge.

Nodding, Peter walked over to the rest of the X-Men, informing them of their next plan of attack.

Once Xavier was left to his lonesome, he went back to the issue that plagued his mind. Trying to click the button to stroll forward, his fingers shook so much he couldn't properly press it. Placing his other hand on top of it, desperately trying to prevent the unsettling feeling that grew with each passing second.

"Oh, god, what have I done?"

---

Channeling my Chi, from my chest leaked out a gold-like aura, focusing on creating two sets of Chi Wings, the upper set being slightly larger than the bottom one. When it materialized, it was filled with countless feathers that would act as projectiles, with the ability to change them mid-travel. The learning curve was awkward until they became natural with my body, but well worth it.

Due to how much debris is flying around, and the interference with the Phoenix, I'll have to make do with this.

"Never actually used this in battle, hope the training will pay off…" I uttered for extra reassurance, my eyes aiming for Jean. Kneeling down slightly, I jumped, my wings propelling me for the extra boost.

Right away, I had to do some quick maneuvers to evade the falling chunk of debris, continuing to fly upwards. The faster I flew, the sooner Jean and the U-Man came into view more clearly, with the former throwing chunks of metal and rock at the monstrosity, accompanied by a wave of wildfire from her fists.

When I got closer, I tried calling out to her, using a few utility spells to amplify my voice and specific thoughts. "Jean!"

I shouted her name several times, not once did Jean even bat her eyelashes at me, solely focusing on squashing the U-Man leader with all the rocks at her disposal. With everything moving at the same time, I had to make sure my movement wasn't interrupted, as they continuously flew upwards. While flying, I made sure to shoot out Chi Feathers at the U-Man and his attacks, providing some cover to Jean as well, just in case, so the Phoenix doesn't get any more enraged. I was elusive as a fly, but it was difficult to keep up with her, the U-Man was only able to be on the defensive as none of his attacks managed to get even close to her.

"C'mon, Jean! I know that you're in there! Don't let it control you!" I shouted, shooting out multiple energy whips from my hand to hold her still. Initially, the whips jerked backwards as the aura that surrounded her repelled them but they quickly latched around her body. Once they did, Jean's head snapped in my direction, that alone sending a powerful wave in my direction that stopped me from flying any closer to her. Flaming red eyes stared me down to my core, for the faintest moment, I was hesitant of doing anything in the off chance of further aggravating the Phoenix.

Seeing as I took her attention away from the monstrosity, I spotted numerous dark-green streams of energy that changed trajectory, taking advantage of Jean shifting her focus off him. Jean was unaware of what's coming, making me throw my hand out to create several shields around her. Thinking I was attempting to harm her, Jean used her TK to disrupt me by sealing my hand in place, unable to finish the remainder of the spell. As a result, she was unprotected from the enemy's blasts, crying out in pain when Jean received the full impact from behind.

When I saw that, I instantly grabbed a small metallic sphere from my bag, opening a small portal near the U-Man's head, causing two consecutive explosions at point-blank range. I doubt that he will be able to walk that off so easily. Scanning the area to find the redhead, my eyes widened when I finally spotted her.

She was falling, with no sign of slowing down.

"The debris is blocking my view, I can't directly teleport to her, plus the aura is still present around her, but at least now I can get close. I have a chance, I can't miss it." With my mind set, I dived down, going at a greater speed than before.

In the corner of my eye, I saw the grotesque form of the U-Man falling down, but I didn't focus too much on him. Saving Jean was my only priority at the moment. I had to zigzag all over, trying to keep the momentum with the sudden shift in various directions. There were several opportunities to teleport closer but I heavily relied on my wings to do the leg work. As Jean was falling, more and more debris blocked me off as her telekinesis was wearing off, making it increasingly difficult to catch up to her.

When I was finally able to get in range, I opened a portal to get past the large part of the dismantled base, coming out the other end with Jean a dozen or so meters away from me. Just by this range, the aura around her that drastically died down than before was sort of pushing me away, but I was relentless. Momentarily building a thrust into each wing, I propelled myself forward to break through the force.

The closer I got to her, I pulled her by the waist, engulfing her my Chi aura.

"E-Ethan...?" Jean uttered lowly, her eyes barely half-open.

"I'm here," I said to her softly, pulling her closer by grabbing her by the waist. "Don't worry, I got you now."

I could see that she wanted to say more, but struggled to do so. The Phoenix was still present, that much I could tell, but Jean was somewhat in control at least. With her in my arms, I ignored the "burning" sensation of having Jean so close to me, aiming to land on the outskirts of the ruined base. Because of Jean, the debris moved away due to her powers, making it easier to fly, unlike before.

Once we were on the ground, Jean immediately pushed me away, her telekinesis putting some distance between us. "N-No... I-I don't want to hurt you again…!"

"She's in control, but the Phoenix won't let her go. If I am able to at least get to her, maybe the rest of the X-Men can finish the job." I theorized but had one way to make sure.

Quickly sending a message to Bucky and Peter, I needed to know where Xavier is. "Jean, you can't let it control you, you have to control it! Just try focusing on my voice!"

I walked slowly towards her, each step becoming more difficult than the last. Getting a notification, I saw Peter reply with a "he's with me", telling him to keep Xavier occupied just in case. I don't care if he reads their minds while I relay their message. I gave an enchantment that will negate his powers as long as Peter is within range.

"I-I can't..." Jean uttered in agony, clutching her head. "I don't- I don't know to s-stop this…!"

"I do, I know you can!" I shouted in reassurance. "You just have to fight it off for a little longer, please!"

Getting another message that told me Bucky met up with everyone, excluding Xavier, Peter keeping him occupied, the plan was good to go. Within moments, all of the X-Men scattered across the enemy's compound suddenly appeared via portal. Each member of the X-Men stepped forward, but not one person uttered a single word. It's there that I realized Jean used her powers to read her teammates' thoughts and feelings, no longer struggling as much as before.

"Everyone…"

In under a minute, the flames around her started to die down, as if a candle to the wind, the last spark of the Phoenix's influence on her disappeared. When Jean was finally released, her body started to tilt to the side. Without missing a beat, I dashed forward to catch her, gently lowering her down so she could take a moment to properly rest.

Her eyes slowly started to open, a Chi Arm removing my mask to reveal a reassuring smile. "You're safe now, Jean."

Without missing a beat, her head moved down to inspect my injured arm, eyes widening at the sight of it. "E-Ethan… y-you're… I-I didn't-"

I shushed her before she could go any further. "You don't have to apologize, silly, I know that wasn't you who did this. I'm just glad you're alright, my arm can wait for later. What about you all? Are you injured?"

"So and so," Hank panted. "Would say exhausted more than anything."

"They were stronger than we initially thought," Ororo tried saying in a steady tone. "While the enchantments you provided were effective, we suffered some minor injuries as a result."

"I don't think I can fight anymore even if I wanted to…" Kitty expressed with deep breaths as she kneeled down, some of the younger members doing the same.

"Come, I'll heal you all," I spoke while leaving Jean in a seated position.

"Ants!"

A loud and powerful yell interrupted us, the sound of glass shattering vastly approaching.

"That's what you are all compared to me, ants!" The monstrosity roared with a laugh. "I've survived way worse compared to your puny attempts! I'm just getting started!"

Suddenly, his massive body started expanding, the skin ripping before infusing with a different section. Essentially, he tripled in size but had an even more grotesque appearance than before, accompanied by additional tentacles and maws forming all over. The crab-like legs lifting its massive form for additional height, each appendage having sharp edges. The outer layer of skin hardening by how its color changed ever so slightly, acting as armor on top of everything

"What… what in the hell is that…" Scott quivered, utterly terrified at the sight before him.

"It's a shame, really," The leader spoke in a grim tone. "I wanted to dissect you all as punishment, the redhead especially, but oh well… disintegrating you all on the spot will satisfy me just as much!"

Chunks of skin from his abnormally large chest opened, revealing countless red dots that started to shine. A second later, a wide beam of red projected from the U-Man's body.

The X-Men braced for the worst, some taking a defensive stance while the others could only quiver at the approaching beam.

As for me… "Guess it's time to pull out the big guns."

That's it for Chapter 10.

Not gonna lie, I had some difficulty writing this, solely because of power scaling. Originally, the plan seemed simple but encountered some issues while writing. For starters, the U-Men while powerful, aren't necessarily prepared against people like Ethan, Peter and Bucky, considering how well they use their skill set. The mutants while still able to hold their own, had trouble keeping up nonetheless. It say its well-played out given the circumstance. I definitely see our Trio being stronger and more resourceful against these kinds of opponents.

I read ya'lls comments about my fights being a bit "dragged out", for that I have to apologize for two reasons. 1) I was a firm believer some fights in earlier Chapters Ethan couldn't simply win just like that, not that powerful just yet and 2) sticking to a formula that I'll most likely have to change. This Chapter shouldn't feel "as" dragged as there are multiple perspectives, but at this stage, Ethan by himself can end fights quicker than before. For this, if you have an idea what kind of attacks/spells/tactics I can incorporate into the story to accomplish that goal, leave a review with some thoughts/suggestions.

Sorry for the cliffhanger, the other Chapter will pack a big one, both action and plot-wise. It will truly display how far Ethan has come in such a short amount of time. Given all the tools and various spells to increase his abilities, I wanted to amp him a bit due to having amassed different powers by this point.

For those asking, the reason the U-Men knew the team was coming was because of Scott. His optic beams originate from a whole nother Dimension, so basic enchantments don't block it that easily from being detected. It would need way more to keep it hidden from the U-Men noticing.

The next one should be out sooner, as I basically split this Chapter into two for convenience's sake. I didn't forget about Logan and Bucky having their reunion, so I saved it for the next Chap as this one is long enough as it is.

Until next time, cya!

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