Late at night, near the outskirts of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, a group of figures gathered in the shadows.
"Sir, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new recruit, Agent 0233, reporting for duty," a young agent announced, saluting Coulson and Melinda May beside him.
Ethan crossed his arms, nodding as he observed the fresh recruit.
"Agent 0233, have you completed the task I assigned to you?"
"Yes, sir," the agent affirmed, though there was a hesitation in his voice.
He knew better than to question orders, especially coming from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special security consultant.
But what he had been asked to do earlier had raised too many questions to ignore.
"Agent 0233, something on your mind?" Ethan asked, his voice calm yet firm.
The recruit swallowed hard before finally speaking up.
"Sir, if this is an anti-terrorism exercise, why are we using live ammunition? And... why do we have a rocket launcher?"
His gaze flicked toward the heavy weapon resting nearby, his expression betraying disbelief.
Ethan smirked. "If you get a clean shot, aim for the head. If you can't, aim for the chest—twice. And don't hesitate to fire.
That helicopter overhead? If things go south, I want it taken down immediately. Treat this like the real thing."
"So this isn't a drill at all..." Agent 0233 muttered under his breath.
Still, something didn't add up.
Live ammo, heavy artillery, and yet they also had fake plasma, makeup kits, and cameras?
Those weren't things needed for combat training.
Those were for staging something.
"Agent 0233, let me ask you something important," Ethan said, stepping closer.
"Do you know how to take photos?"
"Sir?" The recruit blinked in confusion.
"I'm not an expert, but I know my way around a camera. It's a basic skill for fieldwork."
Ethan nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, what about makeup?"
"Makeup?" The agent's confusion deepened.
"Uh... I can do basic touch-ups, but some of the female agents have been professionally trained. They're much better at it."
Ethan sighed in relief. "Good. Stand by for further orders."
The young agent stepped back, his mind racing.
'What kind of operation is this? Are all senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agents insane?' he thought grimly.
"The obedience of new recruits has gone down," May remarked, watching the young agent with mild disapproval.
Coulson chuckled. "Come on, May. You and I both know we'd have had the same reaction if we were in his shoes back in the day."
May gave a small nod but kept her usual stern expression. "Still, this plan is reckless. If Professor X were here, he could handle this situation effortlessly."
"Yeah, well, that's the problem," Ethan admitted.
"I checked in with Katie earlier—Xavier left the school not long ago. Something urgent with Magneto."
"And the others?" Coulson asked, already guessing the answer.
"Cyclops went with Xavier. Jean and Storm are tracking down the mutant who tried to assassinate the President."
Stryker couldn't have chosen a better moment to strike.
If Fury hadn't given him a heads-up, Ethan might have been at home, completely unaware of the imminent attack.
"This just keeps getting worse," Coulson muttered.
"I managed to warn Katie in time," Ethan said.
"Most of the younger mutants escaped through the secret passage. The ones left behind? They can fight."
A low hum filled the air as several helicopters flew overhead, sleek and deadly.
Some landed on the school grounds while others hovered, deploying squads of heavily armed soldiers by rope.
Ethan turned to Agent 0233. "Are you ready?"
The recruit picked up the rocket launcher, eyes blazing with determination.
"Yes, sir."
"You idiot," Ethan snapped. "Who told you you'll will fire them with a rocket launcher? We need this recorded. Get it all on camera."
"S-Sorry, sir!" The agent quickly switched to the video recorder.
The first wave of soldiers rushed into the school building.
Moments later, an explosion of fire sent several of them flying back.
"There we go," Ethan muttered. "Pyro's making his move. We have our evidence. Time to engage."
"Don't worry, sir," Agent 0233 said confidently, "I'll get everything on film."
Ethan scoffed. "You're hopeless. Forget the camera—grab the rocket launcher."
Without another word, he seized the weapon himself, took aim, and fired at one of the helicopters.
The explosion lit up the night sky.
"That's how you make an entrance!" he grinned.
Agent 0233 stared at him, momentarily stunned.
For a split second, he could almost see Ethan donning sunglasses, chomping on a cigar, and wearing a ridiculous gold chain while heavy rock music blared in the background.
Shaking his head, he snapped back to reality.
With a determined yell, he grabbed his rifle and charged into battle.
"Boom!" More explosions erupted as helicopters crashed to the ground.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new recruits stormed forward, engaging Stryker's forces in fierce combat.
Stryker's men were elite soldiers, no doubt about it.
But their mission had been to capture, not to kill.
They carried mostly non-lethal weapons—tranquilizers and restraint devices—because the President had insisted on avoiding unnecessary casualties.
Ethan and his team, on the other hand, were armed to the teeth.
With Wolverine and the remaining mutants still in the school, it didn't take long for Stryker's forces to fall apart.
...
"Where is Stryker?" Ethan growled, grabbing a soldier by the collar and slamming him against a crumbling concrete wall.
His grip tightened, and the soldier's tactical vest creaked under the pressure.
Judging by the insignia on his shoulder, he was a squad captain.
"Die." The captain's face twisted with resolve.
He yanked a sidearm from his holster, raising it straight to Ethan's forehead, finger already squeezing the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed through the ruined battlefield.
The bullet, fired at point-blank range, rocketed towards Ethan's skull—only to halt mid-air.
Spinning violently, it hovered for a second before clinking harmlessly to the ground.
"W-what the hell are you?!" the captain stammered, eyes wide with horror.
Ethan smirked.
In a swift motion, he snatched the pistol from the captain's hands and pressed it against the soldier's own forehead.
The cold steel made the man freeze.
"I'll ask one more time." Ethan's voice was low and threatening.
"Where is Stryker? I doubt you've got the same bulletproof trick I do."
The captain gulped, sweat trickling down his temple.
"Colonel Stryker… he's still airborne. His transport is scheduled to land five minutes behind us."
Ethan's sharp gaze darted to the sky.
Among the wreckage of downed helicopters, a bulky transport aircraft hovered in the distance, flanked by two armed choppers.
"That sneaky bastard," Ethan muttered.
It made sense.
Attacking the Mutant Academy meant facing unpredictable abilities.
Stryker had intentionally lagged behind to gauge the mutants' defenses before stepping in himself.
"Tch. I was too hasty." Annoyance flickered across Ethan's face before he knocked the captain unconscious with a swift strike to the temple.
He turned to Coulson, who was adjusting his stance with a small rocket launcher on his shoulder.
"Coulson, think you can hit that?" Ethan asked.
"Please. I'm a professional." Coulson smirked as he locked onto the transport.
Before he could fire, a flare of light caught his eye.
One of the escorting helicopters had fired first.
"Shit! They got the first shot!" Coulson shouted, recognizing the incoming projectile.
Ethan's smirk widened. "Perfect. Less work for me."
The moment the missile neared, Ethan stepped forward, raising a hand.
His powers surged, and the missile veered unnaturally, reversing its trajectory.
Boom!
The enemy chopper exploded in mid-air, engulfing its nearby allies in a fiery inferno.
Inside the transport plane, a soldier turned to Stryker, face pale. "Sir, what do we—?"
Stryker slammed a fist on the control panel. "What do you think?! Fall back!"
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Everything had been meticulously planned—Professor X was supposed to be occupied with Magneto, the school left vulnerable.
They had air superiority, firepower, numbers. There was no way they should be losing.
But this?
This was beyond expectations.
A single mutant had turned the tide in mere minutes.
And that missile reversal—Stryker's gut churned.
That ability was trouble.
Grimacing, he checked his watch. Then, a slow smirk spread across his lips.
"Fine. We retreat for now… but let's see how long you last."
On the ground, Ethan watched the transport plane retreat, his expression unreadable.
As the flames from the wreckage died down, Agent 0233 approached.
"Sir, the battle's over. A small number of enemies have been neutralized; the rest surrendered."
Ethan nodded. "Good. Now get the other agents together. Bring out the cosmetics and fake plasma."
Agent 0233 blinked, then sighed in exasperation.
"Understood, sir."
He'd long since stopped trying to question Ethan's strange tactics.
As they prepared, another figure approached—Katie, arms crossed.
"Ethan, what the hell happened? You weren't exactly clear over the phone."
"We were targeted," Ethan replied darkly. "And they were tougher than expected."
"Who are 'they'?" Logan's rough voice cut in.
His adamantium claws slid out with a distinct snikt, glinting under the broken streetlights.
Beside him, Pyro, Iceman, and Colossus stood at the ready.
"The usual government bastards," Ethan muttered.
"I'll explain later. For now, Colossus, get the students out of the tunnels."
The towering, steel-skinned mutant nodded and disappeared into the school.
Minutes later, he returned, leading the students to safety.
They murmured among themselves, eyes filled with curiosity rather than fear.
Ethan turned to face them, clearing his throat. "Alright, listen up! I'm Ethan, your new Student Council President."
The students exchanged puzzled looks. A young girl raised her hand hesitantly. "But… we don't have a Student Council."
Ethan's smirk deepened. "You do now."
He turned his gaze to Logan. The grizzled mutant paused mid-stretch, looking back at him.
"…What?"
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