After several days of so-called acclimatization training—though in truth it was little more than systematic brainwashing—the agents Rumlow had brought finally entered the next stage of their transformation.
The dispensing chamber was located five levels beneath the facility. Security there was far stricter than anywhere else in the base. Even Rumlow and Dr. Faustus were forbidden from entering. Only Dr. Samuel Sterns, Ethan Voss, and the assigned medical specialist had clearance to step inside.
This room concealed one of Ethan's greatest secrets.
The chamber no longer existed within the normal world.
It belonged to the Divine Realm.
The elevator descended silently through the underground levels. At a certain point during the descent, it passed through a portal that Ethan had already prepared in advance.
The passengers never noticed anything unusual.
But in reality, the elevator had already crossed into another dimension.
When the doors opened, they stood inside a hidden laboratory within Ethan's divine world.
Inside the Divine Realm, Ethan possessed overwhelming telekinetic authority. His control was so powerful that it even extended into subtle telepathic influence. With careful concentration, he could nudge thoughts, alter impulses, and reshape certain mental responses.
During the enhancement procedure, Ethan quietly planted a seed deep within each subject's consciousness.
The seed would remain dormant most of the time.
But under the right circumstances—when triggered by specific signals or external stimuli—it could awaken and grow.
That was why these agents appeared to belong to S.H.I.E.L.D.
They believed themselves loyal to Hydra.
Yet ultimately, they belonged to Ethan alone.
If Dr. Faustus ever discovered the truth, he would be completely stunned. Ethan had studied under him for barely ten days before abandoning the lessons.
Yet Ethan had surpassed him in the very field Faustus believed he had mastered.
There was another secret hidden behind the enhancement process as well.
The Typhon Group's secondary super-soldier serum had never been a perfect success.
The drug could dramatically strengthen the human body, but it carried a dangerous side effect.
It damaged the mind.
Without careful control, enhanced agents gradually lost emotional restraint and rational thinking. Over time they would become violent, bloodthirsty monsters driven purely by instinct.
This flaw was another reason Ethan insisted on conducting the final stage of treatment within the Divine Realm.
Here, his telekinetic power allowed him to precisely regulate the drug's activity inside the subject's body. He could guide its spread through the bloodstream and carefully limit its influence on the brain.
In some cases, he could even improve neurological performance slightly.
Tests conducted afterward revealed unexpected results.
Not only did the soldiers gain extraordinary physical abilities, but their mental stability improved as well. They became calmer under pressure, more disciplined, and slightly faster learners.
After several exhausting days of continuous treatments, the entire group of agents was finally completed.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, feeling a trace of fatigue.
For a moment he considered taking a short vacation. Perhaps he should compete with Tony Stark for the cover of the next Penthouse issue and spend a few days relaxing on a yacht somewhere in the Atlantic.
Unfortunately, that plan never reached reality.
A subordinate suddenly rushed in with urgent news.
Something unusual had happened at Xavier's School.
After taking control of Hydra, Ethan had spent years gathering intelligence about the world he now lived in. Based on most evidence, this universe closely resembled the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, it also appeared to contain elements from other timelines and storylines.
Mutants existed.
Vampires existed.
Ghost Rider existed.
Atlantis existed somewhere beneath the ocean.
And certain chaotic districts of New York had reputations even worse than Hell's Kitchen.
Because of this complexity, Ethan had built an extensive intelligence network while simultaneously strengthening relationships with powerful political figures.
Several locations were placed under constant observation.
One of those locations was Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
According to the latest intelligence report, the so-called "indestructible cockroach" had moved into the academy a few days earlier with a young girl.
Just moments ago, that same girl had walked out of the school alone.
Westchester County, New York.
Rogue walked slowly along the roadside, her shoulders slumped as she wandered aimlessly.
She felt guilty.
She had nearly killed Logan.
At the same time she felt miserable.
The boy she liked had essentially pushed her away.
Now she had nowhere to go.
A sleek high-tech sports car suddenly pulled up beside the road.
"Beep—"
The window slid down smoothly, revealing the face of a handsome young man behind the wheel.
"Hey, beautiful. Need a ride?"
Rogue jumped slightly in surprise. Her thoughts had been so tangled that she hadn't even noticed the approaching vehicle. Hearing the stranger's voice, she instinctively stepped back with caution.
Ethan studied her wary expression through the side mirror and then glanced briefly at his own reflection.
He shook his head with a faint sigh.
"Relax," he said gently. "We're the same kind of people."
As he spoke, a can of soda inside the car suddenly trembled. It floated slowly upward and drifted out through the open window before settling neatly into Rogue's hands.
Ethan's telekinesis could function outside the Divine Realm, but its range became extremely limited.
The reduction wasn't in raw power.
It was distance.
Within a few dozen centimeters of his body, his telekinesis remained overwhelmingly strong. He could easily crush steel or pulverize nearly any material.
Beyond one meter, however, the force dropped to only a few hundred pounds.
Past three meters, the ability almost completely faded.
In practical terms, Ethan functioned like a defensive fortress at close range.
A devastating close-combat fighter.
Rogue stared down at the floating soda can now resting in her hands. Her suspicion faded slightly as curiosity replaced it.
"How did you know I was… like that?" she asked cautiously.
Ethan shrugged.
"It's part of my ability."
Rogue hadn't encountered many people like herself before. The wealthy, charming man sitting in the sports car didn't seem threatening.
After hesitating for a moment, she opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat.
The atmosphere inside the car quickly turned quiet and heavy.
Rogue sat silently, staring at her hands with empty eyes.
Ethan glanced at her and grinned.
"You don't need to blame yourself," he said casually. "And you definitely don't need to feel miserable because of something that idiot said."
Rogue whipped her head toward him in shock.
"Wait—can you read minds?"
"Of course not," Ethan replied with a laugh. "Telekinesis doesn't work that way."
He tilted his head playfully.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly."
"Ladies and gentlemen—well, just you in this case—meet the unprecedented multi-ability mutant… Theodore Vane."
Rogue stared at him in disbelief.
"Besides telekinesis, I can also see fragments of the future and glimpses of past events," Ethan continued. "It's a bit like watching scenes from a movie."
"See the future?" Rogue asked in surprise.
"Not exactly," Ethan replied. "Only certain moments. Sometimes past events, sometimes future ones."
He gave her a sympathetic look.
"For example, I saw the moment you accidentally hurt Logan."
Rogue froze.
"And I also saw what that idiot Bobby said to you," Ethan added calmly.
"Listen carefully," he continued. "Logan won't blame you. Compared to everything he's been through, what you did barely counts as harm."
He paused before smirking.
"As for Bobby… he's just an idiot. Honestly, if I had to choose, I'd rather you liked me."
Rogue stared at him in disbelief.
"How do you even know what he's like?"
She stopped halfway through the sentence as she remembered Ethan's explanation about his powers.
Then she snorted.
"I'd rather like Logan than you. At least he's more manly."
"Logan?" Ethan scoffed. "He's just a guy who falls in love with every woman he sees."
Rogue blinked.
"Every woman?"
Ethan nodded seriously.
"And have you thought about something else? The guy clearly has a thing for older women."
"That's not true!" Rogue protested immediately.
But after a moment of thinking about it, her expression became slightly awkward.
Ethan shrugged.
"I'm just stating facts. He thinks he can do whatever he wants because he's handsome. Honestly, he doesn't respect me at all."
Rogue burst out laughing before she could stop herself.
A few seconds later, the laughter faded and she sighed quietly.
"You must see a lot of the future," she said softly.
"Quite a lot."
She hesitated before asking another question.
"Do you see anything about… me?"
"Of course."
The car grew silent again.
Then Rogue spoke in a small voice filled with cautious hope.
"In the future… what will I be like?"
"Exactly the same as now."
Rogue paused.
Then her expression immediately collapsed into disappointment.
Ethan glanced sideways at her.
"Tell me something," he said. "How long do you think a man would stay with a woman he can't touch?"
"You mean Bobby?" Rogue asked quietly.
"I mean every man."
She shot him a sarcastic look.
"Including you?"
"Including me," Ethan replied honestly.
"Typical," Rogue muttered.
"However," Ethan continued, "a person's future can always change."
Rogue's eyes lit up slightly.
"How?"
"Knowledge changes destiny."
She glared at him.
"You've got to be kidding."
"I'm completely serious," Ethan said calmly. "I've heard about a mutant who can neutralize the abilities of anyone who gets close to him."
"If we find him and study his condition, we might discover how his power works."
He tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully.
"If that happens, you might only need to take one pill to become a normal person."
Rogue leaned forward eagerly.
"Really? When?"
Ethan couldn't possibly give an exact date.
Because the timelines of different storylines had clearly merged in strange ways.
At the moment it was 2010—the year Tony Stark first revealed himself as Iron Man.
Yet the X-Men storyline had only just begun unfolding.
"It shouldn't take long," Ethan said calmly. "I'll send people to look for him."
Rogue didn't respond immediately.
She simply nodded quietly while staring out the window.