Ethan's vision cleared as he and Anissa found themselves standing in a dimly lit corridor. The walls were lined with ornate wood panels, and the faint hum of activity drifted from deeper within the building. Ethan instantly recognized the place. "Xavier's Mansion," he muttered under his breath. Great. Just great. This wasn't supposed to happen. He had only wanted to test the watch for a few moments, yet somehow Anissa had been dragged along with him. Worse, he had no idea whether she'd be forcibly returned to her own universe or if she was stuck here because she lacked a device like his.
Anissa took a moment to observe her surroundings before turning her sharp gaze on Ethan. "Where the hell have you brought me?" she demanded.
Ethan rubbed his temple. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
Anissa narrowed her eyes and cracked her knuckles. "Then I'll just beat the answer out of you." Without warning, she lunged at him, throwing a barrage of punches with Viltrumite-level force. Ethan blocked most of them, his body already adapting to her strength. However, he wasn't aiming to hurt her but just to restrain her. At one point she tried to bite him. Annoyed, Ethan countered with a solid kick that sent her crashing through a set of double doors right into the middle of a ballroom.
The room had been filled with people attending a reception, but the moment Anissa slammed into the floor their conversations halted. All eyes turned toward the commotion. A group of young X-Men Anna, Kitty, Bobby, John, Kurt, and Angelica rushed forward, joined by a few others. They arrived just in time to see Ethan pinning Anissa down, holding her firmly against the polished marble.
Kitty smirked. "Damn, Ethan, that was fast. Anna's gonna be mad."
Bobby whistled. "Didn't take you for the type to wrestle random women in hallways."
John grinned. "Gotta say, mate, I'm impressed."
Ethan shot them an annoyed glare. "Stop kidding around, guys."
Before anyone could react further, Anna stepped closer, her expression unreadable. That moment of distraction was all Anissa needed. With a sudden burst of strength, she broke free from Ethan's grip and lunged, seizing Anna by the throat. The atmosphere shifted instantly. The X-Men tensed, bodies sliding into battle stances. Surprisingly, Anna didn't flinch.
Anissa's grip tightened. "Tell me where the hell we are."
Ethan exhaled and shook his head. "You're really not going to like the answer."
Anna, still unfazed, tilted her head. "Lady, do you seriously think I'm scared of you?"
Anissa ignored her, keeping her focus on Ethan. "You're strong," she admitted, smirking. "Maybe even stronger than that half-Viltrumite, Mark Grayson. How about you stop wasting time and join the Viltrumite Empire? You'd make a fine warrior, Mr…?"
"Ethan Carter," he replied evenly.
At that, Anna's demeanor changed. Her usual playfulness vanished, replaced by something colder. Her green eyes locked onto Anissa's, her lips curling into a dangerous smirk. "You do realize," Anna said slowly, "that you just grabbed my throat while asking my man to be your partner?"
Ethan sighed. "Of all the people you could've taken hostage, it had to be her."
Anissa didn't understand what was happening until she suddenly felt weaker. Her grip loosened involuntarily, her muscles aching as her head grew foggy. "W-What the hell...?"
Anna removed her glove slowly as Anissa's entire body tensed. Anna gently touched Anissa's wrist, and in an instant a wave of dizziness and pain overtook the Viltrumite.
Anna smiled sweetly. "Yes. I wanted to have children with him," Anissa admitted, her voice weaker now, "so that we could serve the Empire together."
The moment the words left her mouth, Anna's expression darkened. "…You wanted to have kids with my Ethan?" Anissa's knees buckled. Her strength plummeted as more of her energy drained away. She looked at Ethan in confusion. "What… did you do?"
Ethan sighed. "You kinda did this to yourself."
Anna grabbed Anissa's face with both hands, increasing the absorption. "You witch," she spat. "Go to hell."
Anissa let out a pained scream as her memories, strength, and abilities were siphoned away. Jean, Hank, and Professor X immediately tried to intervene. "Anna, that's enough!" Professor X called out, but Anna ignored them. Her mind was consumed with rage. How dare she try to steal my Ethan from me?! He's mine, you bitch.
Ethan, watching in amusement, smirked. Bobby leaned toward John. "Dude, that's terrifyingly hot."
John nodded. "Yeah, kinda jealous."
Angelica giggled. "Ethan, you're lucky your girl's this possessive."
Logan and Professor X exchanged glances. "Ethan, get her under control," Logan muttered.
Ethan exhaled and walked over to Anna, placing a hand on her shoulder. Anissa had already lost consciousness. "Alright, Anna. Let go," Ethan said calmly.
Anna blinked, looked down at Anissa, and her anger faded, replaced by embarrassment. Slowly, she released her grip, letting Anissa collapse onto the floor. Then Anna looked around and realized everyone had heard everything. Her face turned bright red. "Did I just say all that out loud?" she muttered.
Ethan grinned. "Oh yeah, loud and clear. But you do realize you just absorbed a very powerful person, right?"
Anna blinked as the information sank in. She flexed her fingers, feeling the new power coursing through her veins. "Huh," she murmured. "That's… something."
Before she could fully grasp what she'd gained, Professor X cleared his throat. "While this has certainly been… eventful," he said, "I believe we need to have a discussion." His sharp gaze landed on Ethan. "In my office. Now."
Anna stiffened. "I...I..."
"You as well, Anna," Professor X added.
Anna sighed. "Figures."
Jean and Hank moved forward, lifting Anissa's unconscious form. "We'll take her to the med bay," Jean said. "She'll need monitoring."
"She'll be fine," Ethan replied. "She's a lot tougher than most species."
Jean narrowed her eyes. "That may be true, but she just had a good portion of her strength and abilities drained by Anna. We don't know how she'll react."
Anna smirked. "Serves her right."
Logan rolled his eyes. "C'mon, kid, don't let this go to your head."
Ethan chuckled. "Too late."
Professor X turned his chair toward the others. "Everyone else, please return to your previous activities."
The younger X-Men groaned in disappointment. "But this was getting interesting," Bobby complained.
John snickered. "Yeah, I wanted to see more of Anna being scary."
Kitty smirked at Anna. "You're gonna have a reputation after this, you know?"
Anna scoffed and grabbed Ethan's arm. "C'mon, lover boy. Let's go before I decide to absorb you too."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Kinky."
Anna turned red again as she dragged him toward Professor X's office.
---
Xavier's Office
The large doors shut behind them as Ethan and Anna stood before the Professor. Xavier's expression was calm, though his piercing gaze made it clear he had a thousand questions. Anna fidgeted, still feeling the lingering power of the Viltrumite inside her. It was… intoxicating.
"So," Xavier began, folding his hands, "would you care to explain what just happened?"
Ethan leaned against the bookshelf. "Long story short? I was testing my Omni-Watch the thing that lets me travel across different universes."
Xavier's brow lifted slightly. "Wait… and she came with you?"
"By accident," Ethan admitted. "Didn't mean for her to hitch a ride."
Xavier nodded but focused on the real issue. "This watch of yours, where did you get it?"
Ethan hesitated. He had no intention of revealing too much. The fewer people who knew, the better. But with Anissa here, Xavier would eventually probe her mind and discover she wasn't from this world. Without some explanation, suspicion would only grow. So he offered a half-truth.
"I got it from Bob," Ethan said casually.
"Bob?" Xavier raised an eyebrow.
Ethan nodded. "A guy I met back at the lab where I was experimented on. He worked there apparently did some… unofficial research. Before I escaped, he slipped this into my stuff and said it might help me 'find my way.'"
Xavier studied Ethan carefully, gauging how much was true. "And what exactly does it help you do?"
"I'm still figuring it out," Ethan shrugged. "But as you saw, it can send me to other places. The problem is, I don't get to choose where, and it takes a long time to recharge."
Xavier remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "I see."
"And what exactly is she?" he asked.
"A Viltrumite," Ethan said simply. "They're a warrior race, super strong, durable, fast. Think of them like Kryptonians in the comics, but without the kryptonite weakness."
Anna tapped her foot impatiently. "She also wanted to turn my boyfriend into her baby daddy."
Xavier chuckled softly. "Yes… that part was quite clear."
Anna's face flushed. "Ugh. Can we forget I ever said that?"
Ethan grinned. "Not a chance."
Xavier sighed. "So, what happens now?"
Ethan's expression grew serious. "I don't know. If she was pulled along without a watch, then one of two things will happen: either she'll be sent back automatically after some time, or she's stuck here."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Great. Another super-powered homewrecker in our house."
Ethan smirked. "Jealous?"
Anna scowled. "Obviously."
Xavier exhaled. "For now, we'll keep her under observation. If she's truly stuck, we'll decide what to do next."
Ethan nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Xavier then turned to Anna. "And you, how do you feel?"
Anna flexed her hand and clenched her fist. "Stronger. Faster. Like I could punch a hole through a mountain." She smirked. "Kinda like Ethan."
Ethan chuckled. "Careful, babe. If you get too strong, I might have to start dodging."
Anna smirked back. "Like hell you will."
Xavier tapped his fingers together. "Then we'll have Hank run some tests. In the meantime, Ethan, try to avoid bringing more Viltrumites into our world."
Ethan grinned. "No promises."
As they left the office, Anna nudged Ethan. "So… if she is stuck here, what do we do with her?"
Ethan shrugged. "Guess we'll find out."
---
Meanwhile… in the Med Bay
Anissa slowly stirred, though she remained unconscious as Hank and Jean continued running tests on her.