Confident that everything had finally been handled, Ethan Voss allowed himself to focus fully on the mountain of paperwork piled in front of him. Documents detailing the dam collapse, witness testimonies, military records, and intelligence reports were scattered across the desk in chaotic stacks.
Hours passed inside the quiet halls of his divine realm.
By the time the night had grown deep and silent, Ethan finally lifted his head from the endless paperwork. His eyes narrowed as a sudden thought struck him.
Wait.
Something was wrong.
A moment later realization hit him like a lightning bolt.
Where the hell was Wolverine?
—
A few hours earlier.
Logan had chased William Stryker all the way out of the Alkali Lake facility.
They eventually arrived at a helipad located near the dam, where a helicopter had been left on standby. Given Logan's tracking skills, Stryker had never stood a chance of escaping his pursuit.
Within minutes the injured colonel had been captured.
Both of Stryker's arms and legs had already been badly wounded during the chase, and Logan had secured him firmly to the helicopter's landing gear with heavy restraints.
Logan had every intention of interrogating him.
But before he could begin, a strange cracking sound echoed across the valley.
Logan frowned and walked toward the edge of the tarmac, scanning the surrounding area.
What he saw made his expression darken instantly.
Across the massive Alkali Lake dam, enormous cracks were spreading rapidly through the concrete structure. The fractures multiplied in seconds, branching across the entire dam like spiderwebs.
The falling water level inside the reservoir created immense pressure.
Soon powerful jets of water began shooting violently through the growing cracks.
This was only the beginning.
The entire dam was about to collapse.
Logan didn't know what had triggered the disaster, but the outcome was obvious.
He glanced back at Stryker, who was still struggling weakly against the restraints. Considering the flood that was about to sweep through the entire area, killing the colonel personally suddenly seemed unnecessary.
Logan briefly considered returning to the base to warn the others.
But logic quickly told him the truth.
It was already too late.
Then his eyes suddenly shifted toward the nearby hillside.
The helicopter.
The aircraft they had used earlier had landed halfway up the slope. That elevation was high enough to remain safe from the floodwaters when the dam collapsed.
If anyone from the base managed to escape, they would most likely head for that location.
Logan immediately made his decision.
Despite the freezing mountain wind, he began racing uphill as fast as possible.
It became a desperate race against time.
—
Hours later.
When Ethan and Storm finally returned to Alkali Lake by helicopter, they discovered a lonely and miserable Wolverine sitting inside the aircraft on the mountainside.
Logan slowly lifted his head and stared at them.
His eyes were bloodshot.
The freezing wind howled across the barren mountainside, and Logan had been sitting there alone for hours. The scene looked almost tragic.
What happened to the promise of never abandoning your teammates?
Where were his allies?
The X-Men had forgotten him.
And the Justice League had forgotten him too.
He had now been abandoned twice.
Storm and Ethan exchanged an awkward glance.
Storm cleared her throat before speaking.
"I'm really sorry, Logan," she said sincerely. "So many things happened at once. The professor collapsed, Jean fainted, and Scott is practically losing his mind right now."
She sighed softly.
"I just completely forgot."
Some people liked to joke that Wolverine left emotional attachments everywhere he went.
But the moment Logan heard Jean's name, his entire expression changed instantly.
"Jean fainted?" he asked urgently. "Is she okay?"
Ethan chose that exact moment to speak.
"Don't worry," he said calmly. "Scott is taking very good care of her."
The moment those words left his mouth, silence filled the helicopter.
Logan slowly turned his head and glared at Ethan with blazing fury in his eyes.
Storm's expression darkened as she shot Ethan an annoyed look.
"If you don't speak," she snapped, "no one will think you're mute."
Since Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters had already been reduced to ruins during the earlier conflict, the group returned directly to Typhon Manor.
Ethan didn't stay long.
At dawn the next morning, he gathered the compiled documents and several key witnesses before heading straight to Washington.
—
The White House.
Inside the Oval Office, the atmosphere was tense.
The President sat behind his desk while members of Congress, military representatives, and intelligence officials filled the room. They listened carefully as Ethan delivered his full report about the Alkali Lake incident.
When he finished, one of the military representatives spoke first.
"So Colonel Stryker died at the bottom of Alkali Lake?"
"Yes," Ethan replied calmly. "After realizing he couldn't escape, he detonated the explosives he had placed inside the dam. The resulting flood nearly destroyed everything in the area."
Another official flipped through the report before speaking.
"Mr. Voss, I've reviewed your report carefully," the CIA representative said while shaking his head slightly. "There are many problems with it."
"Several sections are vague or unclear," he continued. "It's difficult to fully trust the conclusions."
Inside his mind Ethan sighed.
I worked on that all night. That's the best you're getting.
Outwardly, however, he remained composed.
"We simply didn't have time to respond properly," Ethan said. "To be honest, we never expected Colonel Stryker to act so ruthlessly."
He paused briefly.
"That misjudgment was my mistake, and I acknowledge that."
Ethan then gestured toward the evidence and witnesses he had brought.
"However, I have provided every remaining witness testimony and all available physical evidence," he continued. "If anyone here has evidence proving my report is incorrect, please present it."
Congressman Robert Kelly suddenly spoke up.
"Mr. Voss, I don't believe you bear responsibility for this situation," he said firmly.
He leaned back slightly while addressing the others in the room.
"Just like the incident in New York a few months ago, the real responsibility lies with certain ambitious individuals inside the military."
The military representatives immediately looked unhappy.
They had just been handed the blame.
In reality both General Ross and Colonel Stryker had operated outside the traditional military command structure. Even the military itself knew very little about their secret projects.
Compared to the military, those two men had actually maintained closer relationships with intelligence and security agencies—and indirectly with the White House itself.
But no one in the room was willing to say that openly.
Another senator spoke next.
"Mr. Voss," Senator Stern said thoughtfully, "I'm not targeting you personally. But perhaps your Justice League team would be better suited under military leadership—or another government department."
"Senator Stern," Congressman Kelly asked with a faint smile, "are you certain the military is the best option?"
"Uh…"
Stern glanced briefly at the grim-faced military representatives before quickly redirecting his suggestion.
"Well, aside from the military, we also have many other departments," he said. "We could even establish a new agency specifically for this purpose."
Several military officers looked as though they wanted to argue but ultimately stayed silent.
Kelly nodded.
"I agree," he said. "Creating a new department directly under the President could allow cooperation with multiple agencies."
Ethan shook his head slightly.
"In fact, that was originally the President's idea as well," he said.
"However," he continued, "terms like 'superhuman' and 'superpowers' are still extremely sensitive topics for the public."
"Our immediate goal should be helping society gradually accept these ideas."
He paused briefly before explaining the plan.
"The President and I have prepared a strategy. I will establish a company that presents the Justice League as public figures while government agencies quietly supervise their activities."
"When the public becomes more accepting, the government can step forward and establish a formal department to register all superheroes and place them under official supervision."
Senator Stern blinked in surprise.
"Interesting," he said with a smile. "After thinking about it, the President's plan makes a lot of sense."
"I have no objections."
Nearby, CIA Director Brennan rolled his eyes silently.
Earlier that morning he had received a classified report sent by Colonel Stryker before the incident. The report contained detailed intelligence on Ethan Voss and the members of the Justice League.
Those powerful individuals had immediately caught Brennan's interest.
He had hoped to use the previous night's disaster as leverage to pressure Ethan and possibly recruit the team under intelligence control.
But before he could even begin, two senators had stepped in.
First they redirected blame toward the military.
Then they invoked the President's authority to shut down further discussion.
His recruitment plan had collapsed before it even started.
The meeting ended quickly afterward.
The flood had destroyed nearly all physical evidence at the site, leaving only Ethan's report and the collected testimonies.
And every witness spoke sincerely, leaving no contradictions.
As a result, the President's trust in the Justice League increased significantly.
From that point forward, the team would operate under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security.
—
Later that day.
On a plane flying from Washington back to New York, Ethan made a phone call.
"Thank you very much for your help today," he said calmly into the receiver. "I think I'll finally have a few months of peace and quiet."
The person on the other end responded briefly.
"Of course," Ethan continued. "The Justice League isn't just my strength. It will also fight for our shared ideals."
He chuckled softly.
"Secretary Pierce's plan is progressing smoothly. Compared to that, my work is just small matters."
After answering a few more questions, Ethan nodded.
"Yes, Dr. Zola is assisting the Secretary," he said. "If necessary, I can send some of my people to help him handle certain… special tasks."
"But honestly, with the Winter Soldier already available, that should be sufficient."
Ethan then mentioned another topic.
"No, Tony Stark will never willingly hand over the Iron Man technology," he said with certainty. "This situation can't be rushed."
"Our Director Fury will certainly support him behind the scenes."
"Of course," Ethan added calmly, "I completely agree that applying some pressure is appropriate."
He paused briefly.
"Thank you for your time. Goodbye, Senator Stern."
The call ended.
Ethan leaned back slightly in his seat.
"Hail Hydra!"
.....
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