The moment Ben spoke up, all three scientists turned to stare at him with varying degrees of concern etched across their faces.
"You want to be the test subject yourself?" Tony's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He'd thrown out the suggestion casually, more as a hypothetical than a serious proposal. Sure, the multiverse experiment data looked solid on paper, but theoretical perfection and practical reality were two entirely different beasts. Even the most meticulously engineered sports car could blow a gasket on its maiden voyage.
Otto adjusted his mechanical arms nervously, their metallic segments clicking together as they folded behind him. "Perhaps we should run a few more trial runs first," he suggested, his voice carrying the weight of scientific caution. "A dozen additional tests wouldn't delay us significantly, and they'd ensure optimal safety parameters." The thought of something happening to Ben, the linchpin of their entire operation, the King of Sakaar himself, made Otto's stomach churn with anxiety.
Banner nodded emphatically, wringing his hands together in a gesture that had become habitual since his transformation into the Hulk. "I completely agree with Otto. Actually, I was hoping to find time to ask for your help with the Hulk situation," he admitted, his voice dropping to a more vulnerable tone.
The memory of Hulk's rampage during Vilgax's fear-powered assault still haunted Banner's dreams. No matter how much he suppressed the green giant's consciousness, no matter how many breathing techniques and meditation practices he employed, the potential for catastrophic loss of control remained. He refused to become a walking time bomb, a monster that people crossed the street to avoid.
"If reconciliation with that... other side of me is even possible, I can't do it alone," Banner continued, his scientific mind wrestling with the emotional complexity of his situation. "I need someone I trust to help navigate that psychological minefield."
Ben waved off their concerns with characteristic confidence. "If things go sideways, I can always transform into Grey Matter and figure out a solution." His casual dismissal of their worries wasn't born from recklessness, but from a fundamental shift in his capabilities. After countless transformations into his hyper-intelligent Galvan form, his baseline human intellect had expanded exponentially. The genetic optimizations performed by Grey Matter's enhanced brain had permanently elevated his cognitive abilities far beyond normal human parameters.
Tony's improvements to the particle collider had incorporated multiple redundancy systems and fail-safes. Ben had reviewed the technical specifications during their planning phase, and his enhanced analytical skills found no significant flaws in the design. More importantly, his greatest insurance policy hung around his wrist, the Omnitrix could handle whatever the multiverse might throw at him.
"Since you're determined to play tourist..." Otto's mechanical arms gestured in reluctant acceptance. He understood that when Ben made a decision, arguing further was typically futile. "When do we initiate the sequence? Do you have confirmed spatial coordinates for your destination?"
Ben scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, let's try random teleportation." The idea of visiting Gwen's universe had crossed his mind, seeing Spider-Gwen again would certainly be pleasant, but this was meant to be a brief experimental jump. No point in complicating things if he might need to return quickly due to unforeseen complications.
Banner's jaw tightened with visible discomfort. "That seems unnecessarily risky," he muttered, painful memories of his own reckless experimentation surfacing. His past overconfidence had birthed the Hulk, teaching him hard lessons about the importance of measured, careful scientific progress. Every experiment since then had been approached with painstaking caution.
But Ben's mind was already made up, so Banner reached into his lab coat and withdrew a sleek metallic device. "This is a multiversal stabilization unit," he explained, holding up what looked like an advanced smartwatch. "It'll prevent dimensional rejection syndrome during extended stays in foreign universes. Even with the Omnitrix, it's better to have the protection."
The device represented months of collaborative work between Banner, Tony, and Otto. Back during the Spider-Verse incident, Ben had developed similar technology to help displaced Spider-People survive in alternate realities. Banner had simply refined and enhanced the original design.
"Beyond stabilizing your molecular cohesion," Banner continued, his scientist enthusiasm overtaking his nervousness, "it records spatial coordinates, enables cross-dimensional communication, monitors vital signs, and tracks temporal displacement variables." The list of features continued growing as Banner detailed each function, though whether they'd actually work across multiverse barriers remained theoretical.
"Aren't you forgetting the most important feature?" Tony interjected with a trademark smirk.
Banner nodded seriously. "Tony's absolutely right, the critical function is that it serves as your return ticket home." The thought of Ben becoming stranded in some hostile universe sent chills down Banner's spine.
Tony slapped his forehead dramatically. "No, no, no! That's not what I meant!" He pointed at the device with theatrical exasperation. "Press the red button to deploy a nano-suit, and the gold button activates the sound system!"
Otto and Banner immediately rolled their eyes in perfect synchronization, their scientific sensibilities offended by Tony's frivolous additions.
"What?" Tony spread his hands defensively. "Don't you guys listen to music while you work? Life's too short for silence!" His philosophy of injecting fun into even the most serious situations hadn't diminished despite recent hardships. If anything, his experiences on Sakaar had reinforced his belief that maintaining morale was crucial during difficult times.
"Speaking of life being too short," Ben said, giving Tony a light kick, "how are things with Pepper? You two seemed pretty serious last time we talked."
The weathered expression that crossed Tony's face spoke volumes about how much his priorities had shifted. The man who once lived for headlines and spectacle now carried himself with quieter dignity. "We're getting married," he announced, the words carrying a weight that surprised even him.
His journey through hubris, defeat, and redemption had fundamentally altered his worldview. The arrogant genius who'd once believed his intellect gave him the right to make unilateral decisions for humanity had learned humility the hard way. Peter Parker's famous words echoed in his mind: "With great power comes great responsibility." The corollary Tony had discovered was equally important: recognizing the limits of one's power and knowing when to trust others.
"Lost Stark Industries in the aftermath," Tony continued with a casual shrug. "Could probably rebuild it from scratch, but honestly?" He gestured around the Plumber facility. "I'm not sure I want to anymore. Turns out money isn't everything when you've got people you actually care about."
His time in Sakaar had stripped away many illusions. Luxury and poverty were just different flavors of the same existence, what mattered was having purpose and people worth fighting for. Working with Norman's H.A.M.M.E.R. organization provided both technical challenges and a steady paycheck without the crushing responsibility of corporate leadership.
The strange thing was how liberated Tony felt. Ben's overwhelming competence had initially bruised his ego, but now it was genuinely comforting. When space threats emerged, Tony could focus on what he did best, engineering and tactical support, while leaving the impossible stuff to someone actually equipped to handle it.
"Just remember," Tony said with mock seriousness, "you're not invited to the wedding."
Ben's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me? Want to get punched through a wall?"
"Oh, you have some nerve!" Tony's nostrils flared with exaggerated indignation. "Half the galaxy knows you're the King of Sakaar, but somehow I'm the last person to find out! You let me beat myself up planning anti-alien strategies when you ARE the aliens!"
The memory still stung. Tony had spent countless hours developing contingency plans for extraterrestrial threats, running simulations and stress-testing armor designs, only to discover his "mysterious alien threat" was his own teammate wearing a fancy watch.
"What really gets me," Tony continued, building up steam, "is that even Steve knew before me! Steve! The guy who thought the internet was a fad!"
"Maybe don't insult me next time we're in a H.A.M.M.E.R. briefing," Ben shot back without sympathy.
Tony's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you seriously that petty? I haven't even mentioned the time you transformed into Four Arms and used me as a punching bag!"
The two friends devolved into increasingly creative insults for several minutes before dissolving into laughter, their bond strengthened rather than weakened by the verbal sparring.
"Fine, the wedding's in three months," Tony said, simultaneously telling Ben not to come while providing the exact time and address. "But I'm serious about not wanting you there!" The obvious contradiction in his words made everyone smile.
Three months would barely be enough time to repair the massive crater where downtown Manhattan used to be. Vilgax's final rampage had carved a hole so deep it was visible from orbit, making the Plumber space station's aerial view look like they were studying a meteorite impact site. The reconstruction efforts would be a monumental undertaking.
After the friends finished catching up, Otto began the startup sequence for the particle collider. The machine's gentle humming filled the laboratory as energy readings climbed toward operational parameters.
Ben pressed the red button on his stabilization device, watching as a sleek nano-suit materialized across his body. The advanced fabric felt like liquid metal flowing over his skin, its adaptive systems automatically adjusting for optimal protection during dimensional transit. He'd chosen a design based on his favorite Spider-suit, black with subtle silver accents that caught the laboratory's fluorescent lighting.
The particle collider itself had been dramatically refined since its original incarnation. Where the machine used in the Spider-Verse incident had been a city-block-sized monstrosity, Otto's version was compact and elegant, roughly the size of the time travel platform from Tony's Endgame designs.
"Initiating power sequence," Otto announced, fingers dancing across holographic controls. Without fixed spatial coordinates, they were essentially throwing Ben into the multiverse and hoping he'd land somewhere interesting rather than deadly.
Banner moved to the energy management console, his movements precise despite his underlying nervousness. "Connecting primary power source now."
The particle collider demanded enormous energy to breach dimensional barriers, but the Plumber space station had power to spare. Multiple fusion reactors hummed beneath their feet, capable of supplying a small planet's energy needs.
"Wouldn't the Space Stone be more efficient?" Ben asked, watching energy readings spike across multiple displays.
Tony shook his head. "No significant difference for our purposes. We're after pure energy output, not dimensional manipulation. The collider generates its own spacetime breach, we could theoretically power it with a car battery if we had enough of them."
The machine's operational pitch rose to an ominous whine as space energies flowed through its containment systems. Space itself began to warp around the central platform, reality bending like heated glass under the assault of concentrated power.
A swirling vortex of absolute darkness opened before them, its event horizon crackling with unstable energies that seemed to devour light itself.
"The spatial gateway can't maintain coherence indefinitely," Otto warned, his mechanical arms unconsciously retreating from the dimensional breach. "Without destination coordinates, we can't predict your arrival point. Are you absolutely certain about this?"
None of them dared approach Ben now, the gravitational distortions around the portal making the air itself feel thick and dangerous.
Ben didn't answer with words. He simply stepped forward and disappeared into the swirling darkness.
The sensation was indescribable, like missing a step in the dark and falling through the bottom of reality itself. Ben tumbled through an infinite corridor of stars and possibilities, watching countless universes streak past like snowflakes in a blizzard. Each point of light represented an entire cosmos with its own heroes, villains, and stories, all rushing by too quickly to comprehend.
The interdimensional journey felt both eternal and instantaneous. Just as Ben began to adjust to the vertigo-inducing passage, the tunnel reached its conclusion. Reality crystallized around him like glass forming from liquid, and he found himself plummeting through normal space toward an unfamiliar cityscape.
His enhanced reflexes kicked in immediately, web-shooters firing to catch a convenient fire escape in a narrow alley. The impact jarred his shoulders as his momentum transferred to the metal framework, but the nano-suit absorbed most of the shock.
A wave of humid, stagnant air hit him like a physical blow. The atmosphere felt heavy and oppressive, carrying scents of urban decay and industrial pollution that reminded him unpleasantly of clothes that never quite dried. Everything about this place felt slightly wrong, as if the very air was tainted with desperation and corruption.
"Well, this is definitely not Kansas," Ben muttered, taking in his surroundings. The alley looked like every crime-ridden back street in every noir film ever made, dumpsters overflowing with garbage, fire escapes zigzagging up brick walls, and shadows that seemed darker than they should be.
"Azmuth, scan local networks for intel," he said automatically, then remembered with frustration that his AI friend couldn't reach across dimensional barriers. The Plumber badge on his chest was essentially a paperweight until he returned home.
"Guess I'm doing this the old-fashioned way."
What he needed was local technology, anything with internet access would work. The specific device didn't matter much; Ben's technical skills could crack most security systems without breaking a sweat.
As if summoned by his thoughts, voices echoed from deeper in the alley. Two men with knives had cornered a young woman in revealing club attire, their intentions painfully obvious.
"How thoughtful," Ben observed dryly. "Local citizens offering to donate their electronics to science."
Bio-electricity crackled between his fingers as he dropped silently behind the muggers. Before their victim could even process what was happening, both criminals found themselves webbed to the alley wall fifteen feet above the ground. Their phones clattered to the pavement, forgotten in their confusion and panic.
Ben scooped up both devices and walked away without acknowledging the rescued woman, his mind already focused on bigger concerns. The webbing would dissolve in two hours, if nobody found them by then, gravity would provide its own form of justice.
Connecting his Plumber badge to the stolen phone, Ben quickly bypassed its security and accessed the internet. Every universe operated on similar technological principles, and human encryption was rarely sophisticated enough to challenge him.
What he found made his blood run cold.
"Metropolis? Central City? Gotham?" Ben stared at the screen in disbelief, scrolling through news websites that mentioned cities he knew all too well. "What the hell kind of universe is this? This isn't Marvel anymore."
The implications hit him like a freight train. Somehow, the particle collider had breached not just the barriers between Marvel universes, but had catapulted him into an entirely different fictional multiverse altogether.
He was in the DC Universe.
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