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The air was still.
Ben was on his knees, hands pressed against the chest of Max's cold armor, his tears falling silently onto the old man's heart. Gwen sobbed behind him, screaming his name.
Then a heavy voice echoed behind them.
"Max Tennyson… no… Not you, old brother."
Ben and Gwen turned slowly.
Nick Fury stood there, his face hardened, but his eye full of sorrow.
He stepped forward and knelt beside them.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "I'm an old friend of your grandfather. From now on, I'll take care of you."
He looked over his shoulder.
"Cap, get the body. We're heading back to base. We've got more company coming."
Captain America nodded solemnly, moving toward Max's body. Ben and Gwen were still in shock, both crying quietly.
Fury looked them in the eyes.
"I know this isn't easy. But your grandfather was the strongest man I ever knew. Be strong — like him."
Moments later, the sky split open.
Iron Man and Thor descended from above like gods, landing with precision. Behind them, a jet roared through the clouds, Natasha and Banner onboard.
As Captain America finished digging the grave, the Avengers gathered around.
Fury stood tall, though his voice trembled.
"Today… humanity lost a hero. If not the greatest I've ever known."
"I ask you, all of you… one minute of silence. For my brother."
Silence fell like thunder.
After a minute, Fury turned to Ben.
"Come on, son. Help me carry him."
Ben's hands shook. Just days ago, he was planning a summer vacation with Max. Now… he was laying him to rest.
He said nothing. But in his heart, a vow was made.
Loki would pay.
They returned to Max's secret base.
Natasha raised an eyebrow as Fury walked to the central console.
"Did you just say… this base is going to launch?"
Fury smirked.
"Not 'going to'. It always could. Max wasn't the type to run… but he damn sure knew how to strike from above."
He slammed his hand on the terminal.
"Initiate: Operation Delta."
With a deep rumble, the mountain base began to shift. Walls rotated, engines emerged from the cliffs, and turbines ignited. The entire facility lifted from the ground like a giant aircraft.
The Avengers were stunned.
Even Captain America muttered:
"Nothing surprises me anymore…"
In the war room, Fury addressed the team.
"Before anything else, you all need to know who Max Tennyson really was."
He looked around, his voice lower.
"He taught me how to fight before I ever touched a gun. He wasn't just a hero — he was the mentor of mentors."
Everyone fell silent.
"Max was once a top-ranking SHIELD commander. But he left to form his own unit — built specifically to stop extraterrestrial threats. He saw things none of us believed… and prepared for a war we never wanted."
He stepped closer to the console.
"This base — our new temporary HQ. Right here at Mount Rushmore. Welcome to the front line."
Later that evening, the heroes gathered around a massive table.
Fury stood at the head.
"We've got two problems: first, we need to find Loki. Second… we need to decide what to do about the Omnitrix."
He looked to Thor.
"Where's your brother?"
Thor folded his arms.
"He will seek out a scientist… someone who can reopen a portal to bring back the Chitauri army. Earth is his battlefield. But now that the Omnitrix has revealed itself…"
"…he'll come for it. That much is certain."
Fury turned to Stark and Banner.
"You two — track down that scientist. Everyone else, prep for war."
He paused, then continued, his voice heavier.
"Ten years ago… we received a distress signal from an alien race called the Galvans."
"They were under attack by a tyrant named Vilgax."
He pressed a button, revealing an image — a monstrous face with tentacles.
Ben stepped back.
"That's… that's what I saw."
Fury nodded.
"The Galvans' leader, Azmuth, created the ultimate weapon to stop him. The Omnitrix."
"Vilgax threatened to wipe out their species unless they handed it over."
He looked directly at Ben.
"Max volunteered to stop him. Trained his own team. And together, they took Vilgax down."
"After the battle, Azmuth wanted to destroy the Omnitrix. But Max convinced him to hide it — to protect it. Azmuth trusted him. He passed the burden on to him."
Silence.
Then, Captain America stepped forward, serious and calm.
"Now that we understand the stakes… it's clear. That watch needs to come off the kid's wrist."
"And it needs to go to someone who can handle it. One of us."
He turned to Ben.
"No offense, son. But the fate of the universe might be at stake."
Ben stood up slowly. His fists were clenched. His eyes were red.
"No offense?"
His voice cracked, then grew louder.
"Where were you when he died, huh?! I watched my grandfather get murdered right in front of me! I fought Loki alone!"
Tears streamed down his face.
"You all talk like I'm just some kid… But my Grandpa trusted me."
He looked down at the Omnitrix.
"This watch — it was his. And he gave it to me."
He looked back up, fire in his eyes.
"And I'm going to use it… to take Loki down."
Fury's gaze didn't waver. He watched Ben, this boy who had just shouted down Earth's mightiest heroes with nothing but grief and fire in his chest.
The room was silent
Then, slowly, Fury exhaled and stepped forward.
"Alright, kid..." he said, voice low and steady.
"You want to keep the watch?"
Ben said nothing, his breath still shaking.
Fury's eye narrowed.
"I'll allow it... but only on one condition."
He looked at Stark, then back at Ben.
"We monitor both you and the watch. No exceptions. Stark's going to run diagnostics on that thing. Max was hiding one hell of a device — I'm not letting it out of our sight without knowing exactly what it's capable of."
Ben blinked. His jaw clenched. Then he nodded.
"Fine," he said through gritted teeth.
"I don't care what you do… as long as I get my revenge on Loki first."
A heavy silence fell again.
Tony Stark leaned back in his chair, raising both eyebrows.
"Yikes," he muttered. "Revenge arc unlocked."
Natasha shot him a glare but said nothing.
Thor's expression shifted not of mockery, but of understanding.
He stepped forward, placing a hand gently on Ben's shoulder.
"Vengeance is a heavy road" he said quietly. "Make sure you don't lose yourself to it."
Ben didn't reply.
Bruce Banner spoke up next.
"We'll monitor the Omnitrix. I can write protocols with Stark — but the readings might not be human at all. We're dealing with alien tech beyond anything we've seen."
Stark smirked.
"Challenge accepted. This thing's like a billion-dollar smartwatch from another galaxy. I'm dying to crack it open—"
Ben glared.
Tony raised both hands in surrender.
"—Metaphorically. Metaphorically."
Gwen stepped beside Ben.
Her voice was soft but firm.
"He won't be alone."
Fury nodded. "I know."
"None of us will."
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