A series of sickening, wet thuds echoed in the darkness of the temple corridor. Sharp, diamond-hard thorns, erupting from the vine-choked floor, pierced a Kree warrior's chest like a spear. Another soldier fell, then a third, and a fourth. Within moments, Ben had impaled the entire dozen-strong squad, skewering them in place. Then, with a grunt of effort, the network of vines beneath them contracted, lifting the bodies high into the air before slamming them back down onto the stone floor with crushing finality.
While Wildvine lacked overwhelming physical power, Ben had learned that the relentless vitality of plant life could be terrifyingly lethal when applied correctly. His initial volley of seed bombs hadn't been powerful enough to breach their armor, so he'd adapted. The second volley was different; the pods exploded into clouds of fine, neurotoxic powder. Once the soldiers were paralyzed and helpless, finishing them was a grim but simple task.
At the same time, Felicia subdued her own opponent. Against an enemy relying on physical attacks and integrated technology, her vibranium suit was a near-insurmountable advantage. No matter how hard or how precisely Nebula struck, Felicia could always absorb the kinetic force, push herself up with little more than a smirk, and return the energy with devastating effect. Unless one possessed the raw, cosmic power of a being like Ronan, fighting against pure vibranium was a fool's errand.
After a final, redirected blast knocked Nebula unconscious, Felicia clamped a Plumbers-issue submission disk onto the small patch of organic skin on the back of her neck and casually slung the cybernetic assassin over her shoulder.
Ben had already reverted to his human form by the time she approached. "You didn't kill her?" he asked, eyeing the inert form of Nebula.
"I thought the technology she's modified with looked interesting," Felicia replied, shifting Nebula's weight. "Figured she might be useful."
Ben took a closer look, his brow furrowed in concentration. The passive knowledge gained from transformations like Grey Matter and Brainstorm gave him a rudimentary but effective understanding of alien tech.
"It's useless," he concluded after a moment. "The modifications are crude, and the tech is obsolete. It looks like most of it was installed by Thanos years ago. Given she's been running with space pirates ever since, it's doubtful she's had any significant upgrades." He pointed to a frayed power conduit near her shoulder. "The whole thing is a cyberpunk nightmare—looks gritty and impressive, but it's mostly patchwork and outdated parts."
He considered it for another second, then shrugged. "Forget it, keep her. We'll hold on to her."
He had to admit, he'd always had a soft spot for the blue-skinned assassin when watching the movies. This was the early, unredeemed version of her, but that wasn't an insurmountable problem. With the right guidance—or coercion—she could become a formidable asset. He was already thinking ahead. He could nudge her toward the Guardians of the Galaxy and then bring that entire chaotic team under the umbrella of the Plumbers. If his new organization was going to make a name for itself in the universe, it needed all the capable manpower it could get.
With their enemies neutralized, the two of them proceeded deeper into the temple. They met no further resistance, their footsteps the only sound in the ancient stone passages. They finally arrived at the central chamber, a vast, echoing space that culminated in a single stone dais. Resting upon it was a hollow, gray metal sphere.
"Is that it? The Orb?" Felicia murmured, carefully setting Nebula down before approaching the pedestal.
Ben stepped forward and picked up the orb before she could. He applied a bit of pressure with his fingertips, and the metallic shell clicked open with ease.
It was empty.
"Looks like this was a decoy," Ben said, tossing the worthless shell aside. An orb without an Infinity Stone was just a piece of junk—an antique, perhaps, but of no value to him. The real question was who had the authentic one: Peter's team or Captain America's.
As if in answer, the entire temple began to tremble violently. A deep, resonant hum filled the air, and the ceiling above them fractured. Dust and massive chunks of stone rained down around them.
Felicia instinctively grabbed onto the stone platform to steady herself. "What's happening? Did we trigger a trap by taking the orb?" Her mind flashed to countless adventure movies where the treasure room would collapse the moment the prize was touched.
"I don't think so," Ben said, shaking his head. He could feel it now—an immense wave of energy, raw and untamed, pulsing outward. It washed over the entire planet in ripples of pure, purple power.
A look of dawning horror crossed his face. "Someone just activated the Power Stone."
He could pinpoint the source from the direction of the energy waves. It was coming from the other temple—the one Star-Lord and Peter were in.
At that exact moment, his spider-sense screamed.
Ben looked up. The cracks in the ceiling were widening, spreading like a spiderweb. The structural integrity of the temple was failing. Even if the Power Stone's energy surge stopped, the crushing pressure of Morag's deep ocean would do the rest. The entire ruin was about to implode.
"Mask on!" Ben yelled.
Felicia didn't need to be told twice. Her nano-suit helmet flowed over her head, and with a thought, she extended the nanites to form a protective bubble around the still-unconscious Nebula as well.
CRACK-ROOOOOM!
With a sound like the world breaking, the ceiling gave way. A turbulent vortex of seawater, stone, and silt roared into the chamber, a liquid tornado intent on burying them forever under thousands of tons of rock and ocean.
Ben didn't hesitate. He slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix.
"DIAMONDHEAD!"
In a flash of green light, the tall, crystalline warrior stood in his place, his body gleaming defiantly against the crushing torrent. As the full force of the implosion bore down on them, Diamondhead simply raised his arms.
A sound like grinding tectonic plates ripped through the water. A massive cluster of sharp, green crystals erupted from the ground around him, instantly forming a protective sphere that shielded him and Felicia from the maelstrom. But it didn't stop there. More and more crystals grew, fusing together, pushing upward with unstoppable force.
In the blink of an eye, a colossal crystalline spear, several kilometers in length, shot up from the seabed, rising like the mythical needle that stills the sea. It carried them with it, piercing the seven-kilometer depth of Morag's turbulent ocean in seconds.
WHOOSH!
They broke the surface into the raging, black storm. Ben looked toward the horizon. The terrible energy of the awakened stone had created a devastating tidal wave, a wall of water rising like a white line across the world. The sky roiled with angry purple clouds, torn asunder by violent lightning. There was no doubt about it; the Power Stone was loose.
He had no idea what was happening on Peter's side. Had Ronan seized the stone, or had it been dropped, its power now running wild across the planet's surface?
If he had to choose, Ben would almost prefer the former.
Ronan, for all his fanaticism, was ambitious. With the Power Stone in hand, he would undoubtedly betray Thanos, but the Kree zealot couldn't possibly unleash its true potential. Ben was confident he could find a way to defeat him. But if the stone was left unattended, its raw, destructive power would tear Morag apart, and everything on it.
He turned to Felicia. "Get her back to the ship. Contact the Captain and the others and tell them to evacuate. Now."
"What about you?" Felicia yelled over the howling wind.
"I'm going to check it out."
Ben slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his chest. In an instant, the jagged, crystalline form of Diamondhead retracted and reformed. His body stretched and flattened, shifting into the vibrant red, manta ray-like form of Jetray. With a powerful flap of his new wings, he launched himself into the sky, soaring high above the raging ocean and heading directly for the storm.
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