"At least destroying a single planet is preferable to annihilating an entire universe," Tony Stark observed with grim pragmatism as he looked up from his cluttered workstation.
His appearance had deteriorated dramatically over the past several days, unshaven beard covering his jaw, hair disheveled from countless hours of intensive labor, and he probably hadn't engaged in basic hygiene like brushing his teeth or washing his face for more than ten consecutive days.
While Eunice, Shuri, and Otto had been collaborating on multiverse collision theory, the practical construction of antimatter annihilation weapons had fallen almost entirely on Tony's shoulders. He was undeniably the foremost expert in weapons manufacturing among their group, but he had never imagined that one day he would be developing instruments of planetary genocide.
"But why does it have to be Earth specifically?" he asked, pausing in his delicate assembly work to focus on the moral implications of their plan.
Eunice provided the scientific explanation with mechanical precision: "According to our calculations, Earth exists at the absolute gravitational axis point within the entire universal structure. If a collision crisis occurs, it will most likely be triggered by the two Earth masses approaching each other through dimensional space."
In other words, Earth functioned like the only magnetic object in the multiverse, when two realities came into proximity, only the planetary masses would attract each other with sufficient force to initiate catastrophic universal merger.
Therefore, after the destruction of one Earth, the gravitational attraction between the two universes would cease to exist, and the collision crisis would be permanently resolved.
"That's genuinely encouraging news," T'Challa said with obvious relief. "A single planet doesn't carry the same moral weight as an entire universe filled with countless civilizations."
"But we're still talking about the complete extinction of all life on a planet," he continued with deep sadness weighing his voice. "Especially since it's another Earth, populated by humans exactly like ourselves. There's another Wakanda there, another New York, another version of you and me living their lives..."
"We are simply trying to protect our own existence," Shuri replied with practical coldness, clearly less emotionally affected than her brother.
Her scientific training had taught her to compartmentalize moral considerations when survival was at stake.
"No matter how we rationalize it, the fact remains that we will be executioners," T'Challa said with heavy resignation.
"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts now?" Tony stopped his precision work and turned to study the Wakandan prince with obvious concern.
T'Challa shook his head with solemn determination, his expression hardening with royal resolve: "No, I am prepared to bear this sin and its consequences."
He straightened his shoulders with the dignity befitting his future role as king. As Wakanda's next ruler, he couldn't afford the luxury of naive idealism. Justice required taking a position, and his sacred duty was protecting the world he inhabited. To accomplish that objective, any existential threat had to be eliminated regardless of the moral cost.
"At least you're more realistic than Bruce Banner," Stark commented as he returned to his delicate assembly process.
Otto approached their group and placed another technical document before them, then offered a defense of their absent colleague: "Don't judge him too harshly. Banner has spent his entire adult life suppressing his capabilities to avoid harming innocent people. He's probably terrified that if he abandons his moral principles now, he might lose the ability to control even the Hulk's destructive impulses."
He gestured toward the new data with obvious urgency. "Besides, you need to examine this immediately."
Several researchers in the laboratory gathered around to study the fresh calculations simultaneously.
"According to our projections, the unknown universe will initiate collision in exactly three days," Otto explained with clinical precision. "At that moment, a specialized dimensional corridor similar to a wormhole will form between the two Earth masses. The passage will remain stable for approximately eight hours, which represents our final window of opportunity."
His gaze shifted to focus on Tony with obvious concern. "Have the antimatter bombs produced any measurable results?"
Tony's response carried his characteristic confidence mixed with exhaustion: "You can question my methodology, but you cannot question my speed or effectiveness."
"The simulated detonations have been completely successful. Now we simply need to combine the two reactive substances into a stable warhead configuration. Don't worry, the project can be completed within our three-day deadline. If Banner were here providing assistance, we could finish even faster."
Speaking of Banner triggered Otto's growing concern for their missing colleague, prompting him to address Eunice directly: "Do you have any information about Banner's current location? After departing the Plumber Space Station, he seemed to have nowhere else to go, correct?"
After accessing Azmuth's comprehensive database, Eunice provided an immediate update: "Following his departure from the station, Dr. Banner traveled to Primus Technologies and retrieved Jennifer Walters. Jennifer has submitted her resignation from Primus, and both individuals have departed the United States entirely."
"It appears he intends to live in complete seclusion," Otto concluded with understanding.
"He took his cousin with him?" Tony asked with obvious confusion, his expression suggesting he found this arrangement peculiar.
No matter how the situation was analyzed, including one's cousin in what amounted to self-imposed exile seemed like an unusual decision.
"Regardless of his personal choices, Azmuth will maintain low-level monitoring to prevent any Hulk-related incidents," Eunice explained, signaling that excessive worry was unnecessary. "We should concentrate our efforts on completing our own mission."
The "low-level monitoring" actually consisted of simply confirming Banner's location at regular intervals rather than genuine surveillance of his activities.
T'Challa suddenly spoke with obvious contemplation: "Dr. Otto, you mentioned that we'll have eight hours remaining after the two Earths enter collision countdown, correct?"
Otto nodded, though he glanced at T'Challa with the understanding expression of someone who could predict the direction of this conversation. He felt obligated to provide a reality check: "It's eight hours for us, but it's also eight hours for them. If we don't take immediate action, their scientists might implement the same solution first."
Sometimes the multiverse operated on principles of cruel symmetry.
"But if we could make effective use of those eight hours..." T'Challa began hopefully.
Before he could complete his optimistic suggestion, Tony interrupted with brutal practicality: "You can't accomplish anything meaningful with eight hours."
"It's only eight hours of time. Can you possibly relocate every person on Earth in another universe? Even if such evacuation were logistically possible, they probably wouldn't be willing to cooperate. Not to mention they would reasonably ask us why we don't simply abandon our own Earth and destroy our reality instead of theirs."
T'Challa found himself speechless in the face of such logic.
Expecting billions of people to abandon Earth was obviously unrealistic. Even though their civilization had joined the Plumbers and entered the interstellar age, most Earth inhabitants would be extremely reluctant to leave their homes permanently.
Besides, Earth supported far more than just human life.
"This is no longer a philosophical debate, T'Challa," Tony said with the gravity of someone who had accepted harsh realities. "This is multiversal warfare where only one reality can survive!"
"I understand completely," T'Challa replied with obvious difficulty, his voice carrying the weight of someone bidding farewell to his innocence.
He straightened his posture with royal determination and volunteered for the ultimate responsibility: "When the time comes, let me be the one to activate the annihilation weapon."
Primus Technologies Laboratory
[Data import successful. Ultimate evolution module import successful. Virtual extreme environment million-year simulation functions are operating normally.]
The artificial intelligence's voice resonated through Ben's laboratory as he put the finishing touches on his most ambitious project in weeks.
[Ultimatrix construction completed.]
"Finally finished," Ben said with deep satisfaction as he studied the sophisticated device resting on his experimental workstation.
He had invested several intensive days creating this finished product. After Azmuth's comprehensive analysis, the replica was capable of ensuring the Omnitrix's fundamental functions, genetic transformation capabilities and structural integrity that would prevent the wearer's biology from collapsing under alien DNA integration.
However, he remained somewhat dissatisfied with the device's aesthetic design.
Even though many auxiliary functions from the original Omnitrix had been eliminated to streamline the construction process, the addition of the Ultimate Evolution plugin had created significant bulk, forcing him to extend the watch's dimensions until it resembled something closer to armored gauntlet than elegant timepiece.
"It looks almost like arm armor," Ben muttered with obvious frustration.
This couldn't be considered his first attempt at replicating Omnitrix technology. The initial successful product of Omnitrix replication had actually been Eunice's consciousness framework. However, significant differences existed between the Unitrix and Ultimatrix systems, so direct comparisons weren't entirely appropriate.
Previously, he had also created a genetic stabilization plugin that could maintain human appearance while accessing alien abilities, but that particular innovation had proven largely impractical. Even when inheriting the genetic capabilities of alien heroes while maintaining human form, the wearer couldn't achieve full power due to fundamental differences in body structure.
For example, when transformed into his Four Arms configuration, even if he possessed the same brute strength as the Tetramand species, the loss of two functional limbs would still dramatically reduce his combat effectiveness.
"It's adequate as an emergency product for temporary use," Ben concluded with pragmatic acceptance.
The device was intended solely for his delegate consciousness to use during crisis situations, and it wouldn't be needed for extended periods. Otherwise, Ben wouldn't have included the Ultimate Evolution Module, a feature that was genuinely traumatic for the alien consciousness contained within each transformation.
Every Ultimate Evolution represented the condensed agony of millions of years of evolutionary pressure and survival stress.
While he wasn't completely prohibiting use of the ultimate evolution function, he believed they should at least consider the emotional impact on the alien consciousnesses every time such power was employed.
"Time to switch shifts with my delegate," he decided. "It's my turn to spend some quality time chatting with Ouyana and Enara."
Ben was preparing to activate his Omnitrix interface to transform into Alien X when Azmuth suddenly generated a sharp warning alarm that interrupted his plans entirely.
"Please wait, Commander Ben. We have multiple unexpected situations developing simultaneously."
Ben was startled and immediately looked toward the communication interface with growing alarm.
"What kind of unexpected situations? Could this be related to the collision crisis? Did Eunice and the others encounter problems with their research?"
"The antimatter annihilation weapon development is proceeding smoothly and is not the source of these emergencies," Azmuth reported with mechanical precision. "However, we have two critical incidents requiring immediate attention: An individual claiming to be an 'Inheritor' has kidnapped Peter Parker, and the Incursean Empire has officially declared war on the Plumber organization. Additionally, Director Norman has sustained injuries on the front lines."
Azmuth delivered both crisis reports to Ben according to their respective severity levels and immediate threat to Plumber operations.
Ben rose from his chair with explosive force, his expression darkening with barely controlled fury.
Although he wasn't an extensive comics reader, he had encountered references to the Inheritors as one of the most dangerous threats in the Spider-Man multiverse. One storyline involved Spider-totems across multiple realities, where even Captain Universe Spider-Man had been defeated by their overwhelming power. Another involved a particularly formidable individual, the messenger from hell, the four-hundred-year-old web-slinger.
It was said that Spider-Man of Earth-80 possessed the strength to single-handedly defeat any Inheritor, but she chose not to exert her full capabilities because total victory would be insufficiently challenging for someone of her experience.
"When exactly did these attacks occur?" Ben demanded with obvious urgency.
"Approximately thirty minutes ago," Azmuth replied with typical AI precision. "Neo-Goblin and Agent Venom engaged the Inheritor alongside Peter, but they were unsuccessful in preventing the abduction."
"Provide me with complete tactical details immediately!"
Ben snatched up the newly completed Ultimatrix while simultaneously grasping the Space Stone in his other hand. The portal to Earth materialized instantly as space energy responded to his will and desperate urgency.
That fool Inheritor actually dared to kidnap Peter within my territory, Ben thought with mounting rage. He obviously doesn't understand the meaning of the word "death"!
"Affirmative," Azmuth confirmed, then proceeded to brief him on the complete sequence of events.
Time reverses to the moment of attack
Morlun emerged from his dimensional portal with the Nemetrix core that Maltruant had provided, immediately surveying his new environment before focusing his predatory attention on Peter and his two friends.
He had traveled to this universe with two distinct objectives. The first was gathering intelligence for Maltruant, though the mechanical entity's requirements had been frustratingly vague, so Morlun wasn't treating that assignment with particular urgency. The second objective was far more personally satisfying, claiming the Spider-totem that existed within this reality.
"How fortunate," he said with a sinister smile spreading across his gaunt features. "It appears that dinner has been conveniently provided."
In the next instant, before Peter and his allies could speak to demand explanations or attempt negotiation, Morlun launched himself toward the wall-crawler with his razor-sharp claws extended like a hunting predator.
Peter's spider-sense remained completely silent, providing no advance warning of the approaching threat, but his natural eyesight was sufficient to detect the incoming assault. He quickly bent his knees and leaped backward to avoid the initial strike.
While Peter might have preferred to extract information through questioning, Harry Osborn possessed considerably less patience for diplomatic solutions. He raised his armored forearm, causing the concealed weapons integrated into his Neo-Goblin technology to deploy instantly. Several butterfly-shaped projectiles shot toward Morlun with lethal precision.
Morlun casually waved his arm and deflected all the incoming projectiles as if they were merely bothersome insects, but in the next moment a massive black shadow engulfed his position entirely.
"You're absolutely right, Mr. Venom's dinner is definitely taken care of!" Agent Venom declared with obvious bloodlust.
The symbiote-enhanced hero's physical form had expanded to rival the Hulk's impressive dimensions. His face displayed a hideously anticipatory grin while his massive arms descended like twin sledgehammers intent on crushing his target into paste.
Planning to have dinner? Venom thought with savage satisfaction. Take a punch from your friendly neighborhood symbiote first!
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