Ben Stuart stood in the middle of his laboratory, staring at the Omnitrix.
The green symbol continued to glow.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
The feeling from earlier was still there.
Someone had been watching him.
Not physically.
Not through a camera.
It had felt different.
Almost as if something had briefly touched the edge of his existence.
Ben hated that feeling.
He had spent years preparing himself for almost every possible threat he could imagine.
Alien invasion?
Prepared.
Superhuman attack?
Prepared.
Magical threat?
Prepared.
Dimensional collapse?
He had several contingency plans.
But an unknown entity observing him from somewhere he couldn't locate?
That was different.
Ben tapped the Omnitrix.
"Scan."
The device activated.
A green holographic interface appeared.
Ben searched through the recorded data.
Nothing.
No biological signature.
No technological signature.
No dimensional coordinates.
Nothing.
"Again."
The Omnitrix scanned.
Still nothing.
Ben frowned.
"That's impossible."
Lyra appeared beside him.
"You seem frustrated."
"Something is watching me."
"Can you identify it?"
"No."
"Can the Omnitrix identify it?"
Ben looked at the device.
"Apparently not."
Lyra remained silent.
Ben leaned against the table.
"That bothers me."
"It should."
Ben looked at her.
"Thanks."
"I was not attempting to reassure you."
"I noticed."
A Change in Plans
The following morning, Ben woke before his alarm.
He had barely slept.
Not because he was tired.
Because he had spent most of the night thinking.
The mysterious device.
The energy signature.
The Omnitrix's evolution protocol.
And the unknown observer.
They couldn't all be coincidences.
Ben showered, dressed, and walked downstairs.
Alfred was already waiting.
"Good morning, Master Ben."
"Morning."
"Your schedule has been adjusted."
Ben stopped.
"I asked you to cancel everything."
"I did."
"Then what's that?"
Alfred pointed toward a tablet.
Ben picked it up.
His eyes widened.
"What's this?"
"Records regarding the company that supplied the experimental equipment to Midtown High."
Ben stared at the information.
The company was called Aegis Dynamics.
It was relatively small.
Privately owned.
Officially, it specialized in advanced energy systems.
Ben scrolled through the records.
Founded eight years ago.
Several government contracts.
Multiple research partnerships.
A surprisingly large number of patents.
Ben frowned.
"Why haven't I heard of them?"
"Because they maintain a relatively low public profile."
Ben looked at Alfred.
"Who owns it?"
"Dr. Elias Voss."
Ben searched the name.
Nothing immediately stood out.
No criminal record.
No public scandals.
No known connections to Stark Industries.
No connections to Oscorp.
No connections to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Ben's expression became thoughtful.
"That's too clean."
Alfred nodded.
"I reached the same conclusion."
Ben smiled.
"Good."
He handed the tablet back.
"Let's pay them a visit."
Aegis Dynamics
A few hours later, Ben stood outside the Aegis Dynamics building.
It was located in Manhattan.
The building itself looked ordinary.
Glass.
Steel.
Several floors.
Nothing that screamed secret laboratory.
Ben looked up.
"That's disappointing."
Alfred stood beside him.
"Would you prefer a hidden underground facility?"
"Honestly?"
Ben smiled.
"Yes."
They entered the building.
A receptionist greeted them.
"Good morning."
Ben smiled politely.
"I'm here to see Dr. Elias Voss."
The receptionist checked her computer.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No."
"I'm afraid Dr. Voss is currently unavailable."
Ben smiled.
"That's unfortunate."
The receptionist nodded.
"Would you like to leave a message?"
Ben was about to answer when his Omnitrix vibrated.
Once.
Ben froze.
The receptionist hadn't noticed.
Neither had Alfred.
Ben looked toward the elevator.
The vibration became stronger.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Actually..."
He looked at the receptionist.
"I think I'll wait."
The Elevator
Ben entered the elevator.
Alfred followed.
The doors closed.
Ben immediately pressed the emergency stop button.
The elevator stopped.
Alfred looked at him.
"Master Ben?"
Ben raised his wrist.
The Omnitrix was glowing.
"Something is here."
"Where?"
Ben pointed upward.
"Above us."
He activated the scanner.
The Omnitrix displayed several energy signatures.
Ben's eyes widened.
"Same pattern."
"From Midtown?"
"Yes."
He looked at the elevator controls.
"How many floors?"
"Thirty-two."
Ben smiled.
"Let's go to thirty-three."
Alfred raised an eyebrow.
"There is no thirty-third floor."
"Exactly."
The Hidden Floor
Ben pressed the button for the thirty-second floor.
The elevator moved.
When the doors opened, they stepped into a normal office.
Employees were working.
Phones were ringing.
People were walking around.
Ben looked around.
Nothing.
Then the Omnitrix vibrated.
Ben walked toward the far wall.
He stopped.
There was a painting.
A simple abstract painting.
Ben touched it.
Nothing happened.
He scanned it.
The Omnitrix beeped.
DIMENSIONAL DISTORTION DETECTED.
Ben smiled.
"Found you."
He placed his hand against the wall.
"Alfred."
"Yes?"
"Stand back."
Ben activated the Omnitrix.
The dial spun.
He selected XLR8.
The transformation began.
His body changed.
His legs became powerful.
His feet transformed.
His head became aerodynamic.
A blue-and-black alien stood where Ben had been.
XLR8.
Ben looked at his hands.
"Let's see what's behind the wall."
He moved.
The world slowed.
Employees became statues.
Sound disappeared.
Ben ran across the office.
He reached the painting.
His claws touched the wall.
He accelerated.
The wall blurred.
Then—
He passed through it.
The Secret Laboratory
Ben emerged inside a dark room.
He transformed back.
The room was enormous.
Machines covered the walls.
Energy containers filled the center.
Screens displayed biological data.
Alien-looking technology sat on several tables.
Ben's eyes widened.
"This isn't an energy company."
He walked deeper into the room.
"Alfred."
The communicator activated.
"I'm here."
"You're going to want to see this."
Ben scanned the equipment.
The results were unbelievable.
Some devices were based on technology decades ahead of current human science.
Others contained biological components.
And some—
Ben couldn't even identify.
"Someone is experimenting with dimensional energy."
Alfred's voice became serious.
"Can you determine their objective?"
"Not yet."
Ben continued walking.
Then he saw something.
A large containment chamber.
Inside was a black metallic sphere.
Ben froze.
It looked almost identical to the device he had found at Midtown.
His Omnitrix immediately activated.
UNKNOWN ENERGY DETECTED.
Ben approached.
The sphere pulsed.
The room shook.
Ben stepped back.
"Okay."
The sphere opened.
A wave of energy exploded outward.
Ben raised his arm.
The Omnitrix activated automatically.
A green barrier formed around him.
The energy collided with the barrier.
Ben stared.
"That wasn't supposed to happen."
The Omnitrix had protected him automatically.
No transformation.
No command.
It had simply responded.
The sphere pulsed again.
This time, the Omnitrix changed.
The green light turned white.
Ben felt a surge through his arm.
A new message appeared.
ADAPTIVE RESPONSE INITIATED.
Ben's eyes widened.
"Not again."
The First Evolution
The Omnitrix began scanning the energy.
The sphere released another pulse.
Ben expected the device to reject it.
Instead—
It absorbed the energy.
The laboratory became completely silent.
Ben stared at his wrist.
The Omnitrix display showed something new.
ENERGY TYPE: UNKNOWN
COMPATIBILITY: 12%
ADAPTATION: ACTIVE
Ben's heart began beating faster.
"You're adapting to it."
The percentage increased.
13%.
14%.
15%.
Ben stepped backward.
"Stop."
The Omnitrix didn't stop.
20%.
25%.
The sphere began destabilizing.
Ben immediately understood what was happening.
"If you keep absorbing it, that thing is going to explode."
The percentage continued increasing.
30%.
Ben slammed his hand against the Omnitrix.
"Override!"
Nothing.
35%.
Ben's eyes narrowed.
"Override!"
The Omnitrix responded.
The absorption stopped.
The sphere stabilized.
Ben breathed out.
"That was close."
Lyra's voice came through his communicator.
"Ben."
He looked at the device.
"Yes?"
"I have just analyzed the energy pattern."
"And?"
"It is not merely energy."
Ben frowned.
"What is it?"
"Information."
Ben froze.
"Information?"
"Yes."
Lyra continued.
"The energy contains encoded data."
Ben looked at the sphere.
"What kind of data?"
"I don't know."
Ben's expression became serious.
"Then let's find out."
The Message
Ben connected his portable computer to the sphere.
The device immediately activated.
A holographic projection appeared.
A man's face appeared.
Middle-aged.
Short dark hair.
Glasses.
Ben recognized him.
"Elias Voss."
The recording began.
"If you're seeing this message, then the containment system has detected an external adaptive device."
Ben's eyes narrowed.
"The Omnitrix."
The recording continued.
"To whoever possesses it..."
Voss paused.
"...you have something that should not exist."
Ben stared at the hologram.
Voss continued.
"I don't know who you are."
"I don't know where you came from."
"But I know what your device is capable of."
The recording changed.
Images appeared.
Alien DNA.
Energy signatures.
Dimensional maps.
The Omnitrix.
Ben's face became serious.
"Someone has been studying the Omnitrix."
Voss continued.
"Your device is not simply transforming you."
"It is learning from the universe."
Ben's eyes widened.
"How?"
Voss's expression became grim.
"And that makes it dangerous."
The recording ended.
The laboratory went silent.
Ben stood there.
For several seconds, he didn't speak.
Then he smiled.
"Well."
Alfred's voice came through the communicator.
"Master Ben?"
"I think we found our first real problem."
The Trap
Suddenly—
The doors slammed shut.
Red lights activated.
Ben immediately turned.
Metal shutters covered the exits.
A voice came over the speakers.
"Unauthorized access detected."
Ben sighed.
"Of course."
Alfred spoke.
"Would you like assistance?"
Ben looked at the locked doors.
"No."
He cracked his knuckles.
"I've been training for this."
The floor opened.
Several robotic machines emerged.
Ben smiled.
"Finally."
The robots attacked.
Ben activated the Omnitrix.
The dial spun.
He selected Four Arms.
His body transformed.
Four powerful arms appeared.
The first robot attacked.
Ben caught it.
He threw it across the room.
It smashed into the wall.
Two more attacked simultaneously.
Ben jumped.
His four hands grabbed both machines.
He slammed them together.
BOOM!
Another robot fired an energy beam.
Ben crossed his arms.
The blast knocked him backward.
He slid across the floor.
Ben smiled.
"Okay."
He stood.
"That one actually hurt."
The robot fired again.
Ben transformed.
Diamondhead.
Crystal formed around his body.
The energy beam hit him.
The attack reflected off his crystalline armor.
The robot exploded.
Ben stared.
"Still love this form."
More robots appeared.
Ben switched forms again.
Heatblast.
Fire erupted across the laboratory.
Then XLR8.
Then Upgrade.
Then back to Four Arms.
He moved between forms with increasing speed.
Not randomly.
Strategically.
The Omnitrix seemed to anticipate his choices.
When Ben needed speed—
XLR8.
When he needed defense—
Diamondhead.
When he needed strength—
Four Arms.
When technology became involved—
Upgrade.
Ben realized something.
The Omnitrix wasn't simply responding to his commands anymore.
It was helping him choose.
It's learning my fighting style.
The realization excited him.
And frightened him.
Upgrade
One final robot remained.
It was much larger than the others.
Heavy armor covered its body.
Ben smiled.
"Let's try something new."
He activated Upgrade.
His body transformed into black-and-green techno-organic matter.
He reached toward the robot.
The moment he touched it—
The Omnitrix reacted.
White light exploded from his body.
Ben screamed.
His transformation began changing.
The robot's technology flowed into him.
But instead of simply absorbing it—
The Omnitrix began rewriting the transformation.
Ben's body became more complex.
Strange glowing patterns appeared across his arms.
The Upgrade form changed.
Not completely.
But enough.
Ben could feel it.
He could understand the machine more deeply than ever before.
Its systems.
Its weaknesses.
Its energy source.
Everything.
Ben smiled.
"You're evolving me too."
He raised his hand.
The robot stopped moving.
Ben controlled it.
Then he shut it down.
Silence returned.
Ben transformed back.
He looked at the Omnitrix.
A new message appeared.
ADAPTIVE FORM: UNLOCKED
Ben stared.
"Adaptive form?"
Lyra's voice came through.
"Ben."
He smiled.
"Yeah?"
"I believe your Omnitrix has just created something new."
Ben looked at his hand.
"Then we're going to have to learn what it is."
Dr. Voss
Ben searched the laboratory.
The scientist was gone.
The recording had been prepared in advance.
There was no trace of him.
But Ben found something else.
A computer terminal.
It contained files.
Hundreds of them.
Some were about dimensional energy.
Others were about extraterrestrial biology.
Some mentioned organizations Ben recognized.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Stark Industries.
Oscorp.
Several names had been blacked out.
Ben opened another file.
A single phrase appeared.
PROJECT ECLIPSE
Ben frowned.
"What is Project Eclipse?"
He opened the file.
ACCESS DENIED.
Ben tried to bypass it.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Then the Omnitrix activated.
A scan appeared.
SECURITY SYSTEM DETECTED.
Ben smiled.
"Let's see what you can do."
The Omnitrix connected to the terminal.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
ACCESS GRANTED.
Ben stared.
"Did you just hack it?"
The Omnitrix displayed:
ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY INTERFACE COMPLETE.
Ben laughed.
"You're becoming a cheat code."
Project Eclipse
The file opened.
Ben read the information.
His smile disappeared.
Project Eclipse wasn't a weapon.
It was a detection system.
A system designed to detect individuals possessing abnormal energy signatures.
Enhanced humans.
Mutants.
Aliens.
Magical beings.
Dimensional travelers.
Anyone whose energy didn't fit normal human parameters.
Ben's expression became serious.
"Why would someone build this?"
Then he saw the final section.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL ENERGY.
Ben froze.
Extra-dimensional energy.
That meant him.
His private dimension.
His Omnitrix.
Possibly both.
Someone wasn't simply studying the Omnitrix.
They were searching for the source of its power.
Ben closed the file.
"That's a problem."
A Warning
Ben returned home late that evening.
Alfred was waiting.
"You were gone for six hours."
Ben removed his jacket.
"Yeah."
"Did you discover anything?"
Ben looked at him.
"More than I wanted."
He placed the recovered data drive on the table.
"Someone is investigating dimensional energy."
Alfred examined it.
"Do you believe they are targeting you?"
Ben was silent.
Then he nodded.
"Yes."
"Do you intend to continue investigating?"
Ben smiled.
"Obviously."
Alfred sighed.
"I suspected as much."
Ben looked toward the window.
New York stretched beneath the night sky.
Thousands of lights.
Millions of people.
And somewhere among them—
Peter Parker was probably hiding his own secret.
Tony Stark was building something.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was watching the world.
And someone else was watching Ben.
The Marvel Universe was beginning to move.
Ben just happened to be standing in the middle of it.
The New Interface
Later that night, Ben entered his private dimension.
He stood alone in the laboratory.
"Show me the new system."
The Omnitrix activated.
A holographic interface appeared.
ADAPTIVE SYSTEM
Current Compatibility: 31%
Available Functions:
Adaptive TransformationEnergy AssimilationTechnological InterfaceEnvironmental OptimizationUnknown
Ben stared at the final option.
"Unknown?"
The system refused to explain.
Ben laughed.
"Of course."
He looked toward the training arena.
"Let's test it."
He selected XLR8.
Transformation began.
But this time—
Something was different.
The transformation completed.
Ben looked down at his hands.
The usual blue-and-black appearance remained.
But thin white lines now ran across his body.
Ben moved.
The world slowed.
He ran.
Faster.
Much faster.
He stopped.
The Omnitrix displayed:
SPEED ADAPTATION: ACTIVE
Ben smiled.
He ran again.
Faster.
Then faster.
The training arena blurred.
Ben finally stopped.
His eyes widened.
"That's not normal XLR8 speed."
He looked at the Omnitrix.
The device had adapted the transformation to his potential.
And that meant one thing.
Every transformation could potentially become stronger.
Not by gaining a new species.
But by evolving alongside him.
Ben smiled.
"Now this is interesting."
Meanwhile...
Far away from Ben's mansion, inside an unknown facility, a man stood in front of a wall of screens.
One screen showed the Midtown incident.
Another showed the Aegis Dynamics laboratory.
Another displayed Ben's face.
The man watched silently.
A woman approached.
"Sir."
He didn't turn.
"What happened?"
"The subject entered the facility."
"And?"
"He discovered the laboratory."
The man finally turned.
"Did he see the project?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Enough."
Silence.
The woman hesitated.
"Should we eliminate him?"
The man shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
The man looked at the screen showing the Omnitrix.
"Because I want to know what happens when it evolves."
The woman frowned.
"And if he becomes too dangerous?"
The man smiled.
"Then we'll find out exactly how dangerous he can become."
He turned back toward the screen.
"Begin Phase Two."
The screen went black.
Back in the Dimension
Ben stood alone.
He had no idea who was watching him.
He didn't know about Phase Two.
He didn't know who Dr. Voss really worked for.
He didn't know why the Omnitrix was evolving.
But he knew one thing.
Someone had started a game.
And they had made one mistake.
They assumed Ben Stuart would play by their rules.
Ben looked at the Omnitrix.
"Let's see where this goes."
The green symbol flashed.
Then, for the first time, a thin white ring appeared around it.
Ben stared.
"What are you becoming?"
The Omnitrix gave no answer.
But somewhere deep inside the device, the adaptive system continued processing.
USER POTENTIAL: INFINITE
EVOLUTION LIMIT: UNDEFINED
NEXT STAGE: PENDING
Ben smiled.
"Good."
He walked toward the training arena.
"Then we'll find out together."
And as the doors closed behind him, the first true chapter of Ben Stuart's life in the Marvel Universe began