The training room was silent.
Ben stood in the center of the arena.
Across from him was a massive mechanical construct that looked like a combination of a spaceship, a tank, and a very angry refrigerator.
Ben stared at it.
"Seriously?"
Lyra stood behind the observation glass.
"You requested an increasingly difficult opponent."
"I requested difficult."
Ben pointed at the machine.
"That thing looks like it was designed by someone who hates teenagers."
Lyra smiled.
"You are avoiding the actual purpose of this training session."
Ben sighed.
"Fine."
He looked at the Omnitrix.
The white ring around the green symbol was still there.
Ever since the incident at Aegis Dynamics, the Omnitrix had been behaving differently.
It wasn't malfunctioning.
It was adapting.
And Ben had no idea where that adaptation would eventually lead.
He pressed the dial.
"Let's start simple."
The Omnitrix spun.
Ben selected XLR8.
Green light surrounded him.
Seconds later, the alien speedster stood in the arena.
The machine activated.
TARGET LOCKED.
Ben smiled.
"Come on."
The machine fired.
Ben disappeared.
The projectile passed through empty air.
Ben ran around the arena.
One lap.
Two.
Three.
The machine attempted to track him.
It failed.
Ben accelerated.
His surroundings became a blur.
He could feel the difference immediately.
XLR8 was faster than before.
Much faster.
Ben stopped.
The Omnitrix displayed a message.
SPEED ADAPTATION: 17%
Ben stared at it.
"Seventeen percent?"
Lyra's voice came through the speaker.
"Your speed has increased by approximately seventeen percent compared with your previous baseline."
Ben grinned.
"That's actually pretty good."
The machine fired again.
Ben dodged.
Then again.
And again.
Finally, he ran straight toward it.
At the last moment, he jumped.
He landed on top of the machine.
Then he kicked.
The machine crashed into the ground.
Ben transformed back.
"Too easy."
Lyra shook her head.
"You have been training for years."
"Fair."
Ben looked at the destroyed machine.
"Build something stronger."
"I already have."
Ben's smile disappeared.
"What?"
A much larger door opened.
Ben stared.
"You're kidding."
Lyra smiled.
"No."
Ben looked at the enormous combat machine emerging from the wall.
"...I suddenly miss school."
The Next Morning
Ben woke up at 6:30.
He stared at the ceiling.
Then he remembered the combat machine.
He sat up immediately.
"Absolutely not."
He got dressed.
Downstairs, Alfred was waiting.
"Good morning, Master Ben."
"Morning."
"Your breakfast is ready."
Ben sat down.
"Alfred."
"Yes?"
"Did Lyra tell you about the new training machine?"
"She did."
Ben looked suspicious.
"Why do you sound amused?"
"I have no idea what you mean."
Ben narrowed his eyes.
"You're enjoying this."
"I would never."
Ben sighed.
He started eating.
After a few moments, Alfred placed a tablet beside him.
"Your schedule."
Ben looked at it.
School.
Training.
Research.
School.
Training.
Research.
He looked up.
"Where's free time?"
"Between 9:47 and 9:52 p.m."
Ben stared.
"That's five minutes."
"Correct."
"That's not free time."
"Technically, it is."
Ben shook his head.
"You're impossible."
Alfred smiled.
Midtown High
By the time Ben arrived at school, the previous week's incident had become old news.
At least officially.
The school had reopened.
The administration claimed the electrical failure had been caused by an experimental power system malfunction.
Ben knew that wasn't true.
Peter probably knew too.
Ben entered the hallway.
"Ben!"
Peter waved.
Ben walked toward him.
"Morning."
Peter looked tired.
Ben noticed immediately.
"You didn't sleep."
Peter shrugged.
"Homework."
Ben raised an eyebrow.
"All night?"
"Mostly."
Ned appeared beside him.
"He was also doing something else."
Peter quickly turned.
"Ned."
"What?"
"Stop."
Ben looked between them.
"What were you doing?"
Peter hesitated.
"Nothing."
Ben smiled.
"Okay."
Peter looked relieved.
Then Ben added,
"Whatever you're doing, be careful."
Peter stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because you look like someone who's constantly getting into trouble."
Ned laughed.
"That's exactly what I told him!"
Peter sighed.
"You two are impossible."
Ben smiled.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Just three teenagers standing in a school hallway.
No secret laboratories.
No alien technology.
No dimensional energy.
No mysterious organizations.
Ben almost wished it could stay that way.
Almost.
A Strange Assignment
Their first class was chemistry.
The teacher entered carrying several sealed containers.
"Today we're going to work on molecular reactions."
Ben immediately became interested.
Chemistry was one of the easiest subjects for him now.
Still, he forced himself to act normal.
The teacher divided the class into groups.
Ben ended up with Peter and Ned.
Peter looked at the equipment.
"Interesting."
Ben noticed his expression.
"You like chemistry?"
Peter nodded.
"Yeah."
"Only chemistry?"
Peter smiled.
"Physics too."
Ben laughed.
"Of course."
They started the experiment.
Peter worked quickly.
Ben deliberately slowed down.
Ned watched both of them.
"Why do I feel like I'm the dumb one in this group?"
Ben smiled.
"Because you are."
Peter laughed.
"Ben!"
"What?"
Ned looked offended.
"At least pretend I'm useful."
Ben handed him a container.
"You're in charge of that."
Ned stared at it.
"What does it do?"
"Don't touch the red button."
Ned immediately looked at the red button.
"Why?"
"Because it explodes."
Ned moved his hand away.
"Okay."
Peter shook his head.
"You shouldn't tell him that."
The Signal
Halfway through the experiment—
Ben froze.
The Omnitrix vibrated.
Once.
Ben looked down.
Nothing unusual.
Then it vibrated again.
He glanced at Peter.
Peter was still working.
Ned was still complaining.
Ben quietly activated the scanner.
A faint energy signature appeared.
Not from the classroom.
From outside.
Ben frowned.
Again?
The signal was weak.
But familiar.
Dimensional.
The same type of energy from Aegis Dynamics.
Ben looked toward the window.
Something was out there.
He stood.
Peter looked at him.
"What's wrong?"
"I'll be back."
"Where are you going?"
"Bathroom."
Peter stared.
"You really use that excuse a lot."
Ben smiled.
"Works every time."
He left the classroom.
Peter watched him go.
Then he looked at Ned.
"Something's wrong."
Ned nodded.
"I know."
Rooftop
Ben reached the roof.
He scanned the surrounding area.
Nothing.
The city looked normal.
Cars.
Buildings.
People.
Clouds.
Then the Omnitrix beeped.
Ben looked toward the sky.
A tiny object was moving between the buildings.
Too fast for a normal drone.
Ben activated XLR8.
The transformation completed.
He jumped.
The world slowed.
Ben ran across the rooftop.
Then jumped between buildings.
He followed the object.
It moved through the city.
Ben accelerated.
The object suddenly stopped.
Ben stopped too.
The device hovered in midair.
A small black sphere.
Ben stared.
"You're the same thing from Aegis."
The sphere emitted a pulse.
The Omnitrix reacted.
White light appeared.
Ben's expression changed.
"Not again."
The sphere scanned him.
Ben immediately scanned it back.
Both systems activated simultaneously.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Then the sphere transmitted a message.
Not through sound.
Directly into the Omnitrix.
SUBJECT CONFIRMED.
Ben's eyes widened.
"Subject?"
The sphere continued.
EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL ENTITY: CONFIRMED.
Ben's smile disappeared.
"I'm not an entity."
The sphere didn't respond.
Instead, another message appeared.
ORIGIN: UNKNOWN.
Ben stared.
Then—
The sphere exploded.
Ben jumped backward.
The blast threw him across the rooftop.
He crashed into a ventilation unit.
He transformed back.
"Okay..."
He stood slowly.
"That was rude."
The sphere was gone.
But something had been left behind.
A small piece of black metal.
Ben picked it up.
The Omnitrix immediately scanned it.
DATA FRAGMENT ACQUIRED.
Ben smiled.
"Got you."
Someone Is Watching
Ben returned to school.
He entered through a side door.
Peter was waiting.
"Where were you?"
"Bathroom."
Peter stared.
"For twenty minutes?"
"Bad stomach."
Peter didn't believe him.
Ben walked past.
Peter followed.
"You were on the roof."
Ben stopped.
Slowly, he turned around.
"How do you know?"
Peter froze.
"I saw you."
"From where?"
Peter pointed upward.
"The window."
Ben smiled.
"You have good eyesight."
Peter shrugged.
"Yeah."
Ben studied him.
Peter was hiding something.
That much was obvious.
But Ben wasn't going to force him.
Not yet.
Instead, Ben held out the piece of black metal.
Peter looked at it.
"What is that?"
"I don't know."
Peter touched it.
The moment his fingers contacted the metal—
The Omnitrix reacted.
Peter immediately pulled his hand away.
Ben stared at him.
Peter stared back.
Neither spoke.
Then Peter asked quietly,
"What exactly are you?"
Ben smiled.
"That's a complicated question."
Peter looked at him.
"Yeah."
Ben narrowed his eyes.
"Why?"
Peter looked away.
"No reason."
Ben smiled.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The Data Fragment
That evening, Ben entered his private dimension.
He placed the black fragment inside a containment chamber.
Lyra appeared.
"Another sample?"
"Yes."
She examined it.
"This is more advanced than the previous device."
Ben nodded.
"Can you analyze it?"
"I can try."
The laboratory began scanning.
The fragment projected a series of symbols.
Ben recognized some.
Others were completely foreign.
Then the Omnitrix activated.
The symbols changed.
Ben's eyes widened.
"Wait."
The Omnitrix was translating them.
A sentence appeared.
PROJECT ECLIPSE
Ben's expression became serious.
"Again."
More text appeared.
PHASE TWO
SUBJECT MONITORING
ADAPTIVE DEVICE CONFIRMED
Ben stared.
Then another line appeared.
SECONDARY SUBJECT DETECTED
Ben froze.
"Secondary subject?"
Lyra looked at him.
"Do you know who that refers to?"
Ben immediately thought of Peter.
"No."
But he suspected he knew.
Peter Parker
At the same time, Peter Parker sat alone in his room.
His backpack lay on the floor.
He opened it.
Inside was a homemade mask.
Peter looked at it.
Then at his hands.
He clenched his fist.
He still hadn't told Ben.
He didn't know why.
Maybe because Ben was strange.
Maybe because Ben was hiding something.
Maybe because Peter had learned that secrets were dangerous.
His phone buzzed.
Peter looked at the message.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
We know what you are.
Peter's heart stopped.
Another message appeared.
You are not the only one.
Peter stared at the screen.
Then—
A photograph arrived.
It showed Ben.
Standing outside Midtown High.
Peter's expression changed.
"No."
Another message.
Stay away from him.
Peter immediately deleted the messages.
He stood.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The Investigation
Ben spent the next several hours studying Project Eclipse.
The information was incomplete.
But he found something.
A location.
A warehouse in Brooklyn.
The building was officially abandoned.
No electricity.
No employees.
No registered activity.
But the energy signature matched the devices.
Ben smiled.
"Found you."
Lyra appeared.
"Are you going?"
"Yes."
"Alone?"
Ben looked at her.
"Probably."
"You have not yet determined what you are dealing with."
"Exactly."
Lyra frowned.
"That is not a reason to go."
Ben smiled.
"It's the reason I'm going."
He opened a portal.
Before stepping through, he stopped.
"One thing."
"Yes?"
"If I don't return in three hours..."
Lyra waited.
"Close the dimension."
Her eyes widened.
"Ben—"
"I'm serious."
Lyra nodded.
"Understood."
Ben stepped through.
Brooklyn
The warehouse stood at the end of a deserted street.
Ben approached.
The building looked abandoned.
But the Omnitrix disagreed.
Energy signatures were everywhere.
Ben activated his scanner.
"At least twenty."
He smiled.
"Okay."
He entered.
Inside was darkness.
Ben activated a small light.
Nothing.
Then—
A voice echoed through the warehouse.
"You came."
Ben stopped.
A figure stepped from the shadows.
Male.
Tall.
Wearing a dark coat.
His face was hidden.
Ben looked at him.
"Dr. Voss?"
The man laughed.
"No."
Ben narrowed his eyes.
"Then who are you?"
The figure stepped forward.
"You can call me Eclipse."
Ben raised an eyebrow.
"That's not a very creative name."
The figure ignored the comment.
"You have something that belongs to us."
Ben looked at the Omnitrix.
"This?"
"Yes."
Ben smiled.
"I don't think so."
Eclipse's voice became colder.
"You don't understand what you're carrying."
"Maybe."
Ben activated the Omnitrix.
"But I'm learning."
The figure raised his hand.
The warehouse lights turned on.
Ben's eyes widened.
The entire building was filled with machines.
Hundreds of them.
All connected.
All pointed toward him.
Eclipse smiled.
"Then let's see how much you've learned."
The machines activated.
Ben smiled.
"Finally."
The Omnitrix began glowing.
White light surrounded him.
A new message appeared.
ADAPTIVE COMBAT MODE
ACTIVATING
Ben's smile disappeared.
"What?"
The Omnitrix spun on its own.
The dial stopped.
A symbol Ben had never selected appeared.
Ben stared.
"That's new."
Green light exploded through the warehouse.
Eclipse stepped backward.
For the first time—
He sounded surprised.
"What did you do?"
Ben smiled.
"I don't know."
The transformation began.
And for the first time since his reincarnation—
Ben Stuart was about to use a form that had never existed before.