With Wanda and Pietro back in the fold, Ben took the opportunity to run them through a full diagnostic. The results were telling. In their current state, the twins were raw, their immense potential barely tapped. Pietro's superspeed, while impressive, hadn't yet broken the sound barrier. He was a blur to the naked eye, but Ben knew that on a real battlefield, against trained soldiers with advanced targeting systems, he was still vulnerable to a lucky shot. He was, for now, a speedster in name only.
Wanda's abilities were similarly nascent. The crimson tendrils of her witchcraft flickered inconsistently, a pale shadow of the reality-bending Chaos Magic she was destined to wield. Ben knew that power came from the elder god Chthon, a being of immense cosmic might. The Darkhold, the grimoire Chthon left behind, dedicated entire volumes to Chaos Magic and its ultimate ship, the Scarlet Witch. That alone was proof of its terrifying potential.
They're too weak right now, Ben mused. They need a catalyst. A little push from the Infinity Stones should do the trick.
But that was a problem for another day. The Mind Stone was still under intense study by Banner and Octavius, who were meticulously gathering data before attempting any practical applications. Furthermore, Ben's grand strategy was still in its early stages. Recruiters on Sakaar were hand-picking the strongest warriors to bolster the Plumbers' ranks. Only when he had a formidable army at his back would he be ready to launch a direct counter-offensive against Thanos.
For now, the priority was consolidating his forces on Earth.
The immediate concern, however, was hunger. After their first intensive training session, the newly enhanced Ben Sr. and May were experiencing a voracious, superhuman appetite. They sat at a table in the Primus cafeteria, devouring high-calorie chocolate bars originally stockpiled for Venom, stuffing handfuls into their mouths with a desperate fervor.
Ben Sr. paused mid-chew, a look of profound understanding on his face. He finally grasped the true meaning of the old saying, 'You'll get it when you're older.' The burn of his muscles, the gnawing emptiness in his stomach—he truly understood it now.
A moment later, Wanda and Pietro joined them, their own post-training hunger driving them to the table. While their eating was far more reserved than the Parkers' feeding frenzy, the sight of them all together sparked an idea in Ben's mind.
First thing on the agenda, he thought, hire a full-time chef. Otherwise, these people are going to starve to death in my multi-billion-dollar tower.
The four of them ate together, a strange but comfortable quartet. Despite their youthful appearances, Ben Sr. and May radiated a parental warmth that was impossible to resist. Their amiable nature instantly put the wary twins at ease. When they learned that they were all Plumber recruits, a new sense of camaraderie bloomed between them, a shared purpose that transcended their vastly different pasts.
While the special training continued at Primus, Ben carved out time to visit the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, which was serving as a temporary base for the Avengers since the destruction of their tower. He needed to discuss the fallout from the Battle of New York and, more importantly, what came next.
The only members currently stationed on the massive ship were Captain America, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and the newest Avenger, T'Challa. T'Challa's formidable performance against the Chitauri had earned him a significant voice within the team, though he rarely used it. As a king-in-waiting, he was wise enough to know that this was a time for learning, not for speaking out of turn.
"The topic of this meeting is our plan to counter-attack Thanos," Ben began, getting straight to the point. He had gathered the core decision-makers of the Avengers for this exact purpose. As long as Thanos lived, another, more devastating attack was not a possibility, but an inevitability.
Everyone in the room understood this without him needing to say it. Even Steve, who had previously advocated for a ceasefire to regroup, offered no objection.
The first protest came, predictably, from Tony Stark, who appeared before them as a sharp, life-sized hologram.
He cast a dismissive glance at Ben. "A counter-attack. Great plan. Love it. But I have one question." He jabbed a holographic finger toward Ben. "The Avengers are having a meeting. What is he doing here?" His finger waved back and forth, as if drawing a line. "Shouldn't we be clearing the room of outsiders?"
The resentment was practically sizzling off his projection. Tony was still furious that Ben had left Earth during the invasion to support the Plumbers.
"Don't be like this, Tony," Steve advised, his tone patient but firm. "If it weren't for the Plumbers, Thanos wouldn't have retreated so easily. And Primus's Iron Guard was instrumental in intercepting the Chitauri ground forces."
Steve's reasonable defense only served to pour gasoline on the fire.
"I never agreed to a ceasefire!" Tony's voice rose, crackling with static and rage. "I told you, if he wants a war, we give him one to the bitter end! You're the ones who let him leave!" He wasn't just criticizing them; he was venting, a pressure valve releasing weeks of pent-up fear and frustration.
Finally, his gaze swept over them all, cold and defiant. "I won't be participating in your little operation. I have more important things to do." He gestured vaguely at Ben. "I don't care if any of you leave this planet to go play spaceman and do what you call 'more important things.' I don't care at all." His voice dropped to a low, intense growl. "Because I can protect everyone myself."
With that, his hologram flickered and vanished, leaving the room in a stunned silence.
After a long moment, Steve placed a comforting hand on Ben's shoulder. "Don't mind him. He's just throwing a tantrum. He calls the Asgardians immature, but he's the biggest child of them all."
"I'm not angry," Ben said, and it was true. More than anger, he felt a strange sense of detached amusement.
It was all so predictable. The armors Tony had created, the signal receivers he'd embedded in his own body, the success of the Iron Guard, the closing of the portal, and Ben's own departure from Earth—every event was a hammer blow, forging a single, unshakable conviction in Tony's mind: he couldn't rely on anyone or anything but himself and his technology.
This path would inevitably lead him to envision a global defense shield, a suit of armor around the world. And from that vision, Ultron would be born.
Ultron: takes one five-minute look at the internet and decides to exterminate humanity.
Ben knew it was coming, but he had no intention of stopping it. With Tony's colossal ego, any warning from him would be seen as a challenge. What? You think I can't do it? You think I'm not as smart as you? I'll show you! Geniuses were always willful, and they only learned their lessons from the sting of catastrophic failure.
I'm not his father, Ben thought wryly. When Tony created a problem so big he couldn't solve it, when he was forced to come begging for help, then he would finally understand the price of arrogance. And Ben would make sure that price was steep. He could already picture it: every electronic screen in New York, playing a continuous loop of Tony Stark declaring, "I, Tony Stark, am a fool, not even as smart as one of Ben Parker's toes."
"So, Captain," Ben said, turning back to Steve, "now do you see why I never joined the Avengers? Why I'm not all that interested in being a 'hero'?"
Before Steve could puzzle out the connection, Ben explained. "When you're a superhero, you get the praise and the applause, but you also have to bear the crushing weight of responsibility and expectation."
"Isn't that part of the job?" Natasha asked.
Ben shook his head. "The key word is expectation. People want heroes to be everything, to be what they want you to be. The moment you fail to meet those impossible standards, you're met with complaints, hatred, abuse…" He gestured to the empty space where Tony's hologram had been. "That's true for Tony, and it's true for everyone else. I'm not a hero, so I don't have to be what anyone expects me to be."
The weight of public expectation, Ben knew, would only grow heavier over time, until it finally crushed them. All it would take was a single spark to turn the Avengers, this team of world-saving champions, into a fractured mess.
"But you are a hero, Ben," Natasha said softly. Without him and the Plumbers, the Chitauri leviathans would have overwhelmed them. Without him, Operation: Hydra Purge might have ended very differently.
"Everyone does their part," T'Challa added, his voice calm and measured. "You have done more than enough. I know you left because you trusted us to hold the line."
"That's just the kind of person he is," Steve concluded. "If Tony knew you had that much faith in him, he wouldn't be blaming you. He'd be furious with himself for not living up to your expectations."
They were all trying to comfort him, thinking he felt guilty for leaving, that he felt unworthy of the hero title.
"That's not what I meant," Ben said, shaking his head. He started to explain, then stopped. In a world where anyone with powers could call themselves a hero, the word had lost its meaning. For Ben, "hero" was a sacred title, earned through character and sacrifice, not through powers or technology.
"Let's get back on topic," Ben said, his tone shifting back to business. "Thanos's goal is to erase half of all life in the universe. He believes he's balancing the cosmos. The recent awakening of the Infinity Stones has only solidified his belief that this is his destiny."
"He's a madman," Barton breathed, a chill running down his spine.
"Yes," Ben agreed. "But he's a madman with ideals, conviction, and the power to achieve his goals. That's what makes him so terrifying." A madman wasn't scary. What was scary was a brilliant, powerful, influential madman with limitless resources and patience, one who could afford to fail again and again until he finally succeeded.
A wave of frustration washed over the room. No one on the current Avengers roster had ever faced Thanos directly, but they had fought his lieutenants. The Black Order—beings of terrifying, overwhelming power. If Loki hadn't been there with Mjolnir, if Banner hadn't arrived in the nick of time to smash Warbringer head, the first wave would have broken them.
The irony was not lost on them. The world had been saved by two individuals they had once considered monsters. Now, Loki was back in Asgard, soon to be crowned king and unlikely to return to Earth. And Dr. Banner, after his terrifying loss of control, had developed a profound fear of his own alter ego. He was too scared to face the Hulk again, which meant they had lost their strongest player.
With Tony now out of the picture, they were down another heavy hitter.
"What's your plan?" Steve asked, the question subconscious. In these situations, Ben had become the team's external brain.
Ben's demeanor became sharp, his posture radiating a confidence that belied his age. "The plan is simple," he declared, his voice ringing with authority. "We fight fire with fire. He wants the Infinity Stones? Then we deny him."
Natasha's brow furrowed. "You mean… we race Thanos for the stones?"
Ben nodded, his eyes blazing. He stood up, commanding the room not with size or age, but with sheer, undeniable presence. It felt as if he were the undisputed leader of the Avengers.
"I told you, if Thanos wants a war, we'll give him one!" he proclaimed. "He wants the stones? Then we will get to them first!"
His gaze swept across the heroes in the room. They met his eyes, a new resolve hardening their features as they waited for the baptism of the coming conflict.
"This Infinity War is destined to begin," Ben's voice dropped, low and intense. "So why should we let Thanos make the first move?"
He leaned forward, his hands flat on the table, a predator ready to pounce.
"We will."
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