The Ultimate Trap Question
Ben stared at the two cosmic entities in horrified silence, his mind racing through the implications of Enara's seemingly innocent question. If he actually tried to answer which voice he preferred, he would undoubtedly walk straight into whatever verbal trap Enara had prepared for him.
What made it even worse was the dawning realization that even space beings apparently engaged in this kind of relationship drama.
It was absolutely maddening.
"The Ultimatrix has been prepared and calibrated for you," Ben said to his delegate consciousness, deftly avoiding the loaded question entirely as he handed over control. "The multiverse-traveling bracelet function should work perfectly with your neural patterns."
The delegate nodded with understanding. Being literally the same person as Ben, he possessed identical personality traits and decision-making processes, which allowed him to remain relatively calm even in the face of space responsibility. But there was another consciousness present that had very different ideas about the situation.
"Don't worry about a thing!" Overkill's voice burst out with barely contained violent enthusiasm. "If we don't beat the absolute crap out of those so-called Inheritor, then we might as well hand over our lunch money!"
The symbiotic consciousness was, technically speaking, still Ben's own awareness, just filtered through the genetic template of a Klyntar. This symbiotic influence had a noticeable effect on his personality, making him more aggressive, more direct, and significantly more inclined toward physical solutions to complex problems.
The fact that the original DNA sample had come from Venom only amplified these tendencies.
As Delegate Ben prepared to leave Alien X's consciousness space, Ben settled in to handle the endless space negotiations that kept the universe-spanning entity functional. It was time for the real Ben to deal with Ouyana and Enara in person.
"Now then," Ouyana began with space enthusiasm, "shall we move on to the 9,230,000th resolution?"
"Wait just a minute," Ben interrupted, raising his hand to forestall the continuation of their eternal debate cycle.
Both cosmic entities immediately turned their attention to him with expressions of confusion and mild irritation. Enara's void-features shifted into something resembling impatience.
"Why are you interrupting us, Ben?" she demanded. "You know perfectly well that we still have literally millions of proposals that haven't been discussed yet, plus countless others that we've debated but never reached conclusions on."
"I just want to ask why you feel compelled to constantly argue about these motions," Ben said with a shrug, finally voicing a question that had been nagging at him for months.
Ouyana's star-filled face immediately crumpled with space sadness. "Because it's incredibly boring in here," she explained with the tone of someone describing a personal tragedy. "We want to do other things, experience different activities, but if we can't reach unanimous agreement, we can't actually accomplish anything meaningful."
Enara's expression suggested she might have a solution brewing, so she leaned forward with interest. "What exactly are you thinking?"
"In that case," Ben said carefully, "why don't we find something that all three parties would genuinely enjoy doing to pass the time? Like watching movies together, or playing games?"
Ouyana's space features immediately brightened with excitement and anticipation.
"That motion is approved!" she declared enthusiastically. "But what kind of movie should we watch first?"
However, Enara's void-features twisted downward into a space scowl of disapproval.
"Motion rejected," she stated coldly. "I'd much rather play games than waste time watching some mindless entertainment."
Ouyana's face fell again, radiating disappointment that seemed to dim the stars embedded in her features.
"We'll watch a movie first, then play games afterward," Ben decided with the kind of diplomatic firmness that came from managing space egos. Seeing that Enara was about to object again, he quickly added, "Look, we have literally infinite time available to us anyway. It's got to be better than sitting here accomplishing absolutely nothing, right?"
Enara finally relented with obvious reluctance. "Fine. But what movie are we supposed to watch?"
Ouyana immediately perked up with boundless enthusiasm. "I want to watch something romantic and emotionally satisfying! How about 'Roman Holiday' or 'Titanic'?"
Enara's response was swift and devastating. "You want me to waste precious eternity watching bourgeois fantasy and disaster pornography masquerading as 'romance'? One is about a privileged royal wanting to experience common life while using manufactured tears to package herself as some kind of saint sacrificing for love. The other is about a destitute boy somehow winning over a noblewoman in three days, which reads like cheap romance novel drivel. Absolutely disgusting!"
"What about 'Captain America 4'?" Ben suggested hopefully. "I actually haven't seen that one yet."
Enara immediately fixed him with a look of pure space disdain and disgust. "You really are the King of Bad Taste, aren't you?"
Ben felt genuinely offended by that assessment. He was finally beginning to understand that Enara simply enjoyed being contrarian, and if Primus Technologies ever went bankrupt, he should definitely consider sending her to work construction where her argumentative nature might actually be useful.
Though, to be perfectly honest, wasting time on that particular piece of American propaganda would indeed be a criminal misuse of his limited mortal lifespan.
Falcon was currently serving with the Plumbers as a member of the Thunderbolts team, but his presence was practically nonexistent. His signature mechanical wings offered no real advantages compared to the standard-issue gravity gliders that every Plumber agent carried. This was the enhanced, super-soldier version of Sam Wilson, the movie version without any augmentation would have been even more irrelevant.
In the end, Ben simply made an executive decision without giving them room for negotiation, choosing to watch "Ne Zha 2" instead. He was rapidly learning that when dealing with Enara, presenting her with options was a guaranteed way to trigger opposition. Better to just make the choice himself.
Of course, he was also developing ideas about more effective ways to handle both space personalities.
"Would you like some hot chips while we watch?" he asked casually.
Ouyana immediately agreed but her expression grew melancholy. "That sounds wonderful, but we can't actually eat anything because we don't have physical bodies." Her space features drooped with genuine sadness. "I would love to munch on spicy chips while enjoying a movie."
"Absolutely not!" Enara declared with obvious irritation. "Ben, do you seriously expect us to sit here watching you eat while we experience nothing but pity? Don't even think about it!"
"Isn't the solution pretty obvious?" Ben asked with growing excitement. "I suggest we give Ouyana and Enara humanoid bodies that can actually move around and interact with things. What do you think?"
Both cosmic entities paused to consider the proposal, their massive features shifting thoughtfully.
Ben pressed his advantage. "I mean, you're currently stuck existing only as floating faces in this consciousness space. How are you supposed to play games or do anything interesting with just heads?"
For once, Enara's expression showed something other than argumentative hostility. Instead, she looked at Ben with genuine curiosity and perhaps a hint of gratitude.
"Since you put it that way..." she said slowly, "I agree to this proposal."
"Motion passed!" Ouyana declared with space joy.
Instantly, the full power of Alien X manifested throughout the consciousness space. The two enormous faces began to shimmer and condense within spirals of brilliant light, slowly transforming into more manageable humanoid forms.
The first figure emerged wearing an elegant, slightly loose-fitting dress that seemed to flow like captured starlight. Her long black hair was styled in a neat ponytail that hung gracefully in front of her rather impressive chest. She possessed a dignified bearing and a maternal expression that radiated warmth and compassion. Ben couldn't help but notice her generous proportions and mentally confirmed that Ouyana definitely had the kind of nurturing presence that could make someone think of her as a mother figure.
Though he had to admit, her hairstyle seemed oddly familiar and potentially dangerous. Was that some kind of space reference to Superman?
The second figure materialized with stark white twin ponytails and a noticeably flatter figure, wearing what appeared to be a Japanese school uniform. Her expression was naturally cocky and rebellious, obviously representing Enara's contrarian personality in physical form.
It seemed that Ouyana and Enara represented a classic dynamic between a loving maternal figure and a rebellious teenager. No wonder they constantly disagreed about everything, Ben's previous assumption that they were simply argumentative best friends had been completely wrong.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as these realizations settled in.
Enara looked at him with immediate suspicion. "I get the distinct feeling that you're thinking something inappropriate."
Ben quickly shook his head in denial. "I was just wondering what flavor of hot chips would taste best."
Ouyana's face lit up with radiant happiness, her hands clasping together in front of her chest in an almost prayer-like gesture of gratitude.
"I'm so incredibly happy," she said with the kind of joy that suggested she'd just received the greatest gift imaginable.
"They're just chips," Ben pointed out with some bewilderment. "No need to be quite so dramatic about it."
But Ouyana shook her head earnestly, her expression growing more serious and meaningful.
"It's not about the chips themselves," she explained with touching sincerity. "It's because the proposal you made, Ben, it wasn't just about solving your own problems. You actually considered our feelings and experiences too."
Outside the Alien X Consciousness Space
Delegate Ben now wearing the Ultimatrix on his wrist, let out a deep sigh as he took in the situation around him.
"This dimension really is full of complicated politics," he muttered to himself.
But at least the outcome was positive. After transferring job with original Ben, Delegate Ben made his way toward the laboratory where the real work needed to be done.
Shrinking the time-traveling function of the particle collider down to bracelet size wasn't particularly challenging for someone with access to Grey Matter's enhanced intelligence or Brainstorm's superior analytical capabilities. The space-time manipulation device he'd constructed in the DC universe had been far more complex, that had been a tool for crossing between completely separate omniverses, while this project only required opening doorways within the local multiverse cluster.
Given enough time and resources, Tony and Otto could have accomplished the same thing working together.
Meanwhile, Azmuth's AI network was busy tracking the dimensional energy signatures that Morlun had left behind during his escape. Ben Sr. and May were methodically checking their Plumber equipment, making sure everything was calibrated and ready for immediate deployment.
However, before Azmuth could locate any useful clues, another group of individuals decided to make their presence known.
The distinctive hexagonal pattern of a dimensional portal began materializing in the main corridor, causing both Uncle Ben and Aunt May to immediately shift into combat readiness. They'd learned through hard experience that unexpected visitors rarely brought good news.
A tall, heavily built figure slowly emerged from the swirling energy gateway, accompanied by dramatically heroic music that seemed completely inappropriate for the serious situation.
"Whose bright idea was the soundtrack?" May complained with obvious irritation.
"Turn off that ridiculous music!" the newcomer called out in exasperation.
Miguel tapped something on his left wrist, and a cheerful holographic projection of a young woman appeared.
"I thought it added nice dramatic flair to the entrance!" she said with obvious enjoyment of the situation.
The bombastic music finally ceased, and Miguel visibly relaxed, pinching the bridge of his nose to alleviate what appeared to be a persistent headache. Ben Sr. and May could clearly see that the man looked utterly exhausted, as if he'd been dealing with thousands of unruly children for weeks on end.
Which, as it turned out, wasn't too far from the truth.
This was Miguel O'Hara, also known as Spider-Man 2099, a time-displaced Spider-Man from a possible future timeline. In order to protect the integrity of the multiverse and ensure that critical "canon events" in the Spider-Web weren't altered in ways that could cause universal collapse, Miguel had established a Spider-Society headquarters in his futuristic world. Dozens of Spider-People from parallel universes had joined his organization, creating a multiversal police force dedicated to maintaining space stability.
"I've wanted to visit this particular universe for quite some time," Miguel said with a long, weary sigh, "specifically to meet the Spider-Man Prime known as Ben Parker."
Among all the countless Spider-verses that Miguel monitored through his advanced technology, Ben's reality was the only one that had demonstrated complete stability after what should have been catastrophic alterations to the Web of Life and Destiny. The universe hadn't collapsed into chaos, reality hadn't unraveled, and space disasters hadn't manifested despite Ben's repeated interference with supposedly fixed events.
Until recently, when Peter Parker had been captured by interdimensional predators.
Miguel wasn't entirely certain whether this kidnapping represented one of the canon events that he was supposed to protect. Was Peter Parker destined to die in this timeline? The precedent certainly existed, for example, Ghost Spider's universe (Earth-65) had lost its version of Peter Parker entirely, and that reality had remained stable.
But Ben's consistently exceptional performance had given Miguel a different kind of hope. What if Ben really could prevent canon tragedies? What if he could actually break the cycle of suffering that seemed to define the Spider-totem's existence across infinite realities?
Miguel genuinely wanted to discover how this story would end if he actively helped Ben rescue Peter instead of maintaining his usual policy of non-interference.
It was an incredibly dangerous experiment. Miguel had personally witnessed the complete destruction of entire universes caused by his own selfish choices in the past, and he understood better than anyone that he shouldn't take such risks with space stability. But Ben's unique nature made this gamble feel worthwhile.
He'd struggled with the decision for what felt like hours before finally making up his mind to make contact.
Uncle Ben and Aunt May watched as Miguel stood there apparently lost in thought, uncertain what kind of mental calculation he was performing. They didn't sense any hostile intent from him, but they remained vigilant and ready for action.
"Miguel O'Hara," he finally introduced himself, his expression grim and intense as he focused on them. "You can call me Prime."
He paused for a moment, then delivered the words they'd been desperately hoping to hear.
"I know exactly where your nephew is right now."
[Note: To clarify, the original Ben Parker is now residing within the Alien X consciousness space (still possessing his original Omnitrix). The Delegate Ben, who is a consciousness clone created earlier in the story, is now operating in the physical world, equipped with the Ultimatrix. ]