Despite being ambushed and now facing several additional enemies, Brix and Bora showed no signs of panic or concern. Their centuries of experience hunting across the multiverse had taught them to recognize opportunity when it presented itself.
Uncle Ben and Aunt May might appear to be ordinary middle-aged humans, but both Ben and Miguel radiated the unmistakable spiritual resonance of Spider-totems. Their distinctive uniforms clearly marked them as Spider-heroes from alternate universes, making this encounter feel like a stroke of incredible luck.
Fresh takeout delivered directly to their doorstep.
The single Spider-Cyborg they'd been toying with wouldn't have provided enough sustenance for both siblings to share properly. Now they had multiple targets to choose from, with enough left over to package up and bring back to the family fortress for the others to sample.
Both Inheritors extended their razor-sharp claws, the lightning energy in their eyes intensifying until it resembled the kind of overwhelming malevolence that came from consuming raw power. Their presence seemed to warp the air around them, creating an oppressive atmosphere that would have terrified any normal person.
"Ben, go find Peter," Uncle Ben commanded with military authority, showing no trace of fear or hesitation. "May and I will handle these parasites."
The older man's only regret was that Ben hadn't had time to upgrade their standard Plumber uniforms into full Kryptonian combat suits. With that level of protection and firepower, he would have already blown these interdimensional vampires into component atoms.
Multiverse Spider hunters represented a threat far beyond ordinary criminals, they required immediate and overwhelming response.
When Ben remained silent for several moments, Ben Sr. assumed he was worried about their safety against such dangerous opponents. He offered a reassuring smile that carried decades of hard-earned confidence.
"Sometimes you have to trust us," he said with genuine warmth. "Your old man is still every bit as capable as he used to be!"
The statement was both true and somewhat misleading. Neither he nor May showed significant signs of aging anymore, thanks to the remarkable side effects of their enhancement.
The original Super Soldier Serum's anti-aging properties weren't particularly potent under normal circumstances. The reason it worked so dramatically on Ben Sr. and May was that they weren't actually elderly to begin with, both were middle-aged people under fifty who had simply appeared older due to years of overwork, stress, and financial hardship.
After receiving the enhanced serum, their bodies had recovered from decades of accumulated damage and returned to their true prime condition. They were now operating at peak human performance in every measurable category.
Ben nodded with understanding, recognizing the tactical wisdom in their plan. Although they had successfully tracked Brix and Bora to this universe, Peter's exact location remained unknown. With his Plumber communicator destroyed, only the Overkill symbiote in Ben's body might be able to locate Venom through the symbiotic hive network that connected all Klyntar across space and time.
However, Venom's psychic signature felt unusually weak and distorted. The Overkill consciousness had remained uncharacteristically silent, apparently struggling to process whatever information it was receiving.
"He should be somewhere to the north," Overkill finally spoke inside Ben's mind, though his voice carried obvious uncertainty and confusion.
"Can you give me a definitive answer?" Ben demanded with growing frustration. "You're supposed to be the apex symbiote. Why are you so incompetent after just a few days?"
In his irritation, Ben was essentially arguing with himself, since Overkill represented his own consciousness filtered through symbiotic genetics. The two shared identical awareness, but Overkill's mental state had clearly been affected by prolonged exposure to Venom's chaotic thought patterns.
"It's all because of that psychotic Venom!" Overkill exploded with indignation. "Do you have any idea what kind of deranged filth he's polluted the hive network with? The memories he's recorded are absolutely unbearable, it's like stuffing Thanos's consciousness into Vilgax's body and then forcing them to write poetry together! I'm filing for psychological workers' compensation!"
The symbiote's voice grew increasingly agitated as he continued his tirade. "You owe me hazard pay for accessing his memory banks! At least a hundred boxes of hot chips for the trauma I've endured!"
Ben rubbed his temples with exasperation. He remembered that the other symbiotes discovered by H.A.M.M.E.R. had displayed similar reactions when discussing Venom's mental state. The consensus seemed to be that prolonged contact with Deadpool had permanently damaged Venom's sanity.
As Overkill continued cursing and insulting Venom's entire genetic lineage, apparently forgetting that he was technically one of Venom's "descendants", Ben decided to ignore the ongoing mental breakdown and focus on the mission.
He took a running step forward and leaped from the building's edge, preparing to search for Peter in the northern district.
The moment Ben moved, both Inheritors abandoned any pretense of patience. How could they allow their prize to simply fly away? Brix dropped into a predatory crouch and launched himself toward Ben's retreating form like a feral beast, while Bora remained stationary but whipped out several throwing blades with surgical precision, clearly intending to pierce Ben's body and bring him down.
However, before the projectiles could get within fifty meters of Ben, they were instantly vaporized by concentrated energy blasts.
"Don't underestimate your elders," Uncle Ben said with grim satisfaction, adjusting his energy weapon to maximum intensity and switching to continuous fire mode.
Within seconds, a devastating rain of plasma bolts filled the air like a luminous storm. Aunt May wasn't content to remain on the sidelines, she joined the barrage with her own weapon, and together they established complete fire superiority that forced both Inheritors to take cover behind whatever debris they could find.
Brix and Bora were indeed formidable opponents, but their apparent invincibility was largely a product of the Marvel Universe's narrative conventions. The Inheritor family had initially appeared with what amounted to plot armor, they could punch through Wolverine's adamantium skeleton and nearly drain the life force from multiple Captain Americas simultaneously. The sense of overwhelming threat and oppression was definitely real during their first appearances.
In later storylines, however, they became considerably less impressive, reduced to little more than background threats that any competent hero could handle. The most reasonable explanation for this decline was that the totem power they had accumulated over centuries gradually dissipated, reducing their power. When they were eventually resurrected, they returned as essentially blank slates without their previous enhancements.
Of course, anyone familiar with comic book storytelling understood that power levels ultimately served the plot. When the story demanded it, even supposedly invincible cosmic entities like Galactus could be defeated by clever tactics or convenient weaknesses.
At the moment, Bora and Brix were discovering just how frustrating modern Plumber technology could be. They had initially assumed their opponents were merely insignificant supporting characters, but the weapons Uncle Ben and Aunt May wielded delivered genuinely painful damage that demanded respect.
These weren't the relatively primitive energy blasters that most Spider-heroes carried. The Plumber arsenal incorporated technology derived from dozens of advanced civilizations, enhanced with vibranium components and powered by quantum energy cells that could maintain sustained fire for hours.
"They're here looking for Spider-Man," Brix said through gritted teeth as he and his sister dodged the continuous bombardment. "Could they have come from the same universe where Morlun is currently hunting?"
Both siblings were beginning to suspect that the "easy" universe their brother had targeted might not be as defenseless as they'd originally believed.
Fortunately for them, their accumulated totem power reserves hadn't yet been depleted. Facing the relentless energy barrage from Uncle Ben and Aunt May, Brix and Bora made a desperate decision to release years of stored energy.
Instantly, massive amounts of power surged around their bodies, forming protective energy coatings that gleamed with predatory malevolence. With coordinated movements that spoke of centuries of practice, they tore through the dense weapons fire and charged toward Uncle Ben and Aunt May with cheetah-like speed and grace.
Their attack moved with lightning-fast precision, and the energy-enhanced claws on their hands cut through the Plumbers' weapons like heated knives through butter.
Uncle Ben and Aunt May had originally been aiming for their opponents' throats, but Miguel reacted with superhuman reflexes and pulled both elderly heroes back half a step at the crucial moment, causing the killing strikes to miss their vital points by mere inches.
The failure of Spider-sense had minimal impact on Miguel's combat effectiveness. In truth, he possessed very weak precognitive abilities compared to other Spider-heroes, and what little danger detection he did have mostly responded to threats involving his own alternate selves across the multiverse.
His first awareness of the Inheritor family's existence had come when one of his parallel universe counterparts was killed, causing him to suddenly experience splitting headaches and disturbing visions. At the time, he hadn't understood what those symptoms meant.
As Brix and Bora recovered from their failed assassination attempt, both siblings manifested energy blades in their hands and immediately launched follow-up strikes toward Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
The metallic sound of clashing weapons rang through the air as sparks flew and two serrated energy blades shattered into fragments.
Miguel had intercepted the attack with retractable arm-mounted blades, sophisticated weapons built into his costume's gauntlets. The metal was incredibly durable, but he was shocked to discover that the Inheritors' energy weapons had managed to cut through them on first contact.
"Why are you just standing there?!" Miguel shouted with obvious frustration as he tried to keep both enemies at bay with his damaged equipment.
"Sorry! My system is still adapting to the new body configuration," Spider-Cyborg called back apologetically. His consciousness was busy integrating with the liquid nanometal that Ben had injected, learning to control its transformative capabilities.
As he spoke, the cyborg hero leaped into action with renewed purpose. The liquid nanometal flowed across his arms like mercury, reshaping itself in a furnace-like process that condensed his forearms into a pair of curved metal scythes that gleamed with molecular sharpness.
"Amazing! I look like a praying mantis!" he exclaimed with obvious delight at his new configuration. "From today forward, call me Cyborg Spider Mantis Man!"
Despite his enthusiasm about the aesthetic upgrade, his movements were all business. The scythe blades began generating heat through internal friction as he engaged both Inheritors in close combat, the sound of clashing metal creating a continuous percussion symphony.
The liquid nanometal Ben had provided was certainly capable of forming more advanced weapons systems, but Spider-Cyborg's internal power reserves were insufficient to support energy-based attacks. Converting the material into vibranium-enhanced melee weapons allowed him to maximize his effectiveness within existing energy constraints.
Uncle Ben and Aunt May rolled away from the immediate combat zone with professional timing, their enhanced super-soldier reflexes allowing them to move with surprising grace despite their apparent age. Their physical capabilities couldn't match the Inheritors' supernatural power, but advanced Plumber technology more than compensated for the difference.
"Deploy Sonorosian Sonic Rings!" Uncle Ben commanded, reaching toward his utility belt with practiced efficiency.
Two hollow, ring-shaped devices were ejected from his equipment harness, immediately activating their anti-gravity systems and positioning themselves in strategic locations. Aunt May executed an identical maneuver, and within seconds four sonic projection rings had surrounded Brix and Bora from multiple angles.
The next moment, powerful infrasonic waves erupted from all four devices simultaneously, creating an invisible cage of destructive sound that trapped both Inheritors in a localized acoustic hell.
The brother and sister duo suddenly felt like their brains were being repeatedly struck with sledgehammers while their eardrums were pierced with ice picks. They clutched their heads and covered their ears in agony, releasing inhuman screams that sounded like the wails of tormented demons.
The sonic assault was so intense that it shattered Spider-Cyborg's metal weapons, forcing him to quickly retreat as the liquid nanometal reformed into defensive configurations.
"Incredible!" he marveled, staring at the two Inheritors who appeared to be trapped in some kind of auditory nightmare. "Your technology is absolutely amazing!"
"Ben invented it," Aunt May said proudly, dusting herself off as she stood up. When she spoke about her nephew, the pride in her voice was impossible to hide.
The Sonorosian Sonic Ring represented several generations of improvement on Ben's original sonic weapon designs. Not only was it more powerful than the infrasonic cannons built into Harry's Neo-Goblin armor, but its functionality and aesthetic were directly inspired by Ultimate Echo Echo's natural abilities.
Although Ben hadn't yet unlocked the Echo Echo transformation, that hadn't prevented him from reverse-engineering Sonorosian biotechnology and adapting it for human use.
The equipment's name naturally derived from Echo Echo's species designation.
"I have to know, who exactly is this Ben person?" Spider-Cyborg asked with obvious curiosity. "Your nephew isn't Peter Parker?"
"Ben Parker, the black suited Spider-Man who was just here," Miguel explained. Seeing Brix and Bora apparently neutralized, he couldn't help but feel relieved. The battle had proven considerably easier than he'd anticipated.
In his previous encounters, Inheritors had always seemed overwhelmingly powerful, leaving Spider-heroes feeling helpless and outmatched. But with Ben's technology and family backing Peter Parker, the entire dynamic had shifted dramatically.
The most impressive part was that Ben hadn't even needed to participate directly in the combat.
"In their universe, he's Peter's cousin, and your Uncle Ben and Aunt May son" Miguel continued, "and he's currently searching for their missing Peter Parker."
Spider-Cyborg nodded silently, but his emotional processors were flooded with envy and longing. So the Spider-Man in that universe not only had Uncle Ben and Aunt May alive and well, but also possessed a brilliant cousin who could invent miraculous technology and command space resources? He wondered if any of the other Spider-heroes would consider this remotely fair.
Miguel said nothing in response to the cyborg hero's obvious emotional turmoil. He had encountered too many Spider-People with identical psychological wounds, roughly ninety-nine percent of the Spider-Society membership displayed similar patterns of loss and trauma.
Of course, there were no truly dark thoughts involved, only sincere envy mixed with genuine happiness for Ben's universe's Peter Parker.
"At least we're here to change all of this," Miguel said, placing his large hand on Spider-Cyborg's shoulder in a gesture of comfort and solidarity. "If everything really works out as I believe it will, then perhaps the past cannot be altered, but future Spider-heroes will be completely free of the curse that has defined our existence."
Even though he wouldn't personally benefit from such a transformation, Miguel felt no hesitation about supporting Ben's efforts.
"For now, let's capture these two parasites and find out where their base is located."
Uncle Ben reached into his equipment pouch like a technological magician and produced two fingernail-sized devices that he casually threw at Brix and Bora through the sonic barrier. The moment the chips made contact with the Inheritors' skin, both siblings began convulsing as if they'd been struck by high-voltage electricity.
The neural disruptors were sophisticated Plumber technology that could incapacitate even enhanced beings by directly interfering with nervous system function. Aunt May adjusted the power settings to maximum without any trace of hesitation or mercy.
Brix and Bora immediately went limp, their eyes rolling back in their heads as the devices overrode their voluntary motor control.
"You dared to threaten my nephew?" Aunt May said with grim satisfaction. "Well, now I truly control you!"
Meanwhile, using the psychic bond between Overkill and Venom, Ben had successfully located Peter Parker on a rooftop several blocks to the north. The young hero lay sprawled on the concrete like a defeated character from a martial arts anime, clearly unconscious and severely weakened.
He was still wearing his Spider-Man costume, and the Venom symbiote that should have been protecting him had apparently been neutralized by some form of Inheritor attack. The alien was now contracted into his body in a dormant state, leaving Peter vulnerable and powerless.
Symbiotes didn't fall into the category of Spider-totems, which meant the Inheritors' vampiric abilities were theoretically ineffective against them. However, across countless multiverses, numerous Spider-heroes wore symbiotic suits, and the Inheritor family had developed various countermeasures over the centuries.
Removing parasitic entities before feeding was standard protocol for them.
But Venom had proven surprisingly difficult to eliminate entirely.
Ben landed softly beside Peter and immediately lifted the mask from his cousin's head, checking for breathing and vital signs. When he confirmed that Peter was still alive, he released a relieved sigh.
At least there was no need to resort to timeline manipulation for the moment.
Ben placed his hand against Peter's chest and allowed blue electrical arcs to dance across his fingertips. The bioelectric energy manipulation he'd acquired from Miles Morales had unlocked alongside his Feedback transformation, though the powerful electrical alien wasn't necessary for this simple procedure.
After several controlled jolts, Peter's body twitched involuntarily and he slowly began to regain consciousness, his eyes fluttering open to meet Ben's concerned gaze.