"Although two Earths are approaching simultaneously, they may not manifest at exactly the same moment," E.U.N.I.C.E. analyzed, her holographic form displaying complex temporal calculations.
"There might be a temporal offset between the two collision events. This means the original eight-hour buffer window could potentially be extended... or it might remain unchanged."
Despite facing two alternate Earths, they couldn't definitively confirm whether the buffer periods would calculate separately. After all, there was only one sky visible above Wakanda—a single point of dimensional convergence.
"In an even worse scenario," Otto interjected grimly, "the timeframe could actually be shortened by this unprecedented dual manifestation. Two universes competing for the same dimensional space might accelerate the collision mechanics."
This was unfounded speculation—they possessed no empirical data for dual collision events. But they had no choice except to prepare for worst-case scenarios.
"Therefore, we need to divide our forces and operate independently," Peter said, raising his finger to begin counting available personnel.
"Ben, Captain Rogers, Uncle Norman, Harry, Mr. Stark, Mr. T'Challa, Dr. Octavius, E.U.N.I.C.E., Wanda, Pietro, and myself. Good lord, there are only eleven of us total!"
"Twelve!" Shuri said indignantly, her expression suggesting she was contemplating violence.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize..." Peter immediately shut his mouth.
"Nine," Otto corrected firmly. "Three of us won't be deploying to the alternate universes. We need personnel monitoring the situation here."
He gestured with a mechanical arm, circling himself, Norman, and Shuri in the tactical designation.
Calculating precise collision timelines to prevent unexpected complications remained critically important. At crucial moments, they'd be the ones pressing the annihilation weapon activation buttons.
Nine combatants, divided into two teams. Just contemplating the mathematics made Peter feel overwhelming pressure settling across his shoulders.
"We should distribute forces as evenly as possible," Tony said, popping a chocolate energy bar into his mouth—his preferred combat fuel.
"The younger members can form one group—"
"Call me Ben," Ben interrupted flatly.
Tony paused mid-chew. "...what?"
"Not 'younger members.' Just Ben. I'm literally a cosmic-level authority figure."
Stark: ...fair enough.
"Ben will lead one side, and I'll command the other," Tony continued, recovering his momentum. "Every team requires intelligent leadership. E.U.N.I.C.E. and Wanda will both accompany my team."
Seeing everyone staring at him with obvious skepticism, Tony immediately explained defensively: "We need someone who can actually fight! Someone with overwhelming firepower!"
He suffered from severe firepower-insufficiency anxiety—psychological trauma developed during his captivity in Afghanistan. Moreover, he'd been brutally defeated during several recent collision events. If Wanda and Pietro hadn't saved his life during the fifth crisis, he'd probably be dead.
"I'm partnering with Wanda," Pietro announced immediately, his protective instincts regarding his sister overriding all tactical considerations.
"Then I'll go with Ben..." Peter began.
"Peter, you're assigned to Stark's team. Captain Rogers, you're with Ben," Norman interrupted before Peter could complete the sentence.
Seeing confusion ripple through the assembled group, Norman provided explanation: "Since we're genuinely attempting to preserve life in alternate universes rather than simply annihilating them, shouldn't each team contain at least one person with an actual conscience?"
Spider-Man and Captain America clearly represented the few remaining team members who possessed functional moral compasses and genuine compassion for enemy combatants.
But Norman actually harbored additional, unspoken motivations.
He'd noticed something distinctly off about Steve Rogers during their time at the Behemoth Star Ring. Subtle inconsistencies in behavior and speech patterns.
But he'd found no useful evidence during their return journey to Earth.
The Skrulls' shapeshifting capabilities were well-documented—no secret whatsoever. The Wakandan scientists had even prepared specialized genetic testing equipment to detect Skrull infiltrators.
But the device had shown absolutely no response to Steve's biology. No Skrull markers detected.
Yet Norman didn't believe his instincts had been mistaken. He planned to keep "Steve" positioned directly beside Ben—where the most powerful being in their universe could immediately respond if the imposter revealed his true intentions.
Let's see what tricks this infiltrator had prepared.
"Me and Peter," Harry said, winking at both Peter and Pietro with youthful enthusiasm undimmed by apocalyptic circumstances.
"Then I'll accompany Ben," T'Challa concluded, having no strong preferences regarding team assignments.
He genuinely didn't care which universe he was deployed to—the fundamental mission remained identical regardless. And he maintained excellent rapport with Ben, making cooperation straightforward.
However, after glancing at the roster forming on Tony's side, he observed helplessly: "Aren't we somewhat understaffed on our team? The numbers seem severely imbalanced."
Nine total combatants, and Tony's team contained twice as many personnel as Ben's group.
"You already have Ben," Tony said, as though that single fact rendered numerical superiority irrelevant. "That's equivalent to having an entire army."
T'Challa couldn't actually refute that assessment. Ben Parker alone possessed firepower exceeding most planetary defense systems.
"But we need personnel for non-combat operations," T'Challa protested. "We're not traveling to alternate universes purely to wage war. We're attempting evacuation, negotiation, intelligence gathering—"
Ultimately, Tony refused to redistribute forces. But Ben's team gained two additional members through external arrivals.
Felicia and Looma had just returned.
They'd previously fought alongside Ben against the Incursian forces in deep space before being ambushed by the Builders. Fortunately, Attea—who'd intended to use them as hostages for blackmailing Ben—had inadvertently saved their lives by responding to their distress beacon.
After receiving treatment at Plumber medical facilities, both Looma and Felicia had fully recovered consciousness and mobility.
They'd originally planned to warn Ben about the Builder threat, only to discover he'd already completely neutralized those cosmic gardeners during their convalescence.
They hadn't seen Ben in far too long. The moment they'd been cleared for travel, they'd immediately rushed to Earth.
"My dearest Ben! I've missed you so much!" Looma called out the instant she spotted him.
She launched herself forward like a living missile—a four-armed tank moving at sprinter velocity. Her powerful shoulder delivered what she clearly intended as an affectionate greeting directly to Ben's throat!
WHAM!
The two collided shoulder-to-shoulder and elbow-to-elbow, the impact nearly damaging the laboratory's reinforced structure. Shockwaves rippled outward from the point of contact.
"Perhaps you two should take this outside?" Tony suggested in mild panic, eyeing the extremely valuable instruments surrounding them.
Especially the antimatter bombs. If someone accidentally triggered activation during their enthusiastic reunion, everyone in the facility would be instantaneously vaporized.
"Ben, you don't even need to transform anymore! You're already this powerful in base form!" Looma said, genuine astonishment coloring her voice.
She was no longer the warrior she'd been previously—purely relying on muscle and technique. She now possessed access to the Old Power and Mana, dramatically expanding her capabilities.
What she'd just delivered had been a simple affectionate greeting between warriors after prolonged separation—using approximately the same force level she'd employed back on Sakaar. She genuinely hadn't expected Ben to absorb the impact without even transforming.
Though the result made sense when she thought about it.
Ben's Spider-totem powers had been dramatically enhanced.
He now possessed the strength characteristic of top-tier Spider-totems across the multiverse.
People used to describe Spider-Man as a "mini-Hulk," but that comparison had always been somewhat inaccurate—the power scaling didn't truly match.
However, Ben had genuinely reached legitimate mini-Hulk status now. If Dr. Connors in his berserker Dinosaur-Lizard form were still here, Ben could effortlessly pin him down one-handed.
"You've gotten even stronger! I desperately want to fight you at full intensity!" Looma clasped her four hands together, her posture resembling a delicate, bashful young woman.
But the words emerging from her mouth were absolutely chilling: "I want to wrap my arm around your throat and execute a proper Tetramand chokehold! Or deliver a devastating elbow strike directly to your skull!"
Tony glanced at Looma's forearm—which was approximately as thick as his entire thigh—and thought grimly: Even Banner in Hulk form would struggle to withstand that elbow strike.
Even Ben himself found keeping pace with Looma's combat enthusiasm challenging.
He turned to embrace Felicia, who appeared far more conventionally delicate. "Next time, Looma. There will definitely be another opportunity for sparring."
Felicia, with her distinctive blonde hair and elegant features, looked almost fragile compared to Looma's imposing physicality.
She hugged Ben tightly, her small nose wrinkling as she greedily inhaled his scent—clearly having missed him desperately during their separation.
Her soft lips moved close to Ben's ear, whispering words only he could hear: "Ben, how about we play together tonight? All three of us? I've already tried with Mary Jane, but I haven't experimented with Looma yet..."
Ben's brain momentarily short-circuited. What?!
"Or perhaps E.U.N.I.C.E. and Wanda are available too?" Felicia continued, her tone suggesting she was discussing perfectly normal recreational activities. "Let's include them and attempt a five-person configuration! The geometric possibilities alone—"
What kind of absolutely inappropriate conversation is this?!
Felicia possessed the courage to say such things aloud, but Ben absolutely didn't possess the courage to seriously listen to them.
Is this even okay? Is this legal? Should I be concerned about structural integrity?
"What's wrong with exploring physical compatibility?" Felicia asked, though her expression suddenly shifted to genuine fear. "Just promise you won't transform into Four Arms to... participate. Please."
She'd witnessed that particular anatomical configuration once out of pure curiosity while experimenting with Mary Jane. Even an elephant might not survive such an encounter, much less a human woman.
The memory still gave her nightmares.
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