The scream lasted only three seconds.
Then everything went quiet.
A young man sat on the floor of his apartment, breathing heavily.
His hands were shaking.
The lights above him flickered.
One bulb exploded.
Then another.
He stared at his palms.
A faint blue glow moved beneath his skin.
"What..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
His breathing became faster.
The glow became brighter.
"No."
He grabbed his hands.
"Stop."
Nothing happened.
The lights flickered again.
He looked toward the window.
New York continued moving outside.
Cars.
People.
Sirens.
Everything normal.
But inside the apartment, something had changed.
Something inside him had awakened.
The Next Morning
Ben woke before his alarm.
He stared at the ceiling.
For a few seconds, he didn't move.
Then he remembered the signal.
Eight kilometers.
Biological.
Unstable.
Unknown.
Ben reached for his Omnitrix.
The display appeared.
SECONDARY ANOMALY
STATUS: ACTIVE
LOCATION: LOWER MANHATTAN
Ben frowned.
"Still there."
A knock came at the door.
"Master Ben?"
"Come in."
Alfred entered.
Ben showed him the Omnitrix.
"Any updates?"
"None."
"Project Eclipse?"
"Still monitoring the area."
Ben frowned.
"Are they moving?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I suspect they are waiting."
Ben nodded.
"That's what I'd do."
Alfred looked at him.
"Master Ben."
"Yes?"
"Are you going to investigate?"
Ben hesitated.
"Yes."
"I expected that answer."
"But I'm not going to fight."
Alfred smiled.
"That is an improvement."
Ben looked offended.
"I don't always fight."
Alfred said nothing.
Ben sighed.
"Okay."
Midtown High
Ben arrived at school.
Peter was already there.
He looked exhausted.
Again.
Ben stopped.
"You didn't sleep."
Peter shrugged.
"Not much."
"Spider-Man?"
Peter looked around.
"Keep your voice down."
Ben smiled.
"You're becoming predictable."
Peter frowned.
"Something happened last night."
Ben's expression became serious.
"Tell me."
Peter lowered his voice.
"I was patrolling."
Ben nodded.
"And?"
"I saw an explosion."
"Where?"
"Lower Manhattan."
Ben's eyes narrowed.
"Same area."
Peter noticed.
"You know something."
"I detected an energy signature."
"What kind?"
"I don't know yet."
Peter looked at him.
"Can we investigate?"
Ben shook his head.
"After school."
Peter frowned.
"Why wait?"
"Because we don't know what we're dealing with."
Peter sighed.
"You've become responsible."
"Don't sound disappointed."
"I kind of am."
Science Lab
The teacher announced a practical assignment.
Students were divided into groups.
Ben ended up with Peter and Ned.
Ned looked at the equipment.
"So what are we making?"
"A basic electromagnetic motor," the teacher explained.
Ben immediately understood the entire experiment.
Peter did too.
Ned looked confused.
"I don't get it."
Peter leaned over.
"I'll explain."
Ben watched.
Peter patiently explained the process.
Ned understood.
"Okay."
Ben smiled.
Peter noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"What?"
"You've gotten good at explaining things."
Peter shrugged.
"I've had practice."
Ben nodded.
"That's important."
Peter looked at him.
"What?"
"Knowing something isn't enough."
Ben looked toward the experiment.
"You have to know how to teach it."
Peter smiled.
"Sounds like someone learned something recently."
"Maybe."
After School
Ben and Peter met outside.
Peter was already wearing his backpack.
"So..."
Ben looked at him.
"We investigate."
Peter smiled.
"Finally."
"One condition."
"What?"
"No unnecessary fighting."
Peter looked offended.
"I don't start fights."
Ben stared at him.
Peter sighed.
"Okay. Sometimes."
Ben smiled.
They began walking.
Lower Manhattan
The area around the blackout had returned to normal.
Mostly.
Ben checked the coordinates.
"Here."
Peter looked around.
"Nothing."
Ben activated the Omnitrix.
A faint green scan passed over the street.
ENERGY RESIDUE DETECTED
Ben followed the signal.
It led them toward an apartment building.
Peter looked up.
"That's where it came from?"
"Yes."
They entered.
The elevator was broken.
Peter sighed.
"Stairs."
Ben smiled.
"You're Spider-Man."
"That doesn't mean I enjoy stairs."
They climbed.
The signal became stronger.
Third floor.
Fourth.
Fifth.
They reached the seventh floor.
Ben stopped.
"Apartment 704."
Peter looked at the door.
"Should we knock?"
Ben nodded.
He knocked.
Nothing.
He knocked again.
Still nothing.
Peter activated his spider-sense.
"Something's wrong."
Ben scanned the door.
"Energy behind it."
Peter looked at him.
"Can you open it?"
"Yes."
"Legally?"
Ben paused.
"No."
Peter sighed.
"Of course."
Ben stepped backward.
"Stand back."
Peter moved aside.
Ben gently pushed the door.
The lock broke.
Peter stared.
"You could have just knocked harder."
Ben smiled.
"That was harder."
They entered.
The apartment was dark.
Furniture was scattered across the room.
A television was broken.
The lights were destroyed.
Peter whispered:
"Someone was here."
Ben nodded.
He examined the floor.
Footprints.
Several.
Not one person.
Multiple people.
Ben crouched.
"These are recent."
Peter looked toward the hallway.
"Ben."
Ben turned.
Peter pointed.
A bedroom door was slightly open.
They approached.
Ben pushed it open.
The room was empty.
Except for a small bloodstain on the floor.
Peter's expression changed.
"Someone was hurt."
Ben scanned it.
"Human."
Peter looked at him.
"Alive?"
"I don't know."
Ben's Omnitrix suddenly beeped.
He turned.
The signal was getting stronger.
But it wasn't coming from the apartment.
It was coming from outside.
Ben ran toward the window.
Peter followed.
Ben looked down.
A figure was running through the alley.
Young.
Male.
Dark hoodie.
Blue light glowing around his hands.
Peter looked at Ben.
"That's him."
Ben nodded.
"Let's go."
The Chase
Peter jumped through the window.
Ben followed.
They landed in the alley.
The boy was already running.
Peter shot webbing.
The web missed.
"He's fast!"
Ben activated XLR8.
Green light flashed.
He disappeared.
Peter watched him run ahead.
Ben caught up within seconds.
"Stop!"
The boy turned.
His eyes widened.
He raised his hand.
A blue energy blast struck Ben.
Ben was thrown backward.
He crashed into a wall.
Peter landed beside him.
"You okay?"
Ben stood.
"Yeah."
He looked toward the boy.
"He's scared."
Peter frowned.
"He's attacking us."
"Because he thinks we're after him."
The boy raised his hands again.
Blue energy surrounded his body.
Peter stepped forward.
"Hey!"
The boy shouted:
"Stay away!"
Peter lowered his hands.
"We're not here to hurt you."
"You're lying!"
"I'm not."
The boy's energy became stronger.
Ben stepped forward.
"What's your name?"
The boy hesitated.
"Why?"
"Because I want to talk."
"You work for them!"
Ben frowned.
"Who?"
"The people following me!"
Ben and Peter exchanged looks.
Project Eclipse.
The boy suddenly screamed.
The blue energy exploded.
Ben activated Diamondhead.
A crystal wall formed.
The explosion struck it.
Peter was thrown backward.
Ben held the shield.
"He's losing control!"
Peter got back up.
"Can you stop him?"
Ben shook his head.
"Not without hurting him."
Peter looked at the boy.
"Then we need another option."
Ben thought.
The boy's energy was unstable.
Every blast was increasing the instability.
Ben studied the pattern.
Then he understood.
"He's not generating the energy."
Peter looked at him.
"Then what is he doing?"
"He's absorbing it."
Ben pointed toward the damaged electrical lines.
"The blackout wasn't caused by him."
Peter realized.
"He drained the electricity."
"Exactly."
Ben looked around.
"There."
A transformer was damaged.
The boy was absorbing its remaining energy.
Ben smiled.
"I know what to do."
The Choice
Ben deactivated Diamondhead.
Peter looked at him.
"What are you doing?"
"Trust me."
Ben slowly approached the boy.
The boy raised his hands.
"Don't come closer!"
Ben stopped.
"I'm not going to hurt you."
"You're lying!"
"No."
Ben pointed toward his own chest.
"I know what it's like."
The boy stared at him.
"To be different."
The boy's expression changed.
Ben continued.
"To suddenly have something inside you that you don't understand."
The blue energy around the boy weakened.
Ben took another step.
"You think everyone is going to be afraid of you."
The boy lowered his hands slightly.
"But you're not a monster."
The boy's eyes became wet.
"Then what am I?"
Ben answered honestly.
"I don't know."
The boy looked surprised.
"But we can figure it out."
Peter slowly approached.
"We can help."
The boy looked between them.
"You don't work for them?"
Ben shook his head.
"No."
"Who are you?"
Peter looked at Ben.
Ben smiled.
"That's complicated."
Peter laughed.
"Very."
The boy almost smiled.
Then his knees buckled.
Ben caught him.
The blue energy disappeared.
Peter looked concerned.
"Is he okay?"
Ben scanned him.
"Exhausted."
"Hospital?"
Ben shook his head.
"Too risky."
Peter understood.
"Your place?"
Ben nodded.
The Private Dimension
The boy opened his eyes.
He looked around.
His expression immediately changed.
"What..."
Peter stood nearby.
Ben was checking several monitors.
The boy sat up.
"Where am I?"
Ben turned.
"Somewhere safe."
The boy looked around.
"How?"
Ben smiled.
"Long story."
The boy stared at the enormous library.
"You have a library?"
Ben nodded.
"A big one."
"How big?"
"Very."
The boy looked toward the endless shelves.
"Who are you?"
Ben sat down.
"I'm Ben."
Peter raised a hand.
"Peter."
The boy hesitated.
"I'm..."
He stopped.
Ben waited.
"My name is Eli."
Ben nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Eli."
Eli looked at his hands.
"The blue energy..."
Ben showed him the scan.
"It's still inside you."
Eli became nervous.
"Can you remove it?"
Ben shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Then I'm dangerous."
"No."
Ben looked at him.
"You're inexperienced."
Eli stared.
"There's a difference."
Peter smiled.
"He's right."
Eli looked between them.
"What happens now?"
Ben thought.
"We figure out what happened to you."
"And if I lose control again?"
Ben smiled.
"Then we'll help you."
Eli looked at him.
"Why?"
Ben shrugged.
"Because someone helped me once."
He remembered ROB.
Then his family.
Then Peter.
Then all the people who had become part of this new life.
Ben smiled.
"And because you shouldn't have to figure everything out alone."
Eli looked down.
For the first time since the energy had awakened inside him...
He felt safe.
The Real Problem
Later that night, Ben stood in the laboratory.
Lyra was studying Eli's energy readings.
"It's unusual."
Ben nodded.
"Can you identify it?"
"Partially."
"What is it?"
Lyra looked at the screen.
"Electromagnetic energy."
Ben frowned.
"That's all?"
"No."
She zoomed in.
"There is another component."
Ben leaned closer.
"What?"
"Biological adaptation."
Ben's eyes narrowed.
"He's changing."
"Yes."
"Like the Omnitrix?"
Lyra shook her head.
"No."
"Then what?"
Lyra looked at Ben.
"His body is adapting naturally."
Ben became silent.
That was impossible.
At least...
It should have been.
Then his Omnitrix beeped.
Ben looked down.
A new scan result appeared.
SUBJECT: ELI
BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION: ACTIVE
ENERGY MANIPULATION: DEVELOPING
POTENTIAL: UNKNOWN
Ben stared at the final line.
"Unknown potential."
Lyra nodded.
"Like you."
Ben looked toward the observation room.
Eli was sleeping.
Peter sat nearby.
Ben suddenly understood.
Project Eclipse wasn't monitoring him because of the Omnitrix alone.
They were searching for people like him.
People whose potential didn't fit normal rules.
Ben looked at the data.
"How many?"
Lyra didn't answer.
Ben turned toward her.
"How many people like Eli are there?"
Lyra slowly brought up a map.
Small dots appeared.
One.
Two.
Five.
Then twelve.
Then twenty.
Across the United States.
Ben stared.
"Those are..."
"Other anomalies."
Ben looked at the map.
Some were extremely faint.
Others were growing.
One signal was particularly bright.
Ben zoomed in.
NEW YORK
Another appeared.
CALIFORNIA
Another.
TEXAS
Another.
WASHINGTON
Then the map changed.
A final signal appeared.
Far outside the United States.
Ben stared at it.
INDIA
Peter walked into the room.
"What are you looking at?"
Ben turned the screen toward him.
Peter's expression changed.
"How many are there?"
"We don't know."
Ben looked at the growing list of signals.
"Then we find out."
Peter nodded.
"But slowly."
Ben smiled.
"Slowly."
Peter looked toward Eli.
"And no fighting unless we have to."
Ben laughed.
"You're learning."
"So are you."
Project Eclipse
Dr. Voss stood in front of a massive map.
Twenty-three signals were visible.
But only one had disappeared from their monitoring system.
SUBJECT: ELI
STATUS: LOST
A scientist approached.
"We lost the subject."
Voss didn't react.
"Did you find out who took him?"
"Not yet."
Voss looked at the map.
Then at the signal in New York.
A second signal had appeared beside Eli's.
BEN STUART
Voss smiled.
"So."
He walked toward the screen.
"He's collecting them."
The scientist asked:
"Should we intervene?"
Voss shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
Voss looked at the map.
"Because he's doing exactly what I hoped he would do."
The scientist frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Voss turned.
"Ben Stuart believes he's helping them."
He smiled.
"And that's going to bring every anomaly in this country directly to him."
The screen went dark.
PROJECT ECLIPSE — PHASE TWO
STATUS: ACTIVE
Meanwhile, inside the private dimension, Ben stood beside the sleeping Eli.
Peter stood next to him.
Neither knew that their decision had just changed the direction of the entire story.
Because Ben had stopped looking for threats.
Now...
He was looking for people who needed help.
And somewhere in the shadows, Project Eclipse was waiting for exactly that.