The holographic map remained suspended above the laboratory.
Twenty-three signals.
Twenty-three unknown people.
Twenty-three stories that Ben knew almost nothing about.
Peter stared at the map.
"So where do we start?"
Ben leaned back in his chair.
"New York."
Peter raised an eyebrow.
"Because it's closest?"
"No."
Ben pointed at the map.
"Because it's the one place where we already have someone we trust."
Peter looked toward the observation room.
"Eli."
Ben nodded.
"We need to understand what happened to him before we start looking for everyone else."
Peter crossed his arms.
"Fair."
Ben turned toward the holographic interface.
"Lyra, bring up everything we know about Eli."
The librarian appeared beside them.
"Displaying available information."
A profile appeared.
SUBJECT: ELI
AGE: UNKNOWN
BIOLOGICAL STATUS: HUMAN
ENERGY TYPE: ELECTROMAGNETIC
ABSORPTION: ACTIVE
TRANSFER: ACTIVE
CELLULAR ADAPTATION: 5.1%
CONTROL: 12%
POTENTIAL: UNKNOWN
Peter stared at the screen.
"Unknown again."
Ben nodded.
"That's the problem."
"What?"
"Every system I've used to analyze him eventually reaches the same conclusion."
Ben tapped the screen.
"Unknown potential."
Peter looked at him.
"Why is that such a big deal?"
"Because the Omnitrix doesn't usually say that."
Peter frowned.
"And?"
Ben smiled slightly.
"It means I can't predict what he'll become."
Peter's expression became serious.
"Could he become dangerous?"
"Yes."
Peter waited.
"But..."
Ben looked through the glass at Eli.
"So could I."
Peter smiled.
"Fair point."
Training Eli
Eli stood inside the training chamber.
He looked around nervously.
"Are you sure this is safe?"
Ben stood several meters away.
"No."
Eli's eyes widened.
Ben laughed.
"I'm joking."
Peter shook his head.
"Your jokes are terrible."
"I thought it was funny."
"It wasn't."
Eli smiled.
For the first time, he looked comfortable.
Ben activated the training system.
A small drone appeared.
"Your first exercise is simple."
Eli looked at the drone.
"What do I do?"
"Stop it."
The drone fired a small electrical pulse.
Eli raised his hand instinctively.
The energy entered his body.
The blue glow appeared.
Ben watched the readings.
ABSORPTION: STABLE
"Good."
Another pulse.
Eli absorbed it.
Then another.
Then five.
The blue energy around his hands became brighter.
Peter looked at the monitor.
"He's getting stronger."
Ben nodded.
"He's also getting overloaded."
Eli suddenly dropped to one knee.
"Too much."
Ben immediately shut down the drones.
"Stop."
The energy disappeared.
Eli breathed heavily.
Peter ran toward him.
"You okay?"
Eli nodded.
"Yeah."
Ben crouched beside him.
"That's enough for today."
"But I can keep going."
"No."
Eli looked frustrated.
"I need to learn."
"You will."
Ben placed a hand on his shoulder.
"But learning doesn't mean destroying yourself."
Eli looked at him.
"How long did it take you?"
Ben smiled.
"Years."
Eli's eyes widened.
"Years?"
"Inside my training dimension."
Peter laughed.
"Don't ask how long that actually was."
Eli looked confused.
Ben smiled.
"Time is complicated here."
The First Rule
Later, the three sat in the library.
Ben placed a tablet on the table.
"I want to establish some rules."
Peter raised his hand.
"Do we get snacks?"
"No."
"Then I'm leaving."
Ben laughed.
"Fine. Rule one: nobody uses their abilities in public unless absolutely necessary."
Eli nodded.
"Okay."
"Rule two: if you lose control, you tell us."
"Okay."
"Rule three: nobody goes after Project Eclipse alone."
Peter looked at Ben.
"That includes you."
Ben paused.
Peter raised an eyebrow.
"Right?"
Ben sighed.
"Fine."
"Good."
Ben continued.
"Rule four: we're not a superhero team."
Eli looked surprised.
"Then what are we?"
Ben thought for a moment.
"People helping people."
Peter smiled.
"I like that."
Ben nodded.
"That's all this is."
He looked at Eli.
"You don't owe us anything."
Eli stared at the tablet.
"What if I want to help?"
"Then you can."
Ben smiled.
"But it's your choice."
Eli nodded.
"Okay."
Midtown High
The next morning was surprisingly normal.
Ben sat in class.
Peter sat beside him.
Ned sat in front.
The teacher wrote an equation on the board.
Ben solved it almost instantly.
Peter noticed.
He whispered:
"You're not even trying."
Ben whispered back:
"I'm trying not to try."
Peter laughed.
The teacher turned around.
"Something funny, Mr. Parker?"
Peter immediately became serious.
"No, sir."
Ben looked down.
Peter whispered:
"That was your fault."
Ben smiled.
"I said nothing."
After class, Ned caught up with them.
"You guys are acting weird."
Peter froze.
Ben looked at him.
"We're always weird."
"No."
Ned pointed at Peter.
"Peter is weird."
Peter looked offended.
"Thanks."
"And you're..."
Ned looked at Ben.
"Too calm."
Ben raised an eyebrow.
"Is that a crime?"
"No."
Ned thought.
"But it's suspicious."
Peter laughed.
Ned walked away.
Ben looked at Peter.
"He's getting closer."
Peter sighed.
"I know."
The Signal
That afternoon, Ben's Omnitrix vibrated.
He stopped walking.
Peter noticed immediately.
"What?"
Ben checked the device.
A red warning appeared.
ANOMALY SIGNAL DETECTED
LOCATION: BROOKLYN
Peter looked around.
"Another one?"
Ben nodded.
"Very close."
"Threat level?"
Ben scanned it.
His expression changed.
"High."
Peter immediately became serious.
"How high?"
Ben looked at the reading.
"Extremely high."
The signal suddenly disappeared.
Peter stared.
"Again?"
Ben shook his head.
"No."
He looked at the screen.
"It moved."
"How fast?"
Ben checked.
His eyes widened.
"Very."
Brooklyn
Ben and Peter arrived in Brooklyn after school.
Ben wore normal clothes.
Peter wore his Spider-Man suit beneath his jacket.
The streets looked normal.
Cars moved.
People walked.
Nothing seemed unusual.
Ben activated the Omnitrix.
The scanner swept across the area.
Nothing.
Peter looked around.
"Maybe the signal moved again."
Ben nodded.
Then he heard something.
A low vibration.
BOOM.
The street shook.
People screamed.
A car flipped.
Peter immediately moved.
"Spider-Man!"
He fired webbing and caught the car before it hit a building.
Ben ran toward the source.
Another explosion.
A figure emerged from the smoke.
A man.
Maybe twenty years old.
Energy surrounded his body.
But unlike Eli's blue energy...
This was red.
Ben stopped.
The Omnitrix began beeping.
ENERGY CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN
THREAT LEVEL: HIGH
The man screamed.
The red energy exploded outward.
Ben activated Diamondhead.
A crystal barrier formed.
The blast hit it.
The entire street shook.
Peter landed beside Ben.
"That's not normal."
"No."
Ben looked at the man.
"He's losing control."
Peter pointed.
"Then we help him."
Ben nodded.
"Exactly."
The Second Anomaly
The man screamed again.
"I can't stop it!"
Ben heard him.
"Peter!"
"I've got civilians!"
Peter moved.
Ben stepped forward.
The man raised his hands.
"Stay away!"
"I'm not here to hurt you."
"Everyone says that!"
Red energy gathered around him.
Ben deactivated Diamondhead.
"Listen to me."
The man stared at him.
"I know what you're going through."
"No, you don't!"
"You're right."
Ben stopped several meters away.
"I don't."
The man hesitated.
"But I know what it feels like when your own power scares you."
The red energy weakened slightly.
Ben continued.
"You think you're going to hurt everyone."
The man looked around.
People were running.
His eyes filled with fear.
"I already did."
Ben looked at the damaged street.
"Then help me stop it."
"How?"
"Trust me."
The man hesitated.
Then nodded.
Ben activated the Omnitrix scanner.
ENERGY ABSORPTION: NEGATIVE
ENERGY GENERATION: ACTIVE
BIOLOGICAL ADAPTATION: ACTIVE
Ben's eyes widened.
"You're generating the energy."
The man looked confused.
"What?"
"You're not absorbing it like Eli."
Ben studied the readings.
"Your body is producing it."
The man stared at his hands.
"Can you stop it?"
Ben thought.
"Maybe."
The Omnitrix beeped.
A new message appeared.
ENERGY PATTERN COMPATIBLE
Ben stared.
Compatible?
With what?
Before he could investigate—
A red beam struck the street.
Ben jumped aside.
Peter shouted:
"Ben!"
Ben looked toward the rooftop.
Three black-armored figures stood there.
Project Eclipse.
One raised a weapon.
"SUBJECT CONFIRMED."
Another spoke.
"SECONDARY TARGET IDENTIFIED."
Peter looked at Ben.
"They're here for him."
Ben nodded.
"And us."
The First Fight Together
The soldiers jumped from the rooftop.
Peter immediately fired webbing.
One soldier was pulled backward.
Ben activated Four Arms.
Green light exploded around him.
Four Arms grabbed another soldier and slammed him into the pavement.
The third fired.
Ben blocked the attack.
"Peter!"
Peter kicked the weapon away.
"Got it!"
The red-energy man stared.
"What are you doing?"
Ben looked at him.
"Buying you time."
"I can't control it!"
"Then learn!"
Ben pointed toward the empty street.
"Focus!"
The man closed his eyes.
The red energy around his body intensified.
Ben continued fighting.
Four Arms grabbed another soldier.
The armor cracked.
But the soldier stood again.
Ben frowned.
"Enhanced armor."
Peter landed beside him.
"How many?"
"Three."
Peter looked around.
"Only three?"
Ben smiled.
"That's what they want us to think."
A dozen red lights appeared on nearby rooftops.
Peter stared.
"Oh."
Ben laughed.
"Now we're in trouble."
Adaptive Combat Mode
Ben slammed the Omnitrix.
The device activated.
ADAPTIVE COMBAT MODE
Green energy surrounded him.
His body transformed.
Black metallic armor formed over his skin.
Green lines appeared across his body.
His eyes glowed.
Peter stared.
"You've gotten faster."
Ben looked at his hands.
The system displayed:
STABILITY: 76%
Ben smiled.
"Only slightly."
Peter shook his head.
"That's terrifying."
Ben disappeared.
He moved through the battlefield.
One soldier.
Two.
Three.
Weapons shattered.
Armor broke.
Within seconds, the rooftop soldiers were disarmed.
Ben stopped.
The remaining agents hesitated.
Ben looked at them.
"Go."
One agent raised his weapon.
Ben's eyes glowed.
"That's your warning."
The agent fired.
Ben caught the projectile.
The street became silent.
Then Ben crushed it.
The agents retreated.
Peter stared.
"You let them go?"
Ben nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I want to know where they report."
Peter smiled.
"Smart."
Ben looked toward the red-energy man.
The man was still struggling.
"Not done yet."
Control
The red energy was becoming stronger.
Ben approached slowly.
"Listen to me."
The man struggled to breathe.
"I can't!"
"Yes, you can."
"I'll hurt someone!"
"No."
Ben looked directly at him.
"You're controlling it."
The man shook his head.
"It's controlling me."
Ben shook his head.
"Then stop fighting it."
The man looked confused.
"What?"
"You're treating the energy like an enemy."
Ben pointed toward his chest.
"It's part of you."
The man closed his eyes.
Ben continued.
"Don't force it away."
"Then what?"
"Understand it."
The man took a deep breath.
The energy began to stabilize.
The red glow became smaller.
Smaller.
Smaller.
Until it surrounded only his hands.
Silence.
The man opened his eyes.
He stared at his hands.
"It's gone."
Ben smiled.
"No."
The man looked at him.
"You just learned how to control it."
Peter walked over.
"Nice work."
The man looked at them.
"Who are you?"
Peter looked at Ben.
Ben smiled.
"We're still figuring that out."
Another Name
The man introduced himself.
"Marcus."
Ben nodded.
"How long have you had these powers?"
"Three days."
Peter looked surprised.
"Three days?"
Marcus nodded.
"It started after I touched something."
Ben's expression changed.
"What?"
Marcus looked nervous.
"I don't know."
"Where?"
"A laboratory."
Ben froze.
"What laboratory?"
Marcus gave him an address.
Ben immediately recognized it.
Aegis Dynamics.
Peter noticed.
"That's Voss."
Ben nodded.
Marcus looked confused.
"Who?"
Ben looked at him.
"Someone who knows more about you than you think."
Marcus became nervous.
"What does that mean?"
Ben looked at Peter.
"Project Eclipse."
Marcus stared.
"The people who attacked me?"
"Yes."
Marcus looked at his hands.
"They were watching me."
Ben nodded.
"And they were watching Eli."
Marcus looked confused.
"Eli?"
Ben smiled.
"We have someone who can explain."
Two Anomalies
Back inside the private dimension, Marcus stared at Eli.
Eli stared back.
"So..."
Eli pointed at Marcus.
"He's like me?"
"Not exactly," Ben said.
Marcus looked at Eli's blue energy.
"I absorb energy."
Marcus raised his hand.
Red energy appeared.
"I create it."
Ben nodded.
"Different abilities."
Eli smiled.
"So we're both weird."
Marcus laughed.
"Apparently."
Peter entered.
"You're not weird."
Both looked at him.
Peter shrugged.
"Okay, you're weird."
Ben laughed.
Eli smiled.
Marcus relaxed.
For the first time, the three of them stood together.
Not as weapons.
Not as experiments.
Not as subjects.
Just three people who had been given something they never asked for.
Ben looked at them.
"We'll figure this out."
Marcus nodded.
Eli nodded.
Peter smiled.
Then the Omnitrix beeped.
Ben looked down.
A new message appeared.
ANOMALY NETWORK UPDATED
ACTIVE SUBJECTS: 2
NEW SIGNALS DETECTED: 21
Ben stared.
Peter looked over his shoulder.
"Twenty-one."
Ben nodded.
"And Project Eclipse knows where we are."
The room became quiet.
Then Lyra appeared.
"Ben."
He turned.
"What?"
Her expression was unusually serious.
"The dimensional core is active."
Ben's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
Lyra looked at the holographic map.
A new location had appeared.
Not New York.
Not India.
Not anywhere on Earth.
It was somewhere outside the planet.
A coordinate.
A designation.
LOW EARTH ORBIT
Ben stared at it.
Peter slowly looked at him.
"What is that?"
Ben didn't answer.
The Omnitrix displayed one final message.
UNKNOWN OBJECT DETECTED
ORIGIN: EXTRATERRESTRIAL
STATUS: APPROACHING EARTH
Ben looked toward the enormous library.
Then toward the dimensional core.
His expression became serious.
Because for the first time...
Project Eclipse wasn't the only mystery coming toward them.
Something from beyond Earth had just entered the game.