The thing stepped out of the Kree command ship.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Ben stared upward.
His Omnitrix continued to flash red.
Not green.
Not yellow.
Red.
He had seen warnings before.
He had seen the Omnitrix malfunction.
He had even seen it reject transformations.
But this was different.
It was warning him.
Peter landed beside him.
"Ben?"
Ben didn't answer.
Peter followed his gaze.
"What exactly are we looking at?"
Ben swallowed.
"I don't know."
Peter stared at him.
"You always know something."
"Yeah."
Ben kept watching the figure.
"This time I really don't."
Clark descended from the sky and landed nearby.
Carol followed a moment later.
She looked up.
Her face went pale.
"No…"
Ben turned.
"You know it?"
Carol shook her head.
"Not that."
"Then what?"
"I know what the Kree do when they say they're bringing out a weapon."
She looked at the enormous figure.
"They don't bring out soldiers."
Her voice became quieter.
"They bring out something they don't want to fight themselves."
Marcus landed beside them.
"So…"
He looked upward.
"That's bad?"
Eli landed behind him.
"Very bad."
Marcus nodded.
"Great."
Peter looked at him.
"You're surprisingly calm."
"I'm terrified."
"You don't look terrified."
Marcus shrugged.
"I've had a stressful week."
Peter pointed at the sky.
"Alien invasion."
Marcus nodded.
"Exactly."
Peter looked at Ben.
"Your friends are weird."
Ben sighed.
"Unfortunately, yes."
A deep metallic sound echoed across the city.
The figure finally moved.
It stepped away from the command ship.
And began falling.
Not flying.
Falling.
Straight toward Manhattan.
Clark immediately launched upward.
"I'll stop it."
Ben shouted after him.
"Wait!"
Too late.
Clark reached the figure.
He grabbed its arm.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the figure looked at him.
Its eyes glowed red.
Clark's expression changed.
The creature moved its arm.
Clark was thrown backward.
He flew through three buildings before stopping himself.
Peter stared.
"Okay."
Ben's eyes narrowed.
"That shouldn't be possible."
Carol looked at him.
"What?"
"Clark."
She looked confused.
Ben pointed.
"He wasn't even trying."
Carol stared at the distant figure.
"What is it?"
Ben shook his head.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out."
The Omnitrix suddenly displayed another warning.
UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE
ANALYSIS FAILED
Ben's eyes widened.
"Analysis failed?"
Peter looked at him.
"That's bad, right?"
"Very."
The figure landed.
The street cracked beneath its feet.
Cars were pushed aside by the impact.
Dust covered the area.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then it walked forward.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Almost casually.
Ben watched carefully.
It wasn't attacking.
It was searching.
Then its head turned.
Directly toward Ben.
Ben felt his stomach tighten.
The creature had found him.
"Everyone stay behind me."
Ben stepped forward.
Peter immediately protested.
"That's a terrible plan."
"I know."
"Then why are you doing it?"
"Because I need to know what it wants."
Peter sighed.
"Of course you do."
Clark returned.
His suit was torn across one shoulder.
Ben stared.
"You okay?"
Clark nodded.
"I'm fine."
Then he looked at the creature.
"It hit harder than anything I've fought before."
Peter's eyes widened.
Ben didn't say anything.
Clark looked at him.
"You know what it is?"
"No."
"Any idea?"
"No."
Clark frowned.
"That's not comforting."
"I'm not trying to comfort you."
Carol stepped forward.
"Everyone quiet."
The creature had stopped.
It was standing about fifty meters away.
Its armor was dark.
Not black.
Something deeper.
Almost metallic gray.
There were no visible weapons.
No insignia.
No obvious technology.
Just a humanoid shape.
And two glowing red eyes.
Carol slowly raised her hands.
"Who sent you?"
The creature didn't answer.
Instead, a voice came from its armor.
Distorted.
Artificial.
"TARGET IDENTIFIED."
Ben's Omnitrix flashed.
"BEN STUART."
Ben frowned.
"Yeah?"
Peter whispered.
"Maybe don't answer the murder robot."
Ben glanced at him.
"Little late."
The creature continued.
"OMNITRIX DETECTED."
Carol stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The creature ignored her.
"SECONDARY TARGET: CAROL DANVERS."
Carol's expression hardened.
Ben stepped forward.
"No."
The creature's eyes brightened.
"RESISTANCE EXPECTED."
Ben looked at Clark.
"Can you keep it busy?"
Clark nodded.
"I'll try."
Ben looked at Peter.
"Get the others away from here."
Peter shook his head.
"I'm staying."
"Peter."
"No."
Ben stared at him.
Peter stared back.
"I've already left you alone with enough insane things."
Ben sighed.
"Fine."
Marcus stepped forward.
"Us too."
Ben looked at him.
"No."
Marcus pointed at the creature.
"You're out of arguments."
Eli nodded.
"I'm staying."
Ben looked at all of them.
Then he laughed quietly.
"What happened to everyone listening to me?"
Peter smiled.
"You were never that convincing."
Ben shook his head.
"Fine."
He activated the Omnitrix.
"Just don't do anything stupid."
Peter looked at Marcus.
Marcus looked at Eli.
They all said together:
"No promises."
Ben sighed.
"Why did I ask?"
The creature moved.
Fast.
Clark intercepted it.
The impact shook the street.
BOOM!
Clark punched.
The creature blocked.
Clark punched again.
Blocked.
Again.
The creature caught his fist.
Clark's eyes widened.
The creature swung.
Clark flew across the street.
Ben immediately transformed.
Green light covered his body.
He charged forward.
The creature turned.
Ben struck it.
The blow connected.
The creature moved only half a step.
Ben's eyes widened.
"Oh, come on."
The creature grabbed him.
Ben disappeared.
Reappeared behind it.
He kicked.
Nothing.
The creature turned.
Its hand slammed into Ben's chest.
Ben flew backward.
Peter caught him with webbing.
"Got you!"
Ben coughed.
"Thanks."
Peter pulled him onto the roof of a car.
"What was that?"
"Strong."
Peter stared.
"That's your analysis?"
"Currently."
Marcus attacked next.
Red energy exploded from his hands.
A concentrated blast hit the creature directly.
For the first time...
The creature moved backward.
Marcus smiled.
"Yes!"
The creature looked at him.
Marcus's smile disappeared.
"Oh."
The creature raised one hand.
A red beam fired.
Eli moved first.
Blue electricity wrapped around Marcus and pulled him sideways.
The beam missed.
Marcus landed hard.
"You saved me."
Eli nodded.
"You're welcome."
Marcus looked at the crater where he'd been standing.
"I'm going to remember that."
"Good."
Carol attacked from above.
She struck the creature with enough force to send it through a building.
Ben looked at her.
"Nice."
Carol landed.
"Don't sound surprised."
"I wasn't."
"You absolutely were."
"Maybe a little."
The building shook.
Then the creature emerged.
Carol stared.
"No damage."
Ben's expression became serious.
"That's not normal."
Clark landed beside them.
"I agree."
Peter looked at the creature.
"Can we run?"
Everyone looked at him.
"What?"
Peter shrugged.
"I'm just suggesting options."
Ben looked at the sky.
The Kree fleet was still surrounding the city.
The creature wasn't the only problem.
They were running out of time.
Then Ben noticed something.
The creature wasn't attacking randomly.
Every time someone used a different power...
It paused.
Watched.
Adjusted.
Ben's eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
Peter looked at him.
"What?"
"Stop attacking."
Everyone froze.
Marcus stared.
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
The creature stood still.
Ben watched it.
"It's learning."
Clark frowned.
"Learning what?"
"Us."
Ben looked at the creature's armor.
"Every time we attack, it adapts."
Carol's expression changed.
"So the longer we fight…"
"It gets stronger."
Silence.
Peter looked at Ben.
"That is possibly the worst sentence you've ever said."
Ben nodded.
"I know."
The creature suddenly raised its hand.
The air changed.
Ben's Omnitrix flashed.
ENERGY PATTERN MATCH
Ben's eyes widened.
"No."
A beam fired.
Ben jumped.
The beam missed him.
It struck a nearby building.
Nothing happened.
Ben stared.
Then he understood.
"It copied me."
Peter looked confused.
"What?"
Ben pointed.
"That energy."
He looked at his Omnitrix.
"It analyzed my energy output."
Carol stared.
"So it can copy abilities?"
"Maybe."
Clark looked at the creature.
"Then we need to stop it before it learns everything."
Ben nodded.
"Exactly."
He looked at Peter.
"Get civilians away."
Peter nodded.
"Already doing it."
Ben looked at Eli.
"You stay back."
Eli shook his head.
"I can help."
"I know."
Ben placed a hand on his shoulder.
"But this isn't your fight."
Eli looked at him.
"Then whose is it?"
Ben didn't answer.
Eli looked toward the creature.
Then toward the civilians running through the streets.
"I don't want to fight it."
Ben nodded.
"Good."
Eli looked surprised.
"But I can help people."
Ben smiled.
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
Eli flew toward the nearby buildings.
Marcus followed.
"I'll help him."
Ben nodded.
Then looked at Clark and Carol.
"We need to separate it from the city."
Clark nodded.
"I can carry it away."
Carol smiled.
"And I'll make sure it follows."
Ben looked toward the Kree command ship.
"I have another idea."
Peter landed beside him.
"You have that look."
"What look?"
"The one that usually ends with something exploding."
Ben smiled.
"That's unfair."
Peter stared.
Ben sighed.
"Fine."
"It probably will explode."
Inside the Kree command ship...
The commander watched the battle.
The creature's readings were increasing.
"Excellent."
An officer looked at the screen.
"Commander, the weapon is adapting faster than expected."
"Good."
"It has already copied the human's energy pattern."
The commander smiled.
"Then continue."
The officer hesitated.
"Sir…"
"What?"
"There is another problem."
"What?"
The officer enlarged a second screen.
The dimensional energy around New York was increasing.
The commander's smile faded.
"What is that?"
"We don't know."
"Then find out."
The officer swallowed.
"It's coming from the human."
The commander stared.
"Which human?"
The officer looked at the screen.
"Ben Stuart."
Back on the street...
Ben stood alone.
The creature faced him.
Clark and Carol had already moved away, drawing the creature's attention.
Ben looked down at his Omnitrix.
Then at the command ship.
Then at the creature.
A thought crossed his mind.
It was dangerous.
Probably stupid.
Which meant it was probably his best option.
Ben smiled.
"Okay."
He pressed the Omnitrix.
"I've got an idea."
The Omnitrix began glowing.
The creature's eyes brightened.
"ADAPTATION INITIATED."
Ben's smile disappeared.
"What?"
The creature's body began changing.
Its armor shifted.
Its energy signature changed.
And slowly...
Its body began taking the same black-and-green pattern as Ben's adaptive combat form.
Peter stared from the rooftop.
"Ben?"
Ben looked at the creature.
His blood ran cold.
It wasn't copying one of his aliens.
It wasn't copying his Omnitrix.
It was copying him.
The creature raised its hand.
Green energy began forming around its fingers.
Ben slowly stepped backward.
For the first time that night...
He wasn't sure what to do.
Then a voice came through the Omnitrix.
Not the normal system.
Something else.
Something he had never heard before.
"ADAPTIVE COUNTERMEASURE AVAILABLE."
Ben froze.
"What?"
The Omnitrix flashed.
A new option appeared.
UNKNOWN FORM
WARNING: EVOLUTIONARY LIMITS EXCEEDED
Ben stared at the screen.
Peter landed beside him.
"Please tell me that's good."
Ben looked at him.
"I honestly don't know."
The creature charged.
The Omnitrix began counting down.
3
Ben raised his arm.
2
The creature was almost upon him.
1
Ben pressed the symbol.
Green light exploded across Manhattan.
And somewhere inside the Omnitrix...
something woke up.