The Cancerverse Earth
The twisted monstrosity collapsed with a wet, meaty sound that echoed across the devastated landscape.
Its body—if the writhing mass of corrupted flesh could be called a body—sprawled across cratered ground like a beached whale made of nightmares. Tentacles thick as tree trunks spasmed and twitched, each one covered in putrid tumors that pulsed with sickly bioluminescence. The growths resembled diseased organs wrapped in translucent skin, revealing glimpses of things that shouldn't exist inside living tissue.
The stench was overwhelming. Rotting meat mixed with chemical corruption, sweet and foul simultaneously.
"Disgusting thing!" Mad Ben uncrossed his massive forearms, the jagged fin on his head still crackling with residual cosmic energy.
He'd transformed into Way Big—but not the sleek, heroic version from standard realities. This Way Big towered nearly a hundred meters tall, a titan of rusted orange and obsidian black. His skin looked less like organic material and more like weathered armor plating, bolted together by sheer rage. Sharp, metallic spikes protruded from his shoulder blades and elbows, and the signature fin on his head was serrated, looking more like a broken crown than a superhero's crest.
The aesthetic matched his personality perfectly: violent, aggressive, uncompromising.
"Still wriggling around like a worm," Bad Ben observed from a safe distance—which, given Way Big's size, was a significant way off. His tone dripped with mockery. "Guess you're no match for it either, big guy."
He hadn't bothered transforming for this encounter. Instead, he stood in his human form—a teenager wearing a white hoodie with green accents, hands casually stuffed in his pockets. His expression carried permanent smugness, like he knew secrets nobody else did.
While mocking Mad Ben, Bad Ben was also analyzing the situation with calculating precision.
"Even Way Big Cosmic Ray couldn't kill it permanently," he mused aloud. "This universe is truly bizarre. Creatures at this power level shouldn't possess such tenacious vitality. It's as if they're completely immortal."
Mad Ben's head snapped down toward him, his massive orange eyes blazing with fury.
"Shut up, you worthless trash!"
Without hesitation, he raised both massive arms and unleashed a concentrated cosmic ray that engulfed both Bad Ben and the cancer creature in a sphere of destructive energy.
BOOM!!!
The explosion carved a crater hundreds of meters in diameter, the shockwave flattening everything within a kilometer radius. The blast sphere glowed white-hot, temperature approaching stellar levels. Cosmic radiation that would have sterilized a normal planet poured from Mad Ben's attack like water from a broken dam.
But Bad Ben had already vanished.
He reappeared several kilometers away in a blur of motion, having transformed into XLR8 the instant Mad Ben's attack began. The blue-and-black Kineceleran form stood on a distant hillside, mask reflecting the distant explosion.
"Predictable," Bad Ben muttered, reverting to human form.
As a fellow Omnitrix wielder, he wasn't afraid of Mad Ben. The muscle-brained idiot might hit harder, but Benjamin was faster, smarter, and infinitely more patient.
The flames of the massive explosion gradually subsided, revealing the devastation beneath.
At the center of a crater that looked like a meteor impact site, the monster's shattered remains continued moving. Tumor fragments writhed like individual organisms, slowly crawling toward the center of the blast zone. They gathered with disturbing purpose, clearly attempting to reassemble into their original form.
Watching this impossible regeneration, Mad Ben's fury intensified.
"Fine!" he roared. "Wait until I blow this entire planet up! Then let's see if you can still regenerate from cosmic debris!"
"Hold on a moment." Bad Ben's voice spoke directly into Mad Ben's ear.
The cunning variant had somehow teleported onto Humungousaur's massive shoulder without being noticed, crouching beside the dinosaur's head like a parasite.
"I have a better idea," Bad Ben said conversationally.
"I think it's probably a terrible idea!" Mad Ben sneered, but he paused his planet-destroying tantrum, curious despite himself.
If Bad Ben's plan could torment their opponents more effectively than simple annihilation, he was willing to listen. Mad Ben enjoyed causing suffering almost as much as he enjoyed violence.
"There's definitely something fundamentally wrong with this universe," Bad Ben explained, pulling out a sealed container. "These creatures seem genuinely immortal. Not just hard to kill—actually incapable of dying."
Inside the transparent container, flesh samples from the cancer monster still moved like living things, tentacles no larger than earthworms squirming against the containment field.
"Super gross! Get that away from me!" Mad Ben recoiled instinctively.
Bad Ben ignored the complaint, holding the sample up to examine it more closely.
"Look at the cellular structure. It resembles cancer cells—uncontrolled division, no programmed cell death, infinite reproduction. That monster is probably a product of cancer cell mutation taken to its logical extreme."
"Cancer cells can divide infinitely," Mad Ben said, surprising Bad Ben with actual knowledge. "But they shouldn't grant immortality. They just grow until they kill the host."
"Exactly why I said 'mutation,'" Bad Ben replied with a sly grin. "There must be some other special factor at work here. Some reason why these things can't actually die, even when completely destroyed."
"Boring!" Mad Ben deactivated his Way Big transformation abruptly, deliberately dropping Bad Ben off his shoulder.
The monstrous flesh was thoroughly pulverized. Even with regeneration, rebuilding from such complete destruction would take considerable time.
"You're too arrogant," Bad Ben said, instantly switching to his Jetray form to land gracefully several meters away.
The red manta-ray alien touched down without a sound, reverting to human form immediately.
"You won't improve if you keep analyzing problems with outdated perspectives," he lectured, adopting a condescending tone that he knew would irritate Mad Ben.
"After arriving in these alternate universes, you should have noticed the fundamental differences. The various miraculous and powerful forces here surpass most of the alien transformations in our Omnitrixes. If we don't make proper preparations and gather intelligence, we might suffer crushing defeats."
Bad Ben's expression turned serious.
"And Maltruant and Vilgax won't be pleased if we fail the mission."
Mad Ben immediately grabbed Bad Ben's collar, yanking him forward with enough force to lift him off his feet. Their faces were centimeters apart, Mad Ben's breath hot with rage.
"You saying I'll lose?!" he demanded, shoving Bad Ben backward.
"You think you can win?" Bad Ben retorted calmly, straightening his hoodie.
"Don't forget—our Omnitrixes haven't unlocked the Celestialsapien transformations yet. We can't access Alien X."
That sobering reminder hung in the air between them.
Their watches didn't contain the full catalog of transformations. Generally speaking, Way Big and Gravattack represented the pinnacle of their available power. Impressive by most standards, capable of destroying planets and manipulating cosmic forces.
But nothing compared to the enemy they were preparing to face.
"That lazy Ben, Pale Prince has confirmed it," Bad Ben continued. "The power sealing Ben Parker's universe comes from Celestialsapiens—plural. Multiple Alien X-level entities working in concert. We're completely outmatched against enemies at that tier."
"So what do you want?" Mad Ben asked, arms crossed, muscles still tense with barely restrained violence.
Bad Ben's expression shifted to cunning satisfaction.
"We find a way to understand what's happening in this universe. Learn its secrets. Exploit its unique properties."
He gestured at the still-regenerating monster.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Just like how we despise each other, but we can still unite to deal with those self-righteous, hypocritical Ben Tennysons who think they're heroes."
Bad Ben's grin widened.
"Since only one Earth can survive a collision crisis, the superheroes of this universe are naturally enemies of Ben Parker's Earth. Let's recruit them. Use them. Turn their power against our target."
Mad Ben studied him for a long moment, then barked a harsh laugh.
"You're a sneaky little bastard," he said, but there was approval in his tone.
Without hesitation, he agreed: "Fine. We'll do it your way."
Mad Ben wasn't stupid, just impatient. He preferred straightforward violence, but he wasn't rigidly bound to heroic principles. If the mission required manipulation and deception, he could handle it. As long as enemies died screaming at the end, the method didn't matter.
The two variants immediately crossed space using their Omnitrixes' transportation functions, arriving on Earth in this corrupted universe.
The planet looked wrong at first glance.
The sky carried a faintly purple tint, like the atmosphere itself was diseased. Buildings stood intact but covered in organic growths—tumors and flesh-like protrusions that seemed to breathe. People walked the streets looking superficially normal, but their skin carried the same purple discoloration, and their eyes glowed with unnatural vitality.
They were greeted by the rulers of this reality: the Revengers.
Their leader was Mar-Vell—the original Captain Marvel.
Or perhaps Lord Mar-Vell would be more appropriate now.
He'd originally been a member of the white-skinned Kree minority, one of the few whose appearance closely resembled baseline humans. Tall, classically handsome, with strong features and noble bearing.
But cancer had transformed him into something else entirely.
His skin had turned deep purple, the color of bruised flesh or infected blood. Tumors covered his face like grotesque jewelry, pulsing with bioluminescent energy. His eyes glowed with cosmic power, but the light carried a sickly quality—vitality without life, energy without health.
He wore his classic red-and-blue uniform, but the fabric seemed to have fused with his flesh in places, creating a disturbing hybrid of costume and living tissue.
When Mad Ben and Bad Ben materialized before him, Mar-Vell's expression shifted to surprise, then excitement.
"Visitors from another universe!" he exclaimed, his voice carrying messianic fervor. "Collision Crisis? Another reality approaching ours"
He stepped forward, cosmic energy crackling around his form.
"You're saying I can eliminate death again? Bring true immortality to more universes? Expand the gift I've given to my own reality?"
"Eliminate death?" Bad Ben asked, confused but intensely interested.
This was exactly the kind of intelligence he'd been hoping to gather.
"So you know how to achieve genuine immortality? How to make it permanent?"
"Of course." Mar-Vell raised his head proudly, tumors pulsing with each word.
"We've eliminated the very concept of death itself. The abstract entity, the cosmic force, the fundamental law that all things must end—we destroyed it completely. In our universe, all life is truly, genuinely, eternally immortal!"
His expression turned zealous.
"Nothing dies here. Nothing can die. We've achieved what gods could only dream of—we've conquered mortality itself and transcended the tyranny of the ending."
"As for the universe you mentioned," Mar-Vell continued eagerly, "when will the Collision Crisis begin? When can I bring my gift to these new souls trapped in death's shadow?"
"About a month from now," Bad Ben said, watching Mar-Vell's reaction carefully.
"Too long!" Mar-Vell shook his head, frustration evident.
His voice rang in both variants' minds—telepathy or cosmic awareness allowing direct mental communication.
"I want to go to their universe immediately! Eliminate all death from their reality! Free them from mortality's chains before the collision even occurs!"
"It's not that simple," Bad Ben said carefully. "That universe isn't something you can just enter at will. It's sealed by Celestialsapien barriers that prevent dimensional travel."
"You underestimate us." Mar-Vell's smile carried disturbing confidence, revealing teeth that glowed with the same purple luminescence as his tumors.
"The collision of two universes creates fundamental stress on dimensional boundaries. Even before the actual impact, 'fault lines' develop—microscopic tears in the fabric of reality where the barriers weaken."
He gestured, and holographic images appeared showing the cosmological mechanics.
"Through these cracks, we can enter the approaching universe ahead of schedule. Establish a foothold. Begin spreading immortality before they even know we're coming."
Mad Ben and Bad Ben's eyes lit up simultaneously.
Perfect. This was exactly what they needed.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Bad Ben asked. "By the way..."
He paused, calculating.
"I want to know—can we also obtain your immortality? Can you extend the same gift to us?"
"That will probably have to wait until I kill the Death entity in your universe," Mar-Vell said thoughtfully. "Each reality has its own abstract embodiment of mortality. I must destroy it before anyone from that universe can achieve true deathlessness."
He seemed genuinely pleased that someone volunteered to join his crusade.
"But whether you can receive the gift isn't entirely up to me. It requires cosmic recalibration, fundamental restructuring of—"
"It's not that complicated," Bad Ben interrupted with a predatory grin.
He pulled out a collection device.
"I only need a few of your cells. A tissue sample. Nothing more."
Mar-Vell blinked in surprise, then laughed—a wet, bubbling sound.
"Clever! Yes, of course. The immortality is biological now, written into our very DNA. Take whatever samples you need."
Bad Ben collected several vials of purple-tinged tissue, sealing them in specialized containers.
"Hey, muscle-head!" he called to Mad Ben. "It's your turn! Come get your immortality upgrade!"
But Mad Ben took a deliberate step backward, his expression twisted with disgust.
"I don't need that garbage," he said contemptuously. "It's polluting. I'm not contaminating my Omnitrix with cancer cells, no matter how 'immortal' they make me."
Bad Ben shrugged, unconcerned.
"Do as you please. Don't blame me when you get destroyed by Ben Parker while I survive indefinitely."
"I'll destroy him before that becomes an issue," Mad Ben growled.