Franklin POV
3 days later
I was just in my room doing homework. I'd gotten out of school not too long ago. Honestly, it had been a pretty normal couple of days, a little hero work, some regular life stuff, and my magic training was going great.
Then, out of nowhere, a blue portal opened right in the middle of my room.
I immediately stood up, ready for anything.
A man stepped out, white lab coat, goggles hanging around his neck, and a metal gauntlet on his right arm.
I recognized him instantly.
Professor Paradox.
"I'm in," I said without hesitation.
He didn't even look surprised. In fact, he smiled.
"He told me you'd say that. But at least let me explain first," Professor Paradox said.
"He?" I raised an eyebrow.
"My name is Professor Paradox, and I'm in need of your help, Franklin Fenix. I'm a multiversal time traveler, I usually fix anomalies in time and space. I tend to work with those who wield an Omnitrix. This time, I'm here to ask for your help dealing with a crisis."
"Like I said, I'm in," I repeated.
"Haha, splendid! Let's go then."
He turned and started walking back into the portal. I activated my armor and followed.
We emerged into a strange black void, like a space between realities. Standing there were several familiar faces.
Ben 10,000. Kid Ben. Ben 23. And Morgan.
"Omni!" Morgan floated toward me and pulled me into a hug.
"Long time no see, Morgan," I said, hugging her back.
"Good to see you too, Omni." She smiled, releasing me.
"So, what's this big crisis?" I asked.
"Paradox didn't tell you?" she asked, giving me a look.
"I didn't really give him the chance," I admitted. "I just said I'm in before he finished explaining. So… who are we fighting?"
Paradox chuckled softly. "I'll explain everything soon, but first, I need to collect two more individuals."
Another blue portal opened, and he stepped through.
I glanced at Morgan. "So how's everything been on your Earth?"
"Pretty well," Morgan said with a small sigh. "The Crime Syndicate's still locked up, but that doesn't mean all crime stopped. There are still plenty of bad guys and other threats out there. Just last week, the Justice League and I had to stop an alien invasion."
She sounded tired for a moment, but then her face brightened. "But on the bright side, I finally got the hang of the Omnitrix. Took me two months, but I've mastered it."
"It's been two months for you?" I asked.
Morgan tilted her head, confused. "Yeah. How long has it been for you?"
"Uh… maybe two to four weeks tops," I said, scratching the back of my head.
"That's because time flows differently on some Earths," Ben 10,000 said, stepping closer. His voice carried that calm authority you only get after years of experience.
Morgan and I both turned to him.
"Hey, nice to meet you," he said with a small smile. "Name's Ben, but to keep things simple, just call me Ben 10K."
"My name's also Ben," another one chimed in with a grin. "Ben 23."
"And I'm just Ben," kid Ben added with a thumbs-up.
"Nice to meet you all, my name is Franklin," I said, and with a light tap, my helmet retracted so they could see my face. No point hiding my identity from a group of multiversal Bens.
Morgan, though, just stared at me for a second, her expression unreadable.
I frowned a little. "What? Something wrong?"
She smiled softly. "No… I guess part of me thought you'd look like John. Or maybe I was hoping you would. But you're completely different, John was Latino."
"Disappointed?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No. Honestly, I'm glad. I'd rather not see my dead friend."
A blue portal opened up again, and Professor Paradox stepped out, this time with two others following behind him.
One was Gwen Tennyson, looking confident as ever. The other was a tall, well-built man with dark skin, wearing a black shirt and loose cargo pants. He looked strong, calm... and familiar.
Then it hit me.
He had the same hairstyle as me.
"No way," I said, blinking.
"Yes way," he replied with a grin.
"Are you—"
"Yes, I'm you from the future," he cut me off casually. "What's up, teenage me?"
I just stood there, speechless. Seeing an older version of myself standing right in front of me was insane. "Okay, wow. You have no idea how many questions I want to ask you right now."
"Yes, I do," Future Me said flatly.
"Right… yeah, I guess you literally do know." I crossed my arms. "You're not gonna answer them, are you?"
He smirked. "I'll answer three. But I'll be vague."
"Fine. First question, do I have kids?"
"Yes. Lots of kids."
"Lots? Really? I didn't think Yolanda and Ava wanted a big family."
Future Me just smiled, clearly not planning to elaborate.
"Okay, second question, how many alien invasions did I stop?"
"Plenty."
"Can I get a number or something?"
"I lost track," he said with a shrug. "We've done it… a lot."
"Fair enough," I said. "Last one, did I ever find the guy who hurt Cindy?"
His expression softened for a moment before a grin crept back onto his face. "Yeah, we did. And we punched him in the face. Really, really hard. He felt it for weeks."
He looked kind of embarrassed saying it, I wonder why.
"Ahem."
Professor Paradox cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Now that you've gotten your questions out of the way, let's discuss the crisis we're all here to face."
Instant silence. Everyone turned toward him.
"Some of you may already suspect why I gathered you," he continued, his tone grave. "We're dealing with a being of pure chaos. Her name, the Scarlet Witch. Though, in her world, she's known by another title…"
He paused.
"The Queen of the Dead."
That definitely got our attention.
"In her reality, a zombie virus infected nearly everyone, heroes, villains, civilians. At first, Wanda Maximoff was just another mindless creature. But her chaos magic reawakened her consciousness… twisted and corrupted. Now, she seeks to spread that infection throughout the Multiverse itself."
Ben 10K folded his arms. "So, she's trying to infect every living thing across every planet?"
"Exactly," Paradox said. "But to do that, she needs power, immense power. Which brings us to her next target."
He waved his hand, and a hologram appeared beside him, a massive green figure with glowing cracks of energy across his body.
"His name is the Infinity Hulk."
Morgan frowned. "Wait… Infinity what?"
"In his world," Paradox explained, "the Infinity Stones were destroyed. The resulting energy surge threatened to erase all reality. In desperation, Bruce Banner transformed into the Hulk and absorbed all six stones' residual power. The process fused his mind and body permanently now, he's neither Bruce nor Hulk. He calls himself Cypher."
"Usually, the Infinity Hulk would be able to defeat Wanda," Paradox continued, his expression grim. "He's done it in several other timelines. But in this universe, the Queen of the Dead has gathered a massive army, enough to overpower even him."
Ben 23 raised his hand. "Okay, wait a minute, I'm super confused here. What are the Infinity Stones, exactly?"
Future Me stepped forward. "Let me explain."
He glanced at the group. "In our universe, before creation itself, there were six singularities. Each represented a fundamental aspect of existence: Time, Power, Reality, Soul, Mind, and Space. When the universe began, those singularities condensed into six stones, artifacts that hold the very building blocks of creation."
Ben 23 blinked. "So… magic space rocks that control everything?"
"Basically, yeah," Future Me said with a shrug. "Except way more dangerous."
"But even with the Infinity Stones, that still shouldn't give her enough power to travel between Multiverses," I said, crossing my arms.
"Normally, you'd be absolutely right," Professor Paradox replied, his voice taking on a darker edge. "But this case is… different."
He adjusted his goggles and continued. "She's not just using the Infinity Stones, she's going to become them. The Scarlet Witch intends to absorb the power of all six stones directly into herself. When that happens, she won't just wield their power… she'll embody it."
He looked around at us, expression grim.
"All that power, combined with her Chaos Magic, will make her strong enough to tear through the barriers between realities. And if she succeeds, she'll spread her infection across the entire Multiverse."
"Okay… we're fucked," I said, blunt and short.
"Not necessarily. We can stop her," Future Franklin said calmly.
"You can." Professor Paradox cut in. "She hasn't absorbed the Infinity energy yet, but she's moving toward the Hulk with an army at her back. There will be a force to assist the Infinity Hulk, but they'll fail. That's why you're here: you help them, and you win."
"Cool. Never thought I'd fight an army of zombies," Ben 23 said, trying to make light of it.
"This is technically my third time," Future Franklin added.
"Wait, what?" I asked.
"Spoilers," he said with a grin.
"Whatever," I muttered.
Professor Paradox squared his shoulders. "Everyone, get ready. This will be a hard fight." He opened another blue portal.
Ben 10K stepped forward, voice like steel. "All right, Bens, Franklins, Morgan, Gwen, we all know what's at stake. I know some of you have rules about killing. Ignore those rules for this mission. These things are already dead. Don't hold back. Go for the kill. Take out every last one of them, and stay tight. Don't get surrounded."
We all nodded and stepped through the blue portal.
The moment we came out the other side, chaos greeted us.
We were standing in the middle of a massive battlefield, the air thick with smoke and the smell of burning metal. In the distance, the Infinity Hulk was fighting like a monster, his body cracked with glowing cosmic energy. He was wounded, bleeding energy from his arm, but still swinging with enough force to shatter mountains.
Facing him were dozens of undead heroes, but standing closer to us were the ones still alive: a floating head, three sorcerer, an Asgardian warrior, Blade, Shang-Chi, Katy Chen, Spider-Man, and Kamala Khan.
Everyone froze. They looked at us. We looked right back.
"…Is that a green bull?" Ben 23 muttered under his breath.
"Who are you?" Kamala demanded, her hands starting to glow.
"We're here to help," I said, stepping forward.
That was enough to break the tension. We quickly fell into formation beside them.
"It's a long story," I added. "But I'll explain it the best I can once we survive this."
"...Oookay?" Kamala said, giving me the most confused look I've ever seen.
I couldn't blame her, I caught the quick glance she shared with Peter. Neither of them recognized me, and yeah… that stung a little. But now wasn't the time for that.
My helmet slid back over my face with a hiss, sealing shut. All of us reached for our Omnitrixes, time slowed for a second as we twisted the dials.
And then, in perfect sync, we all transformed.
"General," I said, as my voice deepened and power surged through me.
My body grew, muscles swelling, bones hardening. My eyes vanished, but I could see everything. Small wings spread from the sides of my head, and above me, a massive wheel hovered like a burning halo. Three luminous rings wrapped around each of my arms, pulsing with energy.
I looked down at myself, a towering behemoth, the spitting image of great General Magaraka.
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Ben 10K slammed down on his Omnitrix, light bursting around him as his form shifted into Atomic X, cosmic energy radiating from his body like a living star.
Kid Ben twisted his dial with a grin, fire erupting around him as he became Heatblast, flames roaring high enough to turn the air into a shimmering haze.
Ben 23 followed suit, his body crystallizing in seconds, sharp, reflective, and unbreakable. Diamondhead stood ready, jagged arms gleaming like blades under the battlefield's light.
Morgan activated her Omnitrix next, her form expanding into Gravattack.
Then Future Me stepped forward, he went to his Kryptonian form but he turned ultimate.
"I don't know about you guys," said Scott's floating head with a grin, "but I suddenly like our odds."