The world was full of evildoers. Nathan had only just remembered that he'd left a metal slab inscribed with a mystical technique in a library. But when he got there—not only was the slab gone, the entire library was missing.
The Shop had reset again. As usual, nothing caught his interest… well, except one curious entry.
---
Aleha – The Last of the Darkest Void Phoenix
Summons Aleha to your realm. She will be bound to protect you for one year. Aleha is lonely. If you worship her and give her everything she wants, she might not kill you when the year is up.
Price: 100,000 tons of Edible Mithril
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Nathan didn't have mithril. Certainly not edible mithril. And definitely not that much of it.
Even if he did, summoning a potentially world-ending houseguest wasn't on the agenda.
Moving on with his day, he found out Ben and Gwen had a family emergency and couldn't make lunch. He offered to help, but both insisted he take a break after the chaos of the past few days.
[This family emergency might be related to the disappearance of Ken Tennyson which leads to Max's false death.]
"Exactly what I'm thinking, Raph… but I've got no idea how to handle this," he muttered aloud. "I could step in and maybe save Max early… but that might mess with Ben's character growth. And if Null Void escalates under Animo's control without Max to stop it, that could get ugly. Or I let things play out, like they originally did, and hope for the best."
Raphael didn't respond. She didn't need to. Nathan had already made his decision the moment he began weighing options. This world had already diverged—Ben was more mature, Gwen had the Charms of Bazel somehow… Things weren't going to unfold like the original timeline, not exactly. That meant he didn't have to stay on the sidelines either.
So, with a quiet click, he 'borrowed' a car using the Master Key. With Raphael's help, he tracked the trio's route.
The town of Santa Mira was unusually cold—a pleasant break from the heat elsewhere. But for anyone in the know, the chill wasn't natural. It was alien in origin. Creepy rather than cozy.
When Ben, Gwen, and Kevin decided to sneak into the hatchery, Nathan figured it was time to test a transformation he hadn't used yet.
As he pressed the H-Omnitrix, his body faded. His senses extended outward, touching on distant dimensions. His form became ghostly—translucent, incorporeal.
He floated after them, just as they reached the hatchery's inner chamber.
"Wait a minute, guys," Gwen said suddenly, halting Ben and Kevin. Her eyes swept the room before focusing on something invisible to the others.
"Nathan… are you following us?"
"Well," Nathan replied, his voice echoing faintly through the space, "I was worried about you guys—and I had nothing better to do."
"Wait, Nathan's here?" Kevin asked, looking around with narrowed eyes.
"I think he's using a Ghostfreak-type transformation," Ben added. "Or maybe Big Chill? Nathan, can you show yourself?"
"I can't," Nathan replied. "In this form, I'm completely invisible—unless I possess someone."
He directed the explanation toward Gwen, who relayed it to the other two.
"Oh. Possession," Ben muttered. "That's very Ghostfreak. Let's hope it's not too much like Ghostfreak…"
Before Ben and Nathan could start treating her like a walkie-talkie, Gwen turned and took the lead, pressing deeper into the hatchery.
They still had to find Ken.
Fortunately, they found Ken.
Well—not exactly fortunately.
By the time they reached him, Ken barely looked human. His body was already twisted into that of a DNAlien, with only remnants of his face still visible—haunting, but recognizable. His movements were mindless, mechanical, the kind that made it clear how far gone he really was.
The situation played out almost exactly like it had in the original timeline. The Omnitrix on Ben's wrist activated, releasing a pulse of corrective energy that latched onto Ken's mutated DNA. Slowly, agonizingly, the changes began to reverse. The alien features peeled away like shadows retreating from light, until Ken collapsed—confused, shaken, but himself again.
Nathan, still in Deadman form, checked his own device out of curiosity. The H-Omnitrix didn't react. No scan, no data, nothing.
Maybe it doesn't work while I'm transformed… or maybe those functions aren't unlocked—or just don't exist. Nathan thought. He decided not to dwell on it and moved on.
Once Ken caught his breath, he told them what he knew. That led to a brief skirmish with a group of DNAliens—nothing too unusual at this point.
Then they found Max.
He wasn't injured. He wasn't captured anymore. He wasn't even surprised.
Max Tennyson stood like a man who'd already broken out and was just waiting for the others to catch up.
Ben and Gwen immediately rushed to him. Gwen hugged him tightly, and Ben followed a moment later. Ken hesitated, guilt written all over his face. But Max didn't even blink—he pulled the boy in with the same rough warmth as always.
"The Xenocytes must be destroyed," Max said firmly, cutting through the moment.
There wasn't time for a long reunion. They knew it. Max knew it.
So, with barely a few words exchanged and no time wasted, they split up again—back into the thick of it.
As an enraged Ben and Gwen tore through the DNAliens, their powers lighting up the battlefield in arcs of fury, Kevin joined in—his arms coated in metal from a nearby wall, fists landing with bone-rattling force. Even Ken, still recovering, had grabbed a metal rod and was holding his own surprisingly well.
Meanwhile, Nathan quietly peeled away from the chaos, heading back toward Max. He knew what was coming. Max Tennyson didn't play halfway—if left alone, he'd try to end the conflict the only way he knew how: by sacrificing himself.
Sure enough, Nathan found him locked in combat with a Highbreed deep within the facility. Max moved with a precision that didn't show his age, a soldier to the end. Nathan was about to act when Gwen and Ben caught up, their previous fight clearly finished.
"Gwen!" Nathan called out, still in his ghostly Deadman form. "I'm going to possess the Highbreed."
Just as Max pulled out the Null Void projector, clearly preparing to overload it as a makeshift grenade, Nathan slipped into the Highbreed's body.
"Grandpa Max, wait!" Gwen shouted, grabbing Max's arm. "Our friend's inside that Highbreed!"
Max blinked. "You've got a friend who can possess aliens?"
"Yes," the Highbreed said, voice distorted slightly—until Nathan, now in full control, spoke more clearly. "That'd be me."
Max didn't miss a beat. "Impressive. Can you access his memories?"
"Not fully, but enough." Nathan paused for a second, sifting through the hostile thoughts swimming in the Highbreed's mind. "The Highbreed aren't just targeting Earth. They're attacking every planet, every species. Earth's considered weak—too backward to warrant a fleet. So instead, they're using Xenocytes to take over from within. Let humanity wipe itself out."
The room went still for a moment.
"There's gotta be a way to stop this," Ben said, frustration edging into his voice.
"There is," Nathan replied. "Your grandpa's Null Void grenade plan can wipe out this group. Gwen can shield all of you. And me?" He gestured with the Highbreed's hand. "I'm already dead. I'll be fine."
Max narrowed his eyes. "You sure about that, kid?"
"Absolutely." Nathan gave a lopsided grin—though it looked strange on the alien's face. "I can feel the Null Void in this form. It's not hard to get out if I leave the body before the pull takes hold."
Max gave a short nod. "Alright then."
The plan went off without a hitch.
Nathan detonated the projector, the explosion sucking in the surrounding DNAliens and their Highbreed commander. The pull of the Null Void surged like a black hole—but Nathan simply phased out of the host, intangible and unanchored.
The alien body vanished into the breach.
Nathan hovered above the crater left behind, watching as Gwen's shield shimmered and faded, leaving the group unharmed.
Crisis averted.
At least, for now.
After the battle, the group gathered near the edge of the smoking crater. The air was thick with the scent of scorched earth and ozone. Max had already called in some backup, and now they were just waiting.
"This mess is worse than I thought," Max muttered, eyes scanning the horizon. "If I'd had the full picture, I would've pushed harder to bring the Plumbers back properly."
"What do you mean, Grandpa?" Ben asked, glancing over.
Max let out a quiet sigh. "You remember how the Plumbers weren't really around until eight years ago? Back when you first fought Vilgax—that gave me the excuse to start getting things moving again. Officially, Earth was off the radar because there were 'no significant threats.'"
He made a face. "But the real reason? Earth's a nexus. Asgardians, Olympians, Angels, Demons… even Time Lords have had dealings here. It's not that Earth wasn't important—it's that it was too important. The Plumbers didn't want to risk offending any of those major players by stomping around on what they considered sensitive turf."
Gwen frowned thoughtfully. "So they left Earth alone to keep things from blowing up politically?"
"Exactly," Max nodded. "Didn't mean I agreed with it, but I understood it. The universe is big, and diplomacy can be messy."
Ben raised a brow. "And after Vilgax?"
"I started pushing. Got a few agents reassigned. Just enough to get a foot in the door again. But we've been playing it subtle. Careful. Not enough boots on the ground to catch everything." Max scowled. "And now, with the Highbreed involved, we're already behind."
As he spoke, Nathan shimmered back into visibility—returning to his human form beside them. The shift was seamless, like a ghost rejoining the world.
Max turned to him, then extended a hand. "Hello there. Good to finally meet you in person."
Nathan shook it. "Likewise, sir."
Max's eyes flicked to the Omnitrix on Nathan's wrist. "Let me guess… another user?"
"Yeah," Nathan nodded casually. "Ben filled me in."
Before the conversation could go any further, the sound of chopper blades roared through the air. A fleet of helicopters descended above the crater, sleek and humming with advanced tech. Ropes unfurled, and soldiers in cutting-edge gear dropped down in practiced formation, securing the area.
Then came a woman in a dark coat, descending last. Her presence was sharp and commanding.
"Hello, Max," she said, then addressed the others. "I'm Jate Stewart. Head of Scientific Research at UNIT."
Max smirked. "UNIT's looking a bit sharper these days."
Stewart gave a thin smile. "Upgrades come with the job."
She looked around at the destruction, her gaze calculating. "So. What exactly are we dealing with here? Other than a fresh crater."
Max's expression turned serious. "A looming war. A race called the Highbreed—they've declared open hostility across multiple worlds. I'd heard whispers before, but today… this confirmed it."
Stewart's posture shifted, all business now. "Understood. We'll coordinate accordingly."
Out in the Cosmos
The void was silent.
Stars hung like distant embers, cold and ancient, unwilling to shine too close to the place called the Sanctuary.
There, on a throne carved from obsidian and silence, sat Thanos.
Still. Watching. Waiting.
Loki stepped through a tear in space, his boots finding footing on the stone platform suspended in the dark. His cloak fluttered behind him, green against black. He looked up, and the Titan looked down.
"I come with purpose," Loki said, his voice smooth, but his eyes too bright. "Earth is ripe. Divided. Weak in all the ways that matter. Give me the means, and I will see it fall."
Thanos didn't speak at first. When he did, it was like pressure—like a mountain had turned to speech.
"Earth is not unguarded."
"Odin has grown old," Loki scoffed. "And there are... rumors. But even rumors can die."
Thanos's gaze deepened. "The Doctor walks that world, and something else stirs—a boy with a device older than you can comprehend. The Omnitrix."
Loki faltered for a breath. Just one.
"If they bleed," he said, "then they can be broken."
A pulse of thought passed through the void. Then, beside the throne, a pedestal rose. Upon it, a golden scepter—ornate, elegant, and cruel—lit with a cold blue gem that throbbed like a heartbeat.
Loki reached for it, fingers curling around the haft. As he touched it, a strange shiver ran through him—something sharp and unseen brushing the edge of his mind.
He smiled.
Thanos leaned forward, just slightly.
"This will guide you. Lead the Chitauri, open the way, test their strength."
"And if it proves too great?" Loki asked, arching a brow. "If even this is not enough?"
Thanos said nothing at first. Then, from the shadows behind him, something moved. A small object—its shape obscured by the way light bent around it—floated into Loki's hand.
He tucked it away, saying nothing more.
Then he turned, cloak swirling behind him, and stepped back through the portal.
Thanos sat alone again.