Meanwhile, back inside Asteroid M, the X-Kids clashed fiercely with the Brotherhood.
Blob charged at Kurt with full force. With a swift teleport, Kurt dodged and reappeared behind him, delivering a kick that sent Blob crashing into a nearby console. Sparks flew as the impact accidentally triggered a mechanism—the Enhancer door slid open.
Nearby, Lance stomped the ground, summoning seismic waves that shook the floor beneath Spyke. Just as Spyke began to fall, Kitty phased through the ground, grabbed him, and pulled him to safety. Regaining his balance, Spyke hurled a volley of bone spikes—one of them slamming Lance backward.
Across the chamber, Mystique battled Magneto, agile and relentless. Todd, springing into the fray, joined her. "You're not doing this alone," he grunted, hurling himself at Magneto.
But Magneto, furious, hurled a heavy machine with a wave of his hand. It struck Mystique hard—sending her flying straight into the Enhancer.
Magneto's eyes widened in panic. "No—my Enhancer! Get out of there!" He leapt forward, trying to intervene, but it was too late. The doors was closed—and Magneto was pulled in with her.
Elsewhere, Wolverine was pinned under Sabretooth, who now towered over him in his monstrous, evolved form. Each punch thundered through the walls of the asteroid.
Spyke launched spikes near Quicksilver's feet, forcing him to stumble—long enough for Rogue to step in and absorb his speed with a single touch.
"Nice trick," she smirked, then blurred away in a silver streak.
Watching the chaos unfold, Blob shouted, "Lance, enough! We need to get off this rock!"
Realizing the danger, Lance gave a silent nod. He, Blob, and Todd ran toward the jet. Moments later, Kitty and Spyke appeared, dragging a groggy Quicksilver with them.
"Board now!" Storm commanded, ushering them inside the X-Jet.
Suddenly, Rogue zipped back. "Logan's in trouble—Sabretooth's tearing him apart!"
Without hesitation, Storm turned, eyes glowing white. "I'll handle it."
She flew back into the corridor, wind swirling around her. With a crack of thunder, she summoned a cyclone and slammed Sabretooth into the wall, collapsing the structure onto him.
He vanished beneath the rubble.
Storm turned and raced back toward the X-Jet, the clock ticking as Asteroid M began to quake.
Ben, Jean, and Professor Xavier finally freed Scott and Alex from the rubble. As the brothers stood, debris falling from their shoulders, their eyes locked onto the chaos unfolding throughout Asteroid M.
"You and the others are ruining everything!" Scott barked, his voice laced with fury. "This was our chance—to unite, all of us!"
Jean stood firm, glaring at him. "Unite for what, Scott? At what cost? Look at what Magneto did to you."
"He helped me," Scott shot back. "I've evolved. No more struggling. No more losing control. My powers finally obey me!"
"Yeah? So you used them to blast your friends?" Ben snapped, stepping forward. "Real united move."
"You just don't get it," Alex added coldly, his palms glowing. "We are the future."
Jean's expression hardened. "If that's your future, we want no part in it."
She turned to walk away, Ben beside her—but Alex's anger surged.
"You're not going anywhere!" he yelled, unleashing a beam toward Jean. In a flash, Scott fired his optic blast at Xavier.
But just before the energy could strike—time froze.
Ben stood, his eyes glowing. "I had enough of this nonsense."
He walked forward calmly, the deadly blasts frozen mid-air. With a flick of his fingers, he canceled the beams, then turned to the brothers.
"Scott, and Alex, how you live is your choice, I don't care about it. But, you both have crossed a line," he growled. "When you went after Jean. And the Professor."
Time still locked, Ben began hitting them, and they could only feel the pain, but couldn't do anything more than.
"You. Don't. Do. That."
Scott and Alex could only yell in helpless agony. "Stop it! Ben—stop!"
Jean, her voice pained but resolute, stepped in. "Ben, that's enough. Let them go."
Ben turned, fists clenched. But then Xavier, calm and composed, nodded. "Pick them up, Ben. We show mercy. Even when they don't deserve it."
Reluctantly, Ben nodded. Time resumed.
He hoisted Scott and Alex, still dazed, and the group made their way through the trembling corridors.
Wolverine, bruised but walking strong, joined them in silence. The X-Men gathered aboard the X-Jet, the engines flaring to life, lifted off from Asteroid M.
From the ruined core of the enhancer chamber, Mystique emerged, unrecognizable. Her form had shifted—scales rippled across her body, her muscles surged with raw power, and her hair now short and jagged. She stood in the shadows, watching the world around her burn.
Meanwhile, the X-Jet touched down, its landing shaky from the damage it sustained. But before the team could celebrate survival, a massive chunk of Asteroid M broke off and plummeted straight toward them.
Scott and Alex acted fast. Side-by-side, they channeled everything they had—optic energy and plasma bursts colliding in unison to disintegrate the debris mid-air. But it wasn't enough.
Ben stepped in, raising his hands as time bent around him. The debris slowed, almost hovering. With intense focus, he gently lowered each piece to the ground. Not a single soul was harmed.
Exhausted, Scott and Alex collapsed, their enhanced forms fading—hair returning to normal, muscles settling, their human forms restored.
Scott, lying back and catching his breath, looked up at the others. "I'm… I'm sorry. All of you. Professor… I made some really bad choices."
Professor Xavier stepped forward, calm and kind. "More like misinformed choices, Scott. But we forgive you. After all... we're X-Men."
Todd glanced at the now-shattered remnants of Asteroid M. "So… what happens to us now?"
Avalanche chimed in grimly, "Two spheres took off before the blast. Mystique's out there. Count on it. She'll be back."
The Brotherhood looked toward the horizon, uncertain but bonded through chaos.
Turning to Scott, Alex smiled. "So much for Havok."
Scott chuckled faintly. "I've got my visor back anyway."
They embraced—brothers reunited by hardship.
"If nothing else," Alex said softly, "I've got my brother back. That's what really matters."
Scott smiled. "Yeah… and nothing's ever gonna split us again."
Professor Xavier approached the brothers. "Alex, with time, your powers will find balance. And if you'll allow us, we'll help you. Together. United—as X-Men."
With new hope rising from the wreckage, the entire group—X-Men and Brotherhood alike—boarded the X-Jet once more.
As the engines ignited, carrying them home, the camera panned up—past the falling stars, past the ruins of Asteroid M, and into the unknown night sky, where two faint silver spheres gleamed, disappearing into the cosmos.
---
UNIVERSE 12041
In Universe 12041, Sweet Ben's time was filled with adventures, each day bringing a different story.
One day, Doctor Doom dared to seize control of Asgard's legendary Destroyer Armor. With the Avengers fighting alongside an unwilling ally—Loki—they stormed the Realm Eternal.
It was a battle of tech and trickery, but in the end, they reclaimed the armor, forcing Doom back into the shadows.
But the peace was short-lived.
Back on Earth, danger struck at the heart of the Avengers Tower. Red Skull, aided by the brutish Blood Brothers, unleashed a terrifying gamma energy virus. Within moments, the Avengers began transforming—bulking up, their skin turning green, their rage uncontrollable.
Except for Sweet Ben, Black Widow, and Bruce Banner, who remained unaffected.
As the Hulk-Avengers began smashing their way through the tower, Natasha turned to Ben, she asked in urgency, "Ben, we're overwhelmed! What's the plan?"
Floating with his usual playful grin, Ben raised a hand, his Sleep Dust swirling like glittering stars.
"Wheeeeewww… I'm keeping them in control, Natasha. Hehehehe. You go find that antivirus!"
He soared through the air, twirling, sprinkling Sleep Dust onto the rampaging Hulk versions of Cap, Thor, and Iron Man. One by one, they stumbled, yawned, and collapsed into peaceful slumber, snoring like thunderclouds.
Meanwhile, Hulk was fighting with the Red Hulk and the Blood Brothers.
Through the chaos, Natasha sprinted, ducked, and fought her way to the lab. Dodging explosions and gamma shockwaves, she finally emerged.
"Ben, I've got it! Get ready to wake them up!"
Ben did a happy spin midair, "Yeeee! Just in time!"
With swift precision, Natasha administered the antivirus, and one by one, the sleeping Avengers began to shrink down, reversing the gamma transformation.
As the gamma virus reversed, the Avengers regrouped, exhausted but safe—thanks to Ben and Natasha's determination.
The Avengers regrouped, still catching their breath after the gamma virus crisis. But there was no time for rest—Red Skull's scheme had only just begun.
Unknown to the team, the Hulk Virus had been nothing more than a smokescreen. While the Avengers battled their mutated selves, Red Skull descended into the hidden chambers of Shadow Vault Omega, where two dark forces lay imprisoned.
Attuma, warlord of the oceans. Dracula, the immortal king of the undead.
After releasing the Attuma and Dracula, Red Skull invited them in his team, forming a team known as the Cabal. With MODOK returning from his defeat, and Super-Adaptoid's remains being reengineered, the Cabal now stood strong—but Red Skull wanted one more member. And he knows who is fit for it.
"Gentlemen," he said coldly, "welcome to the Cabal."
For now, he turned his focus to something more immediate: Iron Man's stolen prototype armor.
Together with MODOK, Red Skull began dissecting the tech, invading J.A.R.V.I.S. piece by piece. Their goal: build a shared neural network that could allow perfect team synchronization among the Cabal—each member reacting with machine-like timing and efficiency in battle.
"If the Avengers fight like a unit," MODOK smirked, "then we'll fight like one mind."
To test their weapon, they decided to launch a coordinated assault on the Avengers.