CHAPTER 42

As Ben and Peter moved through the underground tunnel, Ben's helmet HUD displayed the route toward the underground bunker. They both came to a stop at the edge of the passage, where a steady flow of water rushed ahead.

Peter glanced at the water and crossed his arms. "So… what now?"

Ben examined the blueprints and pointed. "The water flows directly beneath the underground bunker. We have to swim through this tunnel to get inside."

Peter groaned. "Really?"

Ben smirked and turned to him. "What? You afraid of water? I thought spiders could survive underwater for thirty minutes."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Some spiders. Not all."

Ben chuckled. "Well, this spider only needs to survive for five minutes."

Peter scoffed. "You really think we can swim that distance in five minutes?"

Ben shrugged. "Ask yourself. I can swim through it like a breeze."

Without another word, he tapped the Omnitrix, switching the dial to an alien form. The device lit up with an intense green glow, illuminating the tunnel. Peter instinctively shielded his eyes from the blinding flash.

In an instant, Ben's body shifted—his legs fused into a powerful fish-like tail, his arms grew webbed claws, and his body became covered in smooth, amphibious scales. Gills formed along his neck, and bioluminescent markings glowed faintly in the dim tunnel. Sharp teeth gleamed in the darkness as he let out a guttural growl.

"Ripjaws!" Ben announced in his transformed voice.

Peter lowered his hand and blinked at the transformation. "Okay, I don't know much about Ripjaws, but at least your built-in lightbulb will help us see down there."

Ripjaws narrowed his glowing eyes. "Shut up. If you wanna come, hold your breath and get on my back."

Peter sighed, securing his mask, and latched onto Ripjaws' back. With one powerful flick of his tail, Ripjaws launched into the water, cutting through it at an incredible speed.

The tunnel twisted and turned, but Ripjaws swam through it effortlessly, his body built for underwater navigation. Within moments, they arrived at a thick steel gate blocking the path. Peter took off his mask slightly, gasping for air.

"That… was fast," Peter admitted, glancing up at the closed gate. "Should I just pull it open with my strength?"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Ripjaws let out a guttural snarl and lunged forward. His powerful, razor-sharp teeth clamped down onto the metal, puncturing it with ease. With a violent jerk of his head, he tore through the reinforced steel like it was paper, bending and ripping it apart with sheer bite force. Sparks flew as the metal screeched under the pressure of his monstrous jaws.

Peter stared, wide-eyed. "Or… we could do that."

Ripjaws smirked, revealing his gleaming, shark-like teeth, and gestured for Peter to follow him through the newly created opening.

"Let's move," he said, his voice deep and guttural.

As they stepped inside, Ben tapped the Omnitrix, and with a flash of green energy, his body shifted back into human form. Instantly, his custom-designed suit materialized around him—sleek, metallic, and battle-ready, resembling a Power Ranger-inspired armor with a futuristic touch.

Peter looked around, scanning their surroundings. They were inside a dimly lit storage room, shelves packed with crates and supplies. He turned to Ben.

"So… how do we secure the people?" Peter asked.

Ben adjusted his gauntlets. "First, we need to cut their surveillance. They should have CCTV cameras monitoring this place."

Peter tilted his head. "And how exactly are we doing that?"

Ben smirked. "Baymax, send the spy."

From Ben's wrist, a small drone with the Plumber insignia detached and hovered into the air. It was sleek, compact, and nearly silent as it zipped toward the doorway.

Peter's eyes widened as he watched the drone maneuver effortlessly through the room. "Okay, that's cool. I need one—except mine should be spider-shaped."

Ben chuckled. "Later. I'll make you one."

The drone glided out of the storage room, navigating through the hallways undetected. It reached the security room, where two guards were monitoring the camera feeds. The drone latched onto the back of the computer, its small mechanical legs securing it in place. Within moments, the monitor flickered—switching to a black-and-white feed with static interference.

One of the guards frowned. "What the hell?" He tapped the keyboard, trying to fix the glitch.

Then, the screens suddenly returned to normal, displaying what seemed to be real-time footage. The guards exchanged a glance, shrugged, and went back to their post.

Inside the storage room, Baymax's voice echoed in Ben's earpiece.

"Ben, the drone has rigged the camera feed into a looping sequence. You are clear to proceed."

Ben grinned and turned to Peter. "Alright, time to move."

Peter stretched his arms. "Now we're talking."

Baymax's voice echoed in their earpieces.

"Ben, Peter, I have scanned the underground facility. There are twenty-seven hostiles. I am marking their locations on your HUDs."

A digital map appeared in both of their visors, highlighting red dots moving through the corridors. Ben smirked.

"Alright, Spidey, let's clean up."

Peter nodded. "Stealth mode?"

Ben flicked his wrist, and a compartment in his gauntlet opened, revealing a row of small, sleek, electric darts. "I'll take out guards from a distance—you handle the close-range ones."

Peter grinned under his mask. "Oh, I like this plan."

They moved swiftly through the corridors, sticking to the shadows. The first guard stood at the end of the hallway, arms crossed, completely unaware.

Ben raised his arm, aimed, and fired.

The electric dart whizzed through the air with pinpoint accuracy, embedding itself in the guard's neck. Instantly, a soft blue electric surge spread across his body. His muscles locked up, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, unconscious before he even knew what hit him.

As the body hit the ground, Peter webbed him up and yanked him into a dark corner.

One down.

Baymax's voice came again. "Two guards approaching from the left corridor."

Peter grinned. "I got this."

Before Ben could reply, Spidey shot a web to the ceiling and swung up, disappearing into the rafters. As the two guards walked past, Peter silently descended upside down, wrapping his legs around one guard's neck.

The second guard barely had time to react before a web shot into his face, sealing his mouth shut. Peter yanked the first one up into the air, knocking him out with a precise elbow strike, while Ben fired another electric dart at the second, watching as he spasmed and collapsed instantly.

"Dude, this is way too fun," Peter whispered, webbing both guards to the wall.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Stay focused."

They continued moving, taking out guards with perfect coordination—Peter striking from above, hitting them from unexpected angles, while Ben systematically stunned them from a distance. Some never even saw them coming before they were webbed up or knocked out.

Baymax's voice chimed in again.

"Final checkpoint: Four guards stationed outside the holding cells."

Ben and Peter crouched behind a stack of crates, peeking at the heavily armed men standing outside a reinforced door. These weren't just regular security—they had body armor and rifles.

Peter whispered, "Okay, these guys look serious. Any ideas?"

Ben smirked. "Oh, I got one."

He tapped the Omnitrix. The dial spun rapidly as he selected an alien—but as soon as he slammed it down, a bright green flash filled the corridor.

"Wait, this isn't—"

When the light faded, Ben found himself looking at not one, not two, but multiple versions of himself, all grinning mischievously.

Peter blinked. "…Wait. What?!"

One Ditto looked at Peter and waved excitedly. "Hi!"

Another Ditto copied him. "Hi!"

A third one popped up next to Peter's head. "Hi!"

Peter jumped back. "GAH! Okay, this is officially the weirdest thing I've seen today."

Ditto smirked. "Only today?"

Peter folded his arms. "Yeah, dude, my life is wild. But you? You look like a science experiment where someone said. What if Racoon and catfish gens were to mix?'"

One Ditto gasped dramatically. "How dare you! I am much cuter."

Another Ditto hopped on Peter's shoulder. "And funnier!"

Peter groaned and swatted him off. "Okay, Ben-Ben Army, can we focus?!"

The Dittos nodded in unison. "Yup!"

Peter sighed. "Fine. What's the plan?"

One Ditto smirked. "Simple."

In a flash, all the Ditto clones rushed forward at once—but instead of attacking right away, they started causing chaos.

One Ditto slid between a guard's legs and yanked down his belt. The man's pants dropped, making him stumble forward in confusion.

Another Ditto booped a guard on the nose and said, "Tag! You're it!" before ducking under a punch.

One more Ditto jumped onto a guard's back and started singing, "I believe I can fly!" before covering his eyes and making him spin around in circles.

Peter facepalmed. "Oh my god, this is so dumb."

Then, without warning, all the Dittos actually got serious. One leaped onto a guard's chest and knocked him down. Another headbutted a second guard into a wall. One grabbed a baton and started twirling it like a pro before slapping the final guard across the face with it.

Within seconds, all the guards were out cold.

Peter blinked. "…I take it back. That was brilliant."

One Ditto dusted himself off. "Told ya."

Peter sighed. "Alright, let's go."

One Ditto stepped forward and slammed a fist into the steel door. "Alright, let's get these people out of here."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "…You do know Your Ditto From doesn't Seem to have super strength, right?"

The Dittos all collectively paused.

"…Right."

Peter sighed. "Let me handle this."

He walked forward, grabbed the edges of the steel door, and with a powerful pull, wrenched it open. Inside, huddled in fear, were dozens of terrified captives. Their eyes widened as they saw multiple versions of Ditto standing in the doorway.

One prisoner hesitantly asked, "Are we hallucinating?"

Ben quickly tapped the Omnitrix, shifting back to his armored suit. He raised his hands.

"It's okay. We're here to get you out."

Peter stepped in beside him. "Yeah, and we're the good guys. Promise."