Zs'Skayr stood in eerie silence as he slowly drifted out of the body he had just possessed—Superior Spider-Man. The swirling mist that made up his ghostly form hovered inches above the ground, his single eye glowing with malevolent satisfaction. Tendrils of spectral energy clung to Otto's body like reluctant parasites before finally relinquishing their hold. The ghostly Ectonurite's form wavered in the half-light of the laboratory, casting long, unnatural shadows across the damaged equipment and scorched walls.
As the last of the ghostly energy left Otto Octavius's body, the man collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. His limbs splayed awkwardly across the cold metal floor as he gasped for breath, lungs burning as if he'd been held underwater. Cold sweat drenched his body, plastering his hair to his forehead and sending involuntary shivers down his spine. The lingering chill of possession permeated every cell of his being.
The infamous Doctor Octopus—currently calling himself Superior Spider-Man after hijacking Peter Parker's body in his home universe—trembled as he looked up. His vision blurred, then sharpened with terrifying clarity. His body had not been his own. For the last several minutes, he had been a prisoner in his own flesh, a puppet on strings, forced to watch through locked eyes as another entity used him like a marionette. The violation was profound, a unique terror that only one who had himself been a puppetmaster could truly appreciate.
Zs'Skayr looked down at him with what could almost be mistaken for admiration, the jagged tear in his face that served as a mouth twisting into a grotesque approximation of a smile. His skeletal body floated, defying gravity with casual indifference.
"You are an intelligent human, Otto Octavius," he said, his voice like a chorus of whispers speaking from a crypt, each syllable a haunting echo that seemed to originate from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Your mind... it resisted me longer than most. Impressive."
Otto didn't respond immediately. His throat felt raw, as if he'd been screaming for hours, though no sound had escaped his lips during the possession. He simply stared at the entity with something between awe and seething fury. The calculating part of his brain—always analyzing, always planning—cataloged every detail of the spectral being before him, searching for weaknesses even as he struggled to regain control of his trembling hands.
That... thing had taken over his body. It hadn't asked. It hadn't negotiated. It had overpowered him—him, Otto Octavius, whose intellect had subdued Peter Parker's consciousness. The sensation of having no control over himself made his skin crawl. Just the memory of being trapped inside his own mind, screaming silently, unable to move a finger—it made his stomach twist into knots of revulsion and humiliation.
"Get out of my head," Otto finally managed, his voice hoarse. He pushed himself up to one knee, refusing to remain prone before this creature. Pride, after all, had always been both his greatest strength and most crippling weakness. "You have no right—"
Zs'Skayr, clearly amused, let out a low chuckle that reverberated through the chamber like the creaking of ancient wood. He circled Otto slowly, his ghostly tail leaving traces of phosphorescent mist in the air that dissipated moments later.
"Rights?" the Ectonurite asked, the word dripping with mockery. "In the Null Void, Doctor, there are no rights. Only power and those too weak to seek it." He drifted toward a damaged control console, spectral fingers trailing over the scorched buttons and cracked displays. "Don't worry, Doctor. You and I—we share a common enemy," he said, turning back to face Otto. "You want to go back to your universe. I want the Null Void Gun repaired, so I can bring my army through the Multiverse. You help me finish the repairs, and I'll set you free."
Otto Octavius pushed himself fully to his feet, swaying slightly as the blood rushed to his head. His eyes narrowed as he took in the devastation around them. The laboratory—clearly alien in design with its curved architecture and unfamiliar alloys—bore the scars of a recent conflict. At the center of the room sat what must be the Null Void Gun: a massive cannon-like device with a shattered barrel and exposed circuitry that sparked occasionally with purple energy.
Ever the calculating genius, Otto squinted at Zs'Skayr, weighing his options. "And what's to stop you from discarding me the moment I make it functional?" His fingers twitched at his sides, muscle memory searching for the mechanical arms that had been his signature weapons in his home dimension.
Zs'Skayr's form shimmered, the shadows around him writhing like vipers. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees, and Otto's breath fogged before his face. "My word as a sovereign of the Null Void," the ghost proclaimed, spreading his arms wide. The gesture exposed the upside-down ribcage within his translucent form. "Besides, if I betray you, who's going to fix the gun the next time some 'hero' damages it?"
The logic was sound, Otto had to admit. Self-interest often made for more reliable bonds than altruism. Still, he hesitated, eyes scanning the laboratory again. There had to be other options. Perhaps if he could locate a power source, or repurpose some of this alien technology...
"I notice you're not making promises about what happens to this dimension once your 'army' arrives," Otto said, stalling for time as his keen mind processed escape scenarios. "I've seen enough invasions to know they rarely end well for the locals."
Zs'Skayr waved a dismissive hand, dark energy crackling around his fingers. "The locals, as you call them, are criminals and outcasts. The Null Void is a prison dimension—a dumping ground for the universe's worst. Why should their fate concern you?" His single eye narrowed. "Or are you developing a conscience, Doctor Octopus? How very... Spider-Man of you."
The taunt struck a nerve. Otto's jaw clenched, and he took an aggressive step forward before reason prevailed over emotion. He was outmatched here, without allies or familiar technology. Survival first, then vengeance.
Otto considered the offer in silence. His gaze lingered on the smoking remains of the gun. The alien technology was advanced, yes, but not beyond his comprehension. Even if he accepted, though, using it wouldn't be straightforward.
"The software..." Otto finally admitted, gesturing toward the exposed control panel, "it's in an unknown language. Looks like some kind of quantum binary, but the syntax is unlike anything I've encountered. Even if I help you repair the physical components, we might have to write an entirely new operating system using the blueprints as reference. It's alien code in the most literal sense."
Zs'Skayr chuckled again, this time louder, the sound echoing off the walls like breaking glass. "It's not unknown. It's Galvanic—the language of the Galvans. You don't need to worry about that part. I can bypass the security protocols and interface with the command structure. You just need to help me rebuild the hardware."
Otto looked up sharply, his scientific curiosity momentarily overriding his caution. "...Galvanic? The species that created this technology—they're called Galvans?"
"Small creatures, enormous brains," Zs'Skayr confirmed, his voice tinged with grudging respect. "The so-called 'Gray Matter' of Tennyson's arsenal. Master engineers of the universe—though their morality often limits their true potential."
Otto's eyes gleamed with intellectual hunger. The opportunity to study alien technology of this caliber was rare, even for someone who had crossed dimensions before. If he could understand its principles, replicate its effects...
"I'll need tools," he said decisively. "And materials. The emitter array is completely destroyed, and the quantum stabilizer looks like it took a direct hit."
Zs'Skayr's mouth stretched into another unsettling smile, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp and too numerous. "I knew you would see reason, Doctor. You'll find everything you need in the adjacent lab. This facility was once a Plumber research station before I... repurposed it."
Otto raised an eyebrow. "Plumber?"
"Intergalactic law enforcement," Zs'Skayr explained with obvious disdain. "Self-appointed guardians of the cosmos. They built this outpost to study the Null Void—until I ensured they had more pressing concerns."
The implication hung in the air, but Otto chose not to pursue it. Better not to know the fate of the station's original occupants. Instead, he moved toward the control panel, already mentally cataloging the components he would need.
"I'll require some time," he stated, running a finger along the damaged circuit pathways. "Possibly more if the quantum field generator needs recalibration."
Zs'Skayr nodded, seemingly pleased with Otto's cooperation. "Time is a luxury we have in abundance here, Doctor. The Null Void exists outside normal temporal flow. Work at your pace—just ensure the results are satisfactory."
With that, the ghostly entity drifted through the nearest wall, leaving Otto alone with the broken machine and his thoughts. The moment Zs'Skayr disappeared, Otto allowed himself a grim smile. Yes, he would repair the gun—but perhaps with a few modifications of his own design. After all, no prison had yet been built that could hold the superior intellect of Otto Octavius for long.
Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the Null Void...
Ben Tennyson's boots crunched softly as he stepped forward onto the cracked and shattered terrain. Each footfall released puffs of crimson dust that hung suspended in the strange air longer than they should have, defying normal physics. The ground here looked like a blend between alien wasteland and artificial ruin—abandoned structures floated in mid-air, suspended by flickering gravity wells that hummed with unstable energy. Purple lightning flashed in the distance, casting sharp, disorienting shadows that seemed to move of their own accord.
The air tasted metallic and carried the faint scent of ozone, as if a storm was perpetually about to break. Occasional fragments of what might have once been buildings drifted by like icebergs in a sea of emptiness, their architecture suggesting origins from a dozen different worlds.
On either side of him were two Gwens.
One was Ghost-Spider, Gwen Stacy from the Marvel Multiverse, dressed in her sleek white-and-black hooded suit, magenta webbing woven along her limbs like luminescent veins. Her movements were fluid and practiced, the confidence of someone who had faced the impossible and survived. The subtle way she constantly scanned their surroundings spoke of hard-earned vigilance.
The other was his Gwen, the one from his Earth—a civilian with honey-blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, wearing jeans and a lavender sweater now smudged with dirt and torn at one sleeve. Her eyes were wide with a combination of shock and fascination, her body language betraying her confusion as she processed the weight of everything that had happened in the last few hours. Her world had expanded beyond recognition, and she was still reeling from the revelation.
They walked cautiously across the broken landscape. All around them, the Null Void seemed to shift and breathe like a living entity. Skies twisted like oil on water, presenting impossible colors that human language had no words for. Gravity bent in strange ways—a boulder to their left was slowly rolling uphill, while nearby, a stream of liquid flowed in a perfect circle, endlessly chasing its own beginning.
Floating debris orbited invisible cores of force, creating hazardous maelstroms in the distance. Occasionally, shadowy forms could be glimpsed moving between the floating islands—whether native creatures or imprisoned aliens, it was impossible to tell from this distance.
The Null Void was a prison dimension, yes—but it was a broken one, stitched together from the remnants of forgotten worlds and forbidden experiments. Its very existence seemed to defy rationality, a place where natural laws came to die.
Ben's voice broke the oppressive silence, his tone deliberately light despite the gravity of their situation. "So, either we're in a collapsed dimension that serves as an interdimensional supermax prison... or in a really twisted escape room with the worst decor I've ever seen."
Both Gwens stopped at the same time, their movements uncannily synchronized despite their different backgrounds. They looked around at the alien landscape, before blurting out in unison:
"Where are we?!"
They turned and stared at each other, identical expressions of confusion crossing their faces. It was like watching a person argue with their reflection.
"Okay, that was weird," Ghost-Spider said, the white panels of her mask shifting subtly with her facial expressions beneath. "Like, really weird."
"You think?" Ben's Gwen responded, her voice cracking slightly. "Try looking at your own face on someone else's body!"
Ben, in his advanced white armor—styled after a Power Ranger suit with galactic circuits pulsing along its plating—sighed deeply.
In a flash of emerald light that momentarily outshone the distant lightning, his suit dissolved, particle by particle, revealing his usual attire: a black hoodie with green accents, dark black pants. and his ever-reliable determination written across features that had grown sharper with age.
Ben carried himself with the earned confidence . The boyish enthusiasm was still there, but tempered now with experience and the weight of responsibility.
"As far as I can tell," he said while surveying the broken skyline, one hand shielding his eyes from the glare of a distant explosion, "this place is a prison. Not just any prison—a place where the worst criminals of the universe are sent to rot for eternity. No guards, minimal resources, just endless expanse and other prisoners who might see you as either prey or competition." He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in. "This... is the Null Void."
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with implication.
Ghost-Spider's eyes narrowed behind her mask, her posture shifting subtly toward defensive readiness. "So that's why our Ben made the gun. It wasn't just a containment device—it was a portal key."
Ben raised an eyebrow, surprise momentarily displacing his trademark cockiness. "Your Ben? The another me from your universe? And he made the Null Void Gun?" He frowned. "What, was he giving them out as presents like some multiversal Santa Claus?"
Ghost-Spider placed her hands on her hips, the stance reminiscent of someone explaining concepts to a particularly dense student. "No. According to my intel. The device was part of a cross-dimensional containment effort for threats that couldn't be handled within a single reality. It was being transported to the New Avengers Facility when it was intercepted and stolen."
Ben's face grew serious, the humor draining from his expression. "Let me guess. Then the Avengers made some mistake and somehow sent you here after it?"
Ghost-Spider winced visibly, even through her mask. "No, they weren't involved directly. It was Spider-Man—not the one from my world, but another variant—who recruited me. We have a... well, I guess you'd call it a multiversal organization dedicated to preserving the integrity of reality. Because of them, I was assigned a multiversal travel device and told to bring back both the stolen tech and the thief who took it."
She flexed her wrist, revealing a sleek device that looked like a high-tech watch but clearly wasn't. The display showed rapidly changing symbols that resembled no earthly language.
Ben gave her a flat look, crossing his arms. "So the so-called multiverse Spider-Man organization sent you—alone—on a mission to recover dangerous technology from an unknown thief? Like The Avengers couldn't do it themselves?"
Ghost-Spider puffed up, offended at the implication. Her hood fell back slightly, revealing platinum blonde hair. "What's wrong with me doing it? I'm qualified! I've been defending my New York for years. Besides, the others are busy with their own problems. Everyone's got their own crisis to deal with! Multiversal incursions are becoming more common—we're stretched thin as it is."
Ben studied her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Okay, okay, fair enough." He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I get it. Hero business is hero business, no matter what dimension you're from. We all do what we have to."
Ghost-Spider relaxed slightly, recognizing the genuine understanding in his tone. "Exactly. And now we need to work together to get out of here before—"
Just then, the other Gwen—Ben's Gwen—finally exploded, the culmination of hours of building stress and confusion erupting like a volcano.
"I—I don't even know what's going on anymore!" she said, flailing her arms wide, her voice rising with each word. "First I find out the guy I've been dating for six months is some kind of superhero with an alien watch thing, then I see myself but as a Spider-woman from another dimension, and now I'm in a prison dimension in the middle of nowhere, and apparently my other self is some kind of hero who swings from buildings and fights criminals in spandex?!"
She paused only long enough to draw a ragged breath before continuing, words tumbling out in a desperate rush. "What am I supposed to think?! Am I going to become her? Or is she going to replace me? Are we the same person with different life choices, or completely separate entities who just happen to look identical? And oh my god, what do we even tell my parents if I don't make it home by dinner?! 'Sorry Mrs. Stacy, your daughter is trapped in an interdimensional void with an alternate version of herself and her boyfriend who turns into aliens!'"
She said it all in one breath, her voice climbing in pitch with every word until she was nearly shouting by the end. Her hands trembled, and tears of frustration glistened in her eyes. Ghost-Spider looked at her with a mixture of amusement and sympathy, clearly recognizing the existential crisis playing out before her.
"If it helps," Ghost-Spider offered gently, "in my universe, you—I mean, I—play drums in a band called The Mary Janes. Do you play any instruments?"
"Not helping!" Ben's Gwen snapped, though her expression suggested she was filing that information away for later consideration.
Ben, seeing her panic reaching critical levels, stepped forward gently. He reached out and cupped her cheeks with both hands, grounding her with the familiar contact. His thumbs brushed away the tears that threatened to spill.
"Whoa, whoa, easy there," he said softly, his voice a steady anchor in the chaos. "Breathe, Gwen. In through the nose, out through the mouth. That's it." He smiled, the expression reaching his eyes. "I'm here. We'll find a way out. I promise. I've been in the Null Void before, and I escaped then too. This isn't even Tuesday-level weird for me."
Her eyes, the same shade of green as his own, searched his face desperately. Slowly, her breathing steadied, matching his deliberate rhythm. The panic in her expression receded, replaced by fragile determination.
"How do you do this all the time?" she whispered. "How do you face all this... this insanity and still stay so calm?"
Ben's smile turned wry. "Who says I'm calm? I'm just really good at faking it after all these years." He squeezed her hands gently. "But having people I care about to protect—that helps focus the mind."
The moment stretched between them, a bubble of normalcy in the surreal landscape.
Then—
BEEP-BEEP. BEEP-BEEP.
The Omnitrix symbol on Ben's wrist began to pulse, glowing and dimming in rapid succession. The device's green light cast eerie shadows across their faces.
Ben's expression darkened, his body tensing as he released Gwen's hands and turned his attention to the alien device. "...Now what?"
Ghost-Spider moved closer, her enhanced senses on high alert. "What does that mean? Is it detecting something?"
Ben frowned, tapping the face of the watch-like device. The beeping continued, growing more insistent. I don't know it never did this.