In the MCU/Marvel with the Omnitrix/Ultimatrix

The Ultimates' private lounge fell silent as the communicator's hologram filled the air. Two weeks after gaining new team members, they'd gathered for their usual evening briefing - minus Natasha and Clint, who were handling their "personal business" with Fury.

Emma felt Samael's mental walls crack as images of devastation played across the display. His usual deflective humor nowhere to be found.

"Third megatsunami this week," Kevin's voice came through, exhaustion evident. "Ben's been XLR8 for so long he's starting to talk fast even in human form."

The footage showed their universe's continued upheaval - natural laws rebelling against Dagon's unintegrated power. Gwen's barriers strained against forces that shouldn't exist, while Ben switched between aliens without rest.

"How bad?" Tony asked quietly, his usual snark absent.

"Bad enough," Kevin grunted while absorbing metal to reinforce another failing structure. "Though don't start with the guilt trip again. We told you - this was necessary."

"Necessary," Samael's voice carried an edge no one was used to hearing. "Right. Because destroying an entire universe's stability was totally the only option."

Thor shifted uncomfortably, recognizing the tone of someone bearing too much weight. Banner's hands clenched slightly, the Other Guy unusually quiet in the face of this kind of destruction.

"The quantum readings are still escalating," Kevin continued, trying to maintain a professional tone. "We could use some theoretical input on-" Static cut through whatever he was going to say next.

"Working on stabilizing the connection," Tony muttered, fingers flying over his screens. "The dimensional interference is getting worse."

Loki studied the patterns of chaos with ancient eyes. "The fabric of their reality protests, yet seeks new balance. Perhaps-"

The communicator crackled back to life, showing Ben mid-transformation. "Look, we knew this would happen. Paradox said-"

"Paradox," Samael's laugh held no trace of his usual humor. "Because he's 'oh so' trustworthy with his 'necessary sacrifices' and 'greater good' manipulations."

Emma reached for his hand, feeling the turmoil beneath his surface. The others watched silently, understanding that sometimes there were no good jokes to hide behind.

Sometimes the weight just had to be carried.

The hologram shifted to show more devastation - cities evacuating as weather patterns turned violent, tectonic plates shifting without warning.

"The southern hemisphere's stabilizing," Gwen reported, her voice strained from maintaining multiple barriers. "But the northern continents are still-"

Static interrupted again, longer this time.

"The dimensional barriers are becoming more unstable," Tony noted, his screens filling with data. "The connection might not hold much longer."

"Good," Samael's voice carried bitter edge that made even Loki pause. "At least something's breaking besides their universe."

"HULK THINK FRIEND TOO HARD ON SELF," Banner's alter ego rumbled softly.

The connection cleared momentarily, showing Kevin working on some kind of stabilization device. "Look, we've got a theory about the quantum resonance patterns. If we could just-"

More static, then Ben's voice: "-might be able to redirect the worst of it if-"

The hologram flickered violently before dying completely.

"Connection lost," JARVIS announced unnecessarily. "Dimensional interference has exceeded sustainable levels."

Samael stared at the dead communicator, his expression making Emma strengthen their mental link supportively.

"Well," Tony tried to break the heavy silence, "at least your cultists haven't tried to 'bless' my lab again today-"

"Don't," Samael's voice cut through any attempt at lightening the mood. "Just... don't."

Fisk, who'd been observing silently, stepped forward. "Perhaps we should focus on what can be done rather than-"

"Done?" Samael turned, his eyes carrying something that made even the Kingpin pause. "I broke their universe. What exactly can be 'done' about that?"

"You saved them from Aggregor," Thor reminded him. "A choice had to be made-"

"A choice," Samael's laugh held an edge that made the room's temperature seem to drop. " Because apparently the only way to stop one threat was to damage an entire reality. Some hero I turned out to be."

"The quantum readings suggest the worst will pass," Tony offered, pulling up his analysis. "Their universe is adapting, finding new equilibrium-"

"Equilibrium?" Samael's voice cracked. "There are probably billions dying right now. Entire cities being evacuated. Families losing everything because their world decided to tear itself apart. All for some 'greater good'?"

"The alternative was Aggregor with pure Celestialsapien power," Loki reasoned, his usual mischief replaced by ancient wisdom. "That would have-"

"Would have what?" Samael rounded on him. "Been worse than this? Than watching an entire universe suffer because I decided to play with power I didn't understand?"

"The calculations were clear," Tony persisted. "Without your intervention, Aggregor would have-"

"Calculations?" The bitter laugh made Emma strengthen their mental link further. "Let's calculate how many people are dying right now, shall we? How many children are watching their homes disappear under waves that shouldn't exist? How many-"

"HULK UNDERSTAND BREAKING THINGS TO SAVE THINGS," Banner's alter ego interrupted. "BUT FRIEND NOT SEE WHOLE PICTURE."

"The whole picture?" Samael's voice carried dangerous quiet. "The 'whole picture' is that I chose to damage billions of lives on the word of a time traveler who plays with causality like it's a game. Because apparently that was the only solution."

Thor stepped forward. "Sometimes the weight of choices-"

"Don't," Samael cut him off. "Don't talk to me about choices. Not when I can feel their universe literally tearing itself apart because of what I did.

Not when there are probably parents right now trying to explain to their kids why the sky is the wrong color or why the ground won't stop shaking."

Fisk's calculating expression shifted to something almost paternal. "You cannot save everyone-"

"I'm not trying to save everyone," Samael's voice shook. "I just didn't want to destroy an entire reality's stability on manipulative intent of someone who thinks 'necessary sacrifice' justifies anything."

The room fell silent, the weight of his words and guilt pressing down on them all.

The silence stretched until Samael's expression suddenly shifted, a realization dawning.

"I can fix this," he whispered, his hand moving to the Ultimatrix. "Alien X can do anything. Rewrite reality, restore balance, undo the damage-"

"No," Emma's mental voice carried sharp alarm as she felt his intentions crystallize. "The risk of being trapped in that form-"

"Better than letting billions suffer," his fingers hovered over the interface. "One person trapped versus an entire universe in chaos? That's simple math."

"Simple math that could cost you your consciousness," Tony stepped forward. "The personality integration alone could-"

"I don't care!" The raw emotion in his voice made them all pause. "I can fix this. I can make it right. All I have to do is-"

"We cannot allow that risk," Fisk's voice carried unusual emotion. "The chance of losing you-"

"You can't stop me," Samael's hand moved toward the Ultimatrix. "None of you can-"

Thor's movement was gentle but precise. A simple strike to the neck, and Samael crumpled, Emma catching him before he hit the ground.

Everyone stared at Thor in shock.

"What?" The thundererlooked confused at their expressions. "The device protects from lethal threats, does it not? I was gentle."

"You... you just..." Tony gestured helplessly.

"Sometimes," Thor said softly, helping Emma settle Samael onto a couch, "the hardest part of caring for someone is stopping them from sacrificing everything to fix what isn't their fault. He himself learned me that - intentional or not."

The room fell silent again, watching their youngest member sleep, the weight of guilt temporarily off his shoulders.

"Well," Tony broke the silence, running a hand through his hair, "that was... efficient. Though maybe we should discuss protocols for when he wakes up. Preferably ones that don't involve more divine knockout taps."

"His mental state is deteriorating," Emma stated, her hand resting protectively on Samael's forehead. "I've felt it building for days. The guilt, the responsibility..."

"HULK UNDERSTAND HURTING INSIDE," Banner's alter ego rumbled softly. "FRIEND NEEDS HELP, NOT SLEEP."

"Indeed," Loki studied their unconscious teammate with uncharacteristic concern. "Though perhaps what he needs most is perspective. The kind that comes from-"

A familiar chime interrupted as the communicator suddenly sparked back to life, Kevin's voice cutting through:

"Hey, got a theory about the quantum- wait, why is he unconscious?"

"Thor happened," Tony supplied helpfully.

"You knocked him out?" Ben's voice joined in, sounding both impressed and concerned.

"He was about to use the Celestialsapien form," Emma explained, her mental presence still wrapped protectively around Samael's sleeping mind. "To try fixing your universe."

Silence from the other side, then: "That idiot," Kevin muttered, but his voice carried understanding. "It seems he isn't so different from our Ben. Always trying to carry everything alone."

"Hey!" Ben protested, though his tone was half-hearted. All three of them internally blamed themselves rather than Sam since this is their own universe. They are the ones who are supposed to be its heroes. The ones who should have prevented this.

"We have news though," Gwen's voice added quickly. "The readings are starting to stabilize. The worst really is passing. We just needed to tell him-"

"My lord should not blame himself," a new voice interrupted as an Esoterica materialized in the corner, making everyone jump.

"What the-" Kevin's voice carried clear shock through the hologram.

"Is that an Esoterica?" Ben asked incredulously. "How are they in your universe?"

"Wait," Gwen's voice rose with confusion. "Why did it call him 'lord'?"

"Not now," several Ultimates members chorused together, while the Esoterica bowed deeply.

"Of course. We shall prepare the sacred healing rituals instead-"

"No rituals," Emma stated firmly. "Just... let him rest."

"Okay, seriously," Kevin's voice cut through again. "Someone want to explain why you have Esoterica calling him 'lord' and offering healing rituals?"

"It's... complicated," Tony offered weakly.

"When did this happen?" Ben demanded. "And why didn't you tell us you had interdimensional cultists?"

"Perhaps," Loki interjected smoothly, "we should focus on our unconscious teammate rather than explaining his rather... devoted followers?"

The Esoterica disappeared as quietly as they'd arrived, leaving both teams to process this new revelation.

"We are definitely discussing this later," Gwen stated firmly through the hologram.

"Right after we explain how our universe is actually stabilizing," Kevin added pointedly. "Let's focus on the actual good news instead of the surprise cultists..."

"The quantum resonance patterns are normalizing," Gwen continued, her voice carrying both exhaustion and hope. "The northern hemisphere's storms are dissipating, tectonic activity is returning to baseline-"

"In English?" Tony interrupted. "For the others who don't speak quantum physics."

"It means," Kevin grunted while clearly working on something in the background, "that our universe isn't tearing itself apart anymore. The worst is over. No thanks to certain people trying to sacrifice themselves to fix it."

Samael stirred again, prompting Emma to strengthen their mental link supportively.

"Though seriously," Ben's voice carried clear curiosity, "about these Esoterica-"

"Perhaps," Fisk interrupted smoothly, "we should allow my son to fully regain consciousness before discussing his... devoted followers?"

"Son?" Three voices exclaimed simultaneously through the hologram.

"Oh right," Tony muttered. "They don't know about that part either."

Samael groaned, his hand moving to his neck. "Did someone hit me?"

"Welcome back to consciousness," Emma sent mentally. "Try not to immediately attempt any more self-sacrificing heroics."

"What happened to..." his eyes suddenly widened as memory returned. "I was going to use Alien X. And then..."

"Thor happened," Tony supplied helpfully.

"I was gentle," Thor added, still looking confused by everyone's reactions.

The communicator crackled with what sounded suspiciously like Kevin trying not to laugh.

"So," Samael managed, still rubbing his neck, "anyone want to explain why so called divine intervention involved actual physical intervention?"

"Because you were about to do something monumentally stupid," Emma stated firmly, both mentally and aloud.

"The universe is healing itself," Gwen's voice carried through clearly. "The quantum matrices are realigning naturally. Using Alien X would have just-"

"Probably made things worse, since nothing is guaranteed with it," Kevin finished. "Plus, you know, the whole 'trapped in cosmic debate forever' thing."

Samael sat up slowly, processing this. "But the deaths..."

"Are decreasing," Ben assured. "Though seriously, when were you going to mention the whole 'interdimensional cultists who think you're their god' thing?"

"Technically," Tony interjected, "that development happened after our last clear communication. Along with some other... interesting situations."

"My lord's divine journey has been most enlightening!" an Esoterica announced, materializing briefly before multiple glares sent them retreating again.

"Okay, that's it," Kevin's voice carried determined curiosity. "You're explaining everything. Starting with why you have Esoterica calling you 'lord' and ending with why you were stupid enough that Thor had to knock you out.

Cause I expected better from the smart version of Ben."

"Oh come on!" Ben protested once more.

"Perhaps," Fisk suggested smoothly, "such explanations could wait until he has fully recovered from his... divine nap?"

"Divine nap?" Samael muttered. "Really?"

"Would you prefer 'celestial timeout'?" Tony offered.

"The important thing, again" Gwen's voice cut through the banter, "is that our universe is stabilizing. The quantum resonance patterns show-"

"That I didn't completely destroy your reality?" Samael's bitter tone returned, though slightly muted by what was probably a Thor-induced headache.

"That what needed to happen, happened," Kevin corrected firmly. "Without breaking everything permanently."

Emma's mental presence wrapped supportively around Samael's consciousness. 'They're okay. Their world is healing.'

"Though we're definitely still not dropping the cultist thing," Ben added. "Or why-"

Static interrupted whatever else he was going to say as the connection began to fade.

"Dimensional barriers are strengthening," Tony noted, checking his readings. "Might be a while before we can establish clear communication again."

"Perfect timing," Samael muttered, still rubbing his neck.

"Indeed," Loki smirked. "Just long enough for you to come up with explanations for your... devoted followers."

"Or for Thor to practice his gentle divine interventions," Tony added helpfully.

"I was very careful," Thor defended again, still looking puzzled by everyone's continued reactions.

The communicator flickered one last time, Kevin's voice barely audible: "Don't do anything stupid until we-" before cutting out completely.

"Well," Emma sent mentally, 'at least no one tried to start a healing ritual.'

"The sacred healing crystals are prepared!" an Esoterica announced from somewhere unseen.

"No," multiple voices chorused firmly.

Just another day of cosmic guilt, timeouts, and increasingly complicated interdimensional relationships.

At least the universe wasn't ending anymore.

Even if Samael's sanity might be.

-------------------------------

(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

See, as I established before in earlier chapters, Samael's humour is mostly a defensive mechanism against stress, fear, pain, etc.

The others themselves, though attempted to move on despite the revelations since they were too distant from it, to not be logical, and try thereby to not hurt Samael further by getting frustrated, angry etc.

Ben, Gwen, and Kevin, blame themselves rather than Sam.

Samael basically this whole time had on loop, constant imaginative nightmares, and actual images of disasters and deaths caused by Dagon form.

So yeah, I hope this cleared it all up, and I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)