A Home Within The Madness
Chapter Rating: G
Discaimer: Otto Octavius, Spider-Man and other copyrighted characters and/or places are copyrighted to their respectful owners.
Author's Notes: I never have the patience to write in chapters. I always have to do things all at once, or I rarely come back and finish things, but hopefully I find the motivation to keep up with this one. I have a few ideas and just wanted to get it started. Chapters mean you can't go back and change things to go a different route, so I think of it as more of a challenge. Kudos to those who can handle that! Oh, and this is based on movie Ock, of course.
CHAPTER 1
"I….WILL….NOT….DIE….A….MONSTER!"
"You're gonna die if you don't shut up, over there!"
Otto stirred on his tiny cot, opened his eyes and tried to focus on the darkness surrounding him.
"Wha- Where am--"
"Hey, pal!" came the mysterious voice in the darkness. "I said shut up!"
Sitting up, Otto blinked several times, wiped his eyes and squinted into the thick black atmosphere. After several minutes, his eyes began to adjust and he remembered where he was.
After much finance juggling and begging the current building owner, the former home of Doctor Otto Octavius was now the new residence of art student Annie Sheldon. After the incident with Dr. Octavius, the building was sold, fixed up a minimal amount and rented out. Annie knew it would be the perfect place to set up her art supplies and have the privacy she looked forward to.
Granted, she had to do a lot of the fixing up, herself. The structure of the building was repaired, but the décor was left with very little appeal. What money she had left over from the first rent payment was used to buy more home supplies than food. She could always bum a few meals off some friends if need be. But, the walls needed some paint and the floors needed sweeping and buffing, so it was cleanliness before nourishment.
After a week of cleaning, it was just about finished. All it needed was a big painting to christen it. The only thing was, Annie had a bit of artist's block at the moment. She chalked it all up to the vibes at school. She didn't feel as though she fit in. Sure, she had a couple friends, but she was never one to really get into the whole social thing, and she got quite a bit of grief from the other students about it. Hearing people call you a freak and saying you're an outsider kind of puts a damper on one's artistic moods.
But now she was out of the dorm and occupying the perfect place to get away from it all. Here she would hope to achieve her best painting, ever. As soon as the idea for it came to her.
Finishing her cup of warm coco, she flipped off the small TV, curled up into bed and quickly fell asleep.
….Must not lose my temper….Can't afford to bring attention to myself….Have no where else to go….
Otto laid back down on his flimsy cot and tried to ignore the fact that someone had been so forwardly rude to him. Didn't they know who he was? Or rather who he had been, once?
After escaping the hospital, Otto wandered aimlessly through the city, sleeping in alleyways, parks, and even sewers. Realizing the weather was getting colder and he had nowhere else to go, he decided to seek refuge at the local shelter for the homeless. Many a petty criminal had found a temporary home, here. Nobody asked any questions and nobody made any friends in this place. Even the police stayed away. As long as these guys were off the streets for a while, it was one less thing to worry about.
Months on the streets had taken their toll on Otto. His mind was disintegrating and he could feel each brain cell fritz out as time went by. And now, for the last week, he's been cramped up in this smelly, damp, germ-infested building with who knows what kind of people, and the nightmares he'd been having have increased in intensity.
Nightmares of what did happen--Rosie being taken from him, the horrible pain of electrocution, the horrifying images of the hospital incident--and what never happened--robbing a bank, fighting Spider-Man, rebuilding his life's work, sacrificing himself to save the city from his own creation--plagued his mind. It was time to get out of this dreadful place and find a new sanctuary. Somewhere that would allow him to regain his sanity. Somewhere that would be "home."
