Normal things apply. Blah blah blah. I don't own it. Etc. you know the deal.

Our Future.

By t3h kod.

One claw flew out of the shadows and clamped over the girl's mouth, pulling her close to him.

"If you do not scream, we will remove the claw. Is that alright?"

The woman nodded meekly, and as the tentacle slinked back to behind Oc, she gaped, "You're doctor octopus!"

"That we are." He responded boredly, "And who are you?"

"My..uh...name...is..well...y'see.."

"Oh, please," Otto rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to randomly stab you. I'm not a homicidal maniac, prioer to whatever the Bugle says. I'm hardly as bad they make me out to be."

She gave a tiny nod, "Mae," she croaked, clearly still terrified, "Mae."

"Well then, Mae," He gave her a sort of evil smile, "What are you doing here?"

"What...what are you doing...doing to Kat?" She squeaked.

"Why would I hurt her?" He lifted an eyebrow, "She has been kinder to me then anyone else since the accident." He turned around, glancing again toward the window. Mae's eyes widened as she looked upon the metal ridge that crawled up Otto's back and neck. She wondered idly about the part that seemed scorched at the very top, but her attention was again drawn, and her eyes widened, completely horrified, at the four mechanical actuators that snaked from the metal harness. The attention of all four arms was now focused on her.

They snapped their tentacles almost maliciously. The four red lights gleamed almost blood red.

Mae screamed. One of the arms snapped around her mouth. Octavius' face took a deep frown, though he did not turn around, "They mean you no harm, unless you instigate it."

The arm released a little bit so she could speak, "You're a freak! A freak! You're a mon—mrpph!" The claw snapped shut again. The girl's mouth was dully muffled again.

Otto dragged the girl into Kat's room as he walked. An empty arm gave her a rather rude awakeneing.

"stupid...tentacle.....Otto...I am going to KILL you if this isn't...super...de duper important you...bastard," She growled into the pillow.

"Your friend Mae is here to see you. She took the time to tell me I was a freak and scream in horror." His voice was flat.

Kat could sense the hurt in his voice, "Mae? What the hell is Mae---Mae!" She jumped out of bed and looked at the tentacle holding the woman by her mouth, "Let go, you stupid tentacle!"

The tentacle released it's hold on Mae's mouth and snapped at Kat, who growled back. Kat immediately hugged her friend, "Oh my god, Mae, I am SO sorry! I wasn't expecting you and I haven't gotten a lot of sleep and Otto was just-- and my god, are you hurt?"

"Me?" Mae rubbed her jaw, "What about YOU? There's a psycho in your house!"

"Otto isn't a psycho!" Kat shouted.

"He's a freak of nature with four giant freakish THINGS attached to him!" Mae replied in the same tone of voice, "And he's in your house! Have you called the police yet, they're looking for hinm again since he escaped from the hospital and they were going to cut those freakish craps off his back but he ran away because some freak helped him out

and.....Kat? Katty, what's wrong?"

Katarina's hands were balled into fists as her side. Her body was literally shaking. She lifted one finger and pointed the shaking digit at her friend, "Otto ISN'T A BAD GUY!" she screamed at Mae, "HE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE ARMS, ALRIGHT?! CUT THE MAN SOME FUCKING SLACK!"

Mae just stood there, silently, tears forming in her eyes, "Oh god, Katty, that wasn't you who helped him....."

Kat nodded bitterly, "It was me. I'm his only friend. You couldn't understand." She said quietly, though each syllable trembled with the same tears that glistened in her friend's eyes. Mae stepped back again, completely horrified.

"You...freak...you're... in his league or something...you.....you're not my friend...you...." She stepped closer and closer to the bedroom door, slowly inching out of it.

"Mae...no...wait....please..."

"Don't...touch me..." The taller woman hissed, anger suddenly creeping into her voice. She wiped her eyes and glared at the other girl.

Kat took several steps towards Mae, "Please...I didn't mean too..."

"If you want to be friends with that creep." She glared at Otto, "then get away from me."

Octavius said nothing. He merely walked past Kat and Mae – or, it would be more appropriate to say that his tentacles walked him out the door. There was a dull thump somewhere outside. Kat muttered vaguely, "Off the couch."

Mae embraced Kat in a tight, tight hug, "what has he done to you, Katty? Did he put some spell on you? Maybe he smacked you too hard with one of those claws of his? He must have ensorcelled you somehow.."

"Really, Mae, I'm fine. I'm not under a spell," She patted her friend's back, "He's not a bad man. Otto isn't as bad as Jameson says he is."

"Oh, so Jameson made up the fact that he trashed Fallen and killed someone?" Mae accused, pushing her friend back onto the bed, "Made up the fact he tried to kill Spiderman?"

"HE didn't do anything. It was those arms."

"Oh," Mae rolled her eyes, "So they have a mind of their own now. I'm sure they just decided that little Otto should go kill someone?"

"In fact, they did," Kat replied casually, "You hit it pretty much on the nail."

Mae snorted, "Please don't' tell me you're believing this bullshit."

"I don't believe. I know. I know because I've talked to the arms. They're completely different from Otto. Otto's a nice guy. Sweet. Kind of sad and depressing though. The arms, however, are just nasty little assholes. They're the ones who really did all of that bad crap."

"That's the stupidest load of shit I've ever heard."

"Then get out of my apartment." Her voice was quiet and stern, "Now."

"You mean, you're picking the freak and his bullshit over me, your best friend you've known for two years?" Mae looked at her friend with amazment, "I can't believe you, he's cast some sort of spell on you and..."

"I don't care what you say about me. I know you talk behind my back about me. You're not my best friend. You're my friend. My best friend deson't talk shit behind my back. I"ve heard it. Don' try to deny it either. But don't give me grief about Otto, alright? Maybe if you stopped reading the Bugle and listening to everyone else maybe you'd learn more about him. Like I have. Get out of my apartment if all you want to do is give me shit about my companion."

Mae had nothing else to say. She turned aswas gone. The door closed with a clatter, and Kat walked out of the room, glancing around.

"Otto?"

There was no answer. No sound of mechanical arms or the faintest hints of a quiet voice. Oc was gone. She rummaged through her dirty clothes pile. His soaked shirt was gone. His coat was gone from her coat hanger. He had gone into this storm.

Well, she reflected to herself with a sad smile, better then the storm he was getting inside, I suppose.