Let's answer my fans and reviewers!

To psychospiff: Marriage problems? You have no idea.

To Agent Silver: No internet access! That's a fate worse than fate! But by all means, drop in when you can. I appreciate your input.

To LadyKayoss: Austin losing control of the tentacles is just one of the problems he's going to have believe me. Keep reading.

On to the story! Read and review! If you have a question, I'll answer it. If you have a comment, I'll respond to it. If you have compliments or criticism, I'll appreciate it. Flames are not appreciated and will result in a sarcastic answer.

Chapter 5: The Friends Thou Hast

"The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,

Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;

But do not dull thy palm with entertainment

Of each new-hatched, unfledged comrade."

--Hamlet

"You're going to throw those infernal things away, Ottoline."

Ottoline scowled at her father from across the table. "I thought you'd be proud."

Austin exploded. "Why in hell would I be! Those things ruined my life! If you put those on, you'll be making a huge mistake!"

"What mistake, Daddy?" Ottoline asked. "As long as I don't get them permanently welded on my back, I'll be fine. Just think about the doors it opens for high-risk laboratory work. Experimenting with chemicals would be faster and more efficient than with human hands. And outside the lab, they would have enormous potential for the handicapped. Besides, I could have four extra arms to help with the chores, and I could beat up Parker for once…"

"I wouldn't try," advised Parker.

"Something will go wrong with those things, they always do," Austin said. "Those things are a curse. You have to throw them away."

"Then I wouldn't have a science project."

"Just build a model volcano or something."

"That's what Parker's doing."

The realization hit Austin like a thud. The girl had to get the blueprint and the instructions to build those arms from somewhere.

"Ottoline…have you been talking to your grandfather again?"

Ottoline blanched. "Which one?"

"Obviously, the one who you're named after," snapped Parker, rolling her eyes and smirking.

Austin wondered if it had been a mistake naming her after his father.

"Am I going to get in trouble?"

"No," sighed Austin. The smirk was wiped off Parker's face. "But…you need to be careful. My father's certifiably insane, a murderer, a terrorist, and you don't need to take his advice seriously. And those tentacles are dangerous. They're the reason why I've lost my job, they're the reason your other grandfather hates me…okay we'll discuss this later. Pick up your backpacks, it's time for me to drive you to school."

It was an ordinary morning after that. What happened that afternoon would shatter that, would be the finger that knocked the whole line of metaphorical dominoes down.

Austin, after picking up some groceries from the store, drove to Midtown High to pick the girls up. Ottoline was prompt, though still a bit sullen. Parker was an entirely different story.

"It's four o'clock," Austin grumbled. "Is your sister going to show up?"

Maybe.

And maybe not.

We knew she was going to be late.

You humans are so predictable.

Austin's eyes were shut. Ottoline could tell by the look on her father's face that his tentacles were talking to him again.

"They're talking to you again, right?"

You need to go look for her.

Teenage girls do so many things.

Some good.

Some not.

What's a teenage girl?

Oh for god's sakes, Number Two, shut up.

Father must have been sleep-deprived when he wrote your artificial intelligence program, Two.

Look for her.

Yes.

"Ottoline, stay here," Austin ordered. "I'm going to look for her."

We can see her.

Back behind the west wall, at the picnic tables.

She is with a male who is approximately six-feet-three. Dark red hair. Fair complexion. Excellent health. Very athletic—

We cannot recognize his identity.

I don't really need to know who he is. I need to bring my daughter home.

The tentacles' voices took on a sarcastic, disdainfultone. Well, excuse us for trying to help. We might not bother in future.

"Parker Marie, where were you?"

Parker stood before her father, his tentacles now hidden beneath his coat. Her short brown hair was pulled over with a red headband. Her blue eyes widened. "Just hanging out. Lost track of the time."

Their lips were together. Our data banks on human emotions and body language indicate that they are affectionate.

"Making out, perhaps. And you've lost track of a whole half-hour."

It was then that the boy turned to look at Austin. He was very tall, with wavy auburn hair. He was wearing dark sunglasses, a green button down shirt, and blue jeans.

"Look, I'm a modern man, I know that girls your age have boyfriends. Just—let me know."

Austin turned to face the boy. "And you—I'm not that liberal. You do anything improper towards my daughter, and I'll kill you."

The boy took off his sunglasses to reveal a pair of big brown puppy dog eyes with long, dark lashes.

They were Ottoline's eyes…

And Doc Ock's eyes…

And Austin's eyes.

Next: Her Vestal Livery. Harry Octavian's origins explained.