Hardly Perfect
To be fair, Otto Octavius had not been entirely sure about a lot of things as of late. Not sure about the world he landed in seemingly randomly, not sure about the kid –the kid!– Spider-Man/Peter Parker running around saving the world, not sure about apparently actual factual real magic existing, not sure about what he could do now that his actuators were no longer constantly whispering in his head…
But as of twenty minutes ago, he was damn sure about one thing finally.
He hated Norman with a burning passion. Screw everything about their shared history.
- Otto, my dear friend.
Otto struck out with Larry behind him, almost nailing that godforsaken glider and flinging Norman out of the air. He kept on running atop the roof tops, his survival instincts overriding everything else. Even though he was grateful he did not have to struggle with the AI voices in his head, he quickly realized the (hopefully only) one downside of this new-found freedom: he also lost that mythical levels of surety that came from the machines' programming. It was no longer just "build a fusion reactor, and to hell with everything else, no one can hurt me anyway". It was no longer Doctor Octopus just messing everything up in his path, it was Doctor Otto Octavius, a fusion expert, painfully aware of his own human weaknesses and preferring to stay alive, thank you very much. Maxwell Dillon zapped him out of the window, Otto damn near plummeted to his death, and now he was freaking out, no two ways to go about it.
And of course, this green bastard just had to tail him in this moment of personal chaos.
- Don't be like that, Otto!
- Shut the fuck up! – the scientist snapped, blindly swiping with Flo and missing his pursuer entirely.
And now he was cursing. That had to be a bad sign. He'd never cursed, he loathed that crude language.
Eventually he realized he was alone – no glider buzzing, no taunting, just his arms slamming the concrete and carrying him along as fast as they could without popping a joint. Otto had no idea how long he had been running, so he finally lowered himself into an alleyway and just flattened against the brick wall, heaving, his arms whirring. He had been overridden for, what? One month, two maybe? And he'd already forgotten what real pain felt like, thanks to the oppressing control of the AIs. Having his blood set on fire by an electric shock, and then flying through sharp glass only his thick leather coats saved him from (unlike Rosie, dear god) … Yeah, he needed a moment, if that was okay with everyone else.
- —thorities confirmed the explosion at the Queens apartment building was caused by unknown assailants…
Otto somehow tore himself away from that very inviting brick wall, and wrapping his actuators around himself, he staggered out to a wider street, having no idea where he was within the city exactly. He yanked off his shades, tucking them away in his coat somewhere. A local shop of electrical appliances painted the asphalt with ever changing lights as all manners of TVs (some the size and quality he would have never believed was even possible for a home television) broadcasted the same channel in its storefront.
Which, of course, happened to be a news channel, blaring about the latest mess he and the others have caused.
- Local newsgroup The Daily Bugle has captured the suspects on camera fleeing the premises, including a human-sized lizard, a man covered in sparks, another flying on a drone and one equipped with what appears to be four mechanical arms…
And there he was. The Fearsome Doctor Octopus, being the first to run for his life after getting flung out the window, his arms damn near tripping over themselves to put as much distance as they could between him and the rest of the sociopaths. He looked positively ridiculous, flailing around like a drunken hornet, almost swinging his own body against the walls as he climbed in sheer unadulterated panic.
- Sorry about that – Otto mumbled hopelessly as he saw himself accidentally break in a massive window while his lower arm, Harry was trying to find its footing.
God, Rosie would have hated to see this…
- Currently there are reports of 43 injured within the building, mostly due to electrical burns…
- That Max is such a piece of work…
-… And one confirmed dead, as of yet.
Otto paused, his mouth drying out.
- The casualty has not yet been identified, a middle-aged woman of dark hair, wearing a blue blouse and—
Wait… Maybelle Parker?
No.
- Her position suggests she had tried to exit the building but was stabbed from behind, possibly by one of the assailants, authorities suspect. The police has given out a warning to—
Otto staggered away from the storefront, still hugging himself with his actuators, staring at the ground. Some small part of him was aware he looked like a bloated ghost haunting the street… A ghost that could have saved that one confirmed dead. He was so just damn grateful to Peter for giving him his sanity back that he did not even bother to bring his aunt to safety with himself. She had made sure everyone was comfortable as much as possible, given the circumstances, trying to offer them food and water –god, he was famished, he realized–, and they returned the favor by killing her or leaving her to die. Here he was, equipped with a technology that was insanely advanced in his world, and could hold up easily in this weird future world… and so far he had used them to wreck everything in sight, try to kill a child, and save his own miserable hide. All he had to do was anchor himself for one godforsaken second, haul his useless behind back up there, wrap Flo or Moe around the woman who reminded him so much of Rosie, and just run.
- I'm so sorry – Otto softly murmured.
Something landed with a soft ping next to him. He turned there in his daze, staring a strange golden ball thing with a green light coming from it…
With a loud gasp, he whacked the Pumpkin Bomb away with Flo. It flew straight into the TV shop. Then… then the shop was gone in an instant. Everything inside and outside melted from the explosion. Otto almost fell over from the shockwave, only Larry and Harry kept him standing.
In the following silence, he stared at the wreckage with renewed shock. What if… what if someone had been inside there? The shopkeeper? A security guard? Oh god, what if someone was burning inside?! He-he—call the fire department, yes!
Reality snapping back into his brain, he desperately looked around for a phone booth… and found none. How the hell was there no phone booth, how utterly useless was this version of New York?!
I don't even have money to operate one, for fu—
- H-hey! Hey! Anyone there?! – Otto shouted, rushing to the wreckage.
He thought he could hear the neighbors waking up, and could only hope one of them would call for help. The heat from the shop sucked the air out of his lungs and he staggered, but kept going, pulling up his turtle neck to his nose against the smoke. The suspended ceiling completely collapsed and covered everything in molten gypsum boards and steel beams. It looked like a good part of the upper floor also landed here, some kind of storage with insane amount of junk now scattered about and burning. Larry and Harry began digging, easily flinging massive chunks of rubble aside.
- Sir! Ma'am? Hang on, I will get you out of there! Shout if you can hear me!
The shop wasn't big. It was a small local business, there was no way in hell the owner was far enough from the explosion to have survived it. Otto clamped down on that rational thought as he desperately kept digging.
- Sir! Are you there?!
Harry finally found something. Its claws wrapped around a limp human arm covered in cuts and blood, three fingers burnt off, and it began to pull. Otto dug his real hands into the piece of concrete above the body and did his absolute best to haul it to the side. In his effort, it took him seconds to realize something Harry's scanners were broadcasting to his brain – the powerful but sensitive claws could not detect a pulse coming from the artery.
- You disappoint me, Otto, seriously.
Otto stared at the limp arm –an entire life, all the struggles, all the triumphs in one single mutilated bloody limp arm– for seconds, before his actuators, probably detecting that his lungs might be failing in the smoke, hauled him out of the shop and onto the streets again. In the distance, sirens blared, hopefully coming this way. The man staggered onto his real feet, almost fell over as he pulled down his turtle neck to breathe finally.
He then looked up at the only other person on the street.
- I… h—hate you – he heaved, doubling over, pointing at Norman standing a few meters away.
- But see how easy that was? – Norman—the Green Goblin, whoever the fuck grinned at him widely, gesturing at the shop. – We have this power! We are the arbiters of all. Isn't it fun?
Otto wanted to retch.
- You are a monster – he breathed, still unable to straighten out.
- I am a god – Norman pointed at his own chest. – And so are you! What happened? The fusion reactor, right? You have managed to finish it. It was a success!
- It k-killed my wife, and fused these things to me!
- The price of ascension, Otto. Nobody said it wouldn't be without sacrifices.
Flo shot out, determined to crush the bastard's head in its claws. Norman grabbed the arm, and stopped it, the resulting force travelling back into Otto and shocking him to his core. Norman flung him aside and smacked him hard into the asphalt, he rolled across the street like a helpless barrel, the base of the actuators stabbing into his back with each round, before stopping on his belly with a pitiful mewl. His completely normal human body protested against the treatment, but he somehow pushed himself up with his elbows.
- I was going to ask you to join the hunt for the bug – Norman smirked at him, getting back onto his godforsaken glider. – But maybe that inhibitor chip is working too well.
- You would hurt a child?! – Otto shouted… well, he wheezed, more like.
- Spider-Man is Spider-Man, my friend. Who cares?
Otto collapsed back onto the asphalt, his arms writhing around him helplessly. His body hurt, his lungs hurt, his brain hurt, everything hurt. He was just a foolishly stubborn scientist who destroyed his own life and killed his wife for his dream. He wasn't a superhero, a supervillain, a super-whatever, unlike this miserable cackling leprechaun cosplayer above him.
Rosie would be so disappointed with him, the realization stabbed into him.
The four arms finally found solid grip on the ground and steadied themselves. Norman was going to kill a child. A child who gave Otto his sanity back, so he could tackle fear and grief and panic and pain like an actual normal human would. In return, he left his aunt to die, and him to get hunted down by a gaggle of murderous idiots. But if he was a god –which he was most definitely, utterly wasn't, fuck you, Norman–, then… maybe, just maybe, he should be doing something with this power.
"But it's hardly perfect. You have to work at it."
Well… mythology was full of warring gods, wasn't it?
With a loud cry he didn't know he was capable of, Otto launched himself from the ground, straight at his former employer.
Norman, or rather, Goblin apparently did not expect the counter-attack in his great godly power trip of insanity. The four arms dug into his transport, Otto hanging below like a really vengeful, and possibly not very threatening-looking piñata, but holy hell, he was beyond caring at this point.
The glider began to fly, wildly waving among buildings and antennae. Otto hauled himself as close to the damned thing as possible without its engines burning his face off, to avoid the obstacles. His arms were busy tearing at the machine's exterior, trying to find just one entry point to send it straight to hell. He had no idea what Goblin was doing up there, but soon Flo reported that a massive blade just bounced off of its armored claw.
Yeah, that did make sense.
This man might just kill me here, he mused briefly before quickly burying that useless thought.
With an angry shout, he yanked the glider aside. Larry skid along the edge before getting caught in the left most engine. With a horrible heave and creak, it chomped down on it, bending it slightly out of shape, making the transport wobble. Goblin threw Pumpkin Bombs down, but most missed their target. One did get uncomfortably close, but the scientist swatted at away with his own hand. Below them, explosions sounded and fires raged through the buildings. Otto tore his gaze away from the sight, and had moments to swing to the side before he could have been skewered by an antenna. He did not want other people, first responders or not, to find more charred limbs under wreckages… but if he let go now, he would be just another burnt body down there. But if he could stop it from continuing…
Harry and Flo, his two right arms let go of the glider and wrapped themselves around a chimney passing by, while Larry and Moe hung on for dear life. Otto tried to brace himself, but honestly nothing could have readied him for the titanic lurch and yank his body had to go through a moment later, as the glider tried and failed to stay on course. As the transport veered to the side, Goblin and Otto locked eyes for a fraction of second. Despite the pain in his muscles, the scientist was damn proud of the absolutely shit-eating grin and small sassy wave he sent his ex-employer's way.
Then Goblin disappeared among the lower buildings like an arrow, Larry and Moe let go of the glider, and Otto smacked into the chimney with mostly his right side. Then, nothing but dark.
With a painful breath stabbing through his lungs, he came to moments later. He tasted something metallic, he was lying on his back, and the black star-less sky was above him. He was still alive, that much was certain.
- Ouch – was all he could muster.
Terrible last words, he figured. Then again, Rosie had been the Literature graduate between the two of them, she probably could have come up with something much more heroic or poetic.
Oh, blood was flowing from his nose, that was the metallic taste. Was it broken? A quick poke was inconclusive, but it was sure damn painful. Maybe he even managed to bite the inside of his mouth too. By some miracle he managed to push himself up by his elbows. His arms were trembling. His vision swam, his head ached (then again, everything ached), and he was fairly certain the colorful strings pulsing through the air in front of him should not have been part of the scenery. They reminded him of the magnetic eruptions of the infant sun in the reactor.
Alright so… concussion, he sluggishly concluded.
Flo snaked under him to try and prop him up. Although hard to tell, Otto was almost sure nothing was actually broken in him. How, he had no idea. Maybe the arc by which he smashed into the chimney was not a large one, so no great enough force could have built up. He absentmindedly wiped the blood on his face into his sleeve. Thank goodness, it was a dark colored coat, it wouldn't look as terrible… might not would have freaked out Rosie, had she seen him like this.
"Oh, it's nothing, love. I just flung a real life leprechaun into the goddamn concrete at the speed of sound, then kissed a chimney at full speed. I'm okay, I swear."
Otto realized he was loudly giggling as he pictured the scene. Oh, Rosie would absolutely be besides herself from worry…
But Rosie wasn't there with him.
And she wouldn't be again, even in other worlds.
He quitted down. Maybe he was even crying. His grip on his emotions was a bit slack right now. He kept curling and uncurling his fingers, fidgeting his legs. He could feel every little stab, sore, pull and other kind of pain in his body. At least he was still in one piece. His arms whirred miserably around him, barely staying conscious themselves.
- Areya guys m'kay? – Otto asked, his voice a bit more slurred than he would had liked.
- Sure.
- I almost got sheared in half, it's all good.
- Ditto. Totally fine.
- You are terrible at this.
Otto giggled again, despite his tears. Some part of him questioned whether the arms had really just answered him with tangible words, or he was just imagining things again. But they sounded funny.
- Rosie woul-ave loved you guys – he sniffled.
He meant… if they weren't so murderous the first time around, that is. He was a bit too tired to correct himself.
He sat there for god knows how long, until the outside world slowly seeped back into his senses. He was staring blankly at a massive screen (why were these things so common?) a bit of distance from him. The streets below were still full of traffic even at this whatever hour (it was probably late). At some point while the world so rudely fell out for him, the fire department had arrived to the bombed down neighborhood not far, and now giant geysers of water arched through the air.
- Good men – Otto breathed. – S'ry about the mess…
He could not imagine how many of those brave heroes were now wading through burning wreckage to save anyone they could. He let go of a half-hearted salute, nonetheless. It was the least he could do. Policemen were doing their best down below to keep the curious civilians away from trouble, as smaller crowds gathered around streets to have a better look at the fire. Some of them were holding up strange flat rectangular devices… Otto needed a moment to remind himself those were what passed for "telephones" in this reality. Honestly, they looked so dinky and vulnerable, how were they practical in any way?
- —just received a call from none other than the fugitive known as Spider-Man!
The large screen's voice finally reached him, and he turned there, squinting at the brightness. His hand pulled out his survived shades and put them on. The grogginess was slowly leaving him, he could focus more on the words now.
But god, Jameson was just so annoying, even in this world.
- So Peter Parker! What pernicious propaganda are you peddling?!
Also a complete asshole.
- Just the truth.
The scientist almost jumped at this new voice. The big screen switched from the smug look of Jameson, to the beaten, bloodied, but somehow still determined face of this world's Peter Parker. Otto did not know there was a camera built into that fancy nano-tech suit… or maybe it was inside one of those dinky telephones? How was that even feasible? It had been a borderline miracle that he could fit his cameras into the heads of his arms and they are far bigger than the phones!
More importantly, why the hell isn't the kid hiding?! his mind finally refocused on the more pressing matters.
- The truth is… that this is all my fault – Peter went on, walking through some kind of construction site. – I accidentally brought those dangerous people here.
- Well! He admits it! – Jameson chimed in, but literally nobody cared.
- And if those people are watching… Just know that I really did try to help you.
- Oh, Peter – Otto breathed, his heart aching for the kid. – I am so sorry, my boy…
Honestly, not a single one of them deserved the child's help.
- I could have killed you – Peter said, holding up that strange magic cube thing –, at any given moment, but I didn't. Cuz Aunt May taught me that everyone deserves a second chance.
That's debatable, Otto thought bitterly, definitely not aiming those thoughts at himself and at Goblin. Definitely.
- And that's why I'm here.
- And where is "here", exactly? – Jameson pried.
Peter held his camera higher, and something metallic and absolutely massive glimmered in the background. It almost looked like a face, to be honest.
- A place that represents second chances.
- The Statue of Liberty?! Good god, folks! He's about to destroy another national landmark! – Jameson freaked out, but he honestly sounded like he was actually looking forward to the inevitable disaster.
With a painful grunt, Otto sat up properly. The many, many, many pains in his body lessened somewhat, his head was clearing up, but he was definitely not in top shape. He kept wiping his bloody nose into his already soaked sleeve.
What was the child planning, exactly?
- Those who are watching… – Peter went on after a pause.
- Believe me, the world is watching! – Jameson snorted.
-… Wish me luck.
Otto's throat seized up at this.
- Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man could really use some.
And that was the end of the broadcast. Jameson went on with some utter nonsense, but Otto tuned it out at that point, as he struggled to his feet. Peter Parker would need a whole damn lot more than luck to survive tonight. What was he doing, luring everyone to one place?! Unless… he had a plan.
A plan that was definitely going to get busted five minutes in, the scientist was sure.
He thought he could see the telling orange light of a dying small fire in one of the alleyways. Goblin was more than likely hard at work fixing his stupid glider, otherwise Otto would not have been alive at this point. He had no doubt his adversary saw the broadcast too, and would go after Peter Parker. He hopelessly tried to dust himself off, as he walked up and down on the flat roof and seized up his options.
Option A) Run away.
That wasn't even an option, Otto frowned at his own foolish thoughts. Rosie would never forgive him for it. Or Maybelle Parker. Or he himself, for that matter. No, the child needed help, end of discussion. The scientist had his chance at panicking, the time for that luxury was now up, he had to get a grip.
So. Real option A) Go and try stop Green Goblin for good, or at least cripple him enough that he would never make it to the Statue of Liberty on his own.
Simple as it sounded, he knew it would more than likely result in his death in a few minutes. He may have managed to surprise Goblin and mess up his maneuvering in mid-air, but Otto was still just a simple human, who had basically zero training in real fights… outside of what he picked up while he was under the AIs' control. Now without that surety, and with his own morals and basic human decency back on the front, he wouldn't last against an enhanced psychotic maniac armed to the teeth with bombs and blades. And he would probably die without achieving his goal.
Did he have another choice, though?
Option B) … Go to the Statue of Liberty and try to work together with Peter Parker.
Nothing says "easy to fit into a plan" quite like a middle-aged beaten up scientist with a barely healing concussion and four moody mechanical arms. It was likely instead, that he would be just another obstacle for the energetic super hero. Also, there was no way in hell he could make it over there before at least Elektro, or all the other idiots do.
Otto stopped for a second.
Maybe he didn't need to arrive before the others. Maybe there was merit in landing smack-dam in the middle of the biggest chaos.
"You always had a special way of tackling problems, Otto. That's what I like about you."
- Watch me, Rosie. I will make you proud – the scientist glanced up at the sky. – And wish me luck, please.
Adjusting his shades and coats, he began jumping from roof to roof towards the pier. Harry, Larry, Moe and Flo wobbled under him occasionally, he was starving, his vision swam from time to time, and basically everything hurt in his body. All he could do was slow down Green Goblin, taking him out for good was not an option even in his dreams. Hardly the image of the perfect superhero.
But Doctor Otto Octavius could still make a change before the night was up.
Oh boy. My first ever Marvel movie-related fanfic.
Doctor Otto Octavius. What a guy.
What an absolute GIGA-CHAD, to be precise. He's definitely my favorite Spider-Man movie villain by a long shot, followed by Vulture. He had left a deep impression in me when I was kid, he is basically a core memory of mine at this point. I cannot put it into words how happy and straight-up giddy I was when I saw him on screen again, especially in the role he was given. That movie had been a blast, I'm so glad I got to witness it on the big screen.
He's been living in my head rent-free for a week now, I had to get this oneshot out of my system. Hopefully he will leave me be now.
Oh, who am I kidding…
I wanted to emphasis an interesting detail about Otto that not even the movies really acknowledge – namely that he is just a normal human behind those arms. I know in Spider-Man 2 he literally facetanks sacks of money being thrown at him, but I think it is far more interesting to work with him as a very normal and very squishy middle-aged man whose strength is mainly his intelligence and not "being made out vibranium, lol". Also, yeah, I know it doesn't quite fit into the film, since Otto did not have a single scratch on him when he jumped in to put Elektro in his place. So, uh… slightly AU oneshot, guys! :D
Anyway, comments, reviews, all are most welcome! Take care and thank you for reading!
