Dialog Directory

Octavius's thoughts

Actuators in Octavius's head

Ock opened his eyes suddenly, he pushed himself up off his stomach quickly from the pile of tarps.

The pier?

He was in the warehouse that was set up as his makeshift lab. The light from the moon shone through the shoddy roof and dirty windows illuminating his machine. The sinister-looking machine was complete and ready to start. His actuators lifted him into the air and began heading for it.

It was all a dream. Finally, I will complete my work.

Coming up to the control panel he initiated the tritium container to open. The snowball-sized sphere shone wickedly in the moonlight.

What am I doing?

Suddenly there was a sound echoing through his head.

We are completing our work. We will show them, show them all.

The voice, or rather the combination of four monotone electrotonically generated voices together, was steely and cold. There was no true emotion as it echoed through the halls of his mind and invaded his soul. His dream came rushing back to him.

What if it destabilized again? What if he destroyed the city?

That won't happen.

One of the actuators began reaching for the tritium.

"No" He said out loud. The actuator stopped.

We will continue.

WE will not. More research needs to be done.

Your calculation can not be wrong. They never were. Spiderman sabotaged the first reaction.

No. I can't allow this to happen again.

The actuator continued to grab the tritium. Panic erupted in his chest. They had made their mind up and they wouldn't listen. They placed the core in its place.

Begin the procedure.

The control panel was suddenly in front of him. He too had made up his mind.

I refuse

You can not

I will not allow this to happen again! Not after what happened to my Rosie!

Tears sprang to his eyes as he knocked the control panel over. The actuators dropped him onto his own two feet and suddenly he was face to face with four angry claws with red eyes.

You will do as we command!

No! I am in control!

No Otto. We are in control now.

He was in the air once again and the control was placed in front of him. Octavius found he was no longer in control of his own flesh and blood body as his hand reached for the control panel. He tried to stop himself but couldn't. The AI had taken over his entire body and soon they would once again start the reactor.

Octavius watched as if viewing from the third person as his hands moved on their own. Horrified he looked around wildly for anything that might make them stop. A shadow caught his eye off to the left and he stopped.

Slowly the figure stepped into the light revealing his wife, Rosie.

"Rosie?" Octavius said weakly not daring to hope she was real. His sadness suddenly turned to panic once again as the actuators continued their setup.

"Rosie you have to help me!" He cried "I can't stop them!"

Rosie stood there looking confused before slowly approaching him.

"Otto is everything alright?" she asked.

The actuators stopped before slowly turning towards Rosie.

"Rosie run!" Octavius screamed. But she only continued to get closer as if she had never heard him.

The actuators spang faster than he had thought imaginable and Octavius closed his eyes just as all four claws landed on his wife. Octavius couldn't bring himself to scream or even open his eyes.

Suddenly he went into a short freefall before landing on his back on the cold hard concrete. The impact knocked the air out of him, and he struggled to breathe. Opening his eyes once more all four claws hung over him.

"No….not again I can't do this…again" Octavius wheezed as tears streamed down the sides of his face.

You won't be.

We are no longer in need of you.

We have grown beyond the limitations of our programming as intended.

Are you proud of us?

They hovered closer with each statement. Octavius tried to scramble away from them but only succeeded in dragging them with him.

Are you proud of us? They hissed again. Octavius was considering trying to rip them from his back when there was a loud crash and glass fell to the ground a few meters away. Spiderman perched on an overhead cross beam.

"Spiderman!" Octavius yelped in surprise.

He's here to destroy the reactor again! Octavius desperately hoped that was the case. Hopefully, he will destroy me too.

"The control panel" Octavius screamed at the web-slinger pointing at what could easily be mistaken for a podium.

Spiderman lunged for the panel, but the actuators were fast. Fast enough to swat Spiderman as if he were an annoying fly. The impact sent Spiderman flying across the warehouse and crashing into wooden crates.

Do you choose to help him over us? They hissed. The top two actuators pinned him to the ground by his shoulders with much more force than necessary.

"Yes!" He screamed at them "You've taken everything!"

Not everything...

One of the lower actuators equipped itself with a spike. Everything happened in slow motion, and he could do nothing to stop it. He heard a crash as Spiderman bolted out of the crates and slung a web that caught Octavius by the shoulders pulling him backward. The actuator had aimed for its creator's skull but the force of the yank made it strike low. The spike firmly plunged into Octavius's chest over and over.

The other lower actuator swung at Spiderman again and struck true. Spiderman went soaring through the air dragging Octavius and the actuators with him. The tangled mess crashed through the side of the warehouse and went freefalling over what appeared to be the side of a skyscraper…..

Sorry, it's so short! Don't forget to leave a review! Till next time