Author's Note: We're back with another chapter for this fanfic. And what's more, this is an original chapter featuring a very iconic Spider-Man villain.

Enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.

THREE YEARS AGO

A loud applause roared echoed across the Hinobi store as a crowd of Bailey citizens watched the finals of a huge game tournament that was being played expertly before them. One of the final players was a younger Mitch Williams. The other was an African-American girl who was about the same age and wearing a black T-shirt with blue lightning designs on it. They stood side to side while playing their virtual reality game.

The game itself was being displayed on the screen above them. It showed both Mitch and the girl in high tech costumes with light lines on the backs and sides, and they were in an arena with only a few platforms jutting out of a blue sparking electric abyss below. The two competitors were launching energy balls at each other while trying to knock one of them into the mess of electricity below.

Spectating the competition was Phil, who proudly commentated on what was happening to the crowd.

"Ooh! What an outcome, folks! 16 gamers came in, but now, it looks like it's neck-and-neck between this final twosome! On the one hand, we have the rising star in video game vlogging, Mitch Williams! There's no denying that he's a talented gamer, especially considering his past history and associations, but it looks to me like he's finally met his match when it comes to the surprising player who came out of the blue, Francine Frye! Both of them made their way to the finals of the third annual Hinobi Smash tournament, but only ONE will come out on top and be the newest champion!"

"You're going down, Williams!" Francine taunted dancing around the game as well as real life.

"We'll see about that!" Mitch returned.

At the front of the crowd, a young Otto Octavius cheered loudly. "WOO-HOO! YOU GOT THIS, MITCH!"

Hearing Otto's voice, Mitch smiled and was motivated to work even harder for the win. Unfortunately for him, Francine was doing the same. With a sly grin, she formed a plan and sneakily shot energy balls at a certain spot in Mitch's path before proceeding to lead him to it.

Otto gasped. "MITCH, LOOK OUT!"

"What?" Mitch asked before he saw the weak area of the structure he'd almost stepped on and realized Francine's scheme. Acting quickly, he launched himself high into the air by blasting the structure with an energy ball, which destroyed the platform and would have ended Mitch if he hadn't spotted it. He quickly created another energy ball in his hand and then kicked it hard toward his opponent's location.

Francine, surprised that her trap had been foiled, saw the ball coming and tried to jump out of the way, but as it turned out, Mitch had set a trap of his own. While Francine managed to dodge, the ball ricocheted right off the arena wall and, as she turned to look, hit her square in the stomach. She was knocked off balance and finally fell off her support structure into the sparking void below.

"THE GAME'S OVER! THE WINNER AND NEWEST NOBI SMASH CHAMPION IS… MITCH WILLIAMS!"

Mitch removed his VR headset and watched with pride as he saw his name on the winner screen. Otto ran up onstage and laughed as he flung an arm around Mitch's shoulders and pointed to him.

"Yeah! That's him! This is my best friend right here, the newest Hinobi Smash champion!"

"I can't believe it." Mitch gasped in happy disbelief. "I won. This is the best day of my life!"

"NO!" Francine shouted, causing the cheering crowd to fall silent. She tore off her own headset and threw it down to the ground before stomping over to Mitch violently, her brown eyes narrowed in contempt. "No, no, no! You cheated!"

"What?!" Mitch asked. "Lady, you're out of your mind!"

"Yeah, he didn't cheat!" Otto shouted. "My friend here just beat you fair and square!"

"The only reason he won, twerp, is because he had outside help!" Francine shouted at Otto, pointing a finger in his face. "If it wasn't for YOU warning him against my strategy, I would be champion!" She then turned to Phil. "You, beard guy! You heard what four-eyes said, right?! It can't count! Tell me Williams cheated, so it can't count!"

"I'm sorry, but technically, he didn't SAY anything about you planting that trap. He only cried for Williams to 'look out!' Anybody could have done that." Phil said. "It was Mitch himself who spotted what you were up to and acted. No actual rules were broken, so like it or not, Mitch DID win fair and square."

Francine growled before glaring at Mitch. "You may think you're a champ, Williams, but really, you're just a CHUMP! A spoiled, privileged hack who only got this far because he's internet famous! Unlike you, I had to WORK hard to be here! Hours of gaming training! Days of studying strategies! You just got in this because you got 'past history and associations!' I'd be willing to bet they only brought you on because they thought having your face here would bring in the crowds like some glorified show pony! So pathetic!" As she spoke, her words began to get a rise out of Mitch, who clenched his hands into fists. Francine then smirked. "So just keep in mind, Williams, that no matter what they say, I'll always be better than…"

"UGH! DO YOU EVER SHUT UP?!" Mitch shouted angrily, taking Francine, Otto, Phil and the rest of the crowd off guard. Mitch then stalked forward towards Francine, and poked her in the chest as she backed up. "You wanna know the truth about what happened today, Frye? The truth is, I didn't NEED any help to defeat you! I'm just that awesome! YOU just couldn't hack it! The big guys in charge already said that I won and I never cheated! And yet here you are, whining and crying about a loss that's already happened! Who's the pathetic one now?" He crossed his arms and glowered at her. "So a little word of advice from the [new champ?] If you don't want to embarrass yourself any further, if it's not too late already, go back to your mediocre gaming chair and complain to whoever will be dumb enough to listen to you whine like the total GRIEFER THAT YOU ARE!"

Francine gaped at him before the crowd behind her began to both cheer in agreement with Mitch and to boo her and tell her to leave if she was going to be a sore loser. Putting on a sour face but with nothing else to say, she gave Mitch one last icy glare before she turned and stormed off the stage, people in the crowd jeering her as she left before switching back to claps and cheers for their newest champion.

Otto meanwhile looked at his friend with both shock and a tiny bit of fear. "Whoa, Mitch. What even was that?"

Mitch took a couple of deep breaths before realizing what he'd just said and done. "Oh, man. I… I honestly have no clue, Otto. Her words just sort of got to me, you know? I've honestly never acted like that before, with you or even with my fam." He then smiled oddly. "Although, it WAS rather… liberating."

"Well, to me, it's downright terrifying." Otto admitted. "It was almost like you were a whole other person. A real nasty and angry one. So… maybe try to keep that kind of attitude to a minimum in the future. 'Kay?"

Mitch broke from his thoughts and looked back at Otto, seeming to consider his words. After a few seconds, he sighed with a small smile. "Okay, Otto. For you, I'll try, bud."

"Mitch Williams."

A deep yet friendly sounding voice called out from the side of the crowd. Mitch turned and gasped as he was approached by none other than Norman Osborn, who gave him a clap of his own. Everyone else in the crowd began to whisper and point in excitement.

"Oh, my gosh! It's him! It's you! You're Norman Osborn!"

Osborn laughed. "Why, yes I am. Last I checked. But, hey! Give yourself a bit of praise, Mr. Williams! YOU won the tournament. YOU'RE the newest champion. All eyes are on you today, not me." He then raised a starstruck Mitch's arm up and addressed the crowd. "One last round of applause for the newest champ of Hinobi Smash, everyone! We at Oscorp welcome him into the annals of history!"

The crowd cheered even more wildly than ever as Mitch and Otto looked on in awe at the gaming legend in front of them and what he was saying. With that, Osborn led the boys off the stage as people patted Mitch on the back, shook his hand and congratulated him.

Once they were away from the crowd, Mitch and Otto seemed to come back to reality, the former eagerly shaking Osborn's hand.

"Wow!" he said enthusiastically. "Thanks so much for those kind words back there, Mr. Osborn! I got to say, you've ALWAYS been my idol, sir! Ever since I was old enough to pick up a game controller and clear my first boss, I always asked myself, 'What would the Big Man do?'"

Osborn laughed again. "Well, I'm very flattered to hear that," he said. "And to be honest, I was quite impressed with how you handled Ms. Frye. That is EXACTLY what I would do. I wouldn't let a griefer like her get away with acting like that once the final score was called. You won and proved your skills. End of story." He then lowered his voice to an even deeper conspiratorial tone. "Now, onto why I brought you back here. I don't normally do this myself, Mr. Williams, I usually leave this to Phil, the man with the beard you saw, but I figured I could make an exception. See, because of your skills and since you're the new champion, your future's now open to various… special opportunities."

"What do you mean?" Mitch asked.

"It's time you knew what Hinobi tech support is REALLY about." Osborn pulled out a card and passed it to the young champion. "Meet Phil at the store tomorrow and give him this card. He'll be sure to welcome you to a special world reserved for only the most elite gamers. Consider it a real-life level up, so to speak."

"Really? That sounds like a blast!" Mitch said cheerfully. He then took a quick look at Otto before turning back to Osborn. "Hey, uh, would it be all right if my pal Otto comes too?"

"What? Me?" Otto asked in surprise.

Osborn's smile fell as his eyes turned to Otto and he seemed to ponder him for a bit to Otto's discomfort. "Can you vouch for his gaming skills?"

"Oh, of course!" Mitch answered quickly. "He and I run a gaming channel together. He's just about as good a player as me! Plus, he's WICKED smart too. You should see what he can make from a toaster, a computer mouse, some rubber bands, and a nightlight!"

Osborn continued to stare before he smiled again. "Very well. If he games like you, then he'll fit right in. Plus, we're always looking for a few good brainiacs. Until then, take care, boys." He stood back up and walked away.

"Mitch, what are you doing?!" Otto asked once Osborn was gone. "Did you SERIOUSLY volunteer me for some kind of special tech support job that we know nothing about?!"

"Eh. Maybe." Mitch said with a shrug. Upon seeing Otto scowling at him, he sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Look. That Francine girl may have been a griefer, but she was right about one thing: I never would have made it this far without you. All those hours we practiced together? All those games we played for the channel? That helped me out a lot. And even that incident with you calling out. You managed to get me to notice what she was up to. You've always had my back, Otto. So when it comes to this new job, it's either both of us or neither of us. You in, buddy?"

Otto thought for a moment before smiling back. "All right. I'm in."

"Great!" Mitch said throwing another arm around his shoulder as the two laughed. "From this moment on, mate, it's gonna be smooth sailing."

PRESENT DAY

After another morning's patrol, the team of Five, Miko, and Tim returned to the Glitch Tech lobby and deposited their XP into the central hub.

"Now depositing 5000 XP"

"Not a bad morning, you three." Zahra said as she and Haneesh arrived.

"Oh, it wasn't really that great." Five said with a nervous smile.

"He's actually right about that." Tim said despondently. "We would've have earned three times as many XP with that one boss Glitch is Mitch hadn't sniped it from us… again."

Miko groaned. "I'm so sick of that guy trying to leech off our hard work! Seriously, why doesn't he just stick with his own Glitches?"

"Ah, don't let that jerk get you down." Haneesh advised. "It's just how he is."

"Yeah. We've been working with him for three years, and he's still taking over half of the total XP we all earned together." Zahra said with an eyeroll.

"Hey, how about we talk about something else while we have time?" Tim asked. "I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my work hours going on and on and on about Mitch, Mitch, Mitch…"

"Hey, Burns!" Phil called from the upper floor where his office was. "Come into the office with me and Mitch!"

"I think it's like Beetlejuice." Miko said eerily. "You said his name too many times."

"Mitch, Mitch, Mitch!" Tim said quickly, hoping for the opposite effect like with the movie character and that Mitch would go away.

"Wall-Crawler! ASAP!" the arrogant Tech in question shouted out from Phil's office.

Tim sighed in defeat. "Well, it was worth a shot. Wish me luck." He then shot a green web up and swung to the upper floor. He entered Phil's office where he met with the man himself, BITT, and Mitch. "So, what brings me here, Phil? Did you need a comedian? That's asking a lot since you've already got a clown here," he laughed, pointing at Mitch.

"Oh, shut up, noob." Mitch hissed.

"Can the Abbott and Costello act, you two. This is serious." Phil said. "BITT?"

BITT hovered over to Tim before showing a chatroom website on his screen. "It has come to our attention that for the past week and a half, there has been someone sending death threats on Glitch Tech Mitch Williams' fan site."

"He's been getting death threats?" Tim asked. "But even more surprising, he has a fan site?"

"What can I say? I'm a star." Mitch said straightening his sharp collar.

Tim looked closely at the messages. They were all from an unknown sender. One said, "You're going to burn soon, Williams. And I look forward to watching the fire." Another said, "Enjoy your life, Williams. You won't be getting any extras." The final one was just a chibi Mitch with crossed out eyes. "Well, from the looks of it, someone wants your star to be snuffed out. Did you guys try tracking the messages to their source?"

"First thing we tried." Phil answered. "Unfortunately, they must have some pretty advanced cyber security. We couldn't find any trace. They definitely know how to cover their tracks."

Mitch groaned. "Look, Phil, I told you. Celebrities get threats from crazed fans like this all the time. It's probably some crackpot troll stirring up trouble. It's no big deal."

"Oh yeah. Why would a death threat be a big deal?" Tim asked sarcastically. "Oh, that's right. Because it threatens DEATH! I mean, you gotta admit, that last message was pretty darn disturbing! How did someone even MAKE something like that?"

"Whether they're real or not, we've got protocols to follow." Phil said. "Ordinarily, Mitch should remain either at home or here at HQ, but he says he can't do either right now."

"Hello! Tomorrow's the Hinobi Convention being held here in Bailey, and I've got to make an appearance for my fans!" Mitch exclaimed. "No phony-baloney death threat is going to keep me from going and gracing my public!"

"Wow. That's narcissism on a whole other level." Tim commented.

Phil sighed. "Well, since Mitch insists on going to HinobiCon, then protocol says he needs a security detail with him at all times. And, believe it or not, kid, he chose you."

Tim's eyes widened. "I'm sorry? Me? Mitch chose ME?! Um, I feel like I need to remind everyone here that Mitch and I get on like Ohio State and Michigan fans. Namely… NOT AT ALL!"

"No denying here." Mitch muttered. "Still, if I HAVE to be protected, then it has got to be the spider boy."

"Huh." Tim said, raising an eyebrow. "That's an interesting twist I didn't see coming. Okay, so BITT, should I actually decide to forego my sanity and accept this job, what exactly would this entail?"

"You'll be assigned to Mitch Williams…"

"Uh-huh."

"You'll be entirely in control of his movements…"

"Amazing."

"He will NOT leave your sight. You have the authority to make decisions that you feel are in the best interest of his safety."

"Oh, my goodness."

"Basically, you'll be completely in charge."

Tim flashed a happy grin. "Oh, well, it sounds really tough, but of course, I accept. And I'm honored to be watching over Mitch Williams, who now has to obey all of my orders. Is it my birthday already?!"

Phil clapped his hands. "Well, now that all that's settled, you two are dismissed. Remember, Mitch, you cannot leave this store without Tim to escort you home."

Mitch scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Sure. Whatever, Phil."

With that, Tim and Mitch left the office. As he left, Tim was caught up by Five and Miko.

"Tim, how'd it go?" Five asked.

"You weren't in trouble, were you?" Miko asked worriedly. "Every time I'M sent to the principal's office, it usually means I'm in trouble. Which unfortunately happens about two or three times a month."

"Guys, relax. It's nothing like that." Tim said. "I got great news: Mitch has been getting death threats!"

Both Five and Miko gave an awkward reaction to that. "Um, you seem happy about that."

"Why is Mitch getting death threats a good thing?" Miko asked. "I mean, granted, he probably had it coming, but still…"

"It's good because Phil assigned me to be Mitch's bodyguard!" Tim cheered happily. "I'm in charge of everything he does, and he has to deal with it. Sure, I'll probably have to remain by his side, but I get to boss that sociopath around, and I'm totally justified because I'm looking out for him!"

Miko leaned to her side a bit to look past Tim. "Uh, if you're supposed to be looking out for Mitch, then why isn't he with you right now?"

"What?!" Tim asked turning around. Mitch wasn't standing beside him anymore. He was nowhere to be seen. "Oh, no! Don't tell me I lost him already!" He looked around frantically until he spotted a familiar Tech. "Otto! Otto, please, tell me you've seen Mitch?"

Otto sighed an annoyed groan. "Couldn't avoid it. Thankfully, it was brief. He said something about ditching you and meeting the paparazzi crowded up in front of the store."

"He WHAT?!" Tim shouted.

Mitch gave a glittering smile to the crowd of fans who had gathered around him outside the Hinobi store, snapping pictures and asking for laughed as he settled everyone down.

"Okay, okay. As much as I love the love you all give me, I'm afraid I won't be signing autographs until HinobiCon tomorrow." Mitch informed. "I WILL, however, take the time to give you a few free snapshots! So go ahead! Snap away and capture the treasure that is Mitch Williams!" He began to pose for the cameras, which flashed more frequently.

The pictures stopped, suddenly, when Tim ran right out and pushed everyone away much to Mitch's chagrin. "All right, All right everyone! You got enough photos! Show's over! Get going! You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here! Mr. Williams needs his rest for tomorrow!" The crowd groaned and grumbled, but Tim kept motioning them to leave until they were all gone.

"Oi! What are you doing, Burns?" Mitch asked. "I had them eating out of my hand!"

"What am I doing?" Tim returned angrily toward Mitch. "What are YOU doing? I'm supposed to bust my butt to save yours, and you wanna throw yourself in front of a hundred strangers without your bodyguard to back you up?"

"Wait, you were serious about the job?" Mitch asked seemingly genuinely surprised.

"Yes! Why would you think otherwise?"

Mitch sighed heavily. "Alright, full disclosure. Do you know why I chose YOU as my bodyguard?"

"Because I'm the most special Glitch Tech you know?"

"You're the most 'special' Glitch Tech I know all right." Mitch muttered, making Tim glare harshly at him. "But that's beside the point. Look. Read my lips: The threats. Aren't. Real! I've had griefers write junk like that before and nothing has ever come of it! They're all talk! I have no need for a bodyguard! So I thought that since you hated my guts, you'd have no problem with leaving me alone. That you would absolutely hate the idea of having to be around me all the time, and be willing to just leave me be."

"Well, you thought WRONG, kimosabe." Tim said. "You're not my favorite person, not gonna deny that, but I got a direct order from our boss to protect you. And I take orders like this seriously." He then blushed. "Besides, I… may also be doing this to try and regain lost points with Phil after yesterday when I called him a caveman couch potato. I swear, it was a term of endearment!"

Mitch groaned and rubbed his temple. "I knew I should've asked Bergy. At least HE'D be easier to escape from."

"Okay, back to being serious. Mitch, I know you keep saying these death threats are just a bunch of hoaxes, but we can't take that risk." Tim said. "If someone IS actually planning to come after you, and is crazy enough to act on their threats, then it's MY responsibility to protect you."

"Oh, please. As if anyone's REALLY plotting to do me in." Mitch scoffed before smirking and smoothing back his hair. "I'm Mitch Williams, gaming superstar and darling of the competitive gaming circuit. Adored by hundreds, thousands, even millions! Who could possibly want me dead?"

Tim stared at him blankly. "Do you live in your own little world?"

"Yes, but unfortunately, I have to share it with you and your friends."

"Listen you…" Tim stopped when his Spider Senses tingled. He gasped as he grabbed Mitch's arms. "HIT THE DIRT!"

The two of them plunged themselves to the side right before they could be struck by a large bolt of yellow electricity which left a large, black burn mark on the wall.

"WHAT THE…" Mitch shouted. "WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!"

Tim looked and stared at the source of the bolt. "I'm guessing she knows."

The boys stared as a teenage girl hovered in the air in a ball of electricity, which also surged from her hands and her eyes. She lowered herself to the ground where she dimmed the lightning and revealed herself easier. She was wearing a green jumpsuit with two yellow lightning bolts on the sides and pointed down. She had her curly black hair in a ponytail. She smirked wickedly at Mitch.

"Hey, Williams! Miss me?"

"What?" Mitch asked. He took a moment before recognizing the girl. "Wait a minute… Francine? Francine Frye?"

"You know her?" Tim asked.

"My first ever Hinobi Smash Tournament! She was my opponent and I beat her!"

"CHEATED you mean!" Francine screamed. "You and that pudgy pal is yours! I told you you were going to burn soon, Williams! And 'soon' is NOW!"

She shot out her hands and fired a series of electric shocks which Mitch narrowly dodged in a panic. While she was trying to shoot Mitch, Tim equipped his Web Tech costume before interjecting himself. He shot a webline at Francine's hands and pulled them away to the side, destroying a nearby tree to ash.

"Whoa, easy there, lady! How about instead of barbecuing the jerk, you use your powers for something productive? Like, say, a free phone charger at an internet café?"

"Back off, bug! This is none of your beeswax!" Francine snarled.

"Bug?" the Web Tech asked in offense. "I'll have you know, spiders are arachnids! I feel like that has been corrected enough times to be common knowledge at this…"

Francine sent a jolt of electricity at Web Tech's webline, which traveled down until it hit him, making him scream in pain and sent him flying to a wall. She then turned and spotted Mitch in a panicked state, trying to run to away. She charged up her hands and sjot blasts at Mitch, making him hop to the sides as he frantically tried to dodge them. "Dance, you overstylized goober!" Francine cackled. Eventually, Mitch stumbled and she was about to shoot him when the Web Tech recovered and managed to strike her with a kick from behind.

"Don't count me out just yet, Sparkles. Our dance just began."

Francine growled turning back to the Web Tech. "You're really starting to get on my nerves."

"Take a number." the Web Tech said. He then jumped around as Francine tried to shoot lightning at him.

While Francine was distracted by the Web Tech, Mitch raced to a Hinobi van and drove it as fast as he could away from the fight.

Web Tech saw and cried, "Mitch! Wait," but he had already peeled out.

Francine saw him leaving and groan.

"I don't have time for this or for you!" she shouted, blasting the base of a lamp post, which then fell over and nearly hit the Web Tech. He managed to backflip out of the way, but when he looked back, Francine had already flown away toward Mitch's direction in a sphere of electricity.

The Web Tech sighed as he began swinging after them. "It's official. Mitch can make ANYONE mad at him."

Mitch drove like a maniac for a good, long minute, zooming through Bailey and breaking at least four traffic laws.

"Gotta get away. Gotta get away. Gotta get AWAY!" he panted. Finally, he chanced a look in his rearview mirror. When he saw no sign of Francine or the lightning she had been shooting, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness."

His hope spot quickly ended however as Francine revealed herself, appearing in a flash of lightning and flying along beside the van.

"Miss me?"

Mitch screamed in girlish horror as he pressed any button he could on his dashboard. A pair of cannons popped out of the van's sides, but Francine just shot lightning at them and destroyed them with ease.

"Nice tricks, Williams." Francine said. "Guess Hinobi really DOES have awesome perks." She then stared seriously at him. "Or maybe YOU'RE just that PRIVILEGED!"

Mitch's panic began to grow. He looked around and saw an alleyway coming up. Once he found his chance, he dived out of his van on the passenger side and rolled into the alley, allowing his vehicle to crash into a lamppost and letting out a loud beep that soon tapered off.

Mitch got up panting and prepared to run, but quickly stopped when he saw that the alleyway had a dead end. His worries began to increase as he turned and saw Francine approaching him menacingly, electricity sparking out of her digits.

"This game of cat and mouse has been fun, Williams, but unfortunately, it's the last game you'll ever play."

"Francine, wait!" Mitch pleaded. "Y-you can't still be upset about what happened! That was three bloody years ago!"

"Three years to you, Mr. Hinobi Golden Boy, but to me, it's been a LIFETIME!" Francine shrieked, blasting a trashcan leaving it a blackened mass as she stalked forward, making Mitch back up fearfully. "That tournament was my ticket to fame! Fortune! Endorsements! But no one wanted to give a has-been runner-up the time of day! Especially not someone with, quote-unquote, 'attitude issues!' Seriously! You were just as bad as me that day and everyone LOVED you for it! How hypocritical is that?!

"I was forced to run a Let's Play channel, begging stooges to 'like and subscribe' and give me any cash they had. I barely made ends meet and more often than not, all folks wanted to talk about was how I lost to Mitch Williams and then acted like a BIG BABY!" She then fired another electric bolt from her hand that narrowly hit Mitch, who screamed loudly at that.

"Okay, okay!" Mitch cried. "Obviously, you're still upset! Still! What happened to you since then? I mean, what's with the light show?!"

Francine stopped in the middle of the alley She then laughed. "You know, it's funny. I guess, in a way, I have you to thank for this. One night, during a storm, I was fiddling around with my old Hinobi console, when a bolt of lightning suddenly hit my house, went through my window and hit my console! A green thing suddenly popped out and combined with the bolt before it shocked ME next!"

"A Glitch." Mitch whispered.

"When I came to, I woke up with the sweetest powers you can ever imagine. Gigawatts were literally coursing through my veins! I coukd shoot lightning! I knew that with these abilities, I would be unstoppable! So I swore that after I mastered this new power, I would go after the cheating pest who ruined my life! Once I read on your fan site that you announced that you'd be attending the Hinobi Convention this month, I decided to respond to you with a few death threats to rile you up. To instill as much fear as possible." Her eyes then glowed as she smirked maliciously. "Before I finish the job."

"Now, h-hold on a minute!" Mitch said nervously. "I-if this is about you wanting to make a name for yourself, I can easily get you in touch with Hinobi! Get them to give you a second chance! Just imagine it! Williams and Frye! Together, we'd be great! W-what do you say?"

Francine growled and Mitch gulped. "You want me to play second fiddle to you, is that it? Well, NO DICE!"

"Please, Francine, be reasonable here! You don't REALLY wanna do this, right?" Mitch pleaded.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I DO!" Francine said with poisonous glee. "You see, Mitch, I'm no longer Francine Frye. I'm an upgraded version of her who can do whatever she wants without anyone getting in her way. I'm a living force of nature, baby! I… am… ELECTRO!" She let out a cluster of sparks from her clenched fist to make Mitch gulp. "So before I end this, I just have one last question. Who would you rather be right now: you or me?"

"Hey, is that a serious question?" the Web Tech asked, suddenly swinging in and sticking the wall above Electro. "Because, honestly, I don't see the benefit of being either of you jerks. Also, come on. Electro? What, did you get that out of the book, Most Obvious Villain Names to Make Enemies Laugh Themselves to Defeat?"

Electro groaned. "I'm sick of you already!"

"On that, we can agree on." Mitch said.

Electro fired electric blasts that were aimed for the Web Tech, but he jumped off and landed right beside her. She turned and blasted him again, but he jumped away some more. That's when she got an idea.

Web Tech made his move and grabbed Electro by her shoulder, but suddenly, he felt a surge of painful electric shocks coursing through his body which only got worse after Electro grabbed his arm. He once more screamed in pain before she tossed him down the alley between her and Mitch.

"You call THAT a rescue?!" Mitch condescended.

"Hey, don't complain. I get credit for trying." the Web Tech groaned standing back up. "Don't worry, though. I have this human bugzapper right where I want her"

Electro heard that and laugh. "Oh, yeah? You and what army?"

"I don't need an army." the Web Tech said. "Just one land shark."

Electro suddenly looked confused. "A land what-now?"

All of a sudden, Electro felt a strong burst of water blast at her back. She then felt a strong surge of electricity becoming unstable through her body. She yelled out before falling to her knees once the water stopped blasting her. She then looked back and saw Jeff the Land Shark standing behind her, smiling widely with a many sharp toothed grin.

"UGH! This is NOT going the way I thought it was gonna go!" Electro asked, standing shakily back up. "You just earned yourself another day, Williams! But watch your back. You won't always have your freaky bodyguard to protect you. I'll get you, you griefers!" She snapped her fingers and disappeared in a flash of lightning.

"Ah, nerds." the Web Tech said removing his costume. "I was kinda expecting her to say 'and your little shark too.' Speaking of which…" Tim welcomed Jeff into his arms where he hugged him. "There you go, little guy! Nice work with short-circuiting that nutcase." He pulled out his gauntlet and recalled Jeff into it. He then turned ,and frowned upon seeing Mitch leaning on the wall looking like he was about to be sick. "Um. Mitch. You okay?"

"Okay? Okay?! Tim, this is more serious than I thought!" Mitch shouted.

"I'll say." Tim said staring at him in shock. "That's the first time you've ever used my real name."

"Oh shut up!" Mitch shouted as he paced around the alley, growing more and more hysterical. "Not only are these death threats real, but they were sent by one of my biggest haters ever, who just so happens to have freaky electric powers!"

"Yeah, I overheard a bit of her backstory as I came over." Tim said. "This is almost like what happened to me with that Glitched spider bite. Frye got changed by something affected with Glitch energy. In this case, that bolt of lightning."

"This is very bad! Very, very bad!" Mitch panicked. "I mean, I know I'm used to danger when fighting off a bunch of boss Glitches, but this is different! I never fought a superhuman before! And any minute now, she'll hunt me down and roast me like a Thanksgiving turkey! I… I admit it! I don't know what to do right now! I'M FREAKING OUT SO…"

SMACK!

Tim made Mitch stop panicking by striking his face with his bare hand.

"OW!" Mitch exclaimed feeling his sore cheek. "Why did you do that?"

"Because one, you wouldn't stop panicking. Also, two, it was cathartic, and I've honestly been waiting for an excuse to do something like that to you." Tim answered making Mitch growl. "Okay, look, I know this is bad. But don't worry. I'm still your bodyguard, and whether I like it or not, I will do the responsible thing and keep you safe and sound."

Mitch let out a deep breath. "Alright. So… what now?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure. In all the time we've been Glitch Techs, we've never faced someone like Electro. She's not a Glitch, so we can't turn her to root form and suck her up, and she's clearly too dangerous for me to handle all by myself, so we may need reinforcements." Tim stated with a sigh. "Thankfully, though, we've got a whole team of trained Glitch Techs to protect you while we keep you secured back at HQ."

"Hold on." Mitch said. "What about HinobiCon tomorrow? I'm still scheduled to be there."

"Dude, have you not been paying attention to ANYTHING that I just said or just happened?!" Tim asked in disbelief. "I'm trying to keep you AWAY from danger! HinobiCon is far too crowded! A perfect place for a nutso like Electro to strike!"

"You don't understand. I NEED to be there." Mitch insisted. "I'm going whether or not you decide to go with me."

Tim groaned loudly. "Man, you're so unbearable…" That's when an idea flashed in his mind. "Hmm… Actually, Mitch…"

"What?"

Tim gave him a scheming smile. "I actually have a plan that'll benefit the both of us."

The next day, a big crowd of eager fans gathered at the Bailey Convention Center where HinobiCon was taking place. All around, there were aisles and stands full of top-ranked gamers and internet sensations, as well as merchandise and crafts for sale, all of which were connected to Hinobi.

Among those stands, Mitch Williams sat signing autographs for a line of fans.

During the waiting, one girl stepped up and gave Mitch a headshot for him to sign. "OMG! You're really Mitch Williams! I wanna be just like you someday!"

"I recommend you just be you. You know, settle." Mitch replied with backhanded advice and a smile.

"Wow. Good to know you're a condescending jerk to everyone, not just us." the Web Tech said through Mitch's intercom.

Mitch looked up in the rafters where he knew the Web Tech was hiding in the shadows. He sent a small glare before plastering on a smile again for another fan.

Once the line ended and he had some time to rest his hand, Mitch leaned back in his chair and finally responded to Web Tech's statement.

"You know, I don't criticize you too much, you know." Mitch said.

"Yeah! Yeah, you kinda do! And it's not the constructive kind either! It's mainly how we are constantly never gonna stack up to you. Seriously, no wonder Electro wants to barbecue you three ways to next Saturday if you ever talked to her like that."

"Francine's just after me because she's a sore loser. And… the fact I basically told her to quit whining about losing to me in our first Smash tourney."

"See, THIS is probably proof you need to work on your people skills now more than ever. Then you'll avoid vengeful rivals who suddenly gain superpowers coming back for revenge." Web Tech snarked. "Besides, are you SURE that's really all that happened? 'Cause she seems to think that you and somebody else cheated or something."

"Hey, I am NOT a cheater! I may pull some underhanded tricks, but I never once broke the rules."

"Aren't you the guy who erased Five's memory to steal his win?"

"Only because the game glitched out! It shouldn't have even counted!" He then sighed. "Alright, MAYBE I did go a bit too far that time. But that win was important to me! I HAD to make it so that I had won!"

"Talking to someone, Mr. Williams?"

Mitch was startled by the familiar voice that came right next to him. He then smiled and cleared his throat as he addressed his personal hero and shook his hand. "Oh! Ahem. Hey! Mr. Osborn! Nah, nah. Just talking to some sponsors. Tried to tell them I'd be busy, but you know them. Can't get rid of them. They're like blood-sucking spiders." He winced at the raspberry the Web Tech blew in his ear before smiling back to Osborn awkwardly. "Anyway, glad to see you again, sir!"

"As if I'd ever skip out on HinobiCon. After all, I'm announcing some of our newest games coming soon." Osborn explained. He then leaned in to whisper, "Don't let anyone else know this, but we're about to release the first trailer for Vital Core 3."

"Really?!" Mitch asked eagerly. "Tell me you aren't kidding! People have been waiting for that game to come out for fifteen years!"

"Which is why I recommend you get some earplugs for the crowd's reaction." Osborn laughed. "Anyway, I got to get backstage. Got some dressing up to do." He gestured to his more casual attire before patting Mitch's shoulder. "Keep up the good work, Mr. Williams."

"You got it, sir!" Mitch said saluting the Oscorp CEO as he walked away.

"…What was that?" the Web Tech asked in disbelief.

Mitch's smile dropped. "What was what?"

"That. The 'glad to see you again'. The casual conversation. The salute. You NEVER treat anyone like that, not even Phil, and he's your boss."

"Well, he's not Norman Osborn, the Big Man." Mitch said. "I told you before, I want to be just like him."

"So that's gonna include overusing hair gel and talking down to your fellow Glitch Techs, huh?"

"Ugh! You just don't get it!" Mitch cried. A few people looked over confused and Mitch quickly composed himself before letting out a heavy sigh. "Look. Try to understand. Osborn has been my idol since I was 8 years old. He still holds the record for most consecutive competitive wins for seven straight years. The man is a living legend."

"That doesn't mean you have the right to act like a jerk. Osborn may be a champ, but HE doesn't act like he's better than everyone else. And I can bet he never sniped Glitches, stole XP, and tried to misuse company tech and wipe people's brains."

"Maybe not. But imagine going through life barely getting any real recognition for your skills. And when you DO get it, it just seems… empty. Like, folks are just lumping you in with other people. That's how it was for me when I first started out. I had my Let's Plays and my vlogging and… other stuff. But I always felt I needed something more." Mitch explained.

"Something… more?" Web Tech asked.

"Yeah. So when I got into the Nobi Smash Tournament and won, it felt like the best day ever, even with Frye's attitude. Then… It happened. The Big Man got on stage, praised me to the whole crowd and then, in private, told me I deserved the win. It was the closest thing to Heaven I could imagine. And to top it all off, he offered me a job with the Glitch Techs."

"Hold on. You're saying that NORMAN OSBORN himself asked you to join the Glitch Techs?" the Web Tech asked in shock.

"That's right. He saw something in me that warranted me being inducted to the Techs." Mitch stated. "And after I got in, I swore I would do all I could to prove to the Big Man that his trust wasn't misplaced."

"So, let me see if I got this right. The reason you're constantly KSing Glitches, swiping XP, trying to wipe minds in order to win a tournament. The reason you're such a lousy jerk in your quest to be number one… is to kiss up to Osborn so he doesn't decide to kick you out? Wow. I don't know if that's pathetic because you focus so much on one guy's opinion, or sad that you have such an actual low self-esteem of yourself you need to do all of that to boost yourself up."

"Shut up! I owe Osborn everything, okay! Without him, I wouldn't have the Glitch Techs, the amount of fame I have, anything really!" Mitch snarled. He then paused and murmured, "And besides, if he decided to send ME packing, then Otto might…"

"Otto? What's he got to do with this?"

Mitch was about to say more, but stopped when he saw a bright flash of light erupt from the far side of the room. When it began to dim, he watched in horror as Electro appeared in the middle of a panicking crowd.

"Honestly, this hunt is no fun anymore." Electro said. "So why don't you just sit there and let me turn you into human charcoal?"

Mitch yelped as she prepared to blast at him. However…

"Hope you didn't forget about me, lightning lass!" the Web Tech shouted as he swung at her and gave her a hard kick. That's when the crowd really began to panic. One weird super person was crazy. TWO was too much! They ran around and headed to the nearest exits while Web Tech called in on his gauntlet.

"Guys! Better get ready for a memory wipe spree!"

The doors were kicked open with every available Glitch Tech armed and ready, including Five, Miko, Zahra, Haneesh Bergy, and even Phil. When the crowd ran by them all, they flashed each convention attendee, making them forget about the fight going on.

Electro returned to her feet and met the Web Tech with disdain in her tone. "You're starting to make me mad, spider boy."

"A sunny girl like you? Come on."

Electro sneered and fired an electrical shock at the web-slinger, who zipped himself high into the air and swung around. She then flew on upward to chase after him and shoot lightning bolts at him. Thankfully, he narrowly dodged all of them.

Meanwhile, Mitch watched in terror unable to remove himself from behind his stand. He was then joined by Five and Miko.

"Yo, Mitch." Five greeted placing his hand on Mitch's shoulder.

"AAAHH! DON'T HURT ME!" Mitch screamed before seeing who it was. "Oh. It's you."

"Good to see you too." Miko snarked before seeing Electro shooting her electricity everywhere. "Wow. So that's the lightning girl trying to kill you? I know she's a bad guy and all, but mad respect!"

"Oh, how nice." Mitch said sarcastically. "Maybe you can ask her for coolness tips after she BLOWS ME UP LIKE A FIRECRACKER!"

"Uh, do you really want her to hear you?" Five asked.

Mitch panicked again and hid himself deep in the stand.

"Well, he just became useless." Miko said readying her gauntlet. "What say we give Timmy a hand?"

"Are you mad?!" Mitch shouted. "That girl is a living lightning storm!"

"Yeah, but our friend is up there." Five said. "And a good friend looks out for one another."

Five and Miko left Mitch's stand and called up their pets. Miko summoned Ally who carried her into the air, and Five summoned Alpha, who gave him a ride on his back.

"Yo, Timmy!" Miko cried out flying on Allie's back. They both flew around Electro confusing her. "Don't go around dancing with other girls!"

"Hey, I can't help it if sparks fly around this nutcase." Tim responded.

Electro grunted, shooting two powerful blasts at different directions. One at the Web Tech, and the other at Miko and Ally. They both missed, but barely, just enough for Electro to zap herself right up to the Web Tech and hit him with an anime-style kick that sent him crashing to the ground. She then flashed right up to Miko and Ally and grabbed the Chicky Chum's leg. She tossed them both down.

"Is that all you freaks got?!" she shouted… right before Alpha jumped up behind her and slammed his fist down at her. She crashed right down to the floor.

"Nice work, Alphie!" Five praised. After landing his pet on the ground, Five dismounted while the Web Tech and Miko returned to their feet. "Everyone okay?"

"It's all right. I like being kicked by a psychopath." the Web Tech said jokingly.

"Yeah. It's like Christmas." Miko added on.

The three of them then looked on in shock when Electro started to stand back up. She groaned and swayed a little, but small sparks still buzzed around her body, growing as time passed.

"We're gonna need to give her everything we got!" Five shouted. "Tim, Miko…"

"On it!" Both Techs said readying their gauntlets.

The three of them gathered around Electro and fired long blasts at her at the same time. The electric girl strained, feeling the effect they were having on her. Eventually, though, Electro's eyes began to flash and she shot a huge explosion of energy from her body. It was big enough to hit all three Glitch Techs and knock them down.

Electro gave a few heavy breaths before grinning and laughing evilly. "Nice try! But you're going to have to do better than that, you griefers."

"HEY!" Mitch shouted from the far side of the room. "Only I call them griefers!"

Electro gave a feral grin as she readied her hands with energy. "You should've run when you had the chance, Williams."

Mitch looked frightened by what he was seeing, but took a deep breath before replying with a cocky smile. "Now, see, if I did that, then I'd pretty much be busting up this whole plan."

Electro's smile fell. "What plan?"

Miko groaned, pushing herself up before giving a small chuckle. "We didn't have to beat you, sparky. We just had to keep you from leaving."

Just then, the Web Tech fired huge globs of web at Electro's feet, keeping them pinned to the floor. "There. That oughta do it."

Electro struggled and zapped at it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Conductive Webs," Web Tech stated. "Can't zap your way out of this one, Madame Zaps."

"How are the guests, Phil?" Five asked into his gauntlet.

"Great! That's all of them! Go rain on her parade now!"

"You heard him, Mitch!" Miko called out.

Mitch smiled and reached out behind him to grab a lever on the wall. When he pulled it, the entire convention center blared out a loud alarm that made Electro wince and cover her ears. But what came next sealed her defeat.

From above, the sprinkler system activated, and a huge rain of water dripped down everywhere, raining even on Electro, who suddenly felt the same painful surge of energy as she had the day before, only worse now. She tried to zap away, but she was too exhausted from the fight before to do so. And she couldn't run away because the web had her trapped in that one spot. She cried out in pain before she lost all consciousness and fell flat on her face.

"And THAT," Mitch said with a flashy pose, "Is how you deal with a griefer! BOOSH!"

Miko groaned. "He's gonna hold this over us for a while, isn't he?"

"Looks like it." the Web Tech said. "Still… Hey, Mitch! Isn't all this water bad for your hair?"

"What?" Mitch asked before feeling his wet hair hang over his head. "AAH! I GOTTA RUN!" He ran off leaving the others laughing.

A short while later, after the sprinklers were turned off, a black van with the Hinobi logo on it drove up to the open front door of the convention center. A team of large men marched out and dragged out the unconscious Electro before putting her hands in spheroid shaped containment units. They then dragged her to the van and cuffed her to the wall. Norman Osborn walked on out and saw them drive off.

"Luckily we were able to whip up those electric dampening cuffs," Osborn said. "Even if she wakes up, she won't be able to zap anyone or anything so long as those are on her."

"What's gonna happen to her?" Five asked.

"Well, normally, we'd reset her memories." Osborn explained. "However, the fact that she'll have these powers whether she forgets or not is a factor that we never accounted for. We're not even sure she can BE wiped at this point. This whole situation is actually a first for Hinobi and requires further study." He then mused quietly to himself, "Hmm. I wonder if they might find some benefit in a human like this."

"What was that?" Miko asked.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just trying to think things out." Osborn waved off, though he looked a little nervous.

"But she WILL be okay, right?" Tim asked. "I mean, a terrible jerk she may have been, she never actually asked for these powers. Plus, as long as she has them, we can never mind wipe her."

"Not to worry. I can assure you that she'll have the best care we can offer while we look for a way to reverse her condition and acclimate her back into society." Osborn said. He then smiled at Tim. "I have to say, Mr. Burns, seeing you in action was quite… spectacular. You utilize those abilities of yours very well."

Tim was surprised by the praise directed at him, but chuckled and rubbed his neck. "Well, thanks, Mr. Osborn."

"You know, I read about how you and Ms. Kubota here have some abilities that are rather confounding. If you would like, I would be more than happy to use Oscorps' resources to help discover more."

Tim's eyes widened and his face broke out into a grin. "Wow! Really?"

"Of course. Say the word and we'll use all at our disposal to figure out the secrets within." Osborn said holding out a hand.

However, before Tim could shake, Miko quickly piped up with a strange smile. "Uh, actually, Mr. O, sir. We're all probably REALLY tired right now. First supervillain battle and all that? I think we could really just use a bit of rest and a game sesh."

Osborn looked at her and, for a moment, something in his eyes akin to anger flared. Then, just like that, it was replaced with sympathy and kindness. "Of course. My apologies. I'll be glad to let you rest. Just let me know whenever you decide." He handed Tim an Oscorp card with his own number on it. The others stared at it in surprise.

"Well, I better go myself." Osborn said. "In the meantime, you keep up the good work, Techs." With that, he walked off.

The three watched Osborn go before Tim and Five turned to Miko.

"Que pasa, Miko?" Five asked.

"Yeah." Tim agreed. "I mean, this is Norman Osborn offering to help us. We could figure out more about my powers, and maybe find out why you aren't able to be mind wiped. What's up?"

Miko looked between the two of them. To be honest, she wasn't totally sure what to tell them. If it had been anytime before now, she would have jumped at the chance to work with Norman Osborn, a gaming legend, tech wiz and essentially their boss' boss. However, her mind went back to that night of her big fight with Black Cat. Specifically, what she had said about Oscorp having reports and files on her and Tim. True, she despised the hacker girl with every fiber of her being, but something about how she spoke seemed to indicate some modicum of truth. Honestly, finding that out had made her feel… icky. She had a feeling Osborn wasn't just interested in studying their powers and quirks for altruistic purposes. After all, that was always how it was in games with big companies and seeming nice mega millionaires. And the way he had acted before offering. She had heard him talking about a 'they.' Could it be the CEO was mixed up in something big and secret and dark and…

"Miko? You okay?" Tim's voice broke her thoughts. She looked to see her crush and Five looking at her, concerned.

"Oh! Uh, well, I-I just… would really not prefer to have someone poke and prod around me, you know? I'd much rather try to figure things out with my boys." She half meant this, but she knew she couldn't tell them- especially Timmy- the whole reasons yet. Not without something to go off of. "Maybe later, but right now, I'd like to keep it in the team."

Five and Tim looked at each other before smiling at Miko.

"Okay. We understand." Five said.

"Yeah. We trust you on this, Miko. I trust you," Tim said putting a hand on her shoulder. "If you honestly want to put off having Osborn help and try to figure it out ourselves first, we'll do it. You know you can always count on me."

Miko's heart skipped a beat at those words and at Tim's touch, but thankfully, she managed to follow her sister's advice and keep herself under control. "Thanks, Timmy. Five."

Just then, they heard Mitch clear his throat as he approached them. "So, I did a bit of thinking, Burns, and… I guess I should have listened and considered that maybe those death threats weren't in fact a hoax. And also… you weren't a half-bad bodyguard. I mean, you DID manage to think of this crazy plan to catch Electro. So, I guess I'm trying to say, for once… you did good. So, thanks."

Tim looked in surprise before smiling. "Wow. You're welcome, Mitch. And thanks." Perhaps his heart to heart with Mitch had actually opened up something. "You know, for the first time, I think you're actually…"

"Though, in the end, it was YOU who needed the saving, and that's what I did!" Mitch bragged, making everyone fall down anime style. "You remember? You all were on the ground, helpless and defenseless, but then I executed the final part of the plan and turned on the sprinkler system to electrocute Electro! Guess it goes to show that no matter what, Mitch Williams is always important in anything. Now if you blueberries will excuse me, I have a Q sesh with on to make up for the HinobiCon being rained out due to 'technical difficulties.' BOOSH!" He strutted away, leaving the Glitch Techs groaning.

"THERE'S the Mitch Williams we're more familiar with." Tim groaned.

"Yep." Five said.

"Same old dingleberry." Miko said.

"Welp, it was nice to have him largely on our side while lasted." Tim sighed. "Though let me just say, next bodyguard duty assignment? I'm definitely passing it on to Bergy."

Electro groaned as she woke up on a seeming metal bed. She attempted to rub her head, but noticed something on her hands. They looked like gloves, but were much more technologically advanced.

"What the heck…?"

She tried prying them off, but somehow they were practically stuck to her skin. She then attempted to use her new abilities to shock them off, but once again nothing. It was as if someone had turned off the juice! She frantically looked around for something to try and get the gloves off. That's when she noticed where she was. It was a largely empty room. Just the bed, what looked like an intercom on the wall, and a large plate of glass with holes at the top (likely for air) in front of her. She even looked down and saw that she herself wasn't wearing her suit anymore. Instead, she had on an orange suit, almost like a prison outfit.

"Just what the heck is going on here?!"

"Ah, good. You're awake. Good."

Electro looked up and looked closer, seeing outside the mirror was what appeared to be a science lab on a top floor. And standing there, leaning over a balcony and staring intently at her, was Norman Osborn.

"N-Norman Osborn? What is this? Where am I? What's happening?!"

"You, my dear Miss Frye, or Electro, have been brought to a special division of Oscorp in order to properly evaluate you, discover the sources of your astounding abilities, and possibly find a way to put them to good usage." Osborn explained.

"Wait, what? Are you saying that I'm some sort of… guinea pig or something?"

"A bit harsh and crude, don't you think? I prefer 'enlightenment specimen.'"

Electro's eyes widened. This didn't seem like the Big Man she had seen on TV. He seemed far darker. More intense. Even his voice seemed deeper and lower than in the interviews from before, devoid of joking and friendliness. However, she clung to the hope that this was all a big joke of some sort. "Okay. Ha ha. Very funny. Never knew a big wig like you could have such a weird sense of humor. Now, uh, could-could you let me out, huh? And, maybe get these stupid whatevers they are off? I can't really feel my powers."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Frye, but I'm afraid this is no joke." Osborn said seriously. "Those energy absorption gloves must remain on unless stated otherwise. Can't risk you zapping the equipment, or worse us."

Electro's face turned into one of horror as she realized this was no prank! Norman Osborn, CEO of Oscorp and famous former pro gamer, had KIDNAPPED her! Immediately, she began pounding on the glass in vain. "LET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU SICKO! LET ME OUT!" After a few minutes of pounding, Electro slid down panting and looked up pleadingly. "Please! I don't understand! Why are you doing this to me? To cut me open for some sick science experiment?!"

"Believe me, Ms. Frye, I honestly DO feel bad about doing this, but believe me when I say. I have FAR more than simple science in mind. MUCH more. You are, in fact, the SECOND such person to develop abilities from Glitches. This is unprecedented in our time."

"'Glitch'? What are you talking about?"

"You'll learn in due time. Suffice it to say, this is also for the benefit of some… colleagues of mine who are very, shall we say, fascinated in your abilities, as well as some even you may not be aware of."

"Come on! Let me out! Look, I promise I won't tell anyone about this! Please!"

"Again, I'm sorry. But in order to potentially accomplish what I wish, I have to understand, and this the only way to properly evaluate those. I CAN assure you there will be no 'cutting you open' or anything." He signaled to someone behind him and suddenly the ceiling opened up and two strange sprayer looking things popped from the ceiling and aimed at her. She also saw the holes on top of the glass being closed up. "However, I'm afraid that, at the moment, you will need to be… sedated for the foreseeable future. Sleep tight."

"No, no, NO, NO!" Electro backed away from the sprayers that moved toward her. Without her abilities, she had no idea what would happen. Just then, a green gas sprayed out and Electro suddenly began to cough and choke. She tried pounding on the glass again, but each one seemed to sap her strength. Finally, she groaned as she collapsed and the gas was then sucked up by the sprayers again.

"Take pride, Electro, that you will be helping to discover more ways of aiding others than you would doing 'Let's Play' videos." Osborn said. He then turned to two men in blue hazmat suits. "Take her to the stasis chamber and begin blood work and CAT scans."

As he watched the men race down to collect Electro, one thought went through his mind:

"Whatever happens, know it's all for a good cause. It's what they've told me."