The tentacles struggled to quell their hissing sounds under the heavy fabric of their host's trench coat. Those sentient metal appendages hated being captivated or being held in restrains but they had to comply with this despair for the sake of the human they were dependent upon. But every once in a while a low hiss could be heard by the brilliant scientist as he walked upon the crowded sideway. Otto couldn't risk taking a taxi to his destination for he feared the driver would identify him just like the grocery store owner and also because he had no money in hand but a lot of gold coins he had robbed a long time ago, which was of no use to him. The sun was low in the sky, the brilliant illuminator slowly sinking towards its end. The departing rays of sun infused the colour of a blazing fire across the membrane of the sky, stretching to the horizon and blossoming the magnificence of the concrete metropolis he lived in. The streets were filled with employees blurting out their offices in the rush of heading towards their homes- a place where a family was waiting for them, a place where they were loved. Otto too had one place like that where his Rosie waited for him with her adorable smile and comforting presence. But the government sold that place three years ago around the time when the poor little boy Peter Parker died fighting the notorious Green Goblin- the ambitious but crazy billionaire Norman Osborn, although Peter's body was never found. The irate scientist clearly remembers to this day how Norman had offered to fund his research and experiment but the Government proposed more money, it had felt dubious to Otto but he had shrugged it off. Now he deems maybe Osborn would have handled his circumstances better than the Government did or maybe not who knows.
The sight of the tall police officer strolling out of the coffee shop compelled Doctor Octopus to change his path towards the less crowded alley to his right. The walk to the Church was cut short due to the alleyway he was propelled to take and it only filled him with relief. Striding towards the holy structure Otto was cautious enough to cover the back of his neck which had the mechanical spine affixed to it for it could have caught unsought attention from passersby. Walking on his own feet gave him small happiness, the arms had always done the work of carrying him. The happiness was also for the fact that he was left unnoticed by the New Yorkers who treasured to loathe him except for that doctor whose name he never asked. Two weeks had passed ever since his visit to the hospital and Otto was a healthy man again all because of that woman who rejected to judge him. The supervillain had relished her company, to him it felt like she would not have dozed off if he would have conversed about science with her. A small part of his heart desired to cross paths with her again but he feared it too- the man with four metal limbs was scared he would only end up harming her and Otto didn't fancy the idea of that.
With a heavy sigh, Doctor Octopus propelled away the reflection of the lady doctor and climbed the stairs of the Church but he didn't enter through the big wooden door right away. Reluctance sealed his heart as his eyes fell upon the statue of the Son of God, the flames of candles flickering beneath it. The serene air, loaded with the scent of incense, candles tickled his nose which was accustomed to the saline smell of the harbour, which he had called home for the past ten years. The Anglican smell of musty prayer books, metal polish, and flowers infused a funny feeling in him- what could even God do for the monster who had walked up to its gates. The brightly lit passage with its floor of encaustic tiles and its white-painted walls ran the whole west end of the church was laid in front of his eyes. The beautifully painted eyes on the wall of the holy building appeared to be staring at him burning holes into the soul trapped into his body. The place reminded him of his Rosie and also of the doctor. Otto was unaware of the reason why the tranquillity of the church reminded him of the woman he didn't even know the name of but being reminded of her gifted him moments of comfort he was striving for. The reminisces of Rosie only brought him the sadness he deserved but the doctor's memories gifted him something he never thought he would ever find again. A sad smile crept on his lips as Otto forced his legs to carry him inside the church, he was expecting to meet someone there- someone who could help him bring out the dark truth of his experiment that had failed ten years ago. Making his way towards the last bench of the aisle, the mad scientist scanned the row for a man in a tan suit. At that hour of the day, it was hard to find any crowd in the church, to his ease there were only two people in the church at that moment- a woman seated in the second row by herself and a man in a tan suit in the last bench. Wordlessly, marching towards the empty spot near the man Otto sat on the wooden bench in his proximity. For a long moment, neither of them choose to speak- giving the other man a chance to give rise to a conversation. Those few moments of silence felt like an eternity to the brilliant man as his metal appendages struggled to keep themselves still any further. With every passing second, Otto prayed that the other man would provoke a conversation for he was too shy to do it himself. Under the tough and impervious layer of the vile and dangerous Doctor Octopus or Doc Ock, the awkward and shy Otto Octavius was not dead.
"So, you came at last." Came a snarky comment from the man in the suit, his glacier blue eyes fixed upon the crossword he was solving.
"I had to." Whispered the scientist as he turned to face him.
"How can I believe what you told me is correct and that you are the victim, not the criminal here?" Questioned the man as he squandered no time in idle conversations. His tone was stern as he questioned Otto's innocence.
"I never said I was innocent. Whatever I did after I managed to escape from the Government's facility was my choice, I did those dreadful deeds deliberately." Told the supervillain as he accepted his crimes without hesitation, his deep voice dipped with guilt as he found it challenging to look into the eyes of the man sitting in his proximity. "But I wasn't ready to do the dirty work for the Government... I wasn't ready to be a henchman for them." Continued Otto as he looked down at his gloved hands, remembering the horrible deeds those hands had done, regretting every one of them. Another moment of silence prevailed between the two. The supervillain's mind was undisturbed beneath the calming aura of the church when he heard a faint whisper, a whisper he had heard a lot of times and complied to on every occasion.
'You weren't wrong... You did what you felt was right...' Otto heard the faint voice whispering. The words felt true to him, all those things he did were to save himself from Spider-Man and Black Skrull. The thought caused his heart rate to rise, the mad scientist could feel the sweat forming underneath his leather gloves. Otto could hear his heart pulsating under the stillness of the chapel, his breath had become unknowingly erratic. The faint voice grew stronger with the passing seconds, the mad scientist squeezed his fist abysmally trying to repress the vile thoughts running through his mind.
"What kind of monster are you? First, you commit hideous crimes then you try to convince me that it's the government who was the criminal." The voice of the man in the tan suit echoed in the mad scientist's ears. Otto shot the other man with a look of utter incredulity as the words drenched with hatred sunk in. The other man who went by the name Richard Lee was a journalist who had offered the supervillain his help. Richard had left a letter for him near his harbour about a week ago, the letter was filled with sympathy for him. Those compassionate words felt like a comforting embrace against the harsh reality he lived in and hence Otto agreed to tell his story to the people of New York. It was an arduous task for the brilliant scientist to pen down the story of his life in a single sheet of paper he had managed to find in the broken harbour he called his house. But sitting here Otto felt the scarcity of empathy in the reporter whose words had managed to convince him to meet the journalist.
"Your letters were more generous than your words." Remarked the mad scientist as he tried to contemplate the odd look on the reporter's face. The rude tone of the man in the suit was infuriating the tentacles which started hissing more aggressively under the heavy material of his trench coat.
"You don't deserve the sympathy I had offered you." A low whisper fell on Otto's ears, it didn't take his sharp mind much time to apprehend that he had fallen into a trap. The offer of fake help was put in front of him for the gain of a top-selling story. The actualisation made him feel like a big imbecile who had fallen right into the trap set for him.
"So it was all for the story, right?" A soft chuckle left Otto's lips as he spoke those words. His tone was low and uncomfortably calm. His gaze was no longer fixed upon his gloved palms but instead on the painted walls of the chapel.
"At first it was surely for a story but a part of my heart also felt that you weren't a complete monster and I still think the same. But I believe that you belong behind the bars." Replied Richard, a hint of regret could be heard in his voice as his eyes lowered with shame.
"Are you going to put me behind the bars?" Asked Doctor Octopus. The words that left his lips felt more of a travesty than a question as if he was not questioning Richard's intentions but the power he lacked to do so.
"I am sure a little over-ambitious but I am not a madman, Doctor Octopus." Answered Richard as he stood up from his place, ignoring any kind of eye contact with the disreputable scientist whom he had backstabbed.
"You are indeed a strategist, Mister Lee." Commented the supervillain as the reporter passed by him. His voice didn't lose the mocking manner. The unhinged calmness the mad scientist put an exposition to felt eerie to Richard. The response he received was not the one he had foreseen and it scared the reporter more. The stillness that prevailed between them felt like the silence before the storm which was sure to bring a disaster.
Sitting there in tranquillity Dr Otto Octavius heard the faint noise of siren growing stronger with every moment, he was aware of the threat that was coming his way. The NYPD was outside the church waiting for him with the intention of taking him down dead or alive. His brilliant's mind was calm, he was aware of what he was supposed to do, almost as if he was being instructed about his actions. Without breaking the silence Otto stood up from the bench straightening his coat in the process. Pulling out his dark shades he spoke to the lady sitting by herself in the front row-
"You might want to leave this place, Miss. We might create some mess here."
The words were devoid of any emotion but his face had a devilish visage on it. It appeared as if the conflicted Otto Octavius was taken over by someone who resided in him- someone who cared for no one, someone who was not Otto. The lady paid no attention to the warning as if the words had failed to reach her ears.
"Doctor Octopus! We are giving you a chance to surrender peacefully. Don't try to escape, we have you covered from all the sides!" A warning was heard by Otto's ears causing a smile to crawl up to his lips. He felt pity for the police officers who thought themselves to be competent enough to capture the only supervillain who managed to survive in this city for the longest time. The mad scientist had witnessed many corrupted brilliant minds perish in front of his eyes. The man with four metal appendages heard the waring yet again, turning towards the large wooden door he took off his fedora, tossing it away carelessly. Unbuttoning the green trench coat Otto walked towards the entrance of the church, his pace painfully slow. The scene outside the chapel became visible to him eventually as the mad scientist stepped near the entrance door. Cops in blue liveries had their guns pointed in his direction, a look of both fear and hate reflected on their faces. Among those many faces was the face of the journalist. Richard's face was lacking the pride it had a few moments ago, all Otto could see was dread in those eyes. The dread of Doctor Octopus.
"You think you can do now what you couldn't do in the past ten years?" Disparaged the mad scientist, his voice loud and clear, again his tone mocking the capability of the whole unit of NYPD, making them question their course of action.
"Surrender peacefully Doc Ock, we don't want anyone to get hurt!" Hollered the NYPD Officer on the megaphone. There was a hint of uncertainty which the man had failed to mask.
"As your wish." Said the supervillain as his right hand went behind his back, clutching the rough fabric of the trench coat in his fist he yanked the cloth away. The fabric tore swiftly allowing the tentacles to escape the captivity, lunging outside the metal appendages came out of the coat in a swift manner similar to that of a serpent. It took no time for the sentient tentacles to take command of the situation, giving no time to the cops to apprehend the circumstances. An arm projected itself towards the nearest police cruiser, punching a hole in the roof of the vehicle, the arms lifted the car above his head and tossed it towards the police stationed behind it. The other two arms did the same with other cruisers, to those arms the cruisers weighed nothing. The tentacles thrashed swiftly and smoothly, the years of experience of fighting off the cops and superheroes had made Otto an experienced fighter too. He was able to anticipate, intercept and retaliate against the attacks that came his way.
Bullets rained on the mad scientist as his metal arms shielded him protectively against the vicious attack. Standing behind the protection of his tentacles Otto's eyes fell on the ricochet bullet on the floor, those small pieces of carved metal brought the face of that innocent doctor in front of his eyes. It was hard for him to forget her and a part of him never wanted to do so either. Out of a sudden, the rain of metal halted, Otto's ears could no longer hear the clanking of metal against metal, seizing the moment he lunged two of his tentacles towards the mail truck on the street behind the horde of cops. In no time the metal appendages were dug in the small truck, letters pouring out of the small truck as Doctor Octopus ripped the back door of the vehicle. Simultaneously, the other two arms ascended him on the wall of the building next to the church, with an aggressive grunt Otto threw the truck's door at the few police officers who dared to stay behind after the vicious attack from the supervillain. Many cops lay there heavily injured from the encounter while others abandoned the mission giving their life a priority. Otto saw all that from above the ground where his arms suspended him, the bloodied bodies of cops lying there covered with dust, looking lifeless. The sight shattered Otto's heart, he didn't desire to hurt the people but they were as stubborn as he was, they desired to capture the monster within him but they forgot the human in him that wanted freedom from the constant pain he was in.
The view of the annihilation he had brought made the supervillain question himself- was he really the merciless savage monster The Daily Bugle claimed him to be or was he a man living with his own failure which had given him the appearance of a monster? The man with four metal appendages was losing sight of who he was and it crammed him with fear. This was not who he was, he was a scientist. He was the man called Otto Octavius who was not feared by that doctor. He was the man whose idea was noble and for the betterment of the world.
With the determined look on his face, the supervillain forced the tentacles to descend, the arms initially hesitated but were forced to comply with the wishes of their host. A loud thudding sound erupted when the mechanical claws smashed against the brick wall as the infamous scientist descended. Cries of horror could be heard from the hoard of people that had gathered around the scene saw Doc Ock returning to attack.
Making his way towards injured cops Otto sent one of his arms toward the car which was crushed like paper by those very strong arms, lifting it up to reveal a young man, the left side of his face covered with blood, a look of horror cast over his face. His thin body still shivering from the momentum of the attack. A scream left his thin lips at the sight of the man because of whom he had felt himself so close to death. The mad scientist gently wrapped his metal arm around the boy, lifting him off the ground, placing his fragile-looking body on the stretcher the medics were pulling towards the injured. Doctor Octopus helped recover the injured body of other police officers in a similar way. Complete silence took over the street, Otto could feel everyone's eyes on him, some reckoning him others just bewildered by the out of character act from the city's supervillain.
"Are you crazy you dimwit nerf-herder?" A rough voice called for him from behind, turning to look in the direction from where the sound came, Otto found a young boy marching towards him aggressively. "How dare you throw a car at my dad!" The boy continued, his tone surely was threatening but his demeanour was made it hard to fear the schoolboy.
"Why did you throw a car at them in the first place if you would come and rescue them too?" Came another voice, a feminine one this time. The horde of people questioned the man's action, they no longer felt the need to run away from the man with four metal arms.
"I didn't want to hurt anyone." Told the mad scientist as he glanced down at the people, all he could see was perplexity on their faces. He parted his lips to justify himself further when a mechanical voice made itself heard.
"Doctor Octopus you have hurt the citizens of New York for the very last time."
Every head tilted to look up in the sky to find a human figure clad in black, drifting mid-air. The face of the masculine figure was covered with a mask carved out of platinum hiding the face of the saviour from the people he saved.
"I never desired to hurt these people, it all happened because of the heat of the moment-" An emphatic blow landed on his face before the supervillain could have completed his justification.
*
The endless chatting, confession of love and mild exchange of polarizing opinions brimmed the jovial air of the restaurant in which was sitting Samantha, her nose buried in a copy of 'Sense and Sensibility'. She sat there in solitude waiting for her date to arrive, who was already fifteen minutes late. Punctuality was a quality she admired and valued a lot and this blind date of hers had already lowered her anticipations. Almost two weeks had passed since her parents had officially divorced and went on their own paths, only meeting on every Tuesdays and Thursdays for a dinner with their daughter. Sam remembered noticing remorse on their faces when they looked up at her after signing the official documents. The surgeon's mother had moved out of their home and was now living with Sharon- her girlfriend, Dalton on the other hand was still living in the old house with his daughter. Samantha too wanted to move out of the house when she turned eighteen but her parents were too afraid to let their daughter face the harsh realities of life all by herself, especially when she was not fit enough for the same. So the doctor had lived with her parents her whole life, understanding the grounds for their fear.
Even after two weeks, Sam found it hard to get the supervillain out of her mind, his distressed face came in front of her eyes whenever she found herself unoccupied. It was an effortless task for her to keep that encounter a secret from everyone, not a single soul other than Dr Otto Octavius himself knew about her helping him because of the fact that she was exceptional at keeping things to herself and like many other secrets she buried this one too in the depth of her heart.
"You must be Doctor Samantha Wright." A voice fell in her ears, diverting her attention away from the masterfully crafted piece of literature she was reading. Redirecting her gaze from the printed words to the man who stood by her table, Sam was greeted with the sight of the young man who was indeed very handsome. Her blind date was a tall man with brown hair, his sharp features were accompanied by a pair of glasses similar to her own place on his sharp nose. With a nod, Samantha indicated her affirmative answer.
"Well, I am Oliver, Oliver Brown, as you might know." Said the attractive man as he sat on the chair in front of her. He too was wearing a Stormtrooper brooch on the pocket of his black coat, it was an identification code they had agreed to wear for the convenience of finding each other.
A moment of silence prevailed before Oliver decided to break it.
"So, why did you decide to do blind dating?" Asked the handsome man, his eyes fixed upon the woman cladded in black, sitting across the table.
"Actually, it wasn't me. It was Dad and Kyle- my friend and colleague's idea of getting me out in the world." Replied Samantha, her eyes low from embarrassment. "They made my account but then I saw the website paired me with your profile so I decided to give it a chance. But do tell me what was the reason for a writer to go on a blind date with a boring doctor?" She resumed.
"Well, I don't suppose a cardiothoracic and trauma surgeon is in any way a boring profession." Said Oliver passing his date with a sweet smile.
"That's very sweet of you Mr Brown." Responded Sam.
"Oh please, it's just Oliver. I hate those formalities." Spoke the young man, waving his hand in dismay of the title his date addressed him with.
"You know Oliver it always intrigues me what you writers keep typing on your laptops." Jested Sam changing the topic of the conversation. A chuckle escaped the young man's lips at the statement. Before Oliver could have answered the question the waiter appeared at their table to offer them the menu and wine. Finding nothing else on the menu worth a try the two ordered the specials of that day.
"So, Samantha tell me something yourself." Oliver initiated a conversation yet again. The young man was enjoying conversing with the quiet surgeon.
"About myself?" Asked the woman with a look of utter scepticism. "I don't have much to myself, Oliver. I am just a surgeon who works at Summerstone Hospital." Continued Sam, realizing how little she knew about herself and how she was lacking a life outside of her work and family.
Dr Wright parted her lips to speak again but before any words could have left her larynx the sound of horrified shrieks sealed the air. The sound of glass shattering fell in her ears as she was greeted with the sight of a man crashing into the restaurant from the huge glass window. The body of the man who had crashed in was not far from her. A gasp left her lips too as he was taken aback by the sudden chaos that broke into the diner. Sam's hand covered her face instinctively as he lowered her body to lodge any debris that came flying her way. Oliver on the other hand had taken refuge under the table. The surgeon couldn't help but look up at the man who had crashed her date and to her surprise, she caught a glimpse of movement in the debris, but it wasn't the body of the man that was moving. Samantha stood up, her heart terrified yet her mind instructed her body to do her duty and look for a pulse and injuries in limp man. His body wasn't moving but she could see the slow rising of his breathing chest. Stepping closer to the man Dr Wright got a clear look at the man's face. Her eyes widened at the sight of the motionless man in front of her- he was Dr Otto Octavius. Before she could have taken another step towards the man two metal appendages hissed at her, warning her to stay away from their host.
Samantha struggled to keep her mind from going numb, it was the first time in her career of twelve long years that she found it arduous to decide what was to be done. There was a man who was most probably injured, lying in front of her, his body limp but she failed to reach for he was shielded behind the protection of the metal arms that were infused to his body. Inhaling deeply, Sam took a step back and scanned the dining hall for other injured people and to her relief there were none. Before she could have decided what was to be done with the infamous Doctor Octopus his eyes shot open, without a second thought the tentacles lifted him off the debris, his body elevating above everyone's head in the restaurant. The mad scientist scanned the room for an amiable citizen he could use to slow down the Black Skrull who had been crashing him into buildings and cars for the past fifteen minutes. His tentacles had managed to crack the superhero mask which was moulded out of shiny black metal but he wasn't able to damage the superhero to slow him down.
The place was filled with terrified people whose screams were far from over at the sight of the tentacles hissing behind him. His search was cut short when his brown eyes landed on the woman standing in his proximity, her face too had a look of horror on it but he could also see the disappointment in those black eyes. It took no time for Otto to recognize the woman in black- she was the doctor who had saved him. Her body was petrified, she didn't scream or run away from him like the other but she didn't appear pleasured by his presence either. She stood there in front of him, looking up into his eyes, her body completely tranquil against the chaos of the diner.
"Don't shout doctor, I won't hurt you. I just need a little help of yours." Spoke the infamous scientist as one of his metal arms glided in her direction and gently wrapped itself around her waist. The woman didn't respond immediately to the action for she had a long experience of staying calm under heavy pressure, it was when the tentacles lifted Sam above the ground that a grasp left her lips.
The metal appendages carried their host and the woman out of the restaurant. The flying figure of Black Skrull awaited them outside as Otto had anticipated. Samantha on the other hand struggled to escape the firm grip of those metal arms around her waist, groans of frustration leaving her lungs at the futile yet onerous attempts.
" Leave the lady, Doctor Octopus!" Otto heard the warning in the robotic voice, it only managed to put a smile on his face as pulled the struggling figure of the doctor behind him with a protective instinct.
"What if I don't, Skrull?" Ridiculed the mad scientist as one of the unoccupied tentacles thrust towards a street lamp. Clutching it with its metal claws Otto ripped off the long pole from its foundation and threw it towards the flying saviour of the city. It took less time for the metal appendages to do so than it took the author to pen this. The inexperienced superhero landed hard on the ground, the impact of his body created a crater on the road. It took him a few painstakingly long minutes to get the lamp post off his body.
Samantha had never thought in her life that she would find herself in the metal arms of the supervillain of her city yet here she was suppressing her screams of horror as the other three arms punched holes in the bricked wall helping the mad scientist climb the building. She wasn't sure if she would be still alive by the end of this evening. She felt herself as close to death as she did all those years ago when she was returning from her piano class in the evening.
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