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[Ah, busy spaces for research please him. David definitely made a lot of use of his own, though he assumes Tommy’s is probably just a game room or something.]

Personal projects make sense most of the time, so I’m not shocked.

[What does stop him, shock him, leave him staring, is the plans. For a long moment he watches, studies, considers. Then he looks to Otto with shock.]

This is a lot more trust than I was expecting.

[He nods; he knows it's a lot. Frankly, he's rather anxious about it. But:]

I think it's necessary. I've made some changes since... [A claw taps the ground uneasily.] ...well, since the last time Peter and I fought. He wouldn't be able to use the same trick again.

[Otto had debated that for a while - blocking off the actuators to forms of outside connection like that. It had been vital before. "Bluetooth" was probably the only thing that stopped him from killing Peter and Norman that day. But he'd decided it was simply too risky. Peter's certainly not the only person who might have been able to figure it out.

Luckily, now that he's here, Peter's also not the only person who might be able to help.]

I've been thinking about it ever since the blackout. How easily things could have gone wrong then. If anything serious ever happens to them, there's a very good chance that I won't be able to manage on my own, one way or another. It'll be better for more than one person around here to know what they're working with.

[God knows he hasn't shared any of this with the Alliance.]

Now, this... [Paging through here a little to the new inhibitor chip design. It's on its own sheet, much of it in different handwriting. He got Peter to do that one; Otto himself had been too limited by his inability to really study the chip without first removing it.] ...is the most serious vulnerability.

[There's other things that he might need help with one day, of course. Damage to other components is likely to hinder his mobility, and there's parts he just can't access anymore with only his hands. But he didn't really ask David here to talk about those. This is what he's really worried about - the worst-case scenario.]

[A lot more trust than David is expecting. He stares at Otto and then looks to the sheet. His gaze roves over the thing, studying it at the notes, and that leads to a bit of a deep breath. Oh dear.]

You're worried something is going to happen to this inhibitor.

[He smiles, wry and humorless.]

I'm always worried about that. Without that, I'm not...well, I'm not particularly pleasant.

[David, he's sure, knows what he means.]

Like Hulk on a bender. Or Logan on a day ending with a Y.

[He sighs and looks at it. This is so much more than he had expected.]

I'm going to need to make something to address this, if I can. The Actuators, they are clearly too self-aware for my technopathy to do more than allow me a pleasant conversation before they try and overwhelm my mind as well.

They're...they've evolved, since we became this connected. They weren't so self-aware before.

[He believes it just went both ways - they'd certainly gained access to far more processing power, once they had free access to a human brain. Even now, with the inhibitor replaced, it isn't like it was. Though of course, he's got nothing to compare their current state to.]

They aren't exactly malevolent. They just don't have any moral sense - they'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals. [He's quiet for a moment, distant, before refocusing.] Oh, you don't need to do that. I didn't mean to dump another project on you.

They're alive.

[David has far different gauges on what is and isn't living from, you know, most people. He accepted it more easily too.]

And they'll want to survive. But trust me, for my concern for you, my friend, it's needed. It's probably not that high priority of a project anyway.

It shouldn't be. This new chip was designed for regular use. It's far better insulated, much more durable.

[It's not that he has any specific cause for concern. His new work is perfectly safe. He's gotten himself through various metahuman antics without much difficulty. If things go on as they have been, the chip could just as easily outlast Otto. He just...worries, he can't help but worry.]

But you're right. I'm not...sure anymore what we might end up doing, but if anything were to happen... [Though, now that he thinks of it, he's concerned to realize that he has some new theories.] ...we, I wouldn't just let anyone fix it. They viewed all of this as a threat.

[And probably some of that was on his end, but that's a lot to untangle.]

Things can always go wrong. First principle of long term design is figure out a way to fix it if it does.

[Or, at least, it's David's first principle.]

You probably were a threat at the time. And would be. So there has to be a way to knock you out. You know, without being as strong as Peter.

Oh, yes. I didn't make any of this easy on him.

[The Bluetooth brought him to heel pretty easily, but that doesn't mean he wasn't struggling and raging the entire time Peter did his research and fabricated the thing. Like so many, it's a vaguely alien memory - Otto can hardly think of another time he's felt that furious.

He sighs, rubbing at his eyes. A migraine is building, one he's quite sure indicates the actuators' distress over these plans. They've got a point - it's stressful, knowing that he's just handing out keys to his own downfall. But he's decided. He needs to take responsibility for the risks he poses, and he won't be convinced otherwise. It's too late now anyway.]

I agree - it's a necessary safety measure. I wish I could help you, but I'm not...sure it's safe for me to have all the details. [Another unnerving admission, but it's true; he'll only use it against David if the time ever comes.] I'll certainly cooperate where you need me.

[Hey, safety measures aren't a bad thing. And for this trust...]

They can knock me out. The actuators. They are aware enough for that. If I start... if I end up corrupted in some way, they could do it. I don't think most people I know and care about would care to see it or stop me. I hope yo would.

[David feared the darkness he could fall to. It was too easy sometimes.]

[Otto listens seriously. He thinks this a less likely outcome than his own corruption, but David's clearly worried about it. And he should know best. Otto would hate it, if someone he's only met in this world tried to brush off his concerns just because he hasn't done anything awful here.]

It's a deal. [He offers his hand.] If it comes to that, I'll do whatever I can.

[Less likely? Possible. Disastrous in a whole other way? Absolutely. So David tried to cover his bases, and mots of his friends didn't take it seriously.]

Thank you. Mutually assured assistance is definitely a better way to live life anyway.

I do feel better for it. None of us should be dealing with that sort of thing alone.

[Otto suspects it would be worse, if he lost control a second time. He has more experience now; he knows everyone involved much better, and he has their trust. Hell - two of the Spider-Men sleep down the hall from him! It's a disaster waiting to happen. But what was he supposed to do, learn they had nowhere to stay and just leave them to it?]

But you keep your distance, if it's me. I don't want to use this against you like that.

No, none of us.

[But he didn't think those he loved would ever entertain the idea that David could do wrong.]

Of course I'll keep my distance. I already know who I'd ask for help if we needed to stop you.

[A speedster can be really useful in those situations, and he knows two.]

Good.

[No follow-up questions! He doesn't want to know! Even if his head's pounding about it - he needs to get the actuators to calm down. Otto's quiet for a moment, looking at the plans, while he mentally devotes some attention to that. The tentacles sway slightly, but there's no outward sign otherwise - he was prepared for this conversation, he's been keeping a tight leash on their reactions.]

Well, let me know if you need anything more. I'm happy to help however I can. [Even if his ability is limited, just due to the nature of the thing.] Maybe if we're both lucky, we'll never need any of this.

[Judging from his tone? He doesn't really believe it.]

So, now I have to ask something else.

[With his technopathy he's making very serious notes about everything that Otto has given him. That way the Actuators doesn't have to be upset by all of that. But he has other things to think of too.]

Seriously, is that arc reactor tech?

Ah! [Otto grins, both relieved to be off the subject of his hypothetical mental breakdowns and enthused about his own personal project here.] Yes! It's a beautiful piece of work! Nothing like it in my world, but I took one off of this fellow called Max just before coming here - he had electricity powers, fought Spider-Man? I don't know what the press called him.

[That's where "Doc Ock" came from, he sort of assumes it's the same for all of them save perhaps the Goblin. An actuator snakes away, opening a small locked drawer to retrieve the palm-sized device. It's powered off now, of course, and the casing is partially disassembled.]

I've been making a personal project of studying it. The element it utilizes didn't even exist in my universe! Or else it was undiscovered, of course.

[Obviously Peter could probably break this whole arc reactor thing down for him immediately, but where's the fun in that?]

Electro? I'm aware of him. I imagine he'd enjoy Arc tech.

[Yeah, David's got the names down in his head quite a bit. Still, he's shocked to see the small device handed out to glimpse.]

Leave it to Stark to figure stuff like this out. When he isn't busy dying or something.

[Otto snorts.] He was enjoying it, all right. Shot me out of a twelfth-story window with lightning.

[Look, just because he didn't literally want the man dead doesn't mean he's not holding a grudge!

Before August, he only knew about Tony Stark from vague comments Peter made at times. But he met a couple Starks from various worlds; he thinks he has a better understanding of it now.]

As far as I know, Stark didn't exist in my world. This all happened in Peter's universe. From the way he talks about him, I think he had died. [He shakes his head.] Still - I hate to admit it, but he did what I couldn't. It's a far more refined version of what I was attempting back home.

[Of course, the technology there was more advanced overall. Maybe if Otto had been born twenty years later, he'd have been closer to the mark. Hell, even the existence of this element would have done wonders; it's a grade above tritium for sure. But while it does still sting to admit, he's not going to let his pride get the better of him. After everything, it's honestly rather difficult to take much pride in his life's work.]

That sounds about right. I imagine even the Sinister Six aren't always friendly with each other in my world.

[A world without Tony Stark? David actually stares at him for a long moment as he tries to process that. Though the other note...]

Stark died in my world too. He got better. The Avengers tend to do that.

[He doesn't note that mutants do as well. That he's got multiple DoDs under his belt already.]

A lot to realize that your Peter is a tech-head. Ours is a chemist. Still, it's important to note that we still make wonderful things even while Starks exist.

We'd only met that day, we weren't teammates.

[...wait, was the group of them that were there also the Sinister Six in other worlds...? No, nope, don't care. Otto arches his eyebrows at the idea of the Avengers just dying and respawning repeatedly.]

Your world's very strange. [Sure, Otto himself died in another timeline, but that doesn't feel like the same thing at all. Just a potential future he avoided.] Oh, yes, he was. As a matter of fact, all the versions of him I've known well were. That's interesting...

[Peter had some experience in chemistry as well, but Otto does remember Norman taking the lead on his own cure. Which maybe should have been more of a red flag than they took it as, but - well, he had been the only biochemist present.]

Of course, he was young. I doubt he'd even declared an undergraduate major yet.

Oh yes, extremely strange. And even before you consider the aliens and the gods.

[Young. Peter young. Yeah, that makes sense.]

Maybe the Peter that helped you was the one I was friends with, last world. He was so young.

Oh - the one who helped me is here, actually. I mean the one from my world. I haven't seen him for quite a while.

[He's a tad wistful about it. After this much time, he's closer to the two here, but - well, there's something about it. He'll probably always feel indebted to his original Spider-Man, even if his path took him elsewhere.]

Of course, these ones are young too. It's interesting to hear about these worlds where he's a long-established hero.

[Yeah, so many peters, and them willing to believe in Otto. That was wonderful.]

The young heroes, in my opinion, are the ones that change the world the most.

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