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[helpdesk_hero]

This is David Alleyne, I'm not available at the moment.
Please leave your name, contact information, and what this is regarding after the beep.

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[doctopoda]

David, would you like to come by my place sometime after work?
I'd like to go over the blueprints for the actuators with you, if you're willing.

It would be good to know that someone other than Peter was familiar with them, should anything happen to me.

[It's not even necessarily the chip situation; anything that took him out of commission would doubtless have to tear up the actuators first. And if anything happens to them, Otto may not be physically able to manage all the repairs on his own. He's been thinking a lot, since the blackout, about how risky his dependence on them really is...but there's no way now to eliminate that risk, only potentially mitigate it.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[Well color him surprised. He hadn't even thought that a coworker might want him around after work hours. Granted David was one of those code monkeys that really didn't notice people at work. Best way to reach him tended to be e-mail, even at his side. So yeah, he's shocked. ANd also strangely delighted.]

I'd be happy to. Especially if you're going to let me look over the blueprints of your beautiful friends. Doubly so for the fact that you'd trust me to help out if things went sideways.

[doctopoda]

[Otto's friendly with his coworkers, but he also tends towards a powerful and narrow focus; if he's busy, he'll just not notice them. David's different, though, he knows David socially already. He considers him a friend!]

Of course. I should have asked before.
I realized during the blackout that I've probably been a little irresponsible. Peter has helped me with repairs in the past, but I don't want to lean entirely on him.

[Peter's not always around - and more to the point, Otto doesn't want to put that kind of pressure on the boy. He never meant to; he supposes he just hadn't wanted to dwell on the worst-case scenarios.

Anyhow, he'll send his address and a time and they can work out logistics or whatever!]

[helpdesk_hero]

There is nothing irresponsible with being nervous to share details that would make you vulnerable.

Do you need food when I come over? I've got this wonderful artichoke and cheese casserole I make.

[doctopoda]

[Oh! Well, he hadn't thought about that, but - yeah, he can feed David. Rosie was always the better cook, but Otto isn't utterly useless.]

Sure, that sounds great.

[helpdesk_hero]

Alright. I've got some stuff in the fridge that just needs thrown in an oven. I'll pack that up. When do you want me?

[doctopoda]

Seven?

[helpdesk_hero]

Sounds lovely. I'll be there a touch early. If I need the oven preheated I'll send you the temp. I'm looking forward to it.

[doctopoda]

That's just fine. I appreciate the contribution.

[And he will be quick to open the door when David arrives! It's an actuator that gets it, actually, stretching across the apartment, but Otto himself is shortly behind it.

The apartment is much like any of the other Guild-provided rooms: far too large for one person. A few months ago it would have been rather empty and sad, but now it looks a lot more lived-in; there's the general detritus of Teenage Inhabitants in the main living area past the kitchen, and the workspace beyond that shows evidence of several ongoing projects. It's been tidied - they try not to leave evidence of the Spider-Man suit project out, even if they aren't expecting any visitors who don't know - but at a glance, there's definitely something like a diagram of an arc reactor?]

David! Come in, sit down. I can get that in the oven for you.

[He's midway through cooking anyhow! The furniture in here was all clearly bought by Otto - the chairs are mostly backless, with a few that just have large gaps in the lower-back area, and the couch compensates for having a back by being very deep.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[David offers a brief bow to the actuator that opens the door to him. No reason not to be respectful.]

I see you’re also adjusting to apartment life. I recently got a new roommate from home, it helps the place seem more comfortable.

[His eyes cast toward the diagram. That couldn’t be… nah, it couldn’t be. But he hands over the casserole and smiles at Otto.]

Seems like you have been thinking about the furniture needs. I’m glad.

[doctopoda]

I'm the scourge of every furniture store in the city.

[He's being wry, but like. It was a whole thing. He'll put the casserole in the oven - already heated to David's earlier instructions.]

It is good to have company. Neither one of them is from my world, but I had met the older Peter before. Some other interdimensional nonsense. [He waves a hand; it's a long story.] Would you like something to drink?

[helpdesk_hero]

I’d hardly expect you to be a scourge.

[Company keeps the mind sane, and sometimes keeps men like them from forgetting to take care of themselves.]

How many peters do you know then? And yes, water would be lovely.

[doctopoda]

[He just makes a quiet thoughtful noise at the "scourge" comment.]

I've met five of them. Six, if you count the pig. That seems improbable, doesn't it?

[Nonetheless! Peter Parkers just get around, he supposes. One of the actuators retrieves a glass, and Otto takes it, fills it, and gives it to David - a rather seamless process. He seems to use them a lot more freely when he's not in public.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[The pig? David’s expression goes blank for a moment while he tries to process this. It’s a lot to process.]

I mean, I’ve heard of things like that. And there’s always Howard the Duck. So I guess it’s not that improbable.

[The smoothness makes David smile even if he doesn’t comment on it. He’s happy enough just to sip the water.]

[doctopoda]

Howard the Duck?

[Is that. Is that just a thing we're all supposed to know about.]

[helpdesk_hero]

I wish I was kidding. Walking, talking duck. Like Donald Duck except crass, drunken, and horny.

[doctopoda]

I...wasn't aware your world had talking animals.

[is that normal???

All the food's in the oven, so Otto moves to the counter to sit with David. Shouldn't take too long, they can just chat until it's done.]

[helpdesk_hero]

It does. Not many to my knowledge, but they exist. And I don’t know if he’s from Earth or he’s an alien or what.

[He sips again and then looks to Otto.]

You didn’t invite me here to hear about a talking duck that makes out with women though. Because you didn’t know about that.

[doctopoda]

I could've done with never knowing about the making out. [But here we are!] Yes, yes, please - come to my study.

[It's a joke; the "study" is just a workspace attached to the main living area, standard for these apartments. There's a desk, and some projects underway - up close, it's definitely arc reactor diagrams, and it looks like someone around here's working on a super-suit!]

Forgive the clutter. We've all got some personal projects going on...here we are.

[The plans for the actuators! He'll spread them out over the desk, moving aside so David can peruse them as he likes.]

Those are the latest copies. I don't have access to any of my original work, of course, but I've made some modifications since coming here anyway. I don't know how I managed before the improved waterproofing.

[Showering was bad!!! It's a feature he hadn't had originally due to the fact that they were never meant for use outside of a controlled environment. It's fairly clear in the designs that they were intended as tools for operating a fusion reactor, certainly not as long-term body mods.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[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.

[doctopoda]

[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.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[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.

[doctopoda]

[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.]

[helpdesk_hero]

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.

[doctopoda]

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.