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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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[helpdesk_hero]

[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.]

[doctopoda]

[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.

[helpdesk_hero]

[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.

[doctopoda]

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.

[helpdesk_hero]

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.]

[doctopoda]

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.]

[helpdesk_hero]

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?

[doctopoda]

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?]

[helpdesk_hero]

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.

[doctopoda]

[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.]

[helpdesk_hero]

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.

[doctopoda]

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.

[helpdesk_hero]

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.

[doctopoda]

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.

[helpdesk_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.

[doctopoda]

They're idealistic. That can be dangerous, but it's needed sometimes.

[Otto's regularly gobsmacked that so many of them are willing to grant him the benefit of the doubt, too. He's still not sure it was worth it, for the young Peter who helped him. But he's grateful nonetheless, and it would be...rather sad, to see him reach a point where he'd just agree with Strange and cast them all back to their deaths.]

[helpdesk_hero]

Their idealism makes people around them better I think.

[Spidey is known for more patience for his people than most. And more people need to be like that.]

[doctopoda]

Yes, I think that's true. Certainly worked for me. Things would have been much easier for him, if he hadn't tried so hard to help.

[Norman was the one who really turned those tides, but there's really little difference between them. It could've just as easily been Otto, had he managed to escape his restraints somehow.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[Oh Otto. David wants to reach out and touch him, but he doesn't know if it will be welcomed.]

They gave you something, didn't they?

[doctopoda]

...yes, they did.

[He doesn't seem tense, really. Just sort of downcast.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[That makes David smile and he nods.]

They are good people. They see the best in even those that hurt them. I put myself between one young Peter and his Quentin Beck. The man who kept manipulating and hurting him. It was all I coudl do to protect him from his own kindness.

[doctopoda]

It wasn't the Beck here, was it?

[Otto's friendly with the guy, after having established immediately that he wasn't going to go after any of the Spider-Men. He figures he has no room to judge past actions. Still - he'd sort of like to know.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[The one with the movie? David sighs.]

Yes, I think it was. I don't know if he's still here. But I saw him arguing with a guy online about the value of a movie of his life.

[doctopoda]

[Ugh. Great. Otto grimaces.]

We had a talk about the Spider-Men when he first showed up. He told me he'd leave them alone.

[It's up in the air whether or not Otto trusts the man, but he is at least aware that he'll have to deal with Otto if he tries anything.]

[helpdesk_hero]

I don't know that he cares about Peter as much when he has the opportunity to make things about himself. That's what matters.