The Electrician - Electro’s Story
No one would've suspected that the nerd at the front of the class was struggling to stay awake because of a late night patrol as the superhero Octoman, using powers bestowed just a month prior by an accident during a field trip to Oscorp. They probably either didn't notice or thought it was the result of a late night study session.
"We're getting into a new unit today, the human body. And I've decided that the best way to learn about the various systems that make us function is by doing a project! I'll begin by assigning partners and systems."
Group projects. Ugh. More like "leave all the work to the smart guy". And to top it all off, I'd now need to balance this with everything else. This couldn't get worse.
"Otto and Max, you two will work on the nervous system."
I stood corrected. At least it wasn't Eddie, but at the same time this meant I was being paired up with a notoriously bad student. Detentions, bad grades, absences, he was almost infamous. But maybe I could ask to have it changed so I could work with someone else, maybe Mary Alice or Adrian--
"Bear in mind that you cannot change your partner. You're with whoever I say you're with."
Amazing.
After the teacher finished reading the list, everyone changed seats to sit next to their partner. I grumbled and pretended to be busy with something so I wouldn't have to talk to Max. Except I already had everything out, so I was mostly just awkwardly fumbling around with my bag. I quickly gave it up as the teacher started the lesson.
"Eeeeeeeey, Otto! How's it goin' man?" came a somewhat loud whisper from Max. I paused before finally replying, "If you think I'm letting you make me do all the work, you're sorely mistaken." "Whaaaaaaat? No man, I got your back, we're partners you and me," he countered.
That's what they all say.
I went to taking notes, trying to avoid more conversation. Didn't exactly work.
"Sooooooo......got any hobbies?" Max asked, trying to break the ice. "...Kinda. It's hard to explain," Does superheroing count as a hobby? "Ah, sciencey stuff?" "Yeah, sure. Let's go with that."
Then he said something that got my attention. Something about working for a scientist, namely Dr. Curtis Connors... as a janitor. Not the most respectable of positions, and I almost ended up laughing at that.
"It's kind of a grating job. I have to work long hours with little pay," Max sighed, "I haven't got a full night's sleep in a while."
That explained why he doesn't do well in class. Even I'm starting to struggle to maintain an A what with the late-night patrols. Shouldn't have judged a book by its cover. At the same time...
"Well, I hope it isn't a problem for tonight, as I'd like you to meet me at the library at 7pm to work on this project. The sooner we get it done, the better," I explained. "Well, I start at 5:30, so I'll work for a bit and then ask Connors if I could have the rest of the night off. I'm sure he'll understand... hopefully," he replied. "It's a science project. Dr. Connors is a scientist. I'm sure he'll understand." "Yeah, good point. Speaking of the project, how much of it do you know?"
Here we go. The last thing you wanna do is get a nerd talking about nerdy things, especially ones as disturbing as the experiments done regarding nerves and electric currents. I'm certain I probably grossed him out.
"I wonder if we're going to have to cover the brain in detail, or just how it functions with neurons..." I mused. "Ugh, I hope not, learning about the brain makes my head hurt. Too confusing and complicated," he groaned. "Could you say that it gives you a headache?" "...Well look who has a sense of humor."
It was well past 7pm. About a half hour or so after, and Max wasn't returning my calls. I was getting fed up, but at the same time I was getting worried. Maybe something had happened? I went to his place of work to investigate.
"He better have a good reason for being late or so help me--" I stopped my grumbling when I saw the cop cars outside the laboratory.
Something was seriously wrong.
Paramedics were treating someone who had a blast mark on their chest, but there was no sheet. They were going to be okay, that was good. Cops seemed to be regrouping, talking to each other about how to handle the situation. And the main elephant in the room was whatever was causing that glowing from within the lab.
I got to a safe place away from any prying eyes and cameras, and changed into costume. This was no place for a kid, but the perfect place for a hero, especially the kind that can camouflage, which I used to get into the building with alerting the police.
I got to the ceiling and made my way to a back room where the glowing was coming from. Nothing about this looked good. Especially not whatever the heck that thing was.
I went inside the room only to face something that was even more confusing: a being made of what I assumed was pure electricity. I had so many questions, but decided not to go into the full spiel of them. At least this explained the cops outside.
"Who...who's there?! I already told you I ain't coming out!" looks like the door made some noise. "Guess I didn't get the memo about that. Whoops," I replied, coming out of camo mode. "H-hey! You're that Octopus guy! So, they sent you in huh?" "Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually work with the police. Honestly? I have no idea what's going on here. I'm not gonna hurt you, if that's what you're worried about." "Well, join the club, calamari boy... I don't know what in all that is holy is going on." "The name's Octoman, by the way."
They didn't seem to particularly care about proper titles. They just seemed really upset about something.
"Well, from my point of view, I'm seeing a guy made of electricity," I spoke, "Which is probably why there's cops outside. Guessing a taser won't work on you. Hehe." "Hey man no funny stuff! I've hurt or possibly killed someone! I-I-I'm havin' a breakdown right now!" they snapped.
Bingo. That explained the guy outside. But that person wasn't dead, and I tried explaining this to them. That seemed to calm them down a bit. Good first steps in the right direction.
"But even if I'm not a murder, I'm still a walking live wire! The cops are gonna shoot me down and then dissect me like a frog!" they exclaimed. "They can't shoot someone that isn't a criminal," I tried reassuring, "I'm pretty sure there's a rule against that."
That didn't seem to work too well.
"Whatever! I'm a freak of nature! ...And I'm uncontrollable," they seemed scared, but maybe that was just me, "My whole life... I was just starting it and now it's over." "You're talking to a guy with partially octopus DNA about being a freak of nature. No one in this room is entirely human. But that's not a bad thing," I offered a smile, "It's not over. It's just a new chapter." "That's all well and good to say but that doesn't make it true."
This was getting us nowhere. There's a chance that the powers are psychosomatic, considering that they're sparking more with every outburst. If I could just get them to calm down, maybe this can be resolved without resorting to violence.
"Who's gonna help me? I can't even touch anything without it blowing to pieces," I felt really bad for them. "Have you tried rubber gloves?" I joked, trying to ease the tension, "I kid, but seriously, I want to help you." "You!? What can you do? You don't even know me." "This isn't the end of everything. I use my powers to help people each and every day. There's nothing saying you can't too. I might not know you, but we're both not entirely human, so that's gotta count for something."
Something from earlier today, something that Max had said, it seemed relevant to say here.
"I got your back. We're partners, you and me."
They paused, then looked at me with what I assumed was confusion. It was a bit hard to tell, considering I could hardly see a face midst all the crackling.
"Wait... What did you just say?" they questioned. "I've said a lot of things in the past few seconds, you're gonna have to be a little more specific," I responded. "Tha-that thing about partners... it... it... sounds familiar." "Really? Huh. That's weird."
Then they panicked, and so did I, almost.
"Oh crap, Otto! I had to be at the library!" they then chuckled, "Look at me, I've turned into a monster and I worried about a stupid science project. ...He's gonna be so pissed at me."
This had to be Max. The being at the lab, the brashness, the voice. I felt a twang of sympathy. So that's why he hadn't shown up.
"I... I don't think he's gonna be too mad at you," I admitted. "Ha, yeah... haha... maybe... maybe I could be our science project!" he laughed, "Hahahahah... Oh you have no idea what I'm talkin' about, sorry."
Then I decided to do something that could be seen as a stupid idea. But there was a chance that something good could come from it, and I liked those odds. I shifted my mask away, returned my eyes to their usual brown, and my hair back to its usual length. Then I made eye contact with Max.
"You can keep a secret, right?" I asked. "...Otto!?" he shouted, hopefully not alerting anyone. "Shh! Not so loud! Kinda got a secret identity I need to protect." "Wha-what are... How are..?" "It's a long story. And I'd be more than happy to explain it, but not right now."
Time to get down to business. Hopefully it would work. If not... well, I'd rather not think about that.
"Right now I need you to focus, and calm down. Can you do that for me?" I requested. "Uh... I... I think so," he started to even his breathing. "I got worried when you didn't show up. Glad I came here, otherwise things might've gone badly." "Heh... yeah. As long as you're happy with getting a low grade." "I'm not mad at you. This is kinda more important than a project." "Shows what you know. I'm failin' that class." "I could always tutor you. And there's still time to work on the project." "Ugh but moooooom, I don't feel so goooooooood."
And just like that, Max reverted back to human. Only problem, he had apparently burned his clothes off when whatever happened, well, happened. I averted my eyes as I switched back to appearing like my usual hero self and he grabbed a lab coat to cover himself with. But it was a symphony of bad timing, as I could hear police closing in. Looks like they had a plan. And we were up the river without a paddle. Unless...
"Okay, time to do something risky!" this was a bad idea, "I'm gonna need you to change back." "That's a horrible idea! Let's do it!" I snorted at this.
A moment later he was back again in his electric form.
"Okay, now that I'm all... electro'd... What do I do?" he inquired. "I hypothesize that since this form is made of pure electricity, you'd be able to merge with the wires and travel along them," I explained, "Like the electricity in neurons going to the brain. Except this brain is anywhere outside of this lab."
Max vanished into the wiring as soon as I told him to meet outside, and so did I. Camouflaging myself, I slipped out just as soon as the cops entered it. They seemed perplexed as to how there was no one in there; it's not like they could see anyone leaving.
I met Max outside like I had instructed. I don't know what it was, but there was something about him that made me feel like he'd be a good hero, a partner in justice. And this partner had a name: Electro.
Okay, so that night didn't turn out as planned. But I don't mind. It turned out better than expected. I made a new friend, and an ally. That's a good night's work in my book.
There was some good news the following day. No one linked Max to Electro, and due to the incident, the lab was closed for the day. That gave us enough time to get that blasted project done, and have some room for training. He had a lot to learn, not only about science, but about being a hero. But I believed in him, and he's done a good job so far. Let's see how he keeps it up.