Spiderman & The Wasp: The Forgotten

Chapter 4

I awoke early once again. Reaching Dr.Octavius's lab, I flashed my badge at the guard and entered. I waved to Rosie and Dr.Octavius as I found my way to the rest of the bodyguards joining the lab today. Our boss explained how we were going to handle today. Two of us were gonna be at the door and the rest of us would be hidden within the crowd.

Our boss continued talking until everyone arrived. Everyone moved to their spots. I joined the crowd. Peter and Harry were towards the front of the crowd as they talked. They waved to me when they first entered. The small talk in the room came to a halt as Dr.Octavius stepped in front of the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen my wife Rosie and I would like to welcome you this afternoon. But first, before we start, has anybody lost a large roll of 20-dollar bills in a rubber band?"

Dr.Octavius paused as he waited for an answer. When none came, he laughed as he continued to talk.

"Because we found the rubber band."

The crowd laughed. Most of them probably fake laughs. I let out a small fake laugh to keep up appearances. Dr.Octavius smiled as he shook his head.

"It's a terrible joke. But thank you for coming." Dr.Octavius became serious as he moved onto his life's work. "Today you will witness the birth of a new fusion-based energy source. Safe, renewable energy and cheap electricity for everyone. And now let me introduce my assistants."

Dr.Octavius gestured to a draped pedestal. He walked over to it and removed the drape. Underneath were four metal tentacle-like arms. He talked about them before. I was barely able to keep up, but from what I could gather, they were able to withstand fusion. Human arms would easily be destroyed. They attached via his spine. A piece of the bodice of the arms would mold over his spine and insert some kind of needles. Then they would fuse to his spine. Making it so he could control them with his mind. Dr.Octavius began speaking again as he removed his shirt.

"These four actuators were developed and programmed for the sole purpose of creating successful fusion."

Dr.Octavius stepped onto the platform and centered his midsection in the bodice of the arms, before returning to speaking.

"They are impervious to heat and magnetism."

Dr.Octavius paused again and he turned to a tablet. He clicked a few buttons, causing the bodice to latch around him. The spine part molded to his spine and the needles pierce his skin. His face contorts slightly before going back to normal. A long pause follows as he looks deep in thought. The metal arms began to move as Dr.Octavius focused back on everyone.

"These smart arms are controlled by my brain through a neural link. Nanowires feed directly into my cerebellum allowing me to use these arms to control fusion reaction in an environment no human hand could enter."

Dr.Octavius stepped off the pedestal as he talked, causing many people to take steps back from the arms. A scientist in the crowd spoke up.

"Doctor, if the artificial intelligence in the arms is as advanced as you suggest, couldn't that make you vulnerable to them?"

"How right you are. Which is why I developed this inhibitor chip..." Dr.Octavius turned around and pointed to a small light at the top of the metal spine. "To protect my higher brain function. It means I maintain control of these arms, instead of them controlling me. And now onto the main event."

Dr.Octavius turned and pointed to the fusion machine. This was the highlight of his project. It had four curved pillars surrounding it, to help contain the fusion. Dr.Octavius turned to Rosie as he walked towards it.

"Give me the blue light, Rosie."

A light focused on the machine while Dr.Octavius found his way to the tablet connected to the machine. The crowd slowly followed behind him as he used his metal arms to switch a few switches. A small container popped open and Dr.Octavius used one of his new arms to retrieve it. It was a small sphere, no bigger than a pebble. That was what I was hired to protect. The tritium. How could something that little be worth so much?