Spider-Man: Marvel Knight

Chapter 12-Kurt Connors

Max entered back into the warehouse sneakily as to make it seem that he had never left. He was feeling good about himself right then; he got a little payback for Spider-Man defeating him. He thought that the score was set pretty even after that, and for the sake of being fair, he let Peter go. Although he and Parker were the worst of enemies, he kind of understood where Spidey was coming from. You had to be respectful of the strong willed. After all, Max was a murderous criminal; Spider-Man was loved by everyone.
Otto had Kurt at a table with a bag over his head. Electro couldn't tell whether he was conscious or not...or even alive for that matter. Rhino, Vulture, Scorpion, and Kraven huddled around Kurt with Otto. Rhino looked down at Electro approaching the table.
"Where have you been, little lightbulb?" he asked him.
Max spat at his foot. "Patrolling, ya big ugly beast. I was making sure that there wasn't gonna be anyone tracking us. Making sure no one was on our trail, y'know?" An obvious lie, but one that went under the brute's nose.
Otto glanced at Electro for a second. "You said that you didn't see anyone?" he asked. He approached him using his mechanical arms to move him. "I saw the cat and Miss Stacy scope us out. How the hell did you not see them."
Electro had seen them just as Otto had. He had to think of a lie to get himself out of this situation. "I must've been somewhere else, doc. If they were around me then they slipped under my radar. My bad, I'll try harder."
Otto raised one of his mechanical monstrosities menacingly above Max's head. "You better, Dillon," Otto responded threateningly. "You've really gotten on my last nerve lately. I'm beginning to wonder if I chose the wrong person to help me lead the Six?"
Electro wanted to burst a huge surge of electricity through Otto and kill him right there. He could do it so easily...but he knew that Spidey wouldn't want him to do this. He had to buy Parker enough time to figure something out. "You didn't choose wrong, doc," he responded. "It won't happen again."
Otto smirked and lowered the arm. "Good," he said. "Very good, Max."
He moved to Kurt's body sitting at the table. Kurt was alive, because when Otto pulled the bag off of him, he blinked to adjust his eyes to the dim light in the room. He looked at Otto with confusion and fear. He looked at the other criminals around him. "Otto," he pleaded out of breath, "what the hell's going on? Where am I? What are you doing to me?"
Otto grinned. "This is the consequence of your actions, Kurt," he responded. "This is your endgame."
Kurt shook his head confused. "Otto, I'm your best friend, you idiot! You're my friend...why are you doing this?"
"I WAS your friend," Otto snapped. "When you were the Lizard, you hurt me. You destroyed New York, my city, and no one did anything to put you down or put you away. I've seen the light, Kurt. I saw the future. I saw that there is no curing someone like you...something like you. As long as you're here, there'll always be those that will rise in your place." He moved a mechanical arm near him. Its claws opened and shut multiple times to taunt Kurt. "And the best part about it, Kurt, old friend..." He pointed to the lab equipment he was sitting next to. "...you're gonna cause your own doom."
Kurt gritted his teeth. "Otto, stop this... You're insane. You need help!"
"I NEED HELP?!" Otto snapped while slamming a mechanical arms to the ground. Max and the other criminals took a step back from the altercation.
"The neural interface is hardwired into your brain. You're not thinking straight. I can fix it!"
Otto grabbed Kurt with the claws from one of his arms. "FIX IT?! I don't want it to be fixed! I don't need fixing, Kurt. You need fixing! And you're gonna do it!" He dropped Kurt back at the table and placed some items down onto it.
Kurt looked at the mixing devices and other numerous high tech lab supplies. Suddenly, he realized what Otto wanted him to do. "Otto," he said, "you really don't expect me to actually do this? Realize what you're asking of me. Surely you don't want me to turn back into that thing!"
Otto snapped. "Of course I do! In order for the world to see you as the monster you are, you have to make yourself the monster again." He handed him an old formula sheet from Oscorp. "You will recreate project x, and inject yourself with it when you are done."
"Otto... I can't do this." Kurt began to plead.
"You will do it!!!" Otto shouted. "And you will take all the time that you need to do it. We will not kill you or harm you...until you recreate it. Then when the beast comes out, I'll kill you." He began to walk away from Kurt and the others. "Tick tock, old friend..."
Max looked at Otto walking away from Kurt. Otto was truly a heartless creature at this point. When Electro killed, he killed with swiftness and ease. He never tortured someone. The only person He wanted to suffer was Parker, and now he wasn't so sure. Otto seemed to enjoy agging on the process of revenge.
All of the criminals walked away from Kurt and let him do his work. Kurt honestly felt like crying. His best friend was now trying to kill him, and he was going to do it by humiliating him first. Kurt looked at the formula sheet and ripped it in half. "Sorry, Otto," he said to himself, "but I think I'd like to make my own project x." He began to write down a newer, and improved formula that he had been working on since he entered rehab. He had told Peter about it a while back and of course he got a dirty look from him. Hopefully, Pete remembered the code he gave him. "As you said, Doc: 'Take your time.' Tick tock indeed." He began to mix chemicals together.
"Tick tock indeed...."