To Make a Concubine

Only when he was completely asleep could she move of her own accord again. She'd slept all day and night; she had no desire to do such now. Carefully and stiffly, she tried to ease out of his arms.

Otto stirred, groaning, and his arms tightened around her for an instant before going slack again.

Ginny twisted and pulled herself free, almost falling off the bed. She slid off, careful to be silent, and fetched her clothing. Keeping her eyes on Octavius, she pulled on the pants and shirt, in too much of a hurry to bother with anything more. She had to get out of here, get away. Get far enough away that he couldn't steal her body again. She opened the door just enough to slip out, shutting it behind her with a click. Outside the room, she breathed easier, leaning against the wall. After a moment to catch her breath, she crept toward the stairs, her hearing trained on the floors below for any sound at all. But luck was with her, and she made it down to the ground floor without seeing anyone. She was terrified that Max or Flint would cross her path, but getting away from Octavius was worth the risk. Sticking to the shadows and walls, she slunk toward the door to the beach. Her hand was on the knob when she heard footsteps, and a voice.

Norman looked around, surprised to see Virginia out alone. "Where's Octavius?"

She shot him a single glance over her shoulder and pulled the door open, fleeing.

Norman cursed under his breath. She must have given Otto the slip somehow. "Boy!" He called to Peter. "Go bring her back here!" This was the last thing he needed, what with his carefully crafted plans so close to fruition.

Peter hesitated, as Ginny ran out into the sand, heading for the water.

"I said go!" Norman gave Peter a shove toward the door.

Peter wished desperately that he could let her go. She was clearly terrified, and she looked as if she were running for her life. But if she got away, Osborn would probably hunt her down and kill her, if Octavius didn't. And if Peter disobeyed, Aunt May would be next. He let Norman's push propel him into a sprint, and though the sand was hard to run in, he caught her quickly, tackling her from behind.

Ginny shrieked and struggled, kicking and twisting, but even Peter was strong enough to subdue the small woman, and he dragged her back into the house. By the time the door was shut again, the fight had gone out of her and she was sobbing. "Don't tell him, please, please...."

"Octavius doesn't know you’re out here, does he?" Norman grinned, a shark-like grin. It seemed as though he had found a chance to try his experiment after all. He hadn't been looking forward to the fight he knew Otto would put up if Norman tried to separate them.

Peter kept his grip on Ginny, not because he thought she would run again, but because she would collapse if he let go. She nodded mutely, remembering with a sick lurch that she wasn't allowed to talk to them. And she'd be in enough trouble already.

"Where is he?" Norman asked, hoping she didn't say he was in the lab.

She glanced at the stairs going up.

If he was up there and she was down here, it meant he must be asleep, but they had to act quickly. "Bring her along," Norman tossed back as he headed for the basement.

"What are you going to do?" she asked tremulously.

She wouldn't walk, so with a whispered apology, Peter swept her up into his arms and followed Osborn. He knew he was going to hell for this.

The lab was dark and silent, all of Octavius's work packed neatly away. Norman threaded his way through the technological maze to a place near the rear, unknowingly passing the very spot Otto had done his own altering of her DNA. There was a large metal chair back there, with various tubes protruding from it, and places to lock in her wrists and arms.

She froze up at the sight of it, and started struggling to get away. Peter had to set her down or drop her, but as soon as he grabbed her wrists, she went still, staring. "What are you going to do?" she asked again with rising hysteria in her voice. "What are you going to do?!"

"Just improving your chances of surviving around here a bit," Norman answered, going over to a control panel and checking a few things. "Strap her in, my boy."

Peter was going to be sick. Ginny struggled and begged, but he forced her into the chair and held her there, fastening the straps. She began to cry, tears picking up a pink tinge from the split in her cheek.

"Please don't, please don't...." She wasn't very articulate.

"Mr. Osborn," Peter said, his misgivings clear in his voice. "Are you sure this won't hurt her?"

"She'll be fine," Norman assured, though it was clear he didn't exactly care if the process hurt her or not. He flicked a switch and the tubes filled with green liquid. The madman walked over to her and began carefully inserting IV needles in her arms. He unbuttoned her shirt, ignoring the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra, and hooked electrodes to her chest. After doing a final once over to make sure everything was in place, he turned to Peter. "Press the second button from the left."

Ginny fixed her eyes on Peter. "Please, please don't do it, don't, please...."

He looked between her and Osborn. Don't make me do this...

"Prove your loyalty to us and do it," Norman hissed. "I'm sure your aunt will appreciate it."

Peter swallowed and closed his ears against Ginny's pleas, and pressed the button. There was a hissing noise, and a thrum, and the green fluid started to flow into Ginny's arms. She screamed, high-pitched and terrified, and kept screaming.

It hurt. It hurt and burned, boiling water under her skin. She felt as if she was being forced under a powerful current, and she couldn't breathe. The air around her was water, choking her, drowning her. Her pain and terror were powerful enough to vibrate along the link she shared with Octavius.

Otto woke up with a jolt, shooting into a sitting position. His head was on fire. He looked around. Ginny was no where to be seen, but he knew something was wrong. He threw on his glasses and snapped on the tentacles on his way out the door, rushing down stairs, wearing jeans but in too much of a hurry to bother with a shirt. Max and Flint weren't anywhere in sight, and neither was Ginny, but... Something finally cut through the pain and panic. Osborn. Osborn had been up to something. Otto turned to the basement stairs, rising to walk on his tentacles. It was faster. Water was running down the stairs as he came down them. Rising up through the carpet and running towards the door to the lab. And he could hear her screaming. Otto threw open the lab door. "Shut it down, Osborn! NOW!"

He was already trying, but neither he nor Peter could get near the chair where Ginny was bound. Water was whirling around her in a frothing whirlwind, lashing out whenever either of them tried to get near her or the control panels. At the center, he could see her, her head strained back against the chair, her entire body rigid and panicked. He could hear her screaming, not only with his ears, but with his mind. Inside his skull, he could hear her babbling to her brother, a terrified stream of thought.

Otto gritted his teeth against the shrieks stabbing through his skull. Reaching out along the widened link, he grabbed Ginny's thoughts and tried to force her to calm down. Meanwhile, he fought through the water with his tentacles, trying to reach the control panel. It was nearly identical to the one in the Oscorp laboratory.

Ginny latched onto him just as he reached the panel, clinging through the link. Helpmehelpmehelpmehelpmehelpme...

I am. Calm down. I am. Otto fumbled with the control pad, simultaneously taking a stronger hold on her, trying to reign in her powers. The water shrank back a bit and he was able to finish the shut down sequence. For the moment, he was too preoccupied with finding out if Ginny was okay to try to rip Osborn to shreds.

She seemed to be going into shock. The water subsided farther, falling to the floor and then flowing towards her, disappearing into her somehow as she went limp, her head lolling to one side. Dying? came a barely-there thought.

No. No, you're mine. I won't let you go. Otto took her head between his hands. The link had grown amazingly with the amount of Oz that had been pumped into her in such a short time. Breathe. Come on, just breathe. He found himself breathing with her. His tentacles fell on the floor with soft clangs as his concentration moved fully into her mind and sunk into her vital functions. Can you hear me?

Her eyes fixed on his, dazed and wet. Yes.... The waves won't stop. Help me.

He could feel the pull of the ocean through her, so close. Her body, her new mutation, longed to join the waves and let them pull her apart. Otto scanned her mind for the way to control her powers and gently pulled them back under control for her, at the same time showing her how. Can you do that?

I.... Her eyes wandered away from his as she tried, and the link shrank just slightly as she focused on reigning it all in. She was dripping wet, the water freezing cold. But she eventually blinked, and was somewhat more herself again. "Like this?"

"That's my girl," Otto praised softly as he unhooked her from the chair. He helped her to her feet, hugging her shivering body to him, trying to pass some of his warmth into her. His eyes turned to Norman, blazing with rage. "What the hell did you think you were doing?!" She was very cold. Colder than a living person should be. Cold as the Atlantic.

Norman looked unshaken again. "Believe me, those are not the results I planned for."

"And what did you plan for, huh?" His voice was low and icy, as cold as Ginny felt. "Why didn't you come tell me you were attempting this?" He could have killed her if Otto hadn't heard her. Sure, Otto could have told him he'd already altered her DNA, but he hadn't really expected Osborn to try this without telling him.

"Merely attempting to repeat my own results." Osborn seemed unfazed by Otto's rage. "But something obviously interfered."

Before he could even realize what he was doing, Otto lashed out and struck Osborn with one of his tentacles. "Why can't you just. Leave. This. Alone? Why can't you just let me have her?!"

Osborn was swept sideways, nothing but a human for now. But with a shout of rage, he began to change. Peter pressed himself back against the wall.

Otto laughed. "You change, Osborn, you'll set of alarms in every SHIELD facility for hundreds of miles around. I might not be inclined to help you this time, either. Not after this."

There was a moment of tense silence, dripping water the only sound. Osborn stared at Octavius, animal fury in his eyes. But reason won, and he shrank back into his human form.

Otto took a couple deep breaths to relax himself as well. "I'm sorry. I wish you had informed me, though." It looked like there was something else he wanted to say but wasn't sure if he should or not.

Norman glared at him a while longer before the uneasy truce between them reestablished itself. The walls were running water again. "So," he asked, looking at Ginny, who had hidden her face against Otto once again. "Obviously, I was mistaken when I assumed her genetics hadn't been tampered with."

"I just did it the other day," Otto admitted, not a hint of emotion in his voice. "Yesterday."

"What did you do?" he asked, clinically curious. He came forward, reaching for Ginny to make her face him.

Otto knew he wouldn't be able to tell anything from looking at her. "I knew you were hiding something from me, so I took some of my own initiative," was all he said, not sure why he was so hesitant to tell.

Ginny resisted being turned, and water rose in the room, lapping at their feet. "Virginia, stop that," said Osborn sternly, tipping her face up. She tried to pull away from him, making small frightened sounds.

Ginny, it's okay. Otto made the water recede. "You won't be able to see anything. The alterations were mental."

No, no it's not... You're in my head!

"Tell me about them," he said, still examining her wide-eyed face.

Norman's experiment must have widened the link. Otto's voice remained empty. "I extended my powers to include her as well," he answered, letting Osborn interpret it as he wished.

Osborn glanced from her face to his. Behind him, Peter looked very, very ill. "Control?" Norman asked neutrally.

Otto's face was as empty and cold as the lenses that covered his eyes when he nodded.

The boy scrambled from the room. Osborn let him go, examining Ginny. "Very, very interesting," was all he said, giving no hint of his real thoughts.

"Indeed. And I'd been joking when I told Peter I could create brain puppets. Every other aspect of her personality remained intact, and she can still function on her own, when I let go of her, so to speak."

Ginny shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut. If he reached through the link, he could tell that she wasn't far from breaking again. Her thoughts were shattery and uncoordinated.

"Give me a demonstration," said Osborn.

Otto looked down at her. "What do you want to see her do?"

"Doesn't matter. Just show me how much control over her you have."

Otto glanced around the room and picked up a scalpel. "I think it's time to get rid of that tattoo, Ginny." He made her take the blade from him.

Her hand closed around it, and held it expertly, the way Octavius would have held it. She stared at it and then at him. "No, please, please, don't cut me!"

Otto had her strip off her shirt and turn so he could see her back. He made her hand reach behind her and pressed the blade her skin next to the small white mark. It pressed down and crimson welled up around the edges.

She cried out, and Osborn moved around to watch. The knife swiveled, making a clean excision, and the tiny tattoo was flicked away like a spot of rot on a fruit. Ginny shook, weeping, but her hand was as steady as Otto's tentacles.

He had her hand the blade back to him when the job was finished. "That's my girl," he smiled, petting her hair and putting her shirt back on.

Osborn looked impressed. Ginny wanted to collapse, wanted to shatter and flow away. She leaned against him, unwillingly, but unable to do anything else.

"Well?" Otto raised an eyebrow at Norman. "What do you think?"

"I am very, very impressed," he murmured, smiling. "Complete neuro-muscular control? Can you make her do anything? Absolutely anything?"

"I haven't had sufficient time to test the connection, but I imagine the possibilities are endless. Your experiment even reinforced the link."

"How curious." Osborn ran a finger down the side of her face and she shied away.

"Why do you ask?"

"Scientific curiosity." The gears in his head could almost be seen whirring. "Such control is a marvel."

"Pardon me, Norman, but the last time you behaved in this manner..." Otto gestured back toward the chair with two tentacles.

"No, no, don't worry. I won't touch your pet again. I have other test subjects in mind." Released, Ginny backed against Octavius. Blood had soaked through her shirt, though it was nothing to worry about.

It was Otto's turn to be intrigued. "Care to elaborate?"

"Fury," Osborn grinned.

The mad grin reappeared on Otto's face. "And I suppose you intend to link him to yourself?"

"Wouldn't it be perfect?"

The doctor tapped his chin as he thought. "Hm... Well, it would take considerably more time and research, but it's not impossible..."

"Can I count on you for this?" The madman sounded almost gleeful. He'd already forgotten about Ginny except as a proof of something greater.

"Have I disappointed you yet?" Otto turned in on his own thoughts, also seeming to forget about Ginny, and Norman as well. "Of course I'll require a DNA sample from Fury, and I assume he doesn't wish to have his current mutation altered too significantly..." Otto paused and looked up and Norman. "Correct?"

"Yes, I'd like to keep mine intact. You have a blood sample. Do you need another?"

"Hn... no, not yet. I do need to implant the chips, however. I suppose today is as a good a day as any, though I'm also concerned it will only make Max more of a nuisance."

"Mr. Dillon will listen to me. I've not had problems with him." It went unsaid that Otto himself was the one Osborn had had problems with.

Otto smirked, seeming to catch the undertone anyway. "Might you gather the others and have them convene upstairs in the medical lab?"

"Now? Wonderful." Osborn looked relaxed now, and anticipatory. He turned and strode out the door. "You're really coming through for me, Otto."

Otto used his tentacles to gather the materials that weren't upstairs. "How do you feel, Ginny?"

She was silent, pale and drawn. And she refused to answer him, but through the link, he could hear what she wasn't saying. ...hate you, hate you all, just kill me, you monsters, no, I don't want to die, but what else can I do now, what AM I?

"You could cooperate with us," Otto suggested as he double checked the chips and headed for the door. "You could also defend yourself against Flint, now, though I wouldn't recommend going up against Max."

She shifted her feet, feeling the cold water under them. "What am I? What did he do to me?"

He stopped and turned to face her. "You're an illegal genetic anomaly, dear, like us."

"Like you?" She looked stark white under the fluorescent lights, no color at all in her pale skin and eyes and tangled black hair. "Not human anymore?"

"Don't get too excited," he muttered, turning back to the door and mentally commanding her to follow. "You're still an extension of my self."

She stumbled after him. "I thought... I th- thought I was your pet because I was human...."

"You're not my pet anymore. You're part of me, now."

"No!" she shouted at his back. "No, no, no I'm not!"

"Silence," Otto commanded, closing her mouth.

"Mmfh!" I'm not a part of you! I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not!

Otto pushed back into her mind with enough force to almost knock her over. I SAID SILENCE!

She stopped, dazed and blinking, and then rallied and tried to push back. NO!

He was rapidly losing his patience. Shoving back hard--almost as hard as when he'd used her powers--he filled her body, stopping her breath in her throat. You are mine. I can control the very air you breathe. Now shut up and we'll address this later.

She choked, her thoughts scattering again. Let me breathe I'll be good!

Otto freed her. "That's all I ask." He continued on his way, stopping by his room to slip on a clean shirt.