you only THINK you know me

[abetterweb]

I think we both know why you can't find a suitable place for me.

Because you know what I'll do when I'm in.~


Oh, it will be grand, I assure you. I'll be running the show within a week - the poor, stupid brutes dancing upon command. Dare I even say, they'll be fawning over me, their rightful, glorious hero and savior.


...

Fine then. A compromise. Set me free, and I'll leave the unwashed masses alone. Despite how much better I could make their silly little lives, I promise to stay out of sight and simply resolve whatever trivial matter that plagues their world. Let it never be said that I cannot make concessions.

Comments

[abetterweb]

I haven't the time to waste with modesty. There is far too much to accomplish, and with so few other suitable candidates, those burdens fall on me.

Now be a good lad and lay back down in your grave.

[mordantwit]

I could say the same to you.

[abetterweb]

I haven't the faintest what you mean. Are you implying that I, Spider-Man, am dead? Whatever far reach of reality you hail from, sir, you must have me confused with someone else.

[mordantwit]

Fortunately, Spider-Man, death had little effect on my telepathic abilities.

[abetterweb]

...yes, I suppose you would be one of the very few capable of penetrating my mental defenses. But when does Professor Charles Xavier poke around in the minds of others with such wanton disregard of their privacy? How shocking.

Yet there rests the line in the sand, the stark difference between you and I. Faced with death, I found a way to overcome, then became stronger and better for it. I am making a difference in the world now.

And you? You were obliterated. Not by a respected foe or rival, but by one of your own students. Your death has polarized your people - now they fight each other over an interpretation of your legacy. Had you been a better leader - a better man - there would be no doubting what you would have wanted.

[mordantwit]

[SHRUG. His ethics on the subject have become rather lax since he was shot in the head.]

You resisted death by co-opting another man's life. That is not strength, Mr. Octavius. That is cowardice.

[His eyebrows arch.] And my X-Men - all of them - have weathered worse, with and without me.

[abetterweb]

Doctor Octavius. [If he weren't wearing a mask, one might've seen a sudden twinge of annoyance.]

It was hardly cowardice - it was the only logical choice. I have too much left undone, too many important responsibilities to maintain, to leave this world. So I chose to 'co-opt' (yes, I like this description) Peter Parker's body, as he was not doing anything crucial with it at the time, using methods no other creature could possibly have devised or accomplished.

I'd invite you to probe his memories to see what I mean, but I've already removed them. Wasting his time by flitting about from one needless struggle to the next - most of them of his own creation.

So yes, your precious 'X-Men' will fight on. Only now, it will be against each other. I'm sure you're quite proud.