part five
"Is it Osborn you're so upset over, Otto?" The gruffer voice indicated the real Goblin was fronting, T noticed.
He loved how juicy this was getting to be. He just didn't want the two of his pets to fight. That was Otto's intention--an actuator shot out and ripped Goblin from the comfy couch, drawing him closer. Its grip was tight.
"What did you say?" Otto growled.
"I'm warning you yet again. If you hurt each other you'll be punished."
"Even if it's self-defense?" Goblin scowled at Otto.
T sighed. "Put him down, Otto."
Otto glared at Goblin and the actuator dropped him from the air. Goblin cursed and got back up.
"Keep his name out of your mouth."
Well, if only he knew how hard that was.
"You act like he was worth caring about. I heard through the grapevine that he treated you like shit and so you left Oscorp." Goblin wanted to pry more information out of the man.
"And who told you that?" Otto spat.
"Does it matter? It looks like I'm right. So why do you still care about him?"
Otto groaned. "He meant more to me than a business partner. He didn't treat me badly. The issue was he didn't think humanity was more important than money and power. So I left." He then side-eyed Dr. T.
"Well, can you blame him? This is what happens when you trust humanity," Goblin remarked with a wave of an arm.
"I told you I'm a God. I'm more than a silly little human. He's right though. You seem naive, Doctor Octavius. Too much of an optimist, in my opinion." T was smiling and enjoying the conversation.
Goblin rolled his eyes at the God comment. Otto was flustered and blushing.
"You both are selfish."
"I can accept being selfish," said Dr. T plainly. "Anyway, I think I'm going to go to sleep. Maybe you two should check out the rest of your home. Just remember that if you do something bad I will punish you for it. So try to be good for me, okay?"
They watched Dr. T get up and go to a light switch on the far end of the large room. Then he moved to dim the light bulb above their enclosure.
"Where are you sleeping? On the concrete?" Goblin asked.
"Hell no, I have a fucked up back as it is. I'll sleep at my desk. I've done it plenty of times. Good night pets."
Dr. T stretched, then got in his chair and rested his head at his desk.
--
Goblin realized there was more to the dissected dollhouse now that he was standing on the lawn looking up at it. Above the kitchen, there was another room, somewhat bigger. He felt sick realizing his situation again. He felt like an actual lab rat. He felt like he was going to be studied if he went to bed in one of those rooms. He remembered the relatively private shed. He decided he was going to sleep there.
"Well, you've been here for about two years, right? Have you tried to escape?" Otto questioned in a whisper, getting close to the man.
"No-Yes. What?" Goblin was caught off guard. Was he dead for two years in their original timeline before Dr. T spirited Otto away to this hell? "I've been here for a day, I think? If we're to trust what's happened then his gun has the capability to time travel as well. I woke up here and he went to grab you soon after. I've tried breaking the glass and it didn't work. I suspect it's different from the glass back home. Feels stronger. Come with me actually," Goblin whispered and brought him to the secluded shed. Otto looked around. "This place feels more private, not sure if it's bugged or not though." He looked up for any signs of such. Nothing obvious. Otto and his machines inspected the room closer, except for one of them that kept an eye on Goblin. It honestly distracted him. They were impressive works of art but they also creeped him out. He reached a hand out to it curiously. It backed up and whirred at him.
"Don't touch me."
Ah, how did he realize? He backed off, still watching it. It went closer to its original position. He figured there was some way he could see out of them. Built-in cameras or something. He watched as Otto searched through the room, but ultimately he found nothing.
"I don't see anything to suggest we're still being spied on. Have you tried the grate on top of the cage?" Otto suggested.
"No. I bet it'd be too noisy to break apart right now."
"Right. Do you think there'd be a time where he isn't here for us to both try it?"
"He went out a lot today I think."
"Do you know how long it takes him?"
"I don't have a clock, so no. What are we even going to do if we do get out of the cage? We're still shrunk down. I think he keeps all of his machines on him."
"I have a plan. We need to get as much information from him until he goes out one day, then we can decide on what to do next. We need to ask him more about his machines."
"Of course. It's probably our best hope of getting out of here." Goblin remarked matter-of-factly.
"By the way, if we get out of this, I can't guarantee you'll be safe from me, Green Goblin."
"Sure," Goblin rolled his eyes. In that event, he'll just reveal who he is under the mask, maybe even tug some heartstrings and get him confused.
Goblin was honestly wishing he could get ready for bed. He knew Norman would hate him for not trying to shower, use the bathroom, or try to see if there was a toothbrush. Whatever. He couldn't be bothered. He turned the pullout couch into a bed.
"What are you doing?"
"What's it look like? I'm sleeping in here. I'm going to sleep without the mask and I'd prefer to still keep my identity a secret. Knock on the door if you want me."
"How can you sleep during this? And what's the point of keeping your identity a secret?"
"Well, you did say I wouldn't be safe from you, dear. I can sleep easy enough if you leave me to it."
Otto opened his mouth slightly but decided there was nothing he wanted to retort with. He left the shed. After a long moment, Goblin decided he was gone and took off his clothes and the mask. He rolled onto the futon bed and covered up with a blanket. He drifted off to sleep surprisingly easily. Otto, on the other hand, could not fall asleep.