Cold Space

[Otto Octavius]

Characters Appearing: Doc Ock, Nora Fries
Location (s): Vastreach Station
Previous Thread Name.: None
Plot Summary.: Doctor Octopus finds a new arrival in the form of a woman frozen in cryostasis.

[Otto Octavius]

As the weeks passed the station was slowly being pieced back together. There was the occasional shadow creature still present but those were being dealt with accordingly. Making his rounds for the morning Otto held a clipboard in one hand as the upper left arm watched it over his shoulder. The other three scanned the readouts displayed on the terminals along the corridor for any error or problems. So far, the only people onboard were himself, Kaine, and Harley on certain days. Most of the station was still locked and part of the hangar had been destroyed by some sort of powerful enemy but Otto was already working on getting that repaired.

Thankfully he managed to change the language settings so they read in English. It would seem as if this station and the planet has come into contact with Earth before. However, what happened to the inhabitants and why they were brought here was still a mystery. As he passed the med bay an alarm sounded as he stopped in his tracks!

“What?!” Looking up the upper left arm came down in front of him. “What is happening?” He asked as the actuator made a few clicking noises. “Intruder alert? How…?” His arm opened showing something arriving in the medical bay via the same portal energy that brought him to this world

“A portal..?” Hurrying to the med bay his actuator unlocked the door as they opened with a loud hiss! The room was dark save for a bright blue light coming from the back as white mist covered the floor. The mist was cold and seemed to be freezing the floor panel, covering them in a thin layer of frost.

“What in the world is this now?” Otto asked himself as his actuators hovered around him trying to scan ahead. He then paused seeing the source of the light as a large cryotube now stood in the middle of the room with a figure within. Walking up to it he placed his hand on the glass and moved aside the frost covering the tube.

“Great Scott…” Taking a step back in shock he saw a woman who seemed to be in suspended animation within…

[Nora Fries]

Falling.

A sharp cry left her husband's lips as she felt the pod begin to plummet almost as though it were phasing straight through the ground. Her heart raced as she attempted to clench her fists or scream, though her mouth remained frozen shut and her face barely even twitched. She heard the man's muffled cries again, likely calling out her name as she finally fell from view. The fall seemed to last an eternity. Lights would pass by, illuminating her glass prison slightly from what little she could sense from behind her eyelids, and sounds would fade in and out of her limited hearing range.

I'm falling.

A part of her wished she could cry out, scream for help, scream for Victor, but the cold gripped her in that familiar paralysis she had grown used to. And just as quickly as the chaos had come, it stopped. The liquid nitrogen in her tank settles, her hair flowing around her head in wisps that tickled the back of her neck. The world seemed so oddly quiet now. There was no subtle hum of machinery nor the sound of her husband's muffled voice.

Is anyone out there? She tried to say. Almost as if she had been heard she caught the sound of a muffled voice. The voice was of a man she couldn't recognize saying something she couldn't quite make out. The lines in the screen of her cryogenic tube steadied once more as her heart rate became normal once more, her other vital signs leveling out in tandem.

Where am I now?

[Otto Octavius]

Otto still had a little trouble believing what he was seeing. He knew the portals were bringing people here but this was odd, to say the least. The woman inside the tube seemed to be alive as well as awake. At least to some extent. He had to admit, she was quite beautiful. He has seen cloning tubes similar to this back in Warren’s lab and the one in his own using Jackal tech. But this one was built by someone who specialized in cryofreezing, and expertly at that. He has never seen technology this thorough on a cryotube before. Almost as it if were built to last for months, perhaps years. But why was this woman sealed inside?

Standing in front of the tube the upper left arm swung over and scanned the control panel on its side. It seemed to be tracking the occupant's life signs and vitals. There must have been some reason she was frozen. Perhaps something life-threatening to the subject, or maybe even to keep her quarantined to stop the spread of some disease? But it was all speculation at the moment….

As the arm pulled away from the panel Otto rubbed his chin. If the portals were indeed bringing people to this world to fulfill some purpose why take someone who can’t even leave their own little environment? But his thoughts were cut short however when one of his improved arms picked up a small sound coming from the base of the cryotube.

“Hmm?” Looking down the lower right arm was scanning something, he could see it in his mind. “What are we looking at?” The arm opened its pincers and zoomed in on the problem. A microfracture had formed in the glass, most likely from the impact it sustained when it arrived. The crack then began to grow larger and larger and then spread across the front of the tube! The heat from the room and the cold surface of the tube was causing the glass to expand and contract too rapidly! Fissures of cold steam began to vent into the bay as the panel on its side turned red and began to flash! Otto stood back covering his face from the escaping sub-zero cryo fluid! The blast hit his jacket causing the leather to freeze!

“It's losing containment! We must....” Just then the tube exploded outward as Otto covered his face with his own arms! The actuators responded in kind as they wrapped around his form! The frozen liquid hit the upper two freezing them as they shuddered and stopped moving as ice spread across their surface! The room flooded with ice-cold mist freezing the chairs and terminals as crystals formed over anything metal. After a moment he slowly took his hands away. The woman was now lying in the middle of the room and seemed deceased as he approached carefully…

[Nora Fries]

A sharp hiss cut through the air as the glass of the cryotube became strained. The contents within jostled a bit as the cryo-liquid began to leak. Soon the glass shattered the cryo-liquid spilling onto the floor and once again, Nora found herself falling. The woman slid across the floor as the cool water pushed her body, the liquid solidifying into a slippery icy floor. The woman lay deathly still as her body struggled to wake itself up from her decade-long slumber. Short, shallow breaths left her slightly parted lips as her body slowly began to regain feeling, the numbness of the cold seemed to melt away as her fingers began to shift and twitch. A nearly inaudible groan left her lips as she turned her head to the side. Her eyelids felt impossibly heavy, still, she forced them open.

"Ah."

The bright lights of what appeared to be a lab blinded her, her hand shot up to cover her aching eyes. All at once, she could feel her body once more. No longer floating in that damned tube she could feel her weight, feel the tile underneath her skin. Her blue eyes opened once more, fluttering to adjust to the harsh fluorescent lights. From her blurred vision, she could vaguely see a humanoid shape a little ways away. Squinting and sitting up on her elbows she stared at the figure. "Victor?" Though once her vision settled she began to notice that this was not her Victor

Her heart skipped a beat as panic set in. Where was her husband? Who was this? Where was she?

"W-who are you?!" She exclaimed as she scrambled away from the man, her hands slipping on the newly formed ice that seemed to spread from her skin. "Where's Victor? Where am I?" The white-haired woman continued to slip and back away from the man until her back slammed against a wall, scrambling to her feet she propped herself on a nearby lab table. Her icy blue orbs landed on the empty broken capsule. "I'm out of the tube. But that means. . ."

Her words were cut short as she was wracked by a violent fit of coughs, her free hand flew to her mouth as she coughed and hacked until her throat was raw. When she pulled her hand away her face fell. Little droplets of blood coated her palm. "I'm still sick." Victor didn't find a cure.

Lifting her gaze up at the man she could feel the adrenaline from her panic begin to wear off. With a defeated sigh she allowed herself to slide down into a seat position. "Will you. . . help me, sir?"

[Otto Octavius]

The room was now coated in a thin layer of ice that spread to the walls and ceiling. Every instrument and window was now clouded over in frost as icicles formed from the ceiling like stalactites in a cave, giving the room a white and silver hue. The air was crisp and his breath came in puffs of steam. Whatever fluid was in that tube had now taken over the entire med bay creating its own frozen biome of sorts. As the arms unraveled from around his body the ice cracked and fell off leaving behind a coating of fuzzy frost on the pincers. Looking up he saw the woman was now awake, her being conscious at all was an extraordinary feat in of itself.

In all honestly waking up to a stranger with four tentacles staring down at you would scare pretty much anyone as the woman tousled backward and stood up in a panic! Otto startled himself, held his hands up as the four actuators behind him screeched slightly making multiple clicks and whirs of their own! Otto was never a people person per se, and being able to comfort someone who was visibly terrified was going to be a challenge. Perhaps logic and reason would be the best course of action as he cleared his throat.

“Now madam, we assure you there is no danger here. We really have no idea who Victor is but apparently, you were brought here via an extraterrestrial portal to a space station orbiting an alien world.” He paused. “And now that I hear that out loud I can understand why this new information would make you even more troubled but you must resist the urge to panic further….” For a moment it looked as if she was trying to calm herself when she was overcome with a coughing fit. Otto then noticed the blood as he grew concerned. Perhaps she did have some sort of deadly disease that he could have exposed himself to?

“If you are ill then we must get you back into cryostasis immediately or-UH!” The scientist yelped as his foot slipped on the frozen floor panels causing him to fall backward slamming to the ground! His back denting the metal diamond plate downward! The actuators screeched for a moment just as he landed.

“RRr!” Sitting up Otto rubbed the back of his head. “Nng..Mental note, we use walking pincers from now on…” The two lower arms opened their claws as extensions slid into place and gripped the floor hoisting him back to his feet. One leg slipped for a second as he grabbed a nearby table to keep himself upright. Letting out a breath of steam he looked at the poor frightened woman.

“My name is Doctor Otto Octavius, and we mean you no harm. If you are indeed ill, we will help you. But you must trust us..”

[Nora Fries]

"An extraterrestrial. . . portal?" She echoed as she rose a brow at the man. This man is mad, he must be. Nothing he's saying is making any sense. "A-Alien world?" Oh, this man is definitely insane. "Mhm, of course! Alien worlds, magical portals, and men with metal arms! Makes perfect sense!" She said with a nervous smile as she slowly stood back to her feet, her back pressed against one of the frosted windows, turning her head to the window she pressed her lips into a thin line. While she didn't believe his claims of being on an alien world it didn't hurt to confirm her suspicions. Wiping the frost away from the window with the palm of her hand she peered through the window.

"Oh my goodness. So it's true. I'm not in Gotham anymore." She whispered to herself as she gazed out into the deep blackness of the space that engulfed the space station. For a moment she stood there, searching and searching for constellations she could recognize, but she found nothing. Slowly she turned her head back to the man. "This 'alien world' what is it called? A-And you mentioned portals before, is that how you got here? Did you build this place?" She asked as she gestured to the station.

“If you are ill then we must get you back into cryostasis immediately-"

Nora looked at the broken cryotube, the glass littering the medbay floor. "I don't think that's an option anymore unless you have an extra cryotube handy." Coughs once again tore at her throat as she leaned against the nearby workbench. Gazing down at her hand she saw that ice was beginning to form from underneath it, spreading slowly across the table. "Oh!" She gasped as she pulled her hand from the table, the ice crawling to a halt. "N-Now that's never h-happened before." She stammered as she stared at her hands.

"Okay. I don't know who you are, but I'm choosing to trust you." Nora rose her gaze to meet the man's eyes. Her piercing blue eyes stared deeply at the man.

"My name is Nora. Nora Fries."

[Otto Octavius]

“An extra…?” Otto turned and looked at the broken shards on the floor of the med bay. “Blast! We had almost forgotten. The only cryotubes we had are back in our lab in New York, and the upgrade pods are several floors down. This med bay hasn’t even been activated yet…” Looking back at her he could see she was getting worse by the moment. Watching her hand create frost on the surface of the table had not gone unnoticed!

“We need to scan you to find answers, Mrs. Fries. Be still please.” As he spoke the upper left silver and red arm swung over and scanned her with a wide bright thin light. A moment later a blue hologram of her was shone from between the pincers depicting her vitals. As he looked them over there was some sort of anomaly that was damaging her organs and blood vessels. The scan then zoomed in on her blood cells as one cell after another became deformed and imploded, causing other cells to become infected and die off. 

“You seem to be suffering from a rare blood disorder, but it was in remission.” The scans of her body then began to flash as it slowly changed from blue to red as the word WARNING blinked across the hologram!

“Strange. Your body temperature is rising too quickly. It is causing your blood disease to reactivate.…” Looking back at her he could see her pale blue eyes looking up at him as his own widened. He then had a sudden epiphany!

“That’s it! Your body has been in cryostasis for so long it has acclimated to the frozen state and can no longer exist outside of a sub-zero environment! Much like deep-sea divers acclimate to the depths and end up succumbing to decompression sickness if they return too quickly. Even with this room covered in ice, it’s far too warm!” Otto then hurried past her and shoved the frost aside on the nearest console and pushed off a few frozen over instruments as they clattered to the floor! Hitting the controls, the screen in front of him lit up.

“If we change the environmental settings in this room to match your cryotube it should slow or even stop the symptoms!” Looking from the keypad to the screen Otto changed the default settings as several lit bars were shown. As he reconfigured them the bars dropped from green to yellow to red.

“Lowering the temperature in the lab to minus 238.706 Kelvin…” Looking up he could see the frost and ice getting even denser as the temperature fell drastically! His breath came out in puffs of white steam and the room was soon completely covered in ice. Even his actuators began to grow shards of ice crystals. Looking back at the white-haired woman Otto slowly walked up to her and offered a hand.

“You should be feeling better. I know it is not easy to believe Mrs. Fries. But we are indeed on another world. We found this abandoned space station and we are now using it as our home and headquarters. The planet below is called Median. Why we were brought here remains a mystery. But I assure you, we will do all that we can to help you, and reunite you with this..Victor was it?”

[Nora Fries]

Nora rose a hand to cover her eyes from the searing lights that beat down on her, the synthetic white medbay lights seemed so unbearably hot. "Oh, goodness." She flinched as a red thin line scanned over her body. The woman wiped the sweat from her brow, though it did little to aid her discomfort. Her cheeks began to flush, her white hair sticking to the back of her neck and her forehead.

"The blood disease is genetic, I was diagnosed with it years ago. It was why I was placed in the cryotube. There was no cure but Victor insisted he could find a cure, he only needed the time. So he placed me under suspended animation so that the disease would crawl to a halt." She explained as she leaned against the wall for support, fanning herself with her hand. How she was burning up in a room practically filled with ice was well beyond her. Though upon hearing the man's explanation she nodded. "That does make a fair amount of sense, but what about you? Surely you can't survive such a low temperature!"

Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the man rushed to adjust the room thermostat, and true to his prediction, as the temperature dropped her coughs and pants ceased. Soon the room felt comfortable once more. Nora let out a relieved sigh, though the typical puff of steam that came with breathing in the cold did not occur.

"It would appear that being exposed to the chemicals in the cryotube has affected me in more ways than one." She said as she took a seat on the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest. "Thank you, sir. I owe you my life. My apologies for screaming before, it's not every day I see someone quite like you." She smiled as she gestured to the man's many arms. "And I thought Gotham had strange characters."

"Median, hm? Tell me, are you from here? And if not, where are you from?" She could hardly imagine what kind of world could create such a peculiar man, then again Gotham was no better with its clown-faced maniacs and riddle-telling loons.

"Yes, Victor. He is my husband and the one responsible for my current condition. When I received my diagnosis I had accepted my fate, more or less. Victor did not. He did everything in his power to save me. He crossed. . . more than a few lines."She trailed off a bit as she cast her gaze to the floor.

"What about you, Otto, was it? What's your story?"

[Otto Octavius]

As the temperature of the room dropped to below zero his theory was right as her condition stabilized and the coughing ceased. But in doing so the room became almost unbearably cold as he pulled his jacket closer around his neck. Frost was now coating the leather duster underneath his trenchcoat making it ridged as well as his actuators. The joints began to jerk and creak with each motion. But he paid his own discomfort no mind and waved a slight dismissive hand.

“No need to worry about us, we will be fine once we step outside. Unfortunately, you cannot leave the med bay for the time being. At least until we find a more permanent solution to your problem.” Looking down at her hands Otto raised a brow noticing the spreading frost. Did her exposure to the freezing chemicals result in cryokinesis? Fascinating. Seeing her squinting eyes Otto also lowered the lights in the room. Not that he minded, ever since his accident bright lights hurt his own eyes as well. As she thanked him he nodded before locking the room's settings as their new default.

“You are quite welcome.” Pausing for a moment when she called him strange he looked up at his actuators and cleared his throat. “Yes well, we also apologize for our appearance. Sometimes we forget how we look to others…” The tentacles slowly retreated behind him in tight coils before the doctor slipped his hands into his pockets. When she asked about the planet he shook his head slightly.

“No. We are from a city called New York and just like you we were brought here. Technically speaking we are from an alternate dimension.” Otto cut himself short not wanting to go into yet another complicated tale to further confuse her. “...It is a long story. But you said a name. Gotham?” Taking a step forward and crouched in front of her placing his arms on his knees. “We know of that city. If it is the same dark gritty municipality then we have met a few individuals from Gotham already.” Including one Scarecrow and Harley. As she spoke of her husband and what he did to save her he nodded. He remembered when he learned of what had become of Mary Alice and what he tried to do just to save her.

“Your husband sounds like a smart man. He practically extended your life indefinitely where anyone else would have perished from such a blood disorder long ago. We….I….understand what lengths one will go through to save the woman he loves.” Holding out a hand he waited for her to take it so he could help her up.

“Our story?” Otto winced slightly. “Our past is, complicated. The man we once were, was also a scientist like your husband who also crossed quite a few lines. The result of that is who you see before you.” As he stood he could feel himself staring. She was quite beautiful, the pale flawless skin and ice-blue eyes as well as the fine white hair that fell over her shoulders. This Victor was a rather lucky man at that… Coughing slightly he glanced away.

“For now we will need to monitor your vitals once an hour. We may need to take a blood sample to fully diagnose the problem.” Feeling his face flush despite the cold he took a step back. He was not used to tending to the needs of someone else and began to feel a bit anxious..

“Also do you require food or something to drink? This cold may make it difficult to ingest liquids like water but we are sure we can come up with something that won't hurt your teeth. Because it ..it will turn to ice before you can drink it.” He said smiling awkwardly at his rather bad joke.

[Nora Fries]

The white-haired woman watched in concern as the metal joints of the man creaked and groaned. "You can't stay in here for too long, you'll risk getting a nasty case of frostbite if you do." She warned, a gentle sigh leaving her lips as the temperature began to settle. "Oh, it's quite alright. You might have spooked me originally but I've seen worse back home. Much worse." Her mind flashed back to all the times she would see the Clown Prince of Crime on the news, or even the horrifically scrawny Scarecrow, tearing through Gotham. Or her darling Victor, clad in the cryo-suit, with pale blue skin and lifeless eyes hidden behind his crimson goggles.

"You've met some people from Gotham?" She asked as she perked up a bit. "Have you seen a man in cryo-suit? Blue skin? With red goggles? Coined the name, Mr. Freeze?"

"Smart man? If that's what you think then you are just as misguided as he was. I loved Victor, more than anything. And I knew that my impending death was devastating him. I didn't want him to suffer like that, no one who truly loves someone would. I wanted to live out the rest of my days with Victor, and when the time came, I wanted him to let me go. Move on." Nora spoke quietly.

"I loved him for the warm, gentle man he was. All of that melted away when he tried to 'save' me. He crossed lines he never thought he'd cross, he became a different man. He wasn't my Victor anymore. Victor had died and all that was left was Mr. Freeze."

Nora fell silent as the man began to tell her his story, a story she soon realized was very much like her beloved's. A forsaken scientist that sacrificed his humanity for the woman he loved. "You and Victor would've gotten along. You two are very alike." She said with a chuckle.

"I can't thank you enough for doing all this for me. Really. If there's any way I can repay you for your kindness just say the word! It's been some time since I've been in a lab but I can aid you in any lab work, especially in cryogenics! Cryogenics is my forte after all."

The woman let out a small laugh at the man's awkward attempt at humor. "Someone's a bit of a joker, hm?" She joked as she smiled at the man. "Don't quit your day job, Dr. Octavius."

[Otto Octavius]

“Heh, Yes we have been told that my sense of humor is rather dry at that. I am…” His breath came out in a white puff as Otto looked down at the frost growing on his trenchcoat. He then noticed the sluggish way his arms were responding as he nodded. “We are aware if we stay things will get complicated, but for now let’s concentrate on you.” When he mentioned Gotham and she became visibly excited Otto thought back to his time in the Alternate New York. The city of Gotham or at least some version of Gotham showed up on the east coast along with a second city called Metropolis. There were many rather colorful inhabitants of both. But her description didn’t match his memory as he shook his head.

“We met a young woman named Harley who became my lab assistant, she is here as well. I met her friend Miss Isley who was a very disagreeable plant woman and a very thin man in a scarecrow outfit who tried to gas me in a sewer. But I am sorry Mrs. Fries, we haven’t seen your husband. He may not have been brought to that dimension. But given the rate of new arrivals to this world that may be a possibility. I will instruct my Octobots to scan any new portals to see if we can find him for you, but we can make no promises.” When she spoke about her husband and how he tried to save her even though it changed him Otto could not help but feel a pang of guilt of his own. Even if the circumstances of their fates were different, they did indeed have much in common.

“I loved someone once, and I did everything I could to save her. Things I know she would not have agreed with. It is difficult, to know you can change things but be helpless to do so. I would have given anything for one last warm touch of her hand…” He then gave pause as he turned his head slightly over at her, the sadness in her eyes and on her face ran deep. She looked much like Mary did when he broke their engagement. He never wanted to see that look on another woman's face ever again. When she spoke about her relationship with her husband Otto felt a pang of guilt. This Victor of hers became so obsessed with curing her, he had forgotten why he wanted to save her. And instead of loving her with what little time they had left he choose to spend that time apart from such a lovely creature. 

“I understand. He wanted to save you when all you wanted was him. I feel for your loss and what you have gone through.” Holding his hands together in front of him he looked around the stark frozen room. It wasn't very comfortable. If she was to remain in this type of environment, he will need to make a few alterations. He can’t expect her to just wander around in this med bay for who knows how long.

“You do not need to thank us, please. But we will need your help if cryogenics is indeed your forte. We may also need a blood sample so we can see what is needed to make you well again.”

[Nora Fries]

As the man listed off the people from Gotham he had met the woman’s hopeful smile began to dull. She knew the people he described only via reputation and what she had heard on the news. “So you’ve met Poison Ivy and Scarecrow, but not Victor. Though I suppose that’s for the best. He isn’t much different from the rest of Gotham’s criminal underbelly right now.” She spoke as she walked over to one of the examination tables. Placing her palms on the edge she hopped on the table, crossing her legs at the ankle as she sat, thin layers of frost spread from beneath her taking vaguely floral patterns. “I hope they didn’t give you much trouble. I’ve seen the things those two have done on the news, absolute terrors, the both of them.”

The longer she looked at the man the more she realized that he likely wasn’t too troubled by the likes of Ivy and Scarecrow. She didn’t entirely know the nature of his world but she already likened it to her own. “Your world is like mine, isn’t it? Strange characters with strange motifs or even powers? Not that I mean to pry or anything, I just can’t imagine your world being a ‘normal’ one. Normal worlds don’t produce men like you. Or women like me.” She said with a sheepish smile, shrugging her shoulders as she watched the man closely as he told his story. He’s so much like Victor. Though, unlike her beloved, there seemed to be a deep regret in the Doctor’s eyes. Very different from the cold apathy that took over Victor’s.

“I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand it. Love is a powerful thing, it drives us all on some level. The things we do for love often seem insane, sometimes our actions are truly insane.” She closed her eyes as she spoke, images of the horrific things Victor had done playing on the news. “I’m sorry for your loss, Otto.”

“You can go ahead and take blood from me, I’m not squeamish.” She said as she lifted up her left arm. “If I had to guess I’d say that Victor may have used the wrong concentration of liquid nitrogen. At high concentrations it’ll seep into skin, it’s one of the reasons we never worked with the stuff without wearing the proper equipment. Either that or he used the wrong ratio of liquid helium to liquid nitrogen, that has the same effect as well.”

She paused once she realized that she was rambling on about cryogenics. “Ah, my apologies. I’ve just missed the lab setting is all. Being stuck in a tube for a decade can make a girl antsy.”