[Another thing that's not sustainable: dancing around the topic of Norman! But, just for right now, he'll let it go.]
We're working on getting the equipment and resources we'll need. But for now, what can you tell me about it? This possible cure you mentioned, what was that?
[ As the conversation turns more clinical, Harry's nerves seem to settle. He had talked to his father's doctors after his passing, gotten a rundown of the basics. Learned about all the things his father had tried doing to cure himself. All his failures. ]
It's called Retroviral Hypodysplasia. It's hereditary, like I said. Something in our genes, I don't know. I'm still in the early stages.
[ He takes a deep breath in, trying to recall the details the doctors had given him. ]
Symptoms so far have been tremors and skin lesions, that get worse when I'm stressed. [ And better when he hurts someone, but he's not going to divulge that information just yet. ] The tremor especially comes and goes. It's the worst in my hands. When I'm calm, it's not so bad, but then sometimes... It can effect my fine motor control.
[ Thus the reason he chose to have this conversation over phone, not text. ]
As for the cure... In my universe, we have a hero called Spider-Man. Nobody really knew where he got his powers, but I found out it actually came from a top-secret Oscorp experiment with DNA harvested from spiders. This spider venom, it can enhance your strength, your reflexes... But most importantly for me, it speeds up the body's healing processes. That's how Spider-Man can fight and fight and fight, then be fine afterwards.
[ The more he talks about Spider-Man and the experimental venom, the faster his speech gets, the more manic. ]
I tried to talk to him— my friend, Peter, the one I told you about, he has a personal connection to Spider-Man, so he did me a favor and set up a meeting between us. Anyway, I tried to convince him that if he gave me a sample of his blood to study, it could hold the cure I needed. But he said no! He looked me in the eyes and as good as told me he would rather watch me die than help me.
[ That's a gross exaggeration, but Harry's too far gone to realize it. ]
I was pissed, of course. But I did some more digging into my father's restricted files, and I learned that there were still some samples of the original spider venom hidden away in the Special Projects vault at Oscorp. I was just about to get my hands on it... when the Confluence pulled me here, instead.
[Otto starts off just listening and taking notes on a pad of hotel stationery. Retroviral Hypodysplasia...he's never heard of it, but that doesn't mean much. He's not a medical doctor. He jots down Harry's symptoms, his experiences...
...he stops writing when Spider-Man enters the picture.
Because of course he does. Of course he's involved somehow. Otto removes his glasses and pinches at the bridge of his nose as the story winds to a close. He doesn't for a moment believe it was as simple as that for Peter; he doesn't believe it would have been that simple in general. After all, the Oscorp he knows was developing an experimental serum for enhancing human physiology, too. It's a huge relief, hearing that Harry never got the chance to use it, but the knowledge of what might have been a near-miss casts that manic cadence in an even more worrying light.
His tone, when he speaks, is even and reassuring. Whatever might have happened, they can avoid it now. They can fix this.]
That's unfortunate. But it's not insurmountable. We already knew we'd be starting from scratch, unless this world has any existing research on your condition.
We'll start by looking into that. I'll let you know if we turn anything up. Once we have our lab space set up, we'll likely want some samples from you, but in the meantime...just try to take care of yourself? I know none of this is exactly relaxing, but your health is the most important thing here. You can call me if you need anything. You can call either one of us.
[Maybe that's venturing a bit too close to the topic of Norman, but it's all he'll say on the matter.]
[ Talking about Spider-Man, about how close he'd been to a cure, it ties a knot of anger and bile in Harry's chest. He's too preoccupied with the static of rage clouding his mind to pick up on the use of "we" and "us" in Otto's reply.
There comes the shaky breath of someone talking himself down off a ledge. The sound of someone picking up a bottle of something, the glass of the bottle neck knocking against a glass as it pours under a shaking hand. And finally, a clatter as the hand shakes just once too hard and the glass is knocked to the floor. ]
—Fuck!!
[ Whatever he's spilled, it's pooling across his hotel room floor. He has to go grab a towel and clean it up. There may or may not be broken glass. ]
Listen, I— I gotta go. I'll... [ Fuck. ] Just let me know when you need those samples from me.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Another thing that's not sustainable: dancing around the topic of Norman! But, just for right now, he'll let it go.]
We're working on getting the equipment and resources we'll need. But for now, what can you tell me about it? This possible cure you mentioned, what was that?
hoo boy, here we go.
It's called Retroviral Hypodysplasia. It's hereditary, like I said. Something in our genes, I don't know. I'm still in the early stages.
[ He takes a deep breath in, trying to recall the details the doctors had given him. ]
Symptoms so far have been tremors and skin lesions, that get worse when I'm stressed. [ And better when he hurts someone, but he's not going to divulge that information just yet. ] The tremor especially comes and goes. It's the worst in my hands. When I'm calm, it's not so bad, but then sometimes... It can effect my fine motor control.
[ Thus the reason he chose to have this conversation over phone, not text. ]
As for the cure... In my universe, we have a hero called Spider-Man. Nobody really knew where he got his powers, but I found out it actually came from a top-secret Oscorp experiment with DNA harvested from spiders. This spider venom, it can enhance your strength, your reflexes... But most importantly for me, it speeds up the body's healing processes. That's how Spider-Man can fight and fight and fight, then be fine afterwards.
[ The more he talks about Spider-Man and the experimental venom, the faster his speech gets, the more manic. ]
I tried to talk to him— my friend, Peter, the one I told you about, he has a personal connection to Spider-Man, so he did me a favor and set up a meeting between us. Anyway, I tried to convince him that if he gave me a sample of his blood to study, it could hold the cure I needed. But he said no! He looked me in the eyes and as good as told me he would rather watch me die than help me.
[ That's a gross exaggeration, but Harry's too far gone to realize it. ]
I was pissed, of course. But I did some more digging into my father's restricted files, and I learned that there were still some samples of the original spider venom hidden away in the Special Projects vault at Oscorp. I was just about to get my hands on it... when the Confluence pulled me here, instead.
no subject
...he stops writing when Spider-Man enters the picture.
Because of course he does. Of course he's involved somehow. Otto removes his glasses and pinches at the bridge of his nose as the story winds to a close. He doesn't for a moment believe it was as simple as that for Peter; he doesn't believe it would have been that simple in general. After all, the Oscorp he knows was developing an experimental serum for enhancing human physiology, too. It's a huge relief, hearing that Harry never got the chance to use it, but the knowledge of what might have been a near-miss casts that manic cadence in an even more worrying light.
His tone, when he speaks, is even and reassuring. Whatever might have happened, they can avoid it now. They can fix this.]
That's unfortunate. But it's not insurmountable. We already knew we'd be starting from scratch, unless this world has any existing research on your condition.
We'll start by looking into that. I'll let you know if we turn anything up. Once we have our lab space set up, we'll likely want some samples from you, but in the meantime...just try to take care of yourself? I know none of this is exactly relaxing, but your health is the most important thing here. You can call me if you need anything. You can call either one of us.
[Maybe that's venturing a bit too close to the topic of Norman, but it's all he'll say on the matter.]
no subject
There comes the shaky breath of someone talking himself down off a ledge. The sound of someone picking up a bottle of something, the glass of the bottle neck knocking against a glass as it pours under a shaking hand. And finally, a clatter as the hand shakes just once too hard and the glass is knocked to the floor. ]
—Fuck!!
[ Whatever he's spilled, it's pooling across his hotel room floor. He has to go grab a towel and clean it up. There may or may not be broken glass. ]
Listen, I— I gotta go. I'll... [ Fuck. ] Just let me know when you need those samples from me.
no subject
[Otto's voice is alarmed initially. But it doesn't sound like anything worse than a spilled glass. He frowns, still troubled, but lets it go.]
Yes, yes, of course. Get some rest, it's late.