Work Text:
Professor Melvin R. Sneedly, age 30, was many things - a prodigy and a scientist far beyond his time to some, and a bit of an egotistical maniac to others. One thing many could agree on; he was and would continue to change history with his inventions and discoveries - an impressive feat for someone who somehow managed to fail to gain a scholarship to Eliteanati Academy on several different occasions. Respected, envied and even feared by his peers, Melvin had risen to the top on the chain in the world of science.
So here’s the story about how he fell, hard, thanks to flying butts.
The accident happened completely out of nowhere. One moment, he was driving from his lab, where he had spent a long day hard at work, back to his home, where he was likely going to continue with his work - the next, mutant creatures that greatly resembled rear ends piled onto the front of his hover-car and proceeded to crash the whole vehicle, mostly wrecking his right side as a result.
At the time, he shrugged it off. Sure, he’d spent several weeks in that hospital receiving tests and surgeries only for the doctors to ultimately say, “Sorry - we can’t fix the rest of you.” Sure, he was forever going to be blind in one eye. Sure, his right hand was going to need physical therapy just to pick up a pencil again. Sure this, sure that, sure, sure, sure. He didn’t care about how messed up his body was - he was Melvin Sneedly. He’d find ways to adapt and overcome. The only thing he truly cared about was how far behind he was in his work by the time they finally gave him the okay to leave the hospital.
The only time he’d begun to remotely care was when he was beginning to notice the stares and hear the whispers. He’d began to really care once a colleague had approached him - which was such an uncommon occurrence in of itself that it had immediately sent off warning bells.
“Professor Sneedly, I don’t mean to be a bother, but some of our fellow associates were thinking that perhaps you’d be better off to do your work at home.”
“...And...why...is that?” he asked in reply, speaking in a slow and measured tone, his good eye visibly daring the other to continue that thought. And they were clearly intimidated - gulped even, under that icy-blue eyed stare - but they reluctantly continued on anyway.
“It’s just that - well, you know how people get, Melvin-” First ‘Professor Sneedly’, then ‘Melvin’, Melvin thought indignantly, “-nobody likes seeing...nobody seeing you like…” they gestured to him, “ This. ”
“Need I remind you, professor ,” he hissed, “I’m still in perfectly decent condition to continue my work here. ”
“I know, b-but some of us just think you’d be better off staying in the comfort of your own home.” When he narrowed his glare, they put their hands up. “Don’t shoot the messenger - if it were up to me, I’d let you go about your business.”
‘If it were up to me.’ Being on the slightly paranoid side at times, Sneedly took those words as his associates already making the decision for him. That whether he liked it or not, he’d be forced to work from home. And then he’d end up losing his position. And then he’d be seen as weak. And then, and then…
And then he decided to prove them wrong. To show them that, no, he wasn’t weak. To show that they wouldn’t get rid of him so easily. And then he decided to make the parts he needed to improve himself, then dusted off and reconfigured that old Combine-O-Tron 2000 he’d left in some box for the past however many years, and then...well, to put it bluntly; he turned himself into a cyborg. Why? Because he was Melvin Sneedly. He found ways to adapt and overcome.
At first, some of his peers were horrified because, shockingly, not even in the future was it common for one to turn themselves into a half-human, half-robot hybrid. But, eventually, they got used to it. Melvin was allowed to continue his work, any suggestion of him keeping his work at home was dropped, and all seemed right again. Heck, his peers seemed more afraid than ever to approach him and he got his full vision and dexterity back, which were a couple of nice bonuses. Well, except the former.
You see, because his peers were too afraid to approach the cyborg, it had been extremely difficult to tell him that his appearance wasn’t actually the problem they were trying to get at. The truth had been, ever since the accident, Sneedly’s performance had actually gradually begun slipping - and between him jumping to conclusions and the colleague not exactly being more specific, his performance was continuing to slip. But that wasn’t entirely his fault - it wasn’t as if he could’ve known any better.
It wasn’t until his doctor finally called him back in that he found out the truth the hard way.
“Damage to my brain? What do you mean damage to my brain?”
“Sir, with the utmost respect, you're one of the most intelligent scientists out there. I don't believe you need me to explain how the brain works and how it-”
“Yeah, you're right. Never mind. Just- just tell me what's wrong.”
“Well,” the doctor sighed, “After quite a bit observation, it appears that some of your thinking ability may be impeded.”
Melvin’s heart skipped a beat, and he shifted in his seat. “...How so?”
The woman across from him frowned, lightly tapping her fingers on the desk and chewing her bottom lip. Nervous tics , he thought, as if trying to distract himself from his own nervous feeling. “...Have you found yourself not exactly thinking ahead, or maybe taking more risks than usual, or…?”
“Nnnot that I’ve noticed, no.” He shifted in his seat again.
“I can't say that's surprising. It's usually fairly difficult to notice. Maybe some acquaintances of yours have picked up on it? Maybe said something...anything?”
He thought back to what his colleague said and his what remained of his blood went cold. Oh no. Please, no. “...A peer of mine spoke to me.”
“And?”
“All they really said was that I should maybe work from home.”
“Well, perhaps it wouldn't hurt. You did go back to work a lot faster than recommended and…”
Melvin zoned out after that. He didn't hear a single word she said after, and he only vaguely remembered finishing up the session and getting in his car. When he finally zoned back in, he pressed his forehead to the steering wheel. “This can't be happening,” he mumbled to himself. “This cannot be-!” He let out a frustrated groan. “God, I’m so-!” He quickly stopped himself. No. No, he wasn't stupid. He was not stupid. He was Melvin Sneedly , top student from elementary to university. And he had ways to adapt and overcome. “I’ll get through this,” he told himself. “Yeah. I’ll get through this.”
Except he didn't. Actually, if anything, things only seemed to grow more difficult. As if his ailment being brought to his attention suddenly made everything all the more frustrating. Instead of being in blissful ignorance, he was now overthinking every step, completely walking on eggshells. What was worse, it seemed no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he’d believed he’d perfected something, that he was regaining his old self at last once again, he ultimately found himself failing.
He explained himself time and time again, though never to inform anyone of his issue but rather to explain how he wasn't in the wrong, how his inventions’ errors were, in fact, features. He lied, begged, threatened - anything to keep his job.
And then finally came the letter of termination.
They didn't blame him, it said. They were informed of his condition, it said. They were sorry but it was for his own good, they said. “You can keep up your work - just not in our building,” it said.
He honestly should have seen it coming. He was naive to think it wouldn't happen. But then again, thinking ahead and avoiding unnecessary risks weren't exactly his strong suits at the moment.
Now, perhaps for most people this would’ve been a wake-up call. A hint to actually get the help they needed. To finally stop focusing on work and start really focusing on themselves.
But for Sneedly - who had (and this is being brutally honest) built a lot of his identity of his intelligence and genius - this was not the case.
It’s weird how the human brain works in the face of disaster. How it tries to connect things to other things, in hopes that it’ll eventually make sense - in hopes of finding some reason or solution, rather than live with the fact that sometimes things just happen and they can’t be avoided.
The point being, Melvin pondered ways to get himself out of this hole that had been dug for him. Ways to get him back the respect he deserved. He didn’t work his entire life to get his dream career, to build his legacy , only to have it go down the gutter because of some- some stupid car accident-
And that was when it struck him. This would not have happened had those... creatures not randomly showed up. But now that he remembered, those things only happened because of those certain two neanderthals ( Thank god they’re gone , he mentally added) that constantly got in his way of going to his dream school. And if he’d gone to his dream school sooner, he wouldn’t have had to deal with them. Which would’ve meant the accident wouldn’t have happened because they wouldn’t have gotten ahold of the Time Toad, and - so on, and so forth.
Again, it’s weird how the human brain works.
But he was Melvin Sneedly.
He knew ways to adapt.
He knew ways to overcome.