A Lewd Cultivator in Brockton Bay 15: Interludes - Discord (Patreon)

A Lewd Cultivator in Brockton Bay

Interlude - Discord

-VB-

Velocity

Velocity knew that the situation was precarious. It was only thanks to Alan - PRT codename: Rabbit - that he wasn’t being reprimanded; the obscure and recent New Wave recruit didn’t bother to complain to the higher-ups about Robin’s verbal faux-pas. It was fine to question whether killing was bad, but in a home invasion situation? 

There were better questions to ask and many more that wouldn’t offend the defending party. 

As it was, the situation remained precarious not just for him but for all of Brockton Bay. 

The Empire Eighty-Eight was being assaulted by outraged capes from all over Americas and Europe, New Wave’s newest member was attacked once more in his home, and the PRT’s hold on the situation was slipping too far and too fast. 

They were struggling with just handling twice their number spread across three gangs. How were they supposed to handle a single group of nearly thirty capes? Thirty outraged capes? 

The PRT ENE had already put out a warning to the incoming capes that they would not tolerate a full-out gang war in the city, but the warning and demand had been ignored. 

Of the thirty capes, two were dead. Of the Empire’s ten active members, four were dead and two arrested; only Kaiser, Menja, Krieg, and Othala remained. Stormtiger hadn’t even fought in the big fight that delayed the Protectorate’s response to this home incursion.

And hadn’t that been a big fight? It was, historically speaking, the biggest cape fight that had broken out in all of New England once one excluded all of the Endbringer fights. Twenty capes in the “coalition” and nine active Empire capes went to fight. The result was an expected figurative slaughter for the outnumbered Empire that turned into a literal slaughter when PRT agents on site leaked information, unintentionally, about one of the Empire’s capes attacking a New Wave member in their home. 

Before that point, two had been captured.

After that point, six had been killed. 

Velocity had sped here as fast as he could afterwards… and honestly, more people died at Rabbit’s house numerically than at the big battle.

And that was the problem.

In the meeting room for the combined PRT and Protectorate 

“He’s a cold heartless murderer! He’s no hero!” 

Because Director Piggot was being swarmed by internal PRT politicking captains and directors over her leniency on the issue. 

Yes, leniency. 

Unlike what many members of the PRT and the Protectorate thought, the director didn’t push the self-defense case. It was a decision made with prudence, Robin thought. After all, punishing someone who acted in self-defense, regardless of the casualties involved once it was clear that all of the casualties were there with ill intent in mind?

No sane prosecution would take up the case. 

Who the fuck would defend Nazis anyways? 

Robin sighed, knowing the dystopian answer completely well.

Right now, the people calling for Rabbit’s arrest were the politicking directors in line with Director James Tagg the Warhawk. The man was a proponent of extreme measures in response to any capes who broke the law, and the death of two dozen citizens, regardless of their action, by a relatively unknown cape was, as he put it, the perfect chance to bring another cape under the PRT’s guidance. 

Velocity didn’t see it that way. Armsmaster didn’t see it that way. Director Piggot didn’t see it that way. Director Armstrong didn’t see it that way. Hell, even the firm Chief Director Costa-Brown didn’t see it that way. 

The only reason why this internal debate was continuing was because Tagg was an ally of Colorado Senator Michael McConnell, who was a strong supporter of extreme punishments for “villainous” capes, and the senator was backing the man’s public denouncement of Alan Marris.

Director Piggot opened her mouth to retort to Director Tagg but stopped. She listened to a report coming into her ear piece before slacking in her seat. 

“Vacaneer just executed Kaiser in public,” she muttered out loud.

Velocity winced as he imagined the coming shitstorm. 

-VB-

Tattletale

She stared at the pictures spread across the internet, videos found online and in private, and the reports filed by internal PRT agents - filched by none other than Coil’s moles within the PRT. 

Staring at one picture didn’t give her any meaningful information.

There was a video showing Alan Marris, New Wave's newest recruit, bursting into gore only to be shown whole and healthy, giving her powers information along the lines of “rejuvenation” rather than “regeneration.” That and the size of his penis in all measurements along with how often he washed them. 

Okay, so the guy might be a Breaker.

But then there were pictures showing Alan Marris in some kind of martial arts stance with … muscles. A lot of muscles. Looking at such a picture, her power only gave her information about how skilled he was… and how visibly he was improving. 

She wasn’t a martial artist, so she didn’t know jackshit. If her power said he was improving, so he was improving.

When she took those and the internal PRT report all together into one big picture, that’s when her power went off properly. 

And she relayed her findings to Coil as the man had requested, thinking nothing more of the fact.

Tattletale smirked as she got off the phone with Coil, wondering if her boss intended to use Marris against New Wave. 

Because she “forgot” to tell him that her report to him about Marris? 

It was outdated. 

She whistled, wondering if the ever growing soon to be powerhouse might kill her boss for her. 

He certainly wasn’t above murder if the need called for it.