In the Midst of Callousness 6 (Patreon)

In the Midst of Callousness
Chapter 6

-VB-

Back in Brockton Bay, Empire Eighty-Eight announced Allfather’s retirement and Kaiser’s succession to the leadership of the criminal organization.

The lowly grunts and middle managers of the racist gang grumbled and grumbled about how Allfather was laid low by the dishonorable and race traitor “The Bastard,” but no one had the guts or the power necessary to take out the grab-bag cape with seemingly endless source of Tinkertech weapons.

Dealing with his gravity Shaker effect was rough enough for most capes and nevermind the normals, the Bastard always made sure to show up with one new Tinkertech gadget or another.

Macroslice thought about things like these because he was the Butcher.

He was Macroslice, the sixth Butcher, and he was on the run like a bitch.

“GET BACK HERE!”

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck-!” the Butcher screamed as he ran for his life. No, he ran for the sake of his power.

The Bastard had shown up in the bay not too long after the E88 had made their succession announcement, so the Butcher had thought that it was a great idea to suicide on the powerful cape.

He shireked when the Bastard came slamming down but missed him by an inch with his accursed bat.

The bat fizzled and sizzled as if it was on a staticky digital screen. When the Butcher first saw it, he thought that the Bastard fucked up on his new Tinkertech toy and only brought it out for appearance’s sake.

No, it bat’s purpose turned out to be far more sublime than accessory.

The Butcher rushed forward, putting everything he had into his legs, and booked it.

“I SAID GET BACK HERE, YOU PUSSY EATING MAGGOT! YOU RUINED MY SANDWICH!” the Bastard roared with the smeared remnants of mayo and ketchup on the front of his jacket and motorcycle helmet.

“No! You already removed four of my powers!” Butcher VII shouted over his shoulder.

That was the purpose of that static bat: it removed powers.

His abilities to teleport explosively, danger sense, one source of super strength, and pain-inducer were all gone! The Bastard, literally in this case, removed each of them with a single strike of his bat each. Hell, the bat didn’t hit physically strike him. It just phased through him!

If he hadn’t been so shocked in the first two seconds of the fight, then he might still have his explosive teleportation or even danger sense, but he had been too confident.

There was right now a good chance that if that bat struck again, the original Butcher’s power and his own powers might disappear on him.

There was no fucking way he was going to let that happen!

“YOU WILL PAY FOR THE SANDWICH!” the Bastard roared.

“It’s just one sandwich!” he shrieked back at him.

Thankfully, he was fast enough that he kept dodging out of the Bastard’s strikes, but the Bastard also used his gravity manipulation to jump far and strike down hard.

Was this what other capes felt when they fought him? An unfair amalgamation of powers rushing down on them?

The Bastard came back down for another attack, and this time, the Butcher responded with a counterattack. Grimacing even as the super gravity slammed down on him, his remaining sources of super strength and endurance worked over time. He spun in place after dodging another strike with the Trump Bat and struck a haymaker right into the Bastard’s cheek. There was a crack, and the Bastard flew away.

The Butcher watched the bat fly away before he grimaced. He couldn’t make a grab for it because the Bastard was getting up already. His personal shield flared back to life, and the Butcher hadn’t even noticed it shatter in the first place.

Could… he beat down the Bastard?

“Not so strong without your anti-power bat, are you?!” he laughed and lunged forward.

The Bastard glared at him through the tinted motorcycle helmet and struck back.

-VB-

“Last night,” Director Maburne began. “The Butcher and the Bastard fought in the southern apartments.”

Grimaces came over everyone, including Armsmaster.

If the Butcher won, then the Bastard was dead and gone.

If the Bastard won and killed the Butcher, then Butcher VII was now an even more powerful cape.

“Thankfully,” he continued. “It seems that it ended in a draw. While the Bastard had lead at the start, according to eye witnesses, he lost whatever it was that gave him edge, and the Butcher’s stacked super strengths were enough to take on the Bastard with only his gravity manipulation and personal shield.”

The PRT ENE officers and Protectorate ENE heroes currently in the meeting all released sighs of relief.

“In fact,” he grinned as the projector on the screen flicked to the next screen. “We might have what gave the Bastard his edge.”

Armsmaster stared at the image of the half-static bat held by a not-staticking person on the screen.

“The tinkertech bat was recovered by an off duty police officer,” he continued. “It is currently the seventh Tinkertech, nationwide, we have confiscated from the Bastard’s arsenal, and this one seems to be … most useful. See, this bat is capable of temporarily removing a portion of a cape’s power.”

Heroes on the table all froze.

“Temporarily,” the director stressed. “It does so for only six minutes and nine seconds, and Challenger is safe as she always was in testing.”

The older Tinker waved her hand with a nonchalant grin on her face, which was the same grin she’s been sporting for the past day and a half.

“Armsmaster,” the director called as he turned to look at him. “I know that what I am asking you might not be possible. Hell, that bat might be the only one of its kind for the foreseeable future.” He leaned forward. “This is why I am asking you, not anyone else. I trust no other Tinker more when it comes to Tinkertech. Your job, Armsmaster, is to attempt to duplicate the bat.”

Colin gulped.

That… that really was a big job.

“I accept.”

But it was a challenge like none other.