In the Midst of Callousness 10 (Patreon)

In the Midst of Callousness
Chapter 10

-VB-

Joseph gulped.

He knew that waiting for a known violent cape outside his girlfriend’s home was not the smartest idea, but after what happened to him in that street with the giant monster, he wasn’t sure if not changing would get the rest of the city to leave him alone.

Besides, he wasn’t right outside her home. He was just waiting at the entrance of the apartment building he saw the Bastard leave through.

He also wondered if she knew about his “extracurricular activities.”

So he stood here waiting around dinner every day and has been doing so since three days after the incident, and he met the Bastard in person a week ago.

So four days?

Four days.

Of course, he couldn’t go and ask the Bastard’s girlfriend what his schedule was; Joseph was a resident of Brockton Bay, and that meant knowing the “Unwritten Rules” capes went by due to the sheer density of cape and cape encounters his home city boasted (and lamented). One of the big rules of the Unwritten Rules was not to pry into a cape’s civilian identity.

Joseph wasn’t doing that.

No, sir, he wasn’t.

He was just waiting.

To, uh, talk to the Bastard. To thank him and ask him stuff.

Actually, did the Bastard talk to normal people who weren’t corrupt?

Joseph realized that he might not even be interesting enough to -.

“What’s up?”

He jolted in place and whirled around.

He gulped because the Bastard was standing right behind him without a mask.

“H-Hi.”

“Sup.”

“So why were you waiting for me?” he asked.

Of fucking course, he knew!

“I… I just wanted to know, uh-”

And now, he was stuttering. Good job, Joseph.

The Bastard - Joseph didn’t know what his civilian identity was - opened his mouth silently in realization and then clicked his tongue. “Is it because of how loud we are? I knew that this apartment’s walls seemed thin,” he grunted irritably. “Sorry about that. Shelly and I just get a little bit … passionate, you know?”

Joseph blinked before he realized that, too.

“Oh, no, it wasn’t for that-”

“Then it’s about the cape business, right?” the Bastard asked. His understanding and maybe a little apologetic grimace turned into a cold stare. “Normally, I wouldn’t entertain someone like this, but you saw a little bit too much.”

“Wait, wait, wait! I just want you to teach me how to fight!”

Whatever had just about to happen did not happen. Joseph didn’t see the Bastard pull out one of his tinkertech weapons, see the spatial ripples of gravity, or any other forms of offensive take. However, he had felt that intent to harm seep under his skin like an infectious miasma.

Still, with that same stone-cold stare, the Bastard continued. “You could have gone to a gym. Or an MMA teacher.”

“MM…A?”

“Multi-Martial Artist. Imagine if someone combined judo with kickboxing.”

“What’s judo?”

The Bastard rolled his eyes. “Why should I teach you? I am a busy man if you don’t know. And don’t say or do something stupid, please?”

“I… I just don’t want to be weak.”

This was probably his only chance to ask a cape for something, anything, that would change his life’s lot.

The Bastard stared at him, and then let out a sigh of disbelief. “Are you serious? So the person you decided to talk to-?”

“I talked to the PRT already, and everything they said was just platitudes,” Joseph interrupted with a snarl and a wince, the former because of his own indignation and the latter because he just interrupted the Bastard. “‘Call us as soon as you can.’ Like hell that was going to help me when I was half a second away from being crushed!”

He stood there, seething.

“You know, at the very least, you have the guts to yell and interrupt me.”

He winced.

“But I like guts. I’m not all-powerful, you know. One good hit from Alexandria will see me die, if I don’t just disintegrate, that is,” the Bastard said. “But I still go out and beat the crap of politicians who don’t give a shit about their constituents. I still curbstomp corrupt and violent cops alike. I demolish heroes and villains for shits and giggles sometimes. If I take you on, then it means you will have a hand in that. You alright with that?”

Joseph stared at the Bastard with wide eyes for a moment before he quickly nodded.

“Like I said, you got guts, and I like that,” he hummed as he pulled out some kind of a remote and turned the dial there. Suddenly -.

Joseph froze.

One moment the two of them had been standing right outside his apartment. Now, they stood in some kind of factory floor.

“Welcome to the Factory, boy,” the Bastard spoke as workers all turned to look at him.

Joseph gulped as he quickly realized that all workers here were also the Bastard.

“I’m going to work your ass off, but I’ll get you the training and equipment you need to be strong. I expect you to continue to be as blunt, gutsy, and ambitious. Understood?”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

“Good. Grab a hammer and start swinging over there. The last clone sacrifice brought out a weapon coated in some kind of metamaterial. I want that gunk gone by the hour’s end.”

“...Huh?”