Scrap Metal Philosopy 16 (Patreon)

Scrap Metal Philosophy

Chapter 16

-VB-

News about Techscav never came around again. It was as if the man had disappeared.

Typically, this would not be enough for the officers, police, and heroes of PRT ENE to stop looking; one did not stop looking for criminals simply because they remained silent. However, they now had three other issues to investigate and solve.

Richard Renick looked around the room and its fifteen occupants, confirming that Armsmaster, Miss Militia, and Triumph were in here as they should be. Piggot needed her dialysis a little earlier today, so he was in charge of this meeting. “Good morning, people. Let’s get this meeting rolling. Before we begin, do any of you have something to report on the current situation of the city?”

“No,” Armsmaster replied as usual.

“Then let’s start this meeting. First off, a report from Watchdog,” he said and passed a paper each to the occupants. “They believe that Techscav is still within the city.”

Triumph grimaced. “Are they really sure? There is no way that someone like Techscav would remain quiet for so long.”

Indeed. It’s been months since he showed up, and everyone was getting antsy about trying to predict him.

“They are sure,” he replied with a sigh. “In fact, they are so sure that they went out of their way to prove that he isn’t anywhere else.” That’s where the next paper said.

The PRT officers and the heroes looked sour at the thought of it. After all, wasn’t it humiliating to have someone who exposed so much of their dirty laundry for the world to see to be disliked?

Richard didn’t personally have an opinion of Techscav, which would be shocking to his colleagues if they knew. In his eyes, Techscav had done little overall damage, wasn’t going around masquerading as some kind of warlord, dressing up to be a violent hero, or selling illegal drugs, arms, or tinkertech to dissidents. He was quiet and didn’t make waves, just like Richard himself.

“If…” Miss Militia began. “If he is still in the city, then what is he doing?”

That’s where the third paper came from and one that worried him the most.

“Watchdog and independent Thinkers hired for specifically this purpose made their conclusions, and the meta-analysis of their conclusions shows that Techscav is relaxing.”

“Huh?” a PRT officer couldn’t help herself. “Wait, relaxing in Brockton Bay?”

“Apparently, yes.”

Triumph snorted. “Watchdog should get its money back from those independent Thinkers.”

“Regardless of the conclusion about what he is doing, it is our job to be on the lookout for Techscav and whatever that may cause him to -”

-VB-

Kaiser sat with his subordinates and watched their reactions to the leaked document from PRT.

“If he’s still in this city, then why haven’t we seen him yet?” Hookwolf groused. “It’s not like he can’t fight.” Everyone knew Hookwolf wanted to test himself against Techscav and his tinkertech, which surpassed Armsmaster’s tinkertech despite him having been on the scene for far longer.

Though everyone here didn’t say it to Brad’s face, everyone also knew that if Hookwolf and Techscav ever got into a fight, then Brad was unlikely to win.

It was a silent popular opinion.

Still, Hookwolf’s question wasn’t incorrect nor out of place even after hearing that Techscav was “relaxing” himself. Parahumans were, after, creatures that could not help themselves. Fighting of any kind was in their nature, even for the shiest among them, and for Techscav to just ignore that call despite the fact that there had been over four dozen cape fights throughout his period of silence…

It spoke of ungodly patience and discipline, and that worried Kaiser more than anything else. See, he saw people by their characteristics, innate and learned. Categorizing those traits has proven important time and time again because he used that knowledge to manipulate, trick, coerce, gather, and strengthen both people and his power base. Patience and discipline, Kaiser found, were “multipliers” of a person’s ability much like how transportation was a multiplier for tactical considerations and Trumps were for parahuman organizations.

With patience and discipline, one could theoretically do anything. Even the dumbest man might graduate from college! … Eventually.

No, the kinds of individuals he worried about were those who had additional traits to go along with that patience and discipline.

Knowledge.

Skills.

Power.

A man like Techscav? He might have an arsenal of tinkertech built-up and no one would know about it until he struck.

And Kaiser felt more worried about that than the PRT, the Protectorate, ABB, and the Merchants combined.

After all, he couldn’t predict what he knew, and he knew the rest of them well.

Techscav, though?

No one knew about him, and so, even his people were left to grumble about the Tinker but ultimately form no plan beyond a general strategy.

-VB-

“He is not important.”

Bakuda and Oni Lee both looked at Lung as if he was crazy, but he let them do so because he, Kenta, knew he was right.

He knew the kinds of men like Techscav. He met shinto and buddhist monks like him. Techscav and they did not act when they did not have to. Why would they? They already possessed what they desired.

Peace.

Lung envied the Tinker, even if the dragon within him urged to seek him and make it known to the world that he, Lung, was the most powerful cape in all of Brockton Bay.

But he knew the futility of that. His men and women had already been looking but haven’t found him.

Thus, as long as he did not do what Coil did, breaking the Unwritten Rules, he had nothing to worry about from Techscav.

Plus, if anyone ever touched the man in his civilian identity, then Lung would learn about it and then just offer to off the offenders to appease the man before he got to fight him.

No, what he was concerned about was that bug girl who’s been running around the Docks. If he heard the reports right, then she collaborated with the police and used her bugs to sniff out the dealers and thugs.

She made a mockery of his authority, so she needed to go.