Scrap Metal Philosophy 24 (Patreon)

Scrap Metal Philosophy

Chapter 24

-VB-

Armsmaster/Colin Wallis

What was justice?

What was efficiency?

What was right and wrong?

What minimized damage while increasing benefits?

These four questions sat at the core of what it meant to be a Protectorate hero and more so for a Protectorate branch leader. In the wake of Techscav’s Rampage, these questions only rose to prominence as not only himself but those around him and those beyond the walls of the PRT ENE headquarters were affected.

The people decided that there were things that needed to be considered. Whether they said this in public or behind the anonymity of the internet was irrelevant, only that the points had been raised.

Techscav committed crimes but not sins.

Techscav removed more villains than the entire Protectorate ENE and PRT ENE did in its entirety, consequences for such actions be damned; it became public lately that the Merchants had been removed and there was only one person that the public saw as the probable suspect for it, especially after his showing against the Protectorate.

Techscav was right yet wrong in his actions.

Techscav defeated not only Coil and his mercenaries but the entirety of the Protectorate with minimal damages to civilian infrastructure and way of life.

Armsmaster, unfortunately, found himself at the center of comparison because he was the only cape that the public decided was worthy of comparison. Not Dauntless after how much they said among themselves about how he would be the next Triumvirate. Not Glory Girl. Not Miss Militia. Not anyone else. Him.

Techscav was an anti-hero vigilante and Armsmaster was a hero.

Techscav was suspected to have removed at least three capes on top of his confirmed kill on Coil while Armsmaster had no major villain arrested and removed permanently from Brockton Bay on his record as the leader of Protectorate ENE.

Techscav was neither good nor bad while Armsmaster was supposed to be good.

‘If good wasn’t enough… then perhaps they shouldn’t be good.’

It was a childish statement that ignored everything about reality, and it irked him. He knew exactly what Glory Girl felt about the petty thugs and how they started harassing heroes. He knew how she felt because he got that everyday.

“Why aren’t you doing more?”

“Why aren’t you doing better?”

“Why do you not do anything?”

“Why are the villains always getting away?”

“Why?”

“Why?”

“Why?”

“Why?”

Colin hated it.

There were very few things he hated. He disliked things. He frustrated over things. He disdained things, especially inefficiency.

Hate? He only hated his parents before this, and now, Techscav joined them as the subject of his hate. Everything was slowly going wrong ever since that menace popped up. Two-thirds of what the public blamed him for, he wasn’t even responsible. He wasn’t the prison guard. He wasn’t the judge. He wasn’t on the jury that FUCKING LET STORMTIGER GO LAST YEAR!

He stopped himself and looked at his hand. He had gripped the wrench so hard that his entire fist looked white. He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly as he released the fine-tuning wrench along with the breath.

“Stress is getting to me,” he muttered to himself.

He could no longer profess to be more efficient than last year or the year before that. The constant barrages of ignorant people not understanding the minutia and delicate structures that kept their cities from plunging into violent unrest grated on him. His personal stimulants no longer worked. He began falling asleep while tinkering.

He was failing. He was degrading. He was stagnating.

Tr-r-r-ring.

Slowly, he looked up and his touchscreen feed. With a swipe, a message popped up.

It was labeled urgent.

He tapped it.

The flashing exclamation mark expanded to fit the entire screen, and Armsmaster read it all.

Then he read it again.

Oni Lee. Blinded? New heroic independents. Lung’s imminent retaliation.

Tr-r-r-ring.

Message from the director.

“Another fucking meeting,” he grumbled before he suited up. He should be out there fighting and bringing in villains, not tinkering after hours of meaningless PR patrols.

He left his lab to hear what Piggot had to say about this latest debacle.

-VB-

Siliconia

“Angering Lung isn’t wise but it happened,” father hummed as he worked on her new limbs.

Ever since she and Taylor came back with the news, father had been preparing for this and was now finally giving her the upgrades she might need if Lung ever came for her or Taylor. He was pushing his power to its maximum and giving her exotic materials on top of that, also from his powers. She was his masterpiece and he was improving her even further.

She loved father.

“Silly.”

“Yes, father?”

“I created you to be Taylor’s friend, you know that, right?”

“Yes, father,” she replied with a smile. “I think you did the right thing.”

“Hmm,” he hummed. “But Silly, I wonder.”

“Wonder about what, father?”

“I wonder what you will do when the time comes,” he whispered quietly without slowing down at all. “There are obstacles you cannot overcome, even with Taylor. I’m not a monster who will re-train your core personality to suit my needs. You are my daughter, after all.”

She giggled, making the rigging around her rattle. “I love you, too!”

“I love you, too, Silly… But you will eventually bite off more than you can chew. I can see it almost.”

She didn’t giggle at that. She knew that she was brash at times. Unpredictable. Too sadistic. She wasn’t the perfect bodyguard or a good one but father never wiped her personality just because she was different. He could. He definitely could. She’d let him, too.

She loved father, after all.

“But what would you do when you and Taylor finally hit that moment. That critical moment when you bit off too much and you two stand at death’s door.”

He began putting her arms on.

“Would you follow through with your programming? Would you disobey it?”

She remained quiet as she listened to his contemplation.

“Would you rise above it or fall?” he asked as he tightened a joint. “It scares me. I don’t have control over you and Taylor. I suppose I am in the same seat as Danny in that regard.” He tightened another joint. “I can’t be everywhere at once.” He moved to attach her other arm but then paused before putting his hands on her shoulders from behind. “I’m scared.”

She slowly reached up and put her hand on his.

“... I’ll make the most of it, whatever happens.”

He didn’t respond to her for a while. He sighed. “I’m sure you will, Silly. You are a capable girl, after all.”

“Yup! Father made me the best that he could!” she giggled.

But she knew what moment he was talking about. If Lung really did come after and tunnel-visioned on them, Silly might not be able to save herself and Taylor.

Did it make her a bitch if she felt giddy at the prospect? To truly find out what kind of a gyno-... no, to truly see and act on who she was? To see it for the first time? Not the sadistic horror that she loved to be but what she truly thought about her father, Taylor, and Danny? That there might be something more than just her programming?

She couldn’t wait.