Mine 34 (Armsmaster Interlude)

(Armsmaster P.O.V)

His hands reached into the buzzing machine with familiar ease. Whirling parts and shifting gears bypassed without a second thought. Actions like this were usually frowned upon when working on any machinery, but his hands glided through the machine as if driven by divine guidance.

He had done this song and dance a million times before, and stopping the machine before fixing it was just so inefficient. Tinker tech needed near-constant maintenance, and if he had to stop the operation of some of his gear to fix it, things would spiral out of control. There was a certain amount of risk if you did not know what you were doing, but he had long since grown out of that phase.

So, the minor rupture inside of his mechanical saw was taken care of quickly, and he was able to get back to work. He needed to process and mold this Alloy by noon if he wanted to finish the latest iteration of his halbert. Admittedly, it was not an urgent manner as he regularly upgraded and innovated his gear to offer just a single percent more efficiency on a regular basis.

That said, he was not willing to put off something when he could take care of it right this second. Some of his colleagues could not understand how he could operate on such a strict schedule without a moment of downtime, but they did not see the beauty in tinkering.

They could not understand the feeling of power and pride that coursed through him as he finished yet another creation, how he could use his mind and hands to create solutions to problems even the Triumvirate could not complete.

With his algorithms, he could predict when an Endbringer would strike and prepare the targeted city for the very worst. Something that no other Cape could even dream of. Admittedly, that project was not just his own accomplishment as Dragon; his ever-distant companion worked just as hard on it, but he still played a significant role in it.

A feat that not even the strongest Capes in the world could even dream of trying, and the both of them figured it out. Sadly, the populace would instead sing praises on fools like Dauntless, who have showy displays of power, instead of someone like him. 

He knew why the populace did not think highly of the detection system as it could only predict an attack thirty minutes in advance, and that was if the algorithm was at its best. They could not see what those thirty minutes truly represented. Once a door was opened in innovation, it was only a matter of time and effort to optimize the product over and over again until the item dazzled the world.

He felt truly and utterly annoyed that they could not see the miracle he brought about, but he was used to being underestimated. Still, he would show them exactly how wrong they were about him in time. The greatest hero in Brockton Bay was not Dauntless but him, and he would prove it.

The saw in his hand buzzed to life as the blade spun and sparked against the Alloy in front of him. A surgical cut to process the Alloy as quickly as he could. A machine would be able to cut this with far more precision, but a stand-alone system tended to break down even quicker, eliminating valuable time out of his schedule.

So, most of his tools were handheld and only propelled by the algorithms and calculations that drove his suit. Copying the near-perfect precision of a machine with a human body.

Dragon thought he was pushing his body too hard when operating like this and encouraged him to take the slower process, but he did not have time. More accurately, the world did not have enough time for him to take things easy.

This world needed salvation with attacks from nigh unstoppable beasts and monsters wearing the skin of humans walking the earth. Every second, he delayed his research, was a million lives drained down the drain.

He took a look at a file on his terminal showcasing a theoretical weapon that had his heart pounding in anticipation. The public did not understand the miracle he created with his detection system, but with this weapon, they would see who he was.

A blade to cut anything. A weapon that would put an end to the most significant threat this world had to offer. The sword in the stone that would proclaim him as the righteous savior of everyone.

Armsmaster would be the man who slayed a natural disaster, and no one could deny that. Not with the Nano-blade by his side.

Sadly, he still had several months of nonstop work before he even had a workable prototype. He had to create and optimize almost all of his systems to reach that goal, so the time frame was to be expected.

It was a tragedy, but the world has hung on for this long it could wait for his ultimate creation to be born.

As he continued his work, a message popped up on his interface. He frowned as it was a message from the Director summoning him for an emergency meeting. He looked down at his incomplete upgrade and let out a sigh as he placed his saw down and headed toward her office at a brisk pace.

He hated wasting time like this, but the PRT was funding his research, and if he genuinely broke ties with them, his research would hit a near standstill. He could have gone to the Guild when that happened, but most of their funds were funneled towards Dragon, and while his friend might have shared that load with him, it would still not have been enough.

As the head of the local PRT branch, his funding was significant and almost unlimited, but at the Guild, his projects would be monitored far more heavily. They would also demand he focus on projects that showed promise in profit instead of pipedreams that were unrealistic in their eyes.

Fools, if Dragon could focus her full attention on helping him, they could change the world together.

He entered the Directors office quickly and stood at attention as she looked over at a file on her screen with a frown on her face. His interface ran him through how she was feeling and then told him her body was reacting.

It was a strange combination of concern, excitement, confusion, disgust, hatred, and greed that had him confused. He could not comprehend how people could feel such vivid, conflicting emotions all at once.

Then again, he never understood people; even his friend Dragon was a confusing creature to him, but at least she understood the beauty in creation. She was also near perfect in all her actions, showing off a level of efficiency that he envied when she truly worked on something.

Sadly, Dragon could not invest all of herself into her work as he did, but she still was leagues ahead of the inane idiots he had to deal with.

Thankfully, he did not have to wait for very long as the ever-reliable Miss Militia entered the room, and he no longer had to guess at the Director's motives as she addressed the two of them.

"Thank you for coming here under such short notice, but a situation has arisen that could prove incredibly advantageous for the PRT." She spoke out stiffly. She did not seem that happy about this situation, but she was also a mess of conflicted feelings.

How could someone feel such hatred for Capes but work with them on a near-daily basis? It really shocked him, but he got used to it. Her disdain for Capes kept her from talking and dealing with him, so really, her hatred was just a bonus for him.

He shared a look with his fellow Cape, but she did not look like she had any information. This information was probably brought in by one of the Troopers. It was irritating that the Director kept them out of the loop on most things, but that was the price he had to pay for her to give him the free space he desired.

He heard enough stories from other Tinkers to know that he was lucky here. Having his work interrupted to run numbers and PR meetings would have driven him crazy.

"A recent Trigger has reported themselves on the Helpline, and it looks likely that we will have a new Ward on our team." The Director spoke out stiffly.

Well, that brings focus to the Director's complex feelings. Having another Cape in the fight against this failing city was always important. While the Wards did not fight against the various Capes in the gangs, they did strike down street-level crimes with excellent efficiency.

Something this city needed to deal with on a near-daily basis.

On the other hand, the Director hated relying on Capes, and having another under her command was bringing up her irrational hatred. A ward would also not be as helpful as the support the Director calls from the main PRT headquarters on a near-daily basis. She was always dissatisfied with the lack of support the PRT gave to their branch, but while they were the Cape capital of the North American continent, the Villains here left the city in an odd sort of balance.

Meaning a more substantial level of support was not needed. At least not in the minds of the head of the PRT.

"That's great; seeing another kid join up with the Gangs would ruin my day. It's bad enough that this whole mess with Stagehand was being played out. At least one kid was responsible enough to talk to the PRT when they Triggered." Miss Militia spoke out with a slight smile on her face.

That woman had a soft spot for kids, and fighting a teenager, even one that joined a gang would always hurt her. It was a rather pathetic display from the usually strong woman, but everyone had their weaknesses. He, for one, could not read a room to save his life, as Dragon so eloquently put it, and if he tried to talk his way out of a problem, he was likely to make it worse.

"Having another Ward will increase the effect they have on the city." He spoke out simply. His response drew a glare from Miss Militia and a sigh from the Director, and he just frowned back.

He knew he said something wrong, but he could not figure out what. He was just saying his appreciation for having another Ward like Miss Militia did. So why was she so upset with him? Really, people were such confusing creatures.

"It is true that this Cape is looking to join the PRT, but we ran into a strange situation when we brought them into the Rig for a meeting." The Director spoke out with a frown, and that confusion radiated from her body again.

Miss Militia leaned forward with worry radiating from her while he waited for the Director to get to the point already. He was wasting enough time already, and he did not want to deal with all this lead-up and nonsense.

"The Troopers monitoring Cole followed him to the location where we were supposed to pick up this new Cape. They thought it was a coincidence, but when he wore a mask and waited at the exact location listed, they knew he was the Cape who reported themselves." The Director spoke out with that frown again.

Miss Militia seemed stunned at this turn of events, and he frowned as well. He did not expect the cocky teen from the video to turn themselves in so quickly. Judging from his villainous actions and his relations with the Empire, he assumed it was only a matter of time before Cole became another Empire Cape.

"Do you think this is the Empire trying to infiltrate the PRT?" He asked with a frown on his face. His question earned another glare from Miss Militia and a contemplative frown from the Director. Miss Militia looked like she wanted to say something, but the Director beat her to it.

"It is not likely but possible. So we need to make sure operational security is perfect while he works for us. Make sure the Wards don't even hint at their personal identities, and his access to our systems needs to be monitored and limited." She spoke out sternly, and he nodded along, which made the most sense to him.

Again, Miss Militia looked like she stepped on something unpleasant, but she kept her silence for now. She recognized that some level of security was needed here, even if she was not happy about it for some strange reason.

"Good now, he should be in room 32 by now, so go meet the kid and see what he is up to," She commanded, and he nodded stiffly, leaving the room at a quick pace with Miss Militia following along with a frown on her face.

"You don't really think they sent a kid here to infiltrate?" Miss Militia asked with the same frown clear on her face. He did not even slow down for a moment as he went to respond to her question.

"Unlikely, making a play on secret identities like this is playing too close to the Unwritten Rules, but that angle needs to be defended against. We can never expect Villains to play by the rules even if their own safety is on the table." He spoke out blandly.

He really did not think a single person was stupid enough to play a game like this, but this world was really filled with idiots. That was something he was more than familiar with.

"Right, that makes sense; the Empire is probably the last group to make this play as well. Not after what happened to Fleur." Miss Militia spoke out with relief evident in her voice. She really is such a strange woman.

Instead of offering his opinion further, he grunted and continued on his way to Cole's room. The faster he got this done, the faster he could get back to working on his projects.

The both of them walked in relative silence as Miss Militia was more than familiar with how he operated, and her own worries were answered. She was looking over the file the Trooper submitted with a slight frown on her face. 

Having her along might make recruitment more difficult as she was too soft for her own good when kids were involved, but he could admit that just him would be a terrible choice for recruitment.

He did not even know how to convince his friend to give up on frivolous activities. Trying to recruit a likely damaged teen sounded like the very worst place for him to be. It was not like he could think of a better person for recruitment either.

Assault was a joker who could not take a single moment seriously. Battery was okay, but she could not beat Miss Militia in recruitment, and she always seemed like there was something weighing on her. Velocity was flakey at best and was not someone who could bond with a damaged teen. Triumph might work, but the boy had issues of his own. The less said about Dauntless, the better.

So, in his head, Miss Militia and he made the best team for this. Miss Militia for her amiable words and soft smiles and himself for bringing down her unrealistic expectations.

They soon reached the room, and he let Miss Militia enter first, as her own friendly smile was probably a better sight than his own smile. The boy probably needed that sort of comfort since he was dragged to the Rig and placed into one of their interrogation rooms.

As he entered, he looked over at the boy and felt his stiff smile twitch as if he had not expected to see him like this. The showy suit and cocky smile that he hoped to see was nowhere to be found. Instead, the boy wore civilian clothes with a blank, featureless mask.

Stagehand was a near-perfect disguise as it allowed Cole to step away from his own identity. The body language, Face, Hair, and even the build of Stagehand were far away from the images they had of Cole. 

Now, looking at the boy sitting on the other side of the table, it was almost ridiculously easy to see that Cole Diamant was the boy sitting underneath that mask. His hair was still out and about for people to see as the blond locks sat limply. His blue eyes shined through the eye slot of the mask itself. His build was sturdier than previous images, but it matched perfectly with the report they got from Shadow Stalker. If someone had seen Cole Diamant before, then they would have pegged this Cape as him ten out of ten times.

It was absurd since the boy was so good at hiding his identity before. At least when it came to his costume, it was his actions that gave him away earlier, after all.

He could see that Miss Militia was also seeing what he was seeing. She had a confused smile flashing across her face, but she shifted back to her warm smile quickly. What was going on here?

If he did not think overreacting would tip the scales on this recruitment, he would be pacing as he thought over what he knew.

"Oh wow, never expected that they would send the both of you to go over recruitment with me. I figured I was going to get another Trooper or maybe a Lawyer to hash out the details, but instead, I get the whole red carpet with Miss Militia herself and the ever-stoic Armsmaster. Big fan, glad I could meet you two." The boy babbled out with nervous energy radiating off of him. He seemed to talk nonstop, which was precisely the type of person he hated, but he was not going to let his own bias dye this scene.

He would say the way he was acting brought up even more questions. He took a look over his HUD to check over his statement, only to balk as he got a truth rating with an accuracy score of 90%.

From the actions that Stagehand previously took and the storied history of the boy, he doubted that he was actually a fan of theirs, but his program was all but screaming that he was. 90% may not be perfect, but reading body language, tone, and pace was not a perfect system, so there had to be room for error. Still, a score of 90% was almost guaranteed that what the person in front of him was saying was actually true.

"Well, we could not let such a promising recruit slip away without showing off our best side. Glad you came to us when you Triggered Rush; I know that Triggering can be a difficult experience, and when you go through something like that, people tend to lash out, so hearing such responsibility from someone so young warmed my heart." Miss Militia spoke out with a blinding smile and warm tones.

That woman really believed in what she was saying even if she did have some worry about the boy before her. Although her words had him almost slip into a frown as she called him a name that he was unfamiliar with.

He took a quick look over the file that she had been looking over earlier, deeming it essential enough now. As the information was provided to him through his HUD, he became even more confused about what was going on with Cole.

From the context clues and the words of the report, Cole was a Cape, but he was not Stagehand, which was frankly a confusing mess. Sure, some facts about Stagehand made painting him as Cole difficult, but more things fit the narrative that he was, so they were ignored. Now, those inconsistencies were being thrown in his face, and he did not know how to handle it.

No, this is fine. He could still be Stagehand, and even if he was not, they were going to find the truth out in this recruitment, so he just had to go along with the show that was being displayed here. He frowned at Rush as a name could work with a Cape like Staghand, but it did not quite fit. Then again, they did not know much about the elusive Cape. 

"Ah, well. I would not call it responsible." The boy muttered in an embarrassed manner. That energy seemed to chip away at Miss Militia's own apprehension. Which meant she was going to be less and less helpful the longer this went on.

"What exactly do you mean by that Rush? You called the PRT and are looking to go to a place where you can be safe and guided properly. That is a perfect example of responsibility. Do you have anything else you need to share?" He questioned sharply, as he wanted to get to the root of the issue, and he wanted to do it quickly.

As he spoke to the boy, Cole seemed to shrink in on himself as if he was reprimanding himself for something in his mind. That body language drew another glare from Miss Militia, but he did not really care too much about that.

He would rather Cole reveal everything he was hiding.

"Well, I came here because I don't really have any other options. I made some deals that are biting me in the ass, and it's only a matter of time before I have to deal with it." Cole spoke out nervously and quietly, clearly not wanting to say too much, but that information was valuable enough.

He looked sternly at the boy with a frown on his face as he went over his statement with his algorithm. Again, he reached a high level of accuracy with only an 8% failure rate. So, he was likely to be telling the truth.

He could see how breaking his friend out of prison might be considered something that would harm him later on, but that should be on his shoulders only. A mention of a deal had theories building in his head.

"Well, Rush, that's a bit disappointing to hear, but I assure you that we will do everything we can to pull you out of the issues you are dealing with." Miss Militia spoke out softly, chiding him for his recklessness and reassuring him that everything would be fine.

He wanted to let out a sigh at this woman folding so quickly, but this was to be expected.

"Thank you…Uh, I guess I should tell you what's been going on." The boy muttered quietly as he reached for his mask and took it off. The familiar face that was posted on Stagehand's file was shown off to him. It was not quite as dull and empty as it used to be, but the boy was clearly no longer on the brink. He was probably not fine, but he was at least better than he had been before.

"My name is Cole Diamant, and well, my Dad is a member of the Empire. I figured if I did not go to the PRT, I would eventually get dragged into the Empire, even if my Dad has been stalling on that." Cole muttered awkwardly and his confusion about what was going on grew even larger.

That motive certainly fit with the picture that was being painted, but he never expected that the prominent member of the Empire would hide a Cape away from the organization. As far as he could tell, that man truly believed in the visceral hate he threw around, so having his son join him on his quest should have been perfect.

Yet, here Cole was telling them that his Father did not want that life for him. That is going to make things complicated. Usually, when Capes come to them with a family that is part of a gang, their relationship is strained to the breaking point. Making it relatively easy to get them out of their Family's control and push them out of their sphere of influence.

Maybe a bit cruel to the kid in question here, but it was seen as the lesser of two evils as the Gang member did not make for a responsible role model. However, Cole is still attached to his Father even though he wants nothing to do with the Empire.

He shared a look with Miss Militia, but she shrugged back at him. That issue could be dealt with later; they needed to concentrate on closing this recruitment.

"I'm pretty sure they already think I am a Cape, even if my Dad is stalling them. When I triggered, I saw an opportunity to help a friend of mine, and I took it without thinking about how it would look to the rest of the world." Cole admitted with a sullen look, and again, that made perfect sense with him being Stagehand, but at the same time, it became even more confusing with the other facts being thrown at him.

"Tammi Herren, you broke your friend out of prison." He spoke out stiffly, and the boy's shoulders dropped further. Clearly, he was right about that, but the boy sprung back up to say something.

"No! I mean, yes, but I did not break her out myself. My powers could get her out of there, but it would let out even more people in the process. I looked around and made a Deal with a Cape to break her out of prison for me." Cole explained quickly, but the room fell still.

He and Miss Militia had to process what he was saying right now, and they had to do it quickly. He quickly looked over his program, and he was still getting true but only at an 85% rating, which could be accounted for by the elevated emotional state.

Miss Militia looked over at him as she knew about his suit and all that it did, and he nodded stiffly at her. As strange as it sounds, Stagehand was not Cole Diamant, but Cole Diamant was a Cape. A peculiar and confusing mess, but it made the inconsistencies in Stagehand's appearance relatively clear.

He would question where he found this Cape, but he had ties with the Empire, and they had their ear to the underground far better than the PRT.

"I did not think that breaking just her out would have everyone sniffing around me, but I really should have…I just felt like I had to do something." Cole muttered sullenly as he shrunk in on himself again.

"It's alright, Cole. Trigger events can be messy, and honestly, you handled it far better than most people would." Miss Militia spoke out softly again, reassuring the sullen teen.

He wanted to argue that making deals with villains was a far cry from a good solution but held it back. In all honesty, Cole really reacted better than most. From what he said, he could have broken the girl out himself, but he would have had an even larger prison break on his hands. Most people, in the face of their Trigger event, choose to take immediate action. So delegating the task was a more reasonable response, even if it was a pain for them to deal with, as he basically invited Stagehand into their city.

"So what deal did you make with this Cape Cole?" He asked stiffly, as this was rather important. If he had not paid it off yet, then the damage could be mitigated, but if he already performed a criminal act for this Cape, they needed to clean up the messy bits of this deal.

The boy was likely to get a pardon for breaking out his friend as the PRT valued a happy Cape more than the petty charges they could throw at him. The Director would not be pleased about it, but she would follow the standards set in the PRT.

They are going to have to bring the girl back to prison, but that might alienate him further. Maybe they could work on that, but it was going to be a complicated process.

"Oh, he just wanted me to heal someone for him," Cole spoke out with an awkward smile. He nodded along, as that would be easy to deal with, as it was not technically a crime, and then he froze as he really thought over what Cole was saying.

Miss Militia was stiff, and she understood what was happening faster than him.

"You healed someone for him? So you are a healer?" Miss Militia asked with a soft, coaxing tone, but this time, he did not speak ill in his mind about her. A healer being recruited would be a massive boon. Injuries that would require calling in favors with Panacea could be taken care of without any issues.

Cole would let him push his research further than he previously thought possible.

"Yeah, but not totally; I got this pool of energy that I can use to enhance my physical capabilities on all parts and cause internal damage when used against others. But if I reverse it, I can use that energy to heal nearly anything for both myself and others." Cole explained excitedly as he revealed his powers without a second thought.

He sent a message to the Director as he needed to treat this recruitment seriously. They might have to make concessions that would irritate the Cape-hating woman, but they needed Cole, and they could not risk him slipping back to the Empire to 'save' his friend.

The Empire already had the only other healer in the city; if they got another one, the delicate balance in the city would spiral out of control.

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I was going to work on Cry, but god, this chapter just flowed so well. Next is Cry, and I am a little excited about Naruto Arc closing up. I can already picture the ending of that in my head. Oh and Merry Christmas even if this chapter was a bit late for that!