Chương 10: Blurry Lines of Justice and Revenge
(A/N: This chapter is going to focus mostly on Ingenium which I hinted at in the previous chapter. He does play an important part in the story, but do you guys have any guesses on why? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!)
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[1 Week Later]
[Narrator's POV]
The night was a veil of darkness, pierced only by the full moon and the flickering lights of a distant cityscape. Ingenium, ironclad in his hero armour, revved the engines on his arms, closely watching the exhaust fumes dissipate into the cold breeze of the night.
His heart was pounding with a senseless rhythm as an odd feeling of uneasiness festered under the white armour he wore. Slowly, he took deep breaths in and out, watching cars pass by with every moment from above.
A week had passed by since the death of his friend, and the world had moved on. But for Ingenium, time had come to a standstill.
Ironic coming from Japan's fastest Pro Hero.
He could still remember with vivid accuracy Manual's face back in the autopsy lab. Though his face had long since been removed from the water-filled container that claimed his life, his skin was still water-logged. His eyes were wide open and coloured a deep red from irritation. Was it from the exposure of the water or the tears that he wept in his final moments? It didn't matter, Manual was dead and there was nothing he could do about it.
"You didn't deserve to die, old friend…" the speedster muttered under his mask, but he couldn't get those thoughts out of his head. Every waking moment was consumed by thoughts of delivering justice and revenge.
"Find Jigsaw, and make him pay," that's what the police and the media have been calling him. Well actually, it's what the killer had been calling himself after the police found two names on the VHS tape used to explain the deathtrap to Manual. They were 'Masaki Mizushima' and 'Jigsaw' respectively.
Ingeniums mind was a storm of conflicting emotions — grief, anger, guilt — all dancing together in a tempest that wanted to tear him apart.
But as he stood alone atop the building, he was pulled away from his thoughts by rowdy sounds that came from below him. Ingenium's hand clenched into a tight fist as he watched a group of low-level thugs sulk through an alleyway, harassing an innocent woman who was carrying a purse.
They were nothing more than vermin, preying on the weak and vulnerable. Perhaps in the recent past, he would have approached them with a sense of duty, a desire to protect. But now, all he could see was an opportunity — another step closer to the person who took the life of a dear friend.
As he launched himself off the roof, the world slowed around him. His mind raced with memories of Manual, of the laughter they had shared, the lessons learned, and the promises made. But those memories were now tainted with blood, and the only thing that remained clear was a battered and bruised puppet beaten to a pulp.
Ingenium landed with a thud, the concrete ground cracking beneath his feet. The thugs turned, their faces twisted in fear and confusion, but the hero was already moving. With his right arm being propelled by his engine quirk, the first thug's face was met with a tightened fist. A handful of teeth and blood were immediately launched out of his mouth as Ingenium felt the thug's jaw dislocate.
The thug dropped to the floor, motionless, as the Pro Hero sparred the other two thighs no time to react. He gave the same treatment to the second thug as he did to the first before he grabbed the final thug by the neck, raising him in the air.
"What do you know about Jigsaw? I'm sure the underworld has been buzzing with information about him, so what do you know?!" Ingenium seethed with an impossible mixture of malice and professionalism in his voice as the innocent woman watched in fear.
"I- I- I-" the thug stammered with his words as he gasped for air in between. "I… I don't know," he said weakly. Ingenium gritted his teeth as he threw the man violently to a wall on his right. "BULLSHIT!" he screamed, watching the thug slump to the floor and grabbing him by the neck again. This time, getting close and kneeling.
"What do you know about Jigsaw?" his voice was cold, robotic, and devoid of emotion. The thug could only look up, his lips quivering as water collected in his tear ducts. He stammered once more, repeating what he said before, "I… don't k-know…"
Ingenium knocked him out, bashing the thug's head on the concrete wall where he now lay unconscious like his cronies. He didn't immediately get up, instead staying kneeled, resting his hand on the wall. "What am I doing?" he said to himself, getting up and taking a good look at his hands, now bloodied from beating up the thugs.
"This is getting me nowhere…" Ingenium's murmurs were interrupted by the lady, who clenched her purse tightly as she found the proper words to articulate her sentence. "Sir…" she started, trailing for a second before continuing.
"Are… are you ok?" Ingenium internally kicked himself. 'A civilian asking if a Pro Hero is ok, man Manual would laugh…' he thought to himself. Though he wore a mask, he forced a smile. Yet it felt hollow and empty. "I'm fine," he said politely. "Just… not in the right headspace right now."
The lady nodded, though she didn't seem convinced. "If you need anything… I mean, we're all here for you, you know? Manual was… he was one of the best, you know? We all looked up to him." The words hit Ingenium like a freight train, having to fight to keep composure.
"Thank you," he managed to say, before turning away, activating his quirk, and blitzing off. The lady watched him go, her expression a mix of concern and worry as she quickly made her way out of the alleyway she was cornered into.
[Scene Change]
Most of the lights in his house were off, except a reading light that illuminated the desk that he was working on. With a pen in his right hand and a burner phone wedged between his left ear and shoulder, Kramer was in the process of formulating another trap and making an important phone call.
The burner phone buzzed three times before the man on the other side of it picked up. Although his voice came off as slightly robotic — which was the fault of the burner phone being somewhat old — it was still clear enough to hold a meaningful conversation.
"Jigsaw," the man on the other side spoke. "It's a pleasure to talk to you again." Kramer hummed as he was taking down notes and drawing blueprints. "I'm surprised you picked up this quick, Stendhal," Kramer replied politely as he heard the vigilante chuckle.
"After that stunt, you pulled a week ago, you've been the talk of the town in the underworld. Haven't seen 'em like this since a major narcotics scandal a few years ago. Why would I keep you ringing?" Stendhal said rhetorically before clearing his throat.
"Anyhow, whatcha need?" Kramer cut straight to the point. "I need you to help me locate and capture a small-time criminal called Harada Naoki. He has a history of accessing people's web cameras and blackmailing them with humiliating footage. He needs to be tested." Kramer could hear Stendhal muse behind the phone before he answered.
"Sure thing. I'll be seeing you." Stendhal ended the call as Kramer was left with his thoughts. He put down the pen and the burner phone, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the blueprints of his next trap. "Justice will be served," he muttered to himself, "one way or another…"
(A/N: I'm going to be starting University somewhat soon, so I'm not sure how long I can be making these chapters almost daily. But I'll let you guys know if anything changes. Nevertheless, how was the chapter? Comment your thoughts below!)
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