Super Science
Ch 56: A Second Chance
"Are you sure about this?", Izuku worriedly asked his mentor as he watched him pack up for his meeting at Tartarus.
Egon turns to him, nods affirmatively, and states, "Of course I am. He may be the last living family I have left. I would rather take the chance than live my life regretting I never tried. Besides, the worst he can say is no.", he sighs as he locks down the briefcase and says in worry, "I'm just more worried about Cho."
"What about me?", the woman asked as she stepped into the office.
Egon walks up to the woman, puts on a sympathetic expression, and asks her, "Are you sure you're okay with asking…him to work for us? The whole reason this will work is because he's so smitten with you. He'll be after or all over you every day."
Cho rolls her eyes and waves him off while assuring him with a nonchalant attitude, "It's fine. Like you said we need some bodyguards around here and robots can only do so much. Plus I've worked in the armed forces, he's no different to the loads of other guys I've worked with."
"That doesn't make it any better. Nor does it help me feel right about it.", Egon stresses his worries
"Think of it this way. He likes me, so I can have him do whatever I want.", She tried to assure him again, giving him a placid smile.
Egon gives her an expression of dismay as he shoots back, "Cho, manipulation isn't morally better than harassment, sexual or otherwise."
Later at Tartarus
It took Egon about an hour to drive to the high-security facility, and another hour just to get through every last consumes and security detail just to have his meeting with the only two people he would even want to come to this hell hole for. Once in the meeting room itself, Egon had to wait an extra half hour just for his first visitor to show up. Kendo Rappa, the ex-Yakuza member, ex-member of the Eight Bullets, and the only survivor of the Yakuza invasion on NIP.
Once the huge man sat down and was restrained, Egon couldn't even get the first word in as he exclaimed, "Yes!"
"You didn't even let me finish.", Egon told him.
"You want to hire me as muscle for your labradors, right?", Rappa guest.
"Laboratory and yes.", Egon corrected and confirmed.
"Then I agree!", Rappa insisted.
Egin raises an eyebrow then deadpans, "It's for Professor Cho, isn't it?"
"So that's her name, Cho.", Rappa purrs like a cat as he stares off into space.
Egon snaps his fingers a few times to get his attention from la-la land, and informs him, "Well, in addition to being a bodyguard, I would also like you to be our test monkey."
"Test monkey?", Rappa questions.
"Basically we're gonna make things and you have to break them, if at all.", Egon explains.
"I get to fight things on top of that!?", Rappa excitedly shouts.
"Pretty much.", Egin confirmed calmly.
Rappa then slams his hand on the table and yells, "Sign me the fuck up!"
The following person he met also took another half hour to complete after taking Rappa away. During this time, Egon grew increasingly anxious about it since it may be life-changing! For at least one of them. The officer standing beside him, the one who was usually on call to deal with anything regarding NIP, could see the man's anxiety rise with every finger tap.
So he tapped his shoulder and asked him, "You sure you want to do this? He's a death row inmate."
Egon took a soothing breath and assured him, "I have to take the chance, Momo. He may be a criminal but he's still my brother. If he rejects it then I have no choice but to let the law do its thing.", he then smiles at the man and says, "By the way, thanks for finding him."
Momo smiles back and nods his head as he eats the doors unlocked and he says, "I wish you luck in that regard."
When the doors open, four muscular guards all come in holding what look to be catch poles as they walk in a large man in a straight jacket alongside the stand restraints and quirk-dampening collar. Once he was sat down and fully restrained in the chair across from Egon, he finally got a better look at the man. He wore a straight jacket and the typical prison garb orange jumpsuit, he was tall but not as tall as him and yet so much wider and more muscular making Egon a bit jealous. His hair was short, spiky, and colored blonde, and a near-constant scowl adorned his face, one of his eyes was black and the other was a fake with a large scar that went over it alongside part of his cheek and forehead.
Egon cleared his throat, as he noticed himself staring and started with, "You must be Goto Imasuji?"
"And who the fuck are you?", he sneered back in a snarl.
Egon gulped and centered himself as he stared off by saying, "This is gonna sound really stupid and I'm sure you'd want to kick me in the crotch for even suggesting it-."
"I want to do that already.", Goto told him flatly.
Egon sighed and just boldly told him, "You see, the thing is…I'm your brother."
Goto's eyes went wide with a mix of surprise and disbelief as he mouthed back, "What?"
"I know, it sounds ridiculous. But it's true, we have the same mother, unfortunately.", Egon explains while putting his chin on his propped hand
"So you met mom?", Goto inquired.
"Like I said, unfortunately.", Egon rolled his eyes.
"Where's she at?"
"Jail."
"Jail?!"
"She stalked me and my protege to our facility, walked in, and demanded money for some bogus reason.", Egon began to explain to him.
"That sounds like her.", Goto agreed.
"Then attack me and my protege.", Egon explains further with anger bubbling up.
"Also sounds like her.", Goto agreed once again while rolling his good eye.
"And then I knocked her out with a decorative pillar.", Egon finished with a proud expression.
Goto's eyes went wide at that part and he exclaimed with excitement, "I wish I had been there to see that!"
"I won't lie, it felt really fucking good!", Egon admitted while tightening his fists with a huge smile on his face.
"I bet!", Goto agreed, leading to the two brothers having a good laugh. Once they ended their merriment, Goto got severe again and stated in a deadly tone, "But though, what do you want? And what did you mean by facility?"
Egon blinked at him dumbly for a moment before it clicked and he asked, "Oh! Have I not introduced myself?", Goto disapprovingly shook his head and Egon punched himself while saying, "Sorry, I'm Professor Egon Crystallo, part owner and operator of The Neo Icon Phoenix Research Facility."
Now it was Goto's turn to look at him dumbly and Egon inquired, "You haven't heard of me…have you?", Goto just shook his head."You must not get the news or TV here in Tartarus, do you?", Egon asked and Goto gave him an expression as if to say his question was dumb and obvious.
So after sighing in self-disappointment, Egon informs him, "I don't mean to toot my own horn but I and my protege are kind of a big deal."
"So that's why mom came looking for you.", Goto said to himself after putting the pieces together. Sitting up straight he told his brother, "I had wondered why the old fart demanded where she was some months ago. Guess now I know."
Egon gave him a questioning look and asked back, "Old fart? Oh, you mean your dad. That meathead our mother left my dad for?"
Goto grunted and rolled his eyes as he spat with venom, "Yep, that's him. Don't worry, he's on the far side of Japan so he shouldn't worry you. Plus he's an alcoholic so I won't be surprised if he drank himself to death."
"Thanks for the assurement….I think.", Egon said in confusion and worry.
"But really, what do you want with me? Don't you know who I am, and what I've done?!", Goto demanded, getting increasingly more threatening with every word.
Making the guards tense up while Egon just sat there calmly. Egon sighs at his reaction and tells him, "I know everything. On the streets you're known as the villain Muscular, you're a thief, hired muscle, and killer. You've done so much I could be here for the next hour just summarizing it."
"Then why are you here?", Goto demands.
"Because any way you see it, we're the only family we have left.", Egon tells him, a sad and longing tone in his voice.
"What about your dad?", Goto pointed out.
"He died with my mom, er, stepmom last year.", Egon explains.
"And?", Goto prompted him.
Egon sighed exasperated, at his constant questioning, but it made sense due to his history, so he explained as nicely as he could, "And I want to help you. And not in an "it's my job" or "for the good of society at large" kind way. I want to help you, cause I want to."
"You're bluffing.", Goto stated, not sounding as sure as before.
"If I was, I wouldn't be here. I'd let you continue to rot in this hell.", Egon points out.
Goto glances down at the table and asks, "Why?"
"Because I understand you."
"No, you don't.", Goto growls at him, shooting the stink eye.
Egon props his head on his hand and then verbally dissects, "No one's given you a chance, have they? You've always been put down, told you weren't worth something, or couldn't achieve what you wanted. So you finally broke and became all the things they whispered behind your back, just within earshot.", Goto visibly cringes at this. "I do know what it's like to be you. I do. But unlike you, I had parents who always assured me those things weren't true while yours did the opposite.", Egon guessed and seeing his expression and body language, knew he hit the jail on the head. "I know you may not want to accept my help because to you it seems like I'm just lying or using you. But I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least try to extend an olive branch.", Egon offers to the man.
But Goto just turns his head away and in a low tone tells him, "Leave me alone."
Egon sighs dejected and takes a card from his pocket while placing it down on the table. "In case you change your mind, here's my card. Call it and I'll bail you.", he tells him.
"I have a live sentence.", Goto murmured.
"I have connections and money.", Egon told him without trying to sound as though he was bragging. But even so, Goto didn't see his eyes and seemed to retreat into his straight jacket. "Just think about it, okay, Otōto-kun.", Egon pleaded as he left the table and then the room. Leading Goto to be hauled back to his cell with the card in the hand of Officer Momo.
Yeah so Muscular is Egon's younger kid brother. Surprise! Initially I just wanted to leave his 'brother who was a villain' plot opened ended and seen more as a mystery that's never solved. But someone prompted the idea since Egon and Muscular are just about the age gap I pulled out of the air from there times of birth. I can't find the person who posted that original comment but if your still reading and seeing this, thank you so much for the amazing idea! I'm definitely gonna use this more in the future of this fic. Anyway, please Review and have a Plus Ultra day.
