Chapter 2
"Do you still want to arrest us fa... Endeavor?" Dabi asked.
The words from Dabi were going through Endeavor´s – a.k.a Enji Todoroki´s – mind.
He tried to push his personal feelings on the matter down.
On a technical level he knew the villain was right. They were trapped at an unknown place with no real way to get back.
And going by the corpses hanging from the walls and the news about a apocalyptic battle, there was clearly something hostile here.
On the other side there was no way they could trust them. Despite that (or maybe exactly because of) what he knew about Dabi.
xxx
They saw the TV broadcast continue.
"In the 8 years and 9 months, since the first Battle of Europe had halted the advance of the Nameless Ones over our planet and the reign of our dark saviors had begann, we had to make many sacrifices," the female announcer said.
"But we have also grown. Under the guidance of our new masters, we have finally realized the mistakes and failures of the past and started to leave them behind.
Our complete dependance on imperfect Quirks and so called Heroes, who in the end failed to protect us and didn´t make a difference."
"What is she talking about – ribbit?" Tsuyu asked.
"I don´t kow," Momo said. "But I have a bad feeling."
"So called heroes?" Endeavor repeated irritated.
"The ever-present weakness in the population. The missing of any real technological and scientific progress.
The lack of initiative and the naive believe that `heroes´ will save us from any danger.
We have done our best to erase this flaws from our society.
But of course not all of our fellow citizens were worthy or willing to accept the truth. We are still fighting to eradicate these elements that are still clinging to an overcome way of thinking.
Despite that we are stepping forward into the future under our new regime and under the guidance of our Masters.
All hail the Supreme Ruler... all hail our young gouvenor and his enforcers,
and all hail the Dark Order."
Their eyes fell on the current date, displayed at the bottom of the screen. At bit over two years in the future.
But they had said all this here had started over nine years ago. So wherever they were, it was obviously not their own future.
xxx
"What the fuck is going on here?" Bakugo asked, stunned from what he had just seen and heard.
"That is a good question," Aizawa/Eraserhead stated. "But it seems Heroes are not all too popular here. So we should better hide our uniforms.
If I guessed I would say this world had faced some kind of invasion. Probably from these monstrous creatures we have just seen... and our Hero counterparts here had failed to stop them.
But these `Masters´ - whoever they are had managed to – and then they have taken over."
"You mean someone has taken advantage of the situation and toppled the government," Endeavor commented. "Yes – that was my impression too."
The two captured villains Dabi and Toga exchanged a short look at their conversation.
"Invasion?" Izuku asked. "you mean like – you know – from space?"
"Maybe," Aizawa replied, "or maybe from some other dimension. Given the Gateway we just came through, that wouldn´t even be that far off."
"Who gives a damn?" Bakugo said. "They were being overrun by monsters and no hero had managed to stop it."
"Moment," Izuku cut in, "when again had Mr. Jones said his father had activated the first version of the Gateway?"
"About six and a half year ago I think," Bakugo answered impatient. "Why do you ask Deku?"
"And we are around two and a half years in the future from our time. That makes together..."
"Around nine years," Tsuyu exclaimed. "Do you think there is a connection?"
"I see," Aizawa said, "you think the Gateway is somehow responsible for what had happened here?"
This caused another short silent exchange between Dabi and Toga.
"I – I am not sure," Izuku admitted.
"It doesn´t matter right now," Endeavor declared. "What we need now is to find out more about this world here and find a place to stay until they manage to bring us back."
If they managed to, they all thought. But nobody spoke this out aloud.
"But should we not do anything to help the people here?" Izuku called out.
"And how should we do that if we are not even sure who we should help and who is part of the problem?" Aizawa responded. "For all we know we could make things even worse."
"Well,,," he wasn´t sure. But they had to do something – anything, Izuku thought.
"Our responsibility is our own world," Endeavor said, "not this one."
"Very heroic of you," Dabi commented sarcastically.
"It is no wonder that you have soo many admirers," Toga added with a wide grin.
"Shut up you two," Endeavor snarled. "Your stupid comments are not helping at all."
Dabi, he thought. He had found out the terrible truth about this villain just a few months ago.
"Like I said before, we are willing to help. If you let us." Dabi raised his arms to show the handcuffs. "At least until we are able to return."
"Yeah let us help you – Izuku-kun my love, and Tsu – we are friends after all," Toga stated.
"You idea of friendship is to cut people up and drink their blood," Tsuyu said bluntly.
"Of course – that is my way to show someone that I care about them. B-but I wouldn´t do it in a way that kills them. I would not kill a friend... at least not on purpose – not anymore," she admitted a bit shily.
"It is just – when I see the blood flowing, I can just not longer hold back."
"You know – that is not exactly very reassuring T-Toga-chan," Izuku said.
`Chan?´ had he just actually called her that? he thought.
xxx
"That is a bad idea Endeavor," Eraserhead pointed out as well, referring to Dabi´s offer to cooperate..
"We don´t know anything about this place. For all we know they could team up against us together with whoever had done this."
He gestured to the hanging dead bodies.
"You have a point here," Endeavor replied.
He looked at the two villains.
In some distance they noticed a few people walking out of a side-street - two men and two women. They were looking like normal citizens.
"Hey," Izuku called out, "can you help us? Please tell us who had done this."
But the people were just starring at them distrustfully and then turned back into the alley they came from.
"Hey!" Izuku shouted.
"Assholes," Bakugo growled. "They nearly act as if we are the enemy here."
"Who knows? Maybe we are," Tsuyu commented. "For all we know we might all be villains in this world."
"Tsu-chan – please don´t talk like this," Momo said. "Our entire situation is bad enough as it is."
"Sorry," she replied.
Eraserhead turned to Momo.
"Yaoyorozi," he said. "If you please use your Quirk to make us some coasts and a few shoes? Something that draws less attention."
"Of course," she replied.
Momo´s Quirk allowed her to create all kinds of objects, transforming the fed of her own body. Like for example now a few sets of coats for all of them, that they used to hide their hero uniforms.
"Then let us go," Endeavor said a few minutes later as they had dressed up and hidden their hero-outfits.
"We were standing around her far too long," he said with a side-glance at the hanging corpses.
xxx
They continued their way through the town.
Tsuyu was going a short distance ahead of them, using her camouflage ability to scout the area and look out for possible threats.
But not that far away that they would be able to interfere if she got into any actual danger. Because of that she was also the only one of them still in her full outfit.
At first they were trying to find the local town librabry. But as they had finally found it, they saw that it had been closed and everything removed.
Izuku had suggested finding a computer somewhere and searching the internet for information.
But Aizawa pointed out that all public internet access-points might be monitored. And, since these people were obviously living under some kind of dictatorship, this might especially be true if someone was looking for information regarding the rise of the regime.
Their best solution right now was also the most easy one. Finding someone who was willing to talk and question them for information.
xxxxxxx
After another half hour, they finally found someone.
It was a group of armed men, in some kind of military uniforms and body armor. Right behind them was an armored vehicle they had obviously been using.
Okay, this would not have necessary been a calming picture. Had it not been for the presence of the person in front of the men. They all recognized her easily.
Izuku felt his mood brighten up. At least for the moment. Finally they had found a familiar face.
xxxxxxx
Back in their own world
The fight between the heroes and the League had now fully broken out.
With the major part of the fight taking part right in front of the H.C.P building.
xxx
The hero students had arrived at the line of houses that were on fire a few minutes earlier. The work of Dabi most likely.
Police and fire-fighters had already arrived to help the citizens who had not managed to leave the building yet. Just like a few of the local heroes.
Iida Tenya and Kendo Itsuka were starting to direct their two classes in their aid of the rescue attempts.
They all froze however for a moment, as they saw the forms of Shigaraki and Kurogiri standing on top of one of the buildings.
The League was responsoble for this. And this fire was probably only a distraction.
Then they only saw how Kurogiri transported them both away.
xxx
Kurogiri – Tenya remembered how they all heard the news of his escape.
It had been on a prisoner transfer to Tartaros. The vehicle had been found at the side of the street.
The pro-hero overviewing the transport had been found close by, burned to death and with a kife-wound in his side.
His sidekick stabbed in the heart from a short distance.
Two of the group of police-guards had also been burned and two others had their necks broken. Another had his face disintigrated.
The body of the last guard had been missing, until it was found a few days later in a river several miles from his home.
The killers had obviously been Dabi, Toga and Shigaraki... and another member of the League or maybe a Nomou.
As the police had reconstructed the incident, Toga must have impersonated the missing guard and used his appearance to get close to and stab both the hero and his sidekick, after they had been confronted by Shigaraki, Dabi and the third person who were waiting for them on the street.
But that meant they must have known the time and the exact route of the transport. The question was... how?
xxx
Right now they had to concentrate of the matter at hand. They had to help.
"They have disappeared," Itsuka said to him. "Do you think too that this is a distraction?"
"I do," he replied. "But that is the job of the pros. We have to trust them. Ours is to save as many people as possible."
They coordinated their efforts with the fire-fighters and police forces present who were already helping.
Tenya used his speed to bring people to safety, Shoto his ice-powers to extinquish the fire at places they knew were without people and Monoma was helping him by copying his Quirk and doing the same from the other side of the building...
... and most of the others were helping in whatever ways they could.
xxxxxxx
Back at the H.C.P Building the League had by now engaged the super heroes.
Shigaraki... and two clones, looking identical to him... Kurogiri, Mister Compress, Spinner and currently a dozen copies of Twice
were facing Edgeshot, Gang Orca, Death Arms, Kamui Woods, Mount Lady and several others.
The plan was working out nearly perfectly, Shigaraki thought. Only that they had not heard from Dabi or Toga yet. But he was sure they would soon.
Things however turned out different from what he had expected.
In this moment Gang Orca was getting a message from inside the building.
"Orca can you hear me?" It was the Hero Vlad King, who was also the teacher of UAs Hero Class 1 B.
"Something terrible has happened. We just found Uraraka alone in the Secret Project´s room. She is under shock. But she managed to tell us that Endeavor, Eraserhead, Midorya, Bakugo, Asui and Yaoyorozi have all disappeared... and also the villains Toga and Dabi."
"What?"
"It comes even worse. She told us that the `Secret Project´ had malfunctioned and somehow send them all away."
Damn it, it couldn´t have turned out any worse, Orca thought.
Except it did. He realized that the two villains Shigaraki and Kurogiri had just overheard their converzation. A foolish mistake o his part. but he had simply not expected something like this.
But on the other side. Since it also concerned two of their own, maybe they could even use this to get the villains to stop their attack for the moment.
"You heard this Shigaraki?" Kurogiri asked rhetorically.
"I see - Toga and Dabi, maybe we should retreat for the moment until we have the chance to find out more about what happened to them."
But before they could do that, all of them was suddenly faced with a surprise... as a volley of bullets were shot at both the heroes and the villains alike.
Mount Lady was hit a few times. Which could ot really be avoided, since she was in her giant form. But for the same reason the bullets didn´t went very deep and caused only light damage.
As they tured around to the source of the shots, they saw a group of people standing at the border of the company ground. They had obviously come closer why they all were fighting each other.
The strange thing however was that all of these figures were... wearing priest-clothes?
Standing in front of the group was one one of two women in some kind of Nun outfit. She was Asien looking and had shoulder long brown hair.
Even more bizarre, as they took a closer look, they saw that the crosses these `clerics´ were wearing were all upside down.
"Hey - who in the world are these freaks?" Shigaraki asked.
"Sister Katsuragi," one of the fake priests addressed the woman standing in front of their group, who took one more step forward before she started to speak.
"We are the faithful followers of the Church of Chaos," she called out. "We know about the blasphemies that are being done here and inside this building and we are here to end them."
She send a look to the villains. "False Prophets of chaos and terror,"... and then to the Hero group, "and Fake Heroes... Don´t stand in our way or feel our wrath."
They all looked a bit confused. None of them was completely sure what to make of these people.
The woman and her compatriots however activated their Quirks.
With one of the men behind her looking especially terrifying. With an oil-like black substance flowing out of his body and completely surrounding him. Forming long sharp claws around his hands and a monstrous `face´ with large white eyes and a wide maw and sharp teeth over his human one.
"We are the bringer of your death," the creature growled. "You can call us Claw."
xxxxxxx
Inside the building the Hero and Support Curse teacher Powerloader was just informing the company owner.
"Mr. Jones," he said, "a new group has just arrived outside. Not part of us or the League. We don´t know who they are."
"I understand," he replied. "Then these are probably the people I originally wanted to protect my company against."
"Sir?"
"It was not the League of Villains who attacked us the last time. It was not them who killed my father," he reminded him.
"The most important thing you have to do now it to protect the gateway. Remember, it is the only way to bring your colleagues and the children back after this accident."
It didn´t matter, he thought. All he needed was to opent the Gateway one more time... and then there would be nothing they can do. And now he had an entire army of Heroes to defend it.
It would all turn out right.
xxxxxxx
The other world
There was no doubt. It was her. Or at least this world´s version of her.
"Ochako!" Izuku called out.
Nearly in rhe same moment he realized that this might not have been the wisest decision. Just like this entire world, it was pretty clear that this was not the same Uraraka they knew.
She was wearing what looked like a darker colored version of her hero-outfit from home. And she was a couple of years older of course.
The others had also decided to come closer. While it was true that this Uraraka Ochako before them was technically a stranger, sooner or later they would have to talk to someone. They had already tried to find out more information about the place in other ways after all. Without any success so far.
So actually talking to some of the natives was the best way left. And Uraraka was certainly not a worse choice than anyone else. At least they hoped so.
"Dekiru," she called out to greet him as she saw them.
Dekiru? He just thought confused.
xxx
He remembered this version of his hero name of course.
It meant so much as `you can do it´. Ochaku had told him it sounded just like Deku. What was originally an insult invented by Kachan.
The form `Dekiru´ however had only been brought up a single time, at that day. Since then it had always been Deku.
xxx
Still he looked at Ochako´s face, right into her big brown eyes.
They were certainly the same.
The group of men with the guns behind Uraraka was standing back, not coming closer... and obviously leaving the talking to her.
One of them had a Quirk that made him practically look like a cat walking on two legs. Another had slightly overlong arms. The rest was looking completely regular. Without any signs of their quirks.
"I am glad to see you," Izuku said to her. Even he himself wasn´t completely sure how much of this words were true.
Now that they had come closer, Uraraka was looking at them all for a few seconds, obviously confused.
"Thank you... But – Dekiru-kun, has the support-department experimented with an de-aging Quirk again or are you just all clones?" Uraraka said. "I mean, you look so young.
Not that it isn´t kind of cute," she remarked with a typically bright smile.
She seemed truly quite like the Uraraka they knew so far.
"No – it is really me. I - I mean I am not a clone," Izuku said nervously.
He didn´t want to lie to her, but he knew that it was probably better not to say the whole truth here. At least not right away.
"I get it. You were going out incognito."
"Y-yes," he replied. Technically it was the truth, he thought.
"And you managed to catch Toga and another rebel," Uraraka said. "Wow - but you have to admit this guy is really looking badass. With his face actually stitched to his head as so."
`Toga, a rebel?´ they all questioned.
Her eyes drifted over the others.
"Hey - this guy looks exactly like that pathethic hero wannabe Bakugo Katsuki." She grinned. "Don´t tell me you had that idiot cloned Dekiru?"
What? Bakugo gritted his teeth. He wanted to step forward to give that roundfaced bitch a piece of his mind.
But then she continued...
"I thought you still have his skull as a souvenir somewhere?"
Bakugo and Izuku both froze in their movements. She couldn´t just have said what they thought she did, right?
"And that guy has some ressemblence with that dead hero Endeavor, except for the scar," she commented.
Endeavor - dead, they all took in this piece of information. It was not that much of a surprise with the state the world was obviouslyin. Enji Todoroki himself was doing his best to keep his features straight.
"Miss Uraraka," Aizawa addressed her carefully, "it is just so, we have just found a number of dead people that were hung up at the street."
He had his long hair in a ponytail and was wearing sunglasses that Momo had made for him. So even if there existed a Eraserhead here, the chance of him being recognized was low, unless she knew him personally.
"Oh - you have already seen it?" Uraraka asked. She turned to Izuku. "I know it is not really my duty, but we have already brought out the sacrifices for this town."
`What?´
"Y-you killed these people?" he stammered.
"Of course. I know it was not truly my duty. But I just wanted to show you that I can do this. Did you like it Dekiru-kun?" she asked sweetly.
`No no no´ this could not be, Izuku told himself. This could not truly be Uraraka. This had to be Toga or some other villain in disguise or something. Toga who was right over there.
They all were starring at her in shock. Even Toga was looking at her with an open mouth.
Uraraka took a step closer to their two captives.
"Hello Himiko-chan - nice to see you again," she greeted her. "I like what you have done with your hair by the way. It makes you look even more like a schoolgirl."
"Aeh - thanks."
"Now, what shall we do with you? You know - I truly don´t want to kill you. We are friends after all. You said so yourself, right?" she said cheerfully.
"Yes I did," Toga replied nervously.
"Good - then why don´t you come back to us? You would just have to kill a few people to prove yourself."
"You truly want me to kill people?" she asked.
"Of course I do silly. How else would we show our devotion and our will to better the world, if we don´t kill people?" Uraraka said with a bright smile. She sounded as if her logic was completely obvious.
"We could even let you have all their blood Himiko. Entire bathtubs full if you want, just for you. Because we are friends. We have more than enough after all."
Toga actually had a dreamy expression on her face for a moment at the image, before she turned serious again.
Okay, they all thought - she was completely insane.
"O-Ochako - how can you say something like that?" Izuku asked.
Uraraka just looked at him. Then suddenly she draw a gun ut of her outfit and pointed it at him. The rest of her men followed her example and aimed at the others.
"Tell me, who exactly are you? Something about you was strange from the beginning. But now I am completely sure that you are not Dekiru," she told him.
"I - You won´t believe me if I told you," he said.
"Why don´t you let me the judge of that?" she said.
"You know something rundface-bitch? Why don´t you shut your trap?" Bakugo exclaimed. "Listening to your fucking psycho drabble is driving me crazy. You make even look Vampire-girl here look sane in comparison."
"What did you just say?" Ururaka shouted in pure anger.
Bakugo was already charging up a couple of explosions in his hands. The others were getting instantly ready to fight as well. Izuku had activated Full Cowl ad got into a fighting position. Tsuyu was doing the same thing and Momo had created a weapon for herself.
Endeavor activated his flames and Aizawa was taking his sunglasses off, ready to erase their opponent´s Quirks.
But then something happened what truly none of them had expected.
One of the gunmen suddenly turned around to his compatriots and fired his machine-gun at them.
Whoever this was, he had just killed four of their own men.
Uraraka however turned around with her own gun in her hand. Looking even more enraged as she saw what had happened than before.
"Traitor!" she shouted.
But before she could do anything, Tsuyu had thown out her tongue and wrapped it around her arms, while Aizawa had negated her quirk.
Before anyone else said something, their mysterious ally stepped forward and knocked her out with the butt of his gun.
"Who are you?" Aizawa asked the surviving gunman.
"No time to explain," he answered.
"You just killed your own comrades," Izuku said.
"They were never my comrades. I had inviltrated their group. And these guys would have killed you all without a second thought," he told them grimly.
"Just like they killed these other people. So don´t be all too sad about them."
The man took out a handy from his pocket and dealt a number.
"It is me," he said. "I need you to get me – now. Wait for me at the meeting point. And I bring a few people around you will find very interesting. It seems everything we found out about the Gateway is actually true."
He turned back to them.
"Are you coming?" the man asked them.
They were all looking at each other unsure.
"Listen, I am with the rebels. And I really don´t want to wait here until more of them show up," he said. "You see, we might not quite live up to whatever high moral standards you have... and some of us might even look like people you know as enemies."
He send a look to Toga... and to Dabi. Especially to Toga.
"But right now we are the closest thing to friends you have. So are you coming? Or shall I leave you on your own?"
"Okay," Endeavor gave in, "we are coming with you."
"What is your name anyway?" Aizawa asked.
"You will find out very soon," the man replied. He was suddenly sounding a bit insecure, they realized. "But for now we should get away from here quickly."
They knew he had a point here.
The man stepped closer to Toga and Dabi and went to remove their handcuffs.
"What are you doing?" Endeavor asked sharply.
"I case you haven´t noticed yet, we can need every man," he replied. "And beside that it is not a good idea to walk around here with shackled prisoners anyway. People could think you are Government Enforcers," he pointed to the unconscious alternate Uraraka, "and be either scared as hell of you or attack you. So if you have a key to this cuffs, you better give then to me."
They all remembered the people who had run away from them earlier. That explained a lot.
Endeavor finally nodded and threw him the keys over and he released the two villains.
"Then let us go," the man said. "It are just a few kilometers."
The man starred at Uraraka for a few seconds, but then decided to leave her behind.
xxx
"I can barely believe that I say that, but it is nice to see you Izuku," their new friend said to him a few minutes later.
"You know me?"
"Yes, we - we have been close once," the gunman said a bit reluctant.
"Aehm sorry - but I have never seen you before in my life," Izuku replied.
The man didn´t respond.
"I knew Ochako as well. We have been friends," he said a bit awkwardly.
"Is that the reason you have not killed her like the others?" Tsuyu asked him.
"Partly - it was also because she was helpless. I just couldn´t do it."
"Maybe you should find yourself better friends," Bakugo commented.
"Yes maybe," he replied.
"You know about the Gateway?" Izuku asked him.
"Everyone here does," he replied. "It is the reason all this here happened. They came though it."
"You mean these fucking monsters?" Bakugo stated.
"The Nameless One´s yes. They overrun the half world before anyone managed to stop them. Allmight died fighting them. And they were quickly followed by the Dark Order, who took over the other half."
They all were looking horrified at this statement. They had expected something like this. But to her it confirmed.
"And it is all the fault of that bastard," the man growled.
"Who do you mean?" Momo asked.
"Who? The man who had opened the gate for them Richard Joes," he answered.
"Richard Jones was just a company owner," Aizawa pointed out. "His experiment might had terrible consequences, but he had not known..."
"Yes - that is what he made everyone believe," the man interrupted him. "He had everyone fooled, he and his wretched family. They had known, from the beginning."
Before they could say anything else, they had already reached the meeting point... and froze as they recognized one of the two people waiting for them.
"Kurugiri," Izuku called out.
"You can calm down," the second person said to them casually. They realized that they were looking at a nearly copy of Mr. Aizawa. Only that this Eraserhead had a scar at the side of his face and his hair was a bit shorter - `just´ shoulder long - than that of their teacher.
"Whatever Kurogiri is to you, he is a member of the resistance like all of us."
"He is a Villain," Aizawa said to his double.
"It is true that he had worked for the former Governor All For One a long time ago," Aizawa 2 admitted. "But he has changed sides when the purges had started and he has been loyal ever since.
Can we go now? I don´t feel like being discovered and getting into a needless fight."
"Okay," Endeavor responded, "since you are the first people we met here who had not either pointed weapons at us or run away, we will trust you."
For now, he thought.
Kurogiri transported them away.
xxx
They reappeared a moment later in a building full of people.
Most of them they never met before... but there was also another known face - Mei Hatsume?
"Hey - you are back," she greeted them. "Wow," she said as she saw them closer. "Himiko had really not understated as she said our visitors would be interesting."
"Himi..."
"... ko!" Izuku and Bakugo called out nearly at the same time.
They starred at the `man´ who had led them here and those form suddenly begann to change, revealing a very familiar blonde girl.
"Oh look - it was me the entire time," Toga called out giggling.
This Toga was wearing her hair open and she too was looking good two years older. But otherwise she was the same.
"Hey," she just said to them.
"Yes - very interesting guests indeed," another voice spoke up coming from a person who was just entering the room. "Especially since their existence alone proofs all the information we had discovered."
Izuku froze inside even more as he recognized this voice.
"Stain," he whispered.
The man was not wearing his typical mask, but otherwise everything was the same - Chizome Akaguro, a.k.a the Hero Killer Stain.
Side note: Yes, the being named Claw is a Venom/Carnage style symbiont.