We are the Future
Author's Note: Because No Mercy has multiple quirks I've included the names and descriptions in bold so to better explain the uses of them. I hope you'll find this convenient to the reading. Also I want to address any complications from gender representation. When Izumi puts on the No Mercy guise I prefer to refer No Mercy as a him as Izumi's taken on a male persona for the role. I apologize for any confusion this causes.
Chapter 14: Nightmare from the Past
Izumi stepped into the room her eyes still wide her breathing rapid as she looked at the laboratory she'd stumbled upon. The whole room was hot like an incubator and there were all manner of human samples in jars, tubes, boxes, and the room smelled of decay and acid.
"Holy shit." she repeated again aloud. " Whiz are you seeing this?"
"Oh yeah…" Through the comlink she could hear the queasiness of his voice. He made a sound as the view on his camera took in a blood puddles mixed with some oozy white puss. "I've seen some pretty gruesome stuff working for you boss, but this takes the cake."
"If this isn't that maniac doctor's lab I don't know what is." She pulled out her phone and started taking photos for evidence. It was then the table on the other side of the room caught her eye. Stepping closer she saw bodies flaring still above with wires and tubes connected to them. "That sick bastard. We gotta get these people outta here. Whiz I'm sending you the photos compile a message to Izuku and the other nearby heroes."
"Got it, set those guys free and get out of there. Your brother, and Bakugo are just upstairs it won't take them long to get on the scene."
"Don't have to tell me twice."
"I don't have to tell you what?" Twice spoke up and Izumi rolled her eyes.
"Nothing, get ready to meet me and my clone...oh my god." Izumi lut her phone away walking to the next tank over.
"what is it?"
"It's Stain." Izumi put her hand against the glass her eyes wide in absolute disbelief. It was unmistakable… the scars, the bone structure...it was a face she'd never forget. Were he to open his eyes she knew she'd see a pair of blood red orbs...the eyes of a killer.
"Stain?! As in the Hero Killer Stain?! That can't be he's supposed to be in lockdown."
"Well he's not." Something twisted in Izumi's gut. Stain had been held at the same facility as All for One. If someone had managed to smuggle him out then…
"I'm waking him up." She flipped switches on the machine draining the fluid inside.
"What?! Boss are you crazy?! He's a killer!"
"I don't care he's the best chance I've got at getting some answers." The glass container began to steam as it opened.
"The heroes are on their way you don't have time to-"
"Just shut up!" She cursed and stepped back. She let out a shuddering breath as Stain fell forward against her and she hefted him up checking his vitals. "Good you're still alive. Now to-"
"Hold it right there!" Bakugo shouted from the doorway and had Izumi's head jerking over in reaction. Shit! How did he find this place so fast? Then again it was Bakugo, any news from No Mercy was top priority.
Thinking fast Izumi went straight into character. As No Mercy she hid any external part of herself but used her knowledge of Bakugo to take control of the situation.
"Good you're here…" Using the quirk, Mimic, she changed her voice to that of a young man and was thankful the words came out calm and confident. "Be a good hero and free the others will you? I've business with this one." No Mercy motioned to the unconscious Stain. "I'll return him when I'm done."
Quirk: Mimic, can imitate the voice of another after hearing it, the voice must have been heard within a span of a month to be used.
"I don't take orders from you." Bakugo snarled his hands popping with explosive sweat. "I know who you are. You're coming with me, No Mercy!"
"I'm afraid I can't...there are important things that need my attention so if you'll excuse me." She let the warp form around her and Stain's unconscious body.
"Oh no you don't!" Bakugo ran forward. Before the portal could close Bakugo leapt through the vortex with them. As they appeared on top of the roof, the vigilante No Mercy found himself in a fist fight with the explosive hero Ground Zero.
No Mercy took charge of the situation by using Bakugo's own tenacity against him. Izumi had fought him on more than one occasion and it was proving useful.
"Boss!?" Twice called from the sideline having hefted the unconscious Stain over his shoulder. "What should I do with the dead weight...he's pretty light."
"Go to Rendezvous Black...keep him tied down!" No Mercy shouted ducking the next explosion. He let out a string of curses as the explosion made his scarf catch fire.
"Got it! Be sure to live! I hope you die!" He called over his shoulder running across the roof and escaping.
"Hey get back here!" Bakugo shouted diverting his attention long enough for No Mercy to kick his feet out from under him with an extended leg.
Quirk: Extension, user can stretch out the limbs of their body up to 20 feet, only works on arms, legs, and torso. It does not make the bones pliable so the user is still limited by the joints.
"How many friggin' quirks do you have?" Bakugo raged jumping back to his feet but felt why advantage je had slipping away.
"I lost count." No Mercy extended his arms now grabbing him by the shoulders and threw him around like a rag doll knocking the wind from his lungs. He then let go and reached into his utility belt for a vial "This time stay down."
He tossed the vial at Bakugo and the moment the hero blasted it to keep the liquid from hitting him the substance expanded and hardened around him.
"What the?! I can't move… What is this stuff?!" Bakugo sneered struggling to get free as he was detained from the neck down.
"It's a quick expand and hardening foam with a density stronger than concrete." No Mercy dusted himself off letting out a quick relieved sigh. "Perfect for capturing difficult opponents such as yourself. It reacts to heat, so you just helped it along by making it explode."
"Damn you… when I get my hands free…" He snarled trying to activate his quirk but to no avail.
"I'll be long gone, Ground Zero." He tapped Bakugo's cheek. "Not to worry, I'll be sure to leave a message for Deku to come find you up here." He started to form the warp.
"Don't you run away! Get me out of this thing you cowardly bastard and fight me fair!"
"I did fight fair… and you lost." No Mercy turned his red eyes to Bakugo, the sneer hiding behind the mask. "You've barely changed at all over the years. I recall you picking a fight with anything and anyone to prove you were the best. Keep this up and you'll end up digging yourself into a hole that your partner will have to pull you out of."
"The hell are you talking about?" Bakugo glared. "How do you know me? What does Deku have to do with this."
"He's everything to do witty this. He's the future of this world. You and Shoto may share his spotlight, but he has something the two of you don't, and unless you learn from him and gain that kind of inner strength then you'll never best him." Venom spewed from the words as personal feelings came to surface. "…and while I have you here you should know I'm not the one who killed Nightshade… You're true target is a copycat who is bound determined to kill any criminal he comes across, along with any hero he deems unworthy of the title. If you don't shape up you're liable to wind up on that list and I'll feel sorry for Deku who will suffer because of it."
For the first time in years Bakugo was speechless. He watched this accused villain slip into the dark warp just as Deku and several others came up the stairs.
"Kacchan!" Izuku saw the remnants of the fight and immediately went to his partner. "Are you alright?"
"No...damn it I'm not. I just lost to a fucking villain, and the bastard had the nerve to lecture me." He let out a grunt as a Izuku freed him from the hardened foam. "He's smart… somehow he could read my every movement like he'd studied it. On top of all that he's got a plethora of quirks at his disposal."
"More than one?" Shoto spoke up surveying the area and bending down to pick up a piece of frayed red cloth. "How many?"
"He used at least three… he had strength, and judging by his size and stature that's definitely a quirk. Then he extended his arms and legs out...and then there's that warping mist he used to disappear."
"Warp…" that triggered a memory and Izuku held his mouth as he thought back. "Was the mist a deep purple color?" Izuku asked and had Bakugo narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah why?"
"One of the guys who attacked Izumi and I at Fairy Land had a quirk like that. I think his name was Kurogiri."
"Wasn't he apprehended along with Shigaraki?" Shoto asked with a narrowed look.
"Yes, but...when he was apprehended he no longer had his quirk." Izuku explained and Bakugo beat his fists together.
"That proves it. That guy is definitely No Mercy. He's a villain stealing other people's quirks."
"Now wait a minute Kacchan." Izuku held out his hands. "We don't know that for sure. There's no proof that is Kurogiri's quirk out that it was stolen. It could have been given to him or he could be Kurogiri in disguise."
"Bull Shit!"
"The point Izuku's trying to make is is we can't jump to conclusions." Shoto put in trying to be the cool head of the group.
"Agreed," Iida nodded his head. " Until we know more about this No Mercy character we'd best play it safe. As you said before, Bakugo, he's smart and he knows your fighting style. It's better to try and gather more info before we think of taking him on."
"Easy For you to say, you didn't just get humiliated by a shrimp half your size."
"He was that small?" Izuku blinked in shock.
"Exaggerating but…" Bakugo leveled his hand at about chest high.
"So it could be a woman." Iida thought aloud rubbing his chin.
"He sure didn't look or sound like one." Bakugo grunted. "Then again Izumi put up a pretty good performance, so who knows."
"What about me?" Izumi joined the group with Tadashi right behind her. Thankfully she'd managed to reunite with her twin and somehow when they'd grabbed onto each other they became one person again.
"Kacchan just had an encounter with No Mercy." Izuku explained. She stopped in her tracks and put on a convincing shocked face.
"No shit? Is that what all the commotion is about downstairs?" She pointed behind her. "There's cops all over and the owner Jason Carson is being brought in for questioning. Needless to say party is over."
"No Mercy..." Bakugo sneered. "He wouldn't be stupid enough to send pictures of his own lair. He was leading us to another villain. What the hell is this guy's game?"
Izumi glanced back at Tadashi with a small smirk which he returned with a shrug. He stepped forward taking a survey of the area himself.
"I'm not a hero… but go over the story with me… maybe I can give a fresh perspective."
He hated asking for help, but Bakugo was at a loss on how to handle the situation. No Mercy wasn't an ordinary villain who followed a certain criteria. The guy was changing his game left and right, and was obviously already two steps ahead of him. If he was going to gain the upperhand and bring this poser to justice, he was gonna need backup.
"Fine." Bakugo conceded and pulled out his phone showing off the pictures Whiz had sent him through an anonymous number. "While we were downstairs I got this message. Over the years I and many other heroes have been receiving similar texts with information, photos, and proof about criminal activity. A few hours later the criminal in question is either apprehended by our own efforts, or someone leaves the criminals strung up like a present for us to find."
"The way you talk about this No Mercy it sounds like he's an underground hero, or a vigilante. Why have you been treating him like a criminal." Tadashi questioned, playing the role.
"This asshole considers himself outside the law." Bakugo said simply and had Shoto sighing and turning to further explain.
"He takes down these villains by wiping their memories and somehow turns them quirkless. Most heroes just ignored him because he was being helpful by taking dangerous criminals off the street and providing proof to keep it that way."
"Frankly, I did too up until Kacchan said he started killing people." Izuku rubbed his arm. "I was actually a supporter of his, but I can't just ignore the fact he's killing people. Even those that are guilty."
"I see…" Tadashi briefly looked to his brother who seemed a bit cut off from the situation. Just how did Shoto see No Mercy? "So what exactly happened here?"
Bakugo continued his explanation, raging a few times when he got interrupted, but he went over the progress of the case he'd made, and the events of what happened after he'd received the most recent text.
"We fought for a brief time. He caught me off guard with some kind of chemical foam, and then he just disappeared… but not before he made some kind ridiculous claim he wasn't the one killing his targets."
"He could be telling the truth. What makes you so sure he's the one doing the killing? Couldn't it be someone else using his.. What do they call it on TV?" He looked back at Izumi for confirmation.
"His MO…" Izumi finished her eyes downcast. She'd expected the disapproval from Bakugo and the others… but that didn't mean she enjoyed hearing about it. Just how would they react when they found out this supposed villain was actually standing right in front of them?
"Hmmmm you've a point, Tadashi. It does sound as if someone's taking it upon themselves to do No Mercy's work but taking it to the extreme." Iida put in. "Very much the way Stain had influenced underground villains."
"THAT'S IT!" Bakugo snapped his fingers and had Izuku jolting at the sudden shout.
"What's it?"
"The guy No Mercy hijacked from the lab. I knew he looked familiar. It was the Hero Killer."
"Stain?" Iida looked pale with shock. Tadashi too showed genuine surprise and looked back to his fiancee'. She sent him a withering glance that told him they would talk about it later. "That's impossible, he's in high quarantine."
"No, I'm not mistaken." Bakugo tapped his temple. "That guy's face was splashed all over for years even after his capture. It's unmistakable."
"What does No Mercy want with Stain?"
"I don't care, whatever it is we're gonna find him. I'm calling all hands on deck at my agency and the rest of you should do the same. We need to scour the city and find this creep and the others he's working with!"
"I agree with Bakugo." Iida nodded. "No matter what business No Mercy has with him Stain is serial killer and he can't be allowed to stay on the streets. I'll call the penitentiary that was holding him to make sure he's still being guarded. Could be it was just a clone or a look-a-like."
"Keep us informed." Deku agreed shaking off the last dregs of his drunkenness. Hero work had sobred him up fast.
"Let's wash up and get to work." Shoto agreed and looked to his brother and Izumi. The two of them were sharing a silent conversation with just their eyes, and it made him curious and just a little suspicious of their actions. Nevertheless, Izumi was right… the party was over.
~An Hour Later~
"When you said you took a witness from the scene you didn't mention it was Stain." Tadashi hissed quietly as they made their way towards Rendezvous Black. They'd gone back to the house long enough to check on the kids and wash up for the meet. They were both in full costume, Izumi in her No Mercy attire, and Tadashi in his Dabi gear; all black clothes, a trench coat, and elaborate stitching in the details. To protect his identity he wore a distorted phantom mask that covered his face and a voice distorter was built into the mouthpiece.
"We were in a hurry, I didn't think the details were all that important." She told him in her No Mercy voice.
"Don't use that authoritative tone on me. We're not in front of your hirlings yet." Dabi scolded. "Why did you take Stain hostage?"
"As I said he's a witness, not just to what happened in that lab, but somehow he got smuggled out of the most highly guarded penitentiary in the country. It's the same place they're holding All for One." She stopped putting down the facade long enough to turn and stare at him. "If they managed to sneak Stain out… don't you think they'd be able to do the same for him?"
"You think he's out there? You think he's finally acting again?"
"I don't think he ever stopped. Something he said to me all those years back has been jabbing me in my brain." Her face showed fear and the start of panic. "He said… Do you think I'm powerless now that I don't have any pawns to play. You're sadly mistaken."
"I remember… you kept your calm and let Whiz track him down through the call."
"It was almost too easy… it felt easy and at the time I didn't think too much about it because I was riding the high of my new power, and the plans I had unfolding. I had such ambition back then, wanting to change the world… a foolish child indeed."
"You're not foolish. Ambitious, tenacious, and you had balls of friggin' steel. The guy's a mastermind, there's no doubt about that, but I don't believe for a minute he'd planned to get captured. He was expecting you to come in guns blazing and taking him on… instead what he got was an ambush."
"Maybe… but All for One isn't one to just give up. With the doctor still out in the open he had cards left to play. It was a loose end I failed to tie up and now it's biting me in the ass." She grit her teeth behind the face mask and clenched her fists.
"We'll take care of it. If you're right then Stain will have some inside knowledge about what's going on. Let's see if he's in the mood to talk." He motioned for Izumi to lead the way.
Rendezvous X had been an abandoned building in the middle of the city… a way for her allies to hide in plain sight. Rendezvous Black however was completely secluded, tucked in the outskirts of the city the building had once been a hospital but due to poor location choice and bad finances it closed down, but the structure remained sturdy and held some use for injured party members.
As they stepped inside Izumi had grown used to the scent of old blood and decay… but this time the scent she picked up was fresh and had her stomach twisting.
"Not Good…" Izumi extended the claws in her gloves, the metal tips gleaming in the moonlight.
"What is it?" Dabi crouched, knowing Izumi's instincts were rarely wrong.
"He got free…" She told him simply and her eyes darted left as a flash of movement caught her eye. Dabi shoved her down to the ground as the blade sent flying just past their heads. They both rolled and got to their feet as Stain leapt from the dark and out into the moonlight.
Izumi was reminded of Hosu… staring down the eyes of a killer ready to take fresh blood with his twisted sense of justice. The image she saw now was even more terrifying. The hospital garb he'd been put in was bloodstained, and he held in his hands swords she knew to be Twice's and he'd managed to stash a collection of old rusty scalpels in a back strapped across him. Fresh blood dripped from the tip of his sword and he licked it off, his smile glaring across the room at her.
"So… you're the one they call No Mercy." He chuckled. "You will fight me, and prove you are worthy of this position of power you've given yourself."
"Hero Killer Stain…" Izumi spoke with some miraculous calm. She held out a hand keeping Dabi back. "I do not wish to fight you, I pulled you from that lab so I may ask you questions about how you came to be there."
"I want to be sure of your convictions before I tell you anything. I admire your ambitions, but unless you have the determination to see it through, then there's no point in me giving you my support, whether you've helped me or not."
"Helped you?" Izumi laughed and suddenly stepped forward boldly. "You misunderstand me, Hero Killer. I don't want to fight you… but I fully intend to put you back behind bars where you belong… First you will tell me everything I want to know." She adjusted her gloves, and though her heart beat fast and her stomach twisted with nerves, she prepared to fight. "Even if I have to beat it out of you."
"Boss…" Tadashi hissed in warning his hands blazing blue fire from his palms ready to assist but Izumi continued to motion him back.
"That's the spirit…" Stain's tongue slid out and he whipped the blade so the blood splattered across the floor and walls. "Come at me!"
Izumi's No Mercy persona came out and the contacts in her eyes went from ready to a glowing gold, the look in them fierce and ready for a bout.
"With pleasure!"
~Ask Briry~
Briry: Out of one bout and into another. I realize the majority of the fighting is being done with Izumi but i promise the other characters will have their time to shine. I got excited about this particular arc because of my mental image of "No Mercy" and I really like to show off his/her range of quirks and uses in battle as the story progresses.
Next Chapter: Blood Stain