Izuku was at school, no need to worry about him. She'd arranged with Mitsuki to pick him up since this was an emergency. Hopefully this wouldn't run too long.

That was what she had thought in the waiting room, flanked by building security. She could tell by the setup that all sorts of strings had been pulled to isolate this section of the hospital. Of course, no patients were being deprived of care, but this seemed to be a little much. And no one would tell her anything. What use would they have a for a housewife?

The very nice police officer (police detective, she'd find out) introduced himself and started walking her back.

"Hello, Doctor Midoriya, I'm Detective Tsukauchi. I'm sure you know why we've called you here today."

She shook her head. Though, the 'doctor' bit gave her an idea. "No, sir, I'm not sure. I haven't practiced in years, so Mrs. Midoriya is fine."

A flicker of concern flashed over his face, but it was quickly subdued by the man's professionalism. "Alright, Mrs. Midoriya. We need your help either way. This is a high security area, as you can see."

He led her to the operating theater, to Mister Nedzu, and then she found her patient. When a nurse handed her a chart that read: 'Pro Hero, Sudden Impact' she felt her stomach drop. No name was listed, but she knew. She knew.

The wound was grisly. There were pieces of fabric, shrapnel, things Inko couldn't identify that she would have to remove. If only Hidemi was here, she'd be able to see-

Inko took a steadying breath. She had her armor: her mask, gloves, and scrubs. She had her team of professionals and another surgeon for the repairs. She couldn't think about how frail her friend looked now, how different he looked with an oxygen mask and a cap on his hair. This was Sudden Impact, pro hero, and she had a job to do.

The actual removal process took much much longer than she anticipated. While speed was necessary, there was a lot to do. Inko paired up with a nurse who had a 'metal detector' quirk and got to work on the bits of things she couldn't identify readily.

"Steel." The nurse said, moving his hands down the wound. "Here. Mostly steel, but some iron and copper. Although, that's not going to make a difference."

Inko nodded and used her quirk to slide the pieces out as they had come in. Minimal damage was vital at this stage. There was already so much… such a grievous wound; she had to do what she could. No harm, no hurt, only healing.

"We're going to need to operate on the stomach in five minutes. If you can't get all the-"

"No." Inko said firmly, but without taking her eyes off her patient. A piece of fabric worked itself free and into her hand. "He's all your in four minutes, forty-five seconds." She wasn't leaving until she was done. Or in four and a half minutes. But she knew which would come first; she'd stake her reputation on it.

Furiously, she and her nurse worked every last bit of shrapnel out. Foreign particles led to infection, complications, and all sorts of hassle she was not going to risk. She owed him no less than her very best. The other surgeon, bless her, remained calm even while her nurses started to get antsy. Time was of the essence.

"Clear!" Inko's nurse declared, and they backed away from the table as if they'd been repelled. "Go! Go!"

After that, it was a confused swap and a dash to get cleaned up. She and her nurse exchanged laughter and relieved commentary now that their part was done. They both knew that the patient's chances had improved. Of course, they weren't done. As soon as they finished changing, a security guard came to collect them. The pair followed with an exchanged glance.

"I'm sorry I d-didn't introduce myself earlier." The nurse whispered. "I guess I was a little star struck. I'm Tonomi Nakono, and I'd like to be a quirk doctor like you."

Inko couldn't speak for a moment. Her face probably flushed so red it would make her lipstick look pale in comparison. All she could do for the moment was give him a quick bow and stutter some sort of thanks.

The guard brought them to a conference room filled with a few familiar faces. Inko knew the Detective and Nedzu, but not the tall young man sitting to the side. They all looked up when the door open, and Inko felt very small. At least she and Nurse Nakono had each other if they were in any kind of trouble.

It was the young man that made her the most nervous. He had a piercing stare behind his glasses, the kind that felt like it could see into your soul. But just the fact that they were being gathered like this, in secrecy of all things, was disconcerting.

Nedzu gestured to the empty chairs on one side of the table. "Have a seat. I'm sure you're a little worn out after surgery." He had prepared a water boiler and teacups at the center of the table. "Allow me to pour you some refreshments, though I'm afraid all we have is green tea."

"Th-that's fine." Inko found her voice at last. Nakono nodded in agreement. It seemed they were both at a loss for words. Nedzu realized this with tact and quietly poured the tea. So accustomed of the last few hours with using her quirk, Inko nearly tipped the full cup when she reached for it. That would've been an embarrassing start to the meeting.

Nedzu folded his hands- paws?- and relaxed back in his chair. "I'm sure you both have quite a few questions as to the nature of this operation, events surrounding, and the mystery of your patient. I hate to leave you curious, but this is a very secretive operation for the sake of national security."

Inko felt her cheeks flushing again. National security? It seemed like 'Sudden Impact' was a bigger secret than she realized. What kind of trouble was Toshinori in?

"What I can tell you is that your patient, a pro hero who goes by Sudden Impact, was injured in the line of duty. He was stopping a top secret domestic threat that we won't be disclosing details about to the public. Needless to say, this is all confidential information and what is said in this room stays here. Is that understood?"

The question seemed less pointed at Inko and more towards young Nakano, who nodded earnestly.

"Though I'm not a licensed doctor yet, I unders-stand the importance of doctor-patient confidentiality and that relationship with the law. Provided that I am never legally obligated to disclose this information as p-part of an investigation, I have no issue with complying."

Nedzu seemed satisfied. "Then you are free to go, Nurse Nakano. Mrs. Midoriya, I do have one or two other questions I wish to ask in confidence, if you don't mind?"

That was Nanako's cue to go. Inko politely wished him goodbye and waited until the room fell silent again to focus all her nervous attention on Nedzu. The man/dog/bear/mouse had an air of command about him, even in this room. Whoever the young man was, he deferred to Nedzu as well.

"Mrs. Midoriya, I don't wish to take too much of your time. Your son, I believe, is in school?" He ventured.

"N-no, it's quite alright. I understand this is very important, and I've arranged a ride h-home for him with another parent." She felt like her palms were sweating. Just being here with these people made her nervous. It felt like an interrogation, even if the Detective's silent smile was friendly.

Nedzu gave her a smile of his own. "Very good. This will be fairly quick either way. You should have plenty of time to get back to your son after our meeting." He reached under the table and drew up a briefcase. The locks made a sharp click in the little room as he opened it up and fished through the contents.

"How do you know Mister Yagi, Mrs. Midoriya?"

So they all knew. She took a steadying breath. "We were- were friends at UA. He was in the same year as me, but in the Hero course. After that, we s-stayed somewhat in touch but never met again in person."

Nedzu hummed noncommittally and found the paper he was looking for. "You seemed to recognize the name 'Sudden Impact'. He kept in contact with you while he was abroad, correct?"

She nodded again, wondering what his underground career had anything to do with the present. Could it be that he was some sort of government agent, kept secret from the public due to the dangerous nature of his work? She hardly thought of straightforward Toshinori as the spy type, but…

"The official version of events is that Mr. Yagi is a licensed government protector of some importance. This information is of the utmost secrecy, but I'm offering you an explanation to honor Mr. Yagi's wishes. He asked to make sure you understood why you were called in with no notice and under these circumstances."

That was a lot to take in, but it made sense. No wonder his letters were few, and his packages sent anonymously. He was doing some kind of top-secret hero work. Underground indeed!

Nedzu took a sip of his tea and Inko suddenly was reminded of her own cup. This was one awkward meeting. Detective Tsukauchi cleared his throat politely before addressing Inko.

"Mrs. Midoriya, because of the top-secret nature of Mr. Yagi's activities, we can't answer many questions, but if you do have any we can try to do our best to give you some peace of mind at least."

That gave her pause. Inko took another sip of the hot tea and pondered the last few hours. Tired as a mother and tired as a surgeon were two different feelings, but feelings both soothed by caffeine. Compared to something very present and newsworthy like one of All Might's fights, this would likely never make the paper. No matter how important his work was he might never get the recognition. She tapped her finger lightly on the edge of the cup and formulated one vital question.

"I know you c-can't tell me what it is that he does, where, or using what methods. All I want to know is… Is he happy? Proud of his work? I know all he wanted to do was be a hero, to make people smile and help everyone in need. This top-secret work… It's what he wants after all?"

All three men across from her had very different, equally unreadable expressions. Nedzu's initial reaction morphed into something more like amusement. Detective Tsukauchi's eyes became more distracted by the boiler, like he didn't want to look her in the eye. And the third man, the young man in a suit… He looked guilty.

To her surprise, it was the young man who answered. "Mrs. Midoriya, though I cannot provide you with any concrete information, as someone who knows All-… of his accomplishments and feats better than most in our coworkers…" He paused for a breath, a look of gravity passing across his features.

"He is doing something he loves, with an immense value to our country and people that he may not be able to see the entire scope of. I can say confidently that he has no equal in his work, and is one of the finest men I've ever had the pleasure to work with."

Something about his tone… He sounded defeated. This young man carried an incredible weight. Could it be that he felt somewhat responsible for what had happened? Maybe he was a coordinator or some type of organizer and felt as if he could have prevented this. But most of all, it sounded like he thought Yagi already lost.

"That, I believe, is all we can tell you at this juncture Mrs. Midoriya. Though I personally can't promise anything," Nedzu had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke, "-I don't believe it out of turn to say you can look forward to a letter or two. No return address, of course."

The meeting was dispersed, and Inko gave the same a similar promise to that of Nurse Nakono. As she gathered her things and began to head towards the security escort, a voice halted her progress.

"Mrs. Midoriya, if you have the time…"

She turned, and there was the nicely dressed young man. He seemed dejected still, but there was also a slight air of nervousness about him. What was his concern? Could he be 'Sudden Impact's handler, anxious for his client? A friend? A family member? He didn't look much like Toshinori, but Inko couldn't say without a doubt.

The young man stopped just in front of her. He seemed to be composing himself. "Mrs. Midoriya," he began again, "I realize you have your son to attend to, but I would like your opinion as a professional."

It seemed odd. There was this tall, nervous man before her with some degree of influence in Toshinori's life asking for her opinion. She assumed it was her prognosis.

The young man straightened up, regaining some composure. "In your opinion as a doctor, given his current state and the expected rate of recovery… Will… Forgive me, but do you believe he can come back from this?"

What a loaded question. Inko had been a doctor for several years. She'd seen patients pull through and… not. This young man though, she knew his type. He was smart. He was used to hearing fluff and dismissing it. He would not take any positive outlook at face value.

She paused. "It would be rash to say anything for certain, sir." Inko began hesitantly, but was emboldened by his continued attention. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to know Toshinori as well as I do."

He nodded somberly. Well, it was a good sign. "Then you know how persistent he is. Those surgeons in there are the best in the country. While you may not have faith in them, I ask that you have faith in our friend. I believe he can pull through this and beat any odds against him. After all…" she felt her resolve failing, personal feelings becoming blended with a professional opinion. "… that's always been his dream."

The young man didn't speak. He was looking at the floor, clearly deep in thought. On some level, she knew how difficult this would be. There was no guarantee of anything, and Inko herself was nervous. But she'd learned from years of experience that you can only worry about things that are out of anyone's hands. Her son, she worried about him. He would follow his dreams with or without guidance. Nothing anyone said would dissuade him. But a surgical procedure was all in the hands of professionals. In this case, the best in the nation.

"Allow me to treat you to lunch then." He said. Inko's eyes widened in surprise. "Please accept. It is the very least I could do to thank you for all of your help. I know the other surgeons will be a while yet and…"

And it was hard to sit and wait. No doubt he would get a call as soon as Toshinori came out of surgery. He had a cell phone, surely, with his line of work in this day and age.

"Thank you." Inko bowed his way. "I accept, though I would do anything for my dear friend without compensation."

The young man smiled for the first time since she'd seen him.