Chapter 1
Betting with Lives
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"Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, this is Officer Sato speaking. How may I help?"
"…"
"… Hello?"
"There is going to be an earthquake on May 15th, at approximately 15:20."
"W—What?"
"It will be followed by a tsunami. It will reach Iwaki, Fukushima by approximately 15:35."
"… Who am I speaking with?"
"I know it sounds like it might be a joke or some sick prank, but I promise you, I'm not lying. If nothing is done to prepare, people will die."
"How do you know this, sir—Can I get your name?"
"I can see it with my Quirk, and… no. I don't want to."
"Your Quirk… alright. What else can you see, sir?"
"It will kill a lot of people up the coast… in Ibaraki and Chiba, too, though it will hit them slightly later… Iwaki is the farthest north I've seen. I can't tell exactly how strong the earthquake will be, or how high the tsunami will be… I don't know how many aftershocks there will be, or how bad… there's not much else to say. That's all I can help with."
"No, thank you, sir. Can you stay on the line for a minute? I'd like for you to talk with my supervisor as well. He may have more questions than I do. Can you do that?"
"…" –Beep.
The recording ended, and every one of the twenty people around the rectangular table was silent and still. Then, one person shifted forward in their chair.
"So, let me sum this up… The police got a call about a vague disaster prophesy from some guy whose name we don't even know, so you called us all in because…?" Lock Hero: Rock Lock left his words hanging in the air the same way he did objects, an open hand raised in incredulous invitation to take him up on the offer to reply. The Commissioner General of the Police Force shifted his severe frown to him.
"The Police Force must respond to every threat to national security accordingly."
"Of course, and an earthquake is no joke, but there's no guarantee that this isn't," Lock returned. "I mean, are we going to man a nationwide response to every prank call the police gets just because they 'promised' they were for real? What's our proof we should listen to him? Do we even have any?"
Officer Tsukauchi, seated beside the canine Chief of Police Tsuragamae, shifted forward. "Your point is not invalid, Rock Lock. Officer Sato was unable to keep the caller on the line long enough to gather more information, and further investigation revealed a disposable phone ending the trail there. We know absolutely nothing about this individual, other than what he told us. However, it is the opinion of myself and others on the Police Force that this claim warrants further investigation.
In addition to his call to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he has made other calls to various institutions all reflecting the same message; police departments in Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba, the national coast guard, and the offices of several pro heroes; those ranked the very highest and specializing in water or search and rescue."
His eyes flicked around to each of them in turn. Selkie, Gang Orca, Ryukyu, Hound Dog, Uwabami, and Mandalay, Ragdoll, Pixie-Bob, and Tiger of the Wild, Wild Pussycats. … Although, most of the highest-ranking like Endeavor said they were too busy to make it. Even All Might… His eyes settled on a specific man at the table. Declined to be in this room. His eyes shifted back to Rock Lock.
"If this is a prank, it is a time-staking one risking serious personal consequences. And to be honest, this sense of urgency he holds doesn't sit well with my intuition."
Rock Lock considered that with a frown that was not entirely convinced but did concede a hum of acknowledgment.
That specific man settled forward in his seat, lacing long fingers in a tent beneath his chin with a humorless look. "You say this individual made calls to many of us in this room, however, I can say with certainty I was not one such person. That call of invitation came you alone, Officer Tsukauchi. And I can suppose a reason."
Tsukauchi's eyes returned to him, and he gave a nod. "Yes. I invited you here to gain your insight on this person, Sir Nighteye."
Centipeder and Bubble Girl looked to their boss sitting between them expectantly. His face remained solemn. "Would you like me to theorize about his Quirk based on the tone of his voice? I'm sure I could propose all manner of conjecture," Nighteye replied dryly. "… Though, of course, I understand what you mean. The proof you are seeking for this person's claim—you hope to find it with Foresight. What better to judge the validity of one prophetic Quirk than with another?"
The collection of heroes, police, and government officials fixed him with looks of anticipation. "Can you do this, Sir Nighteye?" The Commissioner asked seriously.
Nighteye was motionless for an unrushed pause, then he bowed his head. "… Hmm. You should be more wary of calling on my Quirk so quickly. You just might regret what I'll see… I question the extent of this person's ability to judge the future. May 15th, at approximately 15:20; approximately 15:35; and a slightly later arrival to the other locations; time was the only specific detail he could even provide. That, and… people will die." He was quiet for another long moment with his face cast in shadow and eyes on the table between his elbows. "… He said that with such certainty. If that's the future he saw, then I have to wonder at its potential to be changed. When I look beyond the present, the view I see is… unforgivably certain."
"So, what's the answer, then? Is that just a roundabout way of saying you can't do it?" Lock spoke up, looking a bit impatient. "People will die—if that's the case, then what the heck are we waiting for? Take a peek already and see if he's for real. Come on!"
Nighteye looked up, his gaze unreadable over the top of his laced fingers as it returned to the Commissioner General, still awaiting a response with stern attentiveness. "… I can. You are right about that much; we cannot bet with lives. I'm afraid my Foresight cannot provide confirmation of the exact timing, but as to whether or not there will be a disaster in the near future—that I can see."
His head turned to the young lady beside him looking Bubble Girl in the eye. She had a serious gaze that met his, and she nodded. Viewing an entire month into the future was something he typically deemed extremely risky. However, the weight of lives that might be lost from such a disaster outweighed even his great caution about Foresight's accuracy. Whatever the specific nature of the caller's Quirk, the risk at a national level demanded Nighteye concede the use of his.
He reached out and tapped her hand with a finger. "I'll have my own sidekick assist me in the matter." His eyes shifted purple as Foresight activated.
Bubble Girl's future rolled out in his mind with days spent toiling in the office, short periods of fieldwork, and a dissatisfying lack of cheer demanding tickle torture. Cautiously, he skimmed over most of it looking only for the disaster. There was an unclear passage of time with days melting into nights, but eventually, there came the moment that he focused his sight on. She paused in her work and moved to the doorframe to brace herself. There was a short span of time waiting, and then she and the slim view of the world around her began to shake. He watched until the shaking became truly formidable, and then he closed his eyes. He dared not risk looking to the end results of the quake and beyond. It was difficult to judge the days, but it was close enough by his estimate to be accurate with the caller's prediction.
Nighteye looked up and swept his gaze around the waiting room with all eyes on him.
"There will be an earthquake in the near future, Commissioner. I advise proceeding with the assumption that the caller is accurate in their timing."
The Commissioner's slim eyes narrowed further. "We will be prepared."
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"Breaking News: In an unprecedented move, the Commissioner General of the Japan Police Force has declared a nationwide state of emergency—one month before the emergency. The full story at 11—"
"—Police Force received an anonymous tip that there will be an earthquake and tsunami one month from now on May 15th—"
"—Heroes and police are coordinating preparations in vulnerable coastal regions—"
"—Recommending the public stockpile food and water for the aftermath—"
"—Sales of portable stoves and toiletries have skyrocketed—"
"—Companies under public scrutiny for taking advantage of fear to hike prices—"
"—Stock market plunge—"
"—This is kind of crazy, isn't it—?"
"—Here, listen! They got a leaked recording of the caller—"
"—That guy sounds pretty shady to me—"
"—Attention-seeker—"
"—I dunno, he sounds scared to me—"
"—What kind of Quirk do you think he's got that sees the future—?"
"—I could have had a dream more detailed than that—!"
"—Commissioner taking the word of some prank caller—"
"—How bad is it even going to be? The police won't say—"
"—He's staking his career on this decision—!"
"—What a fool—"
"—Heroes fortifying the seawalls, did you hear—?"
"—How much money is this costing the government? My tax dollars—"
"—They're advising evacuation drills ahead of the date. At least I might get out of some work—"
"—But what if it really does happen—?"
"—Commissioner's decision under immense public scrutiny—"
"—He doesn't have any proof at all, what a joke—"
"—I'm usually for his decisions, but this is beyond me—"
"—His stances are so hard-lined, this is highly unusual for him—"
"—Something we don't know, maybe, confidential information—"
"—If it happened and he didn't do anything, the media would eat him alive. On the other hand, if it ends up being a prank now, he'll lose all reputation and credibility—"
"—Damned if you do, damned if you don't—"
"—I don't envy the guy at all—"
"Well, as it stands, he's taking us all down with him, too. If Japan invests all this effort into taking a joke seriously, we'll all be the fool on an international scale—"
"—You make it sound like that earthquake better happen or else—!"
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"So… everybody ready, yeah? Tomorrow's the big day."
Everyone seated on the floor around the table shifted their attention to Present Mic. He had a bit of a grin with cheeks tinted and his cup of sake lifted in one hand. "It's all anybody can talk about this past month."
"Come on, Hizashi. We're trying to relax about it right now," Midnight scolded.
"Not something I'm really eager to see there, Mic," Vlad agreed from across the table.
"Grrrrr…. You bet I'm ready. It's gonna happen, alright! I've gotta be ready if worse comes to worst and it's a big one! My nose is already itching! Ruff!" Hound Dog looked far more worked up about it, his drink tipping precariously as he swiped his hand around until Vlad nonchalantly steadied it for him.
"Of course, you'll be out on the front if it comes true," Mic nodded, his eyes shifting sympathetically to someone else at the table. "Kinda like someone else, around here. How are you holding up, Cement?"
A weary-looking Cementoss settled heavily into his arms with a sigh weighed down by the thousands of tons of seawall-reinforcing cement he'd put up this past month. "I sincerely hope that everything they've had me put up won't be needed. It would be embarrassing if it was a hoax, but I'd like it to be; for everyone's sake."
"No way, we're ready for this. I'm ready for it to happen. I'll be out there first!" Excavator shot back flexing his massive digging hands.
"Oh, you're on the Commissioner's side, too, huh?" Mic questioned.
"No side that needs picking. The Commissioner General has never suffered any fools. I've always agreed with his approach."
"Well, you're certainly right about the guy being serious. I think he knows how to smile even less than Aizawa," Mic replied, his eyes shifting the man slouching beside him.
Easer remained completely impassive until Mic prodded him with an elbow. "And you?"
He never looked up from his drink. "… There's nothing to say. Conjecture is a waste of time. It happens or it doesn't; we respond accordingly."
The group was startled as Hound Dog suddenly brought his hand and cup thumping down on the table, sloshing a little of the beer over the edge of the glass with Vlad quickly providing napkins.
"You guys are missing the point! It will happen! And it will be bad enough for people to die! That's what's going down, and anyone not ready for it is a barking mad fool!" He growled heatedly.
Mic took in how agitated he was for a moment. "… You were at that first meeting, yeah? With the Commissioner there."
"Grrrr…" Hound Dog's growl quieted as he thought for a moment, then he lifted his head and peered around the room for eavesdroppers. He leaned closer into the table then, his voice dropping to a gruff undertone. "It's not just the caller who saw it… Sir Nighteye did, too."
The table collectively stiffened up at that. "Hey, he's that one guy who was All Might's man for a while, right? Some kind of precognition Quirk?"
"Foresight… he was there, and he saw it coming with Foresight," Hound Dog continued in his hushed voice. "He didn't want it public, though… too much attention on himself. And something about his Quirk, for some reason he didn't want to look at the details of what's coming. Afraid he might set it in stone... So, if the caller and the Commissioner aren't good enough for you, let one of our own be!"
The group stared at him in silence, and Vlad, in particular, looked concerned from where he'd paused in cleaning up the beer with napkins in hand. "Hey… were you supposed to tell anyone that? I think this is your last one, Dog."
He scowled with his canine nose scrunching as he gesticulated clumsily with a hand. "I'mma grown man! I'll drink what I want!"
"Drown your anxieties about tomorrow is more like it!"
The group was sufficiently quieted, though, contemplating on that.
"So, that's the piece the media is missing, huh," Mic mused to himself lowly. Someone flicked him on the head and he startled, looking up sharply at the offender sitting next to him.
Midnight looked a bit cross. "Congrats, you've got him all worked up now with your yammering. Let's all just enjoy tonight, how about that?" She turned to her own drink, hiding any obvious worry. "Sounds like it will be our last chance to relax."
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May 15th, 15:10
"Alright, just like our drills. Everybody on the floor. Get under your desks."
"Huh? It's not for another ten minutes, though."
Eraser looked cross. "The earthquake is supposed to hit at approximately 15:20. Stop wasting time. Floor. Now."
The students got on the floor still chatting actively amongst themselves. Eraser himself stayed standing to supervise though remained behind the desk at the front to get under it when necessary. Due to the time of day the earthquake was supposed to hit, it had been decided on a nationwide scale that all school-age children remain on school grounds until after the time had passed (with the obvious exception of schools too close to the coast). All classes were put on hold and homeroom teachers returned to their designated classes until the theoretical disaster passed. As for everywhere else, the nation was in a state of well-organized chaos.
Systematic removal of senior citizens and otherwise vulnerable individuals from threatened coastal regions to designated evacuation facilities had begun in the morning all across the country. The workday had been cut short for everyone else giving them sufficient time to prepare their belongings and retreat inland. The police and fully mobilized Pro Hero forces had finished last-call sweeps of the direct coastline communities and taken station at their blockades by the end of the last hour. The coast of Japan had become one long, continuous ghost town in a matter of hours in a way that had never been seen before.
As the final minutes crept by, sirens all across the nation warned drivers to stop their vehicles and police patrols made sure of it. Every train in Japan came to a standstill. Factory assembly-lines were motionless. Thousands of offices were quiet and even eerily empty with most employees leaving to prepare. The harbors were a skeleton with all their boats removed to the safety of open water. Cameras were rolling on all angles with every news channel offering its own particular opinion on the situation. And not just in Japan; internationally, all eyes were pointed inward on the bizarre, fascinating diligence of the nation in response to this supernaturally perceived threat. History would be made today, and only a scarce few minutes remained before it would be decided with Japan going down in the records as setting a world precedent in disaster response or as the most gullible nation on the planet. The world held its breath and watched.
One of the students had pulled up a live news feed on her phone, and the whole room listened in on it between some nervous, excited chatter. Aizawa listened to it with detached disinterest. Of course, the media didn't really have anything new to go on with this case, so it was a rehash of everything that everyone already knew about this past month with check-ins around the country in real-time while they sat on the edges of their seat waiting for the real news to begin. The Commissioner General was of course at the heart of the discussion.
Though he kept his thoughts to himself unlike seemingly everybody else, that certainly didn't mean Eraser hadn't thought about it. Logically, it was a massive bet, but one the Commissioner had absolutely no choice but to take. Even the slightest chance of it coming true could mean disaster for the entire country. Illogically, he'd be thrown to the wolves regardless if he had nothing to show for the national loss of face, massive preparation efforts, and financial losses associated with them. This moment would define his career whether it made it or ended it. But despite the burden he carried, the Commissioner was all-in, absolutely steadfast and unwavering in seeing his decision through to the end. Eraser didn't envy his position one bit, but he could respect that stony resolve.
"15:19." Eraser's ears focused on the broadcast. The room had become unnervingly quiet.
"Just one minute left until the earthquake's time of arrival. We expect an EEW to be issued in the coming seconds. Anyone who hasn't taken refuge yet, please do so now."
*A system of over four thousand seismometers installed around Japan consisted of the Early Earthquake Warning system (EEW) designed for the soonest possible detection and nationwide alerting of impending earthquakes.
"15:19 and ten seconds… twenty… thirty… forty… fifty… 15:20."
Eraser did sink under the desk then, and the whole nation tightened its grip with the students to their desks. The room was dead silent, everyone's eyes and ears focused on the phone as the news presenter continued quietly onward.
"15:20 and ten seconds… … … … … … … … … …
Twenty… … … … … … … … … …
Thirty… … … … … … … … … …
Forty… … … … … … … … … …
Fifty… … … … … … … … … …
15:21."
"15:21! The time has passed."
"Approximately! The call said approximately! No one relax, yet. The police advisory will remain in effect until 15:35.
15:21 and ten seconds… … … … … … … … … …
twenty second—"
Chime! "This is an Earthquake Early Warning."
The student's phone sounded, and there was a sharpening of breath.
"There's the warning! Everyone brace yourself for tremors."
Depending on an individual's distance to the epicenter, the warning could give them seconds to minutes to respond. Not knowing the exact "when" hung an excruciating tension over the room, hardly a soul even breathing. The spell of silence was broken by a loose pencil twitching, then starting to jitter on its own. The metal legs of the desks trembled with impending vibrations beneath their fingers, increasing in rapid speed until it was the legs that were moving back and forth entirely. Rumbling filled up the space left by broken silence as everything began to shake in unison. The first rolls of the earth under their feet were gradual, as if testing, and then the real deal slammed into them. Students let out sounds of alarm, holding for dear life onto desks that tried to slide away. The building around them groaned. Eraser was silent, his eyes pinned tensely on the unsteady floor and grip tight.
As a nation that experienced 1,500 recorded tremors of varying magnitude every year, no citizen of Japan was a stranger to seismological activity. By that same coin, most of them, especially older residents, had enough experience to rapidly tell that this was no minor event like most of those tremors were. The country creaked, buckled, and shifted, ripples of energy radiating out across the globe.
The time stretched out with their fear, but soon enough, the worst vibration passed, the desks calmed down, and eventually, even the lone pencil, having skittered far beyond its starting place on the floor, came to a standstill. A wary hush settled over the class, then a collective sigh of relief escaped. Eraser uncurled and rose cautiously, eyes scanning the room.
"Is everyone alright?"
The students checked themselves and voiced an affirmation, and with that, ease washed over them. They rose off the floor with excited, awed, and concerned chatter returning loudly amongst themselves. Eraser let them, getting a visual on every student then going out into the hallway. Other teachers were coming out into the hall as well to check with each other as planned each with their phone on for wider shared communication across the campus.
Eraser met eyes with Vlad, his eyes still visibly, and literally, shook up.
"You good?" Eraser asked.
"Yeah… that was huge," Vlad replied seriously. "A disaster on that level…"
"Tsunami warnings have been officially issued. Early detection anticipates landfall in approximately ten minutes. Anyone who has not done so, retreat to high ground now…"
The teachers listened to the continuing announcements coming from the student's phone. Vlad and Eraser shared a solemn look, nothing more needed to convey what the experienced pros could already sense.
A disaster like this would define a lifetime.
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"—an 8.9 magnitude earthquake at 15:21—"
"—The largest earthquake recorded in Japan in over a century—"
"—Top 3 in Japan's recorded history—!"
"—8-story-high tsunami inundated Iwaki, Fukushima—"
"—Even the reinforced seawalls weren't enough in some coastal communities—"
"—whole towns destroyed and swept out to sea—"
"—Officials still evaluating the casualty report—"
"—Tsunami waves continued their swell for over an hour before subsiding—"
"—International support pouring in—"
"—Tsunami landfall estimated around the Pacific—"
"—You can see for yourself on the screen the absolute swath of destruction the tsunami has left in its wake—"
"—Japan's efforts being commended worldwide—"
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52 casualties.
Fifty. Two.
Officials still weren't sure they could believe the count. In a nation of over a hundred million, it was an astronomically tiny loss of life in the face of such a significant disaster.
"—Didn't heed the warning, decided to watch the tsunami from presumed safety on the cliff—"
"—there's always some sad, sorry fool that thinks it won't happen to them—"
"—a tragic waste of young life—"
"—A poor old lady fell and hit her head, too—"
"—How sad—"
More people were killed in the significant number of powerful aftershocks which came in the following days than the actual inciting quake and tsunami. This was attributed to a lack of forewarning. The death toll was still a shockingly low 187 people nationwide for a disaster which had impacted the entirety of the heavily-populated coast. Rebuilding was going to be a massive undertaking.
Officer Tsukauchi was in the same room as the Commissioner General when the earthquake struck along with other members of the police force. Each of them had known the significance of this moment for his fate, and likewise the reputation of all of them. When the shaking ended and everyone warily stood up, he bore witness to the scene that followed.
The Commissioner, usually stoic, seemed in a state of shock by the widening of his eyes. It had happened. It had really happened, after everything…
The Commissioner's wife, also in the room, embraced him at once. They had been witnesses to her as a silent pillar of support in the past month. No matter how much the public, media, political leaders, his own colleagues, and the international community battered his character and life's work, she stood right at his side through the full brunt of their scrutiny.
Her touch seemed to bring him back to reality. He melted into her arms with the crushing, unceasing, vicious weight of the whole world's critical eyes and opinions sloughing off of his shoulders. The dreaded anticipation was resolved. It was over. His fate, and that of history, had been decided. His lips pressed into the hair by her ear and whispered. Thank you.
And then he pulled away, the private vulnerability disappearing with his face settling again into its stern default as he focused on addressing the gathered officers and government leaders. The phase of preparation was over, but the new challenge of response had only just begun.
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"—The Commissioner General—"
"—Commissioner General—"
"—Commissioner General of the Japan Police Force—"
"—is being hailed as a national hero—"
"—his intuition in listening to the caller—"
"—leadership of the Police Force—"
"—Coordinating preparations was instrumental—"
"—the Police response in the wake of the disaster has been praiseworthy—"
"—Prime Minister commending the Commissioner General's actions—"
"—Commissioner General to address the public today in open media forum—"
"—Commissioner, what guided your decision to take action on this anonymous call—?"
"—I will not bet with people's lives—"
" —What gave you the strength to get through this most difficult point in your career—?"
"—My wife—"
—Web Search: the Commissioner General's wife…
name /
married how long? /
career /
do they have kids/
is pretty /
—
"—Commissioner, do you know who the caller is—?"
"—Not at this time—"
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How quickly the media changed its tune.
After tearing him apart from every angle for an entire month, everyone was tripping over themselves in the effort to build him up in the best possible light.
It was not underserved. Knowing fully what the costs might be, the Commissioner had declared himself the source of responsibility in order to protect his colleagues and the leaders of the nation from any fallout. In his eyes, the world's praise came on the sobering reality of the worst-case scenario, that of the call being true, coming to pass. From scapegoat to savior.
But without a doubt, the single most significant factor in the preservation of untold thousands of lives in the eyes of the media and public opinion was the person who had made any of it possible in the first place.
"—Who is the mystery caller—?"
"—Police being inundated with fake claims of being the caller—"
"—Prime Minister asking the real caller to step forward—"
"—a national hero as much as the Commissioner General—"
"—a Quirk that can save countless lives—!"
"—Did you hear? Even All Might thanked him on TV—"
"—Has he saved as many people as All Might, do you think—?"
"—We won't ever know, because he kept them from getting hurt in the first place—"
"—Make that guy a Pro—!"
"—I wonder if he's single—?"
"—Ew, you don't even know if he's cute, yet—"
"—Who is he—?"
"—Where is he—?"
"—Why isn't he coming forward—?"
"—Too scared—"
"—I'd be—"
"—Everybody's watching—"
"—that's selfish—"
"—should use his Quirk for the police—"
"—What if he's already in the police? Plot twist—!"
"—More like conspiracy theory—!"
"—Who is the mystery caller—?"
"—Everyone is dying to find out—"
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"Tsukauchi."
The Commissioner settled a hand of trust on the detective's shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"Find him."
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Next time on Shinigami: Join Officer Tsukauchi on his quest to find the main character.
Originally, I had the news segments formatted in such a way that it looked really chaotic like you were getting inundated by information from multiple directions at once, exactly how I envisioned it, but this site destroyed all of that and I had to settle meagerly for alternating centered lines. Thanks, SO MUCH Fanfic . net!