Chapter 34
The fleers lay in relative protection, the only obstruction between their opponent's and them being the boarder AC gladly arranged. Standing before them, with baleful gaze and arsenals drawn, was the mangled face of Dabi, and the towering chassis of the lanky Moonfish. The plethora of golden sparks placed at the epicenter of his skull, radiated only more fervently in the shroud of the cavernous dim.
Too many variables swam inside the mind of Izuku. His diagnostic cerebellum was immediately thrown into overdrive. Two objectives he vitally required to see through were the salvation of his friends and AC, as well as the novel goal of determining his family's well-being.
In no reality could he possibly deal with both Melissa, Bakugou, Dabi, and the colossal all at the same time. Though the firearm Bakugou was now fitted with was held in great esteem by David Shield, he was doubtful of the effectiveness it would have on the infamous abomination identified as Moonfish. The foundations of a hazardous plan began to hatch in the mind of Izuku, one who's chances may not fair.
"Bakugou, take Melissa and go," he whispered, handing her off as though she were the only splendor in the dark and desolate cavern, like a striking water lily in a murky swap.
"What? Izuku don't be stupid, you and I can take them, especially with AC on our side," he brutishly cracked.
"No. That gun isn't going to do squat against the tin man, and you heard Tensi and Tento, Dabi is an unrivalled marksman. Plus, I got AC in my corner, they can't touch me," he proclaimed with a palpable expanse of false confidence. He protracted Melissa's limp body outward, awaiting an exchange to be made.
"That's not happening, the only reason you're here right now is because I was the one who helped you fight Moonfish off in the first place," his expression appeared desperate, an inflection Bakugou was uncomfortable providing.
"Bakugou you were there on the blimp to risk your life for a complete stranger, and again in that back ally against those Reservoir Dogs, now it's time you let me repay the favor." With time being of the essence, and Izuku's stubbornness being a known factor, Bakugou aversely acquired Melissa. He draped her over his shoulders in a fireman carry, an insecure position Izuku would have argued against, had the situation been different.
"Um hello? Over here, I'm talking to you two," beckoned Dabi, displeased at the flouting display. A nod of admiration was all Bakugou gave before departing. With his gun in one arm, and Melissa in the other he fled, seeking an alternate route to the surface. Izuku was left behind, the protection AC granted extended the narrow entranceway, providing him with full cover.
"Want to come out of there and talk?" Dabi asked, with a smirk spread wide athwart his cheeks.
"No, I think I'll stay put. I can hear you from here." The two opponents stared each other down like bull and toreador, both instilled with a burning craze for retribution.
"It's been quite a while," Dabi began. "I've been looking forward to our inevitable tête-à-tête for quite some ti-"
"Where are my sister and grandfather?" he cut off, directly and fervidly.
"Oh, the sister," he sighed in resentment, running his digits through ruffled straw hair. "Do you know how much trouble that pest has given me? Do you? More than most of the green caps and militants I have ever had the displeasure of working with. Take a minute, to really grasp the severity of that statement."
"Never been prouder of her," he re-joined, taking pleasure in Dabis exasperation. He was aware that provoking the armed deadeye was without a doubt tremendously foolish, tantamount to suicide- though the words escaped involuntarily.
"You two are cut from the same cloth. Defiant, rash and extremely idiotic. Your father did a poor job." Izuku steadied his breath, refusing to gratify the baiting comments.
"You have my grandfather to thank for my upbringing. Speaking of whom, do you know where I might find in," he asked once more, conjuring as much intimidation as he could possibly muster. The tactic was unsuccessful, as the look on his face remained unchanged.
"I'm assuming you're still not willing to part ways with the glorified marble, now are you?" he asked, as if issuing an ultimatum. Izuku smirked rebelliously. Having kept the globe this far from the hands of the green caps was a major success, to collapse all that work would be shattering.
"The answer is still a resounding no. I've seen the way you people operate on the streets, amongst each other, and even in other foreign countries. I've seen how the blue-collar workers, like the miners in this very cave believe in the meritocracy you claim to lay out. But in reality, those who are not aristocrats are just rabbits, endlessly chasing the carrot on a stick. Your joke of a king is as polarizing as he is unjust."
The manner in which he spoke of his adopted country surprised even him. "Tenya must have rubbed off on me more than I realized," Izuku thought to himself, seeing clearly for the first time in a very long while. Dabi could not argue with his sermon, nor could he acknowledge it. His expression grew cold and stagnant, devoid of wit or care. Izuku presumed that if Dabi did not hold the position he currently assumed, if his status were that of another, he would like nothing more than to venture off with him. Fighting the war on his terms and vaulting the line to the right side of history. If only.
"Moonfish," Dabi droned in a whisper. "Get on with it, and this time finish the boy off." Wasting no time, the gangly scrap of alloy tore through the air, with an unmatched velocity. Flashbacks surfaced on Izuku cognizant, to the time this same machine drove a knife into his upper thigh. No more than a second had gone by before the automaton came upon AC, his only guard against the menace.
A maze of pistons and knobs warped and arranged itself until its left arm became a glinting machete, his left a drill. The engine immediately began hacking and slashing its way in vain at the hexagonal blockade that protruded from AC's circumference. The driving force between his attacks bore down with the weight of a free-falling engine. The sounds and flashes that were triggered overwhelmed the senses of any man, as the unrelenting flurry persisted. Never had AC's limits been tested quite like this.
Izuku could not aid in any way, while he sheltered his ears from the blares, and squinted his eyes as the flares flew through the cavern like rockets. As the seconds dragged by with no headway being made by Moonfish, the robo stepped back to instate a different approach. His right arm now melded, or rather compartmentalized itself to give way to a Gatling gun of sorts.
Steam surged from its cloaked skull as the firearm began to revolve barbarously. This led way to a cascade of slugs, making the custom muskets of their era appear as playthings in comparison. The racket reverberated through the cavernous mine alerting all beings within hundreds of meters of their location. Amidst the barrage Izuku could glimpse Dabi's figure. His ears were insulated by his hands, while he blissfully observed the assault.
Though AC remained firm and stout, the buffer he had conjured began to sway, as the perfect hexagonal pattern began to distort in accordance to the bullets that rained down. Izuku pondered his thoughts violently, seeking a getaway like a rat in a labyrinth. Fleeing would prove impractical, given that the fastest locomotive could not compete against Moonfish's pace. The weapon he had holstered were low class, and inadequate at this time. He thought to call Tenya once more on his earpiece, though he realized quickly the act would be in vain. Squinting about, he analyzed everything and anything that could be of service, all the while attempting not to be blinded by the bombardment of shells.
It was then he beheld AC once more, as the lilac button on its surface beckoned to him. Though the function of the dial could range from an atomic detonation to the appearance of a comb, he saw no other alternative as the barricade became visibly weaker. Extending his index finger, he put pressure on the knob. Clasping his eyes shut, he quietly made peace with his conscious, solely praying that Bakugou and Melissa had fled in time.
The result was an eruption of icy cold steam that prickled at his skin, one that left Izuku unscathed while seizing Moonfish's unyielding onslaught. Goosebumps manifested throughout his entire surface, while a wild jolt of voltage shot up his spine like he had been met with a thousand tasers. A moment of pure numbness dragged on, before he fully regained movement of his extremities. Fearing the worst, he unbolted his eyes once more, gawping at the most curious sight of his young life.
AC had split into two individual hemispheres, revealing a network of dimly lit machinery, with his hand sandwiched welcomingly in the middle. The sphere then shut, engulfing his full hand, as it melded with it's metal ridges.
The millions of sectors and segments that made the whole of the sphere suddenly began to shift, arranging themselves accordingly. The metallic smithereens scaled his arm, packaging his limb in a rigid yet well-adjusted fit, like a sea of metal coating had been poured upon him. The mining pit was now illuminated in a serine, lilac flicker as the golden serpent now masked his entire arm, as well as his right shoulder, deltoid, and upper vertebrae.
The adversaries that were once upon him with a force, bid their time in reluctance. Never had they seen such symbiosis, as they internally deemed provocation as a chancy play. Yet, Dabi continued with his finger resting shakily on the trigger. He became utterly thunderstruck, and unsure of how to proceed.
Once the heavy breathing as well as the assault on his stimuli had subsided, Izuku stood to marvel at what he had become. AC abandoned his former globular form and was now an extension of the host. The lens that was once at its epicenter now lay on Izuku's back hand, observing all the while. A sheath of alloy coated the right side of his upper body, originating at fingertips like gleaming talons, and ending at an ironclad mail that enclosed his core.
As he swayed his hand tenderly through the air, he bore witness to the millions of springs, coils and circuits that made the plating move as if it were flesh. For a fleeting moment, Izuku had forgotten about the dire position that had befallen him, entranced with the alien that had bound itself to him. However, the daydream ended as hastily as it had begun, realizing now that his cover had been compromised, laying his figure open for harm.
Moving in parallel, Izuku drew his guard up with his new appendage, while Dabi took aim to fire a lethal volley. Rounds were then fired, all in perfect trajectory, merely to be halted once again by the same dependable screen AC had forged before, projected from Izuku' forearm. Stirred once more by the sirens of firings, the wonder and indecision had abandoned Izuku, as his instincts overcame him.
Extending his palm in kind, he gave no vocal directive, knowing full well that AC and he were of one mind. A transparent pulse of some unknown force discharged swiftly, creating ripples of distortion in the air. The power sent Dabi rocketing through the air like a human lance, crashing into a mine cart at a deadly velocity. His sagging physique toppled to the ground, with his condition falling somewhere between concussed, and deceased.
Moonfish was quick to respond, hurtling towards Izuku with legs that could cross ravines. He came down upon them with his accompanying machete, driving his momentum into the swing. The blow connected once again with AC's purple defenses, as Izuku shielded his right side with his newly acquired kit. A severe tussle began as each adversary drove their full weight behind both shield and sword, endeavoring to crumple the other. Under normal circumstances the piercing edge of his razor would have severed Izuku from torso to legs, had AC's air jets not been in effect, providing crucial support.
Procuring an advantageous stance, the two rivals parted from their bind, with Moonfish sweeping in for yet another assault. Exploiting AC's propulsion, Izuku was able to parry the blade as its edge buried itself deep within the harvestable earth. With Moonfish's figure held firmly in place, Izuku vaulted over the ensnared arm using his protruding talons to deliver a blow to the upper thigh.
A terrible noise, like a thousand chalks grating on blackboard erupted as the superior alloy tarnished and gashed the weaker. The wound created on the abominations metal hide was deep, as circuitry and hot oil began to ooze. The automaton declined to flinch however, as it drew its arm from the stone prison, to swipe once more. Izuku applied his defensive stance, though the hammering of steal against shield was unrelating, as all aching ears protested the racket.
With their souls offering full concentration, Izuku and AC danced as one, parrying blow after blow, as potent as they may be. It was at that moment he internally thanked Naezono and Shoto for having taught him what they know, knowing full well those lessons averted his peril. However, the mask that enfolding Izuku mouth and nose began to take a tole, as his breathing became more strained. His arm grew heavy, not only from the slashes being delivered, but from relentlessly carrying Melissa across the lackluster mine. The automaton could tell he was fatiguing, as his radiant lenses mechanically analyzed any opening in his guard.
Now at the brink of weariness, Moonfish sought to end the combat, reeling back his arm, seeking for a final blow to the neck. With precious seconds expended on catching his breath, Izuku stared dead eyed at his opponent, aware that his short life was coming to a close. He bared his eyes shut peacefully, awaiting the plunge of a blade with grace.
And as the gears churned and pistons thrust, applying the weight behind the knife, Izuku arm rose on its own, as the symbiotic AC stirred the appendages at will. Angling his hand with unmatched precision, the rest of his body began to flow as suave as water in an aqueduct. The blade now inches from Izuku cranium, came into contact with one of the many talons he had newly acquired. The angle and sturdiness of AC's hide sent the arm careering to the side with a force brought about my Moonfish's own momentum. With the enemies body now open, it was the duos turn at the offensive. Using his own reserves and AC's thrusters, he protracted his digits to create a fine point with the metallic coating, driving it as far as possible into the flank of his adversary. Izuku bellowed a war cry, fully compliant to his animal spirit.
It was there that Izuku found himself elbow deep into the inner components of the two-meter-tall contraption. The gears within his insides moaned against the obstruction within, as the wound inflicted began to take effect. In retaliation, Moonfish brought an arm down to swat Izuku aside, removing the intruder as best he could. The fist connected with Izuku unguarded breast, as his entire form flew several meters, skidding across the muck infested surface. His body halted against the ore veined wall, as he recovered endeavored to recover from the air knocked out of his lungs. With the removal of his limb from the beast's flank, came the torrent of even more jet-black oil. How odd that these Aspeuean monstrosities, bleed as if they were fashioned from flesh, Izuku thought briefly.
Declining to address the injury Moonfish once again morphed his arm into the previous armament, targeting Izuku within his scope with great alacrity. A volley of shells fired off with a ferocity, however, the origin was not that of Moonfish, as Izuku acquired the role of the target.
Muffled salvoes ricochet off the clothed skull of the abomination, as the faint sound of shattered glass registered through the air. Standing once more and veering to his left Izuku beheld Bakugou and his rifle, launching the counter assault he so desperately required. Their eyes met briefly, followed by a jaw dropping glare supplied by Bakugou.
"Izuku, what happened to you?" he shrieked. "What's that thing on your right side?"
"I thought you said you were heading to the surface?" he responded, ignoring the query at hand.
"I lied," he said bluntly. Only then did Izuku realize that Melissa was not with him, as a fear coursed through him like an icy gale. Under any other circumstance, he would have austerely roared at his friend for leaving her unattended, though their common adversary was alert and unyielding. Bakugou ducked behind a pillar of stone, just before the rattling of shots tore through the cavernous abyss. Izuku took a moment to gape upon his hand, where AC's watchful lens stared back at his interdependent friend.
"Do you think we can finish this AC?" he blared amidst the blazing shreds of iron. With no auditory confirmation regarding his request, AC acted once again of his own volition elevating their joint arm outward in a fist. The alarming sound of rousing machinery began to ensue, growing brasher exponentially. A hollow cylinder protracted itself from Izuku's wrist, with a purple luminosity escaping from its pit. Moonfish's interest in Bakugou ran dry, as he became aware of the impending threat.
The android was given no time to react as a startling bolt of purple blaze crackled like lightning, overwhelming the mine shaft in its brilliant twinkle. The sputtering bolt of intensity came into contact with Moonfish's hull, blowing a deep crater within its epicenter. Just like that the towering fortress of steel and tungsten came to a standstill, collapsing under his full weight. What was once a force to be reckoned with now lay in a heap of grease and lose cogs.
Izuku dropped to his knees, his head churning in a daze as the adrenaline coursing through his form began to subside. He sank to one side as the metallic cocoon on his arm suddenly grew heavy. The cold jets lifting AC's keel seized to function, as the persistent lilac glow that that emitted sadly grew cold. Mindful of the danger they were still in, Izuku gathered his strength and sauntered toward Bakugou, determination scorching his eyes.
"Where the hell is Mellissa?" Izuku asked, still panting from the recent scuffle
"She's huddled in a corner just ten minutes from here, but don't worry she's armed. But more importantly, where the hell did you find that shell thing covering your side? And where's AC?" Bakugou enquired, with a distress that was unbecoming of him.
"This is AC," he responded.
"Man, did you smack your head to hard against the wall or something?" The retort Bakugou delivered was both a legitimate question disguised as a joke.
"And what do you mean she's armed, is she awake?" he asked, with an even greater earnestness.
"Kind of, she's drifting in and out of consciousness. But Izuku, once I heard the gunshots, I had to come rushing back to help you," Bakugou said, feeling no repentance for his actions. Though his best intentions were at play Izuku glared at him in disappointment, gripping the edges of Bakugou's collar.
"You shouldn't have done that; her safety was the main priority!" he sighed deeply, panting in a manner that would lower his blood pressure. "We can talk about this later, right now we still have to get out of this damned mine. I'll carry her form here, you take lead." Bakugou wished to resume the quarreling, though he bit his tongue through gritted teeth, leaving the matter at bay. His glare redirected, staring at the limp body of their pursuer.
"What do we do about Dabi, he's just going to come after us again?" Bakugou probed, believing in the judicious guidance of Izuku. A moment of thought lugged off.
"We leave him here. We can't afford to haul him with us, and by the looks of the wallop he just took, there's a good chance he's already dead. Enough questions we need to move." With the final verdict delivered, the two scurried as fast as their tired forms allowed through the dimly lit channels of the excavation. Not ten minutes passed before they came upon Melissa once more, huddled tightly behind a stray slab of concrete. Her piercing blue eyes peeped through eyelids squinting in pain and wooziness.
"Get her up, it's not that much further to the surface," Bakugou commanded. With time being the most finite of resources, Izuku swept Melissa off the ground, and began to trail Bakugou's tail, as his eye remaining vigilant on the scope. Wary of tripping on lose minerals and whittled wood, he looked upon the jailbird with a passion.
"Are you alright?" he asked of her once more, all the while pondering what her voice would sound like. With a stray finger he gingerly moved a bungle of loss hair from her brow, in an irrepressible he prayed was non-invading.
"What? I'm sorry what was that?" Her words were slurred, as she spoke in an aching murmur. Izuku suddenly became aware of the fact that the respiratory mask he had fixed to his jaw hindered his speech. He proceeded, better articulating his dialogue.
"We're here with UA. We're going to get you out of here. Just hang tight, we have a blimp anchored to get us home." Grasping most of the words Izuku aforementioned, a faint smile that could clear the skies manifested, as she rested her gratified head on his forearm. His stomach fluttered, certain now that risking life and limb had been worth it.
"How much longer till we reach the surface?" Izuku asked, as his legs carried him with a renewed sense of fortitude.
"Not much longer. Just keep an eye on our six, and get ready for the storm that's anticipating us," Bakugou warned. Several minutes passed and soon enough, the roars and bellows of the livid storm, drew upon them with raining soot and cinder. They had arrived at the entrance of the mine shaft, there cheeks already burning from the scorching ether. Before progressing, Izuku sheltered Melissa's airways as best he could. He buried her head within the folds of the jacket that were not concealed by AC's unbreakable fleece. The blimp they had disembarked from was far from view, though the general direction was engrained in Izuku's stout memory.
"Let's go it's this way," Izuku howled as best he could from behind his mask. Any further discussion was suddenly interrupted by the sudden trundle of heavy tracks on rock. Izuku and Bakugou shot their heads back, watching as an ominous, faint green glow jutted from the mines hollow entrance.
"Those are TANKS," Izuku acknowledged, swearing under his breath in irritation.
"Izuku you lead the way, I'll cover our rears," he instructed, as he sporadically commenced firing blindly at the mouth of the mineshaft. Their feet carried them far, though their orientation and pace were hindered significantly as waves of sweltering slag struck their skin with a vengeance. Luckily, the uneven soil and harsh conditions slackened the TANKS crusade.
Bakugou thanked his lucky stars for the armament bestowed to him as he fired round after round, taking pot shots with a heated enthusiasm. The firearm he held volleyed rounds of detonating shells, somewhat fitting for a man of Bakugou's caliber. The discharging of snare nets and steel cables resonated from behind them, though the coils of gusts threw off their trajectory as they maintained a safe distance. Izuku pulse grew more rapid as the chase persisted, with the gap between the androids and humans growing shorter and shorter.
A volatile canister ejected from the head of one of several tanks, erupting beside Bakugou, sending him spiraling forwards in brief flight. He landed hard, slamming his shoulder on a jutted surface of stone and debris, letting out a tender cry.
"Bakugou get up, we have to go," Izuku said, hindering the marathon to offer one free hand, aiding the rise of his comrade. The hand was clasped violently, as Bakugou's two feet sustained, though his shoulder hung limp. Forging on, Izuku sensed that time was running out, with their airship refusing to unveil itself amid the whirlwinds from hell.
Hope became fleeting, as additional pyrotechnics came raining down upon them, each one closer than the last. Attending the chorus of detonations and discharges, came the faint sound of a simple musket, being fired from their right flank. In a wasteland such as this, where no life could thrive, the source of said gunshot was indisputable.
"Bakugou, bank right, now!" Mei's command was quickly obeyed, as their feet carried them to the helpful hubbub. As if on cue, the blimp suddenly became visible, with the drawbridge open, and a vicious Mei Hatsume bombarding volleys from the gondola. Her formidable missiles whistled over the heads of Izuku and Bakugou, landing every so often at a TANK from their rear.
"Get the hell in!" she snapped, as the crew drew closer to safety. With their calves burning in protest, and their lungs on the verge of collapse, the heavy gumboots finally met the iron drawbridge as it immediately began to close. Bakugou and Mei sustained their barrage from behind Izuku, who delicately set Melissa down as best he could upon a nest of stray cloths and leather pelts. When the entrance to the gondola had finally been sealed, Mei rushed to the control panel. The blimp took off leaving the TANKS unsatiated, and the cabin crew more relieved than they had ever been in their short lives.
