Behind a door, X-23 and Deku were peeking inside room 130. The generator room. It was filled to the brim with bots patrolling the area for intruders on the walkways.
"There's so many of them," Deku said, "They went from wanting to shut us in; to capturing us."
"They must be taking us seriously now," X-23 replied, then looked at everyone. "The room is packed with bots, so we won't be able to advance without dealing with them." She turned her heads towards Kaminari, "With you down, we won't be able to fight them head-on without bringing harm to you."
Kaminari looked down; ashamed at his current condition. Jiro knelt in front of Kaminari with a reassuring look on her face. Kaminari smiled a little in response.
Yaoyorozu stepped forward to X-23, "Okay, what's the plan then?"
X-23 focused on Melissa, "Melissa, what do you know about these bots? How can we defeat them?"
"The bots were made to withstand any type of quirk. You can punch and kick them, but they'll come back without a scratch. Some quirks are ineffective to them such as anything electrical, for example," Melissa explained.
Kaminari chuckled, "So I would have fried my brain if I tried to fight them?"
Melissa nodded, "Yeah. Your quirk wouldn't have any effect on them." Kaminari looked away, but not in shame. Melissa resumed her explanation, "Anyways, the armor is made of very durable material. We designed them to be able to take blows from Uncle Might."
"So what you're saying is that these bots were developed to be indestructible?" Jiro asked.
Melissa signed, "Yes. They were meant to be the perfect security infantry. Though I never anticipated being against them…"
"And you never anticipated on Adamantium," X-23 walked towards the door, claws unsheathed once again.
"Adamantium?" Melissa asked, curiously, "What is that?"
X-23 lifted one hand in the air, "What these claws are made of. They can cut through almost anything on Earth." X-23 stopped by the door, "Midoriya, stay on guard. If any try to get through this door, smash 'em."
"What are you going to do?" Deku felt like he knew the answer already.
X-23 opened the door, "Showing you rooks how an X-Men gets through trouble." X-23 ran into the room with her arms at her sides. The bots quickly noticed her presence and blitzed her. When the two forces were about to collide, X-23 jumped into the air with a twirl, unsheathing the claws in her feet.
With a battle cry, X-23 swung her foot across the head of the bot, severing its head clean off.
Melissa was shocked by the ease of X-23 decapitating the bot's head. They were made to withstand any sharp object, but X-23 slashed through it like butter! What is this 'Adamantium' metal?!
"Rrrragh!" X-23 bellowed and began to slice through several more bots. The bots had surrounded X-23 and fired wires at her, but X-23 was quirkier. She jumped once more and the bots ended up entangling each other as they were compacted against one another. X-23 adjusted her body in the air so her feet were in the air. "Drill claw!" X-23 put her hands together and spun her body, imitating a drill. X-23 drilled right through more bots, scattered pieces of tech everywhere, and sending sparks flying. X-23 removed herself from the middle of the pack and into an open area when a wire suddenly snatched her left arm. X-23 quickly grabbed the wire with both hands and wanked on it, pulling the bot towards her. X-23 used her right hand to stab the bot's head, disabling it.
The numbers were dwindling for the bots, but they kept coming. X-23 snarled as they were all coming at her in a single line. X-23 looked back to Deku, "Midoriya!" X-23 shouted, "Get over here!"
"Okay!" Deku activated Full Cowl to quickly get to her position.
"I need you to throw me at them as hard as you can head-first," X-23 said.
Deku gave X-23 a concerned look, "Are you sure? What if-"
"Trust me," X-23 piped in.
Deku's concern vanished. With an affirmative nod, Deku grabbed X-23 by her body and began to swing her around. Deku spun himself and X-23 faster and faster until he felt he built up enough momentum.
"Just like what Colossus did with father," X-23 thought to herself.
Deku released X-23, sending her flying towards the rest of the security bots.
X-23 did her drill claw attack once more, but with the added boost, her drill attack resembled an actual drill as X-23 effortlessly tore through the bots, leaving none standing in her wake.
X-23 landed on her back with a thud and looked at the bots. All of them were standing but had major damages sustained to them that they couldn't operate anymore.
"Hell yeah!" Kaminari shouted from behind the door, "That was freaking amazing!"
Deku chuckled a little, "Yeah, yeah it was." Deku jogged towards X-23, offering her a hand.
X-23 took Deku's hand as he helped her onto her feet, "Nice throw."
"Thanks," Deku flushed lightly as the rest of the group ran up to them with Jiro and Uraraka hauling Kaminari.
"Bro that was the best tag-team move I have seen in a long time!" Kaminari shouted.
"Yeah!" Uraraka agreed, "That was a fastball special but with an added twist to it!"
X-23 smiled lightly, "My father and his friend, Colossus, used to do that a lot. It was one of their special moves. He was a powerhouse, and father was a brawler. Colossus would do to my father what Deku did to me. Figured it would work in this situation."
"We should give that move a name for you two," Mineta said.
Kaminari clapped his hands together, "Yeah! OW!" Kaminari shook his hands as the cuts on them were still hurting.
X-23 turned around towards the exit and guided the group, "Do whatever you want."
Kaminari was thinking as Deku took the rope from Uraraka and helped Jiro pull him. Kaminari snapped his fingers, "I got it! Fastball Special: Hyper Tornado!"
"Dude," Mineta beamed, "That is perfect!"
Kaminari snickered with a look of self-pride, "I know."
"But X-23 is imitating a drill, not a tornado," Jiro's pointed out, "Shouldn't it be called Fastball Special: Hyper Drill?"
Deku smiled at the nickname, "You know, I like that both names." Deku looked up front, "What do you think, X-23?"
X-23 didn't look back as she opened the door, "...They're cool, but Jiro's makes more sense."
"I ain't even upset, it's a good name too. Fastball Special: Hyper Drill it is!" Kaminari confirmed for everyone.
The group made their way up eight more staircases to room 138. The gang entered the room thinking it was going to be easy when, from across the hall, the door opened to reveal a horde of bots behind it, several times more than last time.
"Here we go again," X-23 popped her claws out.
"Wait!" Melissa shouted, "This is the server room! If we damage the servers here, they would affect the security room too!"
More loud clanking was heard from above as more bots dropped from the ceiling, landing several feet away from the students. "Just how many are there?!" X-23 shouted.
"We'll stop the machines here," Yaoyorozu suddenly spoke up, "Midoriya, take Melissa and find another route! The rest of us, we stay here."
"But what about Kaminari?" Melissa asked.
Kaminari groaned in pain as he got off the wagon and stood on his feet, "I can still fight. I'll do what I can to help stall them." Jiro and Mineta stood next to Kaminari on opposite ends, ready for the fight ahead of them and supporting Kaminari.
Melissa really thought they were all so cool, but there was no time to admire them as Deku had run the opposite way, shouting at Melissa to follow him. "Uraraka, bamf come with us!" Melissa quickly told them and ran after Deku.
"Huh?" Both of them replied.
"Why though?" Uraraka asked, "What can I do?"
"Bamf, Uraraka," X-23 shouted, "Go with them."
Without a second wasted, the bamf and Uraraka followed Deku and Melissa.
X-23 got in front of everyone with her hands in front of her face, "Alright you worthless machines, lets see what you got!" X-23 dashed towards the bots, cutting through any that were already ahead of the rest of the pack.
Yaoyorozu summoned a canon from her body, but the toll it took on her was immense as she dizzy, "Jiro, take the canon," Yaoyorozu groggily commanded, "I'll make ammo."
Jiro was worried for her friend's well-being but followed her directions. Jiro got behind the canon and made sure it was loaded before firing a white substance at the bots. The bots stopped in place when the material covered them completely.
"I won't let you ruin our future harem!" Mineta shouted as he threw his sticky balls at the bots, causing them to stick to the floor and rendering them unable to move.
Kaminari was behind everyone watching them fight. He felt useless not being able to fight the bots. As Melissa said, they are invulnerable to electrical attacks.
Kaminari saw something move from the corner of his eye. He proceeded to scan the area, trying to find what he thought he saw. Movement again, but this time, Kaminari caught a glimpse of it. A large scaly tale was all Kaminari saw as whatever was here was leaving, taking the same route as the others.
"The hell is that?" Kaminari thought to himself, "I hope they'll be okay."
Deku, Melissa, Uraraka, and the bamf were traveling down the halls once more with the bamf riding on Uraraka's shoulder. A confined explosion was heard that was followed with the hallway shaking violently. Deku stopped and looked back, his mind telling him to go back and help the others.
"Don't stop!" Uraraka cried out, causing Deku to continue running, "If we get caught here, then there was no point in X-23 and the others staying behind!" Uraraka adamantly stated.
"R-right!" Deku kept running ahead of them, "Everyone, please be safe."
X-23 sliced through bots left, right, and above. She was moving faster than ever before to keep them at bay while Jiro and Mineta picked off any stragglers. They kept just coming. For every bot that was destroyed, two more took its place. X-23 could keep going, that much was for certain, but how long could the others go for?
X-23 jumped from several wires aiming at her but landed dead center between more robots. X-23 slashed through several of them, but her left leg was caught in wires. X-23 cut the wire quickly and took out four bots, then her right arm got trapped. X-23 jumped onto the bots head to avoid more wires while simultaneously cutting herself free. She was getting overwhelmed. X-23 ran on top of the robots heads, regrouping with everyone.
"Guys-" X-23 paused when she saw her classmates. Jiro was looking after Yaoyorozu as Yaoyorozu was laying on the floor completely exhausted. Mineta was standing with his scalp blood flowing like a river from his scalp. Kaminari was next to his friend and helping him stand up, but the look on Kaminari's face said he knew they were defeated.
X-23 looked behind her. There were too many to fight. They had to retreat.
"Fall back!" X-23 shouted and landed in front of them, cutting through nearby bots that got close. Jiro helped Yaoyorozu up and helped her walk back to where they came from. Kaminari went to help Jiro while Mineta was limping next to them. X-23 picked off a few more bots before running back to her classmates when she heard Jiro scream.
"They covered our escape!" Jiro shouted, holding Yaoyorozu closer. Bots entered the room from the opposite end of the room, surrounding the students and boxing them in. "X-23, what do we do?!"
X-23 scrambled to find any exit, any opening they could take, and high tail it. X-23 found many openings, many routes to take to escape. However, those options applied to her and not to her allies.
X-23 looked down and retracted her claws to answer Jiro's question. Jiro's head drooped in response with Mineta and Kaminari doing the same. All at once, the bots fired their wires and captured the students.
X-23 struggled, her will to survive resurfacing for a moment, but stopped just as fast as she started. X-23 sat on the ground, arms together and legs bound together.
Deku, Uraraka, the bamf, and Melissa ran past a door and found themselves outside of the tower. In front of them was a giant pillar that had massive fans connected in between the pillar and the walls of the tower.
"What is this place?" Deku asked.
"The wind power generator system," Melissa answered.
"Why here?" Deku question.
Melissa walked in front of three and led them closer to the pillar, "If we go up through the tower, the security machines are probably waiting to ambush us. So we'll go up to the top all at once from here. If we can get to the emergency exit..." Melissa pointed at the tip-top of the pillar. Deku, Uraraka, and the bamf squinted their eyes and could barely make out a bridge at the top.
"All the way up there?" The bamf asked, "Piece of cake. Everyone hold onto each and I'll teleport us up to the bridge in no time."
"I asked you to come for this situation, but are you sure you can make that?" Melissa asked with some concern, "Can you see where you are going?"
The bamf rubbed the back of its head, "No, but I've teleported in much tighter and further distances. I am 100% positive I can make this one."
Uraraka placed a hand on her hip, "I don't see why you wanted me to come along, Melissa."
"Back-up," Melissa simply replied.
Uraraka accepted the answer, and in each hand, took one of Melissa's and Deku's wrists.
The bamf looked between the three, "Ready?" All nodded their heads as the bamf looked up once more. A few seconds went by before the bamf teleported and overshot the bridge by some feet. Everyone held their breath when they didn't feel anything below them, but landed safely on the bridge a second later.
"Sorry," The bamf squeaked, "I overshot it."
Deku dusted himself off and looked to the door. "Alright, let's shut down the security system." Deku walked towards the door, grabbed the handle, and popped the door open. Just as Deku opened it, a click was heard from the other side.
"Well…well…well…what do we have here?" Taskmaster said, aiming a gun at Deku, "A bunch of kids running around in dangerous areas? Didn't your parents ever teach you to not go to places you shouldn't be in?"
"Deku!" Uraraka shouted.
"Taskmaster," The bamf growled, perching himself on Uraraka's shoulder.
Taskmaster kept his eyes on Deku, the green-haired student not moving an inch with the barrel of the pistol aiming between his eyes, "How's that achilles kid? Seems to have healed impossible faster than it should have. Someone healed ya, or do you have a healing factor of your own?"
Deku didn't respond. He didn't want to put a target on Recovery Girl if there wasn't one on her already.
"Stop!" Melissa desperately shouted, "Why are you here? What do you want?!"
Taskmaster averted his eyes to Melissa, "Me? I want nothing, but my boss does."
"Shigaraki?" Deku asked.
Taskmaster laughed a little, "You think that brat orders me around? Please, he can't even lace up a pair of boots without his damn servant around. No, my boss is someone else. You'll meet him in due time. He's very anxious to meet you, personally."
Deku became uneasy. All for One was targeting him. The biggest villain in history is coming after him. Did that mean All for One knows that All Might passed down One for All to him? Does he know that Spider-Man and the others are from another dimension?
"Let's not beat around the bush, you know what I want," Taskmaster returned his look to Melissa. Uraraka stepped in front of Melissa with Melissa herself taking a step back. "I know you can restart the security system. Those hired idiots were supposed to capture you, but if you want the job done right, you get the best man to do it." Taskmaster pulled out another pistol and pointed it at Melissa, making the girl gasp in fright. "Now, if you don't walk over here little girl, I'll put both you and…" Taskmaster moved his gun from Deku to Uraraka, "And her down. You or anyone aside from Shield move as much as an inch and those two will be six feet under. And don't think you're faster than me; I've defeated people quicker than the speed of light back home."
Whether that was true or not, Deku didn't want to bet on it. He has seen Taskmaster in action when he, Spider-Man, and Nightcrawler fought him along with Stain back in Hosu City. Taskmaster was quick, quick enough to be on par with Spider-Man, and Spider-Man is faster than him at the moment.
Deku, Uraraka, and the bamf couldn't believe it. X-23, Jiro, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, Mineta, and Deadpool. All of them sacrificed themselves to allow them to push forward and get to the security system, and just as they are about to finish the job, they get trapped with hardly a way out.
Melissa looked down, her face scrunched up and eyes watering up. She was so close! So close to saving everyone on this island, her friends, Uncle Might, and her dad! Only for her to come up short in the end. Melissa gulped and walked past Uraraka and the bamf, the two wanted to reach out to Melissa and stop her but didn't want to provoke Taskmaster. Melissa walked up to Taskmaster, his gun not leaving her.
If Taskmaster wasn't wearing his mask, the kids would see the big grin on his face, "Good." Taskmaster motioned for Melissa to walk inside. "Now, for the rest of you…" Taskmaster quickly moved his pistol to Uraraka's left thigh and shot her. Uraraka let out a piercing scream as she fell on her side, clutching her thigh.
"Uraraka!" All three of them shouted.
Deku, the Bamf, and Melissa were horrified! The bamf quickly got next to Uraraka and began to check on her while Melissa was in full-blown tears. Deku, on the other hand, was beginning to build up with rage.
Deku looked back to Taskmaster with his anger on full display, "You...you…!" Deku charged up Full Cowl.
Taskmaster didn't flinch. Shockingly, he put his pistols away. The split-second Deku took to realize what happened cost him dearly.
"Midoriya, look out!" The bamf shouted.
Deku turned around to see razor-sharp claws gripping his arms tightly, cutting deep into his skin. Deku howled in pain as he looked towards the individual that attacked him.
The Lizard bore his eyes into Deku's before jumping off the bridge, taking Deku with him.
"Deku!" Melissa shouted and tried to run out of the room, but was stopped when Taskmaster grabbed her by the arm and tossed her back inside, slamming the door shut.
The bamf looked everywhere with anxiety. Melissa needed to be saved, Uraraka was bleeding from her leg, and Deku was battling The Lizard, who suddenly showed up from nowhere!
"Gah!" The bamf screeched, "What do I do?!" The bamf ran around the area with his hands pressed against his head trying to figure out what to do! "Kurt! What do I do!?"
Deadpool was panting. He had just escaped the bots through sheer luck and was scaling the building from the outside. No one noticed it, but there was a scaffold outside the building that was used for cleaning windows. When Deadpool saw it, he jumped through a window and immediately pulled himself up and away from the bots.
"Jesus, how many robots does one island need?" Deadpool said, pulling himself further up the tower, "Man, this island brings me memories of Genosha. Located on an island, is an established paradise, filled with mutants, has its own government, and even has its robotic enemies! Except these little shits aren't Wild Sentitals and weren't sent to destroy an entire island while committing genocide." Deadpool kept pulling on the wire that allowed him to go higher and higher. "Why did I sacrifice myself? I should've just thrown Mineta at the bots. I bet many fans would have loved that."
Deku didn't know who this new villain was, but if he didn't act fast, he's gonna fall to his death! Deku boosted Full Cowl to 40% and punched Lizard square in the jaw. Lizard flinched but would not release his grasp. Instead, Lizard roared into Deku's face and headbutted him. Deku looked down and estimated he had 10 seconds left. Deku tried again, this time, he aimed for the eyes. Deku punched Lizard in the left eye and felt the tight hold on him release. Deku quickly moved his hand under him and used Delaware Smash to create an air blast to act as a counterforce. Deku's body paused in midair as he safely fell to his feet. There was a loud slam and a crater was made where Lizard landed. Deku eyed the crater. He had a feeling Lizard wasn't down. Why would it jump off the bridge if it knew it would die?
From the crater, the Lizard stood up and got out of the hole a bit groggy. It wasn't expecting that to happen.
Deku got into position. He had to defeat this villain quickly for Uraraka's and Melissa's sakes. Both of them are in trouble, and with no back-up possibly coming, Deku was the last man standing. The bamf was still here, but Deku heard his cries as he was falling and Deku can't help him at the moment. Whatever the bamf does next Deku hopes it's the right move.
The Lizard spotted Deku and the two stared down at each other. Deku finally got a good look at his opponent. The Lizard was big, had extremely sharp claws on his fingers and toes where the nails would be, and had a long tail that stretched a few feet. It was wearing a torn scientist outfit which made Deku question if this man was a possible traitor inside the island and helped the villains take over the island.
Deku had no time to ponder with his thoughts as the Lizard grabbed a chunk of the broken concrete from the crater and threw it at Deku. Deku swiftly dodged the boulder and used Delaware Smash, sending an air blast towards Lizard. Lizard avoided the attack and quickly rushed Deku, swiping at his abdominal area. Deku jumped back and tried to kick Lizard away. Lizard grabbed Deku's leg and quickly slammed the boy on the ground before throwing him off the edge of the building. Deku quickly used another Delaware Smash to blast himself back to the top and ram his fist into the Lizard's chest. Lizard was knocked back and slid across the floor of the building.
Deku did not let up as he jumped towards Lizard with his fist reeled back, "Detroit...SMASH!" Lizard moved out of the way and Deku missed his target.
"You're getting on my nerves, kid," The Lizard spoke, making Deku pause.
"I have that effect on villains," Deku admitted proudly. Lizard sneered and rushed Deku again. Deku dodged all of Lizard's attacks with Lizard doing the same when Deku went on the offense. Deku jumped high into the air and went for a spinning bicycle kick. Big mistake. Lizard stopped Deku's kick with his tail and flung Deku into the pillar. Deku landed on the floor and was kicked in the chest making him slide across the floor.
"You're a foolish child," The Lizard said, "You are green when it comes to fighting. You should surrender now, and I'll make your death quick and painless."
Deku got up with his hand clutching his chest and replied with a simple, "No. "
"So be it," The Lizard dashed at Deku. Deku ran towards Lizard as well, ready to go for round two. Lizard stopped dead in tracks and dropped to the floor, allowing Deku to fly over him. Deku landed on the ground and turned around, but was met with Lizard's tail slamming against him and putting him in the ground. Lizard stomped on Deku's chest and wrapped his tail around Deku's neck.
"Any seasoned veteran would have seen that coming," Lizard ridiculed with his tail squeezing Deku as he tried to pry it off, "A little boy trying to play hero. Reminds me of another child who swings around on webs." Lizard applied more pressure on Deku's neck, suffocating the boy as he was choking for air, "Though unlike you, he knows what he is doing and that's why he's alive." Lizard raised a claw in the air to go for a killing blow, "While you won't be."
In a desperate attempt to save himself, Deku charged up one more Delaware Smash and blasted Lizard away at close range with the air striking the Lizard's rib cage. The force of the blast caused Lizard to fly high into the sky but at the expense of his tail. Deku fell onto the floor and quickly hurled the tail away from himself to breathe. Deku looked over to the tail and saw it convulsing for a while before it stopped dead.
"That…" Deku heaved, "Is gross…" Deku sucked large portions of air to get the oxygen flowing through his body. Deku looked into the sky to see where the Lizard was but couldn't see him anywhere. Deku looked at the pillar and up towards the bridge. It was a long way up, and the bamf wouldn't be able to hear him from up there. Deku looked at his hand and was glad to see that it wasn't injured. This gauntlet does work as intended, but right now isn't the time to admire the technology Melissa has given him. "I hope this works." Deku aimed his hand below himself and was about to unleash Delaware Smash at full power until he heard a creaking noise from the edge of the building.
"Hey, broccoli boy!" Deadpool waved and got off the scaffold, "Where's everyone at?"
"No time, we need to get up there!" Deku pointed to the bridge above them, "Melissa was taken by Taskmaster and he shot Uraraka in the leg! We have to hurry!"
"Tasky is here?" Deadpool seemed to be surprised, "I wonder what his business is for being here. But you said he has Melissa and left Uraraka bleeding out up there? First off, how did they get up there? Secondly, why aren't YOU up there?"
Deku groaned, "Deadpool! I don't have to explain! Look, just get on my back and I'll blast us up there!"
Without a second thought, Deadpool wrapped his arms around Deku's back. It was an awkward position since Deadpool was much taller than Deku. "Well this is awkward…" Deadpool mumbled, "If you were a girl the FBI would be all over me."
Deku let out another groan as he performed the Delaware Smash to send the duo up. The two flew over the railing and landed on the bridge.
"Uraraka!" Deku cried out but was stunned to see that she wasn't there. Only the pool of blood that came from her leg was left. "The bamf…" Deku mumbled and looked over the railing of the bridge to the floor below, "I wonder where he took her…" Deku reaffirmed himself and headed for the door, gripping the handle before feeling Deadpool's hand grasping it.
"Are you an idiot?" Deadpool asked, "Seriously? Are you? And that's coming from me."
Deku pulled his hand away from both Deadpool and the handle, "Why are you asking?"
"Kid, when you are facing top tier mercenaries, doors are traps. All the time." Deadpool moved Deku aside with a pistol in hand. Deadpool placed a C4 on the door and blew the door inside. When the smoke cleared, a pained moan could be heard from under the door. Deadpool walked over and threw the door off. A man with pinkish hair was under it. Before the man could react, Deadpool dropped a taser on him as the man spasmed out then went limp. "See? You would run into this guy."
Deku took note of that, "Thanks."
Deadpool and Deku walked inside. This hallway was different. Instead of stairs, it was a maze that led to many different rooms. Deku grunted and scanned his surroundings, listening for any noise. Deku closed his eyes and listened carefully. To his left, Deku heard a faint noise that sounded like a voice. Deku opened his eyes and ran to his left with Deadpool following behind him.
"I think I know where they are!" Deku said.
"Oh so you found girlfriend number 7?" Deadpool replied.
Deku stumbled, but caught himself, "W-what?!"
Deadpool nodded his head, "Yeah, number 7. You have 6 in your class, so she makes 7. But if we were to count all the girls you have met up to this point, that would make her lucky number 13. Excluding Eri, of course. And your mom and Recovery Girl because ewww."
Deku's cheeks reddened from embarrassment, but his face was contorted from bewilderment. Deku shook his head and continued to run down the hall keeping his focus on the noise. It was getting louder and louder until he stumbled upon an open room. Deku and Deadpool ran inside the room. It was small in width but made up massively in height. The room was separated into two areas by a small staircase. At the bottom of the deck was a highly valuable computer while the upper deck seemed to be a vault of sorts. Around the upper walls were many small doors that seemed to hold minuscule items. There were so many; too many to count. Is this why the villains invaded? Was there something valuable here that intrigued All for One's interest?
"Midoriya!"
Deku turned his head to who called his name. Deku gasped as he saw Melissa tied up in front of the main computer with her father and Sam next to her.
Deku was about to run to them when he heard a click of a gun. "And here I thought Lizard would tear you apart," Taskmaster was on top of the stairs with a gun in his hands, aiming it at Melissa. Sam flinched when he saw Taskmaster pointing the gun at Melissa, but David was angry to see his little girl being used as a means for a villain to get his way. Taskmaster then noticed Deadpool behind Deku, "Ah, Wade Wilson. We meet again."
"Yeah, we do, 2nd place," Deadpool taunted, "And I gotta say, resorting to beating up children who don't know how to fight yet? How the mighty have fallen. Then again, you weren't all that mighty."
Taskmaster passed off the insults, "Like you're one to talk. You've done the same before."
"Yeah, but they were X-Men or Young Avengers," Deadpool replied, "What's your excuse?"
Taskmaster was already annoyed, "How about we get to business? Both of you leave, and the girl doesn't get hurt." Taskmaster pulled the trigger back on the pistol as everyone in the room tensed up.
"Melissa!" David shouted.
"Don't you move, David," Taskmaster shouted, "Or the last time you see her will be in a casket!"
Before David or Deku could muster a word, Deadpool spoke ahead of them, "You won't kill her."
"Really?" Taskmaster takes the safety off, "And why is that?"
"One, you wouldn't kill a child. I wouldn't even do that." Deadpool answered, "I've been offered literal millions to kill one child, and I turned it down. Two, you never killed anyone important, and seeing as how this story is progressing, she is important. And three," Deadpool threw his hand up and flung a shuriken at Taskmaster's hand, knocking the gun out of his hand, "You've fallen for the ol' 'let the hero distract you so the hostage can escape' cliche." Deadpool ran towards Taskmaster, jumped into the air over Sam, David, and Melissa, and tackled him to the floor.
Deku sprinted towards Melissa and united her, "Quick! Shut down the security system!"
"I'm on it!" David was about to run out of the room when he heard Sam shout at him.
"Wait, Sir!" Sam said, "We have to get the device!"
"Why?" David asked, stopping in place.
"Because that's why they are here, Sir," Sam ran up the stairs, "That's what Taskmaster wanted us to get in the first place, that is why we were brought here! Sir, if they escape with the device, who knows what chaos they will bring to Japan, and if they so choose, the world."
David gave Sam a perplexed look, "But Sam, if we restart the system first, they'll have no chance."
"Sir, please," Sam begged, "I have been your most loyal and longest employee. I've served you since you started your business and have never left your side. I could have gone for better options a long time ago, but I had faith in you. Right now, I ask if you can show me the same faith I have in you. Trust me when I say we need to take the device with us for safekeeping."
David was left thinking to himself. He wanted to say no and go restart the system, but on the other hand, he didn't want to leave the device either and show Sam he didn't have equal faith. David hastily made up his mind and went back to the computer to unlock the block for the device, "Alright Sam, I trust you."
Sam smiled warmly, "Thank you, sir."
Melissa was smiling happily at the scene. Sam was like a grandfather to her. She has known him since she was a child, and Melissa has many fond memories of them playing together, working together, and Sam listening to her vent about her father working too hard.
"There," David pointed to a box in the wall, "Go to block 1147."
Sam quickly ran to the mini-vault that flashed a sign that said 'unlocked.' The vault opened to reveal a metal briefcase that Sam hastily grabbed and opened, "It's all here! Everything is here!"
"Why wouldn't it be?" David asked, confused.
"Because for all we know, the directors could have taken it from under noses," Sam said with some disdain.
David was peeved by the memories of his project being shut down, but it quickly faded, "That's all in the past, Sam. Right now, we need to go."
"You do need to go, but just not with the device," A new voice spoke from behind everyone.
David's eyes grew as he ran towards Deku, "Midoriya! Look out!"
Deku didn't move on time as he felt metal being wrapped around his body, forcing his arms next to his sides and being slammed against a wall with his mouth covered as well.
Wolfram grinned as he controlled more metal to attack Deadpool.
"Woah! What the fu-!" Deadpool avoided the metal and away from Taskmaster, "Magento is here?!"
"No," Wolfram shot more metal at Deadpool and caught him in a bind, "I am Wolfram."
"Oh," Deadpool sounded disappointed, "Well aren't you a cheap, low-budget rip off of Magneto."
Wolfram ignored Deadpool and looked to the Shield's and Sam, "Now, would you be so kind to bring that device to me?"
David got in front of the two, "No, you won't have it!"
Wolfram snickered, "Luckily, I wasn't asking you."
"What?" David was left in utter shock as Sam ran up to Wolfram with the device in hand, "S-Sam?!" David shouted, "What, what are you doing?!"
Sam looked back at David with a look of guilt and anger, "Like I said, I have been your most loyal and longest employee. Not once have I ever questioned you, but you gave up so easily on this device! This device would have brought us riches beyond our imagination!" Sam fully turned his body to David, his closed eyes now opened and staring into David's. "We made it to preserve All Might's career, but when he was defeated by the Hulk, you gave up on it! We had a plan to take it back! The directors shut us down, froze the project, and our sponsors ripped our research and date from our hands because they didn't want society to know of its existence! When the plan was almost complete, you told me to forget it! I couldn't forget about a project that will change humanity forever, I couldn't! I worked too hard to not earn a reward for my efforts!"
Sam let his thoughts and emotions be heard around the room. David and Melissa were heartbroken by Sam. Just a minute ago he was the man who helped raise Melissa, who helped David succeed as the most successful support business in the world, he was family to them both! He's been to every Christmas, birthday, special event, everything! He was family. Now, here is, standing in front as a traitor. As a man who was willing to throw a lifelong bond away for money.
"Sam…." David stammered, tightening his fist and looking down.
"How...how could you…" Melissa held a hand to her mouth, tears escaping her eyes. "How could you do this?!" Melissa shouted at him, "Everyone is hurting because of you! My friends are being held, hostage! Taskmaster shot one of them in the leg! How could you do this, Sam! Why?!"
Now it was Sam's turn to look bewildered, "H-hostages? Shot? But...but they were supposed to be…"
"Fake?" Wolfram chuckled, "Yeah, we are fake. We are fake actors." Wolfram took a step towards Sam, the older man stepping back in fear, "Oh don't back out now, Sam." Wolfram held his hand, "You'll still get paid."
Sam looked to the briefcase with an intense stare.
"Sam," Melissa cried out, "Don't give it to him!"
"Sam if the time we spent together meant anything to you, then please, don't give him what he wants," David pleaded, "I'm sorry that you feel like you were ripped off, but is it worth getting money and sacrificing us?! You're family to us, Sam!" David was pouring his heart out now. "Please, don't do it!"
Sam looked back at Melissa and David. The corner of his eyes were getting teary. What has he done? They are the only people he has left in the world. They accepted him into their family when they didn't have too. They didn't treat him like a regular employee; they treated him as if he was one of their own.
Sam didn't get a chance to do anything as a loud bang filled the air followed by a thump.
"SAM!" Melissa and David screamed as Sam fell over on the floor. Deku was screaming into the metal and trying to break free with all his might.
"Fool," Taskmaster said, his gun steaming from the barrel, "He was gonna turn his back on us." Wolfram didn't flinch. He would have done the same thing too. "Wolfram, get the briefcase. We're leaving this place."
Wolfram did as told and grabbed the briefcase before leaving the room with Taskmaster following behind him. Melissa and David ran to Sam's body and flipped him over. Sam had a hole in his chest.
"No…no, no, no, no, no, no!" Tears fell from David's face as they landed on Sam's chest, "Sam! Sam!" David felt Sam's pulse. Nothing. David fell onto his bottom, breathing heavily, "Sam…"
Melissa hugged her father tightly and buried her face into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. David hugged Melissa back, unable to look away from Sam's now lifeless body.
Deku broke free of his bonds and quickly got next to the Shields. They may not have seen it, but Deku did. He saw the realization on Sam's face when he recognized what he had done. Sam was going to turn back on Wolfram and not give him the device. "I'm sorry…" Deku softly said to them, "I saw his reaction when he heard what you said, Mr. Shield. He wasn't going to let them have it…"
David felt his heart skip a beat. The old man died with them in his heart. The bond did mean something to him. David looked up to Deku with cheeks tainted with tears, "Stop them. Please. They can't get away with it. Not after what they did…"
Deku nodded his head firmly, "I know it's hard right now, but I need someone to reset the system. Everyone is still in danger." Deku gave his request and quickly made his way to Deadpool. Deku ripped the metal that was holding him down, grabbed him by the wrist, and hastily ran through the door past the Shields.
Melissa and David shakily got up and watched the heroes leave. David took hold of his daughter's hand into his with a gentle and loving grip. Melissa looked up to her father as he nodded his head to acknowledge that they needed to go. Both of the Shields ran hand in hand as they made their way to the security room. "We believe you. Both of you." The Shields made it to room, pushed the chair out of the way, and began to reboot the system. "Defeat them and get the device back." The system flashed a green light and the security system was back in their control.
"For Sam."
The bamf had teleported Uraraka away from the fight. Between Melissa and Deku, Uraraka's situation was the most urgent. The bamf didn't know where he was going, but he had to take her somewhere safe. Uraraka had made herself weightless as the bamf was holding her over his head with his arms like an old cartoon character. The bamf could feel the blood dripping on him here and there, but it mostly fell on the floor.
"Where are we going?" Uraraka hissed in pain.
"I don't know," The bamf answered shakily. "I just now you have to be treated or else you will bleed out. We don't have anything to help stop the bleeding."
Uraraka gritted her teeth. It was unexpected, but it showed everyone how dangerous Taskmaster was. He didn't even hesitate when he shot her. And whatever that creature was that attacked Deku, Uraraka hoped he would be okay. He's the last hope for Melissa and I-Island.
The bamf made another teleport jump down the halls, making his way back to room 138.
The bamf teleported the two in the upper section near the railings. The bamf set Uraraka down as they looked down and saw everyone being tied up.
"Oh no…" The bamf whispered. He looked to X-23 and saw her patiently sitting down with her arms and legs tied up while everyone else was in distress.
The quiet silence was broken when Mineta suddenly shouted, "Kaminari!"
Kaminari's head was hanging on the side, but he straightened it up when he heard Mineta yell his name, "Huh? What?"
"Don't go to sleep," Mineta said, causing everyone to turn to Kaminari. "You have to stay awake."
"I'm trying, bro…" Kaminari let out a huge yawn, his eyes were drooping and had bags under them, "But I'm tired."
"You dolt," Jiro clenched her teeth and struggled against the wires, "Stay up! If you pass out…"
Kaminari let out a small, weak, laugh, "I know, Jiro, I know." Kaminari looked to Jiro. Jiro gasped seeing how weak he was, "Say…Jiro…" Kaminari gazed at her, "Have I ever told you that you look beautiful in that dress? Like…really beautiful?"
Jiro blushed and shook her head, "No, I don't think so."
"Really?" Kaminari's head slowly fell to the right side, but he snapped it back up, "Well…you do. You look cool in your hero outfit, like a badass punk girl. It really says a lot about… who you are." Kaminari smiled goofily, "Say, when we're done with this, you think we could all get milkshakes…or something? As a way to celebrate our…" Kaminari yawned, "Victory?"
Jiro smiled back, "Yeah, yeah we can."
"I want…chocolate with whipped cream and a cherry on the top…" Kaminari stammered, his voice getting lower and lower, "Hey...Jiro…"
"Yeah?" Jiro didn't take her eyes off of him.
"I'm glad you're safe," Kaminari took a large inhale of breath, "I don't know…what I would have done if he had…hurt you."
Jiro forced a laugh out, "Probably short circuit and fired your brain."
"Ha!" Kaminari suddenly became still, "Yeah…probably…" Kaminari's head fell forward, his voice going silent and his breathing becoming nearly inaudible.
Jiro tried to move her arms, "Kaminari! Kaminari!" Jiro shouted.
"Kaminari!" Mineta yelled, "Wake up!"
"Crap…!" X-23 looked distressed and began to fight back against the wires. She shouldn't have stopped fighting and hoped for the others to get to the system! Kaminari needs help now!
Jiro managed to stand up, but the bots held her down, "Let me go!" Jiro demanded, "Kaminari! Denki!" Jiro shrieked, "Wake up! Don't go to sleep! Denki!"
Jiro and Mineta kept fighting against the wires, not being able to budge an inch.
"You stupid robots!" Jiro screeched at them, "Help him! He's going to die! Please! Help him!"
"Deku, Melissa, Uraraka, bamf!" Mineta called out, "Hurry! Kaminari is running out of time!"
The bamf and Uraraka backed away, holding their breaths and shedding tears. They failed. Kaminari was going to die because they couldn't do anything!
"Kaminari…" Uraraka squeaked in between quiet sobs, "I'm so sorry…I'm sorry…!"
"No…" The bamf shut his eyes tightly, "NO!" The bamf grabbed Uraraka and teleported down to the group.
"Bamf?!" Everyone shouted in surprise as the bamf grabbed hold of Kaminari and teleported him out of their grasp.
"You're not going to die!" The bamf shouted, somehow gaining the strength to carry Kaminari without Uraraka's quirk, "I won't let it happen!"
The bots were firing wires at the three, the bamf teleporting constantly to avoid them. However, it was in vain as a wire grappled Uraraka right as she was made visible and pulled her away.
"Uraraka!" The bamf cried out as he felt Kaminari being taken from him. Then, the wires were wrapped around him. "No! No! No!" The bamf was crying now. He couldn't take it anymore. "No! Please! They can't die!" The bamf looked up into the sky, "Kurt! Brothers! Kitty! Professor X! Anyone! Please! Help us!"
X-23 let out a roar of pure rage as she stood up forcefully and broke free of the wires, ripping them shreds. X-23 did not waste a moment to slice through the bots holding everyone captured. Mineta and Jiro ran to Kaminari while the bamf and a weakened Yaoyorozu went to Uraraka. X-23 was tearing the room apart with speed and agility the students have not seen from her before. Some bots didn't even get a chance to move as they were torn apart.
The group was about to book it from the room but were stopped by another horde of bots that entered the room. The room was quickly overfilling. They couldn't stop them. No matter how many X-23 took down, the bots kept coming.
"Please…Help them…" Jiro looked up to the sky. She didn't know who she was calling out too, but she prayed for someone or something to happen. Anything!
Her prayers were answered when the intercoms came on, "Alert! Security systems have been rebooted! All bots will now return to normal! Everyone may proceed with their usual business now! The threat has been averted!"
The bots suddenly stopped. Without a second thought, the bamf grabbed hold of both Kaminari and Uraraka and vanished along with everyone else, leaving X-23 behind.
The bamf made a mad jump outside of the building and into midair. Everyone was falling and holding onto each other, but the bamf quickly looked down and teleported everyone to the floor before crazily looking around to find a medical area. A giant red cross was seen in the distance and the bamf teleported inside.
"We have an emergency!" The bamf shouted at the doctors and nurses, who were caught off guard. "Two people are bleeding out, one of them passed out a minute ago!" The bamf quickly explained, still crying, "Please! You gotta help them!"
The medical staff quickly got to work. Two gurneys were brought out and quickly loaded Uraraka and Kaminari onto them before they were taken past the doors.
The bamf fell on his knees and began to sob loudly on the ground as the impact of the situation finally took its toll on him. Mineta, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu all looked to him with sorrow. Jiro got on her knees, lifted the bamf into her arms, and hugged him gently with Mineta and Yaoyorozu doing the same.
The bamf continued to cry, holding tightly onto Jiro and burying his face into her chest. This was one of the most painful, frightening, and emotional experiences he's ever been through. He had no one other than himself to teleport Uraraka and Kaminari to safety.
And he nearly failed.
"You did it…" Jiro softly said to him, "You got them somewhere where they'll get proper help. You did it. You saved them…"
The three students stayed together to comfort the lone bamf as the staff looked at them with expressions of concern.
Back in room 138, X-23 walked to a window and looked outside, "Bamf…Everyone would all be so proud of you. I'm proud of you. Kurt would be proud of you as well as your brothers. You saved them both. Thank you." X-23 looked up, "But now, it's time to finish the fight." X-23 ran out of the room and up the stairs. The bots may be normalized, but the war wasn't over yet. They still had the villains to take care of.
Back at the ballroom, all the bands on the heroes disappeared. The once captured heroes were now free with the thugs backing up in fear.
"What happened?" One of them shouted.
Spider-Man stood up, "I'll tell you what happened," Spider-Man quickly fired two nets of webs and stuck two goons to the wall, "You lost." Spider-Man jumped from the stage and kicked another goon in the face.
Mina and Nightcrawler quickly stood up from their positions and knocked out the guards holding the guns at them whilst the rest of the students and the heroes began to beatdown the villains and evacuate civilians.
Midnight and Dr. Banner stood up with Midnight taking Dr. Banner's hand, "Let's go, Dr. Banner."
"Right," Midnight led Dr. Banner through the fighting and out of the room with All Might following them.
"Wait for me," All Might shouted, catching up to them and leaving the room.
Spider-Man and Tsu were taking down goons one by one when Iida ran to them, "Spider-Man, we have to find Midoriya and the others! They could be in trouble!"
"You're right," Spider-Man said, punching out another goon, and looking out to the sea of heroes, "Anyone who is from U.A follow me outside!" Spider-Man shouted as he ran from the room.
"What do you think Spider-Man wants from us?" Kirishima asked Bakugo.
Bakugo blasted several goons away before looking at his partner, "It's to find the others. Deku and the others were supposed to show up but didn't. If anything, they are the reason why the security system was reset. And they could be fighting the main villains too." Bakugo ran in the direction of Spider-Man with the rest of the U.A students following him.
Once outside, Spider-Man and the others regrouped with Dr. Banner, Midnight, and All Might.
"Spider-Man," All Might said, "Do you know what happened?"
Spider-Man nodded, "I do. Deku and possibly some others managed to reestablish control over the security system. When I was on the stage, Deku was above me behind a glass dome. I assume Jiro was there too because Deku indicated he could hear me."
When Spider-Man finished speaking, a bamf and several of their classmates teleported near them. Before they could speak, the bamf teleported away, taking the rest of the students with him.
Kirishima's expression became concerned, "Was that Kaminari? He didn't look okay."
"Neither did Uraraka," Bakugo added in, "They were all in a fight alright." Bakugo growled and looked up at the tower, "Hey, demon, you think you can teleport some of us up there?"
"Are you talking to me?" Nightcrawler asked.
"Can you or not?!" Bakugo shouted.
Nightcrawler bit his tongue back and nodded his head, "I can."
"Then take us," Bakugo said impatiently.
Spider-Man looked to Tsu, "We should scale the building and see if we can find anyone through the windows." Tsu nodded her head in agreement.
Dr. Banner looked to where the bamf and the students were, "I'm going to go find where the bamf took the others. If Kaminari and Uraraka were indeed injured I figure they'll be at the infirmary nearby."
"I'll go with you," Midnight said.
"Same here," All Might said with regret, "I'm not suited for the hero life anymore, as much as I hate to admit it."
Spider-Man felt a pang of guilt run through him, but he quickly shook it off, "Alright. Everyone, hang onto another while Nightcrawler teleports you all above. Tsu, let's go." Spider-Man shot webs at the building and pulled himself towards it. He grabbed onto the glass and began to quickly scale the building while checking inside for anyone.
Tsu jumped high into the air and followed him.
Bakugo and Mina each grabbed one side of Nightcrawler as the rest of the students held onto him. Nightcrawler looked at each of them, "It might be a couple of jumps. Don't let go under any circumstances. There is a possible chance we could be in midair, and if you let go, it'll be very difficult for me to get to you. I might not be able to." Some of the students tensed at this thought. Bakugo didn't because he could fly with his quirk, but for those who couldn't, it was scary a thought.
Nightcrawler took a deep breath and looked up to study his jump. Everyone teleported away, leaving the staff behind.
All Might became worried, "Should we have let them go?"
Midnight faced All Might, "No, but they wouldn't have listened to us regardless." Midnight proceeded to lick her lips, "Besides, I do like to punish naughty students~"
Both All Might and Dr. Banner felt a single drop of sweat fall from their foreheads. Dr. Banner shook his head and signed, walking towards the big red cross he just noticed, "Let's go check on the students." Midnight followed with All Might staying behind to take one last look at the towers.
"Be safe, my students," All Might said, "And Spider-Man, save David and Melissa. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if any harm came to them." With his thoughts now said, All Might went in the direction of his friends.
Deku and Deadpool burst through the elevator door to find Taskmaster and Wolfram walking towards an active helicopter.
"Stop!" Deku yelled out.
Taskmaster and Wolfram paused and looked back at the two.
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Taskmaster answered.
Deadpool reached back and pulled out his twin swords, "Oh I do, but I rather give in to somewhere worthwhile."
Taskmaster lifted his hand, "Wolfram." Wolfram sent several pillars of metal towards the two as Taskmaster hopped onto the helicopter with the briefcase in hand. Deku jumped in front of Deadpool and smashed the first pillar, but was forced to dodge the next one. Deadpool avoided the pillars with his incredible acrobatics; his eyes kept on the helicopter.
Taskmaster whistled for the pilot to take off. The helicopter started to remove itself from the ground. Deku shouted to Deadpool when he noticed the helicopter leaving, "Deadpool! Go after Taskmaster!"
"Already on it!" Deadpool replied and continued to dodge Wolfram's attacks. Deadpool jumped onto a pillar and ran across it to get closer to the helicopter. Wolfram grunted and curved one of the pillars to a 90-degree angle to hit Deadpool from below. Deadpool predicted the attack and instead rode the pillar high into the sky.
"Damn it!" Wolfram shouted in frustration.
"SMASH!"
Deku landed in front of Wolfram with a fist ready to strike. Wolfram shielded himself with metal as Deku punched the metal with all his might.
The metal barrier broke, but Wolfram didn't take any damage, "You damn intolerable hero!" Wolfram flung both of his hands upwards as multiple pillars squashed Deku.
Deadpool looked down from his position and saw Midoriya getting squished, "Oof. That's gotta hurt." Deadpool said with his swords back into their scabbards with a switch in his hands, "And so will this." Deadpool clicked the button and alarms began to blare under him. Deadpool grabbed a piece of scrap metal hanging from the pillar and placed it under him, "Taking a page out of your book, Broccoli head!" The bombs under Deadpool exploded and sent Deadpool flying towards the helicopter.
Taskmaster watched from the cockpit as Deadpool launched himself towards the helicopter, "Dodge him!" The pilot yanked the stick to the left harshly as the helicopter jerked to the left, causing the blades to be in front of Deadpool.
Deadpool jumped off the scrap metal and above the helicopter blades, barely making it over without a scratch. Deadpool tripled his body and grabbed onto the landing skids with one hand. Deadpool pulled himself into the helicopter and was almost kicked off when Taskmaster appeared before him. "You missed, numbnuts!" Deadpool quickly pulled out his swords and clashed with Taskmaster's.
"This time, I'm going to win!" Taskmaster declared and swung his sword again with Deadpool reacting by blocking it again.
"Don't say things that are out of your league," Deadpool asked.
Deadpool and Taskmaster clashed swords repeatedly as the pilot regained the helicopter's balance and continued to fly. Deadpool took a quick peek outside the helicopter and saw they were getting further away from the tower. Not technically thinking, Deadpool slashed his swords upwards aggressively to knock Taskmaster backward and nearly made him fall out of the helicopter. Deadpool dropped his left sword, grabbed another shuriken from his pocket, and threw it at the pilot's hands. The pilot reeled his hands back as the shuriken sliced through his hands. Deadpool ran over to the cockpit, took the stick, and forced it to right, making it head back to the tower. Taskmaster fell forwards but stopped his fall by grabbing onto an emergency handle with his right hand. Taskmaster pulled out a pistol from his right holster and aimed it towards Deadpool. Deadpool quickly turned around, a pistol in his right hand, and both mercenaries fired their guns at the same time.
Deku broke free of Wolfram's trap, but was forced to retreat as an onslaught of pillars were trying to smash him. Deku kicked and punched through many pillars while simultaneously avoiding those he couldn't hit. Wolfram jerked his hands upward as several pillars shot from the ground, one of them managing to connect with Deku's back. Deku was stunned and couldn't avoid the incoming hit as another pillar struck him from his left. Wolfram manipulated one of the rising pillars to curve back to the ground and hit Deku. Deku saw the pillar coming at him. With every ounce of strength he could muster, Deku aimed his fingers at the pillar and fired a Delaware Smash, breaking the pillar and creating a dust screen. However, another pillar came rushing from the dust and collided with Deku. The pillar rushed towards the ground and smashed Deku into the ground.
"Gotcha, kid," Wolfram smirked before noticing the helicopter falling right towards him. "Oh shit!" Wolfram created a pillar from underneath him and moved out of the way as the helicopter crashed back onto the tower, the spinning blades scraping across the tower with an ear rupturing screech and forcing them to bend. The helicopter slid across the tower and broke some of it apart before slowing down and making a complete stop, the blades stopping as well, no longer straight.
Wolfram let out a pissed off growl, "God damn it, Taskmaster." Wolfram stopped the pillar and watched the helicopter closely. No one had exited the helicopter for a moment until a white hand grasped the edge of the base of the helicopter and pulled himself up. Taskmaster got out of the crashed copter, briefcase secured in his other hand. Wolfram moved himself to Taskmaster, "Got any other ideas on how to escape now?"
Taskmaster picked himself up and shoved the briefcase into Wolfram's chest, "Same way we got here. We get on the trucks and leave to the docks where the boats should still be at."
Wolfram took the briefcase with animosity, "Fine then."
Taskmaster looked back to the helicopter, "Hopefully that'll keep you down long enough for us to escape."
The ground began to rumble and both villains looked towards the pillar that had crushed Deku. The pillar blew up to pieces with Deku standing where the pillar once was. Deku took a step forward but nearly collapsed under his own power, falling onto one knee.
"You have heart, kid," Taskmaster complimented, "You remind me of Spider-Man. You both show what a real hero is meant to be. Such a shame you are not on his level though. You would have lived longer if you were."
Wolfram prepared another horde of pillars, ready to end Deku once and for all. Deku eyed all of the pillars and tried to move, but his body couldn't muster any kind of movement. The pillars sped towards Deku. Deku shut his eyes tightly as he prepared for the end, but the end never came.
Deku slowly opened his eyes and realized he wasn't in the same spot he was in before.
"Midoriya, why are kneeling whilst you're about to be killed?" A familiar voice spoke out.
Deku looked to his left to see Nightcrawler holding him by his hand, "Hallo, mein freund." Nightcrawler set Deku on his feet.
Deku staggered for a moment, but kept his balance when he noticed everyone else, "Iida, Kirishima, Mina, Todoroki, Kacchan?!"
"What the fuck are you doing, Deku?!" Bakugo barked, "Move out of the way you idiot!"
Deku shrunk back, "I-I tried, but-"
"Don't try, just do!" Bakugo growled.
Nightcrawler raised an eyebrow, "Quote Yoda, did you?"
Bakugo shot a confused glare at Nightcrawler, "Who or what the fuck is a Yoda?"
"You sad, sad, uncultured boy," Mina deadpanned before jumping back as Bakugo sent a warning blast her way.
Taskmaster signed to himself, "If these kids are here then Spider-Man isn't far behind."
"Spider-Man…" Wolfram mumbled to himself and looked down at the briefcase.
Taskmaster popped his knuckles, not feeling threatened enough to pull out his weapons, "If these kids want to play heroes, then let's show them what villains do to defeated ones." Wolfram laughed because he liked the idea. Taskmaster pulled out his pistol and shot several shots towards the group and made them scatter.
Todoroki slid across the ground and sent a wave of ice towards the two. Wolfram countered it by sending a pillar through the ice. Todoroki grunted and avoided the pillar. Mina threw her shoes off and used her acid to skate across the ground. She threw large portions of acid at Wolfram. Wolfram shielded himself with metal, but couldn't predict Nightcrawler's sudden appearance behind him. Nightcrawler kicked Wolfram in the back of the head and vanished. Wolfram swung a fist behind him but hit nothing. Nightcrawler appeared to his left and gave several blows to his abdomen. Wolfram grunted in pain and went for a few punches, but Nightcrawler avoided them all and grabbed Wolfram's fist with his tail. Nightcrawler brought Wolfram's fist to his face as Wolfram stumbled backward.
Mina skated towards Wolfram and gave a sharp elbow blow to his spine, causing Wolfram to spat out salvia from the impact. From an act of rage, Wolfram summoned several thick layers of metal from the ground and sent them outwards. Nightcrawler teleported himself and Mina out of harm's way.
On the other side, Taskmaster and a hardened Kirishima were duking it out with Taskmaster being more on the defensive side. The redhead reminded Taskmaster of Luke Cage, but he didn't have the same skill as Power Man did. Kirishima threw a straight right-hand punch. Taskmaster moved to the left and tripped Kirishima onto the floor. Taskmaster ducked as he felt someone else entering the fray.
"DIE!" Bakugo shouted, aiming a blast at Taskmaster. Taskmaster jumped back to gain distance between himself and Bakugo, but Bakugo quickly closed the gap. Bakugo spun his body around for a kick. Taskmaster blocked the attack and countered with a punch aimed at the gut. Bakugo brought his hands forward and blasted Taskmaster's hand. Taskmaster pulled back, unsheathing two knives from his sleeves, and slashing at Bakugo. Bakugo dodged each attack before pulling out, which allowed Iida to speed past Bakugo and strike Taskmaster in the chest with a powerful kick.
Taskmaster fell onto the ground and slid across the floor. When he came to a stop, Taskmaster quickly got onto his feet and spun out of the way of Iida. Taskmaster watched Iida's movements, the knives still in his hands. Iida was running circles around Taskmaster to trap him, and to find an opening. Taskmaster patiently watched Iida run before he was forced to move as Bakugo, carrying Kirishima on his back, flew over Iida's circle and got onto an aggressive offense on Taskmaster.
Taskmaster grinned under the mask, "This is getting a little interesting." Taskmaster countered each of the boy's attacks, managing to remain untouched while striking the two.
Bakugo and Kirishima backed up with the former's forearm rubbing his cheek, "Damn it…!" Bakugo growled before cracking a devious smile, "This is getting fun."
Iida made his move and ran at Taskmaster's back, hoping to catch him off guard. Taskmaster swiftly twirled around with his left leg raised allowing the sole of his boot to connect with Iida's face. Iida fell onto the ground as his momentum was suddenly stopped.
Not to let anymore harm come to their classmate, Kirishima and Bakugo once more went on the offensive. Taskmaster lifted Iida with one hand and threw him at the two. Kirishima caught Iida with Bakugo speeding by and attacked Taskmaster with a giant explosion. Taskmaster quickly reached back and pulled out his shield to block the explosion.
Bakugo panted as he eyed the smoke with a grin, "Take that you asshole." Through the smoke, Taskmaster charged through and bashed the shield against Bakugo. Bakugo was forced back and landed on the ground with a hard thud. Taskmaster ran to Bakugo, jumped into the air, and held the shield in both hands to slam it down on Bakugo's body.
Bakugo forced himself to the left with his quirk projecting him away. Taskmaster missed the attack as the shield cracked the concrete below it. Taskmaster equipped the shield back onto his arm and stood in place.
Wolfram ran next to Taskmaster to regroup with him. Before either man could mutter a word, a giant wave of ice came their way. Wolfram blocked the ice with a metal shield with Taskmaster barrel rolling away. The shield was quickly encased with ice as Wolfram sent a pillar at Todoroki. Todoroki countered with a pillar of ice of his own. Both attacks clashed and canceled each other out. Todoroki looked to his left to see Taskmaster throwing his shield at him. Todoroki adjusted his feet to summon a wall of ice in front of him. The shield caved into the ice becoming stuck in place. Todoroki was forced out of his position when Wolfram began to use more pillar attacks. Todoroki created a dome of ice to hold off the pillars coming at him but left an opening in front of him so he could attack still. The pillars crashed against the thick dome and broke apart with the ice cracking upon impact.
Taskmaster reached into his back pocket and grabbed hold of several customized sticky grenades. Taskmaster adjusted the setting on the grenades and threw them at the dome. The grenades stuck onto the dome, and a few seconds later, blew up, creating a massive hole in the dome.
Todoroki let out a surprised gasp, taking his eyes off of Wolfram. Wolfram took advantage of the distraction and built up a massive pillar with a point at the end of it. Wolfram sent the pillar point first at Todoroki. On the other end, Taskmaster reached to his back and pulled out a bow and arrow, aiming Todoroki.
Todoroki watched both villains with their attacks and chose to avoid Wolfram's attacking, forcing him to go to Taskmaster's side. Taskmaster released the arrow towards Todoroki's head. Todoroki quickly pulled up an ice shield to save himself but wasn't fast enough to fully avoid the pillar that Wolfram made and was struck by the edge of it.
Todoroki hit the ground, quickly covering himself in ice, his breath now staggering due to overuse of his ice quirk.
Kirishima, Bakugo, Iida, Mina, Nightcrawler, and Deku all gathered around Todoroki's position with Todoroki breaking through the ice.
"Use your damn fire," Bakugo spat out.
Todoroki avoided the question, "These villains are more skilled than us. We may have the numbers advantage, but their skill is far greater than ours."
Deku coughed into his hand with some blood spewing out from it, "We just have to keep fighting."
Nightcrawler glared at Wolfram, "That man is a watered-down version of the X-Men's archenemy. They may possess the same power, but the way they utilize their power is vastly different."
Taskmaster stepped forward with the students getting tensed, "You kids should give up now before someone else gets hurt."
"Never!" Deku shouted back, "You killed Sam! Melissa and David's longtime friend! You shot Uraraka!" Deku's voice was more enraged with that last bit.
Everyone around him looked shocked at the revelation before getting angry.
"How dare you hurt one of our own!" Iida angrily said.
Kirishima pounded his fists together, causing sparks to fly, "I'm going to make you ever regret hurting anyone!"
Mina shot an icicle stare at Taskmaster, "Not only did you injure one of my best friends, but you murdered someone?! Oh, you are so going down!"
Bakugo placed his hands next to him and began to set off mini-explosions, "Originally, I was going to kill you fast, but now, I'm going to make it hurt!"
Taskmaster laughed at the comments thrown at him, "Oh please, children, that 'Sam' guy is the reason we are even here. He wanted to make a quick buck at the expense of his family, and when the guy finally grew a heart, he learned a permanent lesson about going back on deals. As for the girl," Taskmaster shifted his focus to Deku, "That was to stun you long enough for my friend to get you." A ding was heard as the elevator door opened, "Speaking of which…"
The Lizard walked through the elevator door with Melissa grasped in his right hand and David being wrapped by Lizard's newly grown tail.
The students were stunned by the reveal, none more so than Nightcrawler, "Lizard…" Nightcrawler looked behind him and over the edge, "Spider-Man, your old foe has come for a visit. You must hurry."
"I thought I defeated you," Deku's expression changed drastically from being angered to showing fear and concern for the Shields.
"You blasted me away, but I was not defeated," Lizard replied, "I fell back onto the concrete, but thanks to my reptilian scales and regenerative abilities, I was able to recover quickly."
Taskmaster spoke next, "After Deadpool had flown the copter to the ground, I asked Lizard for a favor." Lizard stood next to Taskmaster with Melissa being too scared to move and David struggling to breathe and break free. "Our ride was destroyed, but I had a backup plan. However, to successfully getaway, I had to make sure our escape wouldn't be interrupted." The students stood in place with uncertainty on what to do. "If any of you as much try to stop us, you can say bye-bye to the two most prized support heroes of today."
"N...No!" David choked out, "Please...leave my daughter….I'll do whatever you want!"
"Sorry Mr. Shield, but the girl is our insurance policy to make sure you comply," Taskmaster replied.
"I don't think I can let you do that Skeletor."
With a familiar 'fwip' sound, Lizard was blinded by webbing and kicked in the nose. The Lizard dropped both with Melissa being pulled away by webs and David being taken a tongue.
"Spider-Man!" Melissa cried out in happiness as Spider-Man held her close to him.
"Sorry to keep you two waiting!" Spider-Man said with him and Tsu regrouping with their classmates.
A large portion of the ground several feet away sunk into the ground, and from the hole, jumped out X-23.
"Laura!" Nightcrawler called out.
X-23 ran towards the others, "What did I miss?"
"Nothing much," Nightcrawler pointed to Wolfram, "Be wary, he possesses the same power as Magneto although he isn't as powerful as him."
X-23 glanced at Wolfram and studied him, "Noted. Thanks for the tip."
"Like Magneto huh?" Spider-Man walked up to the two X-Men, "Hopefully he doesn't pin me against a wall and kicks me all day. Stupid infinite combo."
"Marvel vs Capcom 2?" Deadpool joined in, having healed from his wounds, "Fuck anyone who mains Sentinel, Magneto, and Storm, and uses them on the same team."
Wolfram back stepped at the sight of heroes in front of him. He was alright facing the kids, but now there were too many, and their hostages have been taken. This was a total loss!
...Unless…
Wolfram swiftly grabbed the briefcase and used his quirk to create a large, thick, shield around him.
"Wolfram!" Taskmaster boomed, his fists tightening up, "Don't you do it! The boss will-!"
"Fuck! Him!" Wolfram spoke from inside, his voice sounding more distorted and sinister, "He can go to hell! In fact, I think I'll send him there myself when I'm done with all of you!"
"Oooooooh time for the final boss!" Deadpool squealed.
The ground began to shake violently, large metal wires and beams ripped straight from the ground. The helicopter was torn to shreds with the scraps racing to Wolfram's shield. Sounds of concrete being torn apart were heard from around the building as many more wires were forming around Wolfram's position. The shield Wolfram was inside rose with the user appearing from his hiding place with the device over his head. Wolfram's eyes changed from their normal color to pure black a powerful purple iris.
"This power…" Wolfram spoke, "It's unreal! I feel more powerful than ever!" Wolfram's voice changed from mono to double, "I don't have to touch the ground to use my quirk! I can feel the metal around me and summon them to my will!"
"Scratch that, Laura," Nightcrawler groaned, "He is nearly like Magneto."
X-23 growled with frustration, "At least he can't control magnetic fields."
"Still," Nightcrawler mumbled, "He could do what Magneto did to your father with his Adamantium."
X-23 shuddered. Her body wasn't coated in Adamantium like her father's, but if the Adamantium is ripped out of her arms and feet then she loses her claws altogether.
"Get out of here, X-23," Spider-Man said, "It'll be better that way."
X-23 scowled at Spider-Man, "What? You think because I have Adamantium and he can control all metal makes me a burden for all of you?" Before Spider-Man could answer, X-23 increased her glare, "I'm staying put, Spider-Man."
Wolfram's transformation was complete. What stood before the heroes was something they have not seen in this world. Wolfram had control of nearly all metal's from around the tower and combined them all to make a Kraken like behemoth. Wolfram had hidden his body behind layers upon layers of metal. The monster was standing several stories high above the largest tower on I-Island. The heroes looked up to the newest threat and got ready.
"Sooooo…." Spider-Man checked his web cartridges, "By chance, are any of you hiding a secret metal controlling quirk because that would be a very handy dandy right now?"
"There is a way to stop him," David said, his voice cracked. David was walking to the group of heroes with Melissa behind him, his neck bruising from Lizard's tail, "If one of you can get up there and rip that device off of his head, his quirk will return to normal and you'll be able to defeat him."
"You make it sound so easy!" Mina shouted, hiding her fears.
Melissa let out a small, desperate laugh, "Papa never said it was going to be easy."
"I have to admit, Mr. Shield," Iida stood next to Bakugo, his eyes not looking away from Wolfram, "Your device… it's…"
David looked to the ground, cracked beneath him, and grimaced, "I know…" David turned to Wolfram, "It was a prototype meant to aid in quirk longevity and increase its power. Seeing in action now, like this…" David scanned the area around him with regret and fear, "It makes me want to see it destroyed. I was foolish to believe no villain could ever gain one, yet the first variation of it is in possession of one."
While everyone was talking, Todoroki spotted Taskmaster sneaking away and climbing over the edge of the tower. Todoroki wanted to stop him but decided against it. Right now, he and the others will need to defeat Wolfram.
Spider-Man and Deku stood in front of everyone with their faces firm and their bodies warmed up. They were ready for the fight ahead. "Guys, if we win this, I'm taking all of you for stuffed crust pizza."
Bakugo snickered, "Better have pepperoni on that pizza!"
"Of course!" Spider-Man replied.
"Ooooh, can I have mozzarella sticks?" Mina asked.
"Yes, Mina, yes you can," Spider-Man nodded.
"We all better get something for ourselves after this," X-23 clashed her claws together.
Deku and Iida pointed to Wolfram, "Can we focus?!"
"Oh right," Spider-Man began formulating a plan in his head, but before he could speak it, Wolfram swung several large wires at the group, forcing everyone to scatter and attack on their own.
"Hello?"
Eri shouted into the white abyss around her. A moment ago she was dreaming of being inside of the Expo and having fun. In the dream, Laura was riding a life-sized version of Spot around the park, Kaminari was pulling an endless amount of apples from his sombrero, and, for some odd reason, Uraraka was the sun in the sky. It was an imaginative dream, but just when Eri was about to ask Laura for a turn on riding Spot around the park, everything vanished and this white void was all that was left.
It was peaceful as it was confusing. No one was around; there was no noises. What could this place be?
Eri walked around the blank area. Something about it seemed familiar to her. Like she was here in the past. Even before she met Laura.
"Heeeellllllooooooo?" Eri shouted into the endless void, receiving no response. Eri wasn't scared because she knew she was dreaming; Eri's always been well aware of when she's dreaming or not.
From the corner of her eye, Eri saw something glowing in the distance. A green glow. Not seeing any reason to stand around, Eri walked towards the green light. There was a power emanating from that green light with each step Eri took towards it. It was incredible. It was…recognizable! She's been here before, Eri knew it. She saw someone here too!
"Hello? Are you here again?" Eri called out into the green light. From within Eri saw the ghost again. The lady she drew in the picture several days ago and showed to Laura.
The lady looked to Eri with its head tilted with her green eyes staring calmly at Eri's red eyes.
"Who are you?" Eri asked.