Chapter 1

"What is a spartan? A spartan is a symbol. Hope, where there is none. In times of darkness, we are hope. And together… together we are unstoppable!"

- Spartan Commander Laurette Agryna

January 8, 2160

0131 Hours

Eight Years Before the USJ Attack

Hamano Kenzo, Director of the Hero Public Safety Commission - one of the most influential people in the entire world - is left speechless.

"Unfortunately, we believe that figure to be inaccurate," the man says.

That forces some words out of her.

"Unfortunately?" She asks incredulously. Just as it leaves her mouth she immediately clamps down on her panic. She's the leader of the entire Commission. She doesn't have the privilege to show such alarm, no matter how dire the situation. And the situation is indeed dire. Back straight and shoulders squared, her eyes harden with authority while a tone of command weaves its way into her voice. "Explain, Agent."

He closes his eyes and nods his head. "Ma'am, despite his best efforts, Snatch was only privy to the most basic of information. It's also likely that they were misleading him about the true strength of their forces to ensure that he couldn't somehow leak anything too serious," he stops to inhale before letting out a long sigh. "With this in mind, we're almost certain that his initial report is largely underestimated. In reality, we could be looking at a force ten times that size."

Hundreds of thousands, she thinks in morbid fascination. I guess they don't call themselves the Meta Liberation Army for nothing.

"Alright," she says. A moment passes as she contemplates how to respond. Her eyes track across all the other board members in the room. "What are our options?"

"We need to get in contact with every available asset and take action," one of them states. Okino Tadiyuki. His posture is rigid, and his voice carries confidence. But she's known him long enough to figure out his mannerisms. He's scared shitless. Not that she can blame him. "A large and overwhelming attack right now will surely catch them off guard. The mere sight of such a coalition of heroes and law enforcement may even quell this insurrection before it can further infect anymore of our nation!"

Insurrection. Is that really what's festered beneath our very noses? Kenzo frowns as she contemplates his words. They do hold some merit. An overwhelming show of force could convince a good majority of these villains to surrender without violence. They could even convince All Might to drop a Detroit Smash or two. Shock and awe. But there's a few issues with that proposal.

"Who exactly are we supposed to call on?" Yokumiru chimes in. Composed, passionate, and ready to go the extra mile. She'd always found him to be a voice of reason during these stressful times. "Snatch was clear. The Meta Liberation Army has scores of Pro Heroes among their ranks. And not just C or D listers either. We're talking about people who could tear down entire city wards by themselves. And if our agent's theory is correct, that there are thousands more that we don't know about? Who are we supposed to trust?"

"We can always rely on All-" he stops himself, his eyes widened. His face forms a scowl before he leans back into his chair.

Ah, yes. That. Kenzo winces at the reminder. All Might had just left the hospital only two days ago. Despite the doctors and Sir Nighteye demanding that he stay there to recover. The Symbol of Peace. What an absolute idiot he can be sometimes.

Diving headfirst into All for One's main base without any reinforcements or a single back up plan. And now several organs were seriously damaged with some of them having been ripped out of his body entirely. Truly the epitome of critical thinking. Critical thinking…

"Well, what about the Self-Defense Force? Surely, they haven't been as heavily infiltrated by the Meta Liberation Army? And they also have the means to pacify this uprising!" A portly man proposes.

"A promising idea, Treasurer, if it weren't for the fact that they'd probably level half of Japan doing it," Okino snipes.

"Not only that, but could you imagine the panic it would cause the public when they see tanks rolling through streets? Or gunships and helicopters flying through the air?" Nakada Kenji - Head of Public Relations - adds. "It'd be complete pandemonium."

"Mera," Kenzo starts. The room immediately goes quiet. "Get me a secure line to US Fleet Activities Yokosuka. One, Catherine Halsey."

January 8, 2160

0208 Hours

Well this was something she certainly wasn't expecting today. Not that she's shocked. Doctor Halsey's used to unexpected situations falling into her lap at the most inconvenient of times. Still, this was significantly more serious than most of the other assignments she'd taken up. "I'll need more information before I can give any sufficient advice."

"With respect, Doctor, this is an extremely sensitive situation. We're already taking a risk by telling you -"

"We estimate that they're hundreds of thousands strong and that they'll only continue to grow," Director Kenzo interrupts. "They have the backing of one of the largest support tech companies in the world, an established political party, a massive surveillance corporation, and plenty more that we don't know about. Their army isn't hiding out in some far away base either. They live right here, in our cities. They have the capacity to wreak havoc at any moment without warning. We also have confirmation that quite a few Pro-Heroes are turncoats as well, so we don't know who to trust. Is that sufficient?"

Halsey inhales deeply, holds it for exactly three seconds, then exhales. It's always been difficult working with Kenzo. Although she's grateful for her honesty, she does have this annoying habit of throwing a nigh-impossible task at you without warning. Or the courtesy to wait until a more decent time. She understands the stakes, but couldn't they have waited for just a few more hours? Or at least until she'd solved the other crisis she was dealing with right now?

No matter. This was by far the more serious threat. An army hundreds of thousands strong who were hiding in plain sight while being readily supplied by some of the most influential corporations in modern times? All while the Number One Hero was "unavailable" for the foreseeable future? This already had the potential to rip Japan apart, but if it were allowed to grow anymore then how far would their influence reach? How much destruction could they cause before they were stopped?

At that moment, she knew what she had to do. "Send me all the information you have and book me a flight to your headquarters for tomorrow morning. I want an office readied for me and set up somewhere secluded. Perhaps in the basement?"

"I - uh - I apologize, Doctor," Okino stammers out. "But what do you mean? Didn't you say that you were already occupied with another project? The Office of Na-"

"ONI can wait. The increase of new Trigger strains is inconsequential in light of this new finding," she explains. "Besides, I've built up enough credit with them to leave with a short notice."

The chairman remains silent, uncertain of what to say. Director Kenzo isn't.

"We'll send you our intelligence report within the hour. Your office and a helicopter will be prepared by tonight. Thank you, Doctor." With that said, the call ends.

"I wouldn't be thankful, Director," Halsey mutters. She leans down and rifles through her desk drawer before pulling out a thick Manila folder. It's worn down with tears and stains spread through all of its documents. A testament to the decades it's survived. Outdated and ineffective, though she could never bring herself to dispose of it. "Not if we have to resort to what I think we will."

January 11, 2160

0833 Hours

The Orion Initiative. It'd been almost 150 years since the project was proposed in ONI's briefing room. And it shows. Catherine can't help but grimace at the vocabulary: meta-humans, superpowers, alter egos. The text is undeniably antiquated but that was never it's selling point anyway. At least, not for Doctor Halsey.

The program was one of many promising solutions during a time when many thought it would be the end of the world. The initial outline called for using various augmentations of Quirkless agents in order to combat the rising amounts of quirked individuals. This changed almost immediately when ONI began to realize that there was some merit to recruiting those with these new abilities. The augmentations would supplement those new operatives who they'd recruit from the most versatile of quirks, though both groups would still be considered "superhuman".

It's quite interesting to look at it from today's standpoint where the Quirkless are considered to be fragile. Many have even begun to see them as useless. Catherine let out an annoyed tsk at that thought. Useless… with what I have in mind that couldn't be further from the truth.

Among the scant few who still knew about the Initiative, most of them considered it to be a failure and she could understand why. From the very onset there were problems: volunteers with uncertain loyalties, severe physical and mental health effects, budget constraints, and plenty more. Despite the successful operatives they managed to create and the missions that they were able to accomplish it wasn't enough to make up for the numerous drawbacks. The burden from all of these factors combined eventually put the project in the ground without any chance to be improved.

But Halsey wasn't quite so closed minded. Despite its downfall she couldn't help but admire the potential it had. All it needed was a fresh set of eyes to determine what went wrong and how to fix it. There were mistakes littered throughout the entire process, but she knew that they could be easily rectified. That's all it needed. Some adjustments. The first of which would have to be its candidate pool. Senior agents with at least eight years of experience? They could be anywhere from their late twenties to their early fifties. Unacceptable. She needed to start somewhere younger, when their bodies would be more malleable and their minds more impressionable.

Perhaps...

January 21, 2160

1220 Hours

She knew how it sounded. Cruel, immoral, downright villainous. But honestly, knowing what she does about Hawks and Lady Nagant, how do they have the audacity to act so horrified? At least Director Kenzo is self-conscious enough to only have a look of mild displeasure.

"It's wrong," states Yokumiru.

"It's necessary," retorts Halsey.

"I didn't say it wasn't, it's just," he hesitates. "Is this really our only option? We still don't know all that much about what we're facing. We could wait a little longer, gather more intelligence. That way we can make a more informed decision."

"He's got a point," says another. "There's no going back once we start this. We need to be absolutely sure. Because if we aren't, and we put these kids through that hell, then we'll be - well, we'll be…"

"We'll be monsters?" Halsey finishes. She understands. She truly does. But they don't have the luxury of slipping into a crisis of morality. What she's proposing will take years before there's any pay off. Research, planning, abductions, training, and… graduation. Just the sheer hassle of locating enough candidates that have the right genetic qualities and are within the necessary age group will take weeks. All while remaining totally undetected by both the MLA and the Heroes. "It's unavoidable, Mera. You have the same information that I do. This needs to happen, and it needs to happen now."

"Besides," grumbles Okino. "It's not like we haven't done this before. Stealing kids' childhoods is basically tradition at this point."

"Just one small difference," said the Treasurer. "Hawks won't have a fifty percent chance of being permanently crippled or killed at the end of his training."

"Unfortunately, that's a flaw that we'll just have to accept," Halsey states. Her words are cold, barren of emotion. But underneath she's still racking her brain for more ideas, trying to come up with ways to give these children - candidates - even the slightest advantage. She pressed on. "The benefits far outweigh the risks. Those who survive will become stronger, faster, and smarter than the majority of heroes around the world. More importantly, is that they'll have others that they can depend on. Not just the occasional team-up. Brothers and sisters in arms that they'll be able to coordinate with near instantaneously. They'll be able to function like a single entity. It'll be unlike anything the world has seen."

"Yes," Kenzo begins. A single word and yet it's power captures the attention of all. Conviction radiates from her as a fire stirs to life in her eyes. Halsey's heard that tone before. Oh no, not this…

"We'll be taking their innocence, their families, their friends, in some cases their very lives. But we'll be giving them something greater in exchange," she pauses to look around. "A chance. The chance. An opportunity to become a new breed of heroes. Hawks will be an inspiration - no doubt - but he's one man. These new children, however; they'll become the next generation."

The other members of the board are starting to welcome the idea. They straighten up in the seats, lips forming into confident grins. Even Yokumiru appears more assured with what needs to be done. Kenzo then turns to Catherine and looks her in the eyes.

"Doctor Halsey. Anything you need, it's yours. You have a blank check," she says. Then she looks around the room one more time. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Meta Liberation Army is quite possibly the greatest threat we will have to face. But know this. Their emergence has led to their own downfall. A new age of heroes is on the horizon, and we will shepherd them to perfection."

Halsey resisted the urge to roll her eyes.