"Are we getting any support from other branches?" asked Nezu, as he looked over documents while riding on Aizawa's shoulder.

"We've seen requests all over the world, so far only the American branch, German Branch, and Korean Branch have responded with affirmatives. America has already sent a team and should be here in a day or two. Germany and Korea are expected to have their teams together and on their way in another three to four." Said Aizawa.

"Good, good, we are so short-staffed that I feared pulling heroes away from their cities and weakening our position. With this, we should be able to make do with minimal risk." Said Nezu.

"Any word from Tokoyami yet?" asked Aizawa, opening the door to Nezu's office.

"No, not yet and I am becoming concerned. He rarely fails to report in..." Said Nezu trailing off as the two of them spotted a package on Nezu's desk.

"I was not expecting any packages." Said Nezu.

"I'll get Hawks." Said Aizawa retreating from the room and closing the door.

Nezu hopped off Aizawa's shoulder as Aizawa went to find Hawks. Nezu then made his way to the nearest intercom mic.

"This is Nezu, all classes are suspended for the day. Report to your dorms and await further instructions. Teachers are to not enter the main school building until further notice by me. That will be all." Said Nezu into the mic. Then he hopped down and made his way to the main building's front doors.

He waited there until Hawks and Aizawa arrived.

"You think it's a bomb?" asked Hawks.

"Indeed, I cannot risk the lives of my teachers and students. So I am asking you to take care of it." Said Nezu, hoping back onto Aizawa's shoulder.

"All right then, just give me a second." Said Hawks, sending out multiple feathers.

He attached small camera's to a few of his feathers then sent them into Nezu's office through the window.

The feathers with cameras took up positions surrounding the packages, and Hawks watched on a tablet as he carefully tore the packaging open with a few feathers. The packaging fell away to reveal a small container and a note attached to it. The container was about the size of Nezu's head and had removable covers on every side.

"Well it isn't a bomb, so we're safe on that front." Said Hawks after investigating the container for a few more minutes.

"Want me to bring it here?" he asked looking up at Nezu.

Nezu nodded and Hawks feathers surrounded the container and carried out of the room and to them.

Nezu took the container and read the note attached to it.

WE HAVE HIM

Feeling a pit forming in his stomach, Nezu removed the covers on the side.

He stared at the contents, a wave of rare anger permeating his body. Aizawa swore and Hawks' face darkened.

Inside the container, floating in a clear solution, was the red-eye of a bird of prey.


As Ochako launched herself from the ground towards U.A., she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming surge of anger. She'd been right, a crisis had happened during her dinner. The one time she had hoped for at least one day of peace and quiet, something happened. Just like her entire life since coming to U.A., it had been a new crisis seemingly every week. She seriously wished she had never become a hero at times but despite her gripes, she'd do almost all of it again. Joining the Angel Project was the one thing she'd probably refuse if she could go back.

As she got closer to U.A., her anger started to abate, and a simple sadness took its place. She wished she could have stayed for the entire dinner. She genuinely liked Izuku, more than she would have thought. Their lives were very similar, both had joined groups dedicated to public service, and during that service lost their family. The QSU was also an organization that was dedicated to fighting villains and other highly dangerous elements. In that way, the QSU and Heroes were not so different, especially after the war. Yet another way in which they were similar.

She didn't feel like going through the front door so instead, she flew over to the window of the usual meeting room. Her appearance at the window immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room. Kirishima who was closest to the window immediately opened it and she touched down onto the floor.

"Thanks," she said, brushing herself off.

"No problem!" Kirishima said brightly.

Ochako looked around the room and saw that only Kirishima, Mina, and Bakugo were present.

"Anyone know what's going on?" she asked, grabbing a seat and plopping herself down on it.

"No idea, Nezu just sent out an emergency call to everyone. We three were already in the building so we got here first." Said Mina shrugging.

"Whatever it is, it must be information-based. Nothing happened in the city or any nearby cities, so probably related to the recon mission." Said Bakugo.

The door opened then and Momo and Todoroki, along with Tsu entered and after quick greetings took seats as well.

"Any more word from Nezu?" asked Todoroki.

"Nothing. The fact he still isn't here yet is concerning. He isn't often the last to arrive." Said Mina.

"The schools on lockdown, whatever the incident is, it happened here. Nezu had all the students go to their dorms under teacher protection. The only people in the school are us, Power Loader in the workshop which is also locked down, and presumably Nezu." Said Tsu.

"This is bad. The school is one of the most secure places in Japan, if something happened here then this might seriously shake things up." Said Momo darkly.

"Assassination attempt? Did someone get teleported into Nezu's office maybe?" Asked Kirishima.

"It's possible, we won't know for certain until Nezu arrives though." Said Tsu.

As if on queue, the door opened and Nezu, Aizawa, Hawks, Jirou, and Kaminari entered. The room fell silent as everyone took their seats. Nezu at the head of the table.

"No doubt you are all aware that the school is on lockdown until further notice. The reason for that is also why I have called you all here. After this short briefing, I will be in meetings until further notice, so this will be your only opportunity to ask questions once I am done." Said Nezu.

"We have discovered that Tokoyami was captured during his recon mission. We have no further details, but Zeus sent us evidence of his capture. The evidence was deposited onto my desk, how this was done in unknown. There were no energy surges that point to teleportation occurring anywhere in the city, nor was anyone spotted entering the school or this building. This event has precipitated a change of plans. I hope to launch our assault on his fortress in two days, rather than the five I had initially mapped out. While Tokoyami is trained to resist interrogation, we cannot rule out the possibility that they have methods beyond our imagination. In any event, the timetables will be moved up. I have already spoken to most of you concerning your roles in the assault, but that may also change. Any questions?" Asked Nezu looking around the room.

"If the recon has failed then do we have any information regarding his fortress?" asked Bakugo.

"Some, mostly concerning outer defenses. Tokoyami and Hawks are the only people we have who could infiltrate their lines for a better look, but I will not risk sending Hawks." Said Nezu.

"Nezu, could you allow me access to deep storage?" Asked Momo, the suppressed anger in her evident.

"Yes, in fact, I will provide you all with access. Take whatever you may need, it may very well be the last battle concerning the League." Said Nezu.

"I'm afraid that is all. Prepare yourselves as best you can and ensure you are well-rested." Said Nezu.

"I've been meaning ask, what's The Hunter been up to recently?" Asked Todoroki.

"Not much, he was sighted on top of a building overlooking the hospital while you were all away rescuing the hostages. He appears to be focused on ensuring Eri's safety, after Zeus's first attempt to get her back he likely expects another attempt." Said Hawks.

Everyone started to get up when an explosion rocked the whole school. Nobody fell over, but a picture on a wall fell.

"It came from the basement!" Shouted Bakugo, blitzing out of the door and using his quirk to traverse the halls.

Everyone else ran after him, pelting through the halls and down the staircase. As they got to the basement, they could see smoke drifting down a hallway. They ran down it and to the door, the smoke was pouring out of. The door had been blown off its hinges, and the fire was everywhere in the workshop. They heard a loud snap and they heard the workshop's industrial venting fans spin up.

Before long the room was smoke-free, then Todoroki extinguished the flames. The entire room was ruined, and by the door was Power Loader and a large amount of blood. Momo immediately went to his side but stopped short of checking for a heartbeat.

"He's dead. Before the bomb even went off, he had probably been dead for a few minutes. A clean slice across the throat." she said, standing up.

There was silence then Jiro gasped and pointed to one of the walls. They all turned and Ochako felt a chill go down her spine.

In large letters, painted in red paint judging by the spilled can nearby, were the words,

I'M BACK

They all just stared at the words, but a few jumped when Bakugo threw a table across the room. He was breathing heavily and shaking all over then he strode out of the room.

"Yaoyorozu call Naomasa, we need a proper investigation. Aizawa I want you to pull a copy of the most recent inventory conducted of the workshop. It was likely that something was stolen, and the bomb was a means of obscuring the evidence." Said Nezu sharply.

"How did they get in? The room was locked down wasn't it?" Asked Kirishima.

"That it was. Power Loader either opened the door himself, which is unlikely, or the assassin knew how to override the lockdown." Said Nezu, walking to the door now lying in the hall and examining it.

"The outside of the door is intact, so the assassin didn't do something to compromise the door integrity. Which means they either overwrote the lockdown or used a quirk to open the door. Yaoyorozu, go and pull up security logs for the basement. That should give us an indicator as to how the room was breached." Said Nezu.

Momo quickly left the room to do so, and everyone took that as their cue and followed after her. No one said much as they made their way out of the basement. Power Loader was not someone any of them were really familiar, with outside of Tsuyu who visited him to have her prosthetics looked at regularly.

When they got back to the main floor, everyone split up. Ochako, Jirou, and Kaminari followed Tsu outside, where they saw Bakugo coming from around a corner.

"Didn't find anything that points us towards the direction the assassin fled, they're long gone." He ground out, constantly flexing his fingers in irritation. As if he were strangling an invisible force.

"They can't have left no trace at all, once we get people who specialize in stuff like this, we'll know more," Ochako said.

"Yeah maybe," muttered Bakugo, walking past them into the school.

"He's not as hot-headed as he used to be, huh?" said Jirou looking back at Bakugo as he passed them.

"Yeah, but he's still Bakugo at the end of the day." Said Ochako.

"So are either of you going to be joining the assault against Zeus?" Asked Kaminari.

"No, Tsu can't go, and Nezu wants me here in case anything happens." Said Ochako.

"Same here, neither of us are fit to go to the frontlines anymore. We're semi-retired from heroics anyways if I'm being honest." Said Jirou.

"Focusing more on your music?" Ochako asked.

"Yeah, but I dunno how it'll all work out," she said, messing with one of her earphone jacks.

"One step at a time, you'll figure it all out eventually," Ochako said encouragingly.

They made a little bit more small talk, but eventually, they split up.

Tsu started towards her apartment, Ochako following her. They eventually got to Tsu's apartment, which was on the first floor of an upscale apartment complex like Ochako's. Tsu's complex though was positioned near a local pool, where she would often go to exercise and practice with her prosthetic when she wasn't teaching at U.A.

They entered Tsu's relatively normal apartment. There was a distinct water/aquatic theme but not overly so. Tsu's pragmatism revealed itself most clearly in how she choose to live. With everything serving a clear purpose but with just enough of a personal touch to make it all feel lively.

As they removed their shoes and made their way inside proper, Tsu went to the kitchen.

"Want some tea? ribbit," she said, pointedly not looking at Ochako.

Ochako approached Tsu from behind, who was messing about with the tea. "Tsu..." she said softly.

"I have plenty of different kinds so pick what you want," she said, her voice shaking just a tad.

"Tsu... it's just us," Ochako said softly.

Tsu's hands began to shake, and she grabbed hold of the countertop edge, knuckles going white.

Ochako turned Tsu around and hugged her. There was a pause as Ochako felt Tsu's shaking intensify, then Tsu hugged her back and started silently crying.

It was not often that Tsu cried, when she had become like a big sister to the entire class she had actively avoided crying wherever possible. Ochako figured that Tsu had always felt a need to stay strong in front of everyone. If Kirishima and Mina had been the ones to keep the darkness at bay during the war, then it was Tsu who had kept them centered. She had led through example, and through the entirety of the war, Ochako could count on one hand how many times she had seen Tsu cry. Even then, those instances were often in private. So long as Tsu remained strong, then they could manage as well.

They stood there for a time, but eventually, Tsu extracted herself from Ochako's embrace.

"Thank you," Tsu said quietly, then took a couple of slow deep breaths.

"Thank you, I'm fine now," she said again, now calm, with no trace of unsteadiness.

"We'll get him back Tsu, I promise," Ochako said.

At those words, Tsu closed her eyes and leaned against the countertop. Ochako could see the struggle within Tsu as she tried to speak, Tsu took a steadying breath then opened her eyes. A sad expression on her face.

"Don't make promises... you might not be able to keep," she said, one last tear rolling down one cheek.


"So what do you think the message means?" asked Naomasa, looking at the words painted on the wall.

"I'm not sure, it's quite vague. It could refer to several people, there are a number of villains who we have no confirmed death for after all." Said Nezu also staring at the message.

"Stain." came a voice from behind them.

The two turned and saw Bakugo standing nearby, examining the origin point of the bomb.

"He cut back on his activities during the war, and we haven't seen him at all since we first confirmed him entering Mufustafu. This could just be his announcing his return." Bakugo continued, rubbing some residue from the blast between his fingers.

"That is quite possible, he may even be working with Zeus. Though I can't imagine why he would work with him." Nezu said.

"You got any insight into the explosive?" asked Naomasa

"Wasn't a regular bomb, more a combination of a regular explosive, likely C4, and highly flammable substances. Given this workshop, there would be plenty of material on hand for that. Ideal for destroying evidence since regular explosives could leave evidence behind. Setting the entire room ablaze is cleaner, more reliable." Bakugo said, standing up and wiping his hands.

Naomasa grunted as he made note of the statement, then he looked down at Nezu.

"Anything from your security records?" he asked.

"Nothing I'm afraid, but we have at least confirmed that the door had its lockdown overridden. Which does point to an agent of Zeus, likely the information leak providing him with the information to do so." Said Nezu darkly, starting to pace around the room in thought.

"This information leak is getting worse by the day. It was bad enough planning around it during the war, but if it's the same agent then they've had years to work, silently collecting information. How often do you update your codes?" Naomasa asked.

"We change them weekly, and the override codes are known only to myself, Aizawa, Hawks, Best Jeanist, and Tsuyu Asui," Nezu said.

"In other words, people everyone trusts wholly and completely." Said Naomasa, grimacing.

"I do not think any of them to be traitors." Said Nezu sharply.

"Neither do I, but whatever is leaking the information is doing so through them. It could be mind control, subconscious suggestions implanted via powerful hypnosis or something else entirely. It could even be some kind of elaborate surveillance system we haven't been able to find or detect." Said Naomasa.

There was silence for a time, Bakugo left the room, and Naomasa went back to conversing with his forensics team. Nezu took another look around the workshop and shook his head. Then he trudged back to his office.

He locked the door and just sat in his chair, thinking about the death of Power Loader. At that moment he felt tired. Not physically, or emotionally, not even spiritually, but on an existential level, he felt the weight of his responsibilities weighing on him.

He was principal of one of the finest hero academies on the planet, responsible for every teacher and student that entered into its grounds. Not to mention the strange relationship he had with the military and the government due to the war.

He let out a sigh, allowed himself a few moments to grieve for the loss of Power Loader. Then he collected himself and started making calls. He had a lot of work to do if we wanted to move the timetable of the assault up.