The group stood watching from the observation booth as the strange lights and sporadic bursts of pink electricity emanated from Ochako's body. Her heart rate had started up again, but it was slow, while the activity of her brain only increased. After a while, Tsu turned toward Takeo who was the head researcher.

"What's happening to her?" She asked worriedly.

"I don't know... This never happened with the other two Angels with the same suit as her..." He said, his brow furrowed.

He pulled a chair toward himself and plopped down into it, he crossed his arms and Tsu could see him moving his chin.

"Likely a habit he has when concentrating." she thought. She'd seen a number of ticks like it in the students.

"Whatever is happening can only be as a result of the black boxes... It's the only major difference we've made to the suit outside of basic upgrades..." He muttered, trailing off as he leaned forward and steepled his hands in thought.

"What are the black boxes? Actually, what even is the QUEESS!?" she demanded, anger starting to overcome her.

She was getting an answer as to what the hell all of this was once and for all, and unlike before, she wasn't going to accept the excuse of "Its a need to know basis" or "Its a matter of national security". Not after what she'd already seen.

When Takeo didn't move, she turned on the rest of the researchers.

"Well!?" She demanded.

When still no one said a word, she spun on Hawks.

"What is the QUEESS!" She demanded once more.

Hawks' gaze was fixed on Ochako, but at her demand, the skin around his eyes tightened.

She waited, she knew he was thinking it over. Then he finally turned his gaze toward her.

"You've seen this much, I guess there isn't much point in keeping it secretfrom you. But you have to swear not to breathe a word of it to anyone. When this is all over, you'll have to let the Silent One use his quirk on you again. This is a matter of national secrecy and we can't let the info leak out. Do you still want to know?" He asked in a warning tone.

Tsu's mind flashed back to the events surrounding the moment when Ochako had undergone her psychotic break. The Silent One was a mysterious individual from the government, likely a spy, whose quirk prevented anyone from communicating a secret he specified to anyone or anything. It was like signing a non-disclosure agreement, except once you signed it was impossible to break. Nezu had had the man use his quirk to prevent the events of Ochako's psychotic break from leaking to the public. So far as she was aware, only Nezu could speak freely of it.

Tsu turned to look at Ochako, and she remembered the horrible screams, the nightmares that plagued Ochako, the scars she bore across her back that she was afraid to show the rest of the class, and the other angels. Ochako had confided to her that two had committed suicide shortly after the war ended, while Yo Shindo had been put into an institution since he was deemed unstable. Unstable might have been too nice a word, considering he had turned traitor.

"Yes." was all she said.

Hawks took a deep breath and pulled two chairs forward and pushed one of them to Tsu.

"We'll start with the name, as you likely guessed it's an acronym." He said, leaning back in his chair.

"QUEESS stands for, Quirk Enhancement and Evolution Suit System. The entire point of which was to enhance an individual to a point of strength where they could fight Shigaraki. Shigaraki is the only reason why the Angel Project was started, he was too strong and nigh-invulnerable to all our weapons and quirks. We needed a power that could fight him or at least a team of people who could combine their powers to come close." Hawks said.

"Originally, we intended to form an international response team to fight him. Which would have initially involved the top heroes from across the world, with Stars and Stripes at their head. But as you know, that didn't happen. All For One's influence was far more wide-reaching than we thought, and there was a global crisis as splinter cells popped up across the world, wherever Heroes had a strong influence. The team we had in mind became impossible to form, as they were needed in their home countries. We also believe the League enflamed relations between multiple superpowers and launched a strong disinformation campaign as a means of stoking fear of war in multiple countries such as America, Germany, Israel, the E.U., India, and China.Thisonly added further pressure to keep top heroes in their home countries to ease worries amongst the populace." Hawks said, now propping his feet up on top of one of the dead monitors.

"So we had to do something different, he had to make an individual or team of individuals strong enough to fight Shigaraki. Essentially, we had to MAKE an All Might. The initial solution was devised by the original project head, and his solution worked, for better or for worse." Hawks said, his expression darkening.


Three years previously...

"Doctor Kato, I trust you have a solution to our problem?" Asked Gensui-Rikugun-Taishō Michitsura, one of Japan's top generals.

Doctor Kato felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck. Arrayed in front of him were a council of Japan's top military leaders, a few high-ranking government agents, the president of the Japanese branch of the Hero's Association, and surprisingly enough Nezu the U.A. principal. Kato had been charged with finding a way to empower their nation's heroes to fight Shigaraki. He knew some of the military's top leaders were debating using nuclear weapons if the situation did not improve, which made his work vital to avoid the worse case scenario.

He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. He had to express confidence in his plan or else no one here would take it seriously.

"As you know, the League has had little trouble subjugating multiple cities. Shigaraki's numerous displays of mass destruction have terrified many to submit, and his victories have caused many to go over to his side. To be frank, we cannot win the war as is. Our people are not strong enough." He started.

"Are you suggesting we resort to nuclear weapons to fight a single individual?" Michitsura asked, eyes narrowing.

"I won't lie, it would kill Shigaraki. As strong as he is, a warhead of sufficient power would kill him before his regeneration could save him." Kato said, and as he did expressions darkened and he could feel the temperature in the room drop.

"Fortunately," he said with a smile. "I have a potential solution. Shigaraki was made as strong as he is through a process devised by AFO and Garaki. We have recovered various research materials relating to the process and I think we could replicate it." He declared.

There was a pause as a few people started talking amongst themselves.

"How?" Asked Michitsura.

"At the behest of Nezu, we did not cremate the body of AFO. It is currently in cold storage. If we can extract intact DNA, we can clone it and use it to enhance our people just as Garaki did to Shigaraki." Kato stated firmly.

Dead silence greeted his proposed solution, but he knew everyone's attention was on him now.

"You're confident in this idea?" Michitsura asked.

"Yes. If Garaki could do it with such success there is no reason why we couldn't. Even if we couldn't bring a person to the same level of power as Shigaraki, we could do so for multiple people. A strong team with a diverse set of quirks that compliment each other would be a fearsome match for even Shigaraki." Kato said emphatically.

"What do you think Nezu?" Asked Michitsura.

"I... think it could have some value. I don't like the idea of using the same method Garaki used, however. There could be serious side effects that we are unaware of." Nezu said cautiously.

"I agree, but even if there is a better solution somewhere, I do not think we can afford to spend more time trying to find it. Kato, you are excused. We will discuss the validity of your idea and will give you our answer shortly." Michitsura said.

Kato bowed and left the room, he hoped they would make the correct choice.

He got his answer a few days later, and less than a week after that a secret lab was being set up.


Excerpts from the research notes of Doctor Kato, head of the Angel Project.

"Progress is slower than expected and the higher-ups are getting antsy. The League has made gains but we outnumber them and have been able to take back enemy-occupied territory. But the situation isn't sustainable. They want results soon, I only hope I can deliver."

"All the current test subjects have died. They all died during the incubation process, and we don't know why! At the very least we were able to confirm that their bodies have undergone a transformation of some kind. We're on the right track, I know it! I can make this work!"

"I managed to convince the higher-ups to give me another chance. After every test subject died, they almost pulled the plug. Incubation, much like the original process isn't going to work so I'll have to take a more separate approach to enhance people."

"I've devised a system I'm calling the Black Box system. Blood was key to the DNA of AFO interacting with people, but more specifically I'd wager it's tied to the quirk factor itself. So I will create a power suit, a suit that will house the black boxes and run the subject's blood through the box. Hopefully, this will prevent the DNA of AFO from proliferating through the subject's body, and prevent rejection. As the quirk factor of the subject is filtered through the black boxes, AFO's DNA should supercharge the quirk factor and grant the subject increased power.
It will require long-term exposure, so the subject will have to wear the suit for prolonged periods of time for optimal effectiveness. If they were to remove the suit after a long enough period hopefully it would remain permanent, but even if it doesn't, they can just put the suit back on. This will be my last attempt before the plug is pulled on the project."


"Please enter the suits in front of you." Said Kato, gesturing to the three suits.

Yo Shindo, Takako Yama, and Inasa Yoarashi all proceeded to clamber into the suits in front of them. The suits were open like a blooming flower, then techs approached and started to connect the pieces together. From the legs up, pieces clicked together but the interior still remained roomy.

When their work was done, the techs stepped back, and then Kato stepped up to the suits and held up a tablet-looking device. He pressed a few keys and then the suits in front of him started to constrict in on themselves. The suits rapidly became skin tight, then needles positioned around the black boxes stabbed into the veins of the users and started to redirect some of the blood flow through the black boxes. It was extremely painful, but bearable thanks to the pain killers they'd been given earlier.

Numerous tests followed, from the mundane to the complex, and finally to quirk tests. There was little change at first, but as days turned into weeks, changes were observed. They became stronger, faster, their quirks strengthened, and as months rolled by, they even began to subtlety change beyond just being marginally stronger. Yo Shindo could extend his quirk to affect the air, creating shockwaves. Inasa Yoarashi became able to condense the air he manipulated into different shapes, and retain greater control over the air in general. Takako Yama's psychic barriers which had severe limitations in size, shape, strength, and projection distance saw a 300% increase in all categories.

Then the strange changes started to occur, they displayed powers not related to their original quirks. Yo Shindo manifested the ability to fly, as did Takako Yama, while Inasa Yoarashi developed sensory enhancing quirks such as echolocation.

The second attempt at the project was a complete success.


"Further development of suits was prevented when the League, specifically Shigaraki, found the location of the lab and destroyed it. How they found it, we still don't know, but head researcher Kato was killed in the battle. The three angels managed to barely repel Shigaraki but suffered serious injuries along with major damage to the suits themselves. So the surviving equipment and personnel were moved here, under U.A., under the direct supervision of Nezu. Nezu hired Professor Takeo, and together they devised a different means of empowering individuals, but perhaps Takeo should take over." Hawks finished, gesturing toward Takeo.

Tsu spun her chair around to face Takeo, who had turned in surprise.

"Uhh... Right..." He said, before clearing his throat.

"When I took over, I was troubled by potential side-effects that using the DNA of AFO might have. There wasn't any reason at the time to suspect anything, the angels seemed perfectly fine if not in a constant state of agitation. Still, I wasn't convinced using the DNA of our sworn enemy was the way to go. It didn't feel right, and Nezu agreed. Nezu suggested we use the same idea, but a different source. The natural candidate was All Might, but he was dead, yet Nezu managed to provide me with DNA samples and suggested I try anyways. Results were mixed initially, it seemed to make a temporary difference, but the power from All Might's DNA didn't seem sufficient in comparison to AFO. At Nezu's behest, we continued testing, but I began to worry that we would have to go back to using AFO after all." Takeo said.

"That was until Nezu provided us with a sample of Trigger, the quirk-boosting drug. We tested it in conjunction with All Might's DNA, and the temporary boost became much stronger and more definite beyond the effects of trigger normally. Yet tests continued to fail, all the testers experienced bouts of unconsciousness at one point or another but awoke perfectly fine. Afterward, though, the boost would be gone and they wouldn't be able to benefit from it again. Further testing in this area provided no new leads, so we started refining Trigger instead. We hoped that a more potent and more controlled variant could provide us with the answer. It was shortly after we refined Trigger into the T-serum, that Nezu provided us with three candidates he believed would show different results. They were Uraraka Ochako, Hikari Kishi, and Tobita Danjūrō, or the former criminal known as Gentle Criminal..."


"How long has she been like this?" Nezu asked, looking

"Almost a week, most of the surviving class is much the same, but Ochako is the worst. While she won't be able to leave the hospital for a while, some are worried about what she might do if she is released. Hell, they're worried about everyone." Aizawa said.

They were standing outside of Ochako's hospital room, Nezu looking through the glass at his student who was just staring at the ceiling.

"They've been through too much, in too little time. First All Might, the assault on the city, and now the ambush at the training camp. Losing some of their teachers would have been bad enough, but half of their class? We can't let them sit idle. When they are recovered enough, they'll have to be put right back into action." Aizawa said, heaving a sigh and running a hand through his hair.

"We must end this war before it turns them into monsters," Nezu said quietly.

"How though? It's a miracle we repelled Shigaraki at Mufustafu, and that came at a high price." Aizawa said bitterly.

"We're working on a plan to allow us to fight Shigaraki, but progress has been slow as of late. If things don't improve, then the military may resort to drastic measures." Nezu said.

"And you need Uraraka for this plan?" Aizawa asked.

"Not necessarily her, I had planned on looking over all the students but given Ms. Uraraka's current state I think it would be best if I approached her first. I'm sorry, but you can't be present for the discussion." Nezu said apologetically.

Aizawa sighed as Nezu hopped down from his shoulder. He opened the door for the principal and then stood in front of the door, preventing anyone else from entering. He didn't like the secrecy, but orders were orders.

Nezu approached the bed, pulling a nearby chair over he hopped on top so that he was even with Uraraka who still hadn't moved.

"Ms. Uraraka?" Nezu asked.

There was no response, it was as if she were comatose, which might not be a too far-off descriptor. He tried talking to her several times but was met with no response so he changed tactics.

"Ms. Uraraka, I've come to talk to you about Shigaraki," he said, studying her carefully for any response.

And there it was, Shigaraki's name triggered a response. Her hands slowly clenched, and he saw the skin around her eyes tighten. He smiled inwardly, he had an angle he could work with.

"Shigaraki is still out there, still hurting and killing people. We need people to help fight him." He said.

He saw a slight shiver pass through her, and he waited for any other response.

"It's... pointless... he... can't... be stopped..." Uraraka said, slowly, and very quietly. Yet, even so, Nezu could hear, see, and eventually even smell the fear he inspired in her.

"He can. He is not a god, he is still a mortal man that can be killed, and it is our jobs as heroes to prove that fact to the world." He said firmly.

Another shiver went through her and she shook her head.

"I've come here to offer you a chance Ms. Uraraka. A chance at getting revenge on Shigaraki and all the villains that serve him." He said.

He saw her narrow her eyes then she turned her face toward him. When she locked eyes with him, it was hard to keep his composure. They were the eyes of one who had already died once, and loath though he was, he knew he could use that to manipulate her as he needed.

He loved his students, and the loss of his teachers, his friends, and the students whose safety was his responsibility, weighed on his soul. Yet he wouldn't let that blind him to what needed to be done. Potentially sacrificing one of his students to keep the others safe and end this war didn't seem like a bad deal. For the greater good of both those under his charge and the nation as the whole, he would do it. Revenge was a powerful motivator, and one easily exploited.


Ochako sat in the chair, knees up to her chin, just staring off into space. When the door to her small living space opened revealing Doctor Takeo, she didn't react at first. He said something about meeting the others and she slowly got out of her seat and followed him. He guided her to the chamber where she had undergone several mock suit-ups. Inside however were two people, one she didn't recognize and the other stopped in her tracks from surprise. Gentle Criminal was standing beside the newcomer and chatting.

She remembered him from years ago, self-absorbed and fame-seeking, but relatively harmless. She and several others from 1A had been tasked with catching him, but they hadn't caught him. Instead, he had turned himself in after an accident that resulted in the death of his accomplice La Brava. She hadn't expected she'd ever see him again, let alone here.

"Ms. Uraraka, allow me to introduce you to your fellow angels, Hikari Kishi and Tobita Danjūrō." Doctor Kato said.

The man called Hikari immediately stepped toward her and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I hope we work well together." He said.

It was strange to be offered a handshake rather than a bow, but she took the hand and shook it all the same. Then Tobita stepped forward and gave her a deep bow.

"I apologize for the trouble I've caused. I am trying to atone for my sins, and better myself, I hope to be of some help in the times to come." He said from the bow.

She gave a small bow in turn, "It's fine." she said shortly, not keen on talking.

The rest of their time together was spent talking, or rather they talked and she mostly listened. She knew what Tobita's quirk was, but Hikari's quirk was the ability to manifest simple constructs of golden light by absorbing sunlight. He was a hero from up north and had been selected by Nezu for the angel project just as she and Tobita had been.

Then they were called for tests and they split up. After that, the day proceeded as it normally had for the past week since she came to this secret lab, tests, after tests, after tests.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually, the day came when she and the other two would be undergoing a test of the QUEESS itself to test for compatibility. They all entered the room, and they saw the three suits lined up with quite a bit of space separating each one. They approached their suits and clambered inside, settling into its confines. Then at a wireless command, the suits sealed around them. It felt roomy, but she'd been trained to keep very still inside the suit until it compressed around her. She felt something connect to the back of the suit and a moment later it started to compress around her until it was pressed tightly to her jumpsuit. It didn't have a helmet, but connectors jutted out around her collarbone.

Then a strange feeling came over her like water was being poured down the inside of the suit. Then the suit became moveable, with little limitations in movement. It was a tad tight at more extreme angles, but it was easy enough to move in. Then in front of her from the floor, what looked to be a housing for the suit rose up.

"Put yourself into the housing and hold the position." Came Kato's voice.

She and the others stepped into the housing and she put her arms and legs out until she was standing roughly spread-eagled. Then clamps were clamped down on her legs and arms, and a mask was fitted over her face by techs. She breathed normally, but it became clear some kind of gas was being fed to her. Before she really understood what was happening, she was thoroughly put under.

She was surrounded by darkness, but a light shone up from deep below her. She looked down and she saw a distant sea of fire. She felt its heat, its power, its anger, its hate, and she knew it was her own. Then another flame appeared in front of her, bright and powerful. It was the size of an average adult and felt... wrong.

Wrong but intoxicating, she felt the power of that fire and was drawn to it. With that power, she could do anything, stop Shigaraki, stop the League, stop the war, stop the unending pain. She reached a hand and touched it; it reached back and enveloped her. It started to worm its way inside her head but was stopped. She felt something holding it back, and slowly it retreated from her.

New sensations overtook her, gentle but firm, hopeful yet tragic, familiarity but alienness, and strangely enough the feeling of a proffered hand with acceptance. She accepted that hand, and the fire flowed into her. It flowed through every pore of her body and permeated her very soul. Yet something was wrong, she couldn't tell what was wrong, but something was terribly wrong all the same.

Then she awoke and screamed in agony. It was as if she had been stabbed with swords all along her back and ice water was pumped into her bones and blood. It felt like every cell in her body was being ripped apart and stitched back together again. It went on and on, an agony that never faded only worsened. She cried and tried to form words to beg for it to stop but only screaming escaped her lungs. She wanted the pain to end, she wanted to die, anything to end it. Eventually, it started to fade, it was slow and her screaming turned into sobs until finally ending in whimpers.

The rest was a blur, she wasn't aware of anything around her. She felt like she was frozen, yet a core of burning fire was at her center keeping her alive. She didn't know where it had come from, but it didn't matter. Over time, she felt within that fire, great power, and with that power came a realization. With that power she could fight, with that power she could make her dream come true, and with that power, she could end this war.