"We have a problem." The voice of the S class hero Metal Knight spoke, catching everyone who was present to adorn looks of surprise.
As you would expect from an organization as vast and as powerful as the Hero's Association, there were constant meetings held on a near daily basis to ensure everything was working as it should. Everything from incredibly important topics such as updating security protocols and alert systems, to lesser matters such as naming newly enlisted heroes and changing the ranks based on recent accomplishments, there was not a single thing that was not discussed and addressed with full focus and care. However there was one individual who rarely ever attended these meetings, despite the fact that he was not only an S class hero but also contributed quite a bit to the association, yet when he did appear it was always followed by news that caught everyone's attention. Which was the case as of right now, for the man known by few as doctor Bofoi and by everyone as Metal Knight had suddenly interrupted an ongoing meeting via telecommunication, which they all knew he wouldn't do less there was a good reason.
"Wait what?" A man, dressed in a suit and tie with black hair and scruffy looking facial hair questioned, as the other's sudden interjection was jarring "Metal Knight, what do you mean we have a problem?" He asked.
"The number of villains and monsters surrendering to One Punch Man is increasing, now while this in of itself is not too severe of an issue, what is concerning is the combination of all the unique powers and abilities the inmates of the prison possess." He answered.
"But wait, the prison's over an active volcano right? if they were to try and start a riot or even attempt an escape, you could just drop it into the lava below and be done with it correct?" Another member of the meeting asked.
"This is true, however as said the combination of the varying attributes of the prisoners is becoming dangerous, though for the most part they are all very simple minded there may come a time when a more calculated mind is incarcerated, and should this happen there is the very real possibility they take charge and proceed to set a plan in motion." He explained.
Taking a moment to think on what he had suggested, each member of the meeting hadn't ever considered this. It was true that as time went on the kinds of monsters and villains that appeared were becoming more varied, to such a degree that certain heroes were rendered useless as their powers and abilities couldn't harm specific types of enemies. And while this prison was reserved exclusively for those who surrendered to One Punch Man as to avoid dying by his hand, the fact remained that Metal Knight's argument was sound, there could come a time where a villain although surrendering to the world's strongest would still be a considerable threat.
"What course of action should we take then Metal Knight? to prevent such an outcome?" Bearded Worker asked.
"Simple, give me full control of the prison, as it stands I merely monitor the security of the facility and keep track of the prisoner's activities, allow me to serve entirely as the warden and I can assure that not so much as a fight between two inmates will occur." He answered.
"And how will you accomplish that?" Bearded Worker questioned.
"I believe it best not to share those details with you, while I wouldn't cross a line that would fall into cruelty or abuse, I will ensure that if any disobedience occurs it will be met with swift and purposeful punishment, as to send a message to the rest of the prisoners." He explained.
Once more the room fell silent as everyone decided what their vote would be on the matter, but as a minute or so passed by they all looked to each other and found that they were in agreement.
"Very well then Metal Knight, you are granted full control over the prison and by extension all of it's current and future inmates." Bearded Worker informed him, only to be responded by the other ending his connection to the room's television.
In today's modern world there are very few moments where we find ourselves enveloped in absolute silence, as the noises of everyday life are plentiful to say the least. But in a world where such things as monsters existed, there were quite a few occasions where one would be so powerful and threatening, that a complete and total evacuation of a city would be in order. Which seemed to be the case for City Z on this grey sky filled day, for as it's resident hero stood outside his apartment on his balcony, watering the only plant he had in the form of a small cactus, he took notice of just how eerily silent the city was. Though to him it wasn't eerie at all, in fact given how near every day of his life for a good long while had been filled with endless chanting and cheering from fans, he relished this quiet break from it all.
"Man...I almost forget what this was like...no fans...no shouting...just a nice peaceful day alone..." He thought with a small smile as he tilted his watering can up "There, that should hold you till tomorrow." He said.
Walking back into his apartment he'd go into his kitchen to place the small watering can, which was made to look like an adorable elephant, back in it's spot next to his sink. After that was done he then thought on how he should spend the rest of today, for even though something was happening which caused everyone to leave, it wasn't so severe that the association felt the need to contact him, meaning he could actually go walk around for once without being hounded.
"Yeah, a walk sounds perfect." He decided as he then walked over to his door, put on a pair of sandals, and left his apartment.
Making his way to his building's stairwell and soon after to the street, as he began his walk he failed to notice that just a ways behind him in the sky there was a rather ominous black mass, that seemed to be moving in such a way that made it seem alive.
"What do you mean you haven't found him yet?!" The voice of a woman yelled angrily, followed by an irritated sigh, "How hard can it be for all of you to find ONE man? especially since no one else is around?! and he's the single most important man in the entire world!" She continued to yell while pinching the bridge of her nose "Alright look, here's what's going to happen, either you bunch of useless bugs find him or find me a meal, because if you come back to me empty handed one more time I'll crush you myself." She threatened.
With that command and a wave of her hand she sent away her subordinates, though they were not of the human variety. Instead the forces at her beckon were a seemingly endless legion of mosquitos, so much so that when the individual swarms moved they looked like something one would imagine as a biblical plague. As for how this woman was capable of commanding them as though they were well trained soldiers, much like her army she herself was not human despite looking fairly close to one. From her face to most of her torso she seemed to be human, but as you looked to her limbs, her back, and the top of her head that is where you would see the parts of her that were entirely insect.
Both her arms and her legs were made up of hard carapace like material, her hands and feet while only having but a few appendages were all sharp, to the point they were more so like blades coming out of her flesh. On her backside rested not just a massive set of wings which allowed her to stay in the air, but also an abdomen that lightly pulsated whenever she took blood into it. But it was what rested atop her head that was the most shocking and no doubt to most unsettling, a fully functioning pair of eyes exactly the same as a mosquito's, combined with the long proboscis that protruded from between them it made her look like a true monster.
"At this rate some hero will show up before we find him, and if that happens we'll have to retreat..." She said with a slight whine, as she didn't want to do this again, "It would be simpler if I could just go to his place, but the doctor said that'd be reckless..." She went on.
Then without warning her body began sending out danger signals telling her to protect herself, and as she summoned forth a swarm of her insects to do just that, they were all quickly reduced to ash by a sudden blast of fire that came from the street below. Looking to see who would be so audacious to try and catch her off guard, she would find what appeared to be a cyborg of some kind standing in the middle of the road, his right arm raised in front of him and his palm glowing bright orange.
"I found you, finally." He spoke, in such a way he sounded monotone and completely void of emotion or interest, "You're the reason why an evacuation order was issued." He said.
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, why would that be of any concern to you?" She asked, a small cocky smile now adorning her features.
"I have been following a trail of animal carcasses left in the countryside, all of which were completely drained of their blood and most of their other fluids, this combined with your appearance and your apparent control over mosquitos leads me to assume you are the culprit." He answered.
"Oh those? yeah I was in the need for a little snack, see I've been flying around for a while trying to find someone, but every chance I've had recently to meet him I sadly missed out on, so now I'm here to see him directly." She explained.
"Who are you meeting? a fellow monster perhaps?" He questioned.
"Monster? you think I'M a monster? do you not see the beauty of my design?" She asked, as she gestured to her form, "What you see before you is the culmination of years of research, the peak of both evolution as well as feminine beauty~" She mused.
"So you are not natural then, but a product of someone else's work?" He asked.
"Heh, that's funny coming from someone who looks like a human tin can, is there even anything REAL about you metal boy?" She retorted.
Choosing to respond with action instead of words, the cyborg from the same hand fired off another blast of intense heat, the velocity of which made it shoot forward like a spear. But now that she knew who was attacking her and where they were, the mosquito woman easily dodged this attack, causing her to laugh in amusement.
"Well well, looks like you're done talking huh? fine by me, let's get this started!" She shouted zestfully, before she raised her hands to the sky "Come my servants! fight for your queen!" She commanded.
Within the same instant her order was issued did several massive swarms all come out from nearby alleyways and buildings, before then flying at their top speed towards her opponent. Not seeming phased by this however the cyborg would hold his ground, firing more blasts into each swarm's center causing them to burn quickly and efficiently. This would be a blunder on his part sadly, for the mosquitoes themselves were meant only to serve as a distraction, for once the last one had been dealt with did he see his error, in the form of her claws slashing down towards his person. Having to act fast otherwise he'd be sliced to ribbons, he used his arm as a means of propulsion, firing but a quick burst of heat from his palm to back away from her.
Unable to keep a rather sadistic smile from growing across her face as this was actually going to take some effort, the woman would continue to slash at him gradually increasing the speed at which she did to try and land a blow. But now that he was focused on her the cyborg didn't need to use his arms to dodge, simply relying on his impressive speed he evaded each and every attack with relative ease, though he did take note at how easily her claws cut through the nearby terrain and objects.
"What's the matter tin man? can't keep up with a lady?" She taunted, continuing to push him further and further up the street.
Once again choosing to keep silent and let his actions speak for him, after she raised her right hand to bring down in the hope of splitting him down the middle, he leapt backwards and raised both his hands in front of himself to aim at her.
"Incinerate." He said calmly, before a massive torrent of flames erupted from both his palms, the power behind them being so great they managed to reach the other end of the street within seconds.
Standing still as to keep them under control, he was certain that no one not even her would be able to survive this attack. To his surprise and misfortune she would prove him wrong, for she came forward out of the flames like a bat out of hell, screaming in anger as she sliced off both of his arms at the elbow. Though that was all she was able to accomplish, for while she did power through the fire to reach him it wasn't without sacrifice, nearly all of her body was covered in horrid burns, her wings were completely singed off, and hair like a candle wick still burned ever slowly.
"YOU BASTARD!" She screamed out, followed by a series of breathless heavy pants, "I'll...I'll kill you...but first..." She trailed off, just before a smirk appeared on her features "COME TO ME MY SERVANTS! GIVE ME THE DELICIOUS RED BOUNTY YOU CARRY!" She commanded.
Like before as her order went out into the air swarms of mosquitos appeared almost from nowhere all around them, but instead of charging at him like before they enveloped her in a massive black sphere of their bodies. Looking down at the ground in front of him at his severed arms, the cyborg began assessing what would be the best course of action to take.
"I cannot determine what they are doing to her as they are blocking my scans, but seeing as how all of them are carrying blood, it is safe to assume that she is recovering her strength, however I cannot in this state try to break through her barrier and reach her, as much as I want to stay here and ensure she is destroyed, it seems as though all I can do is retreat and fight her at another time." He decided, as he then turned around and left.
"THAT'S IT! RUN AWAY! IT WON'T MATTER ONCE I'M FINISHED FEEDING YOU COWARD!" She shouted after him, following it with a slightly unhinged laugh.
Although not frightened by her threat it did urge him to increase his speed, for he wasn't sure how long it would take before she was able to pursue him. Yet as he ran through the vacant streets of the city hoping to get as far as possible, he was brought to a stop due to a rather unusual sight. Despite the evacuation message that was still playing on the city's alarm system, despite the loud sounds created from their altercation, and despite the fact that no one else was around as they had all taken shelter, some random man had decided now would be the best time to play games inside of an arcade.
"SIR!" The Cyborg shouted as he ran over, both his voice and his footsteps gaining the other's attention.
"Huh? oh, holy shit." The man said, as the cyborg reached the glass doors of the establishment "Hey uh, you know you're missing both of your arms right?" He asked.
"What are you doing out here?! haven't you heard the evacuation warning?!" The Cyborg asked, ignoring his question.
"Seriously are you okay? that looks pretty bad." The Man replied, doing the same to him "Wait a second, are you a cyborg? oh wow that's pretty cool." He said, a small smile coming to his face.
"WILL YOU PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" The Cyborg shouted, the uncooperative nature of this man slowly getting on his nerves, "YOU NEED TO FIND SHELTER RIGHT NOW! THERE IS A POWERFUL MONSTER NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE! IT'LL KILL YOU IF IT SEES YOU!" He warned, hoping that by shouting he would finally get through to him.
"...Do...do you not know who I am?" The Man asked, almost sounding hopeful for whatever reason.
Unfortunately for the two men their conversation would be interrupted, as suddenly the cyborg was struck from behind causing him to fly forwards and crash into the arcade. Watching as he went through countless machines and games until eventually being stopped by the wall, he fell with a thud to the floor his entire back nearly shattered to pieces.
"Oh no, was I too rough for you tin man? sorry, guess I don't know my own strength~" A rather sensual female voice teased, coming from outside of the building.
Moving his gaze from the fallen cyborg to the now destroyed entrance of the building, the man would find standing but a few feet away some kind of insect lady, who from head to toe was colored in a mixture of red and hot pink.
"Um, excuse me." He spoke, causing her to look towards him, "I don't mean to get in the middle of whatever's going on here, but could you maybe not do it here, I come here with my friend all the time and it'd suck if it got destroyed." He explained.
"S-SIR!" The Cyborg managed to get out, barely able to lift his head from the ground, "Y-You need to run! sh-she'll kill you!" He warned.
Yet to his surprise, as the cyborg looked to the mosquito woman he noticed she was suddenly different, but not just in the way of her appearance. She no longer had a vicious murderous grin that stretched from cheek to cheek, her posture was no longer that of a ravenous beast, and her demeanor was...well...he actually wasn't sure how to describe it.
"Uh...lady?" The Man asked, as he too noticed how she seemed to be acting different than how she was but mere seconds ago.
Without warning the woman would suddenly let out a high pitched squeal of what they both presumed to be joy, though it was so high that both men winced as it reached their ears.
"I DID IT! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!" She shouted with glee, before hurrying over to him, "I've been searching for you all day One Punch Man! I never would've expected to find you in an arcade of all places!" She admitted.
"Wait, you've been looking for me?" He asked, causing her to rapidly nod her head.
"Mhm! I am Mosquito Girl, and I am from the house of evolution! an organization that prides itself on bettering the human design through the alteration of it's genetics, and my creator the incredibly intelligent doctor Genus would like to speak with you!" She answered with a grin, this one instead of seeming sadistic was instead similar to that of a giddy fangirl.
Silence then took hold of the air as the man, who the cyborg had previously assumed to be just some random idiot thought her proposition over, a blank and uncaring expression present all the while.
"...No." He simply told her, causing her own expression to change from joy to shock.
"W-What?" She asked, her tone so sad and defeated.
"I said no, I'm already a part of the hero's association, I don't need to be a part of anymore organizations, especially one that would want to do weird things to me." He said, as he then walked passed her and out of the building.
'W-Wait! that's not what he wants to do! he just wants to have a conversation with you I promise!" She insisted, as she quickly began to follow him.
Hearing them go back and forth as they got farther and farther away from the establishment, the cyborg was left to lay by himself alone with his thoughts.
"Who the hell is that guy?" He wondered, as he seemed so simple that it made no sense for why anyone, especially a monster, would have any interest in him.