Apologies for the delay. I intended to have this chapter out a lot earlier, but I wound up running into a few issues, and kept pushing it back. But its here now, and hopefully chapters will be coming out at a more consistent pace from now on
Asano sat in the interrogation room, idly drumming his fingers on the table. He'd been stuck in here for the past hour, and the holding cell for six hours beforehand. By now, it was early morning, and outside, he could hear the hustle and bustle of the morning shift police officers getting ready to go out on the beat. He knew what they were doing. Psychological warfare, putting the pressure on to give them the upper hand when it actually came time to make him talk.
Either that, or they were waiting for something to happen. Asano didn't mind; he'd had a hell of a time last night, and the time alone was good for letting him get his thoughts in order. He was almost certainly going to prison, that was something he'd come to terms with back in the police van. He'd had enough narrow escapes from the police to know that several precincts had warrants out for him; it was one of the reasons he changed locations as frequently as he did, to try and cool some of the heat that built up from his illicit activities. It was almost ironic, the fact that he'd spent so much time avoiding the police only to get arrested when he went into a situation they were too chicken to do anything about.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The well oiled hinges moved with barely a squeak, but Asano's life on the streets had given him a keen sense of paranoia, and his vision was already locked in target by the time the door had opened enough for two people to enter the room. The first one was a police officer, dressed in the full uniform, with an unhappy scowl directed as Asano, while the other was a thin, reedy looking man in a suit, with thick glasses and a neatly trimmed hairstyle, carrying a briefcase with him.
The man in the suit turned to the officer, "I can take it from here, sir," he said, adjusting his suit and offering the officer his hand to shake. The police officer ignored him, instead fixing his gaze on Asano again.
"I'm watching you, kid. Try anything and you'll be back in a cell before you can blink."
Asano offered the cop a grin, "Understood, officer," He said, giving the man as good of a salute as he could manage with both hands manacled to the table. The police officer marched out, locking the door behind him, leaving Asano and the suited man alone in the room.
The man took the seat opposite Asano, and flicked open the latches of his briefcase.
"Mr Torio," The man began, as he took some papers out of his briefcase and laid them out on the table, "My name is Mr Akemi, and I will be serving as your legal counsel,"
"Great!" Asano said brightly, as he leaned forward on the table, "So, you reckon you can get those charges dropped? I have the feeling prison wouldn't be great for my bodily safety," He joked, the grin he'd given the cop returning to his face.
"Mr Torio, I think it would be best if you took this seriously," The lawyer replied, "You're looking at spending the rest of your teen years in a juvenile detention centre, before you're moved to a full prison once you're of age,"
"Oh, I know," Asano replied, "But there's really not much I can do to change that, I was caught at the scene of the crime, and they threw me in the back of the van with the actual villain of the hour, so I'm pretty confident in saying that the police already think I'm guilty,"
"While I admit, your situation is undesirable, there are a few things we could do to avoid it, or at least reduce your prison time,"
"Alright, lay it on me, whatcha got in mind?"
"Well firstly, we'll take advantage of the public opinion," Mr Akemi began, "If the jury thinks you're just a bystander who intervened, rather than someone who bypassed the police cordon, looking for trouble, than it's far more likely that we'll get a good conviction. If we play our cards right, we could get you released with just a warning." He sorted through his papers, then selected one, handing it over to Asano. "This is a plea deal, and an agreement to never repeat your activities from last night. Please, sign at the dotted line,"
Asano scanned the paper, then handed it back over to the lawyer.
"No thanks," Asano replied, folding his arms, "I may technically be a criminal, but I'm not a liar. I'm not just going to give up after one upset. Besides, if I do this, and I get caught again, I'm going to be in even hotter water than I am right now."
"As your legal counsel, I suggest that you consider this a little more than an upset." Mr Akemi said, taking the plea deal from Asano, but leaving it on the table, separate from the other papers. "This will be on your permanent record. If you ever intent to get a job, apply for a loan, even travel to another country, this could seriously affect your chances,"
"Ha, get another job," Asano scoffed, "I'm homeless, I never finished school, and I look like I get in street fights for fun. I'm never getting a job anyway, even if I wasn't a criminal."
"Mr Tor-" Mr Akemi began, but a knocking on the door interrupted him. The police officer who had escorted in the lawyer had returned, this time accompanied by the familiar towering frame of the hero Asano had helped at the hotel last night.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Armarhino said, as he stooped down to enter the room,
"Nothing important," Asano replied, to which his lawyer shot him a withering look,
"Mr Torio this is a critically important discussion," Mr Akemi said, "I'd prefer you didn't make light of it."
"My apologies, sir," Armarhino said, "But I'm afraid I have something I must discuss with Mr Torio here. In private." He added, before Mr Akemi could speak.
"What's going on?" Asano asked, his casual attitude vanishing quickly, to be replaced by a more serious tone."
"I'll explain in a moment, but I really must insist we discuss this matter in private."
"Now wait just a moment," Mr Akemi interrupted, "As Mr Torio's legal counsel, he has a right to have me present in any situation regarding his current situation. If you wish to discuss something, you can do it in front of me."
Armarhino and Asano exchanged a quick glance.
"Nah, it's ok." Asano said, his casual attitude returning as though it had never left, "I don't think our conversation had much further to go, so you might as well quit now, and take the time off."
The lawyer fell silent, and then began sorting his papers again.
"Very well, if you and Mr Armahino would sign here, confirming that you have given up your right to my presence and counsel," He said, producing another slip of paper and handing it to Asano, who nabbed the lawyer's pen and signed it with a messy signature that barely resembled his name, before handing it back to Mr Akemi. The lawyer returned the paper to his briefcase, and snapped the locks shut, before standing up and leaving the interrogation room, with the police officer in tow.
As the lawyer left, Armarhino took his seat, his massive frame dwarfing the metal chair. Now that he wasn't in such a high stakes situation, Asano could take a much better look at the hero. His hair was quite short, cut quite close to his skull, but long enough that Asano could pick out the colour as a very light brown. His eyes were slate grey, and his skin was very lightly tanned, fading to grey where the large armoured plates of his quirk began. He wore an oversized pair of slacks and a button down shirt instead of his hero outfit, which should have made him look comical, but it didn't do much to counteract the intimidating presence his size instilled in those around him.
"Let's start with introductions," The hero said, as he offered Asano his massive hand, "Yakata Mahiro, aka the pro hero Armarhino."
"Torio Asano," Asano replied, as he took Mahiro's hand, "professional troublemaker,"
"That's one way to put it," Mahiro replied, "But let's cut to the chase. I can get you out of prison,"
"My lawyer said the same thing," Asano replied, "Maybe we should get him back here, so you two can compare notes,"
"Alright, but I can get you out of prison, and make sure you don't have to go back, all while continuing your work."
Asano squinted at the pro hero, scrutinising his expression for any signs he was lying.
"What's the catch?" Asano asked.
"No catch," Mahiro replied.
"Nope, there's always a catch," Asano replied, leaning back in his chair, "No such thing as a free lunch and all that."
"What about don't look a gift horse in the mouth?" Mahiro replied,
"There's no such thing as gift horses either," Asano countered, "Everything has its cost, and if you don't know what it is up front, it's usually a lot bigger than you can manage."
"How about you just hear out the rest of my proposal, before you go making such grand sweeping judgements," Mahiro said, maintaining his calm and collected exterior
Asano indicated to the hero to continue, so Mahiro did.
"I'm here to offer you a place within the Last Chance Program,"
"The what?" Asano asked, his confusion clear in his tone, "Never heard of it,"
"There's a reason for that, it's not exactly something we want in the public eye, that's why we're having this discussion in private."
"So what is it?"
"It's a secret project, run by a private organisation, with government approval,"
"To do what?"
"To rehabilitate vigilantes, and try to get them properly trained, so they can become heroes."
"Why?"
Mahiro spread his arms wide, "Why did you help me with the hostage situation? Why do you take down muggers, or go after gangsters? If people want to be heroes of justice, we want them, you know, being heroes, not rotting in jail cells. That should be reserved for the real criminals."
Asano paused, clearly deep in thought, so Mahiro reached into the pocket of his slacks, and produced a folded piece of paper, which he unfolded, and handed over to Asano.
"If you're interested, sign at the bottom." Mahiro said, as he leaned back in his chair.
"Can I borrow your pen?" Asano asked, as he finished reading the details of the contract. Mahiro smiled lightly, as he handed over a cheap disposable pen. Asano signed the paper, then handed it and the pen back to Mahiro, who signed just below Asano's signature with his own, a neat tidy little cluster that didn't at all fit with the towering shadow the hero cast. Once signed, Mahiro folded up the paper, and returned it to his pocket, and stood up, knocking on the door which unlocked with a click, revealing the police officer, this time bearing Asano's clothes, neatly folded and smelling far better than they had in a long time.
"So what happens now?" Asano asked, as the cop moved over and unlocked the cuffs, keeping a wary eye on Asano's quirked limb.
"We'll find you when the time comes. For now, just enjoy the holiday, take some time to relax, stick to the straight and narrow," Mahiro said, as he once again ducked through the doorway, "See you in two weeks, Torio."
The warehouse was abandoned. Long ago, the company that once owned it had gone under, and ever since, the warehouse had stood unused, hidden in some backwater lot, nestled amongst the other's of its kind to slowly face the passage of time. As the years passed, the damage got worse. Windows were smashed, iron girders were rusted, and the concrete floor was cracked, allowing weeds to grow up from the gaps. The walls were decorated with bullet holes and obscene graffiti, but even vandals eventually left, leaving the old warehouse alone once again. But tonight, the place was far from abandoned.
Inside, the warehouse had been heavily modified, separating the once cavernous space into two separate floors. On the first floor, a mob of teenagers and young adults danced to a thumping beat, the only illumination coming from a pulsing strobe light, the occasional glow stick, or even someone's quirk, forming a cacophony of sound and light that would have blinded anyone unused to the experience.
On the second floor, high enough above the rave below that they could tolerate the noise, a throng of criminals sat, relaxing, smoking and making idle conversation, as gangsters and drug dealers rubbed shoulders with fraudsters and hitmen. Finally, far back on the second floor, in a private room built out of the warehouse's old offices, a meeting was taking place.
Four people, dressed in expensive suits, were seated around an oval table in every seat, aside from the one at the head of the table, which remained empty. They were making idle conversation between themselves, but it was interrupted as the door opened, and the fifth member of the group entered the room. He was clearly the leader, as the others dipped their heads in respect as he entered, but his overall looks screamed common thug more than gang boss, with a previously broken nose, short cropped hair and calloused knuckles. The only thing that really betrayed him were his green eyes, which scanned the room like a hawk, revealing a ruthless nature concealed by his simple exterior.
"My apologies, gentlemen," He said, as he took the seat at the head of the table, "Ladies," He added, inclining his head to the lone female member of the group. "Now, I believe there was a reason this meeting was called?"
"There's a problem going on with the vigilantes," The man immediately to the right of the leader said. He was similar to the leader, but with blond hair and a much larger frame which didn't quite fit into his suit, as such he had left the undershirt unbuttoned, exposing his scarred torso. "They're shutting up shop, all over the world if the info we're getting it accurate,"
The leader raised a questioning eyebrow, "So, are we here to celebrate? Hardly the urgent meeting I expected, but I can take some time off,"
"It's not a normal issue, boss." The man said, "they're not being taken out by other criminals, or locked up by the cops. As far as we can tell, they're just disappearing off the streets,"
"So they're wising up, and learning not to fuck with us. I fail to see why that justifies an urgent meeting. But while we're here, we might as well discus expanding out industries, now that an obstacle has been removed,"
"Actually boss, that might not be a wise idea," the man to the left of the leader spoke up. Unlike the first man, the second man wore his suit far neater, had neatly trimmed brown hair, and wore a pair of glasses that hid his eyes. "The vigilantes might have been an obstacle, but they're also an indicator. They usually only hit our outlying investments, and never had the resources to target or investigate our real money makers. It helped us stay unnoticed, and go under the radar of heroes. If we start expanding now, we'd attract a lot of unwanted attention."
The leader thought for a moment, mulling over the man's words, then let out a sigh,
"I do find it annoying how often you are right, Mason," he said, addressing the second man, "Alright, what should we do then?" The leader asked.
"Our focus should be on figuring out whatever, or whoever is causing this," The lone woman at the table said. Like the others, she wore a suit, but her hair was neatly styled into a low bun, and she had small, discreet diamond earrings in, "If it's another criminal element, we need to confront it as soon as possible, but if it's some form of police crackdown, we need to make sure they don't have any reason to investigate us."
The leader nodded, and began dispensing orders,
"Sokol, get some boots on the ground investigating this, but make sure it's on a need to know basis," He directed, addressing the first man, who nodded in acknowledgement. "Mason, put together some kind of incentive, something discreet, but motivating," He turned to address the woman, "Natalia, keep me updated if anything comes in through your connections."
Finally, he turned to address the last man at the table. He had a tired expression, with large bags under his brown eyes, and he looked distinctly uncomfortable in his suit, and his greasy black hair hung down in front of his eyes.
"Jesse, make sure your dealers know, and tell them to push the information on their customers. Give them a discount or something."
The last man nodded, his tired expression barely shifting as he did so.
"Finally, remember, our big project will be taking place very soon, so keep that in mind. It's imperative that it goes off without a hitch, and that we leave no connections behind when it does. If all goes according to plan, we won't need to concern ourselves with vigilantes anymore, and not even heroes will be able to stand up to us."
Asano had experienced some pretty rude awakenings across his career as a vigilante. He'd been sprayed and splashed with ice cold water, woken by shouting or sirens, and even woken up to being kicked around by a group of teens. But waking up handcuffed in the back of a strange van was a new one, even to him. Upon waking up, his mind immediately flashed back to the events after the hotel, and his subsequent arrest. But as he woke up, and his brain began to catch up with him, he remembered the events that had led to his release from arrest. He let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding, and leaned back in his seat. This was the Last Chance Program, not a police van, and he was presumably being escorted to the location of the program, wherever that was.
The van lurched, and Asano was thrown backwards, as the van began to take a steep upwards incline.
"Up a mountain," Asano noted quietly, as he readjusted in his seat, "Don't know where, could be international for all I know."
The van continued upwards, until it finally flattened out, slowing down as it did so. Asano tensed. They'd arrived at their destination.
As the van came to a stop, the door slid open, and Asano cautiously exited the van, emerging blinking into the midday sun. Standing outside the van was a blonde haired woman, dressed in a smart looking jacket and a simple, plain skirt. She carried a clipboard with her, nestled in the crook of her arm, and she was focused on Asano, watching him as he climbed out of the van. She reached into the pocket and produced a remote, and with a click of a button, the restraints around Asano's wrists released, and dropped to the ground. Asano massaged his wrists, trying to get the blood flowing again, as he approached the woman.
"Good evening, Mr Torio," The woman greeted him warmly, extending her hand to him, "I hope your trip wasn't too uncomfortable,"
"Not to seem rude," Asano replied, still looking around his new location "but who are you?"
The woman smiled, "Straight to business? Alright, my name is Lauren Devol. I am, or I was, the owner of Unimate Robotics Incorporated. This program was my idea, and I will be managing all the fine details."
"Unimate?" Asano asked, "Never heard of it,"
"I didn't expect you to have," Lauren replied, "We make robots for multiple purposes, industrial, exploration, even as guards for high interest locations. Most regular people don't have a good reason to have heard of us."
"So now you're suddenly running a reform school for wayward kids? I don't really see the connection there,"
Lauren checked her watch, then indicated for Asano to follow her as she started walking.
"I started this program because I didn't want to see potential heroes, who'd missed their chance to properly train, getting locked up, or worse, dying in prison," Lauren replied, "Our company has made a lot of money, and has given us some connections in high up places, so I decided to use those to try and do some real good in the world,"
"Did donating to charity not cut it or something?"
"Would donating to charity have satisfied you?"
Asano fell silent, as they walked through the compound. It was a large concrete installation, with a massive concrete wall surrounding it, cutting off access in and out. The only way in was the large steel gate Asano guessed he had been driven through, but Asano assumed that would be no easier to get through then the wall itself. Aside from the massive wall, there was a single large building, not quite as tall as the wall around it, but big enough to loom over Asano, making him feel claustrophobic, despite being out in the open.
"You're the last member of the program to arrive, but now that you're here, we can get started with the orientation," Lauren said, interrupting his thoughts.
"How many others are there?" Asano asked idly, still quite taken aback by the situation he was now in.
"Aside from you, nineteen," Lauren answered, as they finally made it to the door into the massive building, "I wanted to aim for more, but there were a few limits imposed, due to working with world governments and all that." She placed her thumb on the small pad next to the door, and with a beep, it slid open, allowing her to enter the building. Asano followed her in, and they made their way down the hallway, till they stopped in front of one of the many doors that decorated the walls.
"Inside," Lauren indicated, "Your uniform will be there. Leave your clothes behind, and then I'll escort you to meet the rest of the students.
Asano nodded to Lauren, and then slipped into the room. Inside, the room looked like what Asano imagined a gym changing room would look like, with the difference that this was made for one person. There was a shower in the corner, a locker in the other, and a long bench running down the middle of the room. Laid out on the bench was a school uniform, a long pair of pants, dress shirt, light blue blazer, and a darker blue tie.
Asano showered quickly. Part of him wanted to spend a solid half hour under the hot water, as what felt like years worth of grime and dirt washed off his skin, turning the water a muddy brown around him, but the wiser part of him knew it was more important to get ready and meet the other students. He quickly threw on the uniform, blazer and tie included, fighting with his right arm to get it through the designated holes. He wanted to make a good impression, even though he was distinctly uncomfortable in his new clothes, and left his reliable jacket, something that had kept him warm and slightly more comfortable during his time on the streets, neatly folded on the bench. He circled the room a few times, getting used to his new clothes, before leaving to rejoin Lauren.
She nodded in approval as he left the changing room, and directed him down the hallway, "Just down the hallway, through the double doors, you'll meet with the other students. I however, must go handle some business,"
With that, she turned and left, leaving Asano alone. He took a deep breath, and strode forward, walking over to the double doors. As he laid his hand on the door, his survival instincts were going into overdrive. He wanted to run, to hightail it out of there, but his higher brain managed to push that feeling down, and he opened the door, ready to embrace his future.
On a brighter note, all the characters are here, and from next chapter onwards, I'll start introducing them as organically as possible
The list of accepted students goes as follows
1) Connor Smith (Omnipotent X)
2) Lucina Eventide (DragonStorm88)
3) Yuwaka Arai (MysteryAgain)
4) Kirimeku Orail (Hazzamo)
5) Ingrid Mugen (Wish Upon a Sol)
6) Devon Manson (The Imprisoned of Hell)
7) Sakiko Mizushima (POMForever)
8) Takeshi Ishi (thebest4game)
9) Rylan Yugana (Damashii)
10) Leonard Baird (Obie527)
11) Vanessa Ameri Yates (DogWalker4)
12) Samuel Payton (Scatman55)
13) Genrihk Povtoreniye (Dead Man's Joy)
14) Jun Hamada (ThalioTP)
15) Sai Fumikaze-Clarke (Castle-Blades)
16) Sugoi Tashiro (CrimsonNova)
17) Julius Fletcher (Heroic Minds 007)
18) Masako Fukumen (Lentwood)
Currently, the SYOC is closed, but in future I may reopen it for characters aside from the students, such as new teachers or villains. So if you have new character ideas, keep them in mind for when submissions re-open
