"So, we´re attacking the Tselinoyarsk Institute, and you guys will strike this oilrig off the Korean coast, clear?" asked agent Anna Dobinek to her audience; Midoriya, Toga, Midoriya´s friends and Freya. Texas Red was already gone back stateside, and the rest of her team was still engaged in Europe, currently evading pursuit from Pestilentia´s paramilitary forces.
The gathered nodded in approval. "Great. Now, our satellites found a suitable location for Tselinoyarsk in the Krasnogorje area, a few miles away from an abandoned town, Krasnograd. The town is home to an inactive nuclear reactor, shut down a few years after the Chernobyl disaster, due to fears of a similar situation. The town slowly died off in the next twenty years, but some military records we found from the era show Russian army traffic throughout the following decades. We have contacted a support team to help secure the town and reactor, we only have to focus on the school."
She showed them a slide on the projector, a slightly blurry satellite image. "The area above the Tselinoyarsk Institute was scrambled against satellite photography, we had to send one of our heroes, the Space Explorer, Thunderbird, with a camera to take this picture. So obviously we have no blueprints, only speculation based on Soviet architecture, the layout and some consultant work with some experts on the subject, and with Toga´s dreams too."
"So, it is some three stories high, unknown depth below ground, with basements pretty much confirmed by the base where you two were held at. The walls look thick and strong, reinforced concrete. And Freya says it looks like a really ugly building, I´m most inclined to agree."
She switched to the oilrig on the projector "Now your target, is a NeuOIL rig. It's a ten-year-old rig, with three platforms, two giant cranes and five helicopter landing zones. We had a tip from an informant on the Russian Mafia that a paramilitary group was taking the rig by force, to cut off trade along the Korean and Russian coasts. The enemy presence is substantial, and they have mid-range missiles that can take down merchant ships. One of Pestilentia´s top men, only known as Niven, was spotted there, so they told us."
"Who´s leading that mission?" she asked them, she knew Todoroki, Iida and Momo were natural leaders and the rest also had a good degree of tactical thinking. Todoroki answered "I think Momo is the best to think a strategy, and Iida and myself can make decisions on the ground" "Great. Hatsume, can we take your plane again?" The pink haired girl, who thankfully had showered and cleaned her workshop when her mother had visited (she was just as messy as Toga, annoying the military discipline of Anna), looked at her jealously, before finally relenting "Ughhh. Not a single scratch, eh? And you are funding the Mei II, don't forget it. We can get some vehicles from the government I guess…I don't have time to make a small aircraft if we want to attack by the end of the week, that project takes its time, yeah."
"Of course, Hatsume, we´ll pay for your second plane and you make one on contract. Would three thousand bucks be good as rent for the first?" She waved the money on her face, her eyes zooming on the Benjamins. "Much better than just commandeering it. How much is that in yen?" "No fucking idea, buy something nice." She threw the stack of bills and the engineer caught it in mid-air, Hatsume had good instincts. She would probably make the best field agent if Anna could recruit her, with her Quirk she could be a superb sniper.
"Well then, you´re free to go. We meet here in two days, don't go marrying strippers or buying muscle cars with 45% interest." The teenagers didn't get her joke and left a bit awkwardly. Midoriya and Toga stayed. "Can we have more details on the town, Colonel Bitchface?" asked Toga. Her improvement didn't cease to amaze Anna, she had almost been shaped into a functional human being through their efforts.
"Krasnograd was home to some thirty thousand people, depended mostly on food shipments from a train connected to Soviet collective farms, and the reactor powered the town, and army bases miles away, also abandoned now. Some villages also mooched electricity from the plant and didn't survive long after it was deactivated. A special forces battalion will secure the village in a joint op with Russian Spetsnaz, we don't have to worry about it. What is your take on the school, people?"
Freya spoke first, her eyes focused "We´ll smash through and kick ass." Toga suddenly was brandishing a knife with her "killer face" on "I´m gonna poke the fucker full of holes for trying to screw with Izu-Izu´s brain. And cause he owes me." Midoriya was more reflexive, saying "We still don't know what manner of henchmen he will have around. Or if he´ll be there. The mansion in Saint Petersburg was abandoned after we escaped, so we burned him to his stronghold, and he´s bound to bring his best men there. The best we can do is give them no extra time to prepare and strike fast, strike hard."
"In that case we´re pretty much ready. Your gear up to standard?" They all said yes. Freya´s armour was only a bit battered from the base, and so needed little maintenance. She added "Valhalla" by Black Sabbath to her speakers, sharpened her axe, and was done. Midoriya had received a new suit, improved by Hatsume, to better take even more punishment in battle. The Agency had sent a new sneaking suit for Toga, in white and grey, resistant to her Transformation, as her previous one had been lost in the plane crash. An assortment of knives, daggers and Kali sticks had been given to her to use as she saw fit.
"My gear´s ready too, so I guess you´re also free. Stay on the base but apart from that, have a good couple of days." Her battle dress uniform and armour had been cut, torn and smashed in the fight, so she had requested a spare. It still looked shiny and new. A battle rifle and a submachine gun would be enough to deal with all but the strongest foes for the mission, and hopefully to put a hole in Pestilentia´s head.
With Midoriya and Toga gone, she was left alone with Freya. "Up for a bit of sparring?" she asked the hero. "Of course!" They walked over to an empty gym, where they could fight at ease. "You want me to go easy on you, Anna? Or do I use my Quirk?" She replied with a wink and a smile, "I´d never ask you to hold back, Freya."
Freya was strong and fast, but Anna had better technique and instincts. It was a balance that could be upended in a single move, a frenetic dance around the opponent´s mistakes. Being enhanced by her Quirk wasn't enough for Freya on the first round, as Anna caught her arm as she over swung a punch, taking her won to the ground and getting on top of her. "Looks like I caught you, shieldmaiden." "Best of three, agent?"
Freya was a quick learner, and won the next, giving Anna a giggle as she sat atop her. Soon their fighting was less punching and kicking and more grappling, takedowns and ground fighting. The end of the third bout found them, Anna on top of Freya, their faces only centimetres away from each other. Their breathing was ragged, and their skin sweaty. Anna knew what she was going to do, and then she heard someone gasp behind them.
On an instant they had disentangled, and Anna was halfway to whoever was peeping on them. It was Toga and Midoriya, Toga looking like she had just witnessed the funniest shit ever. "Can´t you knock, kiddos?" she snarled at them, pissed at the interruption. Midoriya looked embarrassed, Toga just giggled and said, "We also were thinking of doing that kind of training, chief!" Anna felt her face go red. "Don't get clever on me, Toga, I was going to volunteer to get you stuff from the outside world, but you are losing that privilege, young lady!" She got serious and said "Let´s go somewhere else, Izu-Izu, Colonel Bitchface has serious training to do with Miss Freya. If all´s good, can you bring me some takoyaki?" "And Katsudon for me, please?"
"Sure kids, just fuck off for now, alright?" As the kids left, she could hear Toga mumble "I called it Izu-Izu!" and Midoriya reply in the same hushed tone "We shouldn't interrupt people like that to confirm your theories, Himiko!"
"So, what were we doing?" asked Freya from behind her. "Oh, you know what I was about to do, Freya. Fuckin´ kids, they ruined the mood. Wanna go have dinner or something instead?" "Sure, meet you at the gate in thirty? I must shower first!" "Perfect, see you in thirty!" Was this a date? She had no time for teenage romance in this profession. She liked Freya and thought she liked her back, so it wasn't going to be complicated. Though she felt a bit nervous with her feelings, facing death hundreds of times had taken most doubt from her personality. Yeah, it was a goddamn date, and she would show Freya a good time in town. And get those annoying kids their food too.
"State your serial number and current identity" asked a voice from behind the camera. "132799. Irina." "State your confirmation code." "Cells." "Confirmed. Proceed to interview." 99 stood up as a door slid open to her side. The hallway was lit by soft white glass panels at the sides, the floor and ceiling metal plates. Underground, the tunnels and bunkers may have caused claustrophobia to weak minds, even with its futurist architecture, meant to prevent it.
The tunnels had been the first part of the compound to be completed, decades and decades ago. Whatever renovation had added the sleek décor had happened before 99´s time, and she had little interest to inquire on a precise date. Behind her, the baseline room´s door closed again. It functioned as an airlock, in a way, not letting an imbalanced agent back, and preventing infiltration. The interview room was located midway to the cells where agents slept, at least those not currently on a mission.
99 walked over to the interview room, her steps making no sound on the metal floor. A weak individual may have used that to prank a friend, but she was strong, and had no consideration for either pranks or friends. The door slid open with a soft whoosh as she approached, and behind the glass desk sat a grey-haired man with red eyes. The Lord motioned towards a chair before him, and 99 sat down.
On most assignments the debrief was done by a subordinate, perhaps Number 09, or the strict Number 32. On paper they were her superiors, and she treated them with outwards deference, but inside, she pitied them. Too old or weak for fieldwork, not good enough to be considered by the Lord to bear a new generation of servants to life. The Lord spoke "Ninety-nine, child, it is so good you have returned. I have a few questions I wish to ask, just to clear you for your next assignment. First, I need your mission report."
99 was ready to comply "The General is dead, with his communications staff. Blackbird took them by surprise, the entire camp was KIA. No witnesses, not before Blackbird´s men, and obviously not after. South Sudan is falling to Blackbird, city by city." She allowed herself a small smirk, she had changed the destiny of a city by herself and altered the balance for an entire country.
"Very good, 99. Your help has been invaluable to our ally, Ndege Mweusi. What is your opinion on the mission? We are helping Blackbird commit genocide against people whose only difference from their countrymen is having a Quirk, what are your thoughts on that?" 99 scoffed "I spent two months among those people, watched their Quirks, their actions. They are weak, and don't deserve to have those Quirks, if they are not willing to even defend themselves, to organize and fight! They are depending on the Americans for everything. The second the Army landed in Africa, the locals latched onto them, almost like parasites. It is easy for them to feed off charity, to play the victim. A hundred men with strong Quirks could have stopped Blackbird before his war."
"Good, good. I agree with these thoughts, child. Now, I wish to tell you a story. You do remember your History, yes?" "I do, Lord." "Well, allow me to fill any gaps we might not have taught you. Remember, the Right hand must never be aware of the Left." Before she had even thought about it, she was reciting the mantra she had been taught so long ago, even before she had learned to wield a blade "The Right Hand greets the world. The underworld shakes Pestilentia´s hand, and it is the hand that makes the deals. The punch from the Right is brutal, deadly. But the Left Hand is never seen, and it holds a blade, a second away from the world´s throat. The Right Hand will never meet the Left, unless it is time to lose a Hand." "Good, good. If my criminal friends knew I held their lives in my hands at all times, they would scarcely be good business partners; scared men are not the best for decisions."
"But I have a story, and the fact that I tell you in person, is an honour you will not sully with another interruption, child." His tone had barely shifted, and 99 was afraid, and nothing in this world made her feel that. She would hold her tongue, and let the Lord speak.
"This story officially starts in January 1947, in China. A working-class family gave birth to a baby, who glowed phosphorescently. The first Quirk. A month later, in Thailand, another baby was born, with an arm that turned into a hammer at seven months. Throughout the world, twenty babies were born that year, with Quirks active, or dormant, to awaken by their fourth birthday. Radiation from nuclear bomb tests was the first explanation thought for the babies´ "gifts". Half of the babies who exhibited active Quirks were quietly killed, their superstitious parents blaming demons and gods. The growth was slow, but steady. Nobody knew where Quirks were coming from.
"By 1950, the number of Quirked children was around two hundred. A few scientists noticed the pattern and established a group to study Quirks. That is all the official story tells. As you received proper education, you know more than most.
"By 1960, around two thousand people had Quirks, and governments had started to take notice. The Quirk Study Group was absorbed by the Americans and their capitalist allies, and imitated by the Soviets, whose spies had managed to get across the Study Group´s plans in time before being found out. The Cold War was an arms race; better guns, faster planes, bigger nukes. Superhumans. Both sides tried to weaponize Quirks, hobbled only by the young age of the Quirked.
"The Soviets fired the first shot, literally. The KGB wasn't ready to forget the Missile Crisis. A ten-year-old Uzbek kid was brought to the States and directed to give an order to a stranger in Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald knew nothing of the shot that killed Kennedy, as the kid had brainwashed him completely. The kid was used to create sleeper agents with his Quirk, all the way to the 80´s, when he was executed by the KGB.
"Vietnam saw the first deployment of Quirks in combat, when a CIA SOG covert unit brought a thirteen-year-old with an incendiary Quirk. The kid was drugged to hell and back, barely aware of his surroundings. The SOG unit, Task Force Phosphorus, burnt village after village. One day, the drugs were not enough, and the kid saw the war crimes he had been pushed to commit, and he killed himself.
"Combat-useful Quirks were quite rare, back then, and both sides could barely muster small teams of Quirk users. In 1984 occurred the first clash among them, in Afghanistan. Both teams had massive amounts of casualties, and the Special Powered Teams, as they would go on to be known, would need much and more refinement, if they were to be useful.
"In 1986 Chernobyl happened. The Soviets evacuated not just Pripyat, Chernobyl´s town, but also Krasnograd, a town home to Chernobyl´s sister reactor. And an opportunity arose. A base was constructed, strong and mighty, and above it, a school. A place to make Quirks work for our advantage. The KGB posted an officer in command, Vasily Krasnov, and the post suited him like a glove. The second group was trained in Tselinoyarsk Institute.
"Vietnam had ended, and Afghanistan had, too. The next front for war seemed to be Europe. Tanks lined both sides of Berlin, nukes were never more than a switch away from flying. The Cold War´s tension was unbearable. The Berlin Wall fell, and the Soviet Union foundered, and almost died. Gorbachev was ready to end it, but he was never allowed to. The KGB took over, like the praetorian guard of Imperial Rome, and placed their man on top. The Cold War wasn't over yet.
"The year 2000 came and went, and the tension of the Cold War had once again started a war. American-backed rebels had started an uprising in Cuba, aiming to overthrow the eternal Castro. The Quirked now formed more than two percent of the population, useful, useless, dangerous…it wasn't a secret anymore. The Cuban war lasted for five years, bringing in Mexico and Vietnam along, and flattening the cities of Havana, Monterrey, Miami, and Hanoi. The Americans won in the end.
"After five years of Hot, the war became cold again, until the Soviet infrastructure could no longer take it a year later. The KGB had bought the Union sixteen years of life, at the cost of thousands of lives lost to famine and war. To the relief of the world, the Cold War had not gone nuclear.
"In 2006, as the Americans licked their wounds, shadows started to rise. In Japan, an unknown man had surfaced, taking control over organized crime almost overnight. His name was All for One, and his influence spread like wildfire. For ten years he ruled unopposed in Asia, his will determined events worldwide. The Japanese government was powerless to stop him and could only mitigate the casualties of his followers´ crimes. China bowed with no conditions, Korea bent the knee. Ten years he ruled, the possibility of external intervention halted at the root by his influence. Then, on the eleventh year, a man rose to challenge him. The "first hero" call him romantic analysts of this forgotten era of history. I know more. He was One for All, All for One´s traitor brother.
"One for All could not defeat his brother, but the semblance of his invincibility was broken. Challenger after challenger appeared, and the outward power All for One held was cut off. He was forced to operate in the shadows, to rely on stealth. For seventy years, he was the World´s bogeyman. Striking from the dark and vanishing yet again. Six times he fought in the open against One for All´s successors, a gaggle of mismatched heroes. Then a symbol appeared, and his shadow hand was pried away from the world´s throat. A symbol of Peace.
"Nana Shimura, the previous One for All, was killed thirty-five years ago. Her student, All Might smashed his way through All for One´s power, isolating him and breaking his organization, starting thirty years ago. They danced around each other for twenty-two more years, All for One briefly appearing and getting chased away without any contender getting the upper hand. Until they finally met, and it was a clash of titans. All for One was dead for five minutes, before we got him out and jumpstarted his heart. All Might was crippled and could only stay a hero through sheer willpower.
"You know the rest. All for One´s capture, escape, and death. What you do not know, is how, for sixty years, I was the only person he considered his friend."
"Unlike my friend, I have never held power in public, keeping to the shadows all along. My Hands have brought the world together, under me. The wars of the last fifty years…it may be arrogant to claim they have all been my brainchild, but I definitely gave them a push. All that death…between All for One, myself and some of our temporal allies we have kept the world population down. Just under five billion people live today, not for our lack of trying. I believe it is still too many people. A culling is needed. A new plague. A pestilence."
He paused, his eyes shining with malice. "And that is where you come in, child. Our enemies have turned your cell sister, 98, against us, even after she was accepted as a servant to my friend, All for One. In case she does not return to our family, I look to you to fight her. She was the Alpha of your cell, as you were the Omega. Show your supremacy, when the time comes."
99 was suddenly reminded of her cell sister, 98. If the Left Hand had taught them friendship, 98 would have been her best friend, her rival. 99 was always second best, in everything they did. Her Quirk, Common Face, merely altered an adversary´s mind to show her as an average, common person. Her race and height would change in her opponent´s eyes, her hair colour, her eyes. 98 could turn into any person whose blood she drank, even imitating clothing, after a lot of training.
Their rivalry had never been mean spirited, based only on being the strongest, the best. But the day she had finally beaten 98, fighting in the training yard, her rival had been taken aside. She was to be given an assignment. 99 hadn't seen her again, only heard the screaming from the projector room. After that, 99 had never returned. Curiosity invaded 99, wondering if 98 was still the same golden-eyed killer she had known. She could kill a stranger without a second thought. If 98 was still inside of this "Himiko Toga", 99 would give her a chance. Or a quick death, should it come to that.